107: Chapter 107 I'm just a fat tiger, why is there so much trouble?

The blood-red lingering light completely dissipated as the sky closed up, revealing ten thousand miles of clear sky. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the earth that had just endured a catastrophe.

The great battle ended, and both Lu Hu and the demon-slaying sword had vanished without a trace.

In the Xuan Kingdom, the various immortals who held immortal positions were among the few in the world today who were able to witness even a glimpse of this world-shaking battle.

At this moment, their hearts were in turmoil, shocked into a long silence.

That battle had been world-destroying. Ever since they accepted the inheritance of their immortal positions, they had heard legends of the first killing immortal artifact, the demon-slaying sword.

Its power of slaughter pierced through the past and present, with nothing capable of blocking it. There was no doubt that if they had approached that endless slaughtering sword intent, their immortal bodies would have been pulverized and their souls extinguished.

With the spatial power of the void-breaking sword added to it, the monstrous might displayed by the demon-slaying sword was enough to drive one to despair.

To be honest, they had already prepared themselves mentally for Lu Hu's defeat and the withering of the world.

It was almost a guaranteed loss, but as it turned out, Lu Hu was powerful beyond their imagination.

He forcibly took away the out-of-control void-breaking sword and used the heaven-defying Power of Creation and vitality to withstand the slaughtering power of the demon-slaying sword.

There were no ingenious schemes, nor were there any brilliant tactics to overcome the strong with the weak.

Lu Hu's actions were simple and crude, relying on sheer brute force. He clearly lacked combat experience, yet he won the fight.

“Thanks to Senior Lu Hu's heaven-reaching magical power, this great calamity was averted.”

One immortal sighed with emotion, and the others nodded in agreement.

In their eyes, it was simply that Lu Hu's cultivation was too high; he had broken all techniques with pure strength to defeat the demon-slaying sword.

“The demon-slaying sword's thousand-year scheme was crushed by Fellow Daoist Lu Hu's hand. Such combat power has likely long since transcended the limits of this world and touched the realm of ascension, just like the Young Ancestor back then!”

Emperor Xuan speculated.

Upon hearing this, Shan Jun, Perfected Zhong Chu, and the others looked delighted.

“Then wouldn't that mean...”

“Hard to say.” Emperor Xuan looked up at the nation-guarding seal in the sky that protected the territory of the Xuan Kingdom.

Even though the demon-slaying sword had been subdued, there was no joy on his face; he remained deeply worried.

The prophecy of world destruction left by the Young Ancestor before his ascension had already begun to manifest.

It wasn't the demon-slaying sword destroying the world, but rather the world itself heading toward its end.

Back then, Young Ancestor Xuan and Emperor Xuan Shi ascended together to seek a way to save the world, but so far, there had been no results.

Lu Hu might have now reached the same realm as the Young Ancestor and the others.

Could he then save this world?

...

Lu Hu walked upon the earth, his entire body radiating a majestic vitality of creation. The powerful energy caused withered vegetation to return to spring and flowers to bloom in the crevices of rocks; wherever he passed, a scene of vibrant life followed.

However, Lu Hu's brow was slightly furrowed, and his mood was not pleasant.

The earth beneath his feet was terrifyingly silent, as if the source of life was slowly drying up. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which used to flow richly, was now like a candle in the wind, liable to be completely extinguished at any moment.

Even though his Power of Creation could reverse the course of events, it was only a small area compared to the entire world. Furthermore, as he left, the earth that had regained its vitality would gradually slip back into a state of decline.

He was merely performing a futile task.

Reaching the border of the Xuan Kingdom, Lu Hu stopped.

As always, no matter how the outside world was turned upside down, the Xuan Kingdom remained as if nothing had happened, completely out of step with the rest of the world.

It was peaceful and comfortable; the earth was nourishing spiritual energy.

And this scene was only happening within the Xuan Kingdom,

The apocalyptic scenes of the outside world did not appear in the Xuan Kingdom.

Lu Hu stopped delaying and turned into a streak of light, speeding toward the imperial city of the Xuan Kingdom.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Hu arrived at the Xuan Imperial City. The immortals sensed him and hurried to welcome him.

“We welcome Fellow Daoist Lu Hu back in triumph!”

Seeing Lu Hu land, Emperor Xuan was the first to bow in greeting, his tone full of gratitude and respect: “If not for your intervention this time, the Xuan Kingdom would have faced a total catastrophe. On behalf of the billions of citizens of the Xuan Kingdom, I thank you for your life-saving grace!”

The immortals behind him also bowed one after another, “Thank you, Senior Lu Hu, for the great grace of saving the world!”

Lu Hu said indifferently, “It was just a weapon causing trouble, a minor effort not worth mentioning.”

His tone was flat, as if that world-shaking battle really was just a trivial matter.

This nonchalance pushed his perceived prestige to another level.

In the ears of the crowd, it made his world-surpassing divine might even more apparent.

Emperor Xuan straightened up and was about to invite Lu Hu into the hall for a banquet, but seeing a trace of solemnity between Lu Hu's brows, his heart stirred. Ignoring formalities, he quickly asked, “Fellow Daoist, as you observed the heavens and earth, did you sense something wrong?”

“Correct.” Lu Hu didn't hide it either, stating plainly, “The demon-slaying sword has been removed and the blood-colored baleful energy of the world has dissipated, but I can feel that the earth's vitality is drying up and spiritual energy is no longer being generated. This world is heading toward its demise.”

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth was several times thinner than before the war, and it was still continuously dissipating. The faint pulse coming from deep within the earth was also becoming weaker and weaker.

Emperor Xuan let out a long sigh, his face showing bitterness and helplessness as he said slowly: “Fellow Daoist has a keen eye. This matter was predicted by our ancestor many years ago, and he left a prophecy.”

He pointed to the jade seal floating in mid-air. The seal was carved with mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, and stars; its aura was as heavy as a mountain, radiating a Daoist charm that protected all things. It was none other than the national treasure of the Xuan Kingdom—the nation-guarding seal.

“This seal was left by the son of Ancestor Xuan, Young Ancestor Xuan.” Emperor Xuan looked at the nation-guarding seal, his eyes full of reverence.

He told Lu Hu that in ancient times, spiritual energy was dense, masters were as common as dogs, and Grandmasters were everywhere.

Even Immortal Dao experts were not few in number.

However, at some unknown point, the world began to decline, spiritual energy withered day by day, the Great Dao became fragmented, the cultivation of living beings became weaker and weaker, and the number of Immortal Dao experts gradually decreased.

This situation was noticed by Young Ancestor Xuan. He was a once-in-an-eternity genius with heaven-reaching cultivation, and he quickly discovered that the world was declining, deducing that it would eventually head toward destruction.

So he joined forces with his close friend to seek a way to save the world.

Young Ancestor Xuan exhausted his life's energy to refine this nation-guarding seal. At the same time, his close friend, the founding emperor of the Xuan Kingdom, Emperor Xuan Shi, gathered followers during the refining process to found the Xuan Kingdom and establish a superpower.

The purpose was to exert the power of the nation-guarding seal.

To stabilize the world, bring peace to the state, and save the common people.

The nation-guarding seal could suppress a nation's luck, gather the will of all spirits, control the rules of heaven and earth, and govern all phenomena.

It could be said that the four seasons, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning of the Xuan Kingdom were all controlled by the people of the Xuan Kingdom themselves; they were the ones executing and maintaining the operation of heaven and earth.

Within the domain of the nation-guarding seal, everything was decoupled from the world, unaffected and self-sufficient.

This was the method of saving the world that Young Ancestor Xuan had come up with.

In theory, as long as the nation-guarding seal was powerful enough and its domain covered the entire world, the crisis of the world's decline would be solved.

But this was only in theory. Even as Heavenly Immortals, Young Ancestor Xuan and Emperor Xuan Shi could not fully master such a vast world.

Once it reached a certain scale, many problems arose in management and operation; this was not something that could be solved by force alone.

Young Ancestor Xuan and Emperor Xuan Shi also felt powerless and finally chose to shatter the void and ascend to the upper realm to seek a way to save the world.

They left and have not returned to this day.

‘They didn't just fail to return; they met with misfortune!’

Lu Hu thought to himself after hearing Emperor Xuan's story.

He had seen Ancestor Que's memory inheritance and understood the matters of ascending to the upper realm much better.

Four Heavenly Immortals led the ascension, but the end result was the sky stained with blood and the heavenly pillars collapsing.

Ancestor Que had fallen. As for Young Ancestor Xuan and Emperor Xuan Shi, there were very few scenes of them in Ancestor Que's memory inheritance, but based on the situation, Lu Hu estimated they were more likely dead than alive.

Yet Emperor Xuan was still fantasizing about Young Ancestor Xuan returning with a way to save the world.

Lu Hu sighed inwardly.

He didn't speak out about the possibility that Young Ancestor Xuan had met with misfortune.

The atmosphere was already depressing enough; saying it would only further crush their confidence.

He looked up at the world-suppressing seal floating in the sky.

Counting on Young Ancestor Xuan to bring back a solution from the upper realm was out of the question.

So to save the world, they could only rely on this great seal for now.

The power of the nation-guarding seal was enough to turn the tide and save the crumbling structure, but the premise was that this power had to be fully utilized.

Amidst his thoughts, Lu Hu slowly spoke,

“The world is about to be destroyed, and none of us can stand by. Since Young Ancestor Xuan left a way to save the world and its effects are significant, we should make full use of it.”

Emperor Xuan sighed, feeling very helpless, “But to activate the full power of the nation-guarding seal, what is needed is—national prosperity and people's peace, and a unified world.”

“In a domain ruled by force, the people will not be truly convinced. If the will of the masses is not unified, not only will it fail to increase the power of the nation-guarding seal, it will also cause negative effects.”

At this point, Emperor Xuan's head hung even lower, full of guilt: “Since the founding of the Xuan Kingdom, successive emperors have worked hard to govern and expand the territory. But even so, the territory has only expanded several times, barely protecting the well-being of our citizens. The surrounding lands are filled with numerous kingdoms, constant wars, and endless disputes. Never mind unifying the world; even just holding onto this piece of territory has required our utmost effort.”

The surrounding immortals were all silent, their faces showing expressions of helplessness.

Unifying the world might be doable.

But to have everyone of one mind—that wasn't something that could be achieved with power alone.

With kingdoms divided and sects everywhere, various forces were constantly scheming and fighting. To want the world to become one and for the people to live in peace was no different from a pipe dream.

Lu Hu stood there without speaking, his mind thinking rapidly.

The situation was now very clear—to stabilize heaven and earth and stop the decline, the only way was to make the Xuan Kingdom flourish and grow strong, eventually unifying the world and activating the nation-guarding seal.

But relying on the Xuan Kingdom's own development, who knew how long it would take? By then, the world would likely have long since become completely dead.

He had to find a way to quickly make the Xuan Kingdom rise, unify the world, and rapidly appease the people so they would identify with the Xuan Kingdom.

Ordinary means, like expanding territory through conquest and slaughter, were too slow and time-consuming. Moreover, they could easily trigger even greater wars, which ran counter to the premise of 'national prosperity and people's peace'.

A figure flashed through Lu Hu's mind.

That fellow transmigrator—Li Jiao.

Although Li Jiao was weak, his handicraft skills were at the maximum level, and he possessed knowledge and a perspective that were different from this era.

He had a vast reserve of knowledge in his head; that was an advantage.

The people of this world primarily used cultivation for power, and the difference in strength between individuals was enormous—so much so that some experts could destroy a nation by themselves.

Such an environment led everyone to focus on strengthening themselves as their primary direction.

In the transmigrator's previous world, the difference in power between people wasn't large; they were all mortals.

But it was these mortals who had built airplanes that could fly, submarines that could go under the sea, networks that could connect people from ten thousand miles away, and nuclear weapons with power comparable to Immortal Dao experts.

They were all mortals, yet they could live comfortable lives.

This kind of livelihood development and management system was exactly what the nation-guarding seal needed. If it could be realized, the power of the nation-guarding seal could be fully stimulated.

Lu Hu wasn't sure if Li Jiao could manage such a large territory, but he was certain that Li Jiao's knowledge and handicraft skills could cause the productivity of all industries in the Xuan Kingdom to skyrocket.

Once productivity was up, in terms of the people's living needs, there shouldn't be situations where they didn't have enough to eat or wear, right?

Li Jiao was the most suitable person.

A glint flashed in Lu Hu's eyes; he had already formed a plan.

“Unifying the world and ensuring national prosperity and peace might not be a difficult task.”

Lu Hu's voice broke the dead silence of the scene, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Emperor Xuan snapped his head up, an unbelievable light exploding in his eyes as his voice trembled: “Fellow Daoist... is what you say true? You have a way to help the Xuan Kingdom unify the world and activate the nation-guarding seal?”

The immortals also looked up one after another, their gaze toward Lu Hu as if they were clutching at the last straw.

Lu Hu looked into the distance, his gaze falling on that figure who was currently hammering away at an unknown projectile.

He spoke slowly,

“A way, naturally, exists.

But you all must cooperate.”

Emperor Xuan looked at this tiger immortal who seemed casual but possessed the power to turn the world around. Without hesitation, he bowed deeply and said loudly: “On behalf of the Xuan Kingdom, I am willing to follow Great King Lu Hu's orders and will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

The other immortals followed suit, “We are willing to follow the Great King's orders!”

“We are willing to follow Great King Lu Hu's orders!”

The voices shook the heavens, spreading throughout the entire Xuan Kingdom. Many officials didn't know what was happening, but seeing their superiors shouting like this, they naturally understood what to do. One by one, they held up their official seals and shouted their submission.

A majestic and complex energy gathered toward Lu Hu. Lu Hu raised his hand, and the nation-guarding seal in the sky shrank and flew into his hand.

With all beings submitting and the power of all spirits added to him, the highest authority of the Xuan Kingdom was now held by Lu Hu.

The life and death of billions of creatures were now decided by a single thought.

High spirits?

Grand ambitions?

He felt none of those; Lu Hu only felt that the pressure was as heavy as a mountain.

He was just a fat tiger, why did he have to deal with so many troublesome matters?

The key was that he couldn't stay out of it.

He really wanted to sleep.

“Tomorrow we'll have a meeting to discuss how to unify the world.”

...