Immortal Travel of Longevity

Yu Hongdou blinked and asked, "Speaking of which, what was Sword Mountain like at its absolute peak?"

He was genuinely curious.

"What was it like..."

The Old Sword Cultivator took a sip of wine. "In the early years, there was a certain Immortal Mountain—one quite renowned in the Cultivation World at the time. They had a bit of a grudge against Sword Mountain and ended up detaining some of our disciples for no reason. On that occasion, nearly a thousand Sword Cultivators rode their blades into the sky, led by over a dozen Sword Immortals. Wherever they passed, every other cultivator retreated to avoid our edge."

"If the patriarch of that mountain hadn't swallowed his pride and groveled, that Immortal Mountain would likely have ceased to exist."

"That overbearing?!" Yu Hongdou exclaimed in astonishment.

The Old Sword Cultivator chuckled. "Among Sword Cultivators, how many aren't overbearing?"

Yu Hongdou blinked. He looked down at the Sword in his hand, unable to sense anything overbearing about himself at all.

The Old Sword Cultivator patted his head. "You're a cautious little fellow, and small in stature too. Just learning a cautious little Sword art is enough. Don't learn to fight and kill like us, there's no point to it."

"Actually, if you really get down to it, those calm and genial Sword Immortals are the most terrifying. They never spout harsh words—they just sever you with a single strike of the Sword."

"Is that so..."

Yu Hongdou couldn't help but ponder this.

The Old Sword Cultivator looked at him and burst into loud laughter.

In his eyes, it would take a very long time of Cultivation for Yu Hongdou to reach that level. His comprehension of the Sword wasn't actually that high; he was simply hardworking.

But as the saying went, hard work makes up for a lack of talent.

Yu Hongdou asked, "Then how do we plan to snatch qi destiny this time?"

"We just wait and pick it up!"

"Pick it up?"

"Yeah."

The Old Sword Cultivator nodded. "Getting involved too deeply isn't good. It's better to just gather the scraps around the edges. Sword Mountain's true qi destiny still relies on you juniors to hold it up. As for us..."

He shook his head. "We're old!"

Sword Cultivators never lived as long as Qi Refining cultivators. They traded lifespan for lethal power—a calculated balance of gain and loss. They were keenly aware of their own constant aging.

And the Old Sword Cultivator now felt his strength failing to match his will more than ever.

All hope had already been pinned on these juniors.

He only hoped that in the future, Sword Mountain wouldn't vanish from this world entirely.

...

The Mortal World was already vastly different from before.

There were more and more cultivators in the world. However, the imperial power, possessing only martial strength, could not control them. Cultivators threw their weight around the nation unchecked, sounding a warning bell for the Human Sovereign.

A century ago, the chaos of Hongyuan Tianxia had allowed the Daoist Gate to stand alone and unchallenged in this realm. Left with no other choice, The Late Emperor had propped up the banner of the Buddhist Schools to serve as a counterbalance.

Yet, the conflict between the two teachings continuously bred chaos.

At a loss for a solution, the Literary Dao was subsequently uplifted.

Sensing the profundity of the Literary Dao, the Human Sovereign established temples of literature and academies, further promoting the Literary Dao.

The Three Teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism coexisted in the Mortal World. First, they managed the cultivators of the world; second, they held one another in check, ultimately restoring a measure of peace to the realm.

The rise of the three teachings also birthed a desire to seek the Dao and pursue immortality among the people of this world. After all, who wouldn't want to become a high and mighty cultivator?

And this, in turn, sparked a scheming rush among the three teachings to carve up qi destiny.

Watching these many changes across the three teachings, Xuanji felt that the Mortal World had altered drastically.

She still preferred the old world of martial artists. There hadn't been so many convoluted rules; whoever won the fight had the final say. The current landscape, however, was entirely built on underhanded tricks.

The three teachings slandered one another, ruined each other's reputations, shouted insults in public, and tripped each other up in the shadows. Such things were a common sight.

Although it was quite amusing, Xuanji still preferred watching physical fights.

Sitting on the City Wall, she finished the winter melon in her hands and casually tossed the rind down.

"Sigh..."

Xuanji sighed softly, wondering if she should go find some fun of her own.

Thinking it over, a certain someone came to mind.

Yu Youyu.

Hearing Xuanji's complaints, Yu Youyu realized the girl was just bored out of her mind and looking for something to do.

"Perfect timing. The three teachings are fighting fiercely right now, leaving the Mortal World in a state of unrest. If you have nothing better to do, go discipline them."

"Huh?"

Xuanji said, "Me? Discipline the three teachings?"

Yu Youyu asked, "Afraid?"

Xuanji thought about it for a moment. "It sounds pretty fun."

Yu Youyu smiled helplessly. This girl hadn't changed one bit.

Xuanji asked, "Speaking of which, have you seen Sister Nianyi these past few years?"

Yu Youyu shook her head. "She hasn't come to my place much. I don't know where she went either."

"I haven't seen her in years myself."

Xuanji propped her chin on her hand. "Do you think she went out to play?"

Yu Youyu shook her head. "She doesn't like going out. She should still be in the Mortal World, I just don't know where."

"Is that so..."

...

Within the Imperial Palace.

A woman in Daoist robes stood inside the Imperial Observatory, striking a Bell that rang out with a clear chime.

Behind her stood another female cultivator in Daoist robes. It was the former Director of the Imperial Observatory, Wang Yingying.

And the woman in the center was the Minister of Revenue from several centuries ago, Tong Nianyi.

She had already been staying here for a full sixty-year cycle.

Wang Yingying looked at her and asked, "You seem much more lucid lately."

Tong Nianyi's gaze turned to her. "In recent destinies, a major event is about to occur."

"A major event?"

"Mhm."

Tong Nianyi turned around and looked at Wang Yingying. "There is a shift hidden in the Ziwei Star within the recent astrological phenomena. If you look closely, you can detect it."

Wang Yingying stepped up to the viewing terrace and raised her eyes toward the Ziwei Star.

She looked carefully, and her expression abruptly changed.

She raised a hand to perform a quick divination, and a sudden shudder ran through her heart.

"The Human Sovereign is in the prime of his life. How can there be signs of the throne changing hands?"

Tong Nianyi replied, "A palace coup."

Wang Yingying turned back, asking in disbelief, "Who?"

"Neither an imperial son nor The Prince."

Tong Nianyi had clearly seen the origin of this upheaval.

Wang Yingying turned her head back and frowned. "A rebellion?"

"Not that either."

Tong Nianyi said, "This upheaval originates within the Imperial Harem."

"The Imperial Harem?!"

Wang Yingying froze for a moment. "Are you saying... an imperial consort..."

"Correct."

Tong Nianyi said, "I have already met that person. Her talents are extraordinary, and she deeply understands the Dao of checks and balances. Though she is a woman, she possesses the bearing of an emperor and can bring great prosperity to the nation's destiny."

Hearing this, Wang Yingying fell into deep thought. Her brows furrowed several times. After a brief moment of pondering, she felt that something was amiss.

She looked at Tong Nianyi, feeling that this matter was likely inextricably linked to her.

"You want to make a woman the emperor?"

"Such is Heaven's Will."

"Heaven's Will?"

Wang Yingying felt this was a joke. Ever since qi destiny had been unified, she hadn't paid much attention to this so-called Heaven's Will.

Even if Tong Nianyi flatly denied it, Wang Yingying still firmly believed this matter was connected to her!

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