Martial Cultivator

The common people of Rainfront County, let alone in this lifetime, even going back two or three generations, had likely never witnessed such a shocking scene.

That towering dharma idol stood between heaven and earth, dragging a stretch of cloud sea and blocking above Rainfront County, intercepting all those countless bolts of lightning before the cloud sea, not allowing them to wreak havoc upon the human world!

Thus, such a spectacle was formed. Above the cloud sea, it was like an apocalyptic scene. Countless bolts of lightning fell like a raging storm, drowning the cloud sea, but only to that extent. The enormous dharma idol held up the cloud sea with one hand, while the other hand reached toward the sky. With a sweep of that great hand, it seized countless bolts of lightning, tugged forcefully, and directly tore apart innumerable lightning strikes.

Those shattered bolts of lightning began to scatter and fall. But in the end, the robes of the massive dharma idol billowed, directly sweeping away those scattered lightning strands.

Crackling sounds rang out around the dharma idol as those lightning bolts began to gather with intent, converging toward it. Countless streaks of lightning were like flying swords, and also like thunder dragons, now crashing toward that dharma idol without regard for anything!

But the dharma idol merely waved one hand continuously before itself. Once any lightning was caught by that great hand, it shattered instantly. That hand kept sweeping across, while lightning was constantly born between heaven and earth, endless and unceasing. Even so, before that hand, it all seemed so insignificant.

The dharma idol slightly raised its head, exuding an unparalleled domineering aura that looked down upon the world!

Suddenly, among the people on the ground, someone cried out in alarm, “Lord Warden Commander?!”

That commoner was bold. Even with such a huge commotion and such a terrifying sight, he had not completely hidden himself, but had been watching all along. Now he had finally seen the true appearance of that massive dharma idol. He froze for a moment, then hurried back into his house, took out the portrait he had asked someone to bring back from the Divine Capital, and upon looking, sure enough—the face of the dharma idol was exactly the same as the Lord Warden Commander in the portrait!

He shouted excitedly, “Everyone, don’t be afraid, it’s Lord Warden Commander! With him here, we’ll be fine!”

As that commoner spoke, many others looked out from their homes. Some pushed open their windows and saw the face of the dharma idol, equally overjoyed. “It really is Lord Warden Commander! I’ve seen his portrait, exactly the same!”

As more and more people recognized who that dharma idol was, the fear in their hearts was swept away in an instant. At this moment, no one feared the lightning above anymore. Everyone was filled with excitement.

For over two hundred years of the Great Liang Dynasty, the earlier emperors had created a good era, making life less difficult for the people. But it was only after the current Great Liang Emperor ascended the throne over a decade ago that their backbone was gradually awakened.

During those years, the Great Liang Emperor used his actions to show the people that living was not merely existing. They could live with dignity, live proudly as people of Great Liang.

And in these recent years, this young Lord Warden Commander had, through one matter after another, shown the people that the foreign lands cultivators they once feared no longer needed to be feared, and the demons that devoured humans were no longer something they had to worry about as before.

Everyone knew that the Lord Warden Commander’s bones were hard and he bowed to no one. If foreign lands cultivators provoked Great Liang, before him, they would have to pay in blood.

Green Algae Sect, Glaze Temple, even Infatuation Daoist Temple, all had already paid the price!

The people of Great Liang now might not know who the Crown Prince was, but they would certainly recognize this young Lord Warden Commander.

Countless young people had long since taken him as their idol, wishing to follow him for their entire lives!

“With Lord Warden Commander here, even if the heavens bring down divine punishment, it doesn’t matter, the Lord Warden Commander will handle it!”

The people shouted excitedly. At this moment, they had already cast aside all fear of heavenly disaster. What they cared about now was watching how Lord Warden Commander would beat up even that damned heaven!

Lu Ji had originally still been somewhat worried, but upon seeing the reactions of the people at this moment, he was instead stunned.

Having lived so many years, having experienced more than one dynasty, and having seen countless emperors, he knew clearly that in any past era, no emperor had ever achieved what this young martial artist had.

He had truly won the hearts of the people, truly become the hope of countless common folk. If this young man had any intention of becoming the ruler of the world, then in Lu Ji’s view, it would only be a natural course of events, and the people would not resist it in the slightest.

It was just like when the Great Liang Emperor had risen in rebellion as a feudal prince. In truth, the common people of Great Liang did not resist much at all, because that deposed emperor had been far too weak. When facing the cultivators of the foreign lands, he had, on many occasions, placed himself in an inferior position.

At that time, several new unequal treaties had even begun to be signed during the reign of that deposed emperor.

Perhaps the deposed emperor had been a ruler capable of maintaining the state, but after living for so many years, the people were no longer satisfied with merely surviving like that. They needed dignity. They needed backbone!

So rather than saying that the deposed emperor lost the throne because of a series of his own actions, it would be more accurate to say that the Great Liang Emperor had been chosen by the people of the world.

Lu Ji recalled the young emperor he had seen earlier in the dream.

The founding emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty, Chen Lin - he had come from humble origins, had not studied books, had no prominent background, and did not even have much support. Yet it was precisely him who, relying on a single breath of resolve, climbed from a low-ranking soldier to the very pinnacle of the world.

Such a thing had never had a second example in the historical records. Never had there been a dynasty founded in such a way, nor had there ever been a dynasty with the kind of backbone Great Liang possessed now.

Lu Ji muttered to himself, “Was it destined by heaven?”

But very quickly, he shook his head and rejected that thought. “Not destined by heaven, human strength triumphs over heaven.”

In the eyes of heaven and earth, the human race was nothing more than insignificant ants. But among those ants, some grew stronger through cultivation, while others gathered together and, relying on sheer resolve, accomplished things that the world believed impossible.

Lu Ji suddenly laughed. “All my life, I felt ashamed to be a subject of so many dynasties. But now, being a subject of Great Liang is actually a blessing!”

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