Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds

Chapter 480 - 251, Ancient swords rust, Green Mountain ages easily_2

The Imperial family possessed common knowledge of the Cultivation World and several Cultivation Methods passed down from Emperor Tiande. Similarly, Emperor Kai Ming, also in pursuit of immortality, had repeatedly dispatched sorcerers to the South Sea to locate the legendary Immortal Palace. However, because of the distinct separation between immortal and mortal beings, ordinary people remained unaware of the existence of immortals, dismissing them as mere myths and legends.

Since she began ruling behind the curtain and gained control of the Central Axis, she had gradually learned these secrets from the Minister of the Imperial Clan.

"It is rumored that Emperor Tiande was a reincarnated immortal, which is why he received the Heavenly Order and overthrew the tyrannical regime of the previous dynasty. During that time, Guanxi Road suffered a severe drought for several years. The Grand Ancestor ascended an altar to pray for rain. Under his decree, the Rain God dared not disobey and brought Falling Rain, alleviating the disaster..." Empress Dowager Li searched her memories, hesitating for a moment before recounting some Imperial family secrets to Prince Zhou—secrets not found in historical records.

At this point, she shook her head. "The Grand Ancestor was an immortal god; it’s impossible for him to have left a physical body in Fengling. However... the fact that Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang’s burial was also a Clothes Tomb... that was rather unexpected."

Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang, Zhao Yunniang, was the first sagacious empress in the Han Dynasty to rule behind the curtain, earning unanimous praise from all civil and military officers. Empress Dowager Li... naturally, she emulated this predecessor, treating Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang’s every word and deed as her guiding principle to ensure the legitimacy of her own "ascension to power."

(The dynastic title of Fengxi Country is Han.)

Consequently, she was intimately familiar with Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang’s history.

"Even you, Mother... you don’t know the inner truth of this?" Prince Zhou asked, somewhat astonished. "Then who in the entire nation could possibly know what truly happened back then? This concerns the lives of my Imperial Brother and myself, as well as the national fortune of our dynasty!" He was, after all, still young. Growing agitated, he spoke hastily, fearing Empress Dowager Li might not grasp the gravity of the situation.

"Summon the Minister of the Imperial Clan..." Empress Dowager Li did not directly answer Prince Zhou. Her willow-like brows furrowed slightly as she turned to the female official beside her, her expression stern as she gave the order.

After Half a Moment, the white-haired Minister of the Imperial Clan entered the hall and paid his respects to Empress Dowager Li according to protocol.

"May I ask why Your Majesty the Empress Dowager has summoned this humble minister to the Imperial Palace?"

The Minister of the Imperial Clan glanced at Prince Zhou, who was seated in the side hall. Noticing Emperor Xiaochang’s absence from the main hall, his eyebrows twitched upwards, a sense of unease stirring within him. The position of Minister of the Imperial Clan was neither overwhelmingly powerful nor insignificant. Although one of the Nine Ministers, he primarily managed the affairs of the Imperial family, imperial affines, and honored nobles, lacking real authority in military or political matters. However, during an imperial succession, his role—overseeing the Imperial family’s registers, determining their blood relationships, distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate members, and the main and collateral lines of descent—was crucial. Rumors abounded that Empress Dowager Li and Emperor Xiaochang had long been estranged; her favoring her younger son and deposing the current Emperor to choose another was not entirely out of the question.

"Imperial Uncle, please be seated," Empress Dowager Li said with a smile, not daring to show any neglect. She continued with customary solicitousness, "Winter is approaching. Among the tributes are some fine fur garments from Yan North Path. I shall have a few sent to you later." The Minister of the Imperial Clan was a member of the Imperial family himself and represented the Xu Royal Family; even with her power, she could not afford to offend him lightly.

Once the pleasantries were concluded, Empress Dowager Li addressed the main issue, speaking of Fengling. "There is a physiognomist in Prince Zhou’s Royal Mansion, suspected of being a Cultivator. He claims that the decline in our dynasty’s national fortune is linked to... Fengling being a Clothes Tomb, with neither the Grand Ancestor’s dragon body nor Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang’s phoenix body present..."

Hearing this, the Minister of the Imperial Clan initially felt a wave of relief—at least this wasn’t about deposing the Emperor. But his expression quickly shifted, his face clouding over with deep concern. Compared to deposing an emperor, the loss of the Han Dynasty’s national fortune was undeniably a far graver matter.

"In the eighteenth year of the Kaiming era, Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang passed away," the Minister of the Imperial Clan began, "Emperor Taizong personally inspected the arrangements before ordering the artisans to seal the coffin and proceed with the burial. Her tomb cannot be a Clothes Tomb. At the time, Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang left a final edict, clearly stating her wish to be interred with the Grand Ancestor in Fengling."

The Minister pondered for a moment, then meticulously recounted the procedures, rites, and regulations surrounding Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang’s passing and interment. After finishing, he looked at Empress Dowager Li and said gravely, "Prince Zhou is young and susceptible to deception by malicious individuals. I implore the Empress Dowager to summon this physiognomist to the Imperial Palace so that this old minister may speak with him personally."

"Prince Zhou has been astute since childhood; distinguishing good from evil is not beyond him," Empress Dowager Li countered, her phoenix eyes sweeping coolly over the Minister. "This physiognomist possesses profound arts, and his words pertain to matters of state. That is why Prince Zhou anxiously reported it to me. This is no deception!" She knew perfectly well what calculations he was making, and with a few words, she deftly defused any potential political repercussions for Prince Zhou.

Then, she whispered a few instructions to the female official. Once the official had departed from Ziwei Palace, she glanced at the Minister of the Imperial Clan and smiled. "Imperial Uncle, this great nation will not collapse overnight. There’s no need to raise such a clamor over a minor issue."

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Xu Xing arrived at the Imperial Palace and was shown to a seat subordinate to Prince Zhou’s.

"Sir, are you a Cultivator?" the Minister of the Imperial Clan inquired after Xu Xing was seated. He had been observing Xu Xing intently, noting his transcendent aura and unconventional disposition. The small yellow pouches at Xu Xing’s waist also resembled descriptions of those carried by Cultivators, as recorded in Imperial family archives. After a brief hesitation, he posed the question.

Mortal dignitaries are no match for Cultivators. They cannot be overcome by force! This was a warning passed down by the Imperial family long ago. Even if Xu Xing’s words were entirely deceptive, given his status as a Cultivator, the Minister of the Imperial Clan resolved to advise Empress Dowager Li against rashly expelling or harming him, lest they invite unforeseen calamities.

"I am a Freelance Cultivator from Guiyuan Mountain," Xu Xing replied with a faint smile, reciting the narrative he had prepared. "I once received a boon from Emperor Zhaoshun of a former dynasty. Having achieved some success in my Cultivation, I descended from the mountain, only to perceive that the Imperial Court’s national fortune was waning and it faced the calamity of collapse. Thus, I have come specifically to offer a warning." Although Emperor Zhaoshun was credited with the Zhaoshun Success, historical records indicated that in his later years, he too had sought immortals and the path to immortality among famous mountains and great rivers. Attributing his origins to Emperor Zhaoshun would lend his story credibility and withstand scrutiny; he was confident Empress Dowager Li and the others would not easily dismiss it.

"This is the scene within Fengling that I witnessed using a Spell..." Xu Xing then produced the Liu Yingzhu, projecting images of the main tomb chamber and the side tomb chamber into the hall.

"Such an astonishing mystical art!" Empress Dowager Li exclaimed, visibly captivated by the Liu Yingzhu. This luminous pearl was far more dazzling and magnificent than any treasure in the Imperial Palace’s collection. Thousand-year-old pearls, night-luminous pearls—none could compare to its splendor.

"The dimensions of this tomb chamber precisely match those of Fengling. The murals, the Utensils... they are indeed characteristic of the early period of our dynasty’s founding," the Minister of the Imperial Clan observed, nodding as he viewed the projected images. He then relayed to Xu Xing the information he had previously shared with Empress Dowager Li.

"Our Grand Ancestor is said to have been a Cultivator, so it’s understandable that his mortal remains would not be in Fengling. As for Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang... perhaps there are other hidden circumstances," the Minister of the Imperial Clan mused. "Now that the national fortune is no longer anchored by the Grand Ancestor’s presence, I wonder, Master, if you have a way to resolve this impending crisis?"

Dwelling on whether Fengling was a Clothes Tomb or not was pointless, he realized. The crucial matter was how to salvage the national fortune of the Xu clan’s empire.

"I possess a Red Sun Pearl," Xu Xing announced, taking from his sleeve a pearl that emanated a blazing solar aura. He displayed it briefly to Empress Dowager Li and the others before continuing, "If this pearl is interred within the imperial coffin in Fengling, it can substitute for Emperor Tiande’s remains... However, for the harmonious balance of Yin and Yang, the remains of Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang are also essential..."

"Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang was a mortal. If her remains are not in Fengling, they might indeed be interred elsewhere..." Empress Dowager Li declared, no longer hesitating after hearing Xu Xing. "Search the old records! Find the descendants of the female officials and palace maids who attended Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang. Question them thoroughly to uncover the truth of this matter and locate her phoenix remains!" She immediately drafted an imperial edict to this effect.

With the full backing of the Imperial Court, the household registers of the female officials and palace maids connected to the affair were swiftly located. Piece by piece, the secrets surrounding Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang’s burial all those years ago were unearthed.

And so, Xu Xing learned why Zhao Yunniang had not been buried in Fengling. It wasn’t that she had gained an opportunity to pursue cultivating immortality; rather, she had chosen a different burial site.

Following the information gleaned from the palace maids’ descendants, Xu Xing mounted his Imperial Sword, departed Shenjing, and flew towards Qingmu County in Guanxi Road.

「Xu Family Ancestral Home.」

Xu Xing descended from his cloud, landing in a courtyard blanketed with Fallen Autumn Leaves. He gently brushed his fingers across an unmarked tombstone standing in the yard, softly reciting the final message concealed within the grave:

"An old sword rusts, the green mountain ages. I, a mere dancing girl, was blessed by my lord’s affection. My gratitude is boundless..."