“I see. That’s easy enough. Since you’re the one asking, Fellow Daoist Li, I naturally can’t refuse. However, there’s no need for formal lectures; I can just provide you with online classes.”
“Online classes?”
Li Taiji was a bit confused, but he quickly caught on.
“Do you mean via that Necrotic Network of yours?”
“Exactly. I can grant your disciples access, allowing them to browse all sorts of information regarding the demon armies on the network.”
“Hmm, that is indeed a good method. This way, it won't take up your time, and my disciples can study whenever they wish.
However, I suspect it won't just be my disciples who need this; the disciples of other factions within the Martial Arts Alliance will likely require it as well.
Would that be convenient for you?”
“Hahaha! Of course it’s convenient. I’ll grant access to as many as come.”
‘Chen Xu’ was more than happy to have more people using his Necrotic Network. Especially users from Dao Lord-tier forces—they were high-quality users, the VIP of VIPs.
Ever since the Necrotic Network gained its first surge of popularity with the establishment of the Necrotic Archmage Tower, it had entered a long period of slow growth.
The current users were mostly from small or medium-sized transcendent civilizations, with only a few large ones mixed in.
The more powerful a faction was, the more they tended to look down upon the legacy of a mage civilization.
Placing a mysterious and unknown mage tower in their own territory just for a legacy with an uncertain ceiling was something most major powers rejected.
But now, a perfect opportunity to break into Dao Lord-tier factions was right in front of him. Naturally, ‘Chen Xu’ wouldn't let it pass and agreed immediately.
With Li Taiji’s endorsement—and eventually the endorsement of the massive Martial Arts Alliance—his Necrotic Network could use this as a turning point to truly penetrate the upper echelons of the myriad worlds.
Commoners had little to offer; if he was going to harvest anyone, it had to be the rich.
Case in point: right here at the Universe Daoist Academy, even a mere outer sect disciple controlled resources comparable to the strongest expert of a small transcendent civilization.
Once he expanded the user base, ‘Chen Xu’ could move on to the next step.
Having received ‘Chen Xu’s’ confirmation, Li Taiji took action immediately, instructing ‘Chen Xu’ to grant network access to everyone in the academy.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.
For Dao Lords who didn't have to worry about their lifespan, there wasn't much difference between two years and two seconds.
Over these two years, Li Taiji and the Extreme Martial Dao Lord had been constantly on the move, uniting various martial arts forces.
By now, their Martial Arts Alliance had expanded beyond the Universe Martial World and the Extreme Martial World to include seven more Dao Lord-tier forces and thirteen Eternal-tier forces.
As the founder of the Martial Arts Alliance, Li Taiji’s Universe Martial World had seen an influx of many foreign martial artists—disciples from other factions who had come for exchange.
Since they were preparing for war against Hell, they couldn't afford to fight in isolation. The various martial arts factions had different styles and needed to undergo a period of integration to bring out their maximum strength.
In the starry sky of the Universe Daoist Academy, Li Taiji had used his great magic to set up over a hundred arenas just to meet the training needs of the various martial artists.
These arenas were infused with Yin-Yang Dao rhyme and were incredibly sturdy. They could absorb the force of the martial artists' strikes; unless a Dao Lord-tier expert intervened, they were virtually indestructible.
At the moment, ‘Chen Xu’ had just finished his training for the day. He held a large bowl of freshly refined pills in his left hand, which were soaking in spirit wine poured from Li Hu’s body.
In his right hand, he held a massive, specially prepared roasted beast leg. He sat in the spectator stands of one of the arenas, watching the matches below.
Watching the arenas had become ‘Chen Xu’s’ fixed routine during this period.
Progeny from various Dao Lord-tier martial arts forces would step onto the stage to spar and showcase their skills. Such an opportunity was a rare occurrence even in a thousand years.
But today, there was someone else beside ‘Chen Xu’—it was Mo Zihan, the little girl from the Taikun Martial World who had once acted as his guide.
When ‘Chen Xu’ first saw her at the Universe Daoist Academy, he had almost failed to recognize her.
Two years had passed, and the girl who had been barely a meter tall was now nearly two meters tall.
If ‘Chen Xu’s’ perfect body hadn't been so burly himself, he might have had to look up at the girl.
Mo Zihan’s talent was truly terrifying. Being carried in the womb for nine years was indeed extraordinary; at five years old, she was nearly two meters tall, with a strong, powerful frame, bright eyes, and an exceptionally remarkable soul.
This made ‘Chen Xu’ look forward to the Nephalem in the Land of the Undead even more.
Two years had passed, and those ten embryos were still in deep slumber. They constantly absorbed the world’s Dao rhyme and necrotic aura, and their presence continued to grow.
Even before being born, they already possessed an Epic-tier aura. And because they had spent so long in a cradle woven from Dao rhyme, they seemed to possess an extra touch of divine grace.
According to their nanny, Sindragosa, several of the embryos were developing exceptionally well and had even begun to show miraculous signs.
He just didn't know how much longer they would remain dormant. Initially, ‘Chen Xu’ had been somewhat anxious, but after seeing Mo Zihan’s situation, he suddenly didn't feel so rushed.
“Uncle Chen, you’ve been watching the matches for so long. Which martial arts faction do you think has the strongest disciples? Is it our Universe Daoist Academy?”
It was Mo Zihan’s first day watching the arenas. Seeing so many martial artists fighting on stage for the first time, her heart couldn't help but burn with excitement, leading her to ask this classic question.
As the saying goes, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Martial artists were naturally competitive, and Mo Zihan, who had grown up in the Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall, was no exception.
“In terms of individual strength, it would have to be the third Progeny of the Extreme Martial Dao Lord, Chu Bawang of the Heaven-Opening Hand. He has cultivated the Intent of Destruction to the absolute limit. Once his Heaven-Opening Hand is unleashed, it is invincible and peerless.
As for teamwork, the Desolate Martial Realm under the Myriad Beast Dao Lord is superior. Their martial techniques mostly mimic wild beasts, and their coordination is fluid and ingenious. So far, they haven't lost a single team match.
But in terms of overall win rate, the Starry Martial Realm under the Star River Dao Lord has the best record. Their Star Martial Dao uses the power of the stars to temper the body. It’s extremely difficult to master, but their disciples are generally quite formidable.”
Hearing this, Mo Zihan felt a bit dejected.
“Does that mean our Universe Daoist Academy hasn't won a single category?”
“Haha, little Zihan, you can’t just look at who’s in first place. The Star-Plucker, who is second on the individual rankings, is your eldest senior brother. And those ranked third on the team rankings are all your senior brothers and sisters.
The path of transcendence isn't about a single moment or event; it’s about the long term and the steadfastness of one’s will.”
Having said that, ‘Chen Xu’ downed the pills in his bowl in one go, swallowing them with the wine without even chewing.
He then jumped down onto the arena below to begin his second daily routine, which had become the main event at the Universe Daoist Academy lately.
The Many Heroes vs. ‘Chen Xu’.
Standing on the arena, ‘Chen Xu’ looked around and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Today, I want to fight ten!”
Everyone present only knew ‘Chen Xu’ as a mysterious powerhouse and a friend of Li Taiji, the master of the Universe Daoist Academy.
Although the techniques he used didn't seem like much, his physical cultivation was astonishingly high. To this day, no one had been able to break his defense—not even the supposedly invincible Heaven-Opening Hand.
Consequently, the martial artists of the Martial Arts Alliance believed that ‘Chen Xu’ was likely a Dao Lord who had changed his identity to help them train. Every day, when the 'Conquer Chen Xu' session began, the entire Universe Daoist Academy would gather around.
However, things didn't go as planned. Before the challengers could even step onto the stage, Li Taiji appeared in the starry sky.
He first looked at ‘Chen Xu’ and spoke with a hint of apology.
“Fellow Daoist, I’m afraid I must disturb your fun.”
Then, six more martial Dao Lords descended upon the Universe Daoist Academy.
Li Taiji looked at the surrounding martial artists and amplified his voice.
“Everyone! Starting tomorrow, our Martial Arts Alliance officially declares war on Hell!
In the past, Hell insulted our martial arts and used corruption to taint our martial beings. Today, we shall use our own martial arts to pay Hell back in kind, to pay back those disgusting demons!”
Instantly, the entire academy fell into silence, until a gourd squeezed through the crowd and took the lead in shouting.
“Martial arts shall flourish! Martial arts shall prevail!”
In the next moment, the crowd of martial artists roared in unison.
“Martial arts shall flourish! Martial arts shall prevail!”
...
In the Land of the Undead, Chen Xu floated in the air. Below him was a large mass of rotten meat that looked remarkably like an abomination.
Chen Xu first glanced toward the location of his avatar, then turned his gaze toward the ten high towers.
“The martial artists have already begun to flex their muscles. I hope you all grow up quickly and show the world the glory of the undead.
But since the martial artists are putting in the effort, how can I not lend a hand? Wouldn't you agree, Source of the Plague?”
Chen Xu looked at the mass of rotten meat below and muttered to himself.
“Gurgle, gurgle...”
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