Chapter 387 - 203: The Present and the Future: Even an Emperor is Possible

Chapter 387: Chapter 203: The Present and the Future: Even an Emperor is Possible

After paying their respects to the Ancestral Masters, Yang Wenqing followed Qin Huaiming out of the main hall. Only then did the profound sense of solemnity that had seeped into his very soul begin to fade.

An old man was already standing quietly on the mountaintop platform outside the hall doors.

His hair and beard were pure white and meticulously groomed. He wore a set of faded black Daoist robes, his figure was slightly hunched, his face held an almost transparent pallor, and his aura was faint.

What was most striking were his eyes, as placid as two deep pools reflecting the sky and clouds. They held the detached indifference of a life about to burn out, a near-transcendence over all worldly things.

This was none other than the Temple Priest of the Jade Chime Island main hall, a Foundation Establishment cultivator whose lifespan was nearing its end. Upon seeing Qin Huaiming and his disciple emerge, the old man gave a slight nod and bowed. "Martial Uncle Qin."

Qin Huaiming asked, "Nephew Tan, when will the others be able to return to the island?"

Tan Temple Priest replied, "The old ancestors will not be coming out of seclusion."

The "old ancestors" he mentioned were, of course, the highest-ranking elders of the Three Sects, who spent their years in seclusion—figures like Qianxin of the Xuanyue Lineage.

"As for the several martial uncles traveling abroad..." Tan Temple Priest paused in thought. "The first to return will be Martial Uncle Gu You. A message arrived the day before yesterday stating he will be back on the island the morning after tomorrow."

’Martial Uncle Gu You?’ A thought stirred in Yang Wenqing’s mind. He recalled his master mentioning that this Elder Gu You, despite his fondness for traveling the world and his seemingly carefree and unrestrained demeanor, was actually responsible for gathering intelligence for Wanxuan from across the seas.

Qin Huaiming nodded and asked a few more questions about recent affairs on the island. Tan Temple Priest answered each one briefly, his tone remaining placid throughout.

When the questions were finished, Qin Huaiming waved a hand. "That will be all. You should go and rest."

Tan Temple Priest simply gave a soft "Mm." His gaze rested on Yang Wenqing for a moment, lingering in particular on the majestic Lan Ying perched on his shoulder. A flicker of some inscrutable emotion seemed to cross the depths of his placid eyes before they once again became as still as an ancient well.

Qin Huaiming led Yang Wenqing down the mountain, slowly descending the same bluestone steps they had taken on their way up.

After a short walk, they stopped on a natural, jutting platform below the main hall. The vantage point was superb, offering a panoramic view of most of Jade Chime Island’s southern slope. Lush green forests, simple and elegant houses built into the mountainside, and the sparkling surface of the distant sea all lay before them.

Qin Huaiming stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing down at the island brimming with Spiritual Attribute. He suddenly spoke, "Wenqing, what do you think of this place?"

Yang Wenqing surveyed his surroundings and praised sincerely, "The Spiritual Qi is abundant, the Five Yang Five Qi are rich, and the environment is tranquil and transcendent. It is truly a holy land for cultivation."

"Yes, a holy land."

Qin Huaiming nodded, but then his tone shifted. "Then do you know why such a fine sect headquarters is guarded by only a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators on the verge of death, like the Temple Priest we just saw?"

Yang Wenqing was taken aback at first. He hadn’t considered it an issue moments ago, but now that Qin Huaiming had pointed it out, it did seem strangely illogical. Immediately, however, an answer leaped into his mind, formed from a combination of the classified information he’d accessed during his years in the City Defense System and his understanding of the Wanxuan system.

And so, he asked tentatively, "Master... is it because of the State Divine Artifact?"

Qin Huaiming turned his head, a flash of approval in his eyes. He nodded. "Precisely."

He looked up toward the vast sky, where a magnificent power—formless and intangible, yet undeniably real—seemed to envelop the entire Wanxuan Territory.

"Within Wanxuan, every cultivation lineage, regardless of its origins or its power, must exist under the authority of the State Divine Artifact. The Divine Artifact anchors the fate of the nation, establishes order, and governs the cosmos. It allows cultivation, it allows legacies to be passed down, and it even allows for a certain amount of competition and friction. But it will never permit the emergence of any independent ’state within a state’ capable of challenging or escaping its order."

"A sect headquarters like Jade Chime Island, which possesses its own independent lineage and is, to a certain extent, self-sufficient, could easily have become the core of a regional power in the past or if it were located overseas."

"But that is not permitted in Wanxuan. The State Divine Artifact invisibly draws the boundaries, maintaining a delicate balance. Most accomplished disciples of our Three Sects must enter the world, serving either in the City Defense System or the Government Army System. The only ones who remain here for long-term secluded cultivation are either the living dead whose lifespans are all but exhausted, like the Temple Priest, or young disciples who have yet to complete their training."

"If any sect attempted to gather its elites here en masse and entrench itself for an extended period, the Cabinet would personally intervene within three days." Qin Huaiming’s voice grew quiet. "This tournament of yours, for example, had to be reported ten years in advance. It might seem casual, but it actually went through multiple layers of approval."

A chill ran through Yang Wenqing as he listened. He had always known that the State Divine Artifact was paramount, but this was the first time he had so clearly understood the powerful constraints it placed upon the entire Cultivation Realm.

He didn’t find this state of affairs repulsive, however. In fact, he even felt that this was how worldly order ought to be maintained.

But then Qin Huaiming’s tone shifted again, becoming cold. "However, Wenqing, even a State Divine Artifact can fall."

Yang Wenqing’s pupils contracted, and his breath hitched in his throat.

As if seeing straight through the tempest in his disciple’s heart, Qin Huaiming continued in a low voice, "There has never been an immortal dynasty, nor has there ever been a Divine Artifact that could not be toppled. The turning of fortune and the cycles of the Celestial Dao—this is the natural order."

"It is merely a matter of timescale. To a mortal, it may seem an eternity, but to cultivators like us, it is not so long. This is especially true if you can reach the Third Realm, where you will have a lifespan of several thousand years. In such a long stretch of time, anything can happen."

"Foreign invasions, constant internal strife, natural and man-made disasters, or even the Divine Artifact itself shouldering too heavy a burden... if any single link in the chain breaks, it could trigger a cataclysmic reaction."