fifth form

Chapter 3828 Too Fast and Too Slow

"King Zhao Jiande of Nanyue has been executed!"

The sacrifice of destiny is genuine; the void lasts only a short time, while the outside world has undergone tremendous changes.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the waiting time was not long, but the new emperor's second sacrificial ritual had already begun.

By observing the new emperor through the Qi Luck Bead, Zhang Xuezhou could see the new emperor's Qi Luck Golden Body growing stronger once again.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled the new emperor directly into the flower room.

These are two different voids, and because he relied on the Luck Bead to bind with the new emperor, a brief connection was achieved, and the new emperor could return the moment the Luck Sacrifice ended.

"You can come back..."

The new emperor realized he hadn't even finished speaking when he was forced to leave. Before him, the familiar city of Chang'an reappeared, along with the sacrificial scene of the head of Zhao Jiande, the King of Nanyue, hanging at the northern gate of Chang'an.

He had many questions he hadn't asked and many doubts he hadn't resolved, but it all ended quickly.

Nanyue was a regime in the south of the Han Dynasty, established by Zhao Tuo, a general of the Qin Dynasty, leading an army of 200,000 and combining it with the local natives. Although its territory was vast, it was still inferior to the Xiong Kingdom. His meeting with Zhang Xuezhou was also much shorter than before.

"It seems the Jade Emperor is inside as well. No wonder he hasn't left the house in the past ten years, and the Celestial Court has repeatedly mentioned that the Jade Emperor is in seclusion!"

Although the time they spent together was extremely short, the new emperor sensed an aura he had never recognized before, and he also observed the Jade Emperor's whereabouts.

The people around the Jade Emperor seemed to be from Zhang Xuezhou's residence, including Zhu Jiuyin and others.

“Those days… I remember it was when Jiaojiao made a big mistake. A son cannot disobey his mother. I could not go against ethics and morality to punish my mother and let the world follow my example. I could only punish Jiaojiao. Dongfang Shuo agreed to this at the time. I… how come I didn’t see a trace of his intentions on his face at the time?”

The civil and military officials were filled with fervor, while the new emperor stood silently before the altar.

He felt that Zhang Xuezhou must have done something important, but he hadn't participated in it, which was a regrettable situation.

He waved his hand and pointed to Dongfang Shuo, who was among the many ministers who had joined in the fun.

The person is still the same person; apart from having a slightly fairer complexion, it's almost impossible to find any difference in appearance from Zhang Xuezhou in the past. But the person in front of you is no longer the same person as before.

"Accompany me for a stroll in the palace!"

The new emperor extended an invitation.

"I don't know anything!"

Before the new emperor could even ask a question, Zhang Xuezhou, in his monkey-like state, preemptively answered.

Humans cannot avoid eating, drinking, sheltering and using. Unlike Zhang Xuezhou, the mind cannot fast for long periods of time, nor does it have the ability to fly far. A trip to a distant place takes a very long time.

After returning from the Celestial Court, Xin Yuan lived in Chang'an City.

While satisfying his own basic needs, Xin Yuan also took care of Zhang Xuezhou's family and even patiently taught Dongfang Jia.

However, Xin Yuan truly did not know anything about Zhang Xuezhou. What he knew was Zhang Xuezhou before he forged his body at Mount Ling, and he knew almost all of Zhang Xuezhou's memories, but he did not know what happened to Zhang Xuezhou afterward.

In a normal plan, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't have returned every ten days or half a month, but he wouldn't have gone more than ten years without coming back.

Xin Yuan felt that it was impossible for Zhang Xuezhou to sever ties with the Three Realms so cleanly, but he couldn't find any other reason.

"Don't rush to deny it. Let's talk. You think about it carefully, and I'll examine it too. Let's see what the real situation is."

The new emperor hoped to deduce Zhang Xuezhou's current behavior, and even more so, he wanted to know his own future path. He hadn't had such thoughts when he was young, but as he grew older, the new emperor realized he had to plan ahead for the future.

He could foresee the bad things to come, but he could hardly reverse the situation.

This is something that will inevitably have to be borne by one generation, and the problems must be solved in this generation. We cannot leave the historical scourge to future generations.

The new emperor gestured to Xinyuan not to rush to distance himself from the situation, as he was well aware that Xinyuan was not Zhang Xuezhou's true identity and would not make things difficult for him.

Instead of focusing on him, you should focus on yourself. Don't be blind to your own shortcomings and forget that you are the key to solving the problem!

The Monkey King solemnly reminded him, and the new emperor shook his head, indicating that he had already done his best and it would be difficult to make any further breakthroughs.

When one's cultivation reaches its peak, and one's abilities reach a point where it is difficult to improve even with a lifetime of effort, then cultivation becomes meaningless.

Like many other immortals leisurely strolling around the Celestial Court, the new emperor was well aware of his limits, and he too had entered this stage.

The new emperor could sense a path ahead, but he couldn't find it.

Reaching his level of cultivation is not something just anyone can guide. If others had the means, the Celestial Court wouldn't have accumulated hundreds of True Self Realm cultivators, and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and others wouldn't have had to endure a thousand years of hardship.

"My time is running out!"

The new emperor was in his prime, but he was well aware of the finiteness of his time.

Zhang Xuezhou had once advised him that he needed to live a long life, a goal that the new emperor would find difficult to achieve.

He could not use his peak strength after taking the elixir of immortality, and was unable to support the Han Dynasty. If he did not take the elixir of immortality, he would find it difficult to live a long life.

Of course, even if he took the elixir, as he aged, his physical body might collapse, so it's hard to say whether the elixir of immortality would prolong his life or shorten it.

As for the present, the new emperor no longer considers the elixir of immortality. After all, his share of the elixir of immortality has already been taken by Huo Qubing, and the distribution of the elixir of immortality in the Celestial Court has been determined. Many immortals whose lifespans are nearing their limit have taken the pills and turned into blank physical bodies, thus seeking their own second life.

If the new emperor were to cultivate the art of destiny, he would have no ability to master such a complex technique.

It seemed that there was a way forward, but the new emperor realized that his path was blocked. He might hold on for a few more decades, and then he too would turn into a pile of dust.

If there was any glimmer of hope, the new emperor did indeed place his hopes on Zhang Xuezhou.

Perhaps with his help, Zhang Xuezhou might be able to escape his predicament; or perhaps Zhang Xuezhou will remain trapped in the void forever, and he will never get an answer.

But no matter what situation he faces, the new emperor needs to seize the time and shine as brightly as possible in his life so that he will not have any regrets when he gets old.

"His Majesty is in the prime of his life..."

"No, no, no, my youth is useless. Even the most vigorous age cannot withstand the changes of time!"

Xin Yuan offered a word of advice, but the new emperor shook his head.

The ten years he experienced might have been just a few days for Zhang Xuezhou, and the nearly two years he spent conquering the Southern Yue Kingdom might have been just a fleeting moment for Zhang Xuezhou.

His time was normal, but Zhang Xuezhou's time was moving too slowly.

The new emperor didn't know what caused this, but he was well aware that time was fleeting and Zhang Xuezhou's rash actions could very well lead to them losing contact.

Perhaps he can grasp the tail of time, or perhaps he will be eroded by time without leaving a trace, eventually turning into a pile of yellow earth, unable to stir up any waves, and then, like many emperors, only to be recorded in the classics with his name attached.

That's not what the new emperor wanted, nor did he want that kind of future.