Chapter 229: The Fifth Epoch
In the sky, Little Jade Capital.
Yankang National Teacher and his wife had been here for over ten days. This celestial city was like a fairyland, with sights rarely seen in the mortal world.
"National Teacher, have you been comfortable these past few days?" An old man in a white robe approached, asking with a smile.
Yankang National Teacher replied solemnly, "Little Jade Capital truly lives up to its name. The atmosphere here is extraordinary, and I find it hard to tear myself away. However, although this place is wonderful, it is far from the mortal realm. My ambitions do not lie here, and I must eventually leave. Please forgive me, Qingyou Shanren."
The old man, Qingyou Shanren, smiled and said, "National Teacher, there is no need to rush. I invited you here as a guest, but I have not yet told you the origins of Little Jade Capital."
Yankang National Teacher asked curiously, "I would be honored to hear it."
Qingyou Shanren led the way, guiding the National Teacher and his wife onto a rainbow bridge. This bridge was carved from seven-colored jade, spanning the sky, and standing on it felt like being atop a rainbow. When they reached the center of the bridge, the view of Little Jade Capital was different from what they had seen below. The mountains in the sky were arranged like a natural formation, and the palaces atop them seemed like dwellings of immortals.
"The origins of Little Jade Capital are older than you might imagine, National Teacher."
Qingyou Shanren laughed. "Its history can be traced back to the Kaihuang Era."
"Kaihuang?"
Yankang National Teacher had indeed never heard of Kaihuang, and he asked curiously, "Which nation does the Kaihuang Era belong to? No emperor of Yankang was ever called Kaihuang."
"Kaihuang is not Yankang. Kaihuang was a territory called the Kaihuang Nation."
Qingyou Shanren said, "National Teacher should know of the Kaihuang Nation—it is now the Great Ruins."
Yankang National Teacher's body trembled slightly, and he let out a deep breath. "The Great Ruins."
Qingyou Shanren led the couple across the rainbow bridge toward a floating immortal mountain, speaking unhurriedly, "Kaihuang is a Daoist term; Buddhists call it the Void Epoch. Buddhists say that existence, abiding, decay, and emptiness form the cycle, and the Void Epoch is the fourth epoch. We Daoists call it the Kaihuang Epoch. Now that Yankang has risen, we in Little Jade Capital call it the Yankang Epoch. During the Kaihuang period, the Great Ruins flourished and prospered. The great calamity that destroyed Kaihuang, we in Little Jade Capital call the Kaihuang Calamity. Before the Kaihuang Calamity, there were three other calamities."
The National Teacher's wife's eyes flickered, and she said, "Elder, you say Yankang is called the Yankang Epoch. If Yankang were to fall, would you call it the Yankang Calamity?"
"Madam is perceptive."
Qingyou Shanren smiled and pointed into the distance. There, a jade mountain floated in midair, and several Daoists were constructing a palace. "That palace is being prepared to store the history of the Yankang Epoch. When Yankang falls, the records of the Yankang Calamity can be compiled and left for future generations to study."
The National Teacher's wife could not help but ask, "Elder, what exactly is Little Jade Capital? Is it good or evil? What are your intentions toward us? We have been here for some time now, and you have let us wander and observe. Shouldn't you now reveal Little Jade Capital's true purpose?"
"Little Jade Capital has no purpose. We merely wish to observe the National Teacher, observe the reforms, and record what we deem useful for posterity."
Qingyou Shanren laughed. "We call ourselves immortals, not gods. We have no desire to interfere in the workings of the world."
Yankang National Teacher asked, "How do you distinguish between immortals and gods?"
Qingyou Shanren replied, "Immortals are human; gods are not human."
Yankang National Teacher pondered this and said, "Do you mean that humans cannot become gods, only immortals?"
Qingyou Shanren smiled and asked, "National Teacher, when you cultivated to the Divine Bridge realm and stood on the divine bridge, what did you see?"
Yankang National Teacher remained silent. The Divine Bridge realm was the seventh and highest cultivation realm, breaking through the Divine Bridge Divine Treasury.
"The Divine Bridge Divine Treasury—that divine bridge is a path to the divine realm. But every person's divine bridge is broken, unable to reach the other shore. National Teacher, you are no exception, are you?"
Qingyou Shanren continued, "The immortals of Little Jade Capital are no exception either. We have examined countless people's divine treasuries, and the divine bridges are all broken. Standing on a broken bridge, unable to reach the other shore, one cannot become a god. In truth, in terms of cultivation, we are already on par with gods, but the realm is severed."
Yankang National Teacher nodded. "I discovered this many years ago and once agonized over it. I searched through many ancient texts but found no solution. Does Little Jade Capital have records of reconnecting the broken bridge?"
"Yes."
Qingyou Shanren led them up the jade mountain to the palace, saying, "But even Little Jade Capital cannot achieve it. Because we cannot become gods, we strive to become immortals instead. That is why we old relics dwell in Little Jade Capital. Though we call ourselves immortals, when our time comes, we must return to the underworld and face death. We merely seek peace and quiet. National Teacher, Madam, this way, please."
Yankang National Teacher and his wife followed him into the palace complex on the mountain. Here, jade towers and jade pavilions, despite their ethereal immortal aura, felt desolate and empty, with no one in sight.
Little Jade Capital was indeed such a lonely place.
Qingyou Shanren led them through corridors and round doors, deeper into the palace: "However, during the Kaihuang Era, there was indeed a group of people who reconnected the broken divine bridge. They built a glorious and prosperous divine dynasty. Later, that dynasty turned to ashes and ceased to exist. The site of that dynasty is today's Great Ruins."
Yankang National Teacher grew excited. "Someone reconnected the divine bridge? Does that mean they could become gods?"
Qingyou Shanren nodded and smiled. "But very few of these people remain today. They are called the God-Forsaken."
Yankang National Teacher was startled. "Are they the forsaken ones in the Great Ruins?"
"No. The forsaken ones in the Great Ruins almost never have a complete Divine Bridge Divine Treasury. The immortals of Little Jade Capital have investigated."
Qingyou Shanren pushed open a door and led them inside, saying, "Yankang has received divine decrees before, hasn't it? Forbidding the forsaken ones of the Great Ruins from leaving. In truth, the divine decree warned you not against those forsaken ones in the Great Ruins, but against the remnants living in Carefree Village within the Great Ruins. Their divine bridges are intact. The divine decree was meant to guard against them."
Before them stood rows of bookshelves filled with thick volumes of records—the history of the Kaihuang Epoch recorded by the immortals of Little Jade Capital.
"If the National Teacher reads through these texts, you will understand what the Kaihuang Epoch and the Kaihuang Calamity encountered."
Qingyou Shanren bowed and prepared to leave the library, saying, "If the National Teacher still intends to follow the path you have set, then the history of the Kaihuang Epoch may well become the history of Yankang. What the Kaihuang Epoch faced, the Yankang Epoch will also face."
Yankang National Teacher returned the bow. "Your Little Jade Capital's Zhen Sanren died by my hand. Why, then, does the elder still invite me here?"
"Little Jade Capital does not interfere in worldly affairs; we only record them. When Zhen Sanren descended the mountain, he ceased to be an immortal of Little Jade Capital. Whether he lives or dies is none of our concern."
Qingyou Shanren walked out, saying, "While you and your wife are in Little Jade Capital, you are also immortals of Little Jade Capital. Once you leave, you are no longer connected to us. Every five hundred years, a sage emerges. We in Little Jade Capital wish to see whether today's sage can accomplish what the sages of old could not."
"Strange rules."
The National Teacher's wife's eyes wandered over the texts, and she said, "Husband, there is something off about Little Jade Capital's origins. I suspect they are descendants of the Kaihuang Nation."
"That is possible."
Yankang National Teacher sat down, picked up a scroll, and said, "They mean no harm. There is no need to speculate about their intentions. I want to read the history of Kaihuang and learn from the past."
The Great Ruins.
"I only wanted to find a low-level world for my people to settle and thrive in. I have no wish to wage war with your world."
The Heavenly Demon King of Dutian stared blankly, muttering, "Our Dutian is already finished. If we fight to the death with you, we will truly go extinct. I must take responsibility for my race. Let me go back. I will find another low-level world. Let me go back…"
Fox Ling'er looked at Qin Mu and whispered, "Young master, how about letting him go? He looks pitiful."
"How do I know if he truly intends to return or not?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "He is just a wisp of consciousness. His true body is still in Dutian. He can continue searching for other worlds without needing this consciousness to return. What if he doesn't go back but hides and summons his true body? That would be my fault. Not a single word from him can be trusted. If you believe him, you lose. Ahead is Xianglong City, only a thousand miles from the Village of Elders."
In the distance, Xianglong City came into view. Qin Mu relaxed—he was finally back in his own territory.
"Young master!"
"Young master is back?"
"Young master, how does Yankang compare to our Great Ruins?"
…
Qin Mu rode the Dragon Qilin into Xianglong City. Along the way, merchants greeted him, and Qin Mu smiled and returned their greetings. "Yankang is much more chaotic than our Great Ruins. There are constant rebellions and wars, with soldiers everywhere. It's not a good place."
"Indeed. Not long ago, many refugees fled into the Great Ruins, escaping the war. It's good that you're back, young master. Home is safer."
Qin Mu arrived at the city lord's mansion and asked, "Has the city lord returned?"
"The city lord came by a few days ago and then left. Would you like to stay, young master? I'll prepare a feast to welcome you back."
"No need."
Qin Mu said, "The New Year is near. I'll return to the village first."
Xianglong City had long been the property of him and Granny Si. The city's power structure was essentially that of the Demon Sect. Outside, the Demon Sect called Qin Mu the Sect Leader and Holy Teacher, but in Xianglong City, they still called him young master.
After all, the city's master was Granny Si, and Qin Mu was the child she raised. Being called young master was only natural.
Qin Mu set off on the road home. A thousand miles was a short distance—with the Dragon Qilin's speed, he could reach the Village of Elders in half a day.
The Dragon Qilin trod on the river's surface, traveling upstream against the current. The winter sunlight was warm, unlike the biting cold of Yankang. Qin Mu remembered last year when he and Xian Qing'er had fought the ice tide. Passing by that spot, he saw Xian Qing'er leading the villagers in smoking fish. They were rubbing salt onto large fish hanging from trees by the river, with damp wood burning beneath to infuse them with smoke.
The villagers had caught many large fish, hanging them at head height. The fish meat was crystal clear and glossy. During the New Year, they rarely went hunting, relying on these catches to get through the winter.
Qin Mu had the Dragon Qilin stop. The little girl with three braids blinked her bright eyes and said, "Cowherd, back in glory? Was it fun out there?"
Qin Mu smiled. "Not bad. I got chased everywhere I went. Did the monks from Little Thunderclap Temple come looking for you?"