Chapter 535: Is Divine Descent Controlled by a Mortal, or is it the Arbiter God?

clad in a majestic dragon robe, diwu bufan strode with a presence as commanding as a dragon, exuding an air of regal authority.his hair and beard were jet black, his skin radiant and full of vitality. from afar, he appeared like a blazing flame, his energy and spirit flourishing.

but upon closer observation, one could see a hint of weariness and age in his imposing gaze.

“greetings, your majesty!”

the four divine-tier weapon masters present all lowered their noble heads in deference.

diwu bufan was the emperor of the rosha kingdom, the "sun" of his people, and currently the kingdom’s strongest divine-tier weapon master.

“rise,” diwu bufan commanded, waving his sleeve with the dignity of a ruler.

though he had long secluded himself to focus on cultivation, withdrawing from state affairs, he still maintained a firm grip on power.

“your majesty, divine descent has just slain the blade demon. your imperial body is precious beyond measure. should you engage him recklessly, it might harm the dragon body,” prince zhenyuan cautiously advised, testing the waters.

of course, what he truly hoped was for the emperor to confront divine descent himself while he cheered from the sidelines. but he had to maintain the pretense of concern.

at the same time, he sought to gauge the emperor’s confidence.

a sharp gleam flashed in diwu bufan’s eyes. “a mere divine descent. a century ago, i regretted not personally subduing him. this time, i shall face him myself!”

the divine-tier weapon masters quickly offered flattering words, though their true thoughts remained skeptical.

diwu bufan was known to care deeply about appearances.

he continued, “i have learned from the visitors from beyond the heavens that my rosha kingdom shall endure for millennia, through one generation, two generations… until eternity.

as for the fleeting revival of divine descent, it is but the ephemeral glow of a firefly.”

a century ago, diwu bufan had already colluded with the otherworldly visitors, hastening divine descent’s fall.

these visitors had brought with them a book called the .

diwu bufan regarded it as a book of prophecy.

the predicted that divine descent would revive, but only briefly.

of course, he kept these details hidden from the divine-tier weapon masters.

seeing the hesitation and doubt on their faces, diwu bufan’s eyes glinted with disdain.

“a century ago, divine descent fell to the combined assault of the gods. but in truth, he was defeated by the dark radiance.

it is a substance specifically designed to pollute divine-tier artifacts.

any divine artifact it touches is tarnished, losing its divine power and reduced to a mere mundane object.”

as he spoke, a droplet of liquid appeared before the group.

azure and translucent, it radiated a dangerous aura.

the four divine-tier weapon masters instinctively retreated at the sight, their expressions filled with caution.

though the dark radiance only targeted divine-tier artifacts, each of them carried such items for protection. if their artifacts were corrupted, their combat strength would plummet.

their previous suspicions about the circumstances of divine descent’s fall were now confirmed. the dark radiance explained everything.

“divine artifacts… even the sacred treasures of the kingdom, must serve me. if they do not, they must be destroyed!” diwu bufan’s voice boomed with imperial authority.

the divine-tier weapon masters felt a chill in their hearts. they understood that these words were also a warning to them.

after years of diwu bufan’s retreat from state affairs, they had all engaged in their own schemes.

now, faced with his veiled threat, they knew sacrifices would have to be made.

prince zhenyuan bowed deeply, his face filled with guilt. “i retreated without a fight in dingbo prefecture. my failure is unforgivable. i offer the to atone for my sin.”

diwu bufan nodded.

the pale-faced elder spoke hoarsely: “to extend my life with the wood life technique, i secretly imprisoned 120,000 people in xianyun prefecture over the past decade, harvesting their livers.

i have wronged the people, and i have wronged your majesty. i am willing to offer the wood life technique and the ten thousand liver pills in penance.”

diwu bufan’s expression softened with satisfaction. “you have not wronged your subjects. you have only wronged me. your offense is pardoned.”

power answers only to its source.

in this world, how could a ruler punish a subordinate simply for oppressing the people?

if punishment occurred, it was only because their actions harmed the ruler’s interests.

the remaining weapon masters also confessed their faults and surrendered their gains.

meanwhile, qi yuan stood atop a mountain, his tone calm.

“this time, i will traverse all twelve prefectures of the rosha kingdom.”

to properly play the role of divine descent, he needed to travel across the land, ensuring that the people knew of his return.

only then could his performance as divine descent reach its peak.

finally, he would confront and slay any enemy who stood in his way, completing his role.

divine descent’s persona would then be fully established.

huan sha, the elderly woman now following qi yuan, gazed at the young man before her with reverence.

“this old woman is willing to accompany you across the beautiful lands of the rosha kingdom!”

after qi yuan slew the blade demon, huan sha had hurried to pledge her loyalty.

in her view, divine descent had not fully awakened and remained dormant, allowing qi yuan to wield his power temporarily.

since qi yuan controlled divine descent, he was effectively the master of the arbiter’s power—the one she owed allegiance to.

qi yuan shrugged. looking out from the carriage window, he observed the vast county of xianlong and closed his eyes.

suddenly, countless voices flooded his ears—or rather, divine descent’s ears.

“god, save my poor child!”

“i’ve had three daughters already. when will i have a son?”

“damn it! if the arbiter god has really returned, how will we make money?”

“die, all of you! if i can’t live well, neither should you!”

“may everyone live in harmony, and may hard work always pay off.”

“what nonsense about the arbiter god? there’s no way he’s really revived. just rumors from those ignorant peasants!”

“help me, god, save me!” cried a woman being assaulted, only to draw more predators.

the cacophony revealed humanity’s darkness and cruelty, as well as moments of genuine goodness and beauty.

among the chaos, qi yuan’s attention was drawn to a mother holding her frail daughter.

the girl was on the verge of death, her tattered rags exposing ulcerated, festering skin that was both horrifying and nauseating.

yet her mother clung to her tightly.

suddenly, a radiant light flashed.

the girl’s ulcers and wounds vanished. though her skin remained rough, it was now free of disease.

the mother’s face lit up with joy as she knelt and kowtowed. “god!”

but her gratitude was met with a cold, authoritative voice: “there is no need to kneel before me.”

elsewhere, men and women committing atrocities were struck down by a divine light, instantly slain.

on the carriage, qi yuan’s gaze was conflicted. “it’s true. i’m not fit to be an arbiter.

if divine descent were here, their sins might not warrant death.”

nevertheless, qi yuan used divine descent’s power to execute them.

according to chen kangbao, his master’s heart was too kind to tolerate such evil.

through this act of divine intervention, responding to hundreds of prayers, the people of xianlong county began to look to the heavens with reverence and awe.

the streets soon filled with people of all ages, their reverent cries of “divine descent!” echoing through the county.

as qi yuan observed the scene, his heart remained calm, untouched by emotion.

if he was to play the role of divine descent...

then let there be miracles.

suddenly, rain began to fall in xianlong county.

but this was no ordinary rain—it sparkled like sunlight, glimmered like starlight, and resembled countless fireflies as it descended upon the people.

some looked up in confusion before their expressions turned to astonishment, then to fervent joy.

“this is divine grace!”

“it’s a blessing from god!”

many stretched out their hands to catch the starlight rain or opened their mouths to receive it.

the rainwater vanished the moment it touched their skin, nourishing their bodies and restoring vitality.

an atmosphere of ecstasy spread through the crowd. seaʀᴄh thё novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

in that instant, the people’s faith in divine descent surged to unparalleled heights.

qi yuan’s performance as divine descent rose rapidly.

sensing this, qi yuan remained composed. “it’s time to move on. our next stop is cuixian prefecture.”

elsewhere, a young girl tugged at her grandfather’s sleeve.

“grandfather, hurry up!”

“ah, these old bones can’t move as quickly as you’d like,” the old man said, sighing.

“why didn’t you tell me that qi yuan is the one controlling divine descent?” the girl demanded.

“how could i spill such a secret? hehe, but now that you know, isn’t it a pleasant surprise?” the old man chuckled.

“i’m happy, but…”

“but what?”

“the arbiter god represents absolute fairness and justice.

now that qi yuan controls him... does fairness and justice still exist?”

“isn’t he the one you all trust to deliver justice? why don’t you believe in him?”

“i trusted him before, but people change.

even i don’t know what i’d become if i suddenly gained divine descent’s power—a divine artifact that makes its wielder the strongest being in the world.

power is intoxicating. i just hope qi yuan can hold onto his true self for as long as possible,” the girl said solemnly.

she paused before continuing, “if he loses himself and kills me in anger, i won’t regret it.

i’ll willingly play the villain if it means reminding him to stay true to his heart.

without a guiding conscience, how can divine descent’s power deliver fairness and justice?”

“you…” the old man, liu sheng, looked at his granddaughter, liu chudong, with a complicated expression.

for this headstrong girl, who valued integrity above all else, he didn’t know how to respond.

three months passed as swiftly as flowing water.

across the twelve prefectures of the rosha kingdom, traces of divine descent’s presence could be found.

wherever qi yuan traveled, he brought miracles.

he executed evildoers, healed the sick and weak, corrected injustices, and upheld fairness.

qi yuan lived up to the promise: “where injustice exists, call upon divine descent.”

the starlight rain, manifested through his divine power, nourished the lands and brought vitality to the world.

the people, filled with reverence—and even fanaticism—turned their gaze toward divine descent.

however, opportunists also sought to exploit the situation.

some incited the masses to rise up, attempting to overthrow the existing order and replace the ruling elite with themselves as the new class of oppressors.

qi yuan thwarted all such attempts.

though he was playing the role of divine descent, he refused to become a mindless arbiter or allow himself to be trapped in one place.

he thought to himself,

for now, his focus was on embodying divine descent.

what came after could wait.

during his travels, some clever and resourceful people managed to locate qi yuan’s carriage and even began to follow him.

the crowd of followers grew larger and larger.

the sight left qi yuan reflective.

though he considered himself a good person—lawful, kind, and well-intentioned—he didn’t think of himself as a hero.

he was lawful but selfish. he refrained from wrongdoing but was drawn to beauty. he avoided social interaction but often acted impulsively.

divine descent could bear the weight of these responsibilities. qi yuan could not.

eventually, he convinced the followers to stop trailing his carriage.

“up ahead… lies the capital of the rosha kingdom,” huan sha said, her voice filled with complex emotions as she gazed at the towering city walls.

this was a city of immense significance for her. it was here, long ago, that she had drawn her sword and slain the third prince.

the memories tied to this city carried much sorrow and regret for her.

“this is the most prosperous and dazzling place in the rosha kingdom,” she said, her voice hoarse. “but it is also the darkest and most corrupt.”

qi yuan looked toward the royal capital, his expression calm.

indeed, huan sha was right.

the capital was nothing like the other prefectures.

in other regions, news of divine descent’s arrival would draw crowds to the city walls daily.

but here, the city walls were empty.

whether it was due to suppression by the authorities or the people’s fear, qi yuan didn’t care.

divine descent, as an intelligent construct, harbored no emotions like anger.

qi yuan, as a player, was simply enjoying the process. the specifics mattered little to him.

“let’s enter the capital… and kill the emperor,” qi yuan said calmly.

he had killed many beings in this game: terrifying rulers of realms, otherwordly demons devouring life, and yang gods that consumed innate worlds. but he had yet to kill an emperor.

as someone from earth, how could he not possess a rebellious streak?

what kind of game would it be if you didn’t kill an emperor at least once?

in myth and legend, heroes like the monkey king openly defied authority, erlang shen rebelled covertly, and nezha always sided with the rebels.

these rebellious figures now served as qi yuan’s divine avatars. to lack a rebellious spirit himself would be unnatural.

suddenly, a group of riders approached.

the leader was a middle-aged man clad in a gray robe embroidered with gold thread. his face was clean-shaven, and his expression was arrogant and domineering.

qi yuan glanced at the group and noted with mild amusement that none of them seemed afraid.

he couldn’t help but think,

after all, soldiers are raised for a thousand days to serve in a single moment.

the riders stopped before the carriage. the gray-robed man spoke with a stern and commanding tone.

“are you qi yuan, the one who controls divine descent?”

“what business do you have with my young master?” chen kangbao poked his head out of the carriage, his face curious. “is the emperor planning to surrender?”

“impudent!” the gray-robed man bellowed, his voice thunderous.

then, suppressing his anger, he continued, “qi yuan, you defy the law and disrespect the monarchy. present yourself at the royal palace and surrender divine descent to his majesty. only then will you be spared!”

qi yuan observed the scene calmly, his expression unchanged.

“got it. i won’t waste my breath arguing with you npcs.”

he had already decided that once he reached the emperor, he would say nothing.

he would simply kill him.

no need to give these npcs too much dialogue.