Chapter 781: You Look Ahead to the Future — I, Shen, Will Hold the Present for You

Shenzhou, the imperial capital.

Two maidservants stood outside the gate of a quiet courtyard, watching the sword-bearing woman hurrying toward them from afar, and both bowed respectfully.

The woman held no official post in the imperial court, nor even any public identity, yet the entire capital, court and common folk alike, knew that this Miss was, apart from Lord Lin, the head of the Immortal Department, the only one who could enter the Wine Pool alone to have an audience with Your Majesty.

"Lord Ye, this way please."

The maidservants turned and led the way with small, quick steps. Your Majesty had said that Lord Ye did not need to be announced when she wished to see him.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Ye Lan gripped the jade slip tightly in her hand. Even though she had been longing for that person for countless days and nights, she forcibly restrained herself and did not use her divine soul to peek at its contents.

She was well aware that, given her own cultivation realm, she counted for nothing beneath the heavens.

If any great overlord happened to seize her, there was always the risk of her soul being searched.

This letter from Beizhou could only be read by the Human Sovereign.

Soon, Ye Lan stopped walking and stood around the Wine Pool. Only after the two maidservants quietly withdrew did she take out the jade slip: "Please, Your Majesty, have a look."

"Another letter so soon — has something gone wrong?"

The man leaned against the damp pebbles and waved his hand, trying to take the jade slip through the air, but the awkward thing was that the jade slip remained perfectly still in Ye Lan's palm.

"Tch."

A trace of helplessness crossed his face, but the emotion vanished in an instant, and he quickly returned to his languid, lazy look: "Bring it over, then. What are you standing there for?"

"…"

Ye Lan stepped forward respectfully and placed the jade slip in his palm; a hint of worry welled up in her eyes.

Although she did not know what this lord of Shenzhou was actually doing, just from his outward appearance — the increasingly grey-streaked hair and the changes in his face visible to the naked eye — nearly every time she saw him again, he seemed to have aged another ten years.

This kind of situation absolutely should not appear on one of the Six Sovereigns of Heaven and Earth.

She could clearly sense that the Human Sovereign and this Wine Pool were becoming more and more like a single entity, yet his control over the outside world had plummeted.

Ye Lan even began to wonder whether, without the help of that Lord Lin of the Immortal Department, Your Majesty still had the ability to transmit his voice beyond this courtyard.

Could a Six Sovereign in such a state truly still have the power to shelter Shen Yi?

"You win some, you lose some."

The man seemed to read Ye Lan's thoughts, but he did not feel offended; instead, he laughed casually a couple of times.

When he had once been the lofty Human Sovereign, he had naturally been full of high spirits, like a robust, fierce tiger, majestic beyond compare. But now, in order to fully mobilize the vast reserves of the imperial court, he inevitably had to bear many costs.

Yet, as he grew more and more like a mortal, he found he could better appreciate the helplessness mortal beings felt when facing gods and Buddhas — and that was not a bad thing either.

"Let me see what trouble that boy has caused this time."

The man looked relaxed, but in truth a solemn glint gathered in his eyes.

One had to remember that last time he had given out a token that could reach the generals of the imperial court. If even that could not resolve the other's trouble, then given his current state, there really was nothing more he could do.

Don't be fooled by the Human Sovereign's attitude toward Shen Yi last time — his face had been the very picture of a debtor wanting to wriggle out of his debt.

But after all, that man was the great meritorious hero who had held Da Nanzhou for the imperial court.

If something were to happen to him just like that, how could he not feel deep regret.

The Human Sovereign carefully poured his divine soul into the jade slip. After reading through its contents, he was silent for a long while, then opened his eyes again: "Truly… rather unexpected."

"…"

Seeing the man's serious expression, Ye Lan suddenly tightened her grip on her sleeve, her face changing drastically.

Fortunately, the Human Sovereign had no intention of continuing to frighten her. He laughed out loud: "Look at you. He even took that Monk away with him, leaving you alone in this great city, and you don't complain in the slightest. If we were still in those peaceful days of the past, I would have insisted on making him enter into a marriage contract with you."

"Take it and read it yourself."

The Human Sovereign casually tossed the jade slip back.

Ye Lan had no mind now to pay attention to this wretched old man's teasing. She hurriedly caught the jade slip and let her divine soul seep into it.

Once she saw clearly the message Shen Yi had sent back, a look of astonishment gradually rose on her face, and she finally understood why the Human Sovereign had fallen silent earlier.

One had to remember that Shen Yi had gone to Beizhou to take refuge in order to evade the pursuit of the Great Self-Comforting Purity-World Bodhisattva. Under such circumstances, staying out of trouble and keeping his life was already no easy feat.

Ever since she had last heard that he seemed unwilling to take the path the Human Sovereign had arranged for him, the suspended heart of Ye Lan had never settled down.

What kind of place was Beizhou? It was the sacred ground where the Sanqing Sect Master preached the Dao — a East Xumishan magnified many times over. One could walk along any road, look up, and perhaps see a Great Luo immortal passing by.

Trying to stir up trouble in such a place was practically no different from seeking death.

But the contents of the jade slip now made her heart beat faster and faster… Shen Yi had not only entered the tutelage of the Lingxu Cavern, he had even become the disciple who walked the mortal world and underwent tribulations on behalf of that lineage — a status usually reserved for the chief personal disciple.

What was even more deadly was that Shen Yi had actually pulled it off — he had truly claimed a Dao-ground for himself in Beizhou!

Judging by the calm tone of the writing, the trouble should have been swept away and the situation fully stabilized.

"He wants to know the situation of the other continents."

The man soaked in the wine, his expression slightly strange. This boy who could hardly save himself had not only successfully gained a foothold, but actually had the leisure and elegant mood to worry about the world at large.

It made him, for a moment, unable to tell who exactly was the Human Sovereign.

But he had to admit, the other had truly far exceeded his expectations.

Thinking of this, the Human Sovereign shook his head: "You go back first. Let me ask Lin Shuya, have him sort out the situation of the other three continents, and when the time comes you can transmit it to that boy."

"As you command." A smile appeared on Ye Lan's face as she prepared to bow and take her leave.

At that moment, however, the voice of a maidservant rang out from outside the Wine Pool.

"Your Majesty, Lord Lin of the Immortal Department requests an audience."

"…"

Ye Lan's brows knitted slightly, and she looked toward the man.

This was the Wine Pool. The Human Sovereign was receiving her, and matters involving Shen Yi had always forbidden the presence of a third person.

The maidservant clearly knew this, yet she had not asked Lord Lin to wait, and had instead chosen to announce him. This made Ye Lan feel an inexplicable sense of strangeness in her heart.

"He arrives at just the right time."

The man smiled indifferently; he knew well that the one he had once trusted most had turned against him.

And it was not over power or profit.

From the moment Lin Shuyan had earnestly begged him to use these divine dynasty's foundational resources for his own transcendence, the man had known their fundamental views on this matter had diverged.

Just like the former General Who Guards the South.

Three people, pursuing three different paths.

But the difference was that he and that boy truly had the ability to act upon their own choices, while Lin Shuyan clearly lacked such capacity, so there was no need to care.

Moreover, given his current state, it was clearly beyond his strength to replace another Immortal Department Lord.

"Let him in."

The Emperor-Ascendant sat up slightly.

Soon, two figures hurried in under the maid's guidance.

Ahead was the slender Lin Shuyan; behind him stood a tall woman clad in armor, her face veiled in silver ornaments, clearly possessing no cultivation, yet every gesture exuded an aura that made Ye Lan's heart tremble.

Ye Lan instantly guessed the woman's identity.

She was one of the imperial court's few second-rank Divine Dynasty generals!

"Your Majesty!"

Lin Shuyan, usually perpetually worried, revealed a rare smile: "General Gu has returned from Beizhou with good tidings—please, Your Majesty, review this memorial!"

"A Li, speak plainly."

The man did not take the memorial, but turned to the armored woman.

Gu Li bowed deeply, her face hidden by silver ornaments, yet even from her voice one could hear traces of joy: "Your Majesty, internal strife within the Beizhouda Sect has granted our divine dynasty's people temporary peace."

"..." Hearing this, the man froze for a moment, glanced at Ye Lan, then looked back: "Explain."

"Your Majesty may not know, but recently a southern cultivator known as Taixu Zhenjun, having made enemies with the Puti Sect, traveled far north. His methods are extraordinary, his strength far surpassing his peers in the great sect; within a short time, he not only won the favor of a Jin Xian and became a disciple of Lingxu Cave, but also repeatedly clashed with the original Beizhou cultivators."

"Even Qingguang, one of the original Three Prodigies of the Qingguang Cave, was slain by him at Tian Tashan in Kaiyuan Prefecture. After this incident, rather than being punished, he solidified his position as the master of the Five Prefectures' spiritual grounds, and is now clearly trending toward becoming the first disciple of the Sanxian Sect."

Gu Li spoke calmly, yet all could sense the awe in her heart.

After all, this single story alone could be written into a legend.

A foreigner establishing himself so forcefully in Beizhou—given a little time, he would inevitably become the divine dynasty's greatest threat, even the blade delivering the fatal strike.

"General Gu, speak of the good news..." Lin Shuyan gently reminded.

"The good news is that this man seeks much more than mere spiritual grounds; to secure them, he abandoned the Immortal Sect's old method of siphoning imperial qi, and instead reversed course, aiming to win the people's hearts."

"To preserve their own spiritual grounds, the other Sanxian Sect disciples were forced to imitate him... Now, across Beizhou's twenty-nine prefectures, though the people's lives are not as prosperous as before, at least their lives are secure and their food and clothing assured."

Here, Gu Li exhaled deeply.

Once, the divine dynasty's million soldiers and countless demon-slayers had fought to the death and failed to hold even a single city; now, because of one man's greed, the people had escaped their daily dread of death.

It was hard to know what to say.

She did not notice that the Emperor-Ascendant and the woman beside him had both grown strangely grave after hearing her.

"..."

The Emperor-Ascendant recalled the jade slip he had just read; he had never imagined that even its shocking content was a simplified version.

There was no prodigy seeking more spiritual grounds to protect Beizhou's people—still, it was the General Who Guards the South.

Only now did he finally understand why Shen Yi refused to hide his name; though anonymity would have increased his chances of survival, it would have taken too long, leaving him no chance to rejoin the great calamity.

Their initial meeting had seemed harmonious, but in truth, neither could accept the other's vision.

Yet now, these two utterly different paths had somehow converged.

Since the noble Sixth Emperor, the universal sovereign, was too occupied to attend to all, his gaze fixed on the future,

Shen Yi, merely a third-rank cultivator, did his best to protect the present.

"Huh."

The man took a deep breath, turned his head away, hiding his face in shadow.

Since his quarrel with Lin Shuyan, he had become a solitary autocrat, a man misunderstood by all.

The Emperor-Ascendant had gradually grown accustomed to this taste.

Now, however, a sudden wave of emotion rose within him.

How could a man once called the Restorer of the Dynasty truly ignore the suffering of all under heaven? He had no choice—he had to stake everything; if his heart were not cruel enough, this mortal world could never surpass the gods and buddhas.

But now, someone had stepped forward to share his burden, granting him slight peace, less guilt, and the focus to prepare for that great matter.

The man lowered his gaze and smiled, quickly composing himself: "Truly good tidings—what of the other continents?"

"This..."

Lin Shuyan hesitated, then stammered after a long pause: "The struggle between the two great sects has grown fiercer; Xumi Mountain in Nanzhou has taken no action, but the remaining two continents are nearly blinded by bloodshed, with Dongzhou the worst—reports say the cultivators fight the monks without mercy, and multiple deaths and injuries have already occurred; even the Great Freedom Bodhisattva has appeared within Xumi Mountain."

He did not mention the common folk, yet all understood: if cultivators fought this way, how could the lives under their rule be any better?

"Understood."

The man waved his hand, sighed: "Leave."

Lin Shuyan paused, sensing the Emperor-Ascendant's unsettled mood, and quickly bowed, leading Gu Li and Ye Lan out toward the courtyard.

Yet he failed to notice that as he turned, the Emperor-Ascendant quietly glanced back, expressionless, staring at his back—the old man's face seemed to have returned to youth, his authority now sharp with decisive resolve, like a tiger opening its eyes, gleaming with the hunger to devour.

But in the end, the Emperor-Ascendant slowly withdrew his gaze.

Just now, a troubling premonition had risen in his heart.

A mere mortal, even an Immortal Department Lord with treacherous intent, could not possibly affect the grand scheme—after all, the countless sect lords and gods would never spare a single glance for an ant.

But Shen Yi's actions, though saving countless Li Min, also added weight to Lin Shuyan's hands.

If that boy could do even better—so well that even the two great sects grew fearful—then this Lin of the imperial court would finally have his chance to take the stage.

When that time came, he would truly possess the power to ruin everything.

"Impossible."

The man laughed at himself with a bitter smile. Shen Yi had already held Da Nanzhou, and then protected Beizhou — that alone was more than enough to rejoice over.

Let alone the other side being a mere minor cultivator — even he himself and Empress Hou Tu, two of the Six Sovereigns who had ascended to first rank, could not stem the tide of the great sects rolling in.

Perhaps he really was getting old, starting to scare himself for no reason.

"This kid really does make one hesitate."

The man closed his eyes, his face gradually settling into a look of peace. It had been a long time since he had slept soundly.

The other party had already done more than enough; it was time to consider his own self. Let it be.

(End of chapter)