History’s Number 1 Founder

Zhu Yi’s mana worked its magic on the cracks all over Zhu Hongwu’s body and large amounts of energy leaked out.

If all his energy and vitality were sapped, Zhu Hongwu’s powers would reach literally the bottom of the abyss and disappear into nothingness – he would a level of incapacitation more complete than the previous time.

Zhu Hongwu roared in exasperation as light sparkled in his eyes. Images of the Eight Trigrams were created and destroyed inside, and the incredible scene of the beginning of Destiny could be seen as well.

Zhu Hongwu’s current mana aura surprisingly exuded concepts of power that belonged to the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues.

This was after he had assimilated Zhu Yi’s previous physical body, and he was now being worked through by Zhu Yi’s mana. The effects of both forces from the inside and outside gradually broke through that window in the wall.

At this moment, Zhu Hongwu’s locked the energy and vitality that was leaking out of his body and didn’t let Zhu Yi progress any further.

His loud voice resonated in the skies as he said, “You bastard! You can’t do anything to me! All your efforts will be for naught, and I have seen through the secrets of your sect and I have risen to another level! The mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders are no longer a secret before my eyes!”

“Everything that you have done have only made me stronger in the end. I will defeat you eventually!”

Zhu Hongwu felt as if all the difficult questions that were plaguing his mind all along were resolved one by one, and all the principles and wisdom that he had obtained appalled him.

At this current level, he didn’t need to study them meticulously. He already gained a lot from simply looking at these profound principles and scripture. All the different hurdles fell like dominoes as his martial strength and his powers were greatly amplified.

If he completely understood everything, his power would rise to an unimaginable level and the hidden problems with his premature fusion with the Upali Golden Form would be eliminated. All his wounds would be healed, and his entire being would receive an unprecedented quality boost.

Zhu Hongwu even felt that if he could master the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues, he could even attempt the Alpha Tribulations and he was positive that he would survive and he wouldn’t perish under the duress of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man and the Alpha Destiny Tribulation.

At this moment, Zhu Hongwu felt as if every thought and idea in his immortal soul and every pore on his physical body were incredibly smooth and it was exhilarating.

However, just at this moment, Zhu Yi’s voice boomed. “Zhu Hongwu, you should wake up from your dream.”

Zhu Yi reached out with his hands and the Four Appearances Sky Formation and the Great Boundaries of Celestial Light and Darkness Mandala reapplied their seals onto Zhu Hongwu’s body.

Zhu Hongwu had yet to master the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues in the end and he wasn’t able to recuperate yet. He was enveloped once more by Zhu Yi’s seal and the blood and mana circulation around his body was immediately frozen.

This feeling was as if he was yawning halfway but everything was stuffed back into his mouth, as if he wanted to stretch his body but everything felt out of place and extremely uncomfortable.

A mysterious and strange expression appeared on Zhu Hongwu’s face from this stifling feeling.

Frustration, anger, exasperation, wrath, helplessness, … Every single kind of emotion surfaced in his heart.

He was just one step away from looking through the profundities of the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues. He was just one step away from recovering from his injuries – just that one step.

However, this step felt as distant as the end of the world and he would never reach his destination.

He only had to take one step and once this step made, his goal would be realized. However, he would never be able to make this step and all he could do was watch with open eyes.

Zhu Hongwu said quietly, “Zhu Hongwu. If we don’t talk about our feud and conflicts, your determination and your unwavering mentality, your extraordinary learning speed are extremely rare and admirable. You are truly a class above the rest, and if you reach the Vipralopa Stage in the future, you might have a chance to beat those Vipralopa Stage great demons with just your fists.”

“However, all this is futile – ever since I reached the immortal soul stage, the situation between you and I have been completely reversed.”

“You can’t beat me when we are at the same level of mastery. Your speed of improvement and cultivation is also inferior to mine. You can’t beat me at the same level of mastery, and you can’t even defeat me when you’re at a higher level. Even if I let you reach the Vipralopa Stage, and when that happens, can you even begin to imagine the level I will be at?”

The seal he had placed on Zhu Hongwu’s body was withdrawn as he casually smacked down with a single strike of his Dao of the Way.

The cracks all over Zhu Hongwu’s body suddenly started to burst with large amounts of energy and vitality with unstoppable momentum.

This sudden explosion of spiritual energy and vitality was almost enough to completely destroy this tiny world.

However, Zhu Yi’s powers secured and controlled them and there was no way they could affect this tiny world. It felt as if this patch of land they were standing in was separated from the tiny world and they weren’t even in the same plane.

Zhu Hongwu’s composure and his calm mentality was dented following these events.

This dent was almost impossible to repair once it had appeared. At this moment, Zhu Hongwu’s mind was crumbling much like the cracks on his physical body.

Compared to the incapacitation of his martial way, the crumbling of his mind was much more urgent and perilous for Zhu Hongwu.

Thoughts of hopelessness and lost faith surged to the top of Zhu Hongwu’s mind and grew even more dense.

All this was because his mind had been broken. These changes were like water that broke through a dam and its momentum was almost irreversible and everything would only become worse in time.

Zhu Yi said plainly, “Your understanding is that reason is power, and you will impose yourself on everybody that doesn’t believe in your own principles and force them to your side. Anybody that defies you will be eliminated. When your power is gone, you might still believe your principles but you will never be able to force others to your side any longer.”

Zhu Yi’s tone was plain, but it was like an enormous hammer that knocked heavily onto Zhu Hongwu’s head continuously and ripped an even larger hole in his mind.

“It’s normal for people to have different beliefs and different paths. Today, I incapacitate you to seek revenge for my mother and I am forcing you to bow before her – that’s justice.”

Zhu Hongwu suddenly raised his head and the calm in his eyes were completely gone. All that was left was fury and hysteria as he stared at Meng Bingyun’s gravestone before him. He roared into the sky and started immolating his own body and dived towards Meng Bingyun’s gravestone!

“I was concerned about my reputation, so I didn’t murder my own blood all those years ago. This has led to the disaster today and I feel exasperated to resign to this fate – we shall perish together.”

Energy and vitality continued to seep out from the cracks on his body. At this moment, they were like sparks throne into a pot of oil and instantly caught fire as they exploded into raging flames.

Zhu Yi shook his head as he watched this scene and said, “Stubborn. You have brought this disaster upon yourself.”

He opened his palms and appeared as if he wasn’t going to stop Zhu Hongwu from crashing into Meng Bingyun’s grave. However, streaks of mana rippled as Zhu Hongwu smashed against Meng Bingyun’s gravestone – and he immediately dropped onto the floor.

Immense power squeezed Zhu Hongwu’s body until they broke into pieces once more.

These broken pieces were no longer able to reform Zhu Hongwu’s body. Instead, under Zhu Yi’s influence, they separated into four different groups and transformed into a barrier on four sides that were erected around the grave.

These barriers were crystal-clear and flowed with peace and mercy.

The images of four Buddha statues glimmered on each side. They were changing scripture as Zhu Hongwu’s indignant exclamations gradually faded and into the background. Even though they could still be heard, they were drowned out by the constant drone of chanting.

The tip of each side transformed into a statue of the Dragon, the Phoenix, the Qilin and the Spiritual Turtle as they watched everything around them.

“Dear mother, you were kicked out of the Great Void Sect when you were alive, and I hope you forgive me for using the power of the Buddha on your grave. Zhu Hongwu is pigheaded, and he wants to harm you even in his last moments, so I shall let him serve his penance before your grave for the rest of his life.” Zhu Yi stood before the grave for a long time without saying anything else.

The Great Sun Avatar appeared beside him. He opened his hands and a person fell out – Shao Qingcheng.

Shao Qingwu saw Zhu Yi and the grave before him with an astonished look on her face. She was imprisoned by the Great Sun Avatar’s power, but she could see everything that was happening in the outside world. Everything that just transpired before her very eyes, even though she was already in the second-level immortal soul stage, casted a haze of terror over her.

Zhu Hongwu was converted into a part of Meng Bingyun’s grave!

Or it could be said that Zhu Yi used Zhu Hongwu’s body that merged with the Buddhist Golden Form to create a four-sided barrier around Meng Bingyun’s grave.

His consciousness and his soul were also imprisoned within these barriers.

These fences contained large amounts of energy and vitality. If one focused on refining it, a powerful magic item could come out from it.

Of course, Zhu Yi wasn’t about to forge it into a magic treasure as he turned towards Shao Qingcheng and said quietly, “I’ve said before there I won’t kill you, but you will remain here before my mother’s grave to watch over it for the rest of your life.”

He unleashed his power once again as he sealed and assimilated Shao Qingcheng, but this process was a lot smoother than with Zhu Hongwu.

Shao Qingcheng’s mastery was removed and she was like a normal lady at this moment. Her body trembled as she heard Zhu Yi’s words and her expression immediately turned black. For her, this outcome was something even more difficult to accept than her death.

“Bastard! Kill me if you can, but don’t think you can make me watch over that bitch’s grave!” Shao Qingcheng wanted to provoke Zhu Yi and deliberately unleashed a barrage of profanities as she spit towards Meng Bingyun’s grave.

The barriers around the gravestone suddenly lit up and blocked off Shao Qingcheng’s ball of saliva before it even got close – instead, it flew backwards and landed upon her own face.

Zhu Hongwu’s exclamations suddenly grew stronger inside the barrier but quickly disappeared and returned to the state of weakness.

Shao Qingcheng’s expression was inscrutable as she gazed at the barrier before her. “Ha ha! Ha ha! Hongwu, Hongwu, whether you like it or not, you have also been given the task of protecting Meng Bingyun’s grave!

Zhu Yi’s eyes suddenly turned pitch black after he removed Shao Qingcheng’s mastery.

Shao Qingcheng, who was no different from a normal person, gazed into Zhu Yi’s eyes and her consciousness suddenly became blurry and obscure. A thought surfaced in her head and she muttered, “…The lineage of the Emperor of the Dead?”

“I never enslave others, but I will make an exception for you. This is the punishment you deserve.” Zhu Yi said plainly as he used the profundities of the Emperor of the Dead’s lineage and sealed Shao Qingcheng’s mind. Even though she was unwilling, she could only watch over Meng Bingyun’s grave and there was nothing she could do to damage the gravestone and she couldn’t even try to take her own life.

There was fear and fury inside Shao Qingcheng’s eyes. No matter how much she was unwilling and how exasperated she was, all this gradually became emotions of defeat and finally, hopelessness as her face turned dull.

Under her lackadaisical eyes, Zhu Yi lit up some incense and knelt before Meng Bingyun’s grave once more before he turned around and departed.

There was only tranquility and peace left inside this small world.