"To completely suppress and seal the tomb, to imprison the Pharaoh, I—Cao—built the village directly above it. Step by step, it evolved into the royal capital. The intent was to use the city to suppress the tomb and prevent the undying undead within from emerging and wreaking havoc upon the world."
"Alas, man proposes, Heaven disposes. Plans are never able to keep up with change. Somehow, the secret of the tomb still leaked. This led to the current situation. I only regret not having more time. If I had unified Weizhou, I could have eliminated all hidden threats. Even if the secret were exposed then, so what? My Great Wei Dynasty would've had the strength to face anything."
Cao Cao's eyes glinted with light, his words tinged with deep unwillingness.
This was the Great Wei Dynasty—an imperial dynasty he founded from nothing, gradually built up step by step. Only through immense effort had it gained its current scale and the ability to gather so many human citizens and protect them from foreign oppression. Now, all his hard work was on the verge of being destroyed. The pain felt like thousands of ants gnawing away inside him.
Anger.
Frustration.
These emotions constantly surged in his mind.
Everything had been under control, yet now it was on the brink of failure. It made him feel like coughing up blood.
Naturally, Cao Cao was a born schemer and hero. He wasn't one to surrender easily until the very end.
"If it's an external enemy, I can step in to block them. At the very least, I won't allow those alien races to massacre our human citizens without consequence," Yi Tianxing said after a slight pause.
With his strength, unless the enemies were above the Nascent Soul realm, he could deal with them—even if many came, he could kill them all. He was willing to help, but that was only for the sake of the billions of innocent humans in the Great Wei. They didn't deserve to suffer. They didn't deserve to be plunged into disaster.
"It's no use. The greatest crisis of the Great Wei isn't from outside—but beneath Xuchang," said Cao Cao, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"You mean... the Pharaoh's tomb?" Yi Tianxing looked toward the ground under Xuchang and said solemnly.
"With Heaven's seals weakening and constantly unraveling, the tomb's seal is beginning to loosen. As it does, the undead inside are awakening. Once they rise, the energy within the tomb could destroy the entire capital."
Cao Cao spoke slowly.
The tomb was saturated with endless deathly aura. Once released, Xuchang would instantly become a land of death—everything annihilated, all life converted into undead. A true apocalyptic scene.
"Can't the capital be relocated? That should be an option, right?"
Yi Tianxing asked after considering briefly.
"It can't be moved. When Xuchang was first built, its very purpose was to suppress the tomb. It's connected to the tomb's energy. Any change would trigger the tomb's eruption. No one knows what would happen. Even teleportation talismans can't move Xuchang. It's completely immobile."
Cao Cao shook his head bitterly.
In other words, Xuchang and the tomb were practically one. If the tomb erupted, Xuchang would be the first to fall. That was already inevitable.
Cao had originally hoped to use national fate to suppress the tomb, then secretly explore and resolve it—sending tomb raiders to gradually decipher its mysteries and even transform it into a source of Wei's imperial strength.
It was meant to become the foundation for rapidly elevating the Wei Dynasty to a true imperial power.
Yi Tianxing shook his head, recognizing the grim reality. The other races would never let Wei survive now. There was only one solution—move the capital.
But not moving Xuchang—establishing a new capital. That required transferring fate energy, merit clouds, and the spirit of national destiny. It wasn't something that could be done in a day. It required time and preparation—and they had neither. Failure was almost certain.
And currently, the Wei Dynasty had no secondary capital ready to take its place.
The probability of total collapse: ninety percent.
By now, Cao Cao had already begun preparing a backup plan—relocating the elite descendants of the Cao family, and even civilians in the city. Soon, Xuchang would likely become a war fortress, or even an empty shell.
"What does Brother Cao intend to do?"
Yi Tianxing asked.
"I, Cao Cao, have never been one to take a loss. If the Great Wei is doomed, then I'll make sure others suffer as well. If it's to be death, let's drag them all down with us," Cao said coldly. Then he looked at Yi Tianxing and asked, "Fellow Daoist Yi, do you have a way to evacuate the human civilians of Weizhou?"
Yi Tianxing's heart trembled. "Brother Cao, what do you plan?"
"If the Great Wei must fall, its people need not die with it. They've already suffered too much. I, Cao Cao, have failed to give them peace. The least I can do now is find them a safe place to live and multiply. If you hadn't appeared, I would've used other means to save as many as I could. But now—if you can take them, take them all."
Cao Cao took a deep breath. His tone revealed great reluctance, even hesitation. For an imperial dynasty, the people are its foundation. Without them, the dynasty cannot survive. To let them go is to let go of the dynasty itself.
Such a decision is unimaginably painful for any emperor.
Unless pushed to the brink—no one would willingly make it.
"I can," Yi Tianxing said solemnly. "I possess a Celestial Grotto treasure capable of housing massive populations. I can relocate them. But are you sure? If you do this, the Great Wei will truly collapse."
He truly hoped Wei could survive—more strong human dynasties meant better protection for the race. In the vast Eternal World, even meeting another human empire was rare. A strong ally was more precious than a powerful cultivator.
"This is the best solution," Cao said decisively. "Emperor Yi, I entrust these hundreds of millions of people to you."
"Very well," Yi Tianxing nodded. "Then I'll bear this responsibility."
He couldn't refuse. The Great Yi needed population more than anything—people were the cornerstone of expansion. With nearly one billion citizens remaining in Great Wei, the offer was irresistible.
Even he could not turn it down.
"Good. We must begin immediately. The sooner, the better. I fear we'll run out of time," Cao said seriously, with a trace of gratitude in his eyes.
Without Yi Tianxing, the people would've been doomed. Once Wei fell, no one could predict their fate—how many might survive? It was uncertain. But definitely grim.
"How long until the tomb erupts?"
Yi Tianxing felt the urgency.
"Three days. Maybe sooner," Cao said gravely. "At most, we have three days. After that, it could erupt at any moment."
Three days—a very short time.
Even for cultivators, a nap might waste it.
"Three days... is enough."
Yi Tianxing nodded confidently.
With the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower and spatial gateways, relocating the population would be easy—as long as they were willing, three days was more than enough.
Cao Cao felt a wave of relief and let out a silent sigh.
"Fellow Daoist Yi, would you be willing to tell me more about your Great Yi Dynasty?"
Now that he'd made up his mind, Cao Cao felt much lighter and took the chance to ask.
Yi Tianxing didn't mind and began recounting the history and customs of the Great Yi. When Cao learned that it already had tens of billions of people, even he was astonished. As a ruler himself, he knew that population wasn't just strength—it also brought endless challenges.
Food, clothing, logistics—these weren't trivial concerns.
Without deep foundations, a dynasty could be crushed under the weight of its own people.
This made him appreciate how strong Great Yi must be—truly worthy of its title as the number one human dynasty.
And so, the two rulers dined and talked—discussing Weizhou, the state of the Great Yi, stories from the Vast Sea.
Gradually, through their conversation, their mutual understanding and respect deepened.