Chapter 478

He has recently been seeking higher-level marvelous methods of creation and annihilation secret arts to perfect the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State.

This object contains the great Dao of birth and death, superior to mere secret arts.

Zhang Jian's eyes showed a hint of joy.

As Zhang Jian chanted, he again directly swallowed this heavenly and earthly treasure into the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State, slowly refining it.

The Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State already contained two heavenly and earthly treasures at this time.

"Heart of Dimension," "Primordial Birth and Death Pearl"—if he fully fused the power of these two heavenly and earthly treasures, his own Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State would rise to a realm beyond his imagination.

Moreover, the "Primordial Heaven and Earth Pearl" is also a seed of the myriad worlds, a great supplement to the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State, which can already form its own dimensional universe.

……

After the bustle, the Great Xia Dynasty entered a period of rapid development.

The dragon aura and imperial aura expanded, causing the Nine Tripods' barrier power to grow day by day.

The coverage of the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State was sufficient to ensure that, under the Emperor's divine domain, many immortal sects and Dao lineages could not act with outward obedience and inward defiance.

After dealing with a batch of defecting immortal sects and Dao lineages by killing chickens to scare the monkeys, the remaining many immortal Dao sects, cultivation clans, and secular dynasty strongmen mostly became honest.

Zhang Jian also seized the opportunity to employ imperial statecraft, dismantling the alliances and counter-alliances among many immortal sects and Dao lineages, while simultaneously selecting the virtuous and capable, winning over some scattered cultivation sects or strong scattered cultivators to supplement the True Persons of Primordial Spirit in the Great Xia Dynasty.

At the same time, he united the state and ancestral gods, gradually establishing a new divine domain in the two realms region to increase the Great Xia Dynasty's imperial control over the provinces.

On another front, Zhang Jian repaid kindness with kindness, skillfully using some of the immortal sects and Dao lineages that first defected to the Great Xia Dynasty, borrowing the strength of the Tongshan Dao lineage and the Si family's strong ones to stabilize the provinces.

Everything was flourishing day by day.

Many cultivators could sense that the dragon aura and imperial aura surrounding Dongxuan Divine Province were growing increasingly prosperous and vast.

Dongxuan Divine Province seemed to have become a land of human bliss.

Of course, in the short term, governance could not eradicate the influence left by major powers in the provinces; internal contradictions remained numerous, but most immortal sects and Dao lineages merely feared the innate Emperor's might and dared not resist, only able to shift from open to covert opposition.

……

Yet as time passed, some familiar faces gradually withered away under the years.

The Residence of the Duke of Dingguo

The entire household was dressed in plain white mourning clothes.

Inside the spirit hall, Zhang Jian and Empress Qi stood before the coffin; Empress Qi had already wept uncontrollably, while beside her, Crown Princess Si Lier supported her, whispering comfort, but Empress Qi could not stop her heartache.

Zhang Jian stepped forward and grasped Qi Yuhua's hand; Empress Qi whispered.

"Your Majesty, I have lost my mother!"

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered, his face merely showing a slight trace of longing.

Let you be peerless in beauty and talent, a hero for a time, ultimately there comes a day of passing.

The Qi Wan clan treated him well.

Even though Zhang Yi abducted Qi Ruolan, and the two eloped illegally, Qi Yuan Si and Qi Wan Shi never looked down on him for this non-marital son; on the contrary, they were willing to marry Qi Yuhua to the Zhang family.

Indeed, they deserved to be called benevolent.

Zhang Jian glanced at both sides; on the mats on either side knelt many familiar or unfamiliar faces.

These were all descendants of the Duke of Dingguo's residence; a few outstanding juniors had early joined the Dao Palace, their bodies showing fluctuations of spiritual essence.

This founding duke's residence was transforming into a cultivation clan.

This was also what Qi Yuan Si wished to see before his death.

Most of the old acquaintances had already passed away; otherwise, they had gradually changed from innocent schoolchildren into mature-faced middle-aged people; Zhang Jian, each time he entered the Qi residence, no longer felt that former familiarity and ease.

At this moment, outside the spirit hall, another person with hair like black silk—a Daoist—entered and also came to pay respects.

"Thank you, Daoist Tianxu!"

Upon seeing this Daoist, two elderly men of advanced age immediately stepped forward to kowtow; this was the local custom.

Daoist Tianxu saw this scene, his expression unmoved, merely his gaze falling to one side, on Zhang Jian and Qi Yuhua and others in ordinary robes, his expression solemn, and he performed another bow.

"Your Majesty, Empress!"

Zhang Jian, seeing this, waved his hand and virtually helped them up; he sighed somewhat:

"Senior Tianxu, you need not be so bound by etiquette; Daoist, you are still my senior; though we have not met for a long time, there is no need to be so distant!"

Daoist Tianxu, hearing this, also had a hint of a smile in his eyes.

But now, the two are worlds apart.

Back then, Zhang Jian was merely a recommended scholar from a commandery; he still dared to stand beside Zhang Jian, even if Zhang Jian's cultivation surpassed his, allowing occasional teasing, but now Zhang Jian is the Emperor of Great Xia.

Moreover, he is the master of the vast and distant Dongxuan Divine Province.

Towering over millions of cultivators and countless beings, the sovereign, the Emperor—how could he dare to act overbearing again?

Zhang Jian's gaze fell upon the old Daoist Tianxu.

Old Daoist Tianxu had barely cultivated his mana before a sixty-year cycle.

After cultivating mana, his lifespan increased to three or five hundred years, hence he could maintain himself well.

But Daoist Tianxu's aptitude was limited; after a sixty-year cycle, he was still only at the initial stage of measuring fate and foundation establishment, his mana growing slowly, and he might find it hard to form a golden core.

But relying on the merit of his double excellence in the medical Dao, he might yet hope to walk the divine Dao path in the future.

Seeing Daoist Tianxu, this once-exalted figure now clearly somewhat at a loss in his eyes, Zhang Jian sighed and lost interest in continuing to reminisce.

Daoist Tianxu dared not even breathe loudly; shortly afterward, he slowly withdrew from the spirit hall.

After withdrawing from the spirit hall, Daoist Tianxu rubbed his somewhat stiff face, glanced toward the spirit hall, his expression somewhat regretful.

In fact, he also knew this Great Xia Emperor was a person who cherished old ties.

But before this Emperor, he seemed uncontrollable, involuntarily becoming reserved and tense.

Many words turned into speechlessness.

He had still wanted to seize the opportunity to ask this Emperor for guidance on one or two paths.

Tianxu Daoist felt a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

He had cultivated his mind for a long time, yet at the crucial moment, he still slipped up.

A man's name, a tree's shadow!

Perhaps there are too many legends about the Daxia Emperor outside, which have gradually surpassed his understanding of this emperor from the past, so he dares not speak.

After a moment of regret, Tianxu Daoist only waited to lead the group of disciples from Tiexian Guan away.

Several years later.

Xishan Guan, where the dragon vein lies, at this moment a grand imperial mausoleum has already been repaired completely.

Green mountains and clear waters, the imperial mausoleum is surrounded by tall cypress trees.

The surrounding feng shui converges, and in the depths of the void, faint traces of tangible dragon qi flow, with a red dragon coiling.

Before the mausoleum, Zhang Jian and Empress Qi stepped inside.

At this moment, there were still several figures behind them.

Zhang Zhao and his wife, Zhang Yi, Zhang Xian, Zhang Chang'an, and the now-adult Nanyang Princess followed behind.

The five siblings all felt some reluctance on their faces.

On Zhang Yi's sunny face, there was now a hint of desolation.

Although he was not born of Empress Qi, he had been brought by her side since childhood and was raised by her.

Inside the tomb, everyone saw from afar an already ice-sealed tomb chamber.

That was the tomb chamber of the Taishang Huang and Taihou, sealed in ice.

Taishang Huang Zhang Yi and Taihou Zhang Qi, after Empress Wan's death, were sealed by Zhang Jian with frozen lifespan.

In fact, Zhang Yi and Taihou Zhang Qi could also choose to die naturally.

If they died naturally, their names would surely be moved by Zhang Jian into the Seven Temples of the Son of Heaven, to enjoy the proper sacrifices of the Daxia dynasty's incense.

With the Daxia dynasty's imperial decree, using the Zhang family's foundation, it would not be difficult to help them become a Nether Ghost Emperor.

However, compared to becoming a local ghost god, Zhang Yi and his wife preferred to ascend to immortality through the Dao.

The two first entered the Taishang Huang's tomb chamber.

Inside the tomb chamber, the Taishang Huang and Taihou Zhang Qi were both unusually calm, as if in their middle years.

Their physical vitality was completely frozen by the Instant Freeze Elemental Immortal Law, freezing time and years.

Beneath their bodies, there were also arrangements to nourish the flesh and soul, and in their mouths were ten-thousand-year warm jade, a heavenly treasure, to protect the soul, letting it remain asleep without being damaged by the immortal law's power.

Zhang Jian looked at Qi Yuhua and smiled.

"Empress, rest assured, you are only sleeping; when you wake, our whole family will lift our residence and ascend, enjoying great freedom and ease."

Qi Yuhua glanced at Zhang Jian, with some reluctance in her eyes.

She stepped forward again to adjust Zhang Jian's clothing.

This action seemed to have already become a habit.

Zhang Jian's eyes showed some ripples; even though his Dao heart, forged to be unchanging through eternity, still stirred at this moment, he gently embraced Qi Yuhua.

Qi Yuhua closed her eyes at this moment, her exquisite jade-like face bearing a hint of joy.

At this moment, she felt a sense of peace never before experienced.

Looking back on her life, although she never possessed this man alone, from beginning to end she knew Zhang Jian still cared most for her.

With his status as an innate emperor, as long as he remained in the palace, his meals were necessarily taken in Fengzhi Palace every day, without exception.

Wind or rain, no hindrance.

Such favor, the Qi clan believes no emperor in history has ever enjoyed.

She was already very satisfied.

Her life likewise did not waste time.

From the mistress of the Zhang family to the founding empress of Daxia, as an emperor and empress, she had enjoyed glory.

She also bore four exceptionally talented children for the Zhang family.

The only regret might be that she never saw the third generation of the Zhang family born.

And almost in an instant, a strand of strange cold power enveloped Empress Qi's body, sealing the founding empress in red phoenix robes, of unparalleled grace, in the cold current of time.

"Mother!"

Seeing this, the other six could not help but kneel down.

Zhang Jian waved his hand, gently lifting this piece of dark ice, and walked to place it in the central Fengqin.

Gazing at the ever-smiling, peerless beauty on the face, his eyes slightly froze, and after a moment he softly sighed.

"Sleep well, wait for me!"

He glanced at the seven copper crane oil lamps around the Fengqin, waved his hand, and seven flames lit up, illuminating the dark, cold tomb chamber. Zhang Jian casually formed seals with his hand, and four divine lights flew out from his hand, respectively falling onto the four divine beast law images around the Fengqin.

A grand innate Four Symbols Guarding Origin Great Array was set up.

The Four Symbols' light flowed, spreading throughout the outer area of the Fengqin.

The six Zhang siblings clearly saw that it was an extremely powerful array.

At this moment, Zhang Jian's calm voice came out.

"Please, four of you, accompany the Empress for me; if one day I ascend to the heavenly gates, I will never forget your merit!"

Upon hearing this, four voices came from different directions.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, with our true bodies guarding, the Fengqin will surely be flawless!"

Zhang Jian nodded slightly upon seeing this.

Afterwards, he stepped back out of the Fengqin, and with a wave of his hand, several streams of light flew down around the imperial mausoleum, turning into individual giant stone statues with strange forms.

Some were carefree Daoists, some were old men in animal skins, some were burly generals, or some were emperors holding treasured swords, each with different expressions, but the aura emitted by the stone statues was exceptionally grim.

Facing these stone statues, Zhang Jian's voice turned exceptionally cold and overbearing.

"You are all guilty ministers who defied my Great Xia Dynasty; originally you should have been exterminated to eliminate future troubles, but now I give you a path to survival—you shall guard my imperial mausoleum for ten thousand years, and after ten thousand years, you will naturally regain your freedom."

"If you harbor divided loyalties, beware the activation of the forbidden spell, which will scatter your soul and spirit."

As the words fell, Zhang Jian waved his hand, lighting the eternal lamps on the stone walls surrounding the mausoleum; the flowing firelight faintly formed a unique great array that enveloped the depths of the mausoleum.

This was a dragon qi forbidden law.

While suppressing the mausoleum, it also suppressed these powerful ones turned to stone.

At this moment, one of the stone statues let out a furious voice!

"Xia Emperor, I am the heavenly immortal of the noble Ying clan—how dare you humiliate an immortal like this, forcing this immortal to guard your Zhang lineage's spirit..."

Zhang Jian coldly snorted, and with a wave of his hand, a black long whip appeared in his grasp.

The black long whip was covered with countless dense death runes; it was actually a long whip condensed from the laws of the Death Dao, and when lashed fiercely, the voice immediately let out a miserable scream.

Visibly, the stone statue of the emperor holding a treasure sword instantly dimmed in radiance, as if its entire visage had aged, turning gray.

Zhang Jian seemed still unsatisfied, and waved his hand again to whip several more times.

The emperor stone statue instantly lost all signs of life.

"Heavenly immortal of the Ying clan!"

Yi Lier stood beside Zhang Zhao, silent and watching this scene.

The Ying clan has only one heavenly immortal, and that is Ying Lianwu.

This Ying clan heavenly immortal once dominated the era, yet ended up in such a state.

But at this moment, the other party still wanted to resist—truly unwise.

After enduring several lashes, Ying Lianwu had no more voice, and it was unknown whether he had already perished.

At this moment, Zhang Jian swept his gaze over the interior of the mausoleum.

"If anyone still unwilling, speak up now—I can 'let you go'!"

Upon hearing this, there was no further dissent within the mausoleum.

Zhang Jian then walked out of the mausoleum with a cold expression.

The other six, seeing this, followed suit; they could tell that after the Qi Empress fell asleep, their father emperor was in a terrible mood—best not to provoke him.

……

Time flowed like water; eighty years passed in the blink of an eye.

After the Qi Empress passed away, not long after, Prince Duan Zhang Min was also sealed in ice by Zhang Jian.

However, Prince Duan Zhang Min was merely a prince and lacked the qualifications to enter the mausoleum.

This was the law of the ancestors.

Zhang Jian had thus built a Prince Duan Mausoleum in advance for Prince Duan, making it his resting place.

And it was named the Prince Duan Mausoleum!

Eighty years flew by like a white horse passing through a gap; for ordinary commoners, their homes could be renovated dozens of times.

Yet for the mighty Great Xia Dynasty standing tall in the Dongxuan Divine Land, it was still in its prime.

That magnificent imperial aura, dragon qi shining at its zenith.

On this day, a vast phenomenon appeared above Haojing City—yet countless thunderclouds spread across millions of miles, and the immortal light within the Hall of Containing Origin pierced the heavens.