KaiserBlak
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Chapter 661: Retrospection
🕑 Added 2025-11-24 14:00:20 +0000 UTCCompared with when Tianyi first walked the streets of the capital of the Xi Dynasty, many things had changed. For one, it was now the Immortal Xi Dynasty. The current emperor was not Xi Chen but one of his grandsons. As implied by the immortal in front of Xi, he was an immortal monarch.
This was not to say Xi Chen did not reach the Immortal Realm. He had neither the qualifications nor the talent to become an immortal, but owing to their relationship, Tianyi forcibly raised him to the Pathfinding Immortal Realm. Just because he entered the Immortal Realm didn’t mean he would live long.
Sure, becoming a true immortal removed the three thousand and six hundred–year lifespan limit, but how long he survived still depended on Xi Chen’s willpower. Although he was an emperor, Xi Chen’s willpower was not that strong. Certainly, it was stronger than that of the average transcending-mortality saints, who had no chance of overcoming their Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation, but compared to other immortals, it was pitiful.
If he had had to face countless court intrigues, his willpower might have grown—or it could have made him more suicidal—but with Tianyi’s backing, no one could overthrow his rule. If any problem arose, he simply needed to call Tianyi through the Xiyi Talisman. It wasn’t just trouble; few dared to reject his proposals, especially after a cycle when the new ministers forgot his backing and were purged. Many times, they didn’t even make suggestions and strictly carried out his orders.
Perhaps he knew that such an environment would lead to the decline of the Immortal Xi Dynasty. So, Xi Chen abdicated to his most talented descendant, his grandson. Unlike with Xi Chen, Tianyi did not have such a close relationship. Outside of extremely dangerous situations, he would not intervene—especially when more true immortals arose from the Xi Imperial Clan.
Xi Chen then began his life of retirement. It was truly an enviable life with no worries or burdens. He did not cultivate and focused on enjoying everything life had to offer. Because of this, Xi Chen did not cling to life and entered eternal sleep when he felt himself losing his emotions.
“What’s wrong?” Tianyi asked when he saw Daoyi stop and stare.
Daoyi was staring inside an open square. Right in the center of the city, a large space had been set aside for a temple dedicated to the Heavenly Immortal Court. Around it was a large area of greenery, including flowers and trees. The middle-class residents walked through the area, enjoying the scenery, and only some made a pilgrimage to the temple.
Despite the upper echelons of the Heavenly Immortal Court growing wary of the Heavenly Dao and Mengfei by association, that did not stop their propagation of the Heavenly Immortal Court’s orthodoxy. Or rather, most of the Heavenly Immortal Court were unaware of the undercurrents, and the high echelon did not want to cause widespread panic.
Inside the temple was a multi-layered shrine dedicated to the divinities of the Heavenly Immortal Court. At the highest level was the Heavenly Empress, the supreme ruler of the three thousand realms. Right below her were the statues of the Concealed Emperor and Perfected Huanglong. Tianyi appeared only on the third layer.
Despite not holding any position, he was still the only child of the Heavenly Empress, so many people prayed to him. He was called the Nine Heavens Jade King or Nine Heavens Jade Prince, and he stood with the other immortal ministers, like Eternal Night and Everpast.
Daoyi was not on the fourth level but on the fifth level. Of course, if she revealed her divine status, she would likely be elevated to the second level, surpassing Tianyi—as long as he did not reveal his own attainments in the divine laws.
But it was not for this reason that she stared. Although there was a temple at the center, that was not this location’s main purpose. No, the area was a dedicated park.
Parks as a concept had existed for a long time, but rather than being recreational areas for everyone, they were private hunting grounds or gardens for nobility. This modern version of parks only appeared thanks to Gu Chuan’s films, which introduced the concept.
Normally, Daoyi wouldn’t have stopped or even paused, but seeing this familiar scenery made her recall Gan Xuehua’s words.
“It’s nothing,” Daoyi said, shaking her head. She pointed toward the park. “How about we take a walk?”
Tianyi nodded. “I heard these temples and parks are sponsored and managed by the imperial court. Before, most temples were located in the mountains. It’s easy for cultivators to get to, but difficult for mortals, who actually provide the most faith.”
“No wonder,” Daoyi said. “I thought the concept of parks had been made popular.”
Tianyi chuckled. “No. Such locations are rare, even in pure mortal communities. Most of them don’t see the benefit of constructing such locations. Most are still trying to increase the food supply so that everyone won’t have to go hungry. Compared to that, they don’t see value in parks that can only provide leisure and no tangible benefits. Well, no benefits to the upper class. They all have their own gardens and don’t think the lower class needs such luxuries.”
Daoyi hummed. She and Tianyi quietly walked through the park.
The two made a striking pair—Tianyi in his violet robe embroidered with golden dragons soaring through the starry sky, with a golden coronet atop his head. His attire and face paled in comparison to his bedeviling eyes, which seemed to hold the entire world within. Daoyi was not inferior at all. Dressed in blue with silver phoenixes flying across her dress, she exuded an aura that made mortals want to keep their gaze on her figure even past death.
Despite the pair’s extraordinary features, none of the park-goers paid much attention to them. All they saw was an illusion of a young but ordinary couple walking along the sidewalk and grass. They might appear above average, but there was nothing notable that would cause others to stare.
Daoyi had the illusion that she had returned to Earth before embarking on the path of immortal cultivation. More crucially, it was before the apocalypse, when the world she once knew disappeared forever. Not just the world, but even she had changed, and humans reverted to their primal desires.
“Although the core of this city was built in the image of the original capital, it still can’t hide the differences. Especially with the expansion,” Tianyi commented. “Most of the people here are descendants of cultivation families seeking relaxation or idlers with no talent. The real mortal families have relocated to the outer city.”
Relocated, not pushed.
It wasn’t strange but natural. The Immortal Xi Dynasty was one of the forces that boasted the largest integration between cultivators and mortals, but they still had segregation. Mortals could not understand those high and mighty cultivators, and similarly, cultivators did not seek to understand mortals.
A cultivator’s greater power and lifespan almost destined them to attain greater status and wealth than mortals, even if it was one cultivator against an entire family. The great disparity between their life levels destined that the two sides would drift apart.
“Some things haven’t changed,” Daoyi said.
At this, Tianyi stared at the imperial palace at the center of the city. Although it was also built in the image of the original, it had been expanded several times, like the capital itself. The old palace had been completely overtaken by the new palace, but that didn’t mean the old palace had been demolished. Instead, it was preserved as a cultural site, especially the area that Mengfei and Tianyi had visited. That remained true even for the recreated areas that mother and son had never touched.
He nodded. “Yes, but some things can’t return to where they once were.”
This went for both him and Daoyi.
“It’s impossible not to have regrets in life, but what matters is whether happiness outweighs regret.”
Tianyi stared at Daoyi, causing her to stare back. “What’s wrong?”
“No. I just didn’t expect to hear you say something so philosophical,” Tianyi said.
Daoyi got irritated at her husband’s words because she knew they were true. “Perhaps I’m feeling sentimental and having a moment of weakness.” She showed him a mischievous smile. “Maybe this is the best time to strike, you know?”
“That kinda misses the mark if you point it out, you know?” Tianyi said. Still, he wrapped a hand around Daoyi’s waist and brought her closer.
She didn’t continue teasing him. The pair continued walking through the park and finally left. Eventually, they left it and entered the main street. They came across a familiar estate while walking toward the palace.
Compared to the Xi Imperial Family, the Jiang Family had not changed their estate at all and continued to maintain its layout from hundreds of thousands of years ago. That didn’t mean that the Jiang Family’s population hadn’t multiplied. Only the main branch and most talented descendants lived in their ancestral home, while most members lived on estates built in newer districts.
Except for the Xi Imperial Family, the Jiang Family was recognized as the most powerful family within the Immortal Xi Dynasty. They also had an additional label attached to them—the most mysterious family.
The Jiang Family had kept a low profile for over a hundred thousand years. Because of this, much about them remained unknown to other factions. In every generation, they would always have only one minister in the imperial court. Their geniuses would appear like shooting stars, but if they entered the Immortal Realm, they would suddenly disappear.
Because of this, many families suspected that the Jiang Family was actually stronger than the Xi Imperial Family. Some even speculated that the Jiang Family had secretly controlled the Xi Imperial Family and ruled from the dark.
In reality, the Jiang Family was completely loyal to the Xi Imperial Family, but the rumors that their power exceeded the imperial family were not without basis. While the Xi Imperial Family’s strongest cultivator was an immortal monarch, the Jiang Family had produced an immortal emperor, though they had never revealed themselves.
“Do you want to visit?” Tianyi asked.
Daoyi shook her head. “No need. Just a bunch of fools trapped in the quagmire of the past.”
Because their past actions nearly brought about the destruction of the Jiang Family, each successive head followed the edicts left behind by their ancestor religiously. Only a select few knew that they were related to the famous Sovereign Thrallsong of the Heavenly Immortal Court.
For those who did not wish to live so constrained, the Jiang Family would expel them. Of course, they would also provide enough resources to live a life without worries if they were mortals. If they were cultivators, they would provide enough resources for them to reach the Nascent Soul Realm or its equivalent.
Although their actions maintained their lineage and inheritance, they also made it difficult to progress further. Daoyi wouldn’t have minded if they had wanted to leave and establish their own dynasty or force. After all, the ones who had done her injustice disappeared long ago, and she would not quibble with descendants separated by who knows how many generations—as long as they did not seek death.
Yet, to this day, the clan remained like a turtle hiding in its shell. Even when the first true immortal appeared, they did not request an audience, only sending a message. Had Daoyi not summoned them, they would not have sought her out.
Except for the family’s first true immortal, Daoyi only summoned the immortal monarch and gave some guidance and resources. That immortal monarch was the current immortal emperor residing within the Jiang Family Estate.
“Is that so?” Tianyi asked. He didn’t force it—it was just a casual suggestion from him. He himself was not close to the Xi Imperial Family, but that was likely more because he grew up in the Buzhou Immortal Sect and not within the imperial family. Then again, he couldn’t guarantee he could be so indifferent if his family had treated him the same way it had treated Daoyi.
“Let’s go,” Tianyi said. Just as he moved, he noticed that Daoyi had stayed still. “What’s wrong?”
Daoyi didn’t answer. She stared at the Jiang Family Estate, but her eyes were not on it. Instead, she stared at a metaphorical mirror. “Am I also a fool?”
