Chapter 203: The Human Emperor Banner!

As Lu Yan’s voice fell, the world fell into an instant and absolute silence.

From the depths of the void came a subtle tremor, as if an eternal curtain had been gently drawn back by an invisible hand. A vast will that transcended life and death, one that crossed even reincarnation, descended from the unseen—it was the gaze of the Heavenly Dao of the apocalypse.

In this moment, all laws and Dao resonated together. The entire world began to operate in tune with the Heavenly Dao’s will. The Granary Plain, including Base 73, was severed from the rest of the apocalypse version, transforming into an independent world of its own.

Even though Lu Yan had long anticipated this moment, he could not help but feel his spirit stir at witnessing it firsthand.

Forging a Heavenly Dao Merit Artifact was the greatest reason why he had chosen the apocalypse version in the first place.

Ever since he learned that the immortals of the Xianxia version had the power to resolve the crisis of the Immortality version, entering the Xianxia version had become Lu Yan’s most important goal.

However, Lu Yan had once used the Soul Banner openly in the Demon version, and the Soul Banner was considered an absolute taboo in the Xianxia version.

If he were to enter that version, his past use of the Soul Banner would inevitably be discovered by the major orthodox and demonic sects, resulting in endless trouble.

At that point, let alone finding a solution to the Immortality version’s hidden dangers, just surviving would already be a blessing.

Therefore, Lu Yan had to “cleanse” the Soul Banner, and the best way to do so was undoubtedly to forge it into a Merit Artifact.

Lu Yan had obtained the method of forging a Merit Artifact from the Green Wutong Sect. The process required an immense amount of merit and the widespread praise of the people—this had been a difficult problem that plagued him for a long time.

After that, he deliberately began binding the Soul Banner to the name of the Underworld, spreading the Underworld’s name across various versions to accumulate widespread acclaim. Along the way, a belief system based on incense offerings to the Underworld had even emerged.

Upon returning to the apocalypse version this time, Lu Yan had exhausted himself killing tens of millions of zombies—not only to collect wandering souls for strengthening the Soul Banner, but more importantly, to accumulate enough Heavenly Dao merit to forge a Merit Artifact.

The minimum requirement for forging such an artifact was three golden Merit Wheels formed from vast amounts of merit. Within just a few days of returning to the apocalypse version, Lu Yan had met this requirement through his massive slaughter.

But in studying these Merit Wheels, Lu Yan made a crucial discovery—because he had resolved a major crisis in the apocalypse version, the merit granted to him by the Heavenly Dao was not ordinary human merit, but Heavenly Dao Merit.

If he used the standard method of forging a Merit Artifact with this level of merit, it would be a complete waste.

So he kept killing zombies to accumulate even more Heavenly Dao Merit at an accelerated pace.

Days ago, he had successfully condensed ninety-nine Heavenly Dao Merit Wheels.

At the very moment the ninety-ninth wheel formed, Lu Yan sensed that this was the limit the world would allow. No matter how much more merit he earned, he could not form another wheel. He understood then that the time to forge his artifact had come.

Because this was not an artifact forged from human merit, but from ninety-nine Heavenly Dao Merit Wheels—a feat utterly unprecedented in the Xianxia version—Lu Yan had to abandon traditional forging methods.

To this end, he leveraged the omniscient abilities of the Giant Spirit God to deduce a theoretical ritual of unprecedented scale.

The plan was to slaughter millions of zombies during a colossal horde attack, then channel the merit granted by this massacre and, with the aid of the world’s natural laws, request the forging of a Heavenly Dao Merit Artifact from the heavens themselves.

This idea was bold beyond compare. In theory, one could use Heavenly Dao Merit to borrow the world’s power. But in practice, without the Dao De Sect’s ancient rituals, it was nearly impossible.

Lu Yan could attempt this only because he had shaped the balance of the apocalypse version, guiding its very trajectory. In the eyes of the apocalypse’s Heavenly Dao, he held some measure of influence.

It was precisely through this influence that he had hope of success.

But Lu Yan never expected that a surprise ambush on extraordinary beings and Golden Core corpse kings would provoke the intervention of a Supreme Will.

When Lu Yan suppressed that wisp of will, he incurred the wrath of that Supreme existence, which in turn accelerated the formation of the Calamity Horde—transforming his forging ritual into something far grander than he’d anticipated.

Over twenty million zombies, one hundred thousand extraordinary undead, and even vast amounts of Moonlight Spirit Qi forcibly infused by the Supreme Will to help the zombies evolve—this scale was something rarely seen even in the apocalypse version, greater than the population of many small nations.

Thus, when Lu Yan summoned the ninety-nine Merit Wheels and spoke the words, “I request the forging of a Heavenly Dao Merit Artifact,” what answered him wasn’t merely the world’s natural law—it was the Heavenly Dao of the apocalypse version itself!

Using the Calamity Horde as the ritual medium to request a Heavenly Dao Merit Artifact, Lu Yan received a direct response from the apocalypse’s Heavenly Dao!

In the next instant, a majestic and righteous aura manifested in the sky above.

Everyone could see it.

Above the ghost mist that had long shrouded the sky, a resplendent golden sun appeared. Its dazzling brilliance pierced through the gloom, proclaiming its divine presence to the world.

“Sun and moon together in the sky? Is this another strange phenomenon we don’t understand?”

“First the crescent moon turned full, and now a sun appears? What in the world is happening?”

But the next second, the hundreds of thousands within Base 73 saw a scene that made their hearts tremble.

The radiant golden sun began falling from the sky, hurtling toward Lu Yan. As it descended, it visibly expanded.

The invisible pressure it exuded seemed to suggest that if it crashed into the ground, it could annihilate the entire Granary Plain.

But as time passed, someone in Base 73 suddenly cried out in realization:

“There’s no heat! That’s not the real sun!”

“Then what is it?!”

“Wait! Doesn’t that golden sun look just like the wheels of light behind Lord Envoy?”

With those words, the crowd immediately turned their gaze toward Lu Yan.

And in the sky, facing the descending golden sun, Lu Yan already understood its meaning.

This sun wasn’t a real celestial body, but the final Merit Wheel granted by the Heavenly Dao of the apocalypse version—a wheel that broke through the world’s limit of ninety-nine.

The maximum number of Merit Wheels the world allowed was ninety-nine. Even if one continued to earn more merit, they could no longer condense more wheels.

This was a law of Heaven and Earth, and breaking it required a strength that transcended those laws.

But now, the apocalypse’s Heavenly Dao revealed another path—one where it personally descended to grant the final wheel!

Perhaps it was the sheer scale of this ritual, or perhaps it was because Lu Yan had twice thwarted the Supreme Will’s plans, or perhaps it was because the Heavenly Dao had invested in him—whatever the reason, the apocalypse’s Heavenly Dao bestowed a final Merit Wheel, breaking the rules for Lu Yan.

That wheel descended slowly behind him, its brilliance even more radiant than the previous ninety-nine combined. It seemed to contain all the light of Heaven and Earth.

As it approached, a profound resonance echoed through the void.

The ninety-nine Merit Wheels, as if summoned, flew in from all directions. They spiraled around the final wheel, merging one after another.

Moments later, an unprecedented Merit Sun emerged in the sky.

Its radiance dimmed the heavens themselves. This was no longer a mere Merit Wheel—it had transcended that form entirely. Countless mysteries flowed across its surface, each carrying the purest essence of the Great Dao.

In this world, zombies were not inherently demonic or evil in the Xianxia sense. Rather, they were an alternate path of transcendence guided by a Supreme Will.

If the zombies birthed from version invasions were replaced by the demon-refined corpses of traditional cultivation, even legends like the Bone Immortals would be annihilated by the light of this Merit Sun.

As the Heavenly Dao’s merit light illuminated the world, countless ethereal figures appeared from all directions—formed from the collective Willpower of the multiverse’s living beings.

Prayers resounded across the void, turning into golden streams of light that flowed into the Merit Sun. The entire Base 73 was enveloped in a golden halo. Everyone, without exception, fell to their knees, worshipping Lu Yan’s divine image.

The forces of Heaven and Earth were drawn in by this wave of collective will, causing countless threads of Dao to manifest in the air.

At this point in the ritual, the Soul Banner in Lu Yan’s hand began rising toward the sky, merging with the blazing Merit Sun.

Boundless Heavenly Dao Merit washed over the Soul Banner like molten fire from a solar furnace, refining it completely. The once pitch-black surface was now dyed with traces of gold.

At the same time, the will of the Heavenly Dao manifested as invisible hands, seizing all the creation force of this world. Every thread of the Dao was forged into the Soul Banner.

The eerie aura that once clung to the banner disappeared. In its place, the golden threads of merit wove into its surface. The banner pole was now like black-gold, inscribed with mythic clouds and Daoist scripture, emanating a noble and righteous aura.

This transformation went far beyond appearances. The internal space of the Soul Banner was undergoing its own evolution.

The Soul Continent began to shimmer with golden light. Countless strands of Heavenly Dao Merit brought new order to this inner world.

The once sinister ghost mist over the continent faded, replaced by the dignified majesty of black and gold. Even the ghost mist spreading hundreds of miles across the battlefield changed accordingly.

Though its essence remained soul-based, the Soul Banner had merged with Heavenly Dao Merit and become something entirely different—it was no longer a ghostly domain, but a mythic Netherworld recognized by Heaven and Earth.

The Soul Banner had undergone a fundamental metamorphosis. Though it had previously wielded great power, it had always been a product of demonic refinement and soul-computer modification, relying heavily on zombie souls.

But now, the noble aura of Heavenly Dao Merit and its official recognition left no room for accusations of heretical methods.

The transformation did not end there.

The ghostly beings residing within the Soul Banner also began to change.

The Heavenly Dao Merit fell like spring rain, washing away the eerie aura of their ghostly cultivation.

Their once-simulated consciousness, created through soul computer programs, began to grow real. Each ghost deity experienced a rebirth.

They were no longer mere ghosts—they had obtained the essence of true nether gods. With the blessing of Heavenly Dao Merit, they now possessed genuine divine attributes.

Outside the banner, the Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals battling on the frontlines experienced the same baptism. Golden light enveloped their forms, refining their very essence.

Their black armor now gleamed with a sheen of black-gold. The soul fire in their eyes was purged of impurities, radiating an aura of authority.

Zombie souls were inherently flawed, which was why Lu Yan’s 6,000 Yin Soldiers had always remained at the peak of Qi Refining. It wasn’t due to a lack of resources—it was because their incomplete souls couldn’t break through to Foundation Establishment.

But with this transformation, the missing pieces were filled by Heavenly Dao Merit. Their breakthrough was now just a matter of time.

Previously, these ghost soldiers were little more than refined specters outfitted with soul-computer enhancements. Their forms were merely dressed up by code.

Now, blessed by Heavenly Dao and empowered by incense and willpower, they had qualified for the next step in divine evolution. They were a true Underworld Legion recognized by Heaven and Earth.

On the battlefield, their presence shifted dramatically.

The spears of the Ghost Generals and the Soul-Reaping Chains of the Yin Soldiers now radiated divine might, able to sever souls and break supernatural powers with ease—even the abilities of extraordinary zombies.

The once-stalemated battle began to tip in the Underworld’s favor.

When the transformation was complete, the celestial phenomenon in the sky slowly faded, and the Soul Banner in Lu Yan’s hand had utterly changed.

It was now a deep black-gold, its surface inscribed with flowing runes like a river of stars. A mighty continent faintly shimmered within it. Purple auspicious qi swirled around it, merging with strands of liquid golden thread to form Daoist patterns crafted by the very laws of Heaven.

This was no longer a simple magic artifact—it was a Heavenly Dao Merit Artifact infused with divine power and collective will.

As the artifact’s forging concluded, Lu Yan sensed a faint weariness from the gaze of the apocalypse’s Heavenly Dao.

Forging an artifact that surpassed the limits of natural law had drained the Heavenly Dao, which was already in a weakened state.

Yet holding the completed artifact in his hand, Lu Yan could now perceive the changes in the Heavenly Dao more clearly than ever.

And in its fading gaze, he sensed something else—hope.

After a brief pause, Lu Yan raised the sacred banner high and declared in a clear voice:

“This treasure was forged to cleanse the calamities of the apocalypse and to restore the rightful lineage of humanity. It shall be named—the Human Emperor Banner!”

(End of Chapter)