Honghuang: Eat a Hunyuan Daluo

After unifying the world, Qin Shi Huang's first act was to emulate the ancient emperors by performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

After Ying Zheng announced this matter to all the civil and military officials, they all agreed.

After discussing all the matters related to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, Meng Wu suddenly said, "Your Majesty, now that the six kingdoms have been destroyed and the nine provinces are unified, only our Great Qin remains. Is it not somewhat inappropriate to still address me as the King of Qin?"

After hearing Meng Wu's words, the ministers in the hall discussed among themselves: "General Meng is right. In the past, when the seven kingdoms stood in a tripartite balance, Your Majesty was the King of Qin. Now that the six kingdoms have been destroyed and all of the nine provinces are the territory of our Great Qin, it is not appropriate for Your Majesty to still call yourself the King of Qin."

"That's true, but what else can we call him if not King of Qin?"

"I don't know either, but I feel that the King of Qin is indeed unworthy of Your Majesty's status."

"Then why not call him the Great Qin King?"

Upon hearing this, all the officials turned to look at the person who had made the suggestion, their faces revealing disdain.
"How could you even come up with such an awful title as 'King of Qin'?" Wang Jian couldn't help but complain.

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but Prime Minister Li Si remained silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Ying Zheng asked with interest, "I see that the Prime Minister has not said a word. Is there something on your mind?"

Upon hearing this, Li Si slowly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I do indeed have some ideas."

"Tell me."

Upon hearing this, Li Si spoke solemnly, “Your Majesty, you ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, building upon the achievements of six generations, befriending virtuous ministers, keeping away from petty men, working diligently to govern, implementing reforms to strengthen the nation, ending the chaos in the Nine Provinces, and freeing millions of people from the suffering of war.”

In my humble opinion, Your Majesty's achievements are comparable to those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of ancient China. I suggest that Your Majesty take one character from each of their names and call yourself Emperor!

This title is unprecedented; Your Majesty is the first emperor of all time, worthy of being called the First Emperor!

"The First Emperor!" The civil and military officials gasped. "What an imposing name!"

Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this. As expected of his most trusted prime minister, Li Si, he had never disappointed him: "His virtue surpasses that of the Three Sovereigns and his achievements exceed those of the Five Emperors. This is Zheng (I)! From this day forward, I shall be the First Emperor!"

After deciding on the title of First Emperor, Ying Zheng was in a very good mood, and he looked forward to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai a month later with even greater anticipation.

A month passed quickly, and Ying Zheng had already arrived at the summit of Mount Tai.

Today he was wearing a black dragon robe, with gold patterns depicting a five-clawed golden dragon, its claws outstretched and lifelike. He himself had a majestic expression that made people afraid to look directly at him.

Mount Tai is in particularly good condition today, with clear skies, warm sunshine, and a gentle breeze that is truly refreshing.

Under Ying Zheng's instruction, Li Si read out the sacrificial text, which was over a thousand words long and recorded Ying Zheng's achievements since his ascension to the throne.

As Li Si recited the sacrificial text, a series of booming sounds emanated from the void.

This sound is inaudible to mortals, but all cultivators above the Earth Immortal level can sense it, and the higher their cultivation level, the clearer they can hear it.

This is the resounding sound of the Dao emanating from the unification of the Nine Provinces!

The fortune that originally belonged to the six states all converged on the Qin state, and the fortune of the Qin state suddenly increased, transforming into a five-clawed golden dragon with bared fangs and claws!

"Roar!" The golden dragon roared, piercing through the clouds and splitting rocks, sweeping across the entire primordial world.

At the same time, the aura emanating from Ying Zheng also underwent a transformation, completely transforming into the purple aura of the Human Emperor, exuding nobility and majesty.

The primordial world is now jointly governed by the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Human Emperor, Ying Zheng, holds a position equivalent to a sage and wields the power of Heaven, able to bestow titles upon mountain gods, land gods, and all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens with a single word.

Ying Zheng could vaguely sense some changes, but because even the Human Emperor could not cultivate, his perception was not clear.

In the second year after the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, Ying Zheng officially changed the era name, no longer calling himself King Zheng of Qin, but instead calling it the First Emperor. He then proclaimed to the world that he was the First Emperor, and that the Qin Dynasty would have a second emperor, a third emperor, and so on, until it was passed down to ten thousand emperors.

In the first year of the First Emperor's reign, Ying Zheng did not immediately launch sweeping reforms. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Although the six states were destroyed, their remnants remained. He needed to proceed step by step, like boiling a frog in warm water, first eliminating the remnants of the six states before carrying out reforms.

Subsequently, Ying Zheng officially issued an edict. This standardized the width of carts, the written language, weights and measures, abolished the feudal system and replaced it with the prefecture-county system, and simultaneously enacted new laws.

Once these imperial edicts were issued, it was as if the foundation of the six kingdoms had been severed. The written language was unified, and the history belonging to the six kingdoms would gradually be buried in the passage of time.

In the tenth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, the empire was unified, and with the implementation of policies such as standardizing cart axles and writing, the Qin Dynasty was absorbing the six former states at an incredibly rapid pace.

At this point, Ying Zheng felt it was time to implement some more in-depth reforms.

Ying Zheng believed that all the various schools of thought should serve the Qin Dynasty and him, the emperor.

Therefore, Ying Zheng decisively began reforms, establishing multiple departments in the court. The most representative of these were the Department of Investigation of Things, mainly composed of Mohists; the Department of Medicine, mainly composed of Physicians; and the Department of Agriculture, mainly composed of Agriculturalists. The heads of these three departments held positions equivalent to the Nine Ministers.

In addition, most of the officials in the court were born into Confucian families, those in the judicial system were born into Legalist families, and those in the military were mostly from military schools, as well as generals who rose through the ranks of the Qin Dynasty through military merit.

Time flies, and another two years have passed.

The agricultural college has a strong agricultural background and has cultivated new grain varieties that are cold- and drought-resistant, with yields 50% higher than the old varieties.

The promotion of the new five grain varieties greatly increased the number of people in the Qin territory who could eat their fill. People depend on food for survival, and with food, they naturally had no desire to rebel.

In addition, the Ministry of Medicine established an institution called the Medical College. The physicians compiled all the prescriptions, difficult and complicated diseases, and treatment processes of the six states and Qin into a book, which was named the Great Qin Medical Canon.

The Great Qin Medical Classic was promoted to every county within the Great Qin territory. Once the medical classic was published, all diseases were cured, and people were free from pain and suffering. The people's hearts were even more devoted to the Great Qin.

At the same time, the medical school also began recruiting students from the general public; anyone who wants to study medicine can apply to the medical school.

The Mohist school's Department of Investigating Things developed various wooden mechanical devices for the Qin Dynasty. They also taught the children of the Qin Dynasty to read for free, establishing special literacy classes to teach all children in the Qin Dynasty who had not yet reached adulthood to read.

The Qin Dynasty was thriving and flourishing.

However, the better the Qin state developed, the harder it became for the remnants of the six states to survive, forced to hide in dark corners and eke out a living.

Of course, there are also some who are not giving up and are secretly making some small moves, and these small moves cannot be separated from the help of the various schools of thought.

Take Legalism for example. Li Si was indeed a Legalist, and he was truly loyal to Ying Zheng, always sharing his burdens. However, not all Legalists agreed with the Qin Dynasty; many Legalist members were biased towards the remnants of the six states.

Similar situations have occurred in Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, medicine, agriculture, and Yin-Yang philosophy.

Ying Zheng was aware of this situation. At this time, Ying Zheng summoned Zhang Han in the palace and slowly asked, "How are the various schools of thought developing recently?" Zhang Han bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, with the unification of the six states, the standardization of writing, and the standardization of cart axles, communication has become easier. The Hundred Schools of Thought are contending, with various schools and schools of thought colliding, and there is even a trend of surpassing the Spring and Autumn Period."

"What are the officials in the court who still have ties with the remnants of the six states doing?"

Zhang Han hesitated for a moment and then slowly said, "I believe that both sides are using each other. The purpose of the various schools of thought is to take advantage of the influence of the remnants of the six states to expand wildly, while the remnants of the six states are taking the opportunity to collude and entangle themselves with many high-ranking officials in the court."

As Ying Zheng listened, his expression grew increasingly cold, while Zhang Han remained cautious and dared not speak further.

The next morning, Ying Zheng summoned all civil and military officials to court and officially issued an edict! He announced that he would collect all the weapons in the land, gather them in Xianyang, sharpen their blades and arrowheads, and cast them into twelve bronze statues to weaken the people of the land.

The imperial edict shook the entire land. Officials wore expressions of shock, their hearts filled with dread! To gather all the weapons of the realm in Xianyang—was this not a devastating blow to the lives of the people? They dared not even imagine it!

In a remote, secluded mountain forest, deep underground, in a massive underground palace, the remnants of the six kingdoms gathered together.

"Has Ying Zheng gone mad? Why is he collecting all the weapons in the land? What is he trying to do?"

"He's a madman. If he keeps causing trouble like this, the Qin Dynasty will never last long."

"That damned Ying Zheng! Back when he was a hostage in my Zhao state, he should have been torn to pieces!"

"It's too late to say anything now. If we want to take over the world's weapons, how can we plan a great cause without soldiers and weapons?"

"What's there to be afraid of? There are plenty of our people in the Qin court. Why would we be afraid of not being able to get weapons?"

The entire land of China was shaken by the emperor's decree.

Countless people spontaneously donated their household utensils, which were then sent to the smelting department under the Mo family's jurisdiction.

The bellows roared as the craftsmen, shirtless, threw all the confiscated weapons into the furnace. The high temperature inside melted the collected tools into molten iron.

Working overtime, they created twelve golden statues in just one month!

The twelve golden statues, each a hundred meters tall and weighing ten thousand jun, were created. After they were completed, Ying Zheng bestowed titles upon them and, following the example of Yu the Great casting the Nine Tripods, sent them to the capitals of the Qin Dynasty to suppress the fortunes of various regions.

Having done all this, Ying Zheng began to wait patiently for the restless remnants of the six states to come to him.

However, they waited and waited, but the remnants of the six kingdoms never appeared.

Ying Zheng thought that even though he had pressed so hard, the remnants of the six states had not yet shown up. Could it be that they dared not come to Xianyang?

Therefore, Ying Zheng decided without hesitation to make an inspection tour next month. Since they dared not come to Xianyang, he would go to find them.

Meanwhile, in the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain, during the decades since the Qin Dynasty unified the world, Sun Wukong's cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, and today he has finally reached the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Xiao Zi is no less impressive; she has already broken through to the Xuanxian realm.

Before today, Sun Wukong had never experienced what a bottleneck was.

After breaking through to the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal, Sun Wukong discovered that no matter how he cultivated, his magical power would not increase in the slightest.

Sun Wukong opened his eyes with a face full of doubt. Faced with this unprecedented situation, Sun Wukong was very confused. He thought about the people he knew, and the only ones who could answer his questions were his teacher, Bodhi Patriarch, and the Dragon King of the East Sea.

Just as Sun Wukong was preparing to go to the East Sea, a chilling aura suddenly filled Flower Fruit Mountain, and two figures flew out from underground. The sound of chains rattling in the air was accompanied by low footsteps, seemingly both near and far, sending chills down one's spine.

"Here we go again!" Sun Wukong said impatiently.

As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, Hei Wuchang appeared first. He was tall and imposing, with a jet-black robe as dark as ink. His face was ferocious, and his eyes glowed with a faint red light. Iron chains were wrapped around his hands, making a piercing clanging sound. His steps were steady, and each step seemed to tread on people's hearts, bringing endless pressure.

White Impermanence followed closely behind, his white robes fluttering, a strange smile on his face, his tongue lolling out, and his mourning staff lightly tapping the ground, producing a hollow echo.

The two figures, one in black and one in white, resembled the interplay of yin and yang, exuding a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

Sun Wukong glanced at an old monkey in the west of the Water Curtain Cave; this time, the Black and White Impermanence must be targeting it.

Indeed, that was the case. Black Impermanence walked up to the old monkey and spoke coldly, his voice sounding as if it came from the depths of hell: "The time for your soul to return has come. Come with us."

White Impermanence chuckled, his voice sharp and piercing: "Don't struggle, your fate is sealed, the path to the underworld cannot be defied."

As they spoke, they twitched the chains in their hands, and the soul slowly separated from the old monkey's body, turning into a wisp of green smoke, which was firmly bound by the iron chains.

The old monkey's soul was terrified and wanted to escape, but had nowhere to hide. Under the guidance of the Black and White Impermanence, it embarked on the Yellow Springs Road to the Underworld.

As the gates of hell opened wide, ghostly fires flickered all around, and a chilling wind howled. The Black and White Impermanence walked side by side, their souls drifting behind them as they gradually disappeared into the thick fog.

The outline of the Bridge of Helplessness inside the Gate of Hell was faintly visible, and a scent similar to incense wafted from it.

Whenever Sun Wukong saw this scene, he felt an urge to take his staff and smash it into the underworld.

But Sun Wukong now knows from Patriarch Bodhi that the Underworld is under the control of the Earth Realm, and that the powerful figures of the Witch Clan are all in the Underworld.

Any random Great Shaman could be a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. He was only at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. Even with the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique at the peak of the fourth stage and the Golden Eye of Illusion, he could barely deal with a Grand Luo.

There are too many great shamans in the underworld to count on two hands and two feet, not to mention the twelve ancestral shamans and Houtu, the goddess who created the underworld.

Faced with these powerful beings, the monkey felt that even if he became a saint, he would not be a match for them.

If the monkey hadn't known about the existence of these powerful beings, he might have actually ventured into the underworld. But now that he knew, he didn't have the courage.

In order to prevent his monkey descendants from suffering the torment of reincarnation, the monkey had long been guiding them in cultivation. At the same time, he was also thinking about whether he could find some rare and precious materials and elixirs that could prolong the lifespan of his monkey descendants.

"Wukong, did some underworld messengers just come by?" Xiao Zi's words interrupted Sun Wukong's thoughts.

Sun Wukong glanced at the deceased old monkey and nodded helplessly.

“Wukong, you’re always so sad when a monkey dies. Why don’t you accept that old white-bearded immortal’s invitation to become a god in heaven? I’ve heard that gods get to eat peaches of immortality and elixirs. If you bring those back for your monkey grandchildren, they can live longer,” Xiao Zi said.

(End of this chapter)