Chapter 395 - 373: The Tumult of 700 Years

The Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty was established seven hundred thirty-six years ago!

Every Immortal serving the court today could write a magnificent epic of their own.

Seven hundred thirty-six years might seem a mere moment in the vast river of time, but to the mortal world, where generations pass in a matter of decades, it is an eternity. After such a long time, what kind of reign could possibly stay forever new, forever vibrant?

Song Ciwan stood on the bamboo raft, hands clasped behind her back as she faced the wind. The Big White Goose leaned against her, one moment rubbing its head against her leg, the next extending a wing to dip into the river.

The Big White Goose couldn’t understand the deep meanings hidden within Song Ciwan and Yin Xunyi’s conversation, nor did it have any inclination to worry about the state of the world. It had its own joys, and they were precious in their own right.

Yin Xunyi said meaningfully, "Daoist Song, are you aware? Nine is the ultimate number..."

’Yes, nine is the ultimate number.’

That was why, since the founding of Great Zhou, no emperor had ever reigned for more than ninety-nine years.

For one reason or another, they would either die suddenly just as their reign was about to surpass the ninety-nine-year mark, or they would abdicate of their own accord...

Of course, some emperors didn’t even reach the ninety-nine-year mark, but that goes without saying.

Yin Xunyi listed a few examples. "Gaozong was a hero of his generation, his spirit vast enough to swallow mountains and rivers. He founded the Immortal Dynasty! Yet, after ninety-nine years on the throne, he suddenly left behind an imperial edict one day, ascended the Wenxing Platform, and passed away in meditation under the starlight.

"Emperor Gaozu was a Martial Saint, his Martial Arts unparalleled in the world. During his reign, he personally invaded the Supreme Profound Heaven of the Demon Race on multiple occasions, slaughtering Ancient Demons as if they were mere chickens. With him on the throne, the Nine Celestial Demon Countries cowered in submission, and the Four Great Border Passes were unshakable.

"However, this revered Martial Saint, for reasons unknown, fell in love with a Demon Immortal in his prime. In the end, during the ninety-ninth year of his reign, Emperor Gaozu and the Demon Immortal ascended Celestial Demon Mountain hand in hand and perished together on its peak!

"Emperor Chengzu was both a father to his people and a Great Scholar. During his reign, he compiled numerous agricultural texts and enacted many laws, allowing the grace of the Immortal Dynasty to reach the common folk. From top to bottom, the nation prospered. Yet, after his ninety-ninth year on the throne, he suddenly experienced a great enlightenment one day in Weiyang Hall.

"On that day, Emperor Chengzu abandoned his scholarly ways for Buddhism and became a monk. The throne passed to the reigning Crown Prince, who then took his place."

Unhurriedly, he recounted the tales of three emperors in concise language.

Though he had described each emperor in just a few sentences, an ineffable sense of legend emerged from his words. To hear them was to feel the vast, soul-stirring sweep of history.

Song Ciwan couldn’t help but press, "And the current Emperor?"

Yin Xunyi held his wine cup in his left hand, his right hand tapping gently on the bamboo raft.

An invisible ripple spread out in all directions. Song Ciwan could feel it. ’It must be some kind of warding technique.’

Some things could be said openly, but others could not.

You might think no one is around, but in a world brimming with the mythical, you don’t need people. Fish and insects, birds and beasts, trees and seeds—or even the wind, the water, the daylight, the very air—could all be listening.

Ordinarily, none of it would stir.

Mountains are mountains, water is water, wind is wind, clouds are clouds...

But the moment certain sensitive words were spoken, powerful, unseen beings would take notice. Then the mountains and rivers, the wind and clouds—everything—could transform.

These were just the transformations Song Ciwan could imagine. There were countless others she couldn’t even conceive of, things utterly beyond her comprehension.

Take the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, for example. How exactly does it gather information on the various Celestial Prides?

It wasn’t just Song Ciwan who couldn’t find an answer. In all the years since the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty was founded, even the True Immortal Martial Saints who had come and gone had failed to find one.

Yin Xunyi tapped the raft, his gaze distant as he looked to the sky. "The current Emperor... he is the very same Crown Prince who took the throne after Emperor Chengzu became a monk! He has reigned for one hundred and thirty-three years, safe and sound. In fact, His Majesty’s Cultivation grows more profound by the day. His divine might is boundless, and he only seems to grow more vigorous and diligent. I’ve heard he has been at the Celestial Immortal Realm for many years and is on the verge of breaking through to become a True Immortal.

"If His Majesty breaks through to the True Immortal Realm, and a True Immortal leads the Dynasty, our Great Zhou might finally become a true Immortal Dynasty!"

His words were rather strange. Song Ciwan asked, perplexed, "Daoist Yin, what do you mean? Don’t tell me the Immortal Dynasty hasn’t been a *true* Immortal Dynasty all this time?"

Yin Xunyi chuckled. "When Emperor Gaozong founded Great Zhou, although he named it the Immortal Dynasty and was himself Cultivating Immortality, he never reached the True Immortal Realm. He only ever made it to the Celestial Immortal Realm."

’The Celestial Immortal Realm grants a lifespan of at least three thousand years. While not true immortality, it’s a long life. Yet Gaozong only lived for ninety-nine years after taking the throne.’

Song Ciwan didn’t know how old he had been before his ascension, but folk legends suggested he wasn’t particularly old.

While news about the Great Zhou Imperial Family rarely circulated among the common folk, this was mainly true for the current generation. The exploits of the founding emperor, however, were still the stuff of popular legend.

Gaozong rose from obscurity, having cultivated on Kunlun Mountain in his youth. When he descended, he was dashing and impossibly handsome, attracting a following of countless beauties—

Such tales are still the bread and butter of storytellers today.

No matter how much of it was false, the common folk loved to hear it.

Of course, the point right now wasn’t how long Gaozong had lived, but rather...

Song Ciwan asked in astonishment, "Gaozong never became a True Immortal? Then how did he pacify the Nine Provinces?"

The common folk loved the stories of Gaozong and his many beautiful companions, but they also loved the tales of how he swept across the world, drove out the demons to reclaim the land, saved a crumbling nation from the brink of collapse, and rescued the people from disaster.

In a mythical world, overwhelming personal power is the ultimate standard. No matter how brilliant your strategies, without transcendent, world-class combat strength, how could anyone establish the very first unified Human Dao Dynasty in the Nine Provinces World during such chaotic times?

Yin Xunyi explained, "Before Emperor Gaozong established his dynasty, he had the protection of a True Immortal. Afterward, with the hearts of the Nine Provinces won, he was blessed with the fortune of the Human Emperor. Within the Nine Provinces Universe, the Emperor’s every word was law, his edicts the will of the Celestial Dao itself. Wielding the power of the Nine Provinces, he stood fearless before legions of demons!"

Wielding the power of the Nine Provinces and standing fearless before legions of demons!

With just a few words, Yin Xunyi had revealed a glimpse of that magnificent, turbulent era.

Seven hundred years had passed. Its heroes had been washed away by the tides of time, leaving behind only echoing legends and endless mysteries.

His cup was empty. Song Ciwan tapped her Wine God Gourd lightly, and it floated into the air to pour him another drink.

Yin Xunyi took a drink, his expression half-drunken. He chuckled. "The Immortal Dynasty has True Immortals, yes, but an Emperor in the True Immortal Realm? There has never been one. Never!"

’An Emperor in the True Immortal Realm has never existed. An Emperor who reigned for more than ninety-nine years, surpassing the ultimate number of nine-nines... there has only ever been one. The current one. He is the first. He is the only one!’

A mournful wind began to blow, and the water’s surface started to churn.

Song Ciwan poured herself another cup of wine.