Chapter 474 - 418: King of the World

Seventeen years is but the blink of an eye in the vast Divine Dao.

However, for the Spirit Yong Realm, those seventeen years were a torrential flood of incense that swept across the world and reshaped the very cosmos.

Qi Yun’s footsteps, beginning in the two provinces of Yong and Cold, never once faltered.

The all-pervasive Daluo Daoist Sound arrived before the Divine Soldiers.

Wherever the Daoist Sound reached, the hearts of the people were subtly changed, and their faith quietly shifted.

Countless common folk, Low-tier Deities, and even factions discontent with the rule of their State Monarchs were swayed. Attracted by the Daluo Daoist Sound’s vision of peace, order, and strength, their loyalties wavered, and they began to conspire in secret.

By the time Qi Yun arrived on their borders, wielding the overwhelming momentum of two provinces’ fused incense, internal strife had often already taken root, making his external advance impossible to resist.

Some State Monarchs, failing to recognize the changing tides and overconfident in their own might, tried to resist. One such example was the volatile Heaven-Burning Monarch of Yan Province, who commanded a myriad of flames and attempted to block the torrent with his world-immolating fire.

The result was that his prized Burning Heaven Divine Fire was washed away and extinguished by the great river of "Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Sea" Wish Power, which Qi Yun had condensed from the incense of two provinces.

His Divine Body was bound by the Law Divine Chains, manifested from the incantation "Hurry Up, as the Law Commands," and sealed deep within an Earth Vein.

There were others skilled in scheming and intrigue, such as the monarchs of Ze Province and Lin Province, who attempted to form alliances to counter him.

However, faced with Qi Yun’s brilliant stratagems—far surpassing this realm’s understanding of the Divine Dao—and the absolute disparity in power, their so-called alliance crumbled at the slightest touch.

What awaited them was the same fate: their Divine Positions stripped, their Divine Souls suppressed.

Over seventeen years, Qi Yun’s presence became an inexorable force of fate sweeping across the Spirit Yong Realm.

He divided and conquered, co-opted and placated.

Those willing to submit were granted the true teachings of the Daluo Daoist Sound. They kept their Divine Positions and were even given the chance to advance further in the new order.

Those who mounted a futile resistance had their Divine Countries shattered, their incense usurped, and were reduced to prisoners.

Once this snowballing advantage took hold, it became unstoppable.

Each time the incense of a province was unified under him, his power grew. Wielding that strength against the next province made his conquests devastatingly easy.

When he reached the final province, Wind Province, its ruler, the Xun Wind Monarch, famous for his speed and unpredictability, attempted to stall Qi Yun with hit-and-run tactics and natural defenses.

Qi Yun merely stood high in the sky and gently roused the Incense and Wish Power from the eight unified provinces. He transformed it into a Celestial Net that covered the entire Celestial Vault—vast, yet inescapable. It ensnared the Xun Wind Monarch, who had nowhere left to run, along with the thousands of miles of violent winds under his command, and began the slow process of Refinement.

And with that, the mountains and rivers of the Spirit Yong Nine Provinces were united as one!

From the Extreme North Cold Province Snowfield to the Nanli Yan State Volcano; from the Western Border Golden State Gobi Desert to the Easternmost Cangzhou Sea Territory; and across the Fertile Lands of the Five States of Yong, Lin, Ze, Feng, and Lei in Central Earth...

Across this boundless territory, the lives, deaths, prayers, and thoughts of trillions of beings—their purest faith and Wish Power—transcended countless mountains and rivers. Like a hundred streams flowing into the sea, it all converged unceasingly upon the Supreme Divine Hall at the center of the Nine Provinces, a structure now expanded to the magnificent scale of a Celestial Palace.

Within the Divine Hall, Qi Yun did not manifest some exaggerated Dharma Aspect. He simply sat in his ordinary form upon the Purple Gold Divine Throne, which was composed of bas-reliefs depicting the mountains, rivers, and geography of the Nine Provinces.

But the Dao Rhyme circulating around him had already entered into a profound resonance with the entire Spirit Yong Realm.

With every breath, the Earth Veins of the Nine Provinces seemed to thrum in unison. With every blink, his eyes seemed to reflect the city lights and countryside cook-fires of the entire world.

At this moment, he was the very manifestation of the Nine Provinces’ will of incense, the uncrowned sovereign of the Nine Provinces!

And in the very instant that the incense of the Nine Provinces fell completely under Qi Yun’s control, when the last stray wisp of Wish Power was gathered and integrated—

HUMMM!

The Celestial Vault above the Divine Hall was no longer a sky of ordinary clouds, sun, and moon. It had suddenly transformed into a pure, indifferent, supreme sea of Laws!

Countless Talismans representing the fundamental Laws of Heaven and Earth flickered in and out of existence within it, converging into a single "gaze" that was clearer, vaster, and more imposing than ever before.

This was no longer a mere inspection, nor a warning.

A grand, cold, and utterly emotionless thought—yet one of absolute clarity—was branded directly onto the deepest part of Qi Yun’s Divine Soul. Like a decree from the Celestial Constitution, it descended with a thunderous crash:

"You have united the Nine Provinces, gathered the faith of the masses, and brought order to the Divine Dao.

Are you willing... to become the Lord of Spirit Yong?"

The thought contained clear conditions and information:

If he agreed, Qi Yun would be officially "Decreed" by the realm’s Celestial Will as the Lord of Spirit Yong. He would become the number one being under the Celestial Will, yet above all other life!

He would command over ninety percent of the authority in the entire Spirit Yong Realm.

He could mobilize a near-infinite amount of the Power of Heaven and Earth, create and amend the Celestial Laws of the Divine Dao, decide the fates of trillions, and establish or depose gods with a single word!

The Celestial Will would recede into the background. Aside from maintaining the most fundamental operations of Heaven and Earth and the balance of its Laws, it would not interfere with any of his decisions or actions.

He would, in effect, become the "King of the World"!

But this offer came with a price.

Once he accepted the Decree, he would be completely and irrevocably bound to, and fused with, the fundamental Laws of the Spirit Yong Realm.

He would be Spirit Yong, and Spirit Yong would be him.

For this life and all lives to come, even through the reincarnation of his True Spirit, he would be eternally unable to take even a single step outside the Spirit Yong Realm!

Facing this sudden "ultimate invitation" from the world’s will, Qi Yun remained seated on his divine throne. There was no trace of ecstasy on his face, only deep thought and a flicker of surprise.

’The Celestial Will... Has it grown weary?’

’Is it looking for a Deputy so it can just wash its hands of everything?’

His Heart Thought raced, but he immediately dismissed the idea.

’No. The Celestial Will is the fundamental consciousness of a realm. It’s emotionless and desireless. Maintaining the world’s operation and the balance of its Laws is its core instinct. How could it possibly feel ’weary’?’

’Unless...’

He recalled the Celestial Will’s "tacit approval" of his consolidation of incense, the inherent rigidity and internal friction of the Spirit Yong Divine Dao System, and that bizarre scene of the "True Monarchs carrying a coffin" to drive a fellow True Monarch back to the Profound Yellow Realm. A flash of insight suddenly struck him!

As a certain possibility began to dawn on him, Qi Yun’s gaze shifted slightly.

’I now command the incense of the Nine Provinces and rule over trillions of faithful. My Divine Thought covers this boundless land. I can decide the life or death of any god with a single word and command the power of mountains and rivers with a single thought.’

Qi Yun raised his head, his calm gaze meeting the indifferent "eyes" of the sea of Laws, his heart utterly untroubled.

’Even without your so-called "Decree of the Celestial Will," I am already the de facto Lord of Spirit Yong, wielding the power of a true ruler.’

’Why would I need a crown that comes with chains?’

His Divine Soul pulsed, sending a clear, firm, and unequivocal thought back toward the sea of Laws high above.

BOOM—!!!

The moment Qi Yun’s refusal was sent, the sea of Laws—previously indifferent and transactional—instantly began to boil!

An boundless pressure, like billions of tons of seawater, crashed down, causing the entire Celestial Palace to tremble violently.

The auspicious clouds dissipated, the propitious mists disintegrated, and in their place roiled tribulation clouds as black as ink, heralding the end of the world.

Within the clouds, billions of chaotic lightning bolts—purple-black, crimson, and ghastly white—roared and slithered like frenzied dragons. A destructive aura locked down every inch of space within the Divine Hall.

That grand consciousness instantly turned cold and wrathful, filled with the supreme majesty of one who has been defied:

"Ant! How dare you defy the will of Heaven!"

"You have arrogated the incense of the Nine Provinces, disrupted the order of Spirit Yong, and usurped the mandate of Heaven! For this, your crimes demand death!

Today, I shall use this tribulation lightning to cleanse your Divine Soul, destroy your Dao Foundation, reforge the incense of the Nine Provinces, and reshape the order of Heaven and Earth!"

The Celestial Will turned on him faster than one could flip a page.

One moment, it was an invitation to be Lord; the next, a judgment that his crimes demanded death.

Clearly, faced with a powerful being like Qi Yun who was both "uncontrollable" and "unwilling to be pacified," the Celestial Will’s choice was simple: obliterate him, reclaim the incense, and reset everything.

KRA-KOOM—!!!

A chaotic tribulation bolt as thick as a celestial pillar, imbued with a Power of Destruction capable of sundering the heavens, ripped through the sky. It descended upon Qi Yun on his throne, carrying with it the will of judgment and finality.

Wherever it passed, space was utterly annihilated, collapsing into an absolute void of raging Earth Fire, wind, and water.

Facing this world-ending divine punishment, which represented the fury of the realm’s will, Qi Yun’s expression remained as placid as the water in an ancient well. Even the mocking curve of his lips did not waver.

’Heh. Flying into a rage out of shame, are we?’

He slowly rose from his divine throne. His magnificent Purple Gold Dragon-Embroidered Divine Robe billowed without any wind, its fabric rustling loudly. The embroidered patterns of the Nine Provinces’ mountains and rivers seemed to come alive, radiating an unyielding brilliance.

In the very instant before the chaotic tribulation bolt struck—

Qi Yun waved a hand, and from within his sleeve, a golden light of indescribable brilliance, majesty, and antiquity shot toward the heavens!

WHOOSH—

The golden light swelled against the wind, instantly transforming into a vast Golden List that stretched across the Celestial Vault, obscuring both sun and moon!

The Golden List was made of some unknown material—neither silk nor leather, neither gold nor jade. Streams of chaotic energy flowed along its edges.

Upon the list’s surface, the two words "Gods Sealing" pulsed with infinite Dao Rhyme. They burst forth with a boundless golden radiance that bathed the dark tribulation clouds in a magnificent golden light!

As soon as the list appeared, the violently descending chaotic tribulation bolt seemed to be obstructed by an unseen force, pausing for a fraction of a second!

Standing bathed in the Golden List’s radiance, Qi Yun formed an arcane, ancient mudra with one hand and spoke coolly:

"Nine States Pastoral Monarchs of Spirit Yong, hear my command!"

His shout was like a decree, merging into the golden light of the Gods Sealing List.

In the next moment, the Gods Sealing List spanning the Celestial Vault trembled violently.

Upon its surface, nine names in positions of honor, once dim, now blazed to life, erupting with a blinding golden radiance!

From within that radiance, nine towering figures stepped out of the list and manifested in the void before Qi Yun. Though each had a different form, they all radiated a majestic divine power, their auras sharing the same source as Qi Yun’s yet each with its own distinct focus.

As the nine Pastoral Monarchs appeared, their auras linked together. Resonating with the vast phantasm of the Nine Provinces’ Incense and Wish Power behind Qi Yun, they created a presence that seemed to rival the boiling sea of Laws and the world-ending tribulation clouds high above!

Qi Yun’s robes billowed. Standing beneath the Golden List and before the nine monarchs, he raised a hand and pointed at the vast, fickle Celestial Will. His voice was cold and resolute:

"Seize it."

...