CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 31: WITCH ERA, QI EATERS ARE DIVINE AND LONGEVOUS!

The year 0367.

The cultivation system of the Witch flourished tremendously.

Under the leadership of Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng, it fully entered the era of great explosion.

Countless heroes emerged one after another, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, each blooming various disciplines, establishing various research academies.

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng governed with heavy measures and harsh laws; any theft, robbery, or burglary was punished with the extreme penalty. In no time, the world was at peace, ushering in a flourishing age.

And the criminals recorded by these heavy measures began to be dissected continuously, paving the way for humanity to open up an extraordinary civilization.

Some ministers sought an audience, "Your Majesty, this law is too cruel. Theft doesn’t warrant death! Robbery shouldn’t be punished with death!"

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng was stern, his eyes filled with cruelty and indifference, "Throughout the world, is there any medicine without bloodshed? Is there any cultivation path unstained by blood? Those ruffians, slaves, should make contributions to the Human Race! In this world, someone must pave the road. This law benefits the present, and profits the future generations, so what if I’m criticized as a tyrant by later generations?"

For a time, the world was peaceful and secure.

Over a dozen years, households no longer closed their doors at night, and theft nearly vanished.

As criminals almost disappeared, Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng issued another order:

"All the deceased shall have their remains transported by the County and County Household Department to aid in the Witch’s research!"

This order caused a massive uproar.

Elderly parents at home, young adults dying of illness, infants dying prematurely, none could be buried in peace but were forcibly taken away by officials amidst the people’s cries.

"Tyranny!"

"Tyranny indeed!!"

The people’s lamentation continued incessantly.

The year 0371.

The Witch’s cultivation method was vast and profound, involving the soul’s empowerment, bodily coordination, the root of consciousness, and other most mysterious areas, which are the ultimate secrets that even modern science struggles to reach.

However, in the four-dimensional world, where "soul spirit" can be sensed, there was finally a breakthrough in the soul domain, never before achieved in the modern 21st-century human society!

After three hundred years of world civilization development, under a mad push, the humans of the four-dimensional world finally established a systematic basic cultivation skill unique to them, and compiled it into a book, the "Sutra of All Living Creatures," divided into four volumes: "Witch," "Cultivation Technique," "Artifact Refining," and "Mingxin," with a total of 31,831 words, containing the great achievements of the era.

His Majesty decreed:

"Sages and officials from all over the world may come to the capital to hear the teachings."

Immediately, the capital gathered heroes from all over the world to learn this method.

At the beginning, the preface to the "Sutra of All Living Creatures" was as follows, conveying the words of a saint, directly pointing to the core:

"Qi Eaters, to know what Qi Eating means, one must first understand the meaning of eating; all things in the world categorize themselves by what they consume."

"Water Eaters are adept at swimming and tolerant of cold."

"Earth Eaters are heartless but wise, and Wood Eaters are strong but sluggish."

"Grass Eaters are good runners but dull, and Leaf Eaters produce silk but are moth-like."

"Meat Eaters are brave and fierce, and Grain Eaters are wise and skillful."

"Qi Eaters are divine and long-lived, Age Eaters are destructive and demonic."

...

Once the saint’s words were spoken, it seemed as though the heavens and earth trembled.

This general preface, word by word, sounded like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, exploding in the hearts of the audience, leaving them unable to contain themselves.

Many scholars, upon hearing this, felt a sudden urge to worship devoutly!

They immediately understood that these were saintly words, surely a grand and magnificent "Dao Scripture," with every word a precious jewel, destined to circulate eternally through history. It not only opened a path for the Human Race but also encompassed the truths of all things in the universe, with a grand theme covering everything in the world.

It was like a vast celestial sound, containing the principles of all things.

It transcended time, transcended the entire era, and would never fall behind, no matter when.

In that brief moment at the opening, it was as if the Witches saw mighty waves, thunder and lightning, tempestuous storms, mountains, rivers, and all the affairs of the world; a grand scroll of the world’s great Dao unfolded before them.

A scholar couldn’t help but marvel in his heart, "The first few sentences vaguely indicate the mysterious connections of all things, with all living beings categorizing themselves by what they consume, and Qi Eating being the highest, so profound; this is one of the essences of Qi."

"The phrase ’Qi Eaters are divine and long-lived, Age Eaters are destructive and demonic..... Qi Eating leading to divine status and longevity can be understood. Whereas Age Eating seems even more mysterious, appearing to devour others’ lifespans and souls? Is there really such a person? Such a path? I cannot grasp its meaning!"

He continued to listen, only feeling the grandiosity, as this emperor of the ages established the "philosophy" of the cultivation path, laying down the most basic general principles.

As soon as the opening general preface was over, it moved into the first volume "Witch," stating:

"Qi is not in the breath, but in the spirit."

"One breath’s Qi can nourish all things; when things perish, where does Qi remain?"

"The heart with myriad thoughts can perceive all Dao; when the heart perishes, where is Dao?"

"To live and die is nothing but the gathering and scattering of Qi."

"A life in this world, lifespan measured by Qi: some die one day after birth, others after ten years, some after a hundred years. Those not yet dead, though intelligent in actions, are merely named as living, not as dead, essentially measured by Qi..."

At this moment, everyone knew with unsurpassed shock that the second saint after Saint Zhang in humanity’s old history had appeared.

Saint Chong Dao!

Both an emperor and a Great Saint among men! Moreover, the Witch Ancestor who established Dao, set the mind, and set the conduct!

With the power of the entire nation, he had tens of thousands of scholars research, exhausting a lifetime’s experience, willing to bear infamy, for the purpose of establishing the basic skill of cultivation for all living beings in the world.

From this point on, the world finally had orthodox cultivation techniques.

...

The year 0376.

Since the completion of the "Sutra of All Living Creatures," several years had passed. Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng, as if a heart demon had settled, his old body could no longer bear it, growing increasingly senile, and aged.

Every day, countless reputed doctors enter the palace, shake their heads and sigh, then quietly leave.

Everyone vaguely guesses that this aged emperor, who has completed his life’s masterpiece at the end of his days, can no longer hold on, his breath exhausted, unable to summon it again.

People live for a breath, trees live for a skin.

If a person’s spirit dissipates, even the gods cannot save them!

"A new era begins, and also marks the fall of a great king." All the young talents and prodigies have a complex feeling that is difficult to express.

At this moment.

Chong Dao sits on the throne, watching each doctor leave, without any change in his expression.

He seems to have long accepted this fate, knowing his body is beyond saving.

Perhaps back then, when he noticed the Immortal Herb on the tea pavilion and later saw the prototype of the "Age-Devouring Demon Scripture" hidden by the Slave Dynasty emperor, he already saw his future mission.

"This is destiny."

"Prepare the carriage, I want to go to the temple."

This aged and declining emperor softly said, "To see an old friend."

....

This spilling majestic aura, astonishingly like the dispersal of dozens of Immortal Herbs, resembling the dawn of the universe, colorful and brilliant, drifting in the heavens and earth.

"The Qi has dissipated."

"The person is about to die too."

Along the vast coastline, at the edge of the harbor, a massive shadow rises and falls beneath the sea.

The seawater churns as she extends her graceful and moist body, "Even someone as powerful as you cannot stop the decay of time. Humans, alas, are such weak and pitiful short-lived beings."

Concealing one’s Qi is the instinct of the strong.

Only when one can no longer hide their Qi, collapsing fully, does it burst like a deflated balloon, swiftly dispersing into the world.

"The Age Eater devours malice and becomes a demon."

"So that’s how it is! So that’s how it is!" She suddenly laughed again, "You were never one to follow the rules; you’re a madman! No wonder you possessed such terrifying power in a short time; no wonder your lifespan is so short!"

"No wonder! No wonder!!"

She suddenly burst into laughter, as if a long-held doubt was uncovered.

"Human King, you appear sacred, but truly you are the greatest evil demon of this era, yet you are still a person worthy of respect. I bid you farewell with my entire clan, singing a lament for you."

Suddenly, on the beach outside the mighty stone wall, there were many lamenting dirges, melodious, vast, sorrowful.

It was the wailing of dolphins.

It was the mourning of whales.

The entire ocean gave Stone Guang the true emperor a final farewell.

"However, now that you have died, I no longer need to lie dormant. I too shall establish my kingdom." She softly spoke.

...

In a harbor.

"When a Saint dies, the heavens and earth bear unusual phenomena."

An old man under a banyan tree was sitting on a rocking chair, playing chess with another old man, slowly looked up, showing some complexity, "He was a stubborn person."

"Truly beautiful."

Zhang Zhi looked at the glow, suddenly remembering he had also seen a similar sunset glow.

That was the day his friend Zhang Xia died of old age in a prehistoric village, with such a magnificent and mystical phenomenon accompanying the deceased, the sunset at dusk, yet spreading like the multicolored sunrise, beautiful as if not of this world.

...

All the citizens of the Slave Dynasty were staring dazedly at the colorful sky.

A large number of citizens, without prior arrangement, arrived in front of the "Hundred-Stone City," stopping before this desert, staring dumbfounded at this great king’s city of yore, and the old inscription at the city gate.

[—I have always believed that the despair of mortals mostly comes from their own incompetence, but the despair of the strong is mostly limited by the powerlessness of the era, hence I will change the powerlessness of the era.]

Many people began to cry.

They were weeping for this great hero king.

Undoubtedly, this was a highly controversial king, incredibly kind yet equally cruel.

He personally overthrew the Slave Dynasty, abolished slavery, advocated for equal human rights, yet rebuilt the slave system years later, conscripting a large number of slaves to the front lines to build the "Wall of Ten Thousand Stones," exhausting countless slaves and citizens, his atrocities far exceeding the previous two slave emperors.

He clearly advocated for human rights and justice, established severe laws to create a peaceful era, collected a large number of criminals, but years later overthrew human rights, forcibly collected corpses, devoid of humanity and reason, to continue experiments.

Being inconsistent is a great taboo for kings, but paradoxically, such a king possessed an extremely strong personal charisma, making many people genuinely believe in him, not generating much disgust.

In the Divine Hall.

Stone Guang the true emperor stepped step by step across the "Cloud Mist Qi Sea," walking towards the end of the Divine Hall.

He looked at the statue in this luxurious palace.

The statue depicted the Man with a Tear Mole, standing with hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky.

"Back then, after our parting beneath the tea pavilion at the gate, you said you hoped the world would know my name not through my mouth, but from the people."

"I have done it."

"In this world, all living beings under heaven, none do not know me."

"Now that my life is exhausted, I beseech the gods above to meet once more." The old man, with Xiaqi gradually dissipating, surrounded by radiant splendor, his expression peaceful yet resolute, leaned on a cane and gazed at the statue.