My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times

"True enough." Li Jing shook his head and chuckled. "I was just lost in old memories, thinking about something else... In that case, there's not much else to see. Taibai, shall we head back?"

"Agreed."

Just as the two Immortal Gods were preparing to depart, they heard Lu Zi's icy voice ring out.

"Build an altar to inform Heaven. Enumerate the sins of the West Pole Celestial Court. Issue a decree to the Western Celestial Court that after I have finished imparting the Daoist Scripture in my hand, I will journey to the West to demand justice."

His calm, unwavering words struck like a thunderclap in the hearts of everyone in the hall!

The court ministers were dumbfounded. Duke Mu of Qin and Shang Yang shot him astonished sideways glances. Zhao Zheng abruptly straightened his spine, his head snapping up as he stared in disbelief at the man he had just acknowledged as his adoptive grandfather.

And in the folded void, the two high-ranking officials of the Celestial Court, who had been about to depart, halted in their tracks. They stared in shock at the old man in long robes.

For a moment, the entire Qin Hall fell into a deathly silence!

"Is he... insane?" Li Jing looked at Venus, completely stunned. Venus could only shake his head in bewilderment.

"Lu Zi, this..." Shang Yang, the most rational among them and one of the few with the standing to speak in such a situation, attempted to object, but Lu Xuan stopped him with a raised hand.

He stated calmly:

"I will bear all consequences. As for that Drought Demon, if it comes to this city, I shall slay it. If it does not, then I shall seek it out and slay it."

Lu Xuan's tone permitted no doubt. The air around him suddenly grew dark as visions of flashing lightning, raging winds, and the clash of weapons materialized.

Above his head, eight hundred and fifty invisible portions of Human Dao Fortune churned violently, creating a sound like colliding wind and thunder!

He was angry.

A faint yet palpable pressure filled the vast hall. The ministers exchanged glances, but ultimately, all chose to remain silent.

Duke Mu of Qin, standing to the side, grew hesitant. He had imagined that Lu Zi might choose to slay the Drought Demon, that god of calamity,

but he had never imagined that Lu Zi intended not only to slay the Drought Demon, but also to build an altar, proclaim it to the world, and enumerate the sins of the Celestial Court!!

This... this...

For the Human World, the Celestial Court was, in a sense, Heaven itself!

One must understand that back in the day, the Shang Dynasty had abolished human sacrifices to Heaven. This angered the Immortals and Buddhas, who stripped away a hundred thousand years of its national fortune and slew its National Guardian Profound Bird. Afterward, the Zhou attacked and replaced the Shang!

And ever since then, the Emperor had lowered his own title to King. The ruler of the Zhou Dynasty adopted the title "Celestial Son" to show his submission to the Immortals and Buddhas in the heavens...

And now, Lu Zi wanted to enumerate the sins of the heavens!

Even with all of Duke Mu of Qin's courage, he felt his blood run cold!

He opened his mouth, struggling to force out the words:

"Lu Zi, perhaps we could... attack the Drought Demon, slay the Evil God, and purge this calamity, but as for building an altar to enumerate Heaven's sins..."

The sound of wind and thunder around the old man intensified. He glanced at Duke Mu of Qin, then turned his gaze to Zhao Zheng and asked:

"Xiaozheng, how do you view this matter?"

The gazes of Duke Mu of Qin, Shang Yang, and all the ministers snapped in unison toward Prince Zheng.

Zhao Zheng took a deep breath, raised his head, and spoke with firm resolve:

"We are innocent, yet the Immortal Gods punish us. It is wrong!"

He hadn't answered directly, but he had made his stance perfectly clear.

Lu Xuan smiled and nodded.

"Xiaozheng, you are correct, but not entirely. The Immortals and Buddhas may reside in the heavens, but they cannot act as Heaven itself. Humans are human, and Immortals are immortal. Regardless of whether a person is guilty, it is not for the Immortal Gods to judge."

The ministers erupted in an uproar. Zhao Zheng clenched his fists, a fervent light once again filling his eyes. Shang Yang stumbled back several steps, his expression one of alarm.

Duke Mu of Qin, standing to the side, seemed to fall into a daze. He suddenly recalled the words Lu Zi had spoken when he, Kongzi, and Lu Zi had once shared a chariot.

"Why can humanity not rule the heavens?"

His heart trembled. Like Shang Yang, he too retreated several steps, but his gaze fell upon the look of yearning on his nineteenth grandson's face.

Duke Mu of Qin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

After a long moment, he snapped his eyes open and declared, word by deliberate word:

"Relay my decree! Build the altar! Forge the chains! Arrange the battle formations! Summon the armies!"

The altar, to announce the sins to Heaven; the chains, to bind the sinful Immortals; and the battle formations and armies, to slay the Evil God, the Drought Demon, and avenge the lives of seven cities' worth of people!

This time, he was betting it all!

He was betting that this Lu Zi could withstand the pressure from the West Pole Celestial Court. He was betting that this Lu Zi was more noble than the Immortal Gods themselves!

The scene in Linzi City was still vivid in his memory...

The ministers' faces were ashen, but under the oppressive auras of both Lu Xuan and Duke Mu of Qin, none dared to disobey. They retreated as told to relay the decree of King Qin.

Before long, the entire city of Yong was abuzz with activity. Though the common folk and soldiers below did not understand the reason, they all faithfully carried out the King of Qin's command. Craftsmen began building the altar, and soldiers donned their armor!

Back in the great hall, Venus and Li Jing exchanged a stunned glance. Their expressions tightened as the exact same thought flashed through both their minds.

'It's not just this Lu Zi who's insane; Duke Mu of Qin must have lost his mind too!'

'One of them has, with great difficulty, attained the Position of Great Virtue and even has a chance of touching the level of "Saint" within the Dao of the Human World's many philosophies. The other has reached the Grand Grade, becoming one of the hegemons of the age. After the Zhou Dynasty's fortune is exhausted, he might even have a chance for Qin to replace Zhou...'

'And now they're planning to do something so absurd?'

The two high-ranking officials of the Celestial Court were rendered speechless. Even as they found the situation absurd and laughable, their hearts were shaken.

It had to be said that even if this was an act as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree or a moth flying into a flame, this Lu Zi... possessed astounding boldness!

Venus exhaled a long breath and sighed.

"One can foresee this Lu Zi being captured and taken to the Immortal Slaying Platform, where his soul will be scattered after enduring three thousand brutal tortures... But he will also, I fear, leave an indelible mark on the pages of history."

Li Jing snapped out of his daze and gave a wry smile.

"This fellow is even more reckless than my own rebellious son was... But my son had the Taiyi Supreme Celestial Venerable to back him up. What does this man have? He must have a death wish..."

Venus then asked teasingly:

"So, is Li Celestial King still going to lend them a hand?"

Li Jing waved his hands frantically.

"I'm not crazy yet! Helping them block that piddling Drought Demon is one thing, but I can't get involved in enumerating the sins of the Western Celestial Court. If this matter angers their Emperor, then even if our own Emperor protects me, I'll still be skinned alive!"

The two Immortals exchanged wry smiles.

'We came all the way to the Human World, didn't find the successor of the Supreme, and instead ran into a complete and utter madman!'

Just then, they saw Lu Zi walking out of the hall.

Li Jing and Taibai relaxed, settling in to watch the show. They moved through the folded void, slowly following him.

Following Lu Zi out of the hall, Li Jing clicked his tongue.

"I just wonder if this Lu Zi will be handed over to the West Pole Celestial Court for punishment, or if our own Central Celestial Court will handle it. I hope he can maintain this composure when the time comes."

Taibai stroked his long beard and shook his head.

"My guess is that this Lu Zi has already foreseen his own fate and is prepared to die. He probably just doesn't want to bow and scrape before the likes of us."

As the two chatted and laughed, they watched Lu Zi walk over to a Cyan Bull and come to a stop. Beside him was... huh? Wait a second.

That bull...

The smiles on the faces of the two Celestial Court officials froze solid. The Cyan Bull lifted its eyelids, its gaze piercing the void to shoot the two Immortals a nonchalant glance.

Then, it respectfully lowered its head to Lu Xuan.

"Master, what are your orders?"

Taibai and Li Jing felt as if they had been struck by lightning. Their scalps went numb with shock!