Chapter 277: Chapter 1 The Great Zhou has no Incompetent Ruler
It was nearing September, a time when the air should be crisp with autumn, yet the mountains and rivers near Divine Capital were blooming as if it were early spring.
On both banks of the Lingqu River in Divine Capital, peach blossoms dazzled in vibrant splendor. Occasionally, when the wind stirred, petals fell like fluttering butterflies, then drifted away with the current, presenting a different kind of beauty—irresistibly charming.
Jiang Li, dressed in white Cloud Clothes with a jade hairpin fastening his hair, stood like a dashing young nobleman on a small boat, surrounded by this enchanting scenery. Even someone as indifferent to romantic aesthetics as him felt a sense of exhilaration at this moment.
"The scene of spring in autumn days is truly a marvelous spectacle," Jiang Li remarked wistfully.
It was now mid-afternoon. The sun hung obliquely in the sky, casting a soft golden light that spoke undeniably of autumn and hinted at the season of golden harvests. Yet, around Divine Capital, the climate was entirely that of spring, with flowers blooming profusely and life thriving—all in stark contrast to the natural season.
Such a phenomenon, for ordinary people, was utterly inconceivable, and for cultivators, it was an awe-inspiring display of great divine power.
"It indeed is," a cheerful old man, who was rowing at the stern, commented. "Having lived for sixty years, I’ve never witnessed such a phenomenon. This marvel has attracted countless scholars and nobles from various provinces to come and behold the scene. In these days, the pleasure boats near Divine Capital have never ceased to sail."
Jiang Li acknowledged this with understanding.
This rare spectacle, which might not occur even once in five hundred years, definitely needed to be taken advantage of thoroughly. One should compose poems and lyrics here to mark their visit.
Should inspiration strike and yield verses that would become widely cherished, one’s name would be immortalized in history, and this event would become a delightful tale for future generations.
Under such temptation, it seemed that scholars and nobles from all over the Nine Provinces had come, some even crossing thousands of mountains and rivers, determined to share in this moment.
As the old man spoke, a flower boat sailed past their smaller vessel. Music from zithers resonated ceaselessly from the boat, interspersed with the laughter of women, a sound that harmonized perfectly with the spring-like atmosphere.
Divine Capital was immersed in a mood of song and dance, with everyone viewing this unnatural spectacle as a divine blessing and singing its praises.
As for the recent catastrophe in Yong Province... that was deemed unimportant.
"What spectacle? It is merely the Emperor’s folly."
An ethereal voice suddenly reached Jiang Li’s ears, accompanied by a flash across the jade hairpin, which conveyed his master’s words.
On this trip to Divine Capital, Jiang Li and elders like Tianxuan had split into two groups. The elders were escorting the Thunder God of the Taiping Sect to the Heavenly Prison, whereas Jiang Li was visiting the Iron Pillar Temple under the pretense of traveling.
Of course, though they separated, ensuring safety was paramount.
Not only had they imbued Jiang Li with three life-saving divine skills using True Yuan, but they also crafted a magic artifact that allowed constant communication within a certain range between him and Tianxuan, with Tianxuan also able to pinpoint Jiang Li’s location.
In the event of a life-threatening situation, the jade hairpin magic artifact could even save his life.
Provided, of course, that the talisman instilled by Tianxuan within the artifact had not faded. After seven days, Jiang Li would need to find Tianxuan to recharge the talisman and ensure its efficacy.
"The Emperor speaks with the Heavenly Decree; even Confucianism’s ’Word Follows Law’ is but an imitation of such divine power. Only he could reverse the seasons in Divine Capital, causing flowers to bloom simultaneously."
Elder Tianxuan’s words carried a tone of disapproval. "Such actions hardly qualify as a spectacle and will undoubtedly backfire next year."
The blooming and wilting of flowers were natural cycles. The Emperor’s reversal of seasons, ensuring perpetual bloom, in fact, forcibly drained the future potential of these flowers.
Plainly speaking, blooming requires the nutrients in the soil. By using up this year’s nutrients during autumn and winter, there would be none available for next spring and summer.
Unless the Emperor was willing to exhaust vast divine powers to create resources from nothing and replenish the consumed energy, the extravagant bloom now could only lead to an equally significant decay next year.
"After all, birth, aging, illness, and death are the inevitable phases of life," Jiang Li internally replied.
He could completely understand the Emperor’s actionshythms.
As a monarch controlling a vast empire and one of the mightiest beings in the world, the Emperor naturally refused to resign to mortality.
Reflecting on his past life, Jiang noticed that many brilliant rulers failed to accept death, with some even committing foolish acts in their later years.
It could be argued that the more ambitious and capable one was, the less they wanted to die because they had many more aspirations to fulfill.
This seemed to be no exception for the current Emperor of Zhou.
In fact, it was entirely expected given his position as one of the mightiest in the world, yet, paradoxically, shorter-lived than lesser beings.
Even in an era where eternal life was hard to achieve, under the influence of the Dao Fruit, high-grade powerhouses usually lived several hundred years. Even an average Eighth Rank could often reach a century if they avoided severe injuries.
Yet the Emperor might not even live to see his hundredth birthday.
Such a fate was less favorable than that of an average Eighth Rank—a situation Jiang himself would certainly handle more extravagantly than the Emperor had.
But Tianxuan simply said, "You do not understand."
"For eight hundred years, every Emperor of the Great Zhou has been a wise and enlightened ruler. Such foolish actions would certainly never be a part of the Emperor’s conduct."
Tianxuan’s voice remained calm, but it resounded with firm conviction.
As for Jiang Li, it was his first time learning how formidable the successive Emperors of Zhou had been.
He had always concentrated his attention on his Sect and cultivation, caring little for other matters, to the extent that he was oblivious to the illustrious deeds of the past Zhou Emperors.
Now, hearing about it from Elder Tianxuan, Jiang Li realized that, counting the current Emperor, the Great Zhou had already produced fifteen emperors who could be termed "Wise Sovereigns."
In the previous Qin Dynasty, six generations had fought their way to unify the realm, which was considered miraculous, although not without exaggerations—two of these six Emperors had died early, one having ruled only three days before his demise.
Great Zhou, on the other hand, would tally fifteen generations of residual influence after this Emperor passed away, each ruler living to a ripe old age without premature death.
It was incredibly stable, Great Zhou.
Not only were the commoners stable, but so were the officials, the social classes, and the Emperor himself, stable to an unbelievable extent.
A sudden instability in such a stable court deserved deep reflection.
At this moment, the boat moved through a stretch of river and suddenly, the scene opened up. An extremely vast lake appeared, spanning hundreds of acres, shimmering with light. Various boats moved back and forth on the water without appearing crowded.
"This young master, we have arrived at Dragon Abyss Lake. Would you like to board a ship to find your friend, visit the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform, or perhaps take a detour to the Imperial College?" the elderly man asked.
When Jiang Li had boarded the boat, he had only mentioned going to Dragon Abyss Lake, but hadn’t specified his destination.
Upon hearing the old man’s question, he looked surprised and smiled, "Old sir, how did you conclude that I am heading to these places? And what is there to enjoy at the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform?"
Boarding did not need further mention—it simply involved getting on a pleasure or decorated boat floating on Dragon Abyss Lake.
The Imperial College was straightforward as well.
Ten miles south from the shores of Dragon Abyss Lake lay the academic palace of the Great Zhou Confucian Sect, important to people of the Confucian order.
But the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform—its significance was unclear.
"It seems the young master has just arrived at the Divine Capital and is unfamiliar with recent renowned events," the old man said with a smile. "Four months ago, Zhong Shenxiu of the Creation Divine Blade and Yun Jiuye of the Dinghu Sect dueled at the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform, stirring a great tide in Dragon Abyss Lake. The sight was breathtaking. Since then, it has been a favored spot for many talented individuals, each aspiring to experience the magnificence of these two great figures."
"To think the old man is also aware of matters of cultivation," Jiang Li remarked, quite surprised.
As for the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform, his interest dwindled after hearing about it.
He had already crossed swords with both Zhong Shenxiu and Yun Jiuye; there was no need to visit the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform to appreciate their grandeur.
Should this be known, wouldn’t it unfairly lower his own status?
"People of the Divine Capital are talented and have a strong connection to the land; cultivators are common here but not elsewhere. Not to hide from the young master, I too have practiced some basic techniques, and naturally, I have some understanding of these matters of cultivation," the old man continued, his words imbued with the subtle pride of the people of the Divine Capital.
Listening to him, it seemed he must have been educated and perhaps had some youthful adventures.
"The Divine Capital indeed is a place of talented individuals."
Jiang Li chuckled and then shook his head, "However, I’m not heading to the Shooting Flood Dragon Platform or the Imperial College, but to the Iron Pillar Temple."
"Iron Pillar Temple?" the old man looked perplexed.
"Can’t go there?" Jiang Li inquired.
In Great Zhou, the Mystic Sect was prevalent, but Daoism was not quite flourishing. The majority of civilians worshipped in temples dedicated to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors rather than in Daoist temples devoted to the Three Pure Ones.
This was primarily due to the deliberate suppression by the court.
However, Iron Pillar Temple could establish itself near the Divine Capital, naturally being an exception among Daoist temples.
Approximately two hundred years ago, a prince from the Ji Family became disillusioned with worldliness and desired to pursue cultivation. Yet, within the Mystic Sect’s Three Emperors Sect, there was no tradition of renouncing secular life; true renunciation belonged to Three Pure Ones Sect’s Daoists.
And certainly, becoming a monk was even less likely.
Throughout these deliberations, eventually, Iron Pillar Temple was founded.
It was a Daoist temple unrelated to the Three Pure Ones Sect, not participating in matters of the Mystic Sect. It was merely a place for true cultivation. If descendants of the royal clan or noble families grew weary of worldly ties and wished to pursue asceticism, they would associate themselves with Iron Pillar Temple.
This aspect was somewhat similar to the Gongsun Family within the Dinghu Sect. However, the difference was that Ji Clan members entering Iron Pillar Temple to cultivate even abandoned the Gongsun surname, fully renouncing secular life without enjoying any excess privileges.
Over time, Iron Pillar Temple even became a choice for members of the royal clan and noble family descendants uninterested in competing for positions. Anyone willing to forsake everything could come here to renounce the world.
"Iron Pillar Temple used to be accessible, just not enterable, but recently it has been suddenly sealed off, not allowing anyone to approach," the old man replied.
Recently, huh...
Jiang Li’s eyes reflected contemplation as he prepared to perform some divination.
Just then, a gleam of rosiness moved across the water; a magnificent Flying Boat approached rapidly and halted near their small boat.
’People from Kunxu Immortal Palace.’
Seeing the style of the boat, Jiang Li remembered his earlier encounter.