Lord of the Earth

Summer filled my heart with joy and excitement.

One of them represents the pinnacle of Chinese wisdom, mastering the secrets of heaven and harmonizing yin and yang; the other is a beacon of Western technology, driving lightning and reconstructing structures!

The immense value and future potential demonstrated by Guiguzi and Tesla alone.

This made him deeply appreciate the benefits of being the "Lord of the Holy City of Humanity".

Not to mention, these two are just representatives among the "saint messengers," and there are other messengers as well.

Furthermore, this city of saints is not only home to "saints' messengers," but also to the "holy city guards."

This city possesses a very important characteristic: some of its buildings have a powerful "guiding function" that can guide people from the Eternal Land.

For example, there's a building I was quite familiar with during the summer: the Mysterious Inn!

It was originally part of the "City of Saints".

It can descend upon the Eternal Land and guide some potential seeds facing crisis to the "Cataclysmic Battlefield"!
also……

Summer's gaze swept across the city's core area and landed on a palace-like building that seemed to float in mid-air!
The entire palace is constructed of white jade that gleams with a soft light. The roof is covered with glazed tiles with star patterns. Eight eaves, carved with the phantom images of "the Sage of Literature and the Sage of Martial Arts," extend outwards. Bronze wind chimes hanging from the eaves move automatically without wind, emitting a clear and melodious sound that cleanses the soul.

Above the palace gate, the three ancient seal characters "Hall of Heroes" exude a profound and mysterious aura, as if carrying the loyal souls and heroic bones of humanity throughout the ages.

This is a core building that stands alongside the "Ling Shu Pagoda" and the "Martial Arts Arena".

Its function is to guide the true spirits of fallen "human saints" back to their homeland.

At this moment, through the half-open palace door, one can see thousands of crystal-clear jade pillars standing inside the palace. At the top of each jade pillar floats a ball of light, some bright and some dim—those are some human saints who have just died in the battle against the calamity.

Within the ball of light, figures could be vaguely seen: a general clad in armor, a strategist holding a military treatise, a healer dedicated to saving lives, and a craftsman sculpting landscapes...

They were all exceptional figures who started as "saints" in their lifetimes, and many of them even had the potential to reach the realm of gods. However, they either perished in a great calamity, leaving behind their true spirits to continue their predestined relationship!
"Those who are qualified to be received by the Hall of Heroes are at least at the 'Saint' level, and would be pillars of any power."

Looking at those orbs of light in the summer, he understood.

"In theory, these 'heroic spirits' could all become the guardians of this human holy city... and be used by me... However, for me, this path is more important because it may indirectly complete my second path of unparalleled power!"

Summer focused his thoughts on his own attributes, and the three activated "Peerless Paths" clearly emerged:

The first path, the path to becoming the Human Emperor, requires establishing a human dynasty and cultivating ten Xuanhuang dragon veins. This path is the simplest, and it has already been exceeded thanks to Qianxia's advancement to a dynasty and the effects of the "Nine Cauldrons"!
The first path, the Path of the Dragon King: requires gaining the approval of more than one hundred true dragons and becoming their "Dragon King".

Thanks to the Azure Dragon Clan subdued on Penglai Island and the ability to transform into a true dragon through the "Dragon Gate" obtained from the Dragon Treasure Vault, although the requirements have increased due to the dramatic changes in the world, the path is clear and progress is steady!

Only the third path, the "Path of the Divine Ruler".

The Path of Unparalleled Power: The Divine Ruler

[Current Requirement]: Successfully confer titles upon one hundred beings at the "God" level (Note: Due to the unlocking of the rules of heaven and earth, the difficulty and requirements have been greatly increased).

[Note]: After completing this path, you will obtain the "Divine Lord" rank, possessing the authority to command gods and an amplification of power!

[Note 1]: The Path of Peerless Can be completed in multiple ways. Each completed path will grant you generous rewards for the corresponding stage.

[Note 2]: The content and requirements of the Path of Peerless are not fixed and will be dynamically adjusted as the rules of heaven and earth are unlocked and the world situation changes!
The requirements for this "Path to Godhood" have skyrocketed from the initial ten to one hundred, making it incredibly difficult!
Under normal circumstances, finding, cultivating, and ensuring that one hundred individuals reach the divine realm through their faith would require enough resources, time, and fortune to bring down a powerful "quasi-imperial dynasty"!
However, the existence of the Holy City has illuminated an unprecedented shortcut for summer!
Unlike the "Human Emperor," the path of the Divine Lord does not require reliance on the power of one's own "Dynasty of Destiny."

"This means..."

Summer makes the heart beat faster with excitement.

"I can use the authority of the 'Hall of Heroes' to bestow titles upon these human heroes..."

First, in the name of the city lord, a ceremony of investiture was held, and with the approval of the holy city's rules and the will of heaven and earth, he was granted the divine office and authority of a "deity".

After the investiture is successful, these "guardian deities" will naturally receive nourishment from the beliefs of the human race within the Holy City.

The offerings from the people of the Qianxia Dynasty in the future will be enough to help them reach the power of the "divine realm"!
Thus, the goal of appointing one hundred "guardian deities" remains arduous.

However, the most crucial challenge—finding one hundred individuals qualified to become gods—has already been solved by the Holy City's Hall of Heroes, a vast "seed bank of gods"!

What he needs to do is concentrate resources to activate the effect of this "Hall of Heroes" and attract enough powerful remnant spirits of saints!
Then, by purifying the "beads of wish power and beads of merit" obtained from slaying those calamities, they "formed golden bodies" for these beings...

Then, recruit humans from all over the Eternal Land to enter the City of Saints and provide them with the power of faith to carry out the investiture ceremony!
"In this way, the difficulty of this 'Path to Godhood' has been reduced from 'hellish' to 'difficult' or even 'easy' for me!"

A sharp glint flashed in Xia Tian's eyes. As long as the Holy City platform is utilized effectively and resources are integrated, this third path to unparalleled success is no longer out of reach; in fact, it can be said to be quite easy to achieve.

This is precisely the most important and powerful opportunity that the position of the Holy City Lord brings to him personally!
After all, once the three unparalleled paths are completed, it means that one possesses the aptitude to become a "true god"!

However, this is not the most powerful "force" under his command!
Xia Tian's gaze shifted to another key building, and his attention was once again drawn to it—the martial arts arena.

The training ground covers an area of ​​10,000 acres. The ground is made of black iron engraved with ancient seal characters such as "martial", "war", and "defense". Every inch of the land is covered with a faint blood-red halo, which is the martial arts mark left by countless human warriors who trained, tested, and even died here.

The arena was divided into thousands of zones: some zones were filled with sword light that cleaved through the void; some zones were filled with howling fist winds that shook the earth; and some zones were filled with flowing formations that simulated various perilous situations on a catastrophic battlefield...

Numerous human warriors and prodigies cultivated here, their martial arts auras surging and converging into a phantom in the center of the arena.

That is the spirit of the martial arts arena, "Wu".

Its entire body is formed from flowing battle energy. It has a humanoid outline but its face is not visible. It is surrounded by phantoms of swords, spears and halberds. With each breath, it draws martial arts "Daoist charm" from the cultivators and feeds back to produce purer battle energy that permeates the entire area, allowing the cultivators present to comprehend the speed of their enlightenment to increase several times out of thin air!
"Moreover, I can sense all the insights these people gain from their cultivation..."

[You have linked with the wondrous structure 'Martial Arts Arena'. Through resonance with it, you have experienced the Daoist principles within the Arena and felt the power of the technique—the God-Slaying Blade Technique. Your swordsmanship has been enhanced, reaching the demigod level!]

[You have linked with the wondrous structure 'Spirit Pivot Tower' and felt its Daoist essence through 'resonance'. Your trait of drawing on the strengths of many has been triggered, greatly enhancing your skills in 'mechanisms'...]

[You have established a link with the wondrous structure 'Five Elements Heavenly Pool' and sensed its Daoist essence through 'resonance'... Your control over the power of the Five Elements has been enhanced... Your supernatural ability 'Mastering the Five Thunders' has been strengthened...]

[You and the wondrous architectural marvel 'Tianji Pavilion'...]

Summer discovered that she could "connect" with any building in this holy city and experience its Taoist essence in the process.

As the nominal supreme controller of this "City of Human Saints", he naturally possesses potential authority over everything at the heart of the city, including the "spirits" condensed within the restored treasure buildings!
It should be noted that these buildings, which were recently "restored" by the combined efforts of the Earth's human race, have an astonishing origin; they are the "crystallizations" painstakingly created by the ancient human gods.

Just like the spirit "Wu" of the previous "Martial Arts Tower", each of them, in its complete state, possesses terrifying power comparable to "gods" or even "top gods"!
The reason why the human race was able to successfully withstand the cataclysmic upheaval and even launch a counterattack in the previous fierce battle to defend the holy city was that they ultimately won.

To a large extent, it relies on the power unleashed by these artifact spirits being activated and empowered at crucial moments.

However, this is also its greatest limitation: the power of these artifact spirits is almost entirely bound to the Holy City itself.

They are like the "organs" of this magnificent city, and can only be barely awakened and exert their protective power when the holy city is threatened!

Under normal circumstances, how could one actively drive them away from the Holy City to conquer all directions, or completely incorporate their power into one's own?
It was incredibly difficult, almost an impossible task.

But now that Xia Tian has become the "city lord" of this holy city, the situation is different.

In a sense, he established a deeper "resonance" connection with these artifact spirits, one that transcended anything he had done before.

He looked at the crucial permission on the attribute panel: [Spirit Resonance]. This permission not only allowed him to clearly perceive the status and needs of the core spirit.

More importantly, he can mobilize these forces at any time.

Even outside the "Holy City," one can temporarily draw upon the power of these "Holy Spirits"!
"This means that as long as I can nurture these 'Holy Spirits'... then these incomparably powerful artifact spirits will truly become my usable and most loyal force!"

Summer felt a sudden sense of clarity and control wash over her, a feeling she had never experienced before.

The power of the Holy City is his power!

Further nurturing and strengthening these "Holy Spirits" is not only a way to solidify the foundation of this holy city, but also the quickest way to enhance its own strength and power!
Of course, this does not mean that he can use these "treasures" without limit.

The simplest reason is that the "city lord" of the Holy City is connected to the Holy City as one; their fortunes are intertwined, and their losses are shared.
If the power of this city is over-exploited, resulting in a "spending deficit," he himself will also suffer a backlash, losing his luck and even his potential!

"But that's enough... With the position of the city lord of the 'City of Saints,' Qianxia's development is destined to advance by leaps and bounds."

"The path to imperial rule is already within reach."

Before that, though.

Perhaps, we still need to face some of the "impacts" brought about by this round of "fusion of heaven and earth"!
This complete unlocking of the rules of heaven and earth will not only allow the gods to descend more freely into the eternal land, but also usher in a new round of unprecedented "fusion of heaven and earth".

The entire landscape of the Eternal Land is undergoing a dramatic and disruptive reshaping as countless gods descend and fragments of the myriad realms collide and merge.

Standing atop the Holy City, Qianxia has become the most dazzling focus in this upheaval that has swept across the heavens, and is also the undisputed center of the entire storm!

Ahead lies a vaster, more magnificent, and inevitably more perilous unknown world, a result of intensified integration! (End of Chapter)