Chapter 229: Chapter 146: Another Sixty Years Pass, All Living Beings Enter My Dream

Disciples of the Vast Immortal Sect soared between the mountains, riding clouds and mist and commanding streaks of spiritual light.

The Spiritual Qi within was so abundant it seemed on the verge of materializing, flowing like water.

Behind the sprawling palaces.

Yet, there lay a quiet and elegant courtyard.

The courtyard was utterly unremarkable, like the most common of courtyards in the mortal world.

However, despite its appearance, the courtyard was revered as sacred ground by all the Cultivators of the Vast Immortal Sect.

For this was the residence of Master Wuji, one of the three Earth Immortals of the Vast Immortal Sect.

As the saying goes: a mountain’s fame comes not from its height, but from the immortal who resides there.

At this moment, inside the courtyard.

Master Wuji looked at the kneeling An Yuanshan and said calmly,

"Alright, Yuanshan. The matter is in the past, so you needn’t dwell on it. If you let it affect your state of mind, I fear you will have no hope of ever reaching the Earth Immortal Realm."

An Yuanshan clenched his fists, his eyes burning with resentment.

"Wenchang Country... are we just going to give it up like this? Hand it over to an outsider?"

Master Wuji said,

"Your skills were inferior, and you lost your own proving ground. What more is there to say? Besides, these mortal kingdoms are merely tools, nothing of great importance. It’s not worth making an enemy of someone who might one day become an Earth Immortal over this."

Most importantly, he had briefly clashed with the Ninth Prince of Wenchang Country and hadn’t been able to discern his true methods.

Even if he were to act personally, he wasn’t certain he could take care of the man.

If the man were to flee to another Immortal Sect, it would become an even greater problem.

Since all he wants is a proving ground, we might as well do him a favor and grant it to him. There’s no harm in it.

In any case, no matter who rules Wenchang Country, it will remain within the Vast Immortal Sect’s sphere of influence.

After some time has passed, he could find a way to win this person over to the Vast Immortal Sect.

An Yuanshan said resentfully,

"But..."

’He had controlled Wenchang Country for hundreds of years. How could he possibly be willing to give it up just like that?’

’Besides, after suffering such a great humiliation, was he supposed to just let it go?!’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Master Wuji said calmly,

"There are no ’buts,’ Yuanshan. You entered the Sect as a child and have had a smooth journey ever since, never suffering any real setbacks. For you, this defeat might not be such a bad thing."

"You must understand, when it comes to proving your Dao, the proving ground isn’t what’s critical..."

Master Wuji reached out and tapped An Yuanshan on the chest.

"What’s critical is... your heart..."

"For now, you need not concern yourself with the Yongchang Kingdom. For the next hundred years, I want you to remain in the Sect to rest and recuperate. Cultivate your mind and character."

"As for that Sovereign of the Yongchang Kingdom, heh... He has no backing. Proving his Dao will be incredibly difficult. The day he succeeds may very well be the day he dies."

An Yuanshan’s eyes lit up when he heard Master Wuji’s words.

Every Immortal King on the verge of success causes immense fluctuations in Heaven and Earth.

At that moment, all other Immortal Kings seeking to do the same will sense it instantly.

And in the Cultivation Immortality Realm, there is a method to prove one’s Dao that is even faster than waging war.

That is to fight an Immortal King who is on the cusp of success!

If one can kill that Immortal King before they break through to the Earth Immortal Realm...

...then one can instantly perceive the Heaven and Earth Laws and successfully prove their own Dao!

In the Cultivation Immortality Realm, this is known as proving one’s Dao by borrowing another’s Law!

Borrowing another’s Law to prove one’s own Dao.

This is why every Immortal King in an Immortal Sect has an Earth Immortal to act as their Guardian.

For a Loose Cultivator, becoming an Earth Immortal is a near-impossible feat.

They must climb to the Upper Rank over the corpses of countless other Immortal Kings.

Otherwise, they are reduced to nothing more than a tool for someone else’s ascension.

Master Wuji said calmly,

"When that time comes, if he wants to live, he will have to rely on our Vast Immortal Sect. Otherwise, his only path is Death."

"And once he asks the Vast Immortal Sect for help, I will have a thousand and one ways to keep him in check."

"So, Yuanshan, temporary gains and losses mean nothing. We Cultivators fight for a foundation that will last for eternity."

Convinced, An Yuanshan said,

"Yes, I understand."

Master Wuji said,

"My recent divinations show that the opening of the Celestial Gate is near. A golden age for Cultivation Immortality is upon us. You must use this time to train diligently. In the future, you will follow me into the Celestial Gate, where you may yet find a sliver of a chance to become an Immortal Venerable!"

’The Celestial Gate is opening!’

A glint flashed in An Yuanshan’s eyes.

’He knew that inside the Celestial Gate were countless Spiritual Treasures, and even Immortal Artifacts and Immortal Treasures!’

’And the legacy of an Immortal Emperor!’

’More importantly, within it lay the Invincible Road.’

’Legend said that whoever reached the end of the Invincible Road would achieve the Dao and become an Immortal Venerable.’

’They would surpass even Immortal Emperors, attaining the rank of Immortal Venerable and looking down upon all other immortals.’

’This was the dream of countless Cultivators.’

’To think...’

’...the Celestial Gate would open in their lifetime!’

...

Ever since Wang Xiao’s enthronement as Emperor.

He had ceased his Cultivation, focusing instead on handling the various affairs of the state.

Just as Liu Yuzhen had said, he was becoming more like a mortal emperor and less like a Cultivator.

After several months of learning the ropes, Wang Xiao had finally become thoroughly familiar with the various duties, procedures, and matters of being an Emperor.

Only then did he realize that while being an emperor was simple, being a *good* emperor was incredibly difficult.

The problems emerging from the various regions were far more troublesome than he had imagined.

Moreover, they were all chronic, deep-seated problems, and eradicating them would require drastic, painful measures.

Take population registration, for instance.

Across the land, there was no telling how many unregistered individuals there were.

These people existed primarily as household slaves for the various Noble Families and powerful clans.

The power of life and death over them rested entirely in the hands of these Noble Families and powerful clans.

Therefore, when Wang Xiao prepared to register the population and conduct a nationwide census, he was met with firm but polite resistance.