Lord of the Earth

Summer's mind is immersed in vast thoughts.

In the entire ancient heavenly mythology system, which palace best suits him as the ruler of Qianxia?
According to the information currently available, these thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls each have their own mysterious origins and lineages, and their ranking is not entirely determined by their status!
Its core tradition of choosing a master seems to place more emphasis on the mysterious 'fate' and 'harmony' at the level of the Great Dao, rather than simply on the strength of power or the symbolism of authority!

For example, the legendary "Doushuai Palace" is the place where Laozi, the Supreme Dao Ancestor, transformed into "Taishang Laojun" to expound the Dao and refine elixirs. It is the ancestral temple of the Dao of Alchemy and contains the mysteries of creation and transformation.

Its inheritance will inevitably place more emphasis on the enlightenment of the mind and the art of alchemy. Its compatibility with Xia Tian's current path of imperial conquest, which is to sustain himself through war and temper himself with the fate of the nation, is probably not very high!

"The only ones that truly align with my Dao are probably two or three... For example, the 'Ziwei Palace,' which draws upon the brilliance of the stars, gathers the light of countless celestial bodies, governs the meridians and coordinates the three realms, and is known as one of the residences of the Heavenly Emperor, the 'North Pole of the Central Heaven.' Its Daoist charm is magnificent and naturally aligns with the destiny of an emperor."

"Or perhaps, the 'Lingxiao Palace,' which stands above the Thirty-Three Heavens, where all gods pay homage, rule over all heavens, and oversee all saints, symbolizing supreme authority and order!"

This aligns perfectly with his mission as the ruler of the Qi Yun Dynasty, who is determined to lead humanity to rebuild its former glory in the Eternal Land!

"Mr. Zhuge, in your opinion, where would be the most suitable place for me to choose right now?"

Summer glances to her side, and the figure of that man with the feather fan and silk turban is always so reassuring.

When in doubt about foreign affairs, consult the God of War Bai Qi; when in doubt about domestic affairs, consult the Crouching Dragon Zhuge Liang. This is the immense advantage of having the assistance of heroes throughout Chinese history.

"Just as Your Majesty said, these two palaces and halls are perfectly in line with your own 'Dao'..."

Zhuge Liang's voice was gentle and calm.

He gently waved his feather fan, pointing to the outline of the palace hidden in the gray and white deep within the celestial court.

"However, in my humble opinion, although the Ziwei Palace and Lingxiao Palace are of the highest and most noble status, the path they bear is too vast, and they are probably not the most suitable choice at present!"

"With Your Majesty's current cultivation level, if you come into contact with it too early, you might be influenced by someone else's 'Dao'..."

He paused slightly, then continued.

"Now, for Your Majesty, consolidating the foundation and accumulating power are far more important than pursuing the highest palace. Once Your Majesty has truly stabilized your 'quasi-true god' status, and even glimpsed the path to true godhood, the fortune of Qianxia will also transform. Perhaps then, it will be the best time to knock on the doors of those highest palaces and try to gain their core recognition!"

This statement is not unfounded. Both the Zixiao Palace and the Lingxiao Hall must be at the level of 'true gods'.

In summer, such "pseudo-quasi-gods" are probably not qualified to get involved.

In some areas of these celestial ruins, even though Xia Tian, ​​with the help of the immense national fortune, has temporarily gained the perception of a "quasi-true god," he is still at a certain level.

When his spiritual senses probed deeper, he could still clearly feel an invisible and intangible barrier, the level of rules it contained far exceeding his current level of understanding.

That was a warning stemming from the difference in the essence of life and status, meaning that he was not yet qualified to truly step into it. Forcing his way in would only invite the backlash of the rules, resulting in more harm than good!
"His Majesty,"

At this moment, Jia Xu, whose aura was slightly effeminate but whose eyes were sharp, spoke up again.

"According to a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, several powerful alien races in the surrounding area have recently been in frequent secret contact with their supreme deities who have descended upon their territories, seemingly forming an alliance... I'm afraid they're targeting the rapid development of Qianxia over the past ten years!"

Qianxia is protected by the "Great Wall of Humanity," which has been upgraded to the Glazed level and is connected to the destiny of the people. It is indeed difficult for ordinary top gods to surpass it.

However, the myriad races of the heavens possess profound foundations, including many powerful beings who also possess ancient and time-honored "true divine artifacts." There may even be terrifying beings who have the means to personally descend as "quasi-god avatars" or even "true god incarnations," so we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.

"No problem, we'll deal with whatever comes our way... Since everyone is still waiting for the inheritance, Commander Wu, Lord Li, and I... were just looking for a target to test ourselves!"

Summer spoke calmly and confidently.

"If they dare to come, they will serve as a whetstone for my path to advancement in Qianxia."

"When my Qianxia fortune is even more prosperous, my own Dao foundation is more solid, and I truly touch the threshold of the 'Celestial Court,' all demons and monsters will be nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs!"

Fortunately, with his special vision at the "quasi-god" level, Xia Tian is able to glimpse the rules of some areas in this Heavenly Court ruins to a certain extent, and distinguish which exploration paths are relatively safe and which are forbidden areas that cannot be touched for the time being, providing crucial guidance for Qian Xia's exploration team.

Furthermore, with the mysterious affinity between the Jianmu tree, a spiritual root of heaven and earth, and the origin of the celestial court, Qianxia is fully capable of opening up a path, gaining a foothold, and steadily exploring in this vast ruin where crisis and opportunity coexist, in a safer and more efficient manner.

After all, the ruins of the "First Celestial Court of Humanity" are simply too vast and boundless.

Even with Xia Tian's abilities, the area he can clearly perceive at present is only the tip of the iceberg relative to the entire Celestial Court.

Only by relying on the full power of the Qianxia nation, gathering numerous outstanding individuals with extraordinary potential, and scattering them like sparks into this ruin, each seeking their own opportunities, can this ancient heritage belonging to the human race be awakened little by little.

Ultimately, it brought blessings to the entire tribe!

……

Time flies, spring goes and autumn comes.

Ten years have passed since Qianxia discovered the ruins of the Heavenly Court.

These past ten years have been a golden decade of rapid development for Qianxia.

"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report!"

Jia Xu, who was in charge of coordinating the exploration, would come to report every now and then with an excited expression.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards under Commander Hua Rong have discovered the ruins of the former Imperial Horse Garden, where the Heavenly Court once kept celestial horses! Although a great calamity has occurred and most of the divine celestial horses in the garden have perished, what is surprising is that the ruins preserve tens of thousands of complete and still spiritually intact celestial horse skeletons and corresponding heroic spirit imprints. As long as we provide sufficient divine power and suitable vessels, in time, we may be able to rebuild a 'Celestial Horse Divine Army' capable of traversing the heavens and shattering the void!"

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Medical Academy team led by Master Hua Tuo has successfully deciphered a 'Celestial Herb Garden'—a place heavily protected by ancient restrictions—at the heart of the 'Valley of Ten Thousand Herbs' in the southwest! The spiritual soil within still harbors astonishing vitality, and they discovered seedlings of several ancient divine herbs long extinct in the outside world, existing only in ancient texts, as well as a vast quantity of various divine-grade herbs. Master Hua Tuo asserts that, based on these high-quality medicinal materials and combined with the secret techniques inherited from the Heavenly Court's physicians, Qianxia's alchemy and medical skills will undoubtedly experience a qualitative leap! It might even be enough to support our mass production of 'Shennong's Herbal Elixir,' which is highly beneficial even to 'Supreme Gods'!"

"Your Majesty, the 'Prison-Suppressing Divine Soldiers' under Lord Wu Song have discovered the location of the 'Heavenly Prison' where the Heavenly Court once imprisoned serious criminals. It turns out that many remnant souls of alien gods captured in the ancient war, or their bodies now in eternal slumber, are still imprisoned there! With the power of the 'Demon-Refining Pot' bestowed by Your Majesty, these alien gods were refined, yielding a large quantity of incredibly pure, top-tier divine pills containing fragments of rules—enough to further enhance the cultivation of several of our generals!" "Your Majesty, the 'White Tiger Legion' led by Commander Xin Qiji has discovered fragments of a divine artifact left behind by the legendary 'Twelve Yuan Chen' deities who govern the order of time! This item has been entrusted to Lord Ou Ye and Lord Gongshu for joint research. If their Daoist essence can be successfully integrated into the 'Twelve Yuan Chen' secret realm that Qianxia already possesses, it might break through its current bottleneck, allowing even 'Peerless God' level experts to enter and cultivate within!"

One exciting piece of news after another came in.

Each time, it brought joy to the entire Qianxia court and the public.

For Qianxia, ​​the discovery and successful development of each "Heavenly Court Relic" means either a weakness being addressed or an advantage being strengthened.

The ancient traditions, scarce resources, and cutting-edge technologies continuously derived from these relics are propelling the national strength of the Qianxia Dynasty to expand at an unprecedented rate.

The growth of top-tier combatants, in particular, is progressing at an alarming rate!
The earliest beneficiaries, such as Wu Song, had already solidified their status as "peerless gods" after thoroughly digesting their own heritage and undergoing trials of blood and fire.

He once charged out of the city wall alone and faced the combined attack of three alien gods of the same level. With the profound foundation accumulated from the three "Peerless Paths" and his innate bravery, he killed one and seriously injured two others. His reputation as the "Heavenly Lone Star" has been established. Now, his cultivation has reached the peak of the third level, and he is only one step away from the fourth level!
Those who received the core inheritance later, such as Li Ling and Huang Rong, have also completely adapted the inheritance for their own use.

After ten years of arduous training and battles, they broke through their own barriers and successfully entered the realm of "supreme deities", becoming the mainstay of Qianxia's power and influence!

The greatest deterrent and stabilizing force still comes from Xia Tian himself.

On one occasion, several alien races joined forces and meticulously planned an ambush.

They mobilized more than ten renowned supreme deities, along with several "true artifacts" with complementary attributes, and set up an ancient killing formation capable of annihilating ordinary quasi-true gods, forcibly breaking through Qianxia's "Great Wall"!
The attempt to slaughter the human population within a million miles was perceived by Xia Tian, ​​who resolutely went to the scene.

With his already solidified "quasi-true god" level of cultivation, he drew upon the vast national fortune, and wielding the "Sun-Shooting Divine Bow," though broken, still possessing fierce power, he recklessly charged into the killing formation.

That battle was so fierce that the stars dimmed and the void shattered.

With absolute strength and the unparalleled power of the Sun-Shooting Bow, Xia Tian swiftly annihilated all the invading enemies, staining the sky with blood, leaving none alive!

After the war, Xia Tian used the bodies, souls, and kingdoms of these ten "peerless gods" as offerings to hold a grand "sacrifice to heaven" ceremony, communicating with the will of the eternal land in the dark.

The immense sacrificial power merged with the prosperous national fortune of Qianxia, ​​enabling Qianxia to take another step forward and successfully enter the glorious level of "quasi-immortal dynasty"!

After this battle and this event, all the surrounding tribes fell silent once again.

Many ancient beings that descended from the outside world also cast wary glances at Qianxia.

The borders of Qianxia were now completely secure, and no large-scale war dared to be easily started again.

Of course, the alien forces that participated in the ambush were also ruthlessly purged by the enraged Qianxia, ​​and their fortunes, territories, and resources were largely swallowed up.

Today, the population ruled by the entire Qianxia Dynasty has officially reached a terrifying level of fifty quadrillion! Its vast territory, with the area covered by its golden aura of fortune, exceeds hundreds of millions of miles of land!
It is important to know that the rules of the Eternal Land are stable and its spatial hierarchy is extremely high.

This vast territory, spanning hundreds of millions of miles, is comparable in value and resource content to a "great thousand world" among the ancient heavens!
Even those powerful alien races with true gods behind them, after weighing the pros and cons, all temporarily chose to lay low and observe closely.

It can be said that Qianxia truly deserves the title of "the first imperial dynasty of the human race".

Its sharp edge is so formidable that no one dares to confront it directly!
On this day, Xia Tian had just finished a round of cultivation in the "Twelve Yuan Chen Secret Realm" where the flow of time accelerated, and was feeling the increasingly powerful force within his body.

"Your Majesty, news has come from the Guanghan Palace that Empress Rong has personally overseen the completion of the 'Great Medicine' that the Jade Rabbit and the Cold Toad have spent ten years pounding with the essence of laurel... Empress Huang requests that you go to witness the ceremony immediately."

The attendant Li Ru, his voice trembling with barely suppressed excitement, came to report.

With a slight movement of his eyes, Xia Tian instantly stepped out through the "Eastern Heavenly Gate" teleportation node, which had already established a stable connection, and found himself in the Guanghan Palace, where the moonlight flowed and the fragrance of osmanthus permeated the air.

"Your Majesty, please look,"

Huang Rong smiled radiantly, pointing to the object in the jade mortar in the jade rabbit's hand, which exuded a hazy moonlight and a sweet fragrance.

“This is no ordinary pill. After discussing ancient books with the Jade Rabbit, I learned that it is shaped like a cake and has the properties of medicine. It can be called ‘Taiyin Laurel Cake’.”

Summer activated his "quasi-true god" eye to examine it carefully, and saw that the pastry was as clear as jade, with starlight-like specks of light flowing inside, and the Daoist charm was naturally formed.

"This medicine is mild yet profound in nature. I have examined it repeatedly and found no hidden dangers. Its effects are not simply and crudely enhancing divine power, but rather focusing on 'cleansing the soul,' nourishing the source of life, and having a transformative effect, especially on plant spirits and medicinal spirits. It is a 'true divine medicine' that is close to a supreme treasure!"

Hua Tuo, who had been waiting there, bowed and reported, his face filled with the joy of witnessing a miracle.

Xia Tian, ​​relying on his perception at the quasi-god level, confirmed that the "Taiyin Laurel Cake" was pure in nature, full of vitality, and had no drawbacks.

"In that case, Little Jade Pool, this item is yours."

Summer looked at the girl who was gazing longingly at the pastries.

Xiao Yaochi cheered and carefully took the ball of "osmanthus cake" that was emitting a sweet fragrance, then swallowed it in small bites.

Xiao Yaochi carefully took the "Taiyin Osmanthus Cake" and took a small bite.

The pastry melted in her mouth, transforming into a gentle yet powerful warm current that flowed into her limbs and bones. In an instant, the powerful yet gentle medicinal power spread throughout her body, and rays of clear light emanated from every pore, enveloping her in a cocoon of light.

Within the cocoon of light, her figure began to stretch and grow, and her life force surged and rose like the tide!
The cocoon of light dissipated in a short while.

The little girl was nowhere to be seen; in her place stood a radiant goddess of about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Her figure was slender and upright, her skin was as smooth as jade, and she had a pure glow that flowed in the air. Her hair was like a waterfall, reaching her waist, and the ends of her hair were naturally surrounded by a faint fragrance of laurel.

Her eyes and brows possessed both the cool radiance of moonlight and the gentle vitality unique to plants and trees; she naturally exuded a pure and boundless life force, like a combination of a moon goddess and a forest spirit! (End of Chapter)