Meanwhile, within the crowd...
Duke Wei's expression was solemn as he respectfully bowed toward the stage. Wei Qing, dressed in a purple dress, her beautiful eyes shimmering, stared fixedly at that familiar figure.
A smile played at the corners of her mouth, her eyes filled with pride.
That was her dearest friend.
The most remarkable woman in this world.
Compared to the profound gravity of these great figures...
The atmosphere among the people below was much more relaxed.
Assistant General Cui puffed out his chest, boasting to several newly recruited Demon Suppression Guards beside him.
"Back then, when Her Highness first arrived in the capital, it was this general himself who personally led her to the Martial Temple!"
"Even after Her Highness sought her Spiritual Seal, this general was the first person to see her."
He chuckled, looking triumphant. "Now you know how close this general is with Her Highness, right?"
The several greenhorns listened in a daze, their eyes filled with admiration.
And in the crowd of commoners on the outskirts of the square...
Old Man Wang, the sesame cake vendor, was currently surrounded by a group of neighbors.
"Old Man Wang, you're not bragging, are you? Her Highness really ate your sesame cakes?"
Someone questioned him.
Hearing this, Old Man Wang immediately got anxious.
"How could that be fake?!"
"Just a few mornings ago, right at my stall, Her Highness personally praised my craftsmanship!"
"One bite, and it was so succulent..."
Speaking to this point, Old Man Wang suddenly realized something. He quickly covered his mouth and looked around cautiously.
Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said with a mysterious look, "Anyway, even the Perfected Lord said my Golden-Silver Sandwiches are good!"
The people around him nodded secretly.
They muttered in their hearts about whether they should go try them another day... As the final ray of golden light merged into her body.
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes.
Deep within her pupils, a flash of faint golden light vanished in an instant.
She gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.
She felt as if a new kind of power had been added to her entire body.
It was unlike Spiritual Qi, yet it was incredibly profound.
Is this the Power Of Will from incense... However, now was clearly not the time to ponder this matter.
It just so happened that at this moment...
Seeing the phenomenon dissipate.
The Emperor, who was by her side, could no longer contain the excitement in his heart.
He stepped forward, looking at his sister's wondrous appearance, and whispered, "On such a joyous day, and in front of all the people in the city..."
"Why don't you... say a few words?"
Jiang Yuechu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
She turned her head, looking at the massive crowd kneeling below.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
Say a few words?
Say what?
Say that everyone has worked hard?
Or say that I will protect you all from now on?
She was never one for eloquent speech, nor did she enjoy these kinds of formal pleasantries.
Thinking of this...
Jiang Yuechu waved her hand, her expression indifferent. "There's nothing to say."
"Everyone, disperse."
After saying that, she turned to leave.
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't do that!"
"My dear sister!"
"The people have come from far away, kneeling and bowing. Don't they just want to hear the Perfected Lord manifest her spirit and say a few auspicious words?"
"Even if you just say a couple of things to satisfy them!"
Lu Changfeng also took a step forward, cupping his hands in persuasion. "Your Highness, His Majesty is right."
"The people's hearts are currently with you. Your Highness only needs to offer a little comfort to make this Power Of Will even more concentrated."
"This will also be of great benefit for the future gathering of incense."
High Ancestor also stroked his beard, saying with a smile, "Little girl Lonely Moon, just say a few words."
Jiang Yuechu's footsteps paused.
Her gaze swept over the expectant faces of everyone.
After a long silence.
She finally let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine."
"Then I'll... say a few words."
The Emperor was overjoyed to hear this.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If he could take this chance to let the people of the city hear the Perfected Lord's teachings, it would surely solidify the newly gathered public sentiment by another thirty percent.
"Quick! Pass down the order!"
"Tell the people to be quiet and not to make any noise. The Perfected Lord has something to say!"
As the decree was passed down.
The square, which had been as noisy as boiling porridge, became so quiet in a matter of moments that a needle drop could be heard.
The people held their breath and concentrated, their eyes wide and ears perked up.
They were afraid of missing a single word.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been built up to this point...
Lu Changfeng took a step forward and lowered his voice, saying to Jiang Yuechu again, "Your Highness, this Golden Body Technique is incredibly profound. Among its abilities is a Divine Ability called 'Manifestation of the Profound.' Your Highness only needs to connect your mind with the golden body, and you can use its power to project your voice and appearance to the locations of the other eight golden bodies simultaneously."
At this point, a sharp glint flashed in Lu Changfeng's eyes.
"Now that all nine golden bodies are in place and their Qi is linked, since Your Highness has decided to speak, why not use this method directly?"
"This way, not only can the people of Chang'an bathe in divine grace, but the millions of commoners far away in various parts of the Capital Region can also witness the Perfected Lord's holy visage and listen to her teachings at the same time!"
"For the gathering of Power Of Will, this is more than just getting twice the result with half the effort."
Jiang Yuechu was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
There's such a move?
This was going to make this manifestation known to the entire country.
She pondered for a moment and then nodded.
Speaking in Chang'an was speaking, and speaking in nine places was also speaking.
There really wasn't anything to be shy about.
Since she had already decided to put her reputation on the line, she had to maximize the benefits.
Thinking of this...
Jiang Yuechu no longer hesitated.
She slowly walked to the front of the white jade platform, her back to the golden body, facing the thousands of people in the square.
She slowly raised her palm.
Buzz—
A golden mist permeated her palm.
That was the newly gathered Power Of Will. Though still thin, it already possessed a hint of the miraculous.
With a thought from her...
The black-clad golden body behind her suddenly shuddered, and the golden light at its brow intensified.
At this very moment.
In the other eight directions within the Great Tang's Capital Region...
The golden bodies that had just been seated in temples across the land suddenly erupted with golden light without any warning.
The local people had already gathered in front of the temples due to the government's activities.
Seeing such a miraculous sight now, they immediately broke into an uproar.
They were not in Chang'an, so they naturally hadn't seen the scene of Jiang Yuechu stirring the clouds of the Nine Heavens earlier.
They only knew that a pillar of light had shot up from the golden body before slowly dissipating.
Now the golden body was glowing again... "Another manifestation! Another manifestation!"
"Those who didn't make a wish just now, hurry up and do it!"
The people exclaimed repeatedly, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing like pounding garlic.
The local government officials and Demon Suppression Guards responsible for maintaining order all looked solemn upon seeing this.
Though they were equally shocked in their hearts, they didn't dare forget their duties.
They quickly shouted for order to maintain the scene and prevent any trampling.
And at that very moment.
Whether in prosperous Chang'an or in remote prefectures.
Light and shadow flowed over all the golden bodies.
A black-clad figure slowly emerged in mid-air.
Her expression was cold, and her features were as beautiful as a painting.
It was Jiang Yuechu.
She didn't look at the massive crowd below, but simply gazed straight ahead.
She looked toward the unreachable distance.
After a long time.
A cold voice, like a freezing spring from the Nine Heavens, slowly flowed into everyone's hearts.
"These past few days, there has been no peace in Chang'an, nor has there been peace within the borders of the Great Tang. Demons dance in chaos, foreign enemies surround us, and there are even Cultivators calling themselves Immortals who view you as mere weeds and the laws of the Great Tang as nothing."
"You are wondering, why has the world suddenly changed? Why must we suffer such humiliation?"
"..."
The Emperor was slightly stunned.
Weren't you going to say a few nice words... Why bring this up?
Although the current situation of the Great Tang was not optimistic, the reasons behind it were only known to a few... He also hadn't prepared to tell the truth to the world yet.
After all.
Pointless panic wouldn't change anything.
Before he could finish that thought.
He heard Jiang Yuechu continue: "This world is named the Eastern Region. Although the Great Tang is large, for this Eastern Region, it is but a remote corner, a frog in a well."
"In your eyes, the Ink Dot Realm is an expert, the Seed Lotus is a Grandmaster, and if one reaches the Mountain Gazing or Lamp-Lighting Realm, they are already an Earthly Immortal, capable of founding a sect and being revered by ten thousand people."
At this point, her tone suddenly shifted: "But within the Eastern Region."
"Lamp Lighting? It is merely having the qualification to seek the peak."
As soon as these words were spoken.
Whether it was the people in the square of Chang'an or the commoners in front of the temples in various prefectures, there was a massive uproar.
A Martial Saint of the Lamp Lighting Realm... only just has the qualification?
Then how high must those Immortals in the sky be?
Jiang Yuechu paid no heed to the crowd's shock and continued.
"Above Lamp Lighting, there is Ascending the Tower."
"That is true martial divinity, ascending to the heavens with every step, turning hands to make clouds and rain, possessing infinite Lifespan and an Immortal Physical Body."
"Those who invaded Chang'an a few days ago were of this realm."
"And they came... over a dozen of them."
Hiss—
Countless sounds of people sucking in cold air rang out simultaneously in various places.
The people's faces turned pale, their eyes filled with despair.
No wonder... No wonder those outsiders dared to be so arrogant and overbearing.
No wonder even the imperial court didn't dare do anything.
It turned out... the Great Tang they were so proud of was actually so tiny?
It turned out... those outsiders who viewed them as pigs and dogs were actually so powerful?
If so, what hope was there for them, these ordinary folk, to live?
Even if Jiang Yuechu protected them today, what about tomorrow? What about the day after?
Even the civil and military officials standing before the palace now had bitter expressions, looking dejected.
The gap was too large.
So large that people didn't even have the courage to try and catch up.
The young woman lowered her eyes slightly and continued: "When I first entered the Lamp Lighting Realm, I heard that the Great Dao of this world is all controlled by the Grotto-Heaven dao lineages."
"They sit high in the clouds, setting rules, saying that mortals cannot glimpse the heavens, saying that all living beings cannot have wild dreams."
Jiang Yuechu took a step forward, her sleeves fluttering, her Aura like a rainbow.
"But I do not believe in these things... I established this golden body not to covet your incense, but to leave a glimmer of hope for this Great Tang, for those with intent in this world!"
"I do not ask you to use this method to seek longevity, nor do I ask you to use it to expand our territory."
"I only wish that when demons attack and foreign enemies knock at our gates,"
"the blades in your hands can also slay demons and exorcise devils, and also... rebel against and strike down Immortals and gods!"
As her words fell.
The nine golden bodies all vibrated, their golden light surging and shooting straight toward the constellations.
Some held blades, some threw punches, some formed seals.
The golden light across the sky turned into countless tiny streams of light, like a golden rainstorm, sprinkling into every corner.
Sprinkling onto every commoner who looked up in prayer.
Her ink-colored long clothes fluttering, Jiang Yuechu slowly raised her right hand, her fingers together like a sword, pointing straight at the firmament.
She chanted softly, her voice like a great bell, echoing through the mortal realm.
"Cultivating neither the afterlife nor immortality, leaving the Great Dao in the mortal realm."
"Willing to lift the three-foot snow in my palm, to slash away all wind and frost for a clear sky."
After speaking.
The golden light faded.
The young woman withdrew her finger and didn't look at the crowd again.
She turned and left.
Leaving behind only the people of the city, who had long since been kneeling and refused to rise.
Even though her figure had disappeared for a long time.
The deafening sound of kowtowing continued to echo over Chang'an for a long, long time.
"We thank the Perfected Lord for bestowing the Dao—!!!"
(End of Volume)