Initiating a revolution within the cultivation system was by no means an easy task, especially since the martial arts cultivation system in this realm had reached a high level of maturity. It could be said that, aside from the limitation of lifespan, their cultivation system virtually had no flaws.
If Pei Xuanjing were to bring out his Martial Classics and some practice skills now, he likely wouldn't achieve his goal of having more people embark on the cultivation path and initiating a revolution. Instead, it would immediately alert those powerhouses and be suppressed, with these skills being treated as forbidden knowledge.
For those at the pinnacle, they indeed were not conservative or unwilling to accept new things, but for them, stability was of greater importance. Only through stability could they maintain their status and protect their vested interests from loss.
Once the Martial Classics were disseminated, although the top-tier powerhouses could strengthen their foundations and obtain longer lives, the appearance of more and more martial artists would trigger internal competition, intensifying the struggle among the martial artists of this realm. Their original rule would be threatened and no longer as stable.
"For them, their first reaction at that time will not be anything else but to figure out how to prohibit the spread of the Martial Classics. Only after they have reaped the benefits themselves will they allow gradual changes," Pei Xuanjing sneered coldly, a chill flashing in his eyes: "However, this is not what I hope for. I am sharing these skills publicly so that more people can set foot on the path of cultivation, not to become a tool for these people to solidify their foundations."
...
Indeed, Pei Xuanjing's promotion of these skills was to fulfill his own plan, to pave the way for all beings and forge ahead on the Immortal Path. He definitely didn't want the things he painstakingly developed to be used only for the powerful to continue to exploit and oppress all beings.
While Pei Xuanjing had no particular vendetta against those in power, from his perspective, whether they held power and status or were ordinary beings, they were essentially equal. Pei Xuanjing wouldn't deliberately suppress the powerful to enforce so-called equality, but he also believed that his actions should not lose fairness. This was Pei Xuanjing's philosophy, and he was fully entitled to act in such a manner.
Therefore, Pei Xuanjing would not immediately pass on these skills. He could first train a group of people, then spread them as seeds throughout the world to fulfill his plan.
While this may take quite some time, time was not something Pei Xuanjing lacked. He had sufficient time to complete his plan without the need to rush, only ensuring that the plan could proceed smoothly step by step.
The Royal Mansion was being built gradually, the prototype of his Mystical Land of Blessings in the works, while on the other hand, he was recruiting numerous wandering children and training them in preparation for his plan. Pei Xuanjing's life was rather leisurely, seemingly unconcerned with the common affairs of the world.
However, Pei Xuanjing's indifference did not mean the world was at peace. On the contrary, this realm had never truly settled down.
Take the Dahong Dynasty, for instance; ever since the old Emperor was on his deathbed and the princes began vying for the supreme position. The Dahong Dynasty had been in constant turmoil. Even after the new Emperor ascended the throne, the realm had yet to calm down. Instead, the underground currents seemed to grow more turbulent, with a storm brewing ever more clearly.
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This new Emperor had risen to power through a palace coup. Although he purged many enemies, without a doubt, plenty of foes had escaped. With him unable to completely suppress all those opposed to him, securing full control over the Dahong Dynasty had become very difficult.
"The throne should be occupied by those with strong armies."
This saying circulated once again in everyone's minds after the new Emperor's coup. Before, all sides may have needed to maintain appearances, but the new Emperor had certainly set a bad precedent by exposing the underlying fictions.
A palace coup was not the big problem; the real issue was if using such tactics to rise to power, you cannot suppress your enemies, instilling fear in others. Instead, due to your actions, many might think, "If you can start, why can't I finish?"
Those unwilling or unable to serve the new Emperor naturally began to ally with other princes who never had a chance to contest the throne—now the various regional kings. They didn't need these kings to have powerful forces, just a name to manipulate many things.
Following the new Emperor's ascent, many regional kings and forces in the court opposed to the new Emperor colluded. While they had not yet openly raised the banner of rebellion, they essentially claimed territories as their own, disregarding the Emperor's edicts, isolating themselves, almost as if they were forming a state within the state.
Facing the current situation of the Dahong Dynasty, the enemy nations were also covetous. Although they had not invaded yet, they amassed large armies at the border, ready to strike at any moment, necessitating vigilance.
Facing internal and external pressures, the new Emperor had not enjoyed a few happy days on the throne before the troubles inside and outside Dahong made him anxious and frustrated, his furious rage having nowhere to vent.
Even hearing that his Seventh Prince was gathering wandering children, seemingly preparing to raise death warriors as guards, the new Emperor did not have time to attend to this. Compared to the other regional kings who were conspiring with various forces against the court, the Seventh Prince's approach was already quite commendable.
"All of this is you forcing my hand. Only I am fit for this throne. If anyone else were to be the Emperor of Dahong, the Dynasty's existence would mean nothing to me," the new Emperor's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness.
Ascending the throne had not gone as smoothly as he had imagined; his decrees did not result in immediate submission. Instead, these rebels each harbored lingering ambitions, seeking to take his throne and overturn his position—something the new Emperor could not allow.
In such circumstances, he was absolutely unable to control Dahong as he did before, so he finally made a decision and agreed to the terms of a certain force.
The new Emperor's sudden rise to power was actually without the backing of a top-tier force. Although wielding command of the Royal Capital's Formation Technique nexus allowed him to counter top martial artists from the Twelve-Floor Tower within the Royal Capital, outside it, he had no one under his command with such combat prowess, which was one reason for his internal and external dilemmas.
So in this situation, once he assumed the throne, there was a top-tier force that expressed a willingness to collaborate. They offered support to the new Emperor, helping him suppress opponents and rebels. In return, the Emperor would have to share a portion of Dahong Dynasty's power and benefits with them.
As the newly ascended emperor, he was filled with ambition and grand aspirations. He had yet to face any setbacks, and his heart harbored an attitude of supreme egotism.
Thus, when presented with such a proposition initially, the new emperor instantly and decisively refused. He couldn't possibly agree to such terms, as he considered them a humiliation.
However, reality is often a harsh blow. Years into his reign, the new emperor hadn't achieved control over Dahong as effortlessly as he had imagined. Instead, he faced dilemmas both domestic and foreign. Edicts struggled to make their way out of the royal capital, and even his own status faced tremendous threats.
"As long as I can suppress the rebels throughout the land and regain control of Dahong, what I give up today can certainly be reclaimed one day," the new emperor thought, filled with wild ambition.
He was unwilling to relinquish the power in his hands, far less to be overthrown or to lose his life. What did it matter if he refused to cooperate with others? Should he die, and the world fall into the hands of other lords, its safety could not be guaranteed.
Better that I do it than others, he resolved. His cooperation was feigned, waiting for the right moment when he would rule the land alone. At that time, he could likewise seize back the privileges he had conceded.
...
Therefore, he agreed to cooperate and relinquished a portion of his interests and power in exchange for the support of the top-tier force, the Star Moon Temple.
The Star Moon Temple was a renowned power in these realms, hosting three Martial Artists of the Twelfth Realm in the Twelve-Floor Tower within its ranks. In addition to the two leaders of the Star Temple and Moon Temple, there was a mysterious Lord of Gods who was considered one of the top ten powerhouses within the Twelve-Floor Tower across Heaven and Earth.
Once the alliance was formed, the Star Moon Temple immediately dispatched numerous experts to join the ranks of the Dahong Dynasty. Obeying the new emperor's commands, they followed the emperor's army and his subordinates to suppress any forces that refused to submit, stripping rebellious lords of their powers and reasserting the new emperor's governance over those territories.
In no time, a bloodbath swept through the entire Dahong Dynasty, with countless Martial Artists being slain and numerous forces destroyed. The emperor's influence began to expand, and Star Moon Temple's branches established a widespread presence throughout the entire territory of the Dahong Dynasty.
Facing the interventions of the Star Moon Temple, various factions were initially caught off guard and suffered immense losses. Eventually, they realized the threat to their existence and temporarily abandoned their bases to form several Alliances against the Star Moon Temple and the new emperor's armies.
Yet, the Star Moon Temple truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier power. Even though the Ji Fang Alliances also had top-level Martial Artists of the Twelve-Floor Tower, the intervention by the Lord of Gods from the Star Moon Temple resulted in one such powerhouse being slain and another severely wounded, escaping. The alliances they belonged to were instantly annihilated, countless Martial Artists were killed or captured, reduced to prisoners at the feet of the new emperor and the Star Moon Temple.
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In such a situation, the entire Dahong Dynasty was in a state of terror and unease, and no one knew when the Star Moon Temple and imperial forces might come knocking.
For they had realized that these two parties had not only targeted the rebels from the beginning but had gradually adopted the intention to reorganize the martial world of Dahong. Everywhere they went, all forces had to submit and obey the edicts of the Emperor of Dahong and the Star Moon Temple. Anyone who disobeyed or failed to follow through would be immediately annihilated without mercy.
The martial world and the imperial court were interdependent, yet neither had ever completely defeated or utterly subjugated the other. For thousands of years, whether the imperial court suppressed the rivers and lakes or the rivers and lakes bested the imperial court, they still retained their independence.
Now, however, the intentions of the new Emperor and the Star Moon Temple were clear: they sought to break with tradition and bring the entire martial world of Dahong under their absolute control, commanding obedience throughout the land.
This undoubtedly enraged other forces that had originally not taken part, as no one wished to be restrained, and this was especially true for accomplished cultivators and martial artists.
It could be said that at this moment, chaos thoroughly erupted throughout the land; every martial artist in Dahong felt endangered, and every faction faced difficult decisions.
And in these times, once again people ascended to Pei Xuanjing's fief, seeking the aid of this prince.
Because the new emperor and Star Moon Temple had become too powerful to challenge, and most importantly, if they wanted to overturn the current regime, they had to penetrate the Royal Capital.
However, the formation nexus of the Royal Capital was an insurmountable barrier, not even the combined efforts of numerous martial arts experts from the Twelve-Floor Tower could easily break through—thus necessitating Pei Xuanjing's intervention, a cultivator with exceptional Taoist talent.
After all, it was widely known that he had once held partial authority over the formation nexus of the Royal Capital.
Qingyun Path, Wuji Sect, and Tianwu Pavilion—these three forces each had top martial artists from the Twelve-Floor Tower at their helm and were only slightly less powerful than the Star Moon Temple. However, in this latest round of encirclement, a Twelve-Floor Tower martial artist from Tianwu Pavilion perished in battle while those from Wuji Sect and Qingyun Path suffered heavy injuries, resulting in devastating losses for their significant forces.
Of course, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse; even with the death and injury of top Twelve-Floor Tower martial artists, they remained the leading forces in the rivers and lakes. Yet, to jointly overcome this crisis, they shed all pretense, each sending martial artists from the Eleven-Floor Realm to Pei Xuanjing's fief to request his help.
Upon their arrival, they no longer bore their usual haughty demeanor; they spoke with earnestness and humility, praising Pei Xuanjing to the skies, as if the situation had deteriorated beyond salvation.
"I, the prince, am solely dedicated to cultivation and have no desire to meddle in the affairs of the world," Pei Xuanjing resolutely refused the martial artists who had come seeking help, led by the powerful figures from the three great forces and their respective alliances.
Pei Xuanjing was well aware of their predicament; they had no retreat left, unless willing to abandon everything in the Dahong Dynasty and flee to another country, or else they would have to face continuous strikes from the new emperor and the Star Moon Temple.
Their purpose in coming was none other than to use Pei Xuanjing's hand to break through the Royal Capital's formation nexus. Despite their current posture, once the formation was shattered and the Star Moon Temple defeated, these people would surely adopt an entirely different attitude.
Facing Pei Xuanjing's refusal, the leaders of the three alliances who had come together were quite displeased. As Eleven-Floor Realm martial artists themselves, they were among the rare powerhouses between Heaven and Earth. With their high-ranking status in major forces, they were used to flattery and sycophancy wherever they went.
They were willing to stoop and persuade the Seventh Prince because of his familiarity with the Royal Capital's formation nexus and the significant assistance he could provide. In their eyes, this was already a great concession.
Indeed, even though Pei Xuanjing was a prince, he didn't amount to much in their eyes; after all, when it comes to martial arts in this world, one's own strength is the ultimate measure.
In the eyes of many, Pei Xuanjing, despite his extraordinary Taoist talent and control of the Royal Capital's formation nexus, able to contend with Twelve-Floor Tower powerhouses, relied on external forces. Moreover, this wasn't the Royal Capital, so what right did he have to refuse them?