Chapter 204: 204. Chapter 202: History Becomes Myth

204. Chapter 202: History Becomes Myth

The mountain peaks were steep, fallen leaves scattered everywhere, adding a touch of desolation.

A faint hum came from the horizon, mixed with an indescribable sorrow, as a person and a dragon slowly descended into Longyuan Mountain; Ye Qin's divine sense spread throughout Longyuan Mountain, and he finally found the familiar cave from his memory.

He carefully placed Longling there, as if treating a peerless treasure.

At this moment Longling's condition was poor, her temperature had dropped to freezing, her skin pallid and almost translucent, combined with an icy, snow‑like aura, giving the feeling that she was about to ascend to immortality.

The cave was dim, yet Ye Qin's scales flickered with a faint luster; Longling strained to open her eyes, looking at Ye Qin with reluctance, her crow‑feather‑like lashes trembling slightly, as if a butterfly lightly flapped its wings, appearing fragile yet beautiful.

"I may sleep for a very long time."

Ye Qin nodded, his voice seeming plain yet mixed with myriad emotions: "I know."

Longling slowly revealed a smile, her willow‑leaf brows curved like a crescent moon, yet the tips were tinged with a faint chill, bearing an otherworldly, transcendent beauty.

"No regrets in this life; we shall meet again in the next."

Ye Qin stared blankly at Longling; she slowly closed her eyes, her aura completely dissipating between heaven and earth, leaving no trace—this ice‑snow sculpted goddess could not be retained by the mortal world.

He let out a low sigh, drifting in the cave, almost inaudible.

"See you again in the next life."

A ripple of spiritual energy came through the air, and a small green snake appeared on the ground, coiling beside Longling and closing its pair of emerald eyes.

In a daze, the wheels of time turned, returning to the starting point; the green snake kept company with the White Bone, enduring countless long, cold nights.

Within the mountains, time was unknown, a scene of peace and tranquility; but outside Longyuan Mountain, because of Ye Qin's heaven‑shaking sword, the rule of the Great Haò ended, ushering in the beginning of a chaotic age.

A black sky pressed down over the imperial capital, the heavens and earth filled with a dreadful pressure, making this place a forbidden zone; even people elsewhere turned pale at the mere mention of it.

News of the great upheaval in the Great Haò imperial capital spread to other cities; regions long dissatisfied with the emperor's tyranny rose in revolt.

Some said it was heavenly punishment, others claimed it was revenge by a former dynasty's princess; all sorts of rumors circulated.

Other regimes also received the news, seeking to profit from the chaos, wanting to probe the truth and find out what really happened, they sent agents to approach the capital.

Sun Yuan was one of those foreign agents; after a dusty journey he finally neared the capital and found a roadside tea stall to rest.

Several days had passed since the upheaval, yet the shadow hanging over the imperial capital had not dissipated; nearby residents dared not approach, believing it was heaven's punishment for the Great Haò emperor, fearing to be implicated.

"Elder, may I ask you something?"

The tea stall was run by an old man whose legs were inconvenient; he set up a stall for passersby to rest and earn a little tea money.

The old man gave a kind smile, placed the tea on Sun Yuan's table, and said, "Young man, what do you want to ask?"

"I want to ask which direction the Great Haò imperial capital lies."

Upon hearing this, the old man's smile stiffened at the corners of his mouth, his face showing a deep taboo; he quickly glanced around, lowered his voice, as if fearing to be overheard.

"Young man, why would you go there! That place is now a forbidden zone; you must not go."

Sun Yuan placed a silver ingot on the table, "Elder, I have an unavoidable reason to go there; please tell me what you know."

After glancing at the silver ingot on the table, the old man's gaze turned to Sun Yuan, and he finally sighed, saying, "The Great Haò imperial capital lies to the southwest."

The old man pointed to the sky, his eyes full of dread: "Do you see that huge shadow in the distance? Follow it and you will reach the capital, but now the place is deserted; since the upheaval, no one dares to approach."

"If it weren't for my inconvenient legs, I would have long gone elsewhere to make a living; every day here I live in fear."

The old man lamented incessantly; Sun Yuan thanked him and then continued on his way.

The closer he got to that shadow, the heavier the pressure emanating from within felt, like a thousand‑jin boulder pressing on his heart.

He had thought it was dark clouds, but upon approaching he realized it was a massive mixture of dust and other substances, hovering above and refusing to disperse.

Inside the city, smoke still lingered everywhere; Sun Yuan had to cover his mouth and nose.

Once bustling, the imperial capital had become a ghost town; the streets were littered with debris, showing that the populace had fled in great haste.

He cautiously walked toward the interior of the capital; upon seeing the scene ahead, his face turned deathly pale, unable to believe what he was witnessing.

A massive sword scar stretched from inside to outside; the entire palace complex lay in ruins, split in two, with jagged stones everywhere, broken walls and shattered tiles, leaving no trace of its former glory and splendor.

Gazing at the unfathomable crack in the ground, even to this day it exuded a chilling cold and sharp sword intent; in a daze a huge ancient sword appeared, shattering the void and pointing straight at the Great Haò imperial capital!

Sun Yuan's eyes felt excruciating pain, as if a fierce sword were really being swung down from the heavens; an indescribable fear surged in his chest, and he stumbled away.

Only after putting a great distance between himself and the sensation did the feeling of a thorn at his back gradually fade; Sun Yuan gasped heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat, as if he had made a round trip from the gates of hell.

He felt that if he stayed longer, he would surely be wounded by the sword qi.

Who could wield such a heaven‑shaking sword, that even now the lingering sword qi and pressure are so immense!

Could one who possesses such power truly be human?

Sun Yuan recalled the earlier intelligence he had gathered: the Great Haò emperor's corrupt conduct had invited heavenly punishment; could it really be a deity?

Gazing at the distant, gloomy sky, Sun Yuan's thoughts surged, yet in his mind appeared that unfathomable crack, like an abyss descending.

Upon returning, Sun Yuan immediately reported the information he had gathered to the authorities.

Wu Yue was not far from Great Haò, a neighboring state; thus, after receiving news of Great Haò's upheaval, the Wu Yue emperor could at once send Sun Yuan to investigate, and merely hearing his description made one's heart tremble with fear.

The Wu Yue emperor, crowned, had a stern gaze but a solemn expression: "Based on what you have seen and heard, do you think this is heavenly punishment or someone's deliberate act?"

Sun Yuan recalled the scene he had witnessed; even now he felt greatly shaken, and said with deep feeling: "I, your subordinate, believe that one capable of such means is certainly not an ordinary person!"

Though he spoke politely, his words implicitly revealed his stance.

The Wu Yue emperor fell into a prolonged silence.

But regardless of who caused this, or whether it was truly heaven's wrath, for other regimes and rulers it was a good thing.

They dispatched troops to invade and seize Great Haò's territory, expanding their own domains; friction arose, and in an instant war flames spread, with great and small powers once again plunging into mêlée.

Yet everyone tacitly avoided the Great Haò imperial capital; no one dared to send troops to occupy it.

Within the capital, all living traces had vanished; it possessed immense terror, beyond mortal power to fathom—this had become a universally accepted notion.

The reports brought back by envoys from the major powers were enough to make one's heart pound; the rulers were no fools, and there was no need to court disaster.

The dark clouds hanging over the imperial capital took several months to slowly dissipate; thereafter no one dared to live there, and the once prosperous city became a ghost town.

Later there were rumors that, when passing nearby at midnight, one could still hear anguished wails; it was said that the Great Haò emperor's soul had been punished by the heavens, unable to enter reincarnation or achieve transcendence.

Someone wanted to record these events in detail, but in the dark a mysterious power prevented the historians from recording them, so that everyone became even more fearful; fortunately, no one mentioned the Great Heaven Dynasty again.

Later, this dynasty also disappeared into the river of history.

The Great Heaven Dynasty, which had only been established for two years, fell apart, and later historians called it the Great Heaven Incident.

The breath of the ages rushed upon him, the river of history surged again, rolling up countless waves that carried Ye Qin forward; no matter how reluctant he felt, it was time to leave.

Ye Qin slowly opened his eyes; the lovely figure was nowhere to be seen.

A hint of sadness crossed his verdant eyes; Longyuan Mountain was still the familiar place he knew, but the seas had turned to fields, the white clouds to grey dogs—old acquaintances were long gone.

The surrounding animals sensed Ye Qin's mood, their expressions also drooping; a whimper came from their throats, and the northeastern tiger let out a low growl, asking Ye Qin what had happened.

Ye Qin slowly shook his head. "I just want to be alone quietly."

The animals silently watched Ye Qin's departing back, but did not follow him.

Ye Qin flew toward the southeast, then gradually descended.

What came into view was a vast expanse of creeping vines, woven into a green ocean; winding tendrils wrapped around them, bearing unnamed tiny flowers that dotted the scene like stars, making it look splendid.

Parting the creeping vines revealed a deep cavern.

Inside the cavern the light was dim, but it did not hinder Ye Qin's sight; gleaming white bones stood there, their bodies flashing with a jade-like luster, their hollow eye sockets gazing toward the cave entrance, as if awaiting his arrival.

Ye Qin had not set foot here for a long time; entering the cave again gave him a feeling as if separated by an age, and he placed the assembled black-and-white wandering-fish jade tablet beside White Bone.

Now, he finally knew her name.

"Longling, I've come to keep our appointment."

The air was utterly silent, and White Bone remained silent.

In a daze, Ye Qin saw before him a slender figure, clear and ethereal, transcendent and unworldly, like a goddess of GuShe.

A breeze brushed past, and the tiger-leaf vines rustled as if responding to him.

The green mountains remain, but the old friend is gone.

Wu Du, Nanchuan University.

Although today is a weekend holiday, many students are strolling around the campus.

At this moment, in a large classroom of the Taibai Building, the room was packed with people, hardly any seats left, today being the open lecture of Professor Fan Ming of the History Department.

Professor Fan Ming does not hold open lectures often, but each time the seats are full, and his content is especially vivid and interesting.

Thus, not only History Department students, but also students from other departments come to listen, and even outside students, including Hu Xiaocao, a high school student who loves history and culture.

Her black hair fell like a waterfall, tied into a high ponytail, revealing a full forehead; without makeup, she was like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally unadorned, and sitting there she was the most beautiful scenery of the Way.

The gazes of nearby male students occasionally fell on her, accompanied by whispering, quietly discussing Hu Xiaocao.

"Is this a student from our school? I've never seen her before."

"She seems younger than us."

As everyone was discussing, someone walked up to Hu Xiaocao's side, "Xiaocao, I knew you'd definitely come to Professor Fan's open lecture today."

The person was Qi Xueqing.

After the previous incident, the two had become acquainted, exchanged contact information, and occasionally discussed historical questions.

Hu Xiaocao nodded at Qi Xueqing as a greeting.

Qi Xueqing well knew Hu Xiaocao's character, long accustomed to her aloofness, and wore a mysterious smile: "Let me tell you a piece of inside news—today Professor Fan's lecture will be extraordinary."

Hu Xiaocao instantly became interested: "How so?"

"I heard that recently, Professor Fan's archaeological project unearthed a burial complex, in which a dynasty unrecorded in history was discovered."

The several-thousand-year history of the Xia dynasty cannot be guaranteed to have been fully uncovered.

Many things have dissipated in the river of history, so the appearance of an unrecorded dynasty is not particularly strange.

Qi Xueqing seemed to know what Hu Xiaocao was thinking, and said: "This piece of history is a bit special; when Professor Fan mentioned it to me earlier, he only brought it up in passing—anyway, you'll find out soon."

They exchanged a few more words, and as the class bell rang, Qi Xueqing returned to his seat.

Professor Fan Ming entered the classroom, and the previously somewhat noisy room suddenly fell silent.

Professor Fan Ming looked kindly at the crowd and said, "Surely you are not unfamiliar with the history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, are you?"

The students below nodded in agreement, and one spoke: "Professor, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is an important period in Xia history; during that time the Hexi and Jiaozhi regions gradually drifted apart, and Jiaozhi eventually broke away from Xia to become independent."

"Although the Five Dynasties were strong, they could not control the whole Chinese mainland; other regional warlords, some declared themselves emperors, some honored the Central Plains dynasty as legitimate, and the ten states with longer histories and greater strength are collectively called the Ten Kingdoms."

Professor Fan Ming nodded, "That's quite right; as everyone knows, at that time the warlords divided the land, each occupying a region, and the representative states—Former Shu, Later Shu, Wu, Southern Tang, Wuyue, Min, Chu, Southern Han, Southern Ping, Northern Han—are called the Ten Kingdoms."

"Moreover, a burial complex unearthed the day before yesterday indicates that before Southern Ping there once existed a state called Great Hao, whose regime had the shortest existence, according to records lasting only two years."

The entire hall immediately erupted in commotion; a regime lasting only two years is indeed rare.

"Of course, the Great Shun dynasty lasted less than a year, which is another matter."

A student could not help but ask, "Professor, why did the Great Hao regime exist for such a short time and leave no trace in later records?"

Professor Fan Ming showed a complex expression, "We were also shocked when we learned of this, and with further excavation we discovered something even more unbelievable: the downfall of Great Hao is also related to its predecessor, the Dragon State."

Having heard two unfamiliar states and regimes, neither recorded in the histories, the students were bewildered, eager for knowledge, looking toward Professor Fan Ming in hopes he would clarify.

Professor Fan Ming did not keep them in suspense; he opened the multimedia, projecting the materials in his hand while explaining, all of which were discovered by them in the ancient tomb complex. (End of chapter)

We discovered a peculiar personal notebook in the ancient tomb; it should have been personally written and recorded by the tomb owner, somewhat like the form of a modern diary.

During the Ten Kingdoms period, there was a regime called Longguo; after it was overthrown, the Great Hao was established on this basis. Because the emperor of Great Hao was licentious and lawless, indiscriminately killing innocents, he exterminated the entire Long clan royalty, leaving only the last princess, who eventually brought heavenly punishment upon herself. (End of chapter)