Beiyang Dao had no Golden Core cultivators, but the Li family's ancestor was a genuine late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Against early-stage Foundation Establishment combat power, it could almost be said to be effortless.
Chen Sanshi had to leave Daze Market as soon as possible. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Roar—"
The puppet tiger howled and lunged forward.
Changsun Miao flipped his right hand. A jade seal abruptly appeared in his palm, its surface engraved with several crimson flood dragons. Under the augmentation of his spellcasting, the carvings transformed from lifeless objects into living forms, spewing ghostly green flames forward.
In an instant, the puppet was swallowed within.
Within those eerie flames were densely packed yin spirits and wandering ghosts, their faces ferocious as they pounced and began frenzied biting and tearing.
The power of this strange fire was at least second-tier.
Anyone knowledgeable could recognize that this seal was the Yanluo Seal, forged as an imitation of the magic treasure Netherworld Seal. Its flames contained peculiar poison, sinister and chilling, no weaker than any second-tier fire lineage.
Even within the Foundation Establishment realm, it ranked among notable treasures.
How could a mere first-tier puppet tiger withstand it? It did not last even a single breath before collapsing with a crack and turning into ashes.
The Yanluo Nether Fire broke through the obstruction and, carrying a mass of yin soldiers, continued surging forward. Wherever it passed, the bamboo grove was reduced to scorched earth.
Heavenly River Sword Technique, Nine-Foot Galaxy!
The Xuan Yuan Sword in Chen Sanshi's hand slashed downward, as if tearing open a rift in the sky itself, causing the Milky Way to pour down and flood the earth.
"Hiss—"
When the nether fire collided with Water-Element True Force, the latter was instead devoured and refined, unable to gain any advantage and quickly nearing exhaustion.
One after another, indistinct yin spirits bared their fangs and claws, attacking without fear of sharpness, clinging tightly to the blade of the Xuan Yuan Sword, gnawing and tearing.
Even before his arms touched the flames, Chen Sanshi felt a dull ache in his bones. He roared and unleashed 100% of his True Force, barely breaking free from the nether fire. He immediately affixed several talismans to himself, his speed suddenly increasing by a significant margin as he left the bounds of Little Bamboo Peak.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Changsun Miao's eyes widened in fury as he pursued on a magic artifact without pause.
"Old dog, taste this!"
Chen Sanshi crushed a seized talisman. Behind him, a sky-obscuring green poisonous mist surged forth.
"Hm?!"
Changsun Miao frowned, forming hand seals to summon a golden light barrier before him, effortlessly blocking the oncoming poison fog.
But the poison fog was only a feint. Hidden in the shadows, Chen Sanshi brought out the Purple Thunder Bow. Using Golden-Scaled Flying Blades as arrows, he drew the bowstring into a full moon and released 4 arrows simultaneously!
"Boom—"
The second-tier one-time magic artifacts tore through the void and the poison fog together, transforming into roaring divine beasts.
The White Tiger led, killing intent overwhelming!
The Azure Dragon followed, its divine might unstoppable!
The Vermilion Bird descended head-on, flames burning the heavens!
The Black Tortoise arrived, majestic and suppressive!
"Golden-Scaled Flying Blades?!"
Changsun Miao's eyes flashed with apprehension.
Among all offensive magic artifacts, one-time-use artifacts were often the most troublesome. Because durability did not need to be considered, their power could be pushed to the extreme. No one was willing to take them head-on.
He intended to dodge first, shifting position several times in succession. Yet he soon realized he could not shake them off. Moreover, these Golden-Scaled Flying Blades carried surging True Force, pushing their might close to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Boom—"
Changsun Miao controlled the Yanluo Seal, burning away 2 flying blades with nether fire. But 2 others arrived before him unstoppable.
"Bang!"
The Vermilion Bird slammed into the golden light barrier, shattering it into pieces.
Changsun Miao hurriedly sacrificed a pitch-black shield. Under the immense impact, he was forced back over 100 zhang through the air. When he looked up again, the poison fog had dissipated, but Xiao Feng had already escaped several hundred zhang. He was only a hair's breadth from breaking through the encirclement and leaving this place!
"Fellow Daoist over there!"
Changsun Miao shouted toward the only nearby figure who had been watching from a distance. "Xiao Feng is a demonic cultivator infiltrated into Beiyang Dao! Quickly intercept him! Daze Market will surely reward you handsomely!"
"Buzz—"
Chen Sanshi's True Force surged. The Xuan Yuan Sword hummed like a dragon. His eyes were blood-red as he stared at the figure ahead, killing intent surging to the heavens.
"Zinan! You're going to stop me?!!"
With such a massive commotion, aside from Qu Lingchuan, who was on patrol outside, the others on Little Bamboo Peak had naturally come out to investigate.
"Damn it, are you insane?!"
Deng Wuchang only took one glance before grabbing his blade and sprinting away.
Zinan, somewhat startled, watched as Chen Sanshi drew closer. In the end, she lightly tapped her foot and drifted gracefully aside, yielding the path.
With no further obstruction, Chen Sanshi exerted full Aerial Control, escaping Daze Market just before more Foundation Establishment cultivators could arrive. He headed straight toward the depths of Heavenly Water Isle.
"Fellow Daoist!"
Changsun Miao said, somewhat exasperated, "Why didn't you help intercept him? You just let him leave like that!"
"I am merely a resident of Little Bamboo Peak, not a deacon of Daze Market. I have no obligation to take part in combat for the market," Zinan replied calmly. "Besides, that Xiao Feng was clearly a middle-stage True Force martial artist. Even if I acted, I might not have been his match."
Changsun Miao found no fault in her reasoning and could only let it go.
More and more people gathered at Little Bamboo Peak. The entire Daze Market descended into chaos.
An elderly man with white hair and beard stepped through the air. Seeing Li Shun'an's corpse, he closed his eyes heavily, restraining the fury in his heart.
"Ancestor!"
"That thief killed the Fifth Master and snatched a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"And now—"
"He's fled toward the Heavenly Water Hongfu Dao direction!"
"Search!"
The Li family's ancestor's voice thundered like a clap of thunder.
Daze Market gained yet another wanted notice.
Demonic cultivator Xiao Feng, killing and seizing the pill—Beiyang Dao.
A frail old independent cultivator, half-bald and leaning on a cane, walked along the desolate official road. From time to time, members of the Demon Suppression Division hurried past him.
"Old thing, get out of the way!"
"Sigh…"
Chen Sanshi trembled forward step by step, sighing inwardly. He had originally planned to rely on the second-tier spiritual vein within Daze Market to quickly raise his immortal cultivation realm to Qi Refining perfection.
The sudden upheaval had disrupted his original plan.
The identity of Xiao Feng had now become that of a wanted criminal!
Fortunately, the Foundation Establishment Pill had come into his hands with ease. Next, he could remain in seclusion until reaching Foundation Establishment without further interference.
Chen Sanshi recalled the recent events.
All factions displayed extreme eagerness for the treasure within the Bai family's Medicine Valley, yet at the same time exercised extreme restraint, as if afraid to escalate matters.
He estimated that if things continued this way, Beiyang Dao would inevitably face a great upheaval within the next 2 or 3 years.
The Bai family relied entirely on their ancestor Bai Xifeng to hold them up, yet that ancestor was like a candle in the wind. Once he fell, Dusk Valley would likely face total annihilation.
Chen Sanshi's future martial resources would then become a troublesome matter.
But if it truly was some supreme treasure, forcing his way into the struggle with his current strength would not only yield no benefit, but would likely bring fatal disaster.
He would observe for now.
If it truly came to that—
After seclusion, he could simply change locations!
There were plenty of markets on Heavenly Water Isle. Martial families were not limited to the Bai family. Even if he truly could not find one, he could go seek refuge with the Qingxu Sect, at worst wasting some time.
In truth…
Chen Sanshi owed the Bai family a favor. If they were willing, they could bring the so-called treasure and take refuge in his territory to lie low.
The Bai family should be aware of this as well.
But perhaps out of suspicion, or for some other reason, they had never contacted him through old Mo Zhu.
He could not take the initiative to speak either, lest it appear he coveted the treasure.
Forget it. He would talk about it after Foundation Establishment!
Having made up his mind, he quickened his pace toward The Edge of the World. Along the way, he altered his appearance several times. After confirming that no one had noticed him, he used a jade token to teleport out of Heavenly Water Isle and return to Eastern Divine Continent.
By then, it was already August of the 7th year of the Tianwu Era.
In the past half year, the court had received many impeachment letters from lower-ranking officials. High-ranking officials in numerous prefectures were deeply corrupt, leading to widespread public resentment.
Unlike in the mortal world, in the past, when such matters occurred, the long distances meant that even a round trip by carriage could take several months or even half a year. The court could only dispatch imperial inspectors to investigate, and along the way various complications were unavoidable.
But as Chen Sanshi looked at the mountain of impeachment memorials, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, he ultimately steeled his heart and set aside 2 months to conduct incognito inspections.
In just a few short years, the Great Han court had bred a new interest group, which greatly angered him—especially along the Tongtian River basin.
Some officials had embezzled construction funds, causing river embankments to collapse. Floodwaters destroyed several prefectures, submerging the farmland of hundreds of thousands of commoners.
In the end, the Tongtian River case alone implicated more than 2,000 officials. Heads rolled in torrents, and blood flowed like rivers.
Although corrupt officials were difficult to eradicate completely, under the Great Han's policy of "light taxes and reduced levies," the overall situation was still improving.
After nearly 10 years of accumulation, the national treasury had grown increasingly abundant. In about 2 more years, it would be possible to begin absorbing the 3 neighboring states and thoroughly unify the Central Plains.
After handling the major cases across the regions, Chen Sanshi returned to the capital. He then received a report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard that His Highness the Prince of Yu had killed someone.
At first, he thought his rebellious son had caused great trouble. After careful questioning, he learned that it was the roaring Golden Beast that had killed several corrupt officials.
The reason turned out to be that wealthy households in a local county had colluded with the county magistrate. Taking advantage of the neglected maintenance of the Tongtian River, they deliberately breached the embankment during torrential rain, artificially creating a flood to submerge large swathes of farmland. Then, when surplus grain ran out the following year and famine struck the villagers, they seized the opportunity to buy up good farmland at dirt-cheap prices.
Chen Duhe was among those implicated. Having farmed for several years and deeply understanding the hardship, he had finally saved up some family wealth, only to see it nearly stolen through deceit. He flew into a rage on the spot.
This time, he truly understood what it meant to "bully the weak with strength."
Chen Sanshi's objective had been achieved.
When he had sent his rebellious son to the countryside, it was not to "raise him in poverty," but simply to cultivate empathy. This could only be achieved through firsthand experience.
Otherwise, in the future, he might truly utter something like, "Why not eat minced meat?"
Moreover, in assisting with governance in the future, only someone who had risen from the grassroots would understand the hidden twists and turns, and would not be easily deceived by officials.
For 2 consecutive years, Chen Sanshi did not leave Chang'an by even a single step. He remained quietly in seclusion within the Boundless Hall of Tianyong City, cultivating. His immortal cultivation realm finally reached the threshold of breakthrough.
Sitting cross-legged, his upper-grade spiritual root almost greedily absorbed the spiritual qi within Tianyong City. After circulating through a full cycle, it was refined into mana and integrated into his dantian, condensing the final wisp of mist.
Technique: Swallowing Fire Art · Qi Refining Ninth Layer
Progress: 0 (Foundation Establishment available)
Effect: Flame Incantation: Control ownerless flames.
It had evolved from fire techniques into Flame Incantation. The difference lay in that previously, he could only manipulate ordinary flames and add mana into them. Now, as his realm advanced, he could control flames of varying strengths accordingly.
After Qi Refining Ninth Layer, one could begin preparing for Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment, as the name implied, was the foundation of the Dao. Only with a stable foundation could one's Dao techniques reach the heavens in the future. Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a castle built in the air.
In ancient times, it was said that Foundation Establishment did not require a Foundation Establishment Pill. However, a great war between the righteous and demonic paths had destroyed numerous ancestral veins, altering the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth.
After that, Foundation Establishment became extremely difficult, requiring heavenly treasures or medicinal pills to succeed.
Moreover, there is only one opportunity for Foundation Establishment. One may consume multiple Foundation Establishment Pills at once to increase the probability of success, but it cannot be interrupted. Once interrupted, the foundation is severed, and there will never again be a chance to establish the foundation in this lifetime.
However, the Foundation Establishment Pill has another function—it raises the upper limit of Qi Refining.
Ordinary cultivators can at most reach around 16 layers, but if one has consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill, it is said there is no upper limit, and one may continue cultivating indefinitely.
Of course, mana in the Qi Refining realm cannot undergo a qualitative transformation. No matter how much it is stacked—100 layers, 200 layers—even then, against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would still be utterly insignificant.
"Hu—"
Chen Sanshi adjusted his breathing and silently recited the Calming Heart Incantation several times. For several consecutive days, he did nothing at all, even temporarily handing government affairs over to the Cabinet.
Before Foundation Establishment, both body and state of mind had to be adjusted to their peak condition.
Because there was only one chance. Once missed, Foundation Establishment would never again be possible.
Yet after sitting in dry meditation for 2 straight months, Chen Sanshi still failed to find the method. He did not dare rashly swallow the Foundation Establishment Pill. He knew that if he continued like this, he would grow increasingly restless. Thus, he had no choice but to temporarily halt his seclusion and pause to change his line of thought.
"I'll go take a look at Tianyong City."
Chen Sanshi left the Boundless Hall.
October of the 9th year of the Tianwu Era.
After several years of development, Tianyong City had begun to take shape.
There were more than 800 Qi Refining cultivators. Among them had emerged a Heavenly-grade Metal spiritual root named Zhou Weizhen. Relying on Tianyong City's limited supply of pills, he had reached Qi Refining Fifth Layer within these few years and was considered outstanding among the younger generation. He was highly driven—overly so—and nearly every audience he sought resulted in him requesting medicinal pills.
There were also 5 or 6 cultivators with upper-grade spiritual roots, each with cultivation around Qi Refining Fourth Layer. If sufficient resources were provided, all of them had the potential to become Golden Core seedlings.
His disciple Su Can, Martial Saint.
Yu Ji, Qi Refining Third Layer.
Yu Lie, Profound Manifestation perfection.
Sima Chi and Sima Lan were still at the early stage of the True Force Realm.
Qi Cheng, disciple of Xu Wencai, was one of the upper-grade spiritual roots and now also at Qi Refining Fourth Layer, though lacking resources.
As for the older generation, their situation remained largely the same.
After consuming the Mirror God Fruit, Wang Zhi and Rong Yanqiu had both become early-stage True Force martial artists. The remaining senior brothers and sisters had been stuck at the Martial Saint realm for years. Without heavenly treasures, they could not advance further.
Wei Xuan and Song Guizhi were on the verge of middle-stage True Force, but from the current outlook, it was almost impossible for them to progress further.
It was not merely a matter of resources—their lifespans were also nearing their end.
Worth mentioning was that Sun Buqi had long since reached Martial Saint and was likewise waiting for heavenly treasures to awaken his Mirror God state.
Zhang Shuntian possessed excellent innate talent, being a Heavenly-grade Water spiritual root, and had already reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
There were also Ningxiang and Zhao Zhao.
Both had excellent aptitude and had consistently held the highest realm among all magic cultivators. Moreover, Chen Sanshi allocated resources preferentially to the more outstanding individuals.
Thus, Zhao Zhao and Ningxiang had both reached the late stage of Qi Refining. Given a few more years, they would likely be able to attempt Foundation Establishment as well.
As for the old brothers from Poyang, only Wang Li had, to everyone's surprise, broken through to the Martial Saint realm and might have the hope of going further in the future.
The vast majority of the others had their upper limits fixed. No matter how many resources were piled onto them, at best they could barely reach Profound Manifestation perfection. They had no hope of reaching Martial Saint in this lifetime, much less beyond Martial Saint.
On the contrary, some of their descendants possessed fairly good talent.
For example, Xu Bin's daughter, Zhao Kang's second son, Zhu Quan's daughter, and Xiong Qiu'an's nephew, among others—
The Great Han had been established for 10 years!
Chen Sanshi suddenly awakened to what that meant. It meant that Zhao Kang and the others had moved from the prime of youth into middle age. It meant that the old scholar Xu Wencai had stepped into his 60s, his temples streaked with white. It meant that their descendants had grown to adulthood and were about to step onto the stage—
Time was flowing.
Ever since ascending the throne, Chen Sanshi had grown busier. After cultivating the immortal path, he practiced the martial path. After comprehending spells, he refined alchemy, talismans, formations, and puppets. He had not paused even for a moment.
So much so that 10 years had passed without him noticing, until he personally saw the traces of age upon the faces of those he knew well. Only then did he finally understand what the immortal path truly was.
The immortal path.
It was the mortal world flowing like the great river surging eastward, time shifting like the turning of the stars. Everything the eye could behold would ultimately turn to nothingness. Only cultivators who pursued longevity could stand through spring and autumn, stretch across the ages, and remain undying.
But…
What was the meaning?
Chen Sanshi looked toward Qinghua Palace, thought of Lan jie'er's face, thought of Sun Li's figure, and knew that one day they too might leave him.
From the very beginning, he had never been a resolute seeker of the Dao. He had practiced martial arts to survive, so that he and his family could live safely and peacefully.
Reaching this point today had been shaped entirely by the tides of fate.
Cultivating the immortal path, in truth, was not primarily for lifespan, but to increase strength, thereby gaining the ability to protect oneself.
But if everyone around him were to turn into mere yellow earth, then what meaning would longevity hold for him?
An empire lasting for thousands of generations?
The times always progressed. No one could last for thousands of generations.
When Chen Sanshi ascended to the throne, his original intention had simply been to let everyone live a little better than before—nothing more.
Could it be that only someone like Emperor Longqing of the previous dynasty—ambitious and unwavering in the pursuit of immortality—was a true seeker of the Dao?
He abruptly halted his thoughts, unwilling to delve further, fearing that an unsettled state of mind would negatively affect his Foundation Establishment.
Chen Sanshi silently left the Dao field, not disturbing the "Heavenly Soldiers" who were cultivating, and instead came to Langfeng Peak.
Langfeng Peak was one of the mountains behind Chang'an, now used for raising spirit beasts.
Several years earlier, the "Heavenly Horses" he had captured from Red Ridge Mountain had already begun to take shape in scale.
Spirit beasts such as Shuhu and Lushu reached adulthood after about 7 months of rearing and could begin reproducing.
After several years, their numbers had grown to several hundred.
Of course, they were merely adults; their cultivation was still only at the early stage of the first rank—low-level spirit beasts. However, relying solely on their physical bodies, they were far beyond what ordinary warhorses could compare to.
These Shuhu and Lushu had all been extremely violent at first, completely impossible to tame. In the end, only Princess Taiping, Chen Yunxi, was able to handle them.
Fortunately, the task was entrusted to her. Over the past 2 years, she had already begun training cavalry battle formations. Their combat strength was enough to completely crush any mortal army.
Speaking of his two daughters—
Chen Yunxi was now 16 years old, in the prime of youth, at Qi Refining Third Layer.
Xu Yuhuan had changed her name to Xu Yunhuan. She too had reached her early teens and had just begun cultivating a Wood-element technique not long ago. She was at Qi Refining First Layer.
"Your Majesty!"
Qi Cheng, disciple of Wolong, appeared at his side. "Sir, along with the Cabinet ministers, wishes to seek an audience with Your Majesty."
"Old Xu?"
Chen Sanshi said calmly, "Have them wait at Zhongjue Hall. I will be there shortly. Oh, and grant your teacher a seat—he need not stand."
Zhongjue Hall.
The key Cabinet ministers were gathered there.
Xu Wencai, already in his 60s, was still dressed in feather fan and scholar's headscarf. Yet in his speech and bearing, the slick glibness of his youth was long gone. What remained was composure, depth, and the bearing of a statesman.
"My loyal ministers."
Clad in dragon robes, Chen Sanshi strode into the hall. After taking his seat upon the dragon throne, he asked directly, "What matter do you wish to discuss with me?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty."
Xu Wencai rose and spoke unhurriedly, "Over these past 2 years, we have been preparing for the unification of the realm. According to Your Majesty's instruction, we have avoided the use of arms whenever possible.
"Thus, 6 months ago, this old minister and General Wei Xuan led troops to apply pressure at the border. Only 10 days ago did they finally agree to compromise.
"Eastern Qing and Southern Xu are both willing to renounce the title of Emperor and take the title of King, existing as vassal states under our Great Han.
"If things proceed in this manner, within 1 or 2 years we will be able to bring both states under control. Then, according to the original plan, we may gradually reduce their feudal authority and fully incorporate them into the territory of Great Han."
"Excellent."
Chen Sanshi nodded approvingly. "Old Xu, proceed with this matter as you see fit. As for troop deployments, there is no need to request my approval every time."
"Your Majesty!"
Xu Wencai paused. "This minister wishes to entrust these matters to my student, Xiao Chengzi. He has performed well in court over the years, but he has yet to experience major affairs. He still requires tempering."
Just then, an autumn wind swept into the hall. The old scholar's robes fluttered, his white beard swaying, an air of twilight upon him.
Chen Sanshi understood—this was the formal grooming of the next generation.
He did not refuse. "Granted."
"Many thanks, Your Majesty."
Xu Wencai withdrew.
Sima Yao stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, there is a letter here from Yunding Palace, along with some urgent developments from Southern Xu. Please review them personally."
As he spoke, he handed the documents to a eunuch for presentation.
"Yunding Palace?"
Chen Sanshi accepted the letter. After reading its contents, his expression gradually turned grim and cold. He rose heavily to his feet. "Sima Yao, come with me to Nanling Town immediately!"
The two boarded a flying vessel and, after 10 days, arrived at the southern frontier.
North of The Edge of the World lay Nanling Town of Southern Xu.
Above the skies over Nanling Town was a horrifying crack—like a wound across the heavens themselves, as though the entire firmament were on the verge of collapse.
According to the warning and report from Yunding Palace's Shen Guiyi, it was said that various Golden Core sects had used ancient remnant treasures to pry open a fissure at the weakest point of the seal in the Eastern Divine Continent.
If left unchecked, it would not take many years for the entire world's seal to collapse!
In recent years, the ancestral vein of Hanshan had never ceased stirring, though the seal there remained relatively sturdy, and those on Heavenly Water Isle had achieved little success.
But near Nanling Town, there had once been a collapse long ago.
It was Chen Sanshi's master, Sun Xiangzong, who had repaired it using an ancient treasure. Now, evidently, the opposing side had found another opportunity.
"Your Majesty!"
Sima Yao cupped his fists. "The sects of Heavenly Water Isle have never abandoned their intent to destroy our Great Han!
"We must think of a solution. If this continues unchecked, the Divine Continent will be in peril—the realm itself will be in peril!"
Chen Sanshi gazed at the golden fissure in the sky. Within his deep pupils, a cold killing intent gradually rose—along with unwavering resolve.
Heavenly Water's intent to destroy us has never died!
If the Divine Continent were to lose its seal, and immortals were to pour in, the state would fall, and the common people would become slaves for planting spiritual grain!
At this moment, Chen Sanshi finally understood the meaning of his pursuit of longevity.
Even if the mortal world flowed endlessly and old companions passed away; even if a thousand years passed and all things changed; even if everything familiar turned to yellow earth—he must stand here and guard the Divine Continent!
Only thus could Chen Sanshi face the brothers who had fallen, face his senior brother Fang Qingyun who sacrificed himself to establish the nation's destiny, face his master's guidance, and face the aid of all under heaven!
All along the way, each time he marched to war, it had seemed to be his own achievement. But in truth, it was the mysterious qi transformed from the will of the people that was the true foundation!
How could Chen Sanshi allow this hard-won realm, this stability purchased through countless hardships, to be utterly destroyed by the cultivators of Heavenly Water Isle?!
If their intent to destroy us does not die, then there is only one path—to fight to the very end!
Whoever offends our mighty Han, though distant, shall be executed!
With Dao heart firm and spirit surging,
Chen Sanshi spoke not a word. Leaving Sima Yao behind, he soared alone through the air, returning to Tianyong City to prepare for Foundation Establishment!