Chapter 142: 115. Embarking on the Immortal Path, the Mortal World Becomes Hard to See Again (6K Large Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets)_3
Choosing to confess one’s crimes and accept death was vastly different from being beheaded by others.
In a split second, the commanders of the Army Seeking Revenge, clad in white, all perished.
Only their commander-in-chief, Li Xiaozu, remained.
He stared blankly at the blood-red sun, speechless.
CAW! CAW!
Several crows, drawn by the scent of blood, flew from afar. They landed on the city wall and began to feast on the flesh of the dead soldiers and commanders. Li Xiaozu’s corpse was among them.
...
In the first year of Tiande, in the ninth month, King Zhenbei Li Liang died. His heir, Crown Prince Li Xiaozu, led an army south to seek revenge, calling themselves the Army Seeking Revenge. They conquered five cities in a single day, sweeping away all opposition and striking terror into the hearts of the officials and commoners of Shenjing...
In the first year of Tiande, in early tenth month, Luzhou King Li Yong, Jiaozhou King Li Dan, and others captured Princess Anren of the former dynasty and presented her as a captive to the Imperial Court. The Emperor accepted her. Thereafter, the Army Seeking Revenge was wracked by internal strife, splitting into two factions.
In the first year of Tiande, in the late tenth month, Crown Prince Li Xiaozu led 50,000 soldiers of the Army Seeking Revenge, bypassing strongholds and cities, climbing mountains and crossing ranges, to descend upon Shenjing. He intended to launch a surprise attack on the capital and settle the world’s fate in one decisive battle. However, three days later, his army was defeated, and his head was nailed to the Shenjing City Wall as a warning to all rebels in the land.
In the second year of Tiande, in spring, the fourth month, the Imperial Court launched a northern expedition. Luzhou King Li Yong and Jiaozhou King Li Dan submitted letters of surrender, willingly submitting to the Imperial Dynasty. The Imperial Court, without a battle, assumed control of all soldiers and horses beyond the passes.
In the third year of Tiande, in autumn, Duke Dingguo Chang Ji received an imperial edict and led an army of 200,000 to attack Ascending Dragon Mansion. In the same year, the Emperor fell ill and secluded himself in the palace, refusing to see Court officials.
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"The legend of the Fengxi River tells that it was originally just an unnamed stream. Later, a Sky Phoenix perched beside it, occasionally drinking from its waters. After the Sky Phoenix departed, the Fengxi River, blessed by its presence, transformed into a roaring white river, flowing from the Heavenly Abyss in northern East Huangzhou to the Wangchuan Sea in the south..."
"The Wangchuan Sea is also known as the South Sea."
"Of course, this is not the South Sea you know from Fengxi Country."
After Xu Xing boarded the demonic beast Luanniao with Celestial Messenger Shui Hongyao, he sat cross-legged on its broad back. Not long after, the azure Luanniao, hundreds of feet across, began to take off from the Imperial Palace of Fengxi Country.
Once they were clear of Fengxi Country, Shui Hongyao, standing near the Luanniao’s neck, initiated conversation, sharing with Xu Xing common knowledge about the Flying Feather Immortal Palace and East Huangzhou during their journey.
Fengxi Country was so named because it was a nation on the banks of the Fengxi River.
The other countries under the Flying Feather Immortal Palace’s domain, such as Baoxiang Country, the Country of Flowing Light, and Wanghai Country, were different; they were situated considerably farther from the Fengxi River.
Wanghai Country bordered the Wangchuan Sea.
The Flying Feather Immortal Palace’s sphere of influence was primarily in the southern part of East Huangzhou, bordering the Wangchuan Sea.
Within East Huangzhou, there were at least four or five countries named Fengxi Country.
"Mortals in the Mundane World with cultivation potential are generally discovered by Reception Emissaries and then brought into the Sect. Only Innate Immortal Geniuses are personally guided by a Celestial Messenger to enter the Immortal Palace for Cultivation..."
"Once I bring you into the Sect, your status as an Immortal Genius will undoubtedly attract significant attention."
"Generally speaking, the Sect offers two choices for Immortal Geniuses like you. The first option is to be guided to the mountain town at the foot of the Immortal Palace. There, you would step onto the Immortal Path yourself, become a Disciple of the Sect, and focus on Cultivation, undisturbed by external matters. As for Resources, the Sect will provide them to you, not a single bit lacking..."
"The second choice is for me to take you directly to the Immortal Palace. There, you will be publicly announced as a candidate for the True Lineage. Once your aptitude is known, Sect immortal clans will undoubtedly seek marriage alliances with you..."
"Of course, you can rest assured that marriages from the Mortal World do not count in the Immortal Palace. These cultivation Aristocratic Families will not care if you are already married, because any woman you married there would be a mortal, destined to die within one hundred years. A beauty today is but a pile of white bones tomorrow."
"The first choice: rely on yourself and the Sect."
"The second choice: rely on yourself, the Sect, and the aid of Aristocratic Families."
"The Resources provided by Aristocratic Families are often double or triple what the Sect provides. This is because the Sect must supply Resources for everyone’s Cultivation, while Aristocratic Families are all colossal entities with abundant Resources and fewer Geniuses to support."
"Furthermore, Aristocratic Families can help their scions secure better positions..."
Shui Hongyao turned her head to look at Xu Xing.
She, too, was curious which path Xu Xing would choose.
Celestial Messengers kept records containing all essential information about the Immortal Geniuses they were assigned to guide. In Xu Xing’s file, she had seen a fascinating entry: the tale of "South Garden’s Lost Love, the Old Sword with Deep Affection," which Xu Xing himself had apparently authored.
Honorable people who value loyalty and relationships are universally well-liked and sought after as companions.
She was, naturally, no exception.
However, she did not know if Xu Xing was genuinely loyal and honorable or merely feigning it.
"In the Mortal World, there’s a custom called ’Choosing a Son-in-Law from the Examination Rankings.’"
"I imagine these marriage alliances with Aristocratic Families are similar to that custom among high-ranking officials in the Mortal World."
Xu Xing did not answer directly.
First, he carefully observed Shui Hongyao. She wore a Bamboo Hat with a hanging veil and a five-colored skirt, her figure graceful. Her fair skin seemed to glow with a jade-like luster. However, the white veil obscured her expression as she spoke; he could only glimpse the stunning beauty of her features.
He found her inscrutable.
After a moment of silence, Xu Xing addressed the issue. Shui Hongyao has presented two choices Today that Deng An never told me about, he mused. Given Deng An’s ’sycophancy,’ he would have informed me if he could. However, I did see a fragment of this fate when my ’Thief Official’ and ’Thief Who Stole the Dragon’ Destinies shattered. I know these two choices Today are of great consequence. It’s a test from the Sect.
The Flying Feather Immortal Palace, or indeed most Powers that have long endured, will have internal factions and monopolies over Resources. Just as the Imperial Court has its factional struggles and great aristocratic families whose descendants hold power for generations, the Immortal Sects are no different. In fact, because Cultivators live such long lives, these problems are even more severe than in the Mortal World.