Immortal Travel of Longevity

Time never spoke, yet beneath its gaze, all things were seen with perfect clarity.

Ever since the profound cultivators of the Cultivation World descended, the northern and southern domains of the Mortal World had fallen into a bitter stalemate, unable to advance or retreat.

The demons of Hongyuan Tianxia proved far more troublesome than Xiao Dongxu had anticipated.

The situation there was a tangled web. It was not just the native demons of the Mortal World; demons had crossed vast distances from the Cultivation World, all clamoring for a share of the spoils.

That was to say nothing of the demonic cultivators lurking in the shadows.

It was truly unbelievable that this small Mortal World now housed demons, ghosts, monsters, Immortals, and Buddhas from every corner of existence.

Now, they had split into two factions.

The paths of humanity, immortality, and Buddhism stood in the north.

The paths of devils, demons, and monsters entrenched themselves in the Southern Region.

'The qi destiny of the Human Dao will not be easily claimed...'

Xiao Dongxu pondered this, uncertain if anyone would willingly bow out. This man-made tribulation was a scheme designed long ago, yet its outcome had become a bewildering mystery.

Those two words—qi destiny—had ensnared the hearts of countless souls.

...

Yan Nantian traveled, heading south. Over the past few years, the Imperial Court had enacted numerous policies to accommodate refugees, constructing houses outside every city to form new villages for the commoners. Now, wandering refugees were a rare sight.

However, there would be no returning to the Southern Region anytime soon.

No one knew what that land had become. People gazed toward their distant homelands, memories of the past stirring up muttered laments they could not suppress.

"They say it's enough just to be alive, but stranded hundreds of li from home, who wouldn't miss it?"

Yan Nantian listened to the man beside him. He paused for a moment before asking, "What if you can never go back?"

"Never go back..."

The man had apparently never considered the possibility. He opened his mouth and finally said, "This old man firmly believes those demons will be driven out eventually. I just might not live to see it. They always say fallen leaves return to their roots after death, but... ah, never mind."

Yan Nantian listened to his words in heavy silence.

He did not know the old man; they had merely crossed paths on the road and shared a brief chat.

He asked, "What exactly do the Southern Parts look like now?"

The old man fell into his memories. "What do they look like?"

His thoughts drifted back to those terrifying scenes.

Demons tearing into fleeing refugees with open maws, the ground slick with blood, the walls painted red. Just remembering the thick stench of gore sent violent shudders through the old man.

He waved his hands frantically and shook his head, unable to speak another word.

It was an indescribable terror, a nightmare so profound he lacked the words to convey it.

Yan Nantian did not press him. He stood up and said, "Thank you, old man. I will go see for myself."

He stepped back onto the road. He was deeply curious about the rumors spreading through the world, and his mind kept returning to what the Imperial Astronomer had once said about the Southern Region.

He had to see it with his own eyes.

...

Far away in Chunhui, Tong Nianyi received two letters.

One was unsigned, though she knew exactly who had sent it.

The other was from the Minister's Residence.

She read the letter from Xie Huan. The words written upon it stirred her heart.

"Could His Majesty truly have made such a choice..."

Tong Nianyi sat in a daze, her thoughts drifting back to the words her mother had spoken long ago.

'If he steps onto the path of Cultivation with a wavering heart, he will inevitably bring ruin to the nation and the world.'

'But if his will remains steadfast and he comprehends the Great Dao, the day will eventually come when he casts aside his identity as the Human Sovereign.'

Tong Nianyi remained lost in thought. Though Xie Huan's letter was filled with earnest invitations for her to join him in Shangjing, it roused no desire in her heart. She set the envelope down and unsealed the second letter.

This one had come from Minister Tang's Residence. At a glance, the handwriting clearly did not belong to Tang Shijing.

But as Tong Nianyi read its contents, her heart lurched violently. For a terrified second, her vision went completely dark.

She stumbled, a sudden, frantic anxiety seizing her chest.

"Men! Saddle my horse!!"

Tong Nianyi refused to believe the words written in that letter.

The sudden, tragic news left her at a complete loss.

Teacher Tang had always treated her as his own daughter. Despite the years that had passed, he had never stopped checking on her, exchanging letters frequently. She never could have anticipated such a disaster.

Burning with impatience, Tong Nianyi hurriedly informed the steward.

"Tell my parents that I've gone to Shangjing City!"

She rode without rest, pushing her horse to a relentless gallop.

A journey from Chunhui Prefecture to Shangjing City usually took a full seven days, yet she arrived in a mere four.

When Tong Nianyi finally pulled up to the gates of the Tang Manor, she found the estate draped entirely in white silk. The sounds of weeping and funeral dirges drifted out from within.

Tong Nianyi swayed in a daze, nearly collapsing on the spot.

Tang Yuerong spotted her and rushed forward to catch her arm. "Nianyi."

Tang Yuerong's eyes were bloodshot. Gray now streaked her temples, and deep wrinkles lined her face.

Tears welled in Tong Nianyi's eyes. "Aunt Yuerong, is Teacher really..."

Tang Yuerong patted her back gently. "Nianyi, every life must come to an end. Don't cry, don't cry..."

Tang Shijing's passing had been terrifyingly abrupt. According to the servants, the master had been struck by a sudden, violent illness in the dead of night. Though the night watchman had discovered him promptly and summoned the imperial physicians, they could only shake their heads in defeat.

Struck down by sudden illness, he was gone in little more than two hours.

Tang Shijing was an old man, and his body was a shadow of its former strength. During his youth, he had fought alongside the army all the way from the Border Pass to Shangjing. The campaigns had inevitably left him with old injuries, and as the years piled on, those hidden ailments had become incurable.

Perhaps this end was something everyone should have anticipated long ago.

Tang Yuerong could no longer contain her grief; her tears fell like a bursting dam.

Upon entering the manor, Tong Nianyi donned the coarse white mourning garments, her sobs echoing endlessly.

"Teacher... your unfilial student... has come to see you..."

During the three days of mourning, officials of every rank from the Imperial Court poured into the Tang Manor to pay their respects.

Many wore expressions of sheer disbelief, unable to process the reality unfolding before their eyes.

"How could he leave so suddenly..."

Whether they had been bitter rivals clashing in the Imperial Court or close allies, every one of them felt a hollow void in their chests.

For the past several years, the Imperial Court had hardly wanted for silver taels.

That was entirely thanks to this Minister of Revenue.

Single-handedly, he had reformed the Ministry of Revenue, established the system of imperial merchants, and carved out brilliant new avenues of income. In just a few short years, he had recovered more tax silver for the court than they had managed to collect in a decade.

Whether funding the northern expedition against the Northern Desert, heading south for river management, or organizing the resettlement of refugees—in every matter, large or small, the state treasury had never fallen short. He had meticulously calculated every single copper coin.

Yet such a monumental figure had vanished in the blink of an eye.

It left everyone deeply shaken.

Following Tang Shijing's death, the Ministry of Revenue plunged into immediate chaos. The impossibly complex ledgers were a dizzying blur to anyone who tried to read them, and the sheer, crushing volume of the workload left the ministry officials staring in stunned despair.

"How on earth did the Minister calculate all of this by himself!"

The officials panicked, completely powerless to stop the collapse.

The crisis soon reached His Majesty's desk. Another official was promoted to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue, but the outcome only left the court reeling further. The first appointee resigned almost instantly. Three capable talents were appointed in rapid succession, and all three submitted their immediate resignations.

Not a single soul was capable of taking up the mantle.

Meanwhile, Shen Qiuyue, who was currently acting in place of the Human Sovereign, was in an absolute panic.

"What am I supposed to do about this? I don't know the first thing about running a country!"

Shen Qiuyue furiously scratched her head, painfully aware that she had just been handed an impossible mess.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!