I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely

Chapter 337 - 290: Mount Book and Sea of Literature, Confucian Saint Illusion

Under these circumstances, the fact that the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Buan, would step forward—and even personally intervene—was truly beyond everyone’s expectations.

In fact, all the ministers had already made a decision in secret: they would not intervene in this war. Or rather, they would no longer assist Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di.

They had even planned it all out: once Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di was dead and the Great Zhou Imperial Palace had been breached, they would find a way to select a new emperor.

Then, a new emperor would ascend the throne, establish a completely new Court, and appease the people. In a few years, they could once again gather the Emperor Dragon Qi to protect the Nine Provinces Land.

But as it turned out, Li Buan was actually going to make a move.

However, upon careful thought, they all realized why.

First, Li Buan was already very old. The cultivation of the Confucian Path differed from other paths. Its practitioners cultivated Literary Energy, refined Vast Righteous Qi, and by entering the Court, could become Civil Ministers.

As the saying goes, "One masters their skills, literary and martial, to serve the imperial family."

Cultivation on the Confucian Path did not significantly increase one’s lifespan. Even a Great Scholar of the Fourth Realm like Li Buan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, had a lifespan of only three hundred years.

In contrast, the Martial, Dao, and Immortal paths offered significant increases to one’s lifespan. The Immortal Path was especially remarkable; by refining qi for longevity and reaching the Fourth Realm of Human Immortal, one could live for three to five thousand years.

The Dao and Martial Paths were a step below.

But they could still, to varying degrees, grant a lifespan of over a thousand years.

Of course, cultivation on the Confucian Path was one that placed the highest premium on insight. It could even be passed down through legacy. If one truly comprehended the principles of the Saints, it was possible to cross three Realms in a single night.

With the corresponding legacy, it wasn’t even out of the question to enter the Fourth Realm in one night.

In fact, Li Buan was considered a veteran of the Court. As a civil minister, he had served three generations of Zhou emperors; Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di was the fourth.

One could say that Li Buan had watched Zhou Di grow up.

He felt a certain paternal affection for him.

Now, Li Buan was over two hundred and ninety years old. Sensing that his days were numbered, he decided he wanted to accomplish something in the final moments of his life.

As it happened, Li Buan’s actions would not only help Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di but also aid the numerous Civil and Military Ministers of the Court in luring out Huo Yuanjia.

Therefore, regardless of the final outcome, both Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di and the various Civil and Military Ministers of the Imperial Court would be indebted to him.

Actually, after their initial surprise, the Civil and Military Ministers in the Imperial Court all came to understand the deeper meaning behind Li Buan’s actions.

"Then we must impose upon the Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

The assembled Civil and Military Ministers bowed.

"Good."

Zhou Di’s eyes flickered.

"Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Buan, receive this decree," Zhou Di commanded.

"Your servant is here."

Li Buan knelt.

"Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Buan, We now command you to go to the battlefield and repel the rebel army."

Zhou Di wasted no more words and got straight to the point.

"Your servant accepts this decree," Li Buan replied.

In truth, if Zhou Di still possessed the Emperor Dragon Qi and the Imperial Court of the Great Zhou Martial Country were under its protection, the moment Zhou Di announced this decree, the Emperor Dragon Qi would have descended upon Li Buan, augmenting his power and combat ability.

Unfortunately, the Emperor Dragon Qi of the Great Zhou Martial Country had been defiled by the populace’s resentment and had completely vanished. It naturally could not empower Li Buan, just as it had failed to empower Hong Dingtian and Bai Wuyu before.

And so, this Emperor, Zhou Di, was truly useless.

He was already a spent force.

This was precisely why all the Civil and Military Ministers of the Court had engaged in such treacherous behavior. Continuing to follow Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di was tantamount to waiting for death.

SWOOSH!

After accepting the decree, Li Buan clasped his hands behind his back, took a single step, and vanished without a trace, reappearing on the battlefield outside the city.

"This..."

"Gasp..."

"Such terrifying Vast Righteous Qi..."

"I never imagined Li Buan’s Confucian Path cultivation had reached such a stage. He must have already stepped into the Perfect Law Realm. We are his inferiors."

"What a pity. Even though Li Buan has reached the Perfect Law Realm and become such a powerful Great Scholar, without entering the Fifth Realm, his lifespan is still only three hundred years."

"His lifespan is nearly spent!"

...

Within the Imperial Court, the Civil and Military Ministers were overcome with amazement.

HUM! HUM!

The next moment, Xiao Yin produced a Magical Treasure—a mirror. It levitated into the air and immediately displayed the scene from the battlefield outside the city.

This way, everyone in the Imperial Court could see the situation and conditions on the battlefield.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

「Outside the city.」

Li Buan appeared outside the Great Zhou Imperial City, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze was serene as he looked down from his high vantage point, surveying the Jiuzhou Alliance army below.

"Wind!"

With a wave of his right hand, Li Buan unleashed the immense power of the Confucian Path. As if his words were law made manifest, a boundless gale immediately swept toward the Jiuzhou Alliance’s encampment.

"Who is it?"

"Who?!"

BOOM! BOOM!

Immediately, Wang Miao and the others were startled into action.

"Prepare for battle!"

RUMBLE!!!

Numerous generals bellowed their orders.

However, when Wang Miao and the others looked, they saw only a single person standing atop the walls of the Great Zhou Imperial City. It was an old man with white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and even liver spots.

Moreover, the old man exuded an air of decline.

He clearly had one foot in the grave.

And yet, this same old man made Wang Miao and the others feel as if they were facing a formidable foe, making them even more tense and apprehensive than when they had faced Hong Dingtian.

"The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Buan!"

Just then, from among Wang Miao’s group of nine, the Lord of Xuzhou, Xu Fengnian, recognized Li Buan. His tone was incredibly grave as he couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you here?"

"I am one of the Six Ministers of the Great Zhou Martial Country," Li Buan said with a smile. "Should I not be here?"

"But..."

Xu Fengnian opened his mouth to speak.

"Don’t you know that Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di is a foolish and incompetent ruler? The chaos engulfing the Great Zhou Martial Country is entirely his fault."

"You’re abetting a tyrant!"

"As the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and a Great Scholar no less, have all your years studying the Holy Books been for naught?"

Instantly, Guo Anshi and the others launched a volley of verbal attacks against Li Buan.

"Cease your clamor!"

RUMBLE!

The next moment, Li Buan snorted coldly. With a single thought, a seemingly endless torrent of Vast Righteous Qi erupted from him, manifesting around his body as the Mount Book and Sea of Literature.

Then, behind him, a Confucian Saint Illusion materialized. It stood amidst the Mount Book and Sea of Literature, holding a ruler and radiating an aura powerful enough to enlighten all of creation.

"Do I need to explain my actions to the likes of you?" Li Buan demanded.

He was strong.

Incredibly strong.

Li Buan was a Great Scholar who had truly entered the Perfect Law Realm. Though he hadn’t reached the absolute peak of the Perfect Law Realm, and the Fifth Realm was far beyond his grasp...

However, because Li Buan knew his days were numbered, he acted without restraint, and the mighty power he unleashed was naturally a cut above.

It could be said that even Hong Dingtian in his prime would not necessarily be Li Buan’s match.

This was the level one reached after cultivating and comprehending the Confucian Path to such a degree.

He was powerful.

Truly powerful.

Powerful enough for a single man to suppress an entire army.

"You..."

"!!!"

Wang Miao and the others felt their scalps tingle with fear. Even with their combined Military Array, their Military Evil Qi was being suppressed. A single man’s aura had stunned the entire Jiuzhou Alliance army.

「Inside the great hall of the Imperial Palace.」

"Gasp..."

"As expected of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Li! Who would have thought that Lord Li, a man so unassuming he barely spoke during Court sessions, would possess such a profound cultivation in the Confucian Path."

"Powerful! He’s too powerful!"

Within the Imperial Court, everyone was utterly stunned.

In fact, the situation was now clear.

The Court of the Great Zhou Martial Country... behind its many Civil and Military Ministers stood numerous families and various factions. These families and factions were intricately intertwined, like the lush branches and leaves of a great tree.

The Great Zhou Royal Family was the trunk of that tree.

But now, because of Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di, the Great Zhou Royal Family had suffered a backlash from the Emperor Dragon Qi. If it were just a backlash, the Civil and Military Ministers, the many families, and the various factions could still have done their utmost to suppress it.

But no one had expected that, due to the Blood Demon Sect, the resentment of the people throughout the land would defile the Emperor Dragon Qi, causing it to vanish from the Great Zhou Royal Family entirely.

From that point on, the world was plunged into true chaos.

All manner of irrational demons, fiends, and strange spirits began to spawn, their origins unknown, simply descending upon the Great Zhou Martial Country to ravage the Nine Provinces Land.

This was a situation where the main trunk was about to be destroyed. Once the trunk had a problem, it no longer mattered how lush the branches and leaves were; they were rendered useless.

Naturally, to preserve themselves, the many Civil and Military Ministers—and the numerous families and factions behind them—had to seek a new master. They couldn’t go down with a sinking ship.

Most importantly, if they followed Zhou Di to the bitter end, things might be tolerable for now, but as time passed, more and more irrational Demons, Fiends, and Evil Spirits would appear until the entire Nine Provinces Land was completely overrun.

By then, it would be too late.

Therefore, it wasn’t that the Civil and Military Ministers in the Imperial Court were unwilling to protect the Great Zhou Martial Country; it was that they knew continuing to do so and following the Great Zhou Royal Family would only result in the fall of the Nine Provinces Land.

After all, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Buan, had alone reached the Perfect Law Realm and could unleash such terrifying combat prowess.

"BEGONE!!!"

BOOM!

With a sharp rebuke from Li Buan, the Confucian Saint Illusion brought down its ruler. A terrifying Mighty Power erupted, and in a single move, Wang Miao and the others were sent flying.

"Huo Yuanjia."

Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, Li Buan shouted into the empty air, "I made my move for you, Huo Yuanjia. What’s the matter? Are you still too afraid to show your face?"