The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

Wu Dynasty, the capital city.

The roar of the surging torrent echoed throughout the capital. Whether in the majestic and towering imperial palace or in the bustling streets and alleys, everyone could feel the vast river flowing deep within the hearts of all beings.

Such a commotion inevitably caused panic in the court and among the people, and unrest in their hearts.

"Your Excellency, given this strange phenomenon, what should we do?"

In the newly moved temporary office of the central government, a high-ranking official dressed in crimson robes couldn't help but step forward and quietly inquire about Chen Xianli's whereabouts.

Now, more than ten years have passed since Ji Chen awarded the Yuan Stones, thus opening the prelude to the extraordinary martial arts world (after obtaining Ye Xiao's time-manipulation ability, Ji Chen was able to control the flow of time in the Boundless Heaven). Chen Xianli has not aged at all; on the contrary, he appears even more radiant.

But he is now also deeply troubled.

His talent was ultimately only average. Even with the power of the prime minister and the ability to access a large amount of cultivation resources, after ten years, he had only cultivated to the fourth stage of Qi and Blood Transformation.

Such cultivation level is no different from second-rate in today's era.

If it weren't for the great trust Ji Chen, the founding emperor, placed in him, he probably would have abdicated long ago.

Even so, his prestige in the imperial court and in the local areas declined day by day.

Chen Xianli turned around and looked at the court officials behind him, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

These guys are no pushovers; almost all of them are stronger than him.

Fortunately, he was not only the prime minister, but also a representative of the nobility faction and the academy faction.

"There's nothing to worry about. His Majesty is incredibly powerful and possesses great supernatural abilities. These strange phenomena are merely normal manifestations of His Majesty's divine power during his cultivation," Chen Xianli said.

Now, with his strength greatly increased, having advanced to the fifth stage of Qi and Blood Transformation and the Grandmaster realm, and having risen to the rank of Second-Rank Minister, Shen Yanqiu echoed:

"The Prime Minister is absolutely right. His Majesty's divine power is known to all. Your panic is surely a sign of disrespect to His Majesty!"

"No, no!"

The ministers repeatedly denied it, fearing they would be accused of great disrespect.

Although Ji Chen rules the world with nothing to do, the few glimpses he occasionally reveals are enough to make the various forces that have greatly increased in strength tremble.

Moreover, even if people's hearts are restless and some ambitious people want to take advantage of the situation, they must first eliminate the henchmen around Ji Chen.

Throughout history, there has never been a dynasty that took the initiative to challenge the emperor, only to passively attract the world's attention and firepower, ultimately benefiting others.

Shen Yanqiu scoffed.

Now that he has reached such a level of cultivation, apart from the Martial Emperor who transcends the mortal realm, only those few martial arts pioneers from the Upper Sect can make him wary.

As for those who remained in the imperial court, they were basically the second-in-commands of various sects who were left behind to handle secular affairs.

These people are not weak either, but they are no longer in the top tier.

"I wonder what kind of divine skill His Majesty is cultivating to cause such a commotion. Tsk tsk tsk, those people in the Upper Sect are probably going to get restless."

Shen Yanqiu gazed at the vast, seemingly endless river stretching to the sky above the imperial city, his heart filled with countless emotions.

Although Grandmasters today are no longer as extraordinary as they once were, able to communicate with heaven and earth, they can still see certain celestial phenomena that ordinary people cannot see.

Just as he was feeling sentimental, suddenly, a golden sun rose from the direction of the imperial city, causing countless people to exclaim in surprise.

"Is His Majesty about to ascend to heaven?"

A voice rang out, more surprised than shocked.

In this world, the various sects and academies, whose strength has greatly increased, have long been eager to fight and are ready to make a big splash at any time.

However, with the Empress Wu above, her lingering power after more than a decade of rule still resonated with foreign lands, preventing those turbulent undercurrents from surfacing and keeping the storms submerged.

But if the Martial Emperor were to ascend to heaven, the situation would be completely different, and the world would change drastically right now.

Countless people knelt on the ground, staring intently at the sun that shot straight into the sky, their lips trembling, almost as if they were about to say, "We respectfully send Your Majesty off to ascend to heaven and enjoy eternal life."

Ji Chen activated his Golden Core to completely absorb the lingering energy of the River of Time.

He looked down at the kneeling crowds worshipping him, and with a single glance, he could discern the thoughts in their minds.

"Are they all waiting for me to leave this world and make room for the rest of the world? That's interesting."

For Ji Chen now, their little schemes don't even have the power to make him angry; he just finds them amusing.

"I have suppressed this world for too long. I'm afraid that the monstrous figures who have risen in recent years have come to regard me as a shackle that binds their hands and feet, a chain that imprisons their wings. They feel that their hands and feet cannot move freely, and their talents cannot be displayed."

Thinking about this, Ji Chen suddenly felt that "ascension" might not be a bad idea.

Although he poured a lot of elemental stones into this world, causing a surge in the martial arts and qi here.

However, without the tempering of blood and fire, the new martial arts of qi and blood created by these people lacked some of their brilliance.

"Perhaps I should 'leave' for a while, give the people of this world some space, and give them a chance."

Of course, his so-called departure only means leaving from the eyes of the world; he will not actually leave the Boundless Heaven.

Once the thought was made up, Ji Chen spread his sleeves and took the entire harem away. After issuing some vague verbal edicts, he transformed into a streak of light and disappeared from the sight of the world.

At the same time, Ji Chen moved his mind and caused the Heavenly Will of this realm to simultaneously send the message of the Martial Emperor's departure to the top figures.

The world was in an uproar.

The young Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain sought an audience with the former Celestial Master, Zhang Jichang. "Uncle," he said, "the Martial Emperor has ascended to heaven. I intend to travel north to challenge the leaders of all the major sects, so that Longhu Mountain may become a prominent and sacred place in the world. What is your opinion, Uncle?"

That being said, the intense fighting spirit in Shaoyang Celestial Master's eyes already indicated that he had come to inform rather than to solicit his opinion.

Zhang Jichang sighed softly.

Although he had little contact with His Majesty, he had used his life experience to glean some of His Majesty's hidden temperament from His Majesty's occasional words and actions, and had long harbored a sense of awe in his heart.

Based on his fragmented understanding from the past, he was certain that the Martial Emperor's ascension was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, and that there must be some unknown inside story.

Perhaps... this is another earth-shattering game, similar to the Yunlong Disaster of yesteryear, stirring up the winds and clouds of the world.

However, he could no longer stop his nephew. "Since you already have the answer, why ask me? I just hope you won't tarnish the thousand-year-old heritage of Longhu Mountain."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Master Shaoyang suddenly threw his head back and burst into loud laughter, the sound waves causing the green waves of the entire mountain to hum slightly, and the fighting spirit in his eyes burned like a raging fire.

"A burden? Uncle is getting old after all!"

He stepped forward, his body radiating Daoist energy, with faint sounds of dragons and tigers reverberating in the void. His tone was filled with an overbearing arrogance that looked down upon the world.

"The ascension of the Martial Emperor marks a reshuffling of the world's格局 (geju, overall situation/structure)! My nephew's journey north will surely be undertaken in the name of the sect leaders, planting the banners of my Dragon Tiger Mountain across the northern lands!"

Zhang Jichang sighed deeply.

Similar scenarios have occurred in more than one place.

Longhu Mountain, Shenxiao Sect, Yunlong Academy...