Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Jiang Chen followed Lui Yifa back to his residence.

Lui Yifa’s cultivation had now reached the True Martial Realm Third Stage. He had also passed the eighteenth floor of the Earth Martial Hall, making him a Nine-star Elite Disciple, just one step away from becoming a Core Disciple.

"Boss, this is my place!" Lui Yifa said with a good-natured smile.

Jiang Chen nodded, casually sitting down on the edge of the bed. He smiled and said, "Afa, you’ve been in the Saint Martial Sword Sect for a while now. You should know the basic situation with the Celestial Alliance, right?"

"A little!"

Lui Yifa nodded. "Yulan Tianpeng and the others once asked me to join the Celestial Alliance, but I figured you’d definitely be back, Boss, so I planned to wait for you to arrive before making a decision."

"Good."

Jiang Chen smiled. "Then why don’t you tell me the basics about the Celestial Alliance!"

"The Celestial Alliance... is very strong..."

Lui Yifa was silent for a moment, a grave expression appearing on his face before he began to speak. "The Celestial Alliance was founded ten years ago. It’s an organization created by the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s number one genius, Lan Haichen, when he was promoted to True Disciple. In just ten short years, the Celestial Alliance has managed to recruit more than half of the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s disciples. Furthermore, many Elder Powerhouses and Hall Masters serve as the Celestial Alliance’s patrons..."

Through Lui Yifa’s explanation, Jiang Chen gained a much deeper understanding of the Celestial Alliance.

The Celestial Alliance’s position within the Saint Martial Sword Sect could be summed up in four words: a law unto themselves!

Its Alliance Leader, Lan Haichen, was the number one genius on the Earth List. On top of that, the Celestial Alliance also boasted four great patrons, each a Hall Master. The Hall Masters of the First Hall, the Fifth Hall, the Seventh Hall, and the Ninth Hall were all patrons of the Celestial Alliance.

Furthermore...

Numerous Elder Powerhouses were also supporters of Lan Haichen and had joined the Celestial Alliance.

As for disciples, their numbers exceeded half of the entire Saint Martial Sword Sect.

Among the top ten prodigies of the Outer Sect, number one, Li Yunlong; number three, Luo Qing; number five, Qiu Yunbo; number seven, Hex Junchen; number eight, Sunx Yang; number nine, Zhong Yi; and number ten, Lu Jie, were all members of the Celestial Alliance.

"The Celestial Alliance is without a doubt the number one power in the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Of course, many experts are unwilling to join them and have formed their own small groups. The three strongest of these are the Emperor Alliance, founded by the Holy Dragon Knight Di Tian, who is ranked second on the Earth List; the Crown Prince Faction, led by the current Crown Prince of the Saint Martial Dynasty, Yuwen Tiandu, ranked seventh on the Earth List; and the Baihua Fairy’s Hundred Flowers Alliance. These three factions are second only to the Celestial Alliance, and they’ve formed an alliance of their own to oppose them."

After saying all this in one breath, Lui Yifa felt his throat was dry and quickly downed two cups of tea.

Jiang Chen frowned, lost in thought.

He knew the Celestial Alliance was powerful, but he hadn’t expected Lan Haichen’s Celestial Alliance to be so terrifyingly so!

This was practically half the Saint Martial Sword Sect!

’It looks like destroying the Celestial Alliance won’t be an easy task. The Emperor Alliance, the Crown Prince Faction, the Hundred Flowers Alliance... If I want to destroy the Celestial Alliance in the future, I’ll have to cooperate with these three powers to some extent.’ Jiang Chen’s thoughts raced, but he quickly pushed the matter aside.

’Destroying the Celestial Alliance... This will require long-term planning. My current strength is far from enough!’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Jiang Chen took out a Storage Ring and handed it to Lui Yifa, smiling. "Afa, there are a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals in here. Take some for yourself to buy cultivation resources and raise your cultivation. Also, I want you to secretly befriend some experts who are unwilling to join the Celestial Alliance. Lay the foundation for us to establish our own power in the future!"

"Don’t worry, Boss, I won’t let you down!" Lui Yifa nodded emphatically.

"Alright, I have other things to do, so I’ll be leaving. First, give me your Identity Token number so we have a way to communicate in the future!" Jiang Chen took out his Identity Token and recorded Lui Yifa’s number.

The Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Identity Token was both a symbol of status and a communication device!

The two chatted for a while longer before Jiang Chen left the Elite Disciples’ residence and headed for Elder Qii’s valley.

......

Inside the valley, Jiang Chen once again immersed himself in frenzied cultivation. Thanks to the Black Emperor’s translation, the translated text of the *Water Dao* soon lay before him.

’Water is good, benefiting all things without contention. It dwells in places men despise...’

Jiang Chen silently recited the translated text of the *Water Dao* over and over, tirelessly chanting it in his mind.

He entered a wondrous state.

It was a world made entirely of water. In this world, water nourished all things, sweet rain moistened the earth, and allowed the Ten Thousand Spirits to grow.

Suddenly, a torrential downpour began, and the gentle water transformed into a terrifying, monstrous flood.

It destroyed everything!

After the destruction, everything returned to calm, and the water once again became like a savior, rescuing the world.

「More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye...」

’When water is good, it nourishes all things and nurtures the Ten Thousand Spirits. When water is evil, it destroys the world like a monstrous flood. When water scatters, it falls as sweet rain, and mist fills the sky. When water gathers, it forms rivers that flow endlessly, converging into a boundless sea...’

’The true essence of water—’

Sea of All Rivers; greatness comes from its capacity!

These were the final seven words of the *Water Dao*!

Like a great Dao bell, it rang in Jiang Chen’s mind with a deafening RUMBLE.

Jiang Chen’s whole body shook, and his eyes flew open. "Sea of All Rivers; greatness comes from its capacity! This is the True Meaning of Water. Sea of All Rivers means it can contain all things, embrace everything... I understand now. So this is the True Meaning of Water..."

BOOM—

Jiang Chen slashed his sword through the air.

Throughout the valley, countless streams of Water Attribute Spiritual Qi gathered. At first, only faint blue strands of Spiritual Qi, the size of hairs, converged into tiny trickles. Then, they grew larger and thicker, like rivers surging and rushing, and the RUMBLING sound of water echoed throughout the entire valley.

BOOM!

Jiang Chen’s sword strike hit the eastern cliff face of the valley and exploded. A torrent of water immediately began to pour down from the rock wall.

WHOOSH...

Flowing straight down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the Nine Heavens, a waterfall appeared out of thin air!

"Water Sword Intent, Tier Two!" Jiang Chen sheathed his sword, the corners of his mouth lifting in a gratified smile.

’This period of arduous cultivation wasn’t in vain after all!’

"CLAP! CLAP CLAP CLAP! To comprehend Tier Two Water Sword Intent in less than two months... remarkable!" Elder Qii’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

Jiang Chen froze, then quickly turned and bowed respectfully to Elder Qii. "Disciple Jiang Chen greets Elder Qii!"

"At ease!"

Elder Qii said with a gentle laugh.

A faint smile appeared on his face, which was etched with the marks of time and hardship. His cloudy eyes stared intently at Jiang Chen, filled with satisfaction. He chuckled playfully, "Little fellow, are you still going to call me Elder?"

...

Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, but then he understood. He knelt down respectfully. "Disciple Jiang Chen pays his respects to Master!"

"Hahaha, good, good, good! For me, Qii Daotian, to meet a disciple like you when my life is nearing its end... it is truly a blessing from the heavens!"

Qii Daotian gently stroked his long beard, his face filled with excitement and relief. He placed his hands on Jiang Chen’s arms and helped him up. He studied Jiang Chen carefully, nodded, and smiled. "Good disciple, in the first half of my life, I pursued only the Martial Dao and never took a disciple. In the second half, I wanted to find a genius to inherit my legacy, but I never met the right one. Now, the heavens have opened their eyes and let me meet you. As your master, I will naturally teach you everything I know."

"Here, I have prepared three gifts especially for you. Take a look!"

Qii Daotian took out a Storage Ring and placed it in Jiang Chen’s hand, a mysterious smile on his face.

Jiang Chen’s heart began to beat a little faster.

’What kind of treasures could Master have prepared especially for me?’