CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 36: THE WORLD OF OLD GODS, TERRIFYING AS SUCH

"Yes, and no?"

Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor showed a hint of surprise and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhu Zhengwei said quietly, "Directing Qi down the neck and circulating it throughout the body is indeed a grand and correct path. Practicing this sound method can indeed achieve immortality, but the righteous path is difficult and excessively ambitious."

Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor said, "The grand path is difficult to cultivate. Should we first cultivate the lesser paths?"

He is an obsessive and perfectionist Great Emperor, who happened to agree with Zhang Zhi, both thinking of the simplest and most perfect method, directing Qi down the neck and circulating it throughout the body!

But that doesn’t mean other ways cannot be thought of.

For instance, certain cultivation methods.

Only cultivating the head, or perhaps exchanging heads and bodies?

By any means, first extend life, and first enhance cultivation.

Over the years, scholars in the dynasty have had too many whimsical ideas, even contrary to morals. Many of these thoughts violating human ethics have been vetoed by him one by one.

He asked, "Dare I ask, what is the extent of difficulty of the sound method?"

Zhu Zhengwei said, "Humans have a hundred trillion cells, with Qi circulating and nourishing among them. Every single one of the hundred trillion cells must swallow wind and eat Qi, the difficulty is imaginable."

Cycling through the body is not that simple.

It’s equivalent to injecting immaterial spirit into material flesh.

It’s equivalent to directly using soul energy to stimulate and evolve the body, achieving immortality and eternal life. But the complexity of modern medical body structure needs no more explanation, and to this day, there are still innumerable puzzles hard to crack.

"Cell biology? In the Jingshan Temple of the Bronze Kingdom, I’ve heard about the theories they’ve obtained from the Old Days."

Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor thought for a moment and pondered, "However, the correct method being affirmed, the path we seek is correct, that’s enough! If truly a deadlock arises, perhaps considering other shortcuts...but that’s for my successors to deliberate."

Zhu Zhengwei nodded.

This question, we’ve moved past.

In fact, there is nothing much to answer in the second question.

They have already selected the path and seen the path, directing Qi down the neck and circulating it throughout the body is certainly an obvious legitimate method, they just want certainty, just want peace of mind.

As for the third question, that is the main event.

To ask about the world environment, to ask whether the dynasty will prosper forever, to ask whether at the zenith of the dynasty, they can reach the Old Days, and what were the divine beings like in the Old Days?

This is to look into the past and the future.

Now the first real dynasty has begun to emerge, and their answers to the world’s civilization will serve as enlightenment and guiding lights, requiring utmost caution.

In Zhu Zhengwei’s contemplation, he took a sip of tea, silently pondering the third question, and suddenly countered, "You ask whether the Ancestral Witch dynasty will prosper forever? Human Emperor Chong Dao, what do you think is the size of this world?"

Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor shook his head, honestly admitting ignorance.

Because, quite rightly, over the centuries, too many Old Days civilization texts have been lost, even Zhang Zhi is somewhat vague about that Old Days civilization, somewhat forgetful.

But Zhu Zhengwei laughed and said, "The world stretches millions and millions of kilometers, yet this is only the world beneath our feet. The celestial bodies—sun, moon, and stars—are each a world, the universe is limitless and inexhaustible."

Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor was astonished by Zhu Zhengwei’s words, and immediately became interested, "Is the world truly so vast? Our dynasty, could it be like a fluke swimming in water?"

The impact on this emperor was immense, making him extremely excited!

The world is vast!

After all, the map of the present world only covers the territories of Seaside Ghost Kingdom, Slave Dynasty, and the Bronze Kingdom. Beyond that are the endless coasts, it’s the domain of gigantic sea creatures, and beyond is the endless ocean, the scenery remains unchanged, as if you could never reach an end.

In reality, this is a map’s invisible barrier.

The world is actually quite small, but in Zhu Zhengwei’s eyes, although it is small here, the future map may not be small, eventually transforming into a genuine four-dimensional planet supported by a multitude of "lower-tier mining machines."

Meanwhile, the present Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor carefully pondered this statement: beneath our feet lies millions of kilometers, above the sky stretches infinitely!

Isn’t this the heavens and the earth?

He suddenly recalled the anomaly of this divine being’s birth.

He pointed one finger to the sky, one finger to the earth, heaven and earth, I alone reign supreme!

Isn’t it saying...??

He looked at the man before him with growing admiration and respect.

Even among "god-like" creatures, this existence is likely one of the most top-tier beings.

Zhu Zhengwei naturally didn’t know about Shiguang Zhizheng Emperor, this worldly Saint’s shocking thoughts about his youthful, grand entrance scene but instead perked up his ears and overheard the immortal herb murmuring nearby.

"Ah hahaha, upon hearing about the starry sea outside, this feudal emperor is befuddled."

"I’ve been befuddled for so long, now I finally start to feel some superiority!"

"But isn’t that obvious? In ancient times, during the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, when their feudal emperors heard the world was so large, they were directly dazed, in their eyes, the furthest reach was just some neighboring barbarian countries."

They felt this shock was understandable.

After all, it’s just a feudal dynasty.

Civilization is still at a very primitive slave system stage, with low productivity.

However, some have begun to be intrigued by the concept of "divine beings," divine beings who actually know the concept of cosmic stars! They know outer space, the universe, vacuum, planets, could it be that their essence is a high-level cosmic civilization?

There was a prehistoric advanced tech civilization on this planet, but it was destroyed?

"Not quite sure."

"But the worldview is incredibly fascinating."

"I feel like it’s another Earth, with civilization developing, a hidden worldview that’s vast. We’re witnessing history on this planet, and we are all mere spectators of this ’World’."

...

The rustling of wild grass, like the clamor of the wind.

Zhu Zhengwei didn’t care about their excitement and speculation. Instead, he sat under the tea pavilion amidst the mortal splendor of this dynasty’s center, glanced at Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng again, and said, "You ask if the flourishing Witch civilization can compare to the Old Gods? Do you know what kind of world the old civilization was?"

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng shook his head.

Zhu Zhengwei stood up, as if seeing the distant past, with reminiscence and nostalgia, "In the old world, everyone could transmit voices thousands of miles away and project images across space with a single thought. Above their heads, each had an Ancient Demon Net that could instantly acquire knowledge that would take ordinary people millennia to learn; everyone was omniscient!"

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng was astonished.

What kind of world-class miraculous creation was that?

His Wall of Giant Stones wasn’t worth mentioning before such national wonders.

There, the scholars and ascetics of their dynasty would be nothing but a joke, wouldn’t they?

Zhu Zhengwei looked at him, smiling slightly, "In the old world, the earth had billions of people. Everyone had a personal dwelling, with walls embedded with arrays, delicate as a net, capable of channeling Thunder Power from the cosmos, radiating divine iridescence, transmitting Immortal Energy, starting witchcraft artifacts at home to ward off cold and heat, condense ice, ignite fire, with various divine techniques."

A world of Divine Beings!!

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng immediately pondered that his "Wall of Ten Thousand Stones" was probably not even comparable to an ordinary person’s dwelling, yet he heard even more shocking words from Zhu Zhengwei:

"In that Ancient Country, each person could ride mounts, soar thousands of meters in the air with birds, or travel ten thousand miles a day on dragons."

....

"A golden age of gods! Truly a golden age of gods! In this era, everyone is an Immortal! Everyone is an innate Divine Being!"

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng couldn’t help but exclaim, his pupils enlarged, marveling, "My talents, my prowess, are not even as good as an ordinary person of the Old Days??"

Zhu Zhengwei took another deep look at him, "What I described is merely the scenery commonly seen among the people!"

"If even the people were so extraordinary, flying and escaping through the earth, what about the emperors of the dynasty?" His curiosity grew.

Zhu Zhengwei cast him a sidelong glance, "Those in power could send one to the moon and pursue the sun, gather stardust, create a myriad of stars in the sky, monitor entire continents, observe miles of mountains and rivers! Each of them could shoot an arrow across ten thousand miles and destroy a kingdom! One strike could annihilate billions of all living beings!"

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng was completely immersed in this incredible and magnificent vision, loudly shouting, "Celestial Court! This must be the Mythical Celestial Court!!"

Some of the Immortal Herbs nearby were starting to get excited.

"Isn’t this just like us in modern times?"

"Hahaha, I feel a surge of pride!"

"This game is incredible, it understands us, even writes about our real world."

"In the blink of an eye, we’re god-like beings! To the ancients, we are the Ancient Celestial Court! Each one of us is sacred from the Old Days!"

"The circuit on the wall = The Dwelling Array, mobile phone = Thousand Mile Sound Transmitter and Space Projection, airplane and high-speed rail = Immortal Mounts, satellite = Celestial Emperor building the starry array, governing and observing the world."

"Wow, wow, wow! This perspective is indeed mythical in style."

"Wait, what are you all so proud of? What they describe might not be us, it could be a similarly developed or even more highly developed ancient civilization on another planet!"

...

Zhu Zhengwei was somewhat speechless.

What are you guys so excited about?

I’m developing this world’s civilization, conversing with the dynasty’s emperor, and you servers are even happier than me? This is absurd.

If it weren’t for Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng having thrown you here to plant, treating you as national treasures...

You’re simply polluting my ears here! And disrupting the atmosphere!

At this moment, Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng’s heart shook immensely.

Is this the old civilization?

Yet even such a great mythic civilization of the Old Days was destroyed.

What kind of catastrophe was it? Was it an enemy? Internal strife? Natural disaster?

Proud of the slight achievements he made before, he boastfully asked whether his Witch Dynasty’s future, where everyone could Swallow Wind and Eat Qi, could compare to that era of gods?

He realized how blind and foolish he was.

He showed a trace of shame, "How can my Witch Kingdom compare to that Ancient Immortal Court?"

Zhu Zhengwei heard this but remained calm.

This was not intended to dampen his confidence but to show them a truly modern and prosperous technological society of the 21st century; that is another future!

Although, to the ancients, at this moment to a Feudal Emperor, it’s too inconceivable and too cruel, given their individual combat power was strong but ultimately just individual strength.

Zhu Zhengwei smiled, "Why belittle yourself? Do you know where I come from and where I’m going?"

Emperor Shiguang Zhizheng suddenly responded, recalling the first words during their first meeting: [I come from the Old Days, journeying into the future.]

His spirit surged, a wave of heroic spirit spewing forth from his chest, unable to help but ponder:

The implication being, could his realm, the future of this world, perhaps not be inferior to such a mythical golden age??