Attribution of the Imperial Canon

At the same time, before the vast stone wall—

“Rumble…”

The Great Dao engravings on the wall began to blur. The supreme Dao essence they contained, like a candle flame in the wind, rapidly dissipated.

“No! Just give me a little more time!”

“Too fast! The Imperial Tomb is falling dormant far too quickly!”

Cries of alarm, sighs of regret, and unwilling roars rang out among the cultivators who had been comprehending the Dao.

Many cultivators immersed in the deepest state of enlightenment were forcibly awakened, their faces filled with utter frustration and regret.

The Great Emperor’s Dao was right before them, only to vanish in an instant. The feeling of gaining something only to lose it again was enough to drive anyone mad.

But once the Imperial Tomb’s descent into dormancy had begun, it could not be reversed.

Wang Zhan, Ji Xuanye, Xinglan, the Jiang Family's Divine King Physique, Su Qingyuan of the Jade Lake, and other peerless young geniuses also emerged from their profound states of enlightenment.

Powerful auras surged around them, and divine light shone brightly in their eyes. Clearly, they had gained immense benefits from their recent insights; both their cultivation and their understanding of the Great Dao had advanced considerably.

Wang Zhan slowly opened his eyes. Azure-green holy radiance flowed through their depths, and his aura had become even more refined, solid, and imposing than before.

His gaze was like lightning as it locked precisely onto Xiao Ruobai and Ling Xi.

Taking a step forward, he naturally exuded saintly might. His voice boomed like rolling thunder, drowning out the surrounding clamor.

“Battle Asura! Cyan Rakshasa! Outside the Imperial Tomb, you and I shall have our battle!”

His eyes swept over Xiao Ruobai and Ling Xi, carrying the absolute confidence and soaring fighting spirit of one newly ascended to sainthood.

“I will be waiting for you.”

With that, he transformed into a streak of azure-green light, leading the members of the ancient Wang Clan toward the exit.

Xiao Ruobai’s expression remained calm. His battle-god bloodline was restrained within him, as steady and immovable as a boulder.

Ling Xi was as cold and aloof as ever. Yet in those deep, unfathomable eyes of hers, a faint glimmer flashed—a look as though she had long anticipated this.

This scene instantly ignited the anticipation of all the cultivators who were withdrawing.

“It’s happening! Saint Wang Zhan has challenged that mysterious woman!”

“A King-realm cultivator against a Saint-realm expert! Just thinking about it is thrilling!”

“Hurry outside and claim a good spot! We absolutely cannot miss this!”

The enormous anticipation even overshadowed the urgency brought on by the Imperial Tomb’s dormancy.

Like a flood, the crowd rushed toward the exit, each person eager to witness a battle destined to shake the entire Eastern Region.

Just as the flow of people began to thin, a somewhat hurried figure passed through the unstable spatial ripples and landed beside Gu Changge. It was Xuanyangzi.

Rather than looking anxious, his face was flushed with excitement.

“Junior Brother!”

Seeing how delighted his senior brother looked, Gu Changge asked with mild puzzlement, “Didn’t you go looking for Senior Brother Shi? Why are you only getting here now? Did something good happen? And where is Senior Brother Shi?”

Rubbing his hands together, Xuanyangzi leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I had him head out first. Heh, guess what? In the corner of a side hall that had half collapsed, I found something good!”

He mysteriously patted his storage artifact, his eyes shining. “It’s definitely a great treasure! Its aura is incredibly ancient. We’ll examine it properly once we’re safely outside!”

Gu Changge glanced at him and replied evenly, “Mm. Let’s go.”

The two of them emerged from the Imperial Tomb with the last wave of people, returning to the lands of the Wild Province.

Outside, the air was already abuzz with voices. None of the various factions had departed immediately. Most remained at a distance, watching, tending to their wounds, or speaking among themselves.

As one, their eyes turned toward the distant horizon, filled with shock and awe.

Several hundred li away, above a stretch of barren plains, heaven and earth had lost their color as wind and thunder raged!

Dense black clouds churned and converged like spilled ink, blanketing a hundred li in every direction. Within them, countless purple and golden bolts of lightning, each as thick as mountain ranges, writhed wildly and roared with deafening force.

An aura of destructive heavenly might enveloped the land. Even the many cultivators dozens of li away felt their souls tremble. Those with weaker cultivation turned pale, nearly collapsing to their knees.

At the heart of the storm stood Wang Zhan, proud and unyielding. Azure-green blood energy surged from his body like a pillar of smoke into the heavens, clashing madly against the boundless tribulation lightning.

The instant he left the Imperial Tomb, he had triggered the heavenly tribulation for attaining sainthood!

Now, Wang Zhan stood bathed in an endless sea of lightning.

Thunderbolts exploded and arcs of electricity scattered in all directions, transforming that expanse of sky into a purgatory of lightning.

Wang Zhan's figure flickered in and out amid the blazing radiance. Every clash erupted with a world-shaking boom. The sheer strength of his sacred physique and the unyielding force of his will left all who watched awestruck.

"A Saint Tribulation! This is a true heavenly tribulation for becoming a Saint!"

"Watching such a tribulation will be immensely beneficial to our understanding of the laws of heaven and earth and to strengthening our foundations! We must not miss this!"

Cries of amazement and admiration rose one after another.

The elders of every faction immediately ordered their disciples to focus and observe. This was a rare spectacle beyond measure.

The young prodigies, in particular, stared without blinking, hoping to glimpse even a trace of the mysteries and power of the Saint Realm in the confrontation between heavenly might and the sacred physique.

Farther away, Xiao Ruobai, Ling Xi, Fang Hanyu, and the others stood quietly atop a mountain peak, watching Wang Zhan undergo his tribulation.

Gu Changge and Xuanyangzi exchanged a glance but did not linger. With several flashes, they silently arrived in an uninhabited valley.

No sooner had they landed than another figure followed close behind, revealing himself as Ling Canglan.

He first bowed respectfully to Gu Changge. "My Lord."

Only then did he turn to Xuanyangzi. "Sect Master."

Before Xuanyangzi could respond, Ling Canglan raised the dark-gold imperial scripture scroll with both hands, his expression solemn.

"Sect Master, my Lord, I have not failed in my mission. The *Emperor Qingcang Scripture* is here. Please inspect it."

"An Imperial Scripture! It truly is an Imperial Scripture!"

The moment Xuanyangzi saw the scripture scroll radiating overwhelming imperial might, his eyes went wide. He was so excited that even his beard seemed to stand on end.

He carefully accepted the *Emperor Qingcang Scripture* with both hands.

Although the Azure Profound Sect no longer lacked Great Emperor cultivation techniques, the physical scripture itself, which bore the Great Emperor's teachings, was a genuine Imperial-grade treasure.

It could serve as part of the sect's very foundation!

"Good! Excellent! Little Ling, you did splendidly! I knew from the start that you were a pillar of our Azure Profound Sect, a truly indispensable talent!

"The sect's years of careful cultivation and wholehearted support were not wasted on you!" Xuanyangzi's face glowed with excitement, unable to contain his delight.

At his side, Gu Changge could not help rolling his eyes.

He made it sound so convincing that anyone who didn’t know the truth might really have believed that Ling Canglan’s Great Sage cultivation and Heaven-Piercing Sword Dao had been nurtured by Xuanyangzi.

Gu Changge merely raised a hand, and an ordinary-looking azure jade slip appeared between his fingers. With a wave, he passed it over the Emperor Qingcang Scripture.

“I have copied the Imperial Scripture onto this jade slip.”

Gu Changge handed the jade slip to Ling Canglan.

“The battle intent of Emperor Qingcang and his insights into the Great Dao are fully contained within this slip. I give it to you so that you may study it diligently and not fail to live up to the wishes of this human ancestor.”

Ling Canglan accepted the jade slip with both hands.

When his divine sense entered the slip, his expression grew even more solemn.

The jade slip actually contained Lord Gu Changge’s understanding of the Emperor Qingcang Scripture—carefully organized and even elevated to a higher level! This was simply an earth-shaking blessing!

“Thank you, my lord! Canglan will certainly not let you down!”

Ling Canglan bowed excitedly in gratitude.

Xuanyangzi was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed. Hugging the original copy of the Imperial Scripture tightly to his chest, he grinned from ear to ear.

“Hahaha! Good! Changge, you’ve thought of everything!

“Canglan, you may study the jade slip. As for the original copy of the Imperial Scripture, the sect will preserve it properly!”

Looking at Xuanyangzi’s miserly appearance, Gu Changge shook his head helplessly.

Yet his gaze had already turned toward the valley’s outskirts. Piercing through the void, he saw Kuxuan and the others from the Western Regions fleeing in a sorry state.

One more chapter, and I’ll still owe everyone one!

I’ll see if I get a chance to post another update tonight. There’s no need for everyone to wait—just check tomorrow morning instead.