What is a Celestial Master?
He who holds the Way of Heaven and observes the movement of the heavens! To take one step further is to act on Heaven’s behalf and execute its punishment!
Wu Ming, of course, is still far from reaching the legendary level described in tales. To say “my will is Heaven’s will” would be an exaggeration, but he is certainly capable of summoning wind and rain, stirring up chaos, and influencing the outcome of battles at this level.
Zi la!
The sky seemed to split into two curtains, and torrents of rain poured down.
The already soft earth mixed rapidly with the rainwater, quickly forming a vast swampy area. The cavalry of Meng Kuo screamed, but weighed down by their heavy armor, they sank rapidly into the mire.
“Kill!”
“Indeed, Heaven’s Mandate is with us!”
This extraordinary phenomenon pushed the morale and ferocity of General Mei Wang’s army to their peak, as soldiers shouted and their spirits soared. In contrast, the momentum of Meng Kuo’s forces suddenly waned.
…
“Heaven… Celestial Master!”
Meng Kuo angrily snapped the arrow in his hand: “Damn! Such a powerful figure could easily become the leader of a major faction and gain renown throughout the land. Why would he appear here and support Mei Wang?”
Li Xiong, however, remained silent.
Above this canopy of rain, he sensed a very familiar presence—the black-hearted Daoist who had killed his senior brother and stolen his treasures!
If in the past he had thoughts of challenging him, now, faced with the vast rain clouds and the obscured vision, he could only bitterly smile.
Before fully unlocking the power of the Kui Mu True Fate, recklessly confronting such a formidable opponent would be unwise.
“General! Right now only our cavalry is trapped, not yet a total defeat. As long as the infantry can win!”
Beside him, the scholar who had previously engaged Li Xiong in eloquent conversation now stepped forward. Under the heavy rain, however, none of his earlier elegance remained: “We must not retreat now, or it will truly become a crushing defeat!”
“Correct!”
Meng Kuo was a decisive man and immediately declared: “Beat the drums! I, your General, would rather die than retreat!”
“We vow to follow the General to our deaths!”
He had nurtured his troops for many years, always sharing his food and clothes with them, enduring hardships together, and thus held great prestige. Even in this unfavorable situation, many still willingly laid down their lives for him.
“Indeed, elite troops and capable generals—he is my superior!”
Han Hulin gazed downward at the soldiers fighting fiercely despite the rain and other adverse conditions, his face paling as he murmured softly.
“Even so, what can they do?”
Wu Ming sighed softly and pointed once more: “Go!”
The rain abruptly ceased, revealing the bright sun. With the interplay of water and fire, a terrible thick fog arose, covering the sky and earth so that even within three feet, nothing could be seen.
The army immediately fell into chaos, with only faint glimmers of torchlight and cries heard: “Don’t panic! Return to your units and follow your squad leader’s commands!”
No one knew how long passed before the fog finally lifted, revealing Meng Kuo and his men staring at each other in dismay.
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and stones bounced about.
“Something’s wrong!”
Li Xiong’s face changed drastically, as a sense of danger from the void gripped his heart.
“Quickly, retreat!”
Boom!
It sounded like ten thousand waves surging, like a mighty river rushing forth. Then, within the valley before them, a white line appeared, surging forth with a mighty crest!
“It’s a flash flood! Flee!”
An old soldier’s scream abruptly startled the entire formation, soon followed by even greater chaos.
“Heaven… Could it be that I truly lack Heaven’s Mandate, that it must use another’s hand to destroy me?”
Even Meng Kuo, whose heart was as hard as iron, felt disheartened facing the successive blows of rain, fog, and flood, as if Heaven itself conspired against him.
“General, quickly flee!”
When the flood came, apart from a few cultivators, the entire army was swept away by the raging torrent. The low-lying area quickly turned into a vast expanse of water.
Li Xiong immediately shouted. Under such circumstances, even if the founder of the military school were reborn, it might be impossible to turn the tide. Even for him, being caught in the undercurrents would be extremely troublesome. He grabbed Meng Kuo’s arm: “Let’s go! Meng’s younger generation is full of talents; it’s still possible to make a comeback!”
“Still possible? Haha… Still possible?”
Meng Kuo laughed bitterly: “All my family’s elite followed me here. Most have perished in this disaster. How can I face their families?”
He immediately drew the sword at his waist and wiped it with his sleeve.
“Sigh…”
Seeing this, how could Li Xiong not know Meng Kuo had resolved to die? He sighed deeply and, without looking back, activated his supernatural ability and left.
Before leaving, he couldn’t help but look back at the high ground where Mei Wang stood. He could distinctly sense that the thief who had stolen his Metal Gourd was there, yet he dared not provoke him again.
…
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!”
As the soldiers, riding on prepared bamboo rafts, surged forward to eliminate the remaining enemy forces, even the most insensitive among them realized what was happening and rushed to felicitate Han Hulin.
Though Han Hulin and the Holy Mother of the Red Lotus wore expressions of joy, there was also a trace of solemnity in their eyes. They both turned their gazes toward the figure descending from the altar.
It must be said that Wu Ming’s appearance as the Star-Grabbing Disciple was quite ordinary. Yet, in the eyes of the people, with the halo of the Celestial Master around him, he exuded an air of grace, as if a celestial being had descended to the mortal world.
“I have fulfilled my duty!”
Wu Ming said those four words simply, and Han Hulin immediately stepped forward, his face beaming with a mixture of flattery: “Heavenly Master, you have worked hard. This victory is all thanks to your divine abilities. Once I issue the order, I shall appoint you as our Chief Military Advisor, and all under my command must show you respect…”
He was, after all, a ruler who had risen from the bottom and understood all too well what Wu Ming’s power represented. Thus, he felt no shame in bowing so deeply, even appearing almost humble.
“Enough!”
Wu Ming waved his sleeve, saying, “This Taoist has already said—he has no interest in worldly wealth and honor…”
His status had now risen imperceptibly, and even with this attitude, Han Hulin still displayed a respectful demeanor, a sight that could only inspire awe for his ability to bend and yield.
…
“Please, inform him that I wish to see my junior brother…”
After returning to the camp, the Red Lotus Holy Mother grew increasingly uneasy. After much deliberation through the night, she finally arrived before Wu Ming’s tent.
Gazing at the lantern light, recalling all the preparations she had made, which had only served as a stepping stone for Wu Ming, she felt regret so deeply that it tore at her heart—after witnessing today’s miraculous display, it was not hard to imagine how many Red Lotus sect disciples in Mei Wang’s camp would have their faith shaken.
Even more importantly, Wu Ming was her personally acknowledged junior brother and the second-highest-ranking official in the Red Lotus sect. Though he held no real power, in name alone, even the Holy Maiden Bai Yulian had to maintain a respectful attitude toward him!
And after seeing Wu Ming display his divine might, how many disciples would now willingly worship the “Heavenly Father” while forgetting the “Holy Mother” Red Lotus?
At this moment, the Red Lotus Holy Mother fully understood the meaning of the phrase “lifting a stone only to drop it on one’s own foot.”
But now, she still needed to treat the gatekeeper Huang Ying with special consideration and dared not put on any airs.
“Hmph!”
Huang Ying gave a silent snort of disdain at the woman’s pretense, but since she herself felt uneasy facing the Star-Grabbing Disciple, she simply said, “I’ll announce you!”
It was a long while before Wu Ming finally responded: “Alright!”
The Red Lotus Holy Mother felt a surge of anger but quickly calmed herself, tidied her hair, and followed Huang Ying inside.
“Heavenly Master, may I ask where our Mei Wang army will go from here?”
As soon as she entered the tent, she heard Han Hulin’s familiar voice, which made her heart jump slightly.
“This campaign, though we broke through, will surely provoke further retaliation from the imperial court. Moreover, with our use of floodwaters to destroy seven armies and the heavy losses among the military disciples, we now face enormous troubles!”
Han Hulin poured out his grievances to Wu Ming, while Wu Ming merely narrowed his eyes, appearing indifferent, savoring the new sensation of being a Celestial Master.
A Celestial Master is a fourth-level expert, possessing the internal power of bright yellow qi, which Wu Ming now had.
Moreover, this time using water as a weapon to instantly destroy an entire army had deeply impressed upon Wu Ming the meaning of the saying: “No strategy is as ruthless as using water and fire.”
“Hehehe…”
Now, faced with Han Hulin’s complaints, he simply smiled without speaking.
“Oh! How come the King and my junior brother are chatting without inviting me?”
The Red Lotus Holy Mother coquettishly exclaimed, blinking her big eyes, showing no embarrassment at all as she sat down directly.
“Perfect! Just getting started!”
Wu Ming lightly coughed, drawing the attention of both individuals. Though they were the true rulers of this province, they both felt somehow inferior in his presence.
“King, what you said earlier is not entirely accurate!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly: “This campaign was nominally to suppress rebellion on behalf of the imperial court, but in reality, it was merely a move by the military school using Meng Kuo as a pawn. After this crisis passes, this province will be as stable as a mountain!”
His gaze swept over, seeming to pierce into Han Hulin’s very soul, silencing any words he might have spoken.
“Of course, not attending the alliance meeting won’t do either. Xu Zongwu occupies the Ten Perilous Pass and possesses the momentum of the entire realm. If you don’t attend this alliance meeting, you will miss the opportunity to gain renown throughout the land!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
Han Hulin nodded repeatedly, clearly in agreement with Wu Ming’s words.
“However, now that the conditions are somewhat better, Your Majesty could appoint a capable and trusted aide to govern this province while you personally lead an elite force northward. This way, you can achieve two goals at once!”
Wu Ming offered his suggestion.
“Is that so? I will give it serious consideration!”
Han Hulin looked at Wu Ming, then glanced at the Red Lotus Holy Mother, a faintly amused smile playing on his lips: “I’ll take my leave now and won’t disturb the Heavenly Master and the Holy Mother’s refined conversation. Haha…”
“Your Majesty, wait a moment. Since the Holy Mother is also here!”
Wu Ming waved his hand, stopping Han Hulin’s departure, and with a smile, delivered a shocking announcement: “This Taoist has today completed his task and, having grown restless in stillness, has decided to travel afar. I must bid the two of you farewell!”
“What?”
Not only Han Hulin, but even the Red Lotus Holy Mother nearly popped her eyes out: “Why are you leaving so soon?”
In truth, both were quite puzzled. Who would leave so abruptly after helping halfway, like Wu Ming was doing?
Unfortunately, they didn’t know that Wu Ming’s involvement was for two reasons: one was to test his own limits, and the second was to complete the prerequisite for the two women to fulfill their tasks.
Now that his objectives were achieved, why would he remain on this sinking ship?
Wu Ming might be able to save it once, but he couldn’t protect it twice, thrice… or a hundred times!
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