Chapter 684 – He Held the World in Both Hands, and With One Finger, Raised a Forest - Part 3

Atop the central tower, Tang Nian watched the dust settle, turned, and quietly left. What had just left the crowd breathless struck her as nothing out of the ordinary. Of all people, no one knew better than she how terrifying her godfather truly was.

In the last era, her godfather had entered the game at the final hour and still came out victorious. She hadn’t witnessed all of what followed, having stepped away partway through. But even just imagining it, she could sense the vastness of what had occurred, like waves crashing through history.

In the distance, Li Yuan raised his voice and declared, “From this day on, Lady Yu will enter seclusion to cultivate. The Tang Sect will henceforth be led by me.”

The words echoed far and wide.

Lady Yu remained silent, clearly offering no objection.

A stir rippled through the four towers.

They had come expecting a one-sided duel, a ceremonial formality. No one had expected that the

no-suspense

match would turn out to be a joke and even less that it would mark the official changing of the sect master.

Yet at this moment, no one dared to protest.

Li Yuan had defeated Lady Yu in open combat. He wasn’t some puppet being propped up. He was her husband, and more than that, the reincarnation of the legendary Lord Yu, whose name had once shaken the martial world even before the Tang Sect rose to dominance.

He gently let go of Lady Yu, patted her rear, and said, “Go back to the tower first.”

“...” Lady Yu froze.

No one had ever treated her like that, certainly not in front of all the Tang Sect’s inner disciples and elders. Her body tensed; a rush of shame and fluster overwhelmed her. The woman who once stirred chaos across the martial world now stood there, heart pounding like a startled girl. Her cold, steely gaze softened as though winter ice had melted into a gentle spring stream.

She glared at Li Yuan, tempted to scold him, but when she looked up and saw that flawless face, that regal, commanding presence...she drew in a long breath. Then, as if flipping a switch, she summoned back her imperial aura, the presence of an empress or a sovereigness, unwilling to appear unworthy next to her man.

Finally, she raised her voice and called out, “Where are my four maids?”

In a flash, the Four Poisons of the Tang Sect—Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Delight—leapt forward and stood at the railing, eyes fixed on the two figures in the sky who now seemed more like celestial beings than mortals.

With strong, unwavering voices, they answered in unison, “At your service.”

Lady Yu said, “I am going into seclusion. From now on, the four of you will serve the new sect master. Devote your lives to him.”

She didn’t say it aloud, but her intent was clear.

She didn’t want to spy on Li Yuan. Not exactly. But she

was

worried about his wandering eye. So she sent her most loyal, most disciplined attendants to keep a watchful eye on him...for her sake.

And indeed, these four understood her well. Loyal to the bone, with a knack for discretion, they would no doubt keep her informed.

As expected, Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Delight turned to Li Yuan, bowed respectfully, and said in unison, voices cold and professional, “We are willing to serve Lord Yu to the death.”

Li Yuan waved his hand casually, then flew down toward the mechanism tower, landing before its stationed elder.

The elder rushed to bow.

“Today’s succession is a joyous occasion. But since it happened so suddenly, I’m guessing you haven’t had time to prepare,” Li Yuan said calmly. He paused, then added with a faint smile, “Let’s do this. Celebrate with a salute.”

A

salute

? The elder blinked, then quickly turned to call someone to fetch one. Ceremonial salutes were usually stored away in the armory, something flashy but unimpressive.

But in the next moment, Li Yuan continued, “I meant the Thousand Leagues Iron Wall.”

The elder’s lips had barely begun to part when he froze mid-breath, completely stunned.

The mention of the Thousand Leagues Iron Wall alone was enough to send chills down the spine.

It was the Tang Sect’s largest mechanical defense weapon, built directly into one of the four towers. Moving it was nearly impossible, which was why it had been permanently installed, forming the impenetrable

wall

that guarded the inner sanctum of the sect.

With this device in place, even an invading army of thousands wouldn’t be able to breach the Tang Sect’s inner gates.

Once activated, the Thousand Leagues Iron Wall could unleash a massive barrage of hidden weapons and poisons in whatever direction the operator chose. Every inch of the system had been meticulously designed, drawing on the full depth of the Tang Sect’s most secretive knowledge, hidden weapons, toxins, and even puppetry.

Its

ammunition

was updated every ten years, each iteration more lethal than the last.

This wasn’t a weapon humans could fight.

Not even Lady Yu had ever considered going up against it.

So when Li Yuan casually dropped its name as if he were asking for fireworks at a party, a strange mix of emotions swept through the crowd, disbelief, shock, fear, and awe.

“Is he crazy?”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“How dare he say that?”

“Is he really that strong?”

“That’s impossible.”

...

Li Yuan continued calmly, “If it’s not ready, then we’ll wait. Use it during the Sect Master Succession Ceremony instead.”

Then, turning toward the four maids, he added, “Send word across the land. The Tang Sect has a new master. The succession ceremony will take place in three months. By then, there will be fireworks...and there will be the Thousand Leagues Iron Wall.”

“Yes, Sect Master!” the four women replied in unison, their voices ringing out with unwavering respect.

The crowd could only stare. Disbelief still lingered in their hearts. But when they looked again, the new sect master had already turned and walked back into the central tower.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That evening.

As the sun dipped low, casting its dying light across the mountains, Lady Yu leaned over a railing. Her commanding sect-master robes had been replaced by a close-fitting training outfit, better suited for cultivation.

The outfit hugged her figure, accentuating her form as she bent slightly forward, resting her arms on the railing, her hips faintly arched as she stared out into the fiery sunset and drifting clouds.

When she sensed Li Yuan’s approach, she said softly, “You were very impressive today.”

The moment the burden was lifted, when she was no longer the master of Tang Sect, her emotions grew complicated. There was a strange emptiness inside her, a vague sense of loss she couldn’t quite explain.

It had been her own decision to step down.

And yet...she still felt hollow.

Li Yuan came up beside her, looking toward the north.

Suddenly, he asked, “Do you still remember the wolf riders from six years ago?”

Lady Yu replied, “I’ve never forgotten. Over the years, I rooted out quite a few traitors. You can ask the four maids. They handled most of it themselves, clean and quiet. Many of the betrayers disappeared without a trace.”

Her eyes dropped slightly, her expression dim.

That blend of disappointment and weariness seemed to drain the strength from her bones, like the flame inside her was flickering low.

“Those wolf riders were from the Phantoms of the Northern Wasteland. Between the Tang Sect and the Northern Wasteland are the Divine Dominion, Great Zhou Dynasty, and Golden Tent Nomads. I couldn’t reach them. I couldn’t avenge us,” she said softly.

“Then I will.” Li Yuan smiled. He raised his hands gently, letting them hover in the air like he was lifting the entire world, mountains, rivers, the heavens themselves...all held in his palms and suspended in the twilight wind.

“The Tang Sect may rule a region, but I will rule the world.” Li Yuan’s voice rang out, low and resolute, each word heavy with conviction.

He continued, “My love,the transcendent realm has existed for decades now. Just because we don’t see them, doesn’t mean others haven’t reached it too. They hide in the shadows. We stand in the light. But we both know that true transcendence lies not in tricks, but in command of the mountains and rivers themselves. Unifying the realm, crowning a new Human Emperor, that’s the tide of this era. We are not their allies. We are their rivals.”

At those words, Lady Yu’s eyes lit up. The weariness that had begun to settle over her vanished, and her spirit scattered just moments ago gathered back like a sword reforged.

“That is why you must train harder. When enemies rise from all corners of the world, you and I must remain unshakable,” Li Yuan said. He lifted his chin as he spoke, the corner of his lips curving into a quiet, confident smile.

Lady Yu looked at him, watched his side profile glow against the dying sun, and felt something deep within her fully awaken. Her spirit surged, overflowing.

She laughed, radiant with joy. It was the kind of laugh that lit up everything around her.

Then, mirroring Li Yuan’s composure and grace, she lifted her gaze to the horizon beside him.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, almost absently.

Li Yuan replied just as casually, “The clouds.”

“Mmm. The clouds.” Her delicate face, bathed in the orange-gold of sunset, reflected the glow of a long river flowing westward, the mountains draped in sea-like clouds, no longer lonely, no longer bleak.

And in that moment, the former master of the Tang Sect, once unmatched and alone, found peace. She had completed the final step, not of power but of heart. And now, she walked the path together with Li Yuan.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Three months later.

The succession ceremony of the Tang Sect was taking place.

Guests flooded the mountain gates from every corner of the realm.

Fireworks lit the skies all night long, turning the darkness into day.

And before that crowd of onlookers, the Thousand Leagues Iron Wall was activated.

Countless hidden weapons and toxins burst forth, forming venomous serpents that roared and writhed across the sky, all aimed at the new Sect Master hovering above. The display was dazzling, a deadly spectacle more breathtaking than any fireworks show.

But the new sect master of the Tang Sect demonstrated what it truly meant to possess absolute defense.

One finger, a forest.

Five fingers, a mountain.

With both hands outstretched, he held the world.

Thousand Leagues Iron Wall, a weapon capable of annihilating armies, was completely and utterly stopped by a single man.

Li Yuan’s power, rooted in the character Dusk, contained layers of meaning. It was the setting sun, the lateness of life, the forests and plants of dusk. All these images converged into a profound truth he had grasped at the dawn of the new era.

That truth alone would be remarkable.

But Li Yuan’s martial arts, too, defied imagination, mysterious, sublime, and beyond compare.

And when those two forces combined, something extraordinary was born.

From that day forward, the martial world began circulating a new Weapon Ranking, a tongue-in-cheek list created by some nosy enthusiast.

At the bottom of the

Mythical Tier

, a strange, unprecedented entry appeared,

the Hand

.

It was Lord Yu’s hand, to be exact. A weapon of absolute defense. Nothing could break through it.

And why was it listed at the

bottom

of the Mythical Tier? That was because that tier wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. It was a realm of fantasy, unreachable, unrankable. The

Legendary Tier

was where true martial artists were measured.

Even Lady Yu, powerful as she was, had only ever topped the Legendary Tier, under the title of Peacock Plume.

But Li Yuan? He had left that list behind entirely.