"Life and death are a mysterious realm, not falling into reincarnation... It sounds pretty formidable."
Wu Xian touched his chin, looking thoughtful, and then asked:
"Sir, do you know why God has been so fond of incarnation these days, such as the Northern Emperor Black, who, as far as I know, has been reincarnated four hundred years ago as an unknown Daoist and one hundred years ago as the leader of the Guanyin sect? Could there be a secret here that could further enhance their cultivation realm?"
"More or less."
"Zhang Fuhui sighed and said, 'After reaching the realm of life and death, simply good fortune and time are no longer enough for the Five Emperors to make any further progress. They can only achieve transcendence through reincarnation, and understanding the true meaning of life and death cycles. Only then can they reach a whole new level.'"
"New realm... heaven emperor? By the way, should the celestial realm have a heaven emperor, is that his realm above the realm of life and death?"
Zhang Fuyao furrowed his brow as he recalled, "Heaven Emperor... I once heard from the second life of Emperor Qin, the anonymous Daoist, that there used to be a heaven emperor in the celestial realm. It was said that he was originally just at the peak of the realm of life and death. But later, after he understood the true meaning of reincarnation, he transcended this realm. As a result, all the immortals in heaven were thrown into chaos, each vying for good fortune to become the next ruler of the celestial realm."
"And just two thousand years ago, when the strongest among the immortals, who is now the Central Huang Emperor, was about to achieve final victory, two ascended masters broke through the void and arrived in the celestial realm. They grew up at an incredible speed and gradually formed a three-way equilibrium with the Central Huang Emperor. These were the Western White Emperor and the Southern Red Emperor."
"And about what comes after that, you should know, the Northern Black Emperor and Eastern Green Emperor also ascended in succession. They ultimately took charge of certain parts of the celestial realm with the other three emperors, respectively, and formed a shared governance of the celestial realm..."
"Tsk! What a fascinating plot, but it sounds like there's no significant difference between heaven and earth, as they are all competing against each other."
Wu Xian raised an eyebrow, then let out a cold laugh: "I guess I understand why the Five Emperors of the Five Directions never directly involve themselves in human affairs. After all, human fortune means nothing to them. It's more worthwhile to think about expanding their territory in heaven than to waste energy and trouble themselves with this."
"Besides this, they also like to see the human world as a place for reincarnation practice and they believe that the more chaotic the environment is, the better it is for tempering their minds. That's why they allow other celestial beings to act freely in the human world. It's their way of practicing."
"From this perspective, the purpose of the Jade Emperor Xuanwu is probably not simple either. He probably wants to use the experience of a reincarnated body to elevate his own mind through a grand solitary salvation drama, thus taking that final step... It's no wonder that the original work's character setting for Xu Fengnian is so twisted and affective. Ten out of ten chances have something to do with this."
The last sentence was said in his heart. At the same time, Wu Xian also felt a strange sense of familiarity in his heart, as if he had seen this method of the Five Emperors using reincarnated bodies for cultivation somewhere before.
After a thought, isn't this the same as creating another him or her to share powers?
It is just that compared to the perfect sharing in the mysterious space, this method of reincarnation is too cumbersome and full of uncertainty.
A mere accidental mishap could result in a rebellious reincarnated body that goes against its original self.
For instance, Wang Xianzhi, the reincarnated body of Western White Emperor, is the quintessential example.
Indeed, it's safer to have one's own boon. In the case of Wu Xian, everyone has equal status; there's no distinction between the original self and the reincarnated body, or rather, they are all interchangable aspects of one another.
Most importantly, they are in different worlds and do not interfere with each other. This naturally eliminates the possibility of conflicts and only by doing so can true cooperation and mutual benefits be achieved.
"Perhaps there is such a possibility."
On the other side, upon hearing Wu Xian's criticism of the True Martial Emperor earlier, Zhang Fuyao couldn't help but sigh with a wry smile.
"However, the strength of the Five Emperors is far beyond what any mortal can withstand. If they were in the human world, their power would be limited to a mere one-tenth of the high-level cultivation of a Great Heavenly Sage. This is because of the constraints of the Heavenly Law."
"But if they are in the celestial realm, even ten Great Heavenly Sages at the level of life and death combined would be effortlessly slain by any of the Five Emperors, as they are not on the same level."
"Really? I don't think so."
As if he remembered something, Wu Xian's mouth curved slightly, and he then lifted one fist and slowly tightened it, confidently saying:
"Now that I can match the Great Heavenly Sage at the level of life and death without even stepping into the realm of Immortal on Land, when I become a Great Life-and-Death cultivator, even a heavenly god emperor may not be able to withstand my punch."
"In addition to this, we can also collect all the fortune of the human realm and mass-produce those who can match the cultivation level of a land immortal. Among them, some outstanding individuals may even have a chance to become Great Life-and-Death cultivators."
At that time, we will have the ability to counterattack the heavens, with seven or eight Great Heavenly Sages and over a hundred warriors with the strength of land immortals. Even if we cannot eliminate all the immortals, we can compel them to completely sever their ties with the human realm. This will at least secure hundreds, or even thousands of years of peace."
"......That's too risky. If we win, everything will be fine, but if we lose, the human realm will be completely reduced to a pasture for the celestial beings, at their mercy to be harvested as they please."
Zhang Fuyao shook his head and didn't think highly of Wu Xian's idea of going to the celestial realm. Or maybe his purpose was just to cut off the connection between heaven and earth, allowing ordinary people to take control of their own fate, which was already enough. He didn't dare to hope for more.
"Although it's said that a general should consider defeat before considering victory, but if you don't have the determination to sacrifice everything, what are you going to use to fight against enemies who are stronger than you on the surface? Belief and willpower?"
Wu Xian looked at Zhang Fuyao with a hint of disappointment and his figure gradually faded away, leaving only a voice echoing slowly through the air.
"The things I have said, senior, please consider again. If you don't want to cooperate, it's no problem, but please don't interfere. Otherwise, I won't mind taking away the Confucian fortune and creating more land immortals."
Zhang Fuyao stood in place, silent for a long time, sighing deeply after half a moment, disappearing into the palace as well.
...
Two days later, about thirty li outside of Tai'an City.
A thunderous sound echoes from the horizon, and from a distance, one can see vast swirling clouds of smoke, as if there were a land dragon turning over, presenting an awe-inspiring sight.
If someone has excellent eyesight and can see through the smoke, they will be astonished by the scene.
Because behind the smoke is a dense array of figures, all clad in armor and wielding sharp blades, exuding a piercing aura.
Even the horses beneath them were massive, twice the size of ordinary warhorses, and their heads, necks, and limbs were all adorned with iron armor. This gave them an intimidating aura.
Undoubtedly, this was the future force that would strike terror into the hearts of the world: the thirty-thousand Iron Cavalry of Northern Yan.
They, who should have confronted the Xichu army, gave up the advantage they had only just obtained and withdrew their entire force from the Xichu border. They followed General Xu Xiao back to the capital of Liyang.
This move was not only to rescue their general's wife but also to avenge the late Emperor Zhao Li, who was killed by the number one martial arts madman in the world.
