Chapter 440 - 415: I Bring Forth My Sword to Slay Demons for the Human Race’s Celestial Pride

On this day, word spread throughout the Nine Provinces.

In just a short while, the space beneath the Jade Stele of the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List was packed to the brim with people who had swarmed to see the rankings!

Later, officials from the Imperial City Department cleared a path by beating gongs. A Third Grade Official, dressed in crimson robes and riding a grand, crimson-tasseled sedan chair, personally arrived at the base of the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List.

The crowd hurriedly parted. A Third Grade Official, even if he hadn’t reached the Great Scholar Realm himself, was equivalent to a Great Scholar when empowered by his Official Position!

A Scholar’s path progresses from the Qi Nourishing Realm to the Vast Qi Realm, to the Righteous Qi Realm, to the Vast Realm, and finally to the Perception Realm—

The so-called Perception Realm is described as, "Knowing when to stop, one can be determined. With determination, one can be calm. With calmness, one can be at peace. At peace, one can deliberate. Through deliberation, one can attain."

To know oneself, perceive one’s Dao, establish one’s own teachings, and achieve one’s own gains—this is what it means to be a Great Scholar.

The Qi Nourishing Realm is equivalent to a Cultivator’s Qi Transformation Stage, the Vast Qi Realm is equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Stage, the Righteous Qi Realm is equivalent to the Divinity Transformation Stage, and the Vast Realm is equivalent to the Divine Refining Stage.

As for the Perception Realm, it is equivalent to a Returning Void Celestial Immortal!

Even a Perception Realm empowered by an Official Seal, a pseudo-Great Scholar, was still a Pseudo-Celestial Immortal.

Their combat power wasn’t necessarily weaker than a true Celestial Immortal’s, and when it came to authority and influence, they might even have more!

Furthermore, even if a Third Grade Official had not reached the Perception Realm, their personal cultivation would be at least at the Vast Realm.

Such an important figure had come personally to the base of the Celestial Pride List. He tilted his head back and looked up at the rankings.

The people, who had been crowded beneath the stele moments before—chattering excitedly and showing a thousand different emotions—all held their breath at this moment, daring neither to speak nor move.

There was only the sound of frantic heartbeats, chaotic and uncontrollable.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!

The people’s hearts pounded as they, along with the Third Grade Official, all tilted their heads up.

The crowd heard the official’s steady voice slowly ring out, "Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, Song Zhao. Primordial Spirit Dao Body. Top-level comprehension.

"Early-Stage Divinity Transformation. Origins: mysterious.

"Primary Magical Treasures: Sun and Moon Wheel of Formless Life and Death, Spiritual Artifact-Level; a Fake Divine Beast-Level Suanni Puppet at the Divinity Transformation Stage. Proficient in the paths of time and space. Wields Samadhi True Fire. Exceptionally powerful Thunder Skills.

"Battle Record: Fought above her level to slay an early-stage Demon Venerable Void Mantis. Killed the fifteenth-ranked on the Celestial Pride List, Golden Lion Demon Gu Peng. In a single engagement, slew twelve Demon King-level or higher demons, including the Void Mantis, Wind-Slicing Cyan Eagle, the Five-Colored Mountain’s Shadowless Leopard, the Yellow Bone Corpse Demon..."

He read out the names of all twelve Great Demons.

To the people watching the stele, every single one of those names was familiar—some were even legendary!

A single one of those names would have been enough to make countless humans and demons tremble with fear. Yet, right here and now, this entire string of resounding titles had been reduced to entries on Song Zhao’s battle record.

She hadn’t just defeated them—she had killed them all!

Amid the total silence of the crowd, the crimson-robed Third Grade Official slowly and forcefully delivered the final verdict on Song Zhao’s entry: "With such a battle record, she is worthy of the third-place rank on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List!"

His voice faded, yet the words seemed to reverberate for miles.

The first to break the silence were the people on the outskirts of the plaza, farthest from the Jade Stele. They could no longer contain themselves.

A voice cried out in amazement, "Song Zhao is only at the Early-Stage of Divinity Transformation, yet she’s already slain a Demon Venerable! With that kind of power, third place on the Celestial Pride List can’t possibly be her limit!"

The moment that voice sounded, it was as if a curtain of silence had been ripped away. The scene exploded into a cacophony of noise, unable to remain quiet a second longer.

It wasn’t that the people disrespected the Third Grade Official; it was just that in this situation, at this very moment, who could possibly contain their excitement and refrain from talking?

They figured a court-appointed Third Grade Official, with the self-cultivation of a Great Scholar, surely wouldn’t get angry over the chatter of the common folk.

Another voice rose above the din, its owner shouting excitedly, "Song Zhao slew a Demon Venerable while at the Early-Stage of Divinity Transformation! If she were to fight the Demon Race’s Tushan Jing, could she actually surpass him?"

This voice was especially sharp and piercing, standing out from the rest.

When that voice faded, it was like a giant boulder had been dropped into an already turbulent river.

The idiom "a single stone stirs a thousand waves" perfectly described the scene.

The crowd grew even more frenzied. The Human Race had suffered under Tushan Jing for far too long!

Although the Human Race had Yun Liuguang, who perennially occupied the second spot on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, second place was still second place. How could it possibly compare to first?

Ever since Tushan Jing had burst onto the scene and suppressed all the Celestial Prides of his generation, he had been like an insurmountable mountain, weighing heavily on the heart of every member of the Human Race.

As members of the Human Race, how many of them didn’t hope for a truly peerless Celestial Pride to emerge from their ranks, sweep the Celestial Pride List, and put Tushan Jing in his place?

High hopes had been placed on Yun Liuguang for many years, but regrettably, he remained unable to surpass Tushan Jing.

It was difficult—far too difficult!

Could Song Zhao’s appearance truly fulfill the Human Race’s grand ambition of taking the number one spot?

Soon enough, someone voiced this very question.

Someone else countered, "Song Zhao is strong, yes, but the Celestial Pride List only placed her at third, not second, and certainly not first. This proves that there is still a gap between her and Daoist Monarch Fu Guang. As for first place, don’t even mention it!"

This Daoist Monarch Fu Guang was, of course, Yun Liuguang.

Naturally, some people retorted, "She slew a Demon Venerable at the Early-Stage of Divinity Transformation, and you call that not strong? Just because Fairy Song wasn’t placed first doesn’t mean she’s weaker than Daoist Monarch Fu Guang or Tushan Jing. It’s more likely that for the top three spots, an actual battle is required to determine the final order!"

Someone else chimed in, "Exactly! Fairy Song achieved all this at just the Early-Stage of Divinity Transformation. Daoist Monarch Fu Guang is at Divinity Transformation Perfection, and Tushan Jing is already in the Demon King Stage. Who’s to say that when Fairy Song’s cultivation reaches the Late Stage, or even the Perfection Stage of Divinity Transformation, she won’t surpass them both?"

These words were incredibly inspiring, and in an instant, they drew a wave of cheers. "Yes, that’s exactly right!"

"That’s how it should be!"

"This is wonderful! Our Human Race has another peerless Celestial Pride on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List! The Human Race is destined for greatness!"

Waves of cheers rippled through the crowd, spreading far and wide like a tidal wave.

"The Human Race will rise!"

"The Human Race will rise!"

...

These voices spread out from the Jade Stele of the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, sweeping rapidly through the Capital, then across the Nine Provinces like a storm, and finally, throughout the entire world.

The Third Grade Official who had come to read the list in person departed in silence.

When he arrived, all eyes were on him. But when he left, almost no one paid him any mind.

The officials no longer beat their gongs. Only as his sedan chair passed did the crowds on either side part out of unspoken agreement.

Only when the sedan chair was far from the area of the Jade Stele and crossing a large bridge in the city did it suddenly stop. The official stepped out.

On the bridge stood a youth. A long sword hung at his waist, and his hands were clasped behind his back.

The crimson-robed official clasped his hands in a salute. "Beichen Sword Immortal."

Beichen Sword Immortal turned, a smile on his face. "Well? Our Human Race’s Celestial Pride did not disappoint you, I trust, Your Excellency?"

The crimson-robed official was silent for a moment before saying with deep admiration, "Bursting onto the scene like this... it’s something not seen in a thousand years. This must be the sign of a new, great era!"

Beichen Sword Immortal laughed heartily. "A great era, true enough. The question is, will it be a great era for the Human Race, or for the Demon Race! If it is to be a great era for humanity, then people like us must be willing to risk everything, to stride forward and clear the Great Dao for the generations to come."

With that, a brilliant beam of sword-light shot into the clear sky above the Capital.

A clear and arrogant voice boomed across the sky, "The Demon Saint Palace is truly shameless, sending a Demon Venerable to assassinate a junior of our Human Race. Since they’ve stooped so low, what’s stopping me from drawing my sword today and cutting down a few of their own Celestial Prides?"

"Hahaha, Supreme Profound Heaven, my sword and I are on our way!"