51: Chapter 51 You can't eat shit while it's still hot!

Time passed quickly.

Only half a day had gone by.

Wang Chen's imperial decree to establish the Divine Martial Guard had already spread to every corner of the Tianxuan Dynasty.

In the past,

it would have taken at least two or three days for an imperial decree to spread across the entire Imperial Dynasty.

But things were different now.

With the significant increase in the strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they no longer lacked Great Grandmaster and Celestial Realm experts, so their efficiency naturally improved.

However,

the imperial decree promulgated by Wang Chen this time was no ordinary one.

Its contents directly set the entire Jianghu of the Tianxuan Dynasty ablaze with excitement!

"The Divine Martial Guard! Personally commanded by His Majesty?"

"Using Imperial Destiny Power to help boost cultivation?"

Every word on the imperial decree

was like the sharpest of hooks, directly snagging everyone's Soul.

Especially those Martial Artists who had been stuck at a Bottleneck for years and saw no hope of a Breakthrough were the most excited.

Besides,

increasing one's strength!

That was an instinctive desire branded deep within the Soul of every Martial Artist!

For those Martial Artists stopped before the threshold of Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, or even the Celestial Realm, this temptation was almost fatal!

Imperial Destiny Power?

They might not fully understand what it was, but the phrases "His Majesty personally taking action" and "helping to break through the Bottleneck" were enough to make their hearts pound like drums and their blood boil!

The eyes of countless Jianghu Martial Artists turned red the moment they saw the contents of the decree.

They wished they could sprout wings and fly to the Imperial City immediately!

"Haha... Thank you, Your Majesty, for this opportunity! I will go to the Imperial City to sign up right away!"

"Sigh... I have been trapped at the Peak of the Great Grandmaster Realm for thirty years! This might be my last chance!"

"My Sect has disbanded, and the road ahead is vast and uncertain. The Divine Martial Guard might be our only way out!"

...

However,

after the frenzy came the reality, like cold water poured over their heads.

The crystal-clear requirements in the decree were like a cold chasm standing before the vast majority of people.

Only those at the Great Grandmaster Realm or above may apply!

Great Grandmaster!

These words were like a bucket of ice water, quenching the hopes of ninety-nine percent of Martial Artists.

One must know,

in the Jianghu, a single Great Grandmaster is enough to support a medium-sized School; even establishing one's own Sect would not be difficult.

Within the borders of the Tianxuan Dynasty, a Great Grandmaster was already considered a top-tier expert, and their numbers were certainly not large.

When spread across the vast territory and enormous population, they were as rare as a Phoenix's feather or a unicorn's horn.

Countless Martial Artists who failed to meet the requirements were instantly like eggplants hit by frost, completely wilting.

They could only look at the decree and sigh in frustration!

Of course,

not everyone wanted to join the Imperial Dynasty's Divine Martial Guard.

Many qualified Great Grandmasters were in no hurry to state their position.

Worry, doubt, observation...

All sorts of complex emotions constantly intertwined in their hearts.

Those who could Cultivate to the Great Grandmaster Realm were no fools.

They certainly considered more things than others!

First was freedom.

People of the Jianghu were used to being unrestrained, roaming the world with their swords, acting on whims of gratitude or revenge. Though there were risks, they were free.

Once they joined the Divine Martial Guard, they would become official personnel of the Imperial Dynasty and would inevitably have to accept the constraints of the law, no longer able to do as they pleased.

This restraint caused many Martial Artists accustomed to leisure to feel resistance.

Secondly,

and more importantly—past grudges.

One must know,

these people were basically all high-level members of various major forces in the past, a group of typical representatives who had resisted the Imperial Dynasty.

Although they eventually chose to submit and barely saved their lives,

they all knew in their hearts

that they were a group of people with criminal records.

Joining the Divine Martial Guard now was equivalent to handing themselves over completely to the Imperial Dynasty.

Would the Imperial Dynasty settle accounts with them later?

Would they be marginalized or suppressed because of their 'unclean' backgrounds,

or even become cannon fodder sent to their deaths?

These were very realistic problems concerning their lives and property; they couldn't help but overthink...

"Is the Imperial Dynasty taking this opportunity to round up all of us 'remnants' and bring us under centralized control?"

"Indeed, they say it's to boost our strength, but who knows if they've dug a pit waiting for us to jump in? Imperial Destiny Power? Never heard of it. What if it's some evil method to control people's hearts or destroy one's foundation of the Dao?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. I, for one, will absolutely not believe it!"

"I'm used to freedom and can't stand restraint, so I won't get involved..."

"I am old and have reached the end of my Martial Path. I, however, want to take a gamble!"

...

It was precisely because of these concerns

that many Great Grandmasters and a few Celestial Realm experts chose to wait and see for the time being.

However,

amidst this wave of general caution, suspicion, and observation, one person's decision appeared exceptionally abrupt and decisive.

That was

the Old Ancestor of the former Nine Nether Sect—Old Ancestor Styx, Li Youming!

As one of the two Celestial Realm Old Ancestors of the Nine Nether Sect, he held absolute authority within the Sect.

As long as it was something he decided,

even the other Celestial Realm Old Ancestor would respect it.

Because this man was not only clever but also extremely cautious. Due to his caution, he had helped the Nine Nether Sect avoid disasters many times.

Last time, when they decisively chose to submit to the Imperial Dynasty, it was Li Youming's decision.

And facts had proven

that his decision was correct; otherwise, they might have been destroyed by the Imperial Dynasty just like the Sword Pavilion...

When he learned of the contents of the imperial decree promulgated by Wang Chen,

he didn't even think about it and directly decided to join the Imperial Dynasty.

Of course,

as the Old Ancestor of the Nine Nether Sect,

even though the Nine Nether Sect had now been disbanded, he still decided to warn the others.

Therefore,

he used the former Nine Nether Sect's communication methods to gather the original high-level members of the Sect.

At this moment, within the underground palace of the former Nine Nether Sect,

dozens of figures had already gathered. The lowest cultivation among them was at the Early Stage of the Great Grandmaster Realm, and there were even several at the Peak of the Great Grandmaster Realm.

They were all core high-level members of the former Nine Nether Sect.

Although the Sect had been disbanded, they still maintained close contact with each other.

After the group gathered,

without Li Youming even needing to ask, they began to voice their opinions one after another.

"Old Ancestor, the Imperial Dynasty's move has an unclear meaning! It is better for us to observe for a while before making a decision!"

"Yes, Old Ancestor. Our Nine Nether Sect... although we have submitted now, we did have conflicts with the Imperial Dynasty after all. Will the Imperial Dynasty take this opportunity to trick us there and settle everything at once?"

"Exactly! What Imperial Destiny Power helping people break through? I've never heard of it. Anyway, I don't believe it!"

"I don't believe it either. I agree with the Sect Leader; let's observe first!"

"Agreed, let's observe!"

...

The crowd discussed animatedly.

Everyone agreed to continue observing and that it was not advisable to make a decision too early...

"Hmph!"

"Observe... observe... all you know is how to observe! You people can't even catch shit while it's hot!!"

"Do you think too highly of yourselves?"

"With the Imperial Dynasty's strength, if they wanted to deal with us, would they need to go through all this trouble?"

"Are we even worthy?

"I really want to crack open your heads and see if they're filled with shit..."