Chapter 131: The Holy Lord of Yaoguang

Pure Land of Brahma Sound.

Supreme Saint Master Yaoguang sat upon a meditation cushion. Her face was round like a full moon, her skin smooth as lard. Strictly speaking, in terms of mere appearance, she was not even considered a great beauty among the ten Saint Masters. Yet, Yaoguang possessed a graceful and noble bearing, a presence that suggested she was born to rule the world.

At this moment, her eyes were crinkled in a smile as she listened to the message transmitted via secret arts by Hanyue.

"Elder Sister, Fan Li has returned."

"He did not expose my assassination attempt. Perhaps he is conveying some form of goodwill..."

After speaking, Saint Master Hanyue struggled to maintain her usual icy beauty persona, but her heart was pounding. After all, to the Pure Land, Fan Li was an enemy, not a friend, and her words and actions were equivalent to exonerating an enemy.

"Sister Hanyue, rest assured," Saint Master Yaoguang's voice was as gentle and kind as a mother's. "I promised you last time that as long as Fan Li does not provoke us, for the sake of the stability and prosperity of the Great Chu people, the Pure Land can spare him."

"Thank you, Elder Sister!" Saint Master Hanyue said joyfully. She looked at Saint Master Yaoguang with adoration, as if thanking her for her tolerance on behalf of Fan Li. Beyond that tolerance, Hanyue even felt a motherly warmth.

For the sake of the people? Yes! Fan Li’s influence permeated every industry in the Great Chu Kingdom. With the power of the Pure Land, wiping out the entire Fan clan would not be difficult. But what would be the consequences? The Chu Kingdom would inevitably fall into civil strife, industries would collapse, and the lives of the common folk would be plunged into total chaos. The Pure Land of Brahma Sound was the sacred ground for all righteous female cultivators in the world, a beacon of justice and morality. How could they not have compassion for the people?

"Fan Li really should thank me!" Saint Master Hanyue thought to herself. "Although he is a treacherous official, he is not as beyond salvation as Dong Zhuo. If he can turn over a new leaf, I can ensure his safety for a lifetime."

Hanyue looked down to admire her beautiful attire. Unconsciously, she asked, "Elder Sister, do you think I look prettier today than usual?"

Saint Master Yaoguang laughed upon hearing this. "Silly sister, you are already a rare beauty in this world; no matter what you wear, you are always exquisite."

"Ah... thank you for the compliment, Elder Sister." Hanyue responded, but she felt a slight sense of disappointment. In truth, she had hoped Yaoguang would praise the dress itself.

"There is one thing I must trouble you with, sister," Saint Master Yaoguang said suddenly.

"Please, Elder Sister, tell me!"

"Don't be nervous, it's just a small matter." Saint Master Yaoguang smiled casually. "Since you are in Pengcheng, you will inevitably see Fan Li often. Please investigate when convenient whether the Heaven-sent Divine Beast of Great Chu has already been subdued by him."

"Fan Li? Subduing a divine beast? How is that possible!?" Saint Master Hanyue was shocked. But she recalled that of the three divine beasts that descended from heaven, only the one in the Chu Kingdom had yet to appear. On second thought, she realized this might be the most logical explanation. Had he actually deceived the entire world?!

"Please rest assured, Elder Sister. I will spend more time with Fan Li to see if he is hiding the divine beast," Saint Master Hanyue said solemnly.

"Mm, thank you for your hard work, sister."

As she spoke, Saint Master Yaoguang donned a suit of magnificent, gleaming silver armor.

"Elder Sister, what are you doing!?" Hanyue asked in surprise.

"I have an appointment with three friends," Saint Master Yaoguang said with a relaxed smile. "To have a fight."

...

Pengcheng, Fan Residence.

In the Jiangshan Pavilion, Fan Li leaned against the railing, admiring the landscape. Looking at his carefree and relaxed demeanor, no one knew that the Fan Li present was merely a clone. His true body was in the Dragon God Palace, undergoing rigorous cultivation.

Ever since the burden of the "Heavenly Curse" had been lifted, Fan Li finally experienced the joy of cultivation. With the Son of Heaven’s destiny, how terrifying was his talent? Coupled with the effects of his clone and the tenfold training room, he had recently reached the third stage of Foundation Establishment.

But this was not the most critical thing. There was a secret art that Fan Li believed must be practiced with his real body, or it would be difficult to yield results: The Son of Heaven’s Divine Ability!

The Battle of Weiyang Palace was something Fan Li would never forget. The Son of Heaven, enjoying the fortune of the world, manifesting a giant form—what kind of divine ability was this? Fan Li suspected that Princess Changle knew the secret of the Son of Heaven’s divine ability. After all, when she saw the giant form of the Han Emperor, she was nowhere near as shocked as he was. It even seemed as if Princess Changle had long anticipated that the Han Emperor would undergo such a transformation!

The Princess had left. Before she departed, she still did not tell Fan Li this secret, which showed she did not want to speak of it.

"Changle also has the Son of Heaven’s destiny. It is normal that she would not tell me about such imperial secrets," Fan Li comforted himself, though he still felt a bit stifled. He asked Wuzhui, but unfortunately, Wuzhui really did not know. Finally, Fan Li wrote a letter to Lü Chunqiu, hoping that the profound heritage of the Lü clan could provide him with the answer.

Not long after, Fan Li received a reply from Lü Chunqiu. He had only tried on a whim, never expecting to actually get an answer!

"To the Duke of Jin, seeing these words is like meeting in person."

"The Son of Heaven’s divine ability is called the [Pangu Giant Form]."

"To cultivate this divine ability, one must possess the Son of Heaven’s destiny and reach the Mahayana realm. Both conditions are indispensable."

"In the last thousand years, the fortune of the Son of Heaven has declined, and few have reached the Mahayana realm, so the [Pangu Giant Form] has not appeared for a long time and has been gradually forgotten by the world..."

Lü Chunqiu was indeed a great scholar of his time, his knowledge as vast as heaven. The letter was thousands of words long, detailing the divine ability. Legend has it that in ancient times, Pangu created the world and used his body to transform into all things. The sun, moon, stars, mountains, oceans, flowers, trees, birds, beasts, and even the pure and turbid qi all originated from Pangu. Pangu was the world itself.

The [Pangu Giant Form] was a divine ability that reversed Pangu’s creation. Any Son of Heaven who enjoyed the mandate of a nation, once reaching the Mahayana realm, could mobilize the fortune of their country and condense it into their own body, becoming 'Pangu.'

"So, this is the truth behind the Son of Heaven’s invincibility at the same level?"

"Is this why the ancient sages and wise monarchs were invincible for a lifetime?"

Fan Li’s gaze moved to the end of the letter.

"There is one limitation to the [Pangu Giant Form]."

"The range of this divine ability is limited to the territory of the Son of Heaven’s own country."

"Once one steps outside the national borders, the divine ability vanishes."

Fan Li suddenly realized! Throughout history, it was hardest for a founding monarch to establish a kingdom, and easiest for a successor to maintain it. Was this the reason? No wonder even with the strength of the Jiajing Emperor, he could never make up his mind to unify the world. On foreign soil, facing an enemy Son of Heaven in the state of the Pangu Giant Form, even he might not have the certainty of victory.

Even before the Alliance of the Three Emperors, the Han Emperor Liu Xie was only one step away from the Mahayana realm. Clearly, Jiajing did not want to provoke the Han Emperor into breaking through. Yet, under the pressure of Dong Zhuo, the Han Emperor had broken through after all.

"Unless I become the Emperor, I can never cultivate the [Pangu Giant Form]?" Fan Li muttered to himself, his expression turning strange.

"What are you mumbling about?"

A familiar voice descended from the sky. The intruder had clearly trespassed into the Jiangshan Pavilion. Fan Li was startled, especially after recognizing the visitor's identity.

"You’ve come to kill me!?"

The visitor was none other than Saint Master Hanyue, dressed in a beautiful gown.