The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 2053: Chapter 1998–1999: Central Earth’s Power Structure and the Heir of the Duke (Happy New Year)

Actually, when you think about it, it’s quite simple: the most important matter for the Jade Emperor’s side over these ten thousand years is to assist the Jade Emperor in attaining the Dao Lord status, with everything hinging on the Jade Emperor.

If the Jade Emperor cannot become a Dao Lord, even if several more True Immortals emerge on the side of the Jade Emperor, it wouldn’t affect the grand scheme at all, nor change any shifts in the situation.

In order to ensure the Jade Emperor becomes a Dao Lord, even the resources available to the Jade Emperor’s few Princes in the Heavenly Court are limited, and they all remain at the level of Supreme Overlords.

Of course, the expansion plans of the Heavenly Court and the enhancement of the Divine Continent World’s foundations are not without benefits to all beings. As the Divine Continent World continuously improves, the cultivation environment changes and the longevity of cultivators increases accordingly.

Initially, around the time when the Divine Continent World was just elevated and during the War of Sealing Gods, the longevity of Supreme Overlords was just over ten thousand years. Even with some life-extending spiritual elixirs, life could only be extended by no more than five thousand years.

But with the current Divine Continent World, the longevity of Supreme Overlords has easily doubled to twenty thousand years, and with the help of some spiritual elixirs, living up to thirty thousand years is quite achievable.

In other words, Supreme Overlords who lived for ten thousand years in the past have now reached their twilight years, unable to fully exert their strength, and even after a great battle, might lose their lives due to insufficient blood qi.

In contrast, the millennial Supreme Overlords today are in their prime, possessing more powerful combat capabilities and the opportunity to pursue higher realms, which is why there are now so many strong figures in the Supreme Realm that need to be classified into multiple tiers.

However, even if Supreme Overlords can live for thirty thousand years, compared to the nearly infinite longevity of True Immortals, the difference between the two is as vast as the chasm between heaven and earth, incomparable.

Therefore, if there is indeed a chance for immortality, no cultivator would want to miss it; they are willing to give everything for it.

“Even if one merely survives, it is just thirty thousand years. But seizing the chance to become immortal means immortality.”

Strong figures who have reached this stage are not cowards, and even if there are, they are a very small minority.

In the very beginning, they could face it calmly, but as their longevity diminishes day by day and they see themselves aging, countless strong figures desire to fight for immortality rather than die on their sickbed.

In the past, the lack of opportunity was acceptable, but now that there is a chance for immortality, these strong figures have no hesitation and express no opposition.

With the envoy dispatched by the Jade Emperor arriving at the Daming Divine Dynasty, bringing news of the Daming Divine Dynasty’s plan to assail the four directions, all the strong figures within the Daming Divine Dynasty broke through their barriers and emerged, with countless ancient beings stepping out.

Wind and cloud changes, disrupting thousands of years of tranquility, beneath the seemingly calm surface of the Daming Divine Dynasty, surges have long been roiling.

The current Daming Divine Dynasty is akin to a small replica of the Jade Emperor’s Heavenly Court; truly, all sides that stand in the Daming Divine Dynasty are well-rooted, with their own legacies and origins.

Although the Dao Lord Battle in the Chaos Void will not be known to the Supreme Strong, they can gain some understanding from the Heavenly Court.

Likewise, for the world’s situation and changes, with winds rising and clouds surging, all forces within the Daming Divine Dynasty are fully aware and prepared for the commencement of the great battle from very early on.

Because these people are intertwined with the destiny of the Daming Divine Dynasty, they know they cannot separate themselves; they can only follow the Daming Divine Dynasty to its peak, or potentially fall into the abyss together.

The Five Directions Continent of the Divine Continent World, each is a vast continent, boundless. Each continent is several hundred, even thousand times larger than the original continent of the newly ascended Divine Continent World.

Ironically, within the Central Earth Continent where the Daming Divine Dynasty is located, the area they occupy is only one-tenth of the Central Earth Continent, yet it surpasses the territory commanded by the Daming Divine Dynasty at its peak.

In fact, any one of the nine provinces they divided would be more expansive than the territories once controlled by the Daming Divine Dynasty.

The original territory divisions of the Daming Divine Dynasty, structured by the founding Grand Emperor, with its two capitals and thirteen provinces, have evolved alongside its expanding territory, shifting to the most ancient method of dividing the nine provinces.

Furthermore, they took this opportunity to abolish one of the capitals, leaving only Tiandu in place, with the nine provinces encircling the eight directions.

However, the nine provinces of the Daming Divine Dynasty do not correspond to the ancient Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Liangzhou, and Yongzhou, but center around Tianzhou where Tiandu is, dividing the other eight provinces according to the Eight Trigrams: Qian, Kun, Xun, Zhen, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui.

Though many outsiders ridicule this, believing that Qian inherently means ‘Heaven’ and the terms Qianzhou and Tianzhou conflict, dismissing such nomenclature as foolish on the Daming Divine Dynasty’s part, the people of the Daming Divine Dynasty remain undisturbed and define the new nine provinces accordingly.

Of course, these are the opinions of those ignorant of the truth; only the genuinely knowledgeable powerful figures and factions understand that there is no issue with the Daming Divine Dynasty’s approach, as it aligns with common practice.

Although Tianzhou and Qianzhou seem repetitive, they represent different meanings. The eight provinces of Qian, Kun, Xun, Zhen, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui correspond to the arrangement of the Eight Trigrams, encircling Tianzhou at the center, which aligns with the concept of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.

Thus, in reality, Tianzhou should be at the central palace position of the Nine Palaces, and renaming it to Central State would be best.

But what many do not know is that after the establishment of his dynasty, the founding Grand Emperor of the Daming Empire named his hometown as the Central Capital, which over time almost became the site of the imperial ancestral halls, mausoleums, and ancestral tombs.

If Tianzhou were to be called Central Capital or Central State, first, it would alter the original name of Tiandu. Second, it would conflict with the ancestral halls and tombs, hence it cannot be named as such.

Qianzhou, the fiefdom of the Duke of England, a region controlled by the Duke of England who shares ties that rest with the world alongside the Daming Divine Dynasty, occupies this vast territory.

This vast region is comparable to a kingdom, not even inferior to some weaker empires. Originally enfeoffed as a Duke by Emperor Chengzu after the Jingnan Campaign, the lineage of the Duke of England is the most central subordinate of the Great Ming Royal Family and has thus been granted immense rewards.

Since the first Duke of England died in the Jingnan, and later Dukes perished at Tumu Fortress, assisted Emperor Yingzong with the Door Seizure, and one generation of Dukes followed the Jade Emperor to establish the Divine Dynasty and battle the Demon Race in the War of Sealing Gods.

In essence, if you trace the lineage of the Duke of England, it lays out the history of the Daming Empire’s transitions. The key factor is that unlike other noble officials who misplaced bets, chose the wrong sides, or had foolish offspring,

the Duke of England’s mansion’s outstanding talents emerged one after another, consistently aligned themselves correctly, remained the greatest winners, trusted by successive emperors, considered the backbone of the state, testifying to the might of the Duke of England’s lineage.

Therefore, this line of the Duke of England also enjoys the trust of the current Lord of the Daming Divine Dynasty, stationed at the strategic Qianzhou, commanding an army of a million, standing opposed to the Empire, safeguarding the safety of Tianzhou, demonstrating the enormity of their authority.

Now, the heir of the Duke of England, Zhang Weixian, the next Duke of England, clad in armor riding a magnificent Flood Dragon Horse, appears like an immortal Divine Mountain, eternally unmoving, gazing steadfastly into the distance. On his armor, ancient runes shimmer, containing terrifying power.

Behind him follow dozens of similar riders, all adorned similarly. These cavalrymen, each with solemn expressions, wear armor that glistens coldly under the sun, with swords at their waists, clearly marking them as elite soldiers.

“Heir, it’s getting late. It’s time to return.”

They are not currently within the Duke’s domain but had long left it, now located where shadows of individuals could already be seen on the city walls in the distance.