The snow was blowing in the whistling wind outside of the window.

However, for the people inside, their blood was boiling.

Tantai Xuan’s words made Mo Beike and Mo Ju feel the turbulence of emotions that could hardly calm down.

Why did this land need this emperor?

He wanted to establish a new dynasty named the Great Xuan!

Tantai Xuan intended to set up his own country and send a punitive expedition against the Great Zhou!

The heavy bags under Mo Beike’s eyes were twitching slightly. He had waited for this for so long. He originally pinned his hope in the Overlord of West County and thought he would be the one who most likely to set up his own country.

It was to his surprise that Tantai Xuan was the one who first made the proposition.

It took a great deal of courage to make this first move. After all, Tantai Xuan was only an official serving under Yuwen Xiu, the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

There was an impassable chasm between the two sides.

Even when the mayors across the Great Zhou started an uprising, no one dared actually to call himself lord of a new country.

“Lord, have you already made the decision?” Mo Ju asked.

“There is no turning back once you decide. You will bet on this the faith and trust of everyone in North County.”

Tantai Xuan understood what Mo Ju meant.

He had been sleepless for the past few nights. He had a premonition ever since he had the nightmare of slaughtering the black dragon.

Tantai Xuan was furious that the Master died because the capital city wouldn’t send reinforcements to help Dongyang County. Now Jiang Li’s imprisonment finally ignited the powder keg in Tantai Xuan’s heart.

“I have made up my mind. I will go to the Wentian Peak of Tai Mountains in half a month. I will worship Heaven and establish a new country, the Great Xuan,” Tantai Xuan replied in a firm voice.

Mo Beike didn’t dissuade him or say anything else.

He only sighed with regrets and sorrow.

Kong Xiu initially represented the Great Zhou. Yet he now represented the Great Xuan.

The two countries would be able to engage in a battle as equals. Unfortunately…

Mo Beike stood up. He solemnly flicked off the dust on his clothes and stepped back. With one hand cupped in the other before the chest, he bowed to Tantai Xuan.

“Greetings, my Lord.”

Mo Ju didn’t hesitate either. He also stepped back and bowed and said, “Ju greets my Lord.”

Sitting in his chair, Tantai Xuan stared at the two with his penetrating eyes.

He stood up and helped Mo Beike and Mo Ju up. They were his advisors. Tantai Xuan valued people with talent a great deal.

“Giant, what do you think we should do as we start to establish the Great Xuan?” Tantai Xuan asked.

This would be a difficult question for anyone else but Mo Beike. He said, “The Wentian Peak of Tai Mountains is where the Azure Dragon Gate is. It represents the will of the Azure Dragon. It’s a good time to worship Heaven, establish the country, and inform the public.”

“After establishing the country, my Lord will be able to raise an army and revolt against the Great Zhou.”

“The Great Zhou is moralless and unprincipled. Revolting against the Great Zhou is to conform to the will of the people. The new empire will rise successfully.”

“Additionally…”

Mo Beike looked at Tantai Xuan with a grave face.

“My Lord needs to send people to Beiluo City…”

“It would be excellent if the Great Xuan could get an endorsement from White Jade City. However, Lu Ping’an will definitely not leave the city by his temperament. It would be enough if we can invite Lv Dongxuan of the Tianji Pavilion, which is under White Jade City’s control.”

Tantai Xuan agreed with Mo Beike.

Now, it was a world of cultivators. They had to pay attention to White Jade City, the most powerful group of cultivators.

Besides, Lu Fan had been imparting Daoism across the world. It would bring unnecessary troubles if they set up a new country without notifying White Jade City.

“Good. We will do what the Giant said.”

Mo Beike bowed and said, “I’m going to write a letter to Lv Dongxuan now.”

On the other side of the room, Mo Ju also bowed and said, “I’m going to send the news about the Great Xuan to North County.”

******

Beiluo City.

Mo Tianyu walked carefully, step by step, as if he was measuring the city with his feet.

The thick and fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky, whirling in the air.

Luo Yue came from the island under Lu Fan’s order. He saw Mo Tianyu carrying the Master on his back.

As Luo Yue raised his hand, all the soldiers of the Dragon Blood Army instantly stood still in solemn silence.

They led the way for Mo Tianyu to Beiluo Lake Island.

The cultivators sitting on the bank of Beiluo Lake opened their eyes. They were stunned by Lu Fan’s lecture on Daoism. They knew for the first time about the brilliant cultivation civilization in early ancient times.

Young Master Lu said that he hoped the current time could also give free reign to all schools of thought and promote contention and competition. It was the only way to make real progress.

Many people agreed with him.

In the distance…

Mo Tianyu walked toward them. A lot of people were confounded…

Because the Beiluo Dragon Blood Army was clearing the way for him.

They finally arrived at the lakefront.

Sitting in a canoe, Sima Qingshan rowed to their direction.

Sima Qingshan was astounded when Lu Fan’s words lingered in his ears. Nevertheless, he remained collected and came to the bank, according to Lu Fan’s instruction.

He took out a brush and painted another canoe with Spirit Qi.

The canoe floated on the lake after he flicked the brush.

Mo Tianyu’s steely eyes glanced at the canoe before climbing aboard. Carrying the Master on his back, he stood at the front of the boat.

The boat sailed itself to Beiluo Lake Island as though an invisible force pulled it.

“Who is that?”

“It seems to be the Master of Confucianism. What happened to the Master?”

“What happened to the outside world when we’re listening to the Young Master Lu?”

Many cultivators were shocked.

Especially people from low-income families. The Master had established Confucianism and provided plenty of opportunities for the youth from low-income families to rise to prominence. Now, however, the Master didn’t appear to be alive.

When some people reported the news about the Master dying in the battle in Dongyang County…

Everyone at the lakeside was dumbstruck.

All the people, sent by North County, South County, and West County to take notes on Lu Fan’s lectures on cultivation methods and Daoism, left Beiluo City one by one.

They wanted to bring the cultivation methods documented on bamboo slips back to their counties.

The breeze blew gently. Mists rose from the lake.

The boat wrinkled the surface of the lake.

Carrying his bookcase and holding the brush and scroll, Sima Qingshan stared at Mo Tianyu rowing the boat.

Mo Tianyu shot a glance at Sima Qingshan, who smiled softly and nodded back.

Mo Tianyu arrived at the island.

Lu Changkong had been waiting for him.

Mo Tianyu didn’t let anyone take the Master’s body. He went to White Jade City Pavilion by himself.

He raised his head and looked at Lu Fan, who was in the pavilion.

“Young Master Lu, I want to ask for a piece of land for the Master to rest on the island. Will you grant it?” Mo Tianyu asked.

On the pavilion…

Lu Fan’s eyes focused on the Master’s body carried by Mo Tianyu. A hint of a smile remained on the Master’s face. It was a smile of contentment like a child finally got the desired toy.

“Yes,” Lu Fan said.

Mo Tianyu didn’t expect the Young Master Lu who tended to be disobliging would grant his wish so easily.

Lu Fan leaned in the wheelchair and said gently, “I promised the Master before.”

Mo Tianyu stood up and walked on the island. Beiluo Lake Island was fairly small. He roamed on the back side of the island and finally found a place facing the peach blossom and chrysanthemum.

******

The content of Lu Fan’s lecture didn’t trigger any intense or dramatic response among the power groups.

Of course, the knowledge of the Heavenly Lock and the Golden Elixir Realm helped the public have a better understanding of the cultivators’ leveling system.

The Jianghu, on the contrary, burst into an uproar.

The Tianji Pavilion of White Jade City roughly organized the content of Lu Fan’s lecture and attached a simple Gathering Qi Cultivation Method to the notes and then distributed it the rest of the people.

The war between the cultivators in the early ancient times was not vividly described since it was a written document. However, at least it informed the public of the existence of that glorious war.

The simple cultivation method made the Jianghu boil with excitement. It threw people into a chaotic scramble for copies because one could only become a real cultivator with the cultivation method.

Besides, the public was also attracted to Lu Fan’s notion of the Jianghu of cultivators in the future.

To restore a Jianghu where cultivators of all schools of thought could exchange and compete!

How exciting!

West County.

On the bank of Dongyan River…

The Overlord Xiang Shaoyun put down the bamboo slips that documented the content of Lu Fan’s lectures.

The Overlord already knew most of the things mentioned. The only thing that intrigued him was… the level above the Internal Organs Realm, Golden Elixir Realm, and Heavenly Lock.

“The realm of Alien Evil Spirit is not interesting at all. I only want to break Heavenly Lock.”

Overlord narrowed his eyes and raised his hand. His fingers gently stroked his spine.

“The Internal Organs Realm tempers the internal organs. Heavenly Lock builds Heaven’s Spine…. What an enigmatic cultivation method,” Overlord exclaimed.

The cultivation world was as deep as the sea. The more he studied, the better he knew about the long and arduous journey of cultivation.

Could he rise to Heaven and fight against the deities when he reached the ultimate cultivation level?

“What’s Lu Ping’an’s current level? Is he in the Heavenly Lock Realm?”

The Overlord always felt that Lu Fan’s power was so mysterious and beyond his imagination.

He picked up the notes that Tianji Pavilion sent out to the public. It was a much simpler method that focused on the basics.

“White Jade City is planning on… imparting the Daoism to the world?”

“The age of cultivators is really coming.”

Just when the Overlord was pondering the ambitious move of White Jade City…

General Xu Chu was sprinting toward the tent.

“Mayor! Something big happened!”

Xu Chu came to the Overlord’s tent.

“Jiang Li was imprisoned. The Master of Confucianism died in the battle in Dongyang County. The disciples of Confucianism were furious and went to protest in the capital city. The Black Dragon Guard killed almost a thousand disciples following Yuwen Xiu’s order…”

Xu Chu hurried to tell the Overlord the news.

The deaths of the Master and the disciples of Confucianism were catastrophic to Confucianism.

In fact, Confucianism was almost completely obliterated because of this calamity.

The Overlord’s pupils contracted upon hearing the news.

“The Great Zhou Dynasty was established around Confucianism. We only survived this far because of Jiang Li and Kong Xiu… Now Jiang Li was put in prison, and Kong Xiu passed away. What does the Great Zhou have left? ”

“The Black Dragon Guard? Humph… Just a group of trash.”

The Overlord stood up. His tall and sturdy body was filled with terrifying power.

The Master’s death wasn’t anything that he had foreseen.

He admired how the Master held out against the powerful cultivators like the Buddhist monk with his flesh and blood.

What an amazing person he was!

“Kong Xiu of the Confucianism….”

The Overlord took in a deep breath.

Somehow, he suddenly felt that Kong Xiu wouldn’t have died in Dongyang County if he wasn’t disappointed by Yuwen Xiu and didn’t leave the capital city.

Maybe Kong Xiu did this for the Overlord.

After all, back in the day, the Overlord was the most powerful fighter who worried Kong Xiu the most.

The rise of the cultivators and the invasion of the Five Barbarians disrupted Kong Xiu’s plan.

“A commoner fights against cultivators in the Internal Organs Realm….”

“I, Xiang Shaoyun, am willing to call you the greatest man,” the Overlord muttered, staring at the flowing Dongyan River.

Even the Overlord couldn’t fight against a cultivator in the Internal Organs Realm with a mere commoner’s body.

He admired the Master because he couldn’t do it himself.

Xiang Shaoyun only held a person of strong character in such high esteem.

Looking at the Overlord’s hulking silhouette, Xu Chu raised his fist and pressed it against the chest and said, “Mayor… There is one more thing.”

“Speak,” replied the Overlord.

“According to the scouts in North County, Tantai Xuan, the Mayor of North County, planned to worship Heaven at the Dragon Gate on the Wentian Peak in half a month.”

“Rumor has it that Tantai Xuan wants to break away from the Great Zhou and set up a new country called the Great Xuan.”

Xu Chu continued to say, “But the news hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

While looking at the roaring river, the Overlord’s body trembled upon hearing Xu Chu’s report.

Then, the Overlord stared at the Dongyan River, rushing in the snow, and burst into a hoot of laughter.

“How interesting.”

“The Great Zhou is unprincipled. If North County sets up the Great Xuan, how can my West County fall behind?” the Overlord said.

His voice reverberated above the river. Standing behind him, Xu Chu flushed and trembled with excitement.

******

Capital city.

In the dungeon.

The old eunuch walked out of the dungeon and left in a horse carriage.

Jiang Li sat quietly on a bed of hay inside the dungeon.

His face twitched slightly.

He was recollecting his conversation with the old eunuch.

He thought the old eunuch came to persuade him. Much to his surprise, the old eunuch talked about many unrelated topics with him.

The old eunuch leaned against the wall and chatted over irrelevant matters in his high-pitched voice.

The old eunuch mentioned the late emperor and Yuwen Xiu’s childhood.

He watched Yuwen Xiu grow up and become the current young emperor from a naive and ignorant child.

Jiang Li listened quietly without speaking much.

He was staggered that the old eunuch brought up many small details about Yuwen Xiu.

Nevertheless, he also understood something after the initial shock passed.

The old eunuch saw him as someone he could bare his heart to.

When he finished talking…

He looked at Jiang Li and said, “General Jiang, escape if you can…”

“His Majesty is not the same person anymore. Human life is worthless lie dirt to him.”

“It’s not worthy for someone like you to die in prison in vain,” the old eunuch said.

Then, the old eunuch stuffed a ball of paper in Jiang Li’s hand and left the dungeon and returned to the Zijin Palace.

The old eunuch stopped babbling and returned to his taciturn norms once he walked out of the dungeon.

Inside the dungeon…

Jiang Li pondered carefully for a long time. He looked at the thing the old eunuch gave him.

The paper documented a cultivation method of Spirit Qi.

Jiang Li raised his head. He couldn’t see the sky outside of the gloomy and musty dungeon. Yet somehow, Jiang Li could feel a storm was around the corner.

******

Half a month…

Quickly passed by.

Almost everyone in the Jianghu had been cultivating for the past half month after receiving the cultivation method from the Tianji Pavilion of White Jade City.

Many groups even created their own cultivation technique by merging the cultivation method from White Jade City with the original Transfusion Technique.

It dramatically increased the speed of cultivation.

It was common for the people in the Jianghu to have a Qi Core at the first or second grade. After all, the anomaly of the world happened only a short time ago. Many people received the Spirit Qi.

Only people who had the fourth- or fifth-grade Qi Core could be called a pro.

People who had the eighth- or ninth-grade Qi Core or even who were at the peak of Qi Core Realm were among the best in the current Jianghu. No one had entered the Internal Organs Realm so far.

A large number of geniuses emerged from the masses because of the number of people who started to cultivate.

It was easy to tell a person’s gift—the amount of Spirit Qi in the cinnabar field.

Ordinary people could hold nine wisps of Spirit Qi at most.

Everyone who had a more substantial capacity would be called a genius.

A small sect in the Jianghu had an uncanny genius who could hold 18 wisps of Spirit Qi.

The moment the news broke…

All the schools and sects in the Jianghu reached out to him and tried to win him over. Grateful and loyal, the person didn’t want to leave his sect.

However, he only brought complete annihilation to his people. His sect was annihilated overnight.

The chief of the sect protected the genius to escape during the night yet was eventually killed.

The genius was the only survivor of this once flourishing sect.

The genius wailed bitterly under the starry sky. He remembered the person from White Jade City once said that the cultivators of Jianghu were a hundred times crueler than an ordinary cultivator.

He only experienced it now.

The genius was chased for several days.

He was finally rescued in an old, snow-covered Daoist temple outside of the capital city by a scholar who wore shabby robes and acted like a lunatic. The people who were chasing the genius all died after an earth-shattering roar of the scholar.

The genius was astonished.

After killing those people, the crazy scholar snorted laughter, then stumbled outside, and disappeared in the vast expanse of snow.

The genius realized what happened and hurried to run after him.

Later, the genius joined the crazy scholar’s sect.

It was a newly established sect that didn’t even have a name. At least the genius never heard the crazy scholar mention the name.

Only until one day when the crazy scholar was drunk did the genius learn from his rambling that it was called…

The Haoran Sect.

******

Half a month.

The Great Zhou underwent tremendous change. The invasion of the Five Barbarians came to a close as they withdrew with considerable casualties.

The more shocking news was…

Tantai Xuan of North County proclaimed to the public that he worshipped Heaven in front of the Azure Dragon Gate at Wentian Peak.

With Lv Dongxuan of White Jade City Tianji Pavilion as his witness, he established a new country called the Great Xuan.

As for now, the Great Xuan was officially founded.

Several large counties of the original thirteen counties responded to the call and joined the Great Xuan.

Tantai Xuan, the Lord of Beixuan, raised his arm and called for action.

He raised an army for a punitive expedition against the Great Zhou.

It was triggered by the Master’s death and the massacre of the disciples, on top of the inaction of the Great Zhou during the invasion of the Five Barbarians.

The storm swept across the world.

The armored horsemen of the Great Xuan, led by Tantai Xuan, sprang at the south like a tiger with a crushing force.

Not long after Tantai Xuan founded the Great Xuan…

The Overlord of West County also declared to the public, “West County is Western Liang from now on!”

Brandishing the axe, the domineering Overlord headed to the capital city of the Great Zhou.

“The Great Zhou is moralless and unprincipled. We will overthrow it.”

The formidable armored horsemen of Western Liang marched across the river and pressed on toward the capital city.