Chapter 15 The Edicts

Between heaven and earth, a lone figure sat, accompanied only by the clouds and wind.

Clearly, this place was Zhong Lu, the most prosperous land under Heaven, with millions of people passing through each day. Yet, looking at the Daoist’s back, there was an indescribable loneliness.

Unclear, inexplicable, but that was what everyone felt in their hearts.

Hu~

Without seeing any movement, An Qisheng looked up, and everyone realized that he was facing them.

“Real One!”

“Grandmaster!”

Yan Xiake, Wang E, and the others were momentarily stunned, then bowed deeply.

Even Wang E had lost his previous recklessness and was much more respectful.

Even ore, after a hundred refinements, could become steel. How much more so Wang E, with his extraordinary talent, one in a billion?

Thirty years of tempering had refined not only his physique and mana but also his state of mind.

“Rise, all of you.”

An Qisheng waved his hand slightly, and the group involuntarily stood up.

“How do you feel after these ninety years?”

An Qisheng looked at Sa Wuling.

Tempered by time, he was no longer the village Daoist who would run at the first sign of danger.

His heart was steadier.

He had once been able to perform funeral rites for the nearby villagers for ten years as if it were a single day, but now he was even stronger.

“Joy, anger, pain, regret, and fear…”

Ripples appeared in Sa Wuling’s eyes, as if recalling everything that had happened in the past ninety years.

Da Qing had one hundred and twenty large prefectures and six hundred small ones, with a population of hundreds of millions. Countless strange events had occurred, and countless evil and demonic cultivators existed.

Along the way, he had narrowly escaped death, seen his followers die in grievous wounds, experienced desperate ambushes, and witnessed human tragedies…

A glimmer of light seemed to flash deep in An Qisheng’s eyes as he slowly asked:

“Are you still afraid now?”

“Of course…”

Sa Wuling sighed.

He followed An Qisheng’s Dao, walking the path of unity of knowledge and action, not severing the seven emotions. He still had all the emotions a person should have: fear, anxiety, worry, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

It was just that, in the past, he would avoid things out of fear, but now, he would face difficulties head-on.

“It’s good to be afraid, good to be afraid!”

An Qisheng nodded slightly, with a hint of emotion:

“You have graduated.”

Hu~

As he spoke, he waved his hand casually.

Sa Wuling’s clothes didn't move, but his body trembled. With An Qisheng’s wave, a light invisible to the naked eye leaped out of his palm.

It was pinched in An Qisheng’s palm.

“Hand Master!”

Sa Wuling’s eyes flashed and then dimmed, and his control over himself was flawless once more.

He had long guessed that Hand Master was the teacher’s work, and now that he saw this scene, he understood.

But at the same time, he felt a sense of loss.

Having been together day and night for ninety years, he naturally had some feelings.

In fact, he had relied on this ‘Hand Master’ to escape great difficulties several times along the way.

Now, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

“The Dao of Purity seeks nothing from the outside. The current you has no need for others to guide you.”

An Qisheng lowered his palm and said softly:

“His name is Mu Longcheng, and he was once my enemy.”

Mu Longcheng was originally an experiment of his.

Now that he knew the result and Sa Wuling no longer needed protection or guidance, he naturally had to take it back.

With his current state, it was also not appropriate to leave Mu Longcheng behind.

“Mu Longcheng…”

Sa Wuling chewed the name twice before bowing:

“Teacher, Mister Mu has given me guidance. Please be lenient.”

“A lifetime of grievances is repaid in one lifetime. He was once my enemy, and dying once is enough to repay that. I will naturally not kill him a second time.”

An Qisheng answered casually.

Sa Wuling’s heart relaxed, and he asked, “Teacher, this disciple would like to meet Mister Mu…”

“Go.”

An Qisheng pondered for a moment, then with a wave of his hand, a stream of light entered Sa Wuling’s palm:

“One hour.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

Sa Wuling took a deep breath and disappeared from the high platform.

“Hero Yan.”

At this time, An Qisheng looked at Yan Xiake. The black cloak and dharma robe were enough to block the gaze of a Great Perfection Tribulation Transcender, but they could not conceal his eyes.

Ninety years had passed, and Yan Xiake had also undergone many transformations.

Unfortunately, bringing the dead back to life was not something that could be done easily. Even with Gu Changfeng’s strong talent, it took him a full ten years to turn bones into flesh.

Although Yan Xiake had luck and his comprehension was not bad, he was still inferior to Gu Changfeng.

In his current state, if he didn't have any lucky encounters, he wouldn't have the chance to transform into a human in this lifetime.

“Real One.”

Yan Xiake bowed slightly.

“The people who established the laws have worked hard on this trip. There is a banquet in the city, and you should preside over it.”

An Qisheng said lightly:

“Afterward, come out with me.”

“Yes.”

Yan Xiake had no objections. After bowing, he also left the high platform.

With the two gone, only Wang E and Wei Shaoyou remained on the high platform.

One was fickle, and the other was well-developed in limbs, volatile, but facing An Qisheng, they both lowered their heads, like quails not daring to make a sound.

One had truly suffered a loss; the time in the Eight Trigrams Furnace was still his nightmare.

The other had a heartfelt awe for this old Celestial Master's teacher, who had disappeared into the long river of history and had never been recorded in later generations.

“Wang E.”

An Qisheng glanced at Wang E, who was even more robust than before. The vertical eye between his eyebrows was golden with red, and his Dharma Eye was already at the peak of perfection.

“Disciple, disciple is here.”

Wang E bowed, a little restrained.

“You are uniquely talented, your physique is unparalleled in the world, and few have matched you in ancient and modern times. However, there are also many hidden dangers. The mastery of power is not trivial. You once had the heart of a child and could not bear such power. Now, you are still somewhat lacking.”

An Qisheng placed his hands on his knees and said calmly:

“Violent as thunder, angry as fire, these are your strengths, but also fatal flaws. If this continues, even if you can cross all thunder tribulations, you will not be able to become a Yuanshen.”

Power is the vessel of the state of mind, and the state of mind, in turn, sculpts the power.

The cultivators of this world did not know much about the state of mind, naturally because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Dao, Buddha, demon, ghost, and evil, all contained extremely powerful infectiousness.

It was extremely easy to be influenced.

Wang E’s talent came from the ‘Daoist Spiritual Energy,’ but what truly stimulated him was the violent energy of that ‘Toad.’ The collision of the two energies created his unparalleled talent and potential in the world.

But at the same time, his state of mind would also be affected.

The tempering in the Eight Trigrams Furnace was also for this reason, but truly eradicating the poison in his heart was not a simple matter.

“This…”

Wang E thought for a moment and knelt on the ground:

“I beg Grandmaster to give me guidance.”

“You’re quite straightforward.”

An Qisheng was a little dumbfounded. After thirty years of tempering, this big guy had indeed made some progress.

Wang E didn’t speak.

He could accept kneeling to his own grandmaster, but he still couldn’t say any flattering words.

An Qisheng knew what he was thinking and didn’t make things difficult for him, saying directly:

“Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. The current Da Qing seems prosperous and flourishing, but in reality, there are many internal problems. I have no time to intervene, so you can solve them for me!”

“…Become an emperor for three hundred years!”

Emperor?

Wang E suddenly looked up, a little dazed: “What emperor?”

Wei Shaoyou’s face twitched, feeling a little unbelievable.

Letting a brute like Wang E become the emperor of mortals?

Wasn’t he afraid that he would kill all the civil and military officials in a fit of anger?

“Naturally, the emperor of this Da Qing.”

An Qisheng flicked his hand, and a stream of light flashed in the void, turning into a simple locust wood token that fell into his hand.

“You want me to be the emperor?”

Wang E came back to his senses, his face full of disbelief:

“Grandmaster, are you joking?”

An Qisheng’s expression didn’t change, and he asked, “What do you think?”

Wang E’s heart ‘thumped,’ and he didn’t dare to ask any more questions, holding the token, not knowing what to do.

Of course, he didn’t think being an emperor was anything great.

But an emperor was the ruler of a country, and who knew how many troublesome things there would be?

How would he cultivate?

“Governing the country is also cultivation.”

An Qisheng’s words had a deeper meaning, but he was unmoved.

Regulating yin and yang, managing myriad affairs, bearing the survival of hundreds of millions of people, how great was such pressure?

Once he overcame it, what great gains would there be?

Wang E’s nature was violent as thunder, fierce as fire, and he needed such a method to restrain his nature and temper his state of mind.

“Grandmaster, aren’t you afraid that I’ll cause heavenly anger and popular resentment?”

Wang E couldn’t help but ask.

Although he had cultivation, being a Daoist was not the same as being an emperor. It wasn’t that having high cultivation meant he could do a good job.

He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if he became emperor.

“Naturally, I’m not afraid.”

An Qisheng’s expression didn’t change.

He was really not afraid.

Da Qing’s operations were no longer what they used to be, and the emperor was not the only one who had the final say on military and state affairs.

This was a prototype he had experimented with in the Jiu Fu Realm, and it was a perfected system that he had promoted and developed in these ninety years.

The role of the system was to reduce the power of individuals.

How could governing a country be a matter for one person?

A perfect system could never be placed on one person. The disintegrating Yin Division City God system had already illustrated this point.

With the lessons of the past, An Qisheng would naturally not repeat the same mistakes.

In these ninety years, Huang Gou being the emperor was his attempt at this system.

What he wanted was not a fragile system that would collapse as soon as he left.

“Alright!”

With no way to retreat, Wang E gritted his teeth and agreed, taking the token and preparing to leave.

“Remember this.”

An Qisheng stopped him, saying one last thing:

“Do not kill.”

“Alright!”

Wang E paused, then left the high platform, flying away like a meteor.

Wei Shaoyou looked at this scene, feeling even more awe in his heart.

Because he inadvertently remembered that Wang E, in the legends, had indeed been an emperor, and his name seemed to be ‘Qi.’

Could it also be because of his grandmaster?

“Wei Shaoyou.”

Finally, An Qisheng looked at Wei Shaoyou, who hadn’t said a word from beginning to end.

This person who seemed to come from the Eleventh Era of the future Huangtian.

“Disciple is here.”

Wei Shaoyou knelt on the ground bonelessly, with a respectful expression.

“You are thinking that with my great supernatural powers and status, there are no words about me in the future?”

An Qisheng’s eyes were like a sea of stars as he said lightly:

“Yes or no?”

Wei Shaoyou’s body shook. ‘He actually knows?’