In the future, Earth becomes a relic of the mythical era.

Chapter 245 A Lifetime of Freedom
We moved.

Having barely survived to the third lifetime, and after three lifetimes of struggle, Xie Lingxin finally had her own house.

Happy? Not really.

It's a little heartbreaking...

The royal mansion bestowed by the emperor is very large, high-end, luxurious, understated, and tasteful.

Because this place used to have a famous name – Tian Ce Mansion!

During the Wude era, Prince Qin, Li Er, led a large army to capture Luoyang, achieving remarkable military exploits and gaining great fame.

Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan bestowed upon him the title of General of Heavenly Strategy!
He ranked above princes and the Three Dukes, and was second only to the Three Masters, the heads of the civil officials.

He was granted permission to establish his own government and military headquarters in Luoyang!
That is, the residence of the Heavenly Strategy General!

It ranks first among military officials, above even the imperial guards!
Xie Lingxin didn't dare accept that position.

To be honest, he actually coveted that position.

That's the emperor! Who wouldn't want to be one?
Feudal society had its flaws, but being an emperor was definitely not one of them!

Putting aside all other abstract things, if I were to become the emperor of the Great Zhou, all the resources of the Great Zhou would be mine!
If I were to obtain the vast collection of books, treasures, and resources in the Ziwei Palace, wouldn't I instantly take off?
But precisely because the benefits were so great, Xie Lingxin dared not accept them.

If there were no shady dealings involved, Wu Zetian would have been the supreme emperor, holding absolute power and complete control over the world.

Does she need to ask for other people's opinions if she wants to do something?
Moreover, it's such a good thing as the throne; you can just give it up directly.

Why bother asking yourself if you're willing?

It was as if he had the right to make decisions in front of her.

Although she refused, Wu Zetian did not try to force her.

But he was still granted this mansion of the Heavenly Strategy General!
Now, his title of Prince Jing, who has established his own residence and military headquarters, is truly fitting.

Having established his own government and command, and also holding the title of the Heavenly Strategy General's Mansion, his current situation is equivalent to a small court independent of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

The officials themselves appoint their own officials, without needing to go through the imperial court!
Regardless of Wu Zetian's intentions, this is an established fact.

After the three regents were dismissed, Wu Zetian publicly expressed her intention to abdicate the throne and restore the Tang dynasty's imperial power, and then went into seclusion again.

It was as if someone deliberately dropped a mushroom bomb on the world, causing chaos and destruction, before everyone simply clapped their hands, turned around, and left without even glancing back at the explosion.

Wu Zetian's words about abdicating, plus this Tian Ce Mansion.

Even if Xie Lingxin was unwilling, others regarded him as the crown prince of the Great Zhou or the Great Tang.

His Tian Ce Mansion really seemed to have turned into a miniature imperial court.

Officials from the imperial court, both civil and military, would come here whether they had something to do or not.

Persuasion, flattery, petitions, probing, sycophancy...

All sorts of people and all sorts of things converge here.

Li Xun, Qiu Shiliang, and others, who believed they had a close relationship with Xie Lingxin, became arrogant, as if they were already the heads of all officials and held the highest positions in the court.

Even a leisurely person like Bai Juyi was extremely excited and would chatter on in his ear whenever he had a spare moment.

Because these people truly cherish the memory of the Tang Dynasty.

Whatever the reason, Xie Lingxin was exhausted by them.

He simply closed the door and refused all visitors.

Actually, this is just an excuse.

Because he was afraid.

A huge windfall fell on him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. His remaining rationality made him feel afraid.

So he decided to ignore everything.

Close the door and hide!

They went about their business as usual, completely ignoring the raging flood outside the gate.

From then on, the Tian Ce General's Mansion seemed to be isolated from the world.

In the past, Wu Zetian would occasionally issue decrees, but after that day, they seemed to disappear completely.

The vast world seems to have lost its master.

In the beginning, even in her absence, this empress's prestige still commanded respect throughout the land, deterring many ambitious individuals from taking any rash actions.

However, this influence has gradually diminished over time.

Day after day, year after year.

People have gradually forgotten that once powerful empress.

This Great Zhou world gradually moved towards the path of the Great Tang Dynasty that Xie Lingxin knew.

The trigger was still Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao, whom Xie Lingxin had released.

He knew from the beginning that these two men had joined him in order to secure their future.

I just wanted some peace and quiet, and I didn't intend to suppress them.

They found them jobs in the imperial court.

Given his position, it would be effortless.

They were also regarded as a stronghold of the Tian Ce Mansion, and a group of talented and extraordinary people gradually gathered around them.

These two men were indeed capable, especially Huang Chao, who accomplished a great deal after gaining power.

These successive measures have made the Great Zhou Dynasty flourish like a tapestry.

But whether it was due to cause and effect, or as if it were destiny, Huang Chao still did something even under these circumstances.

He targeted the powerful and influential families across the land.

The five surnames and seven families were the first to be affected!

Wherever the army's spears pointed, wherever their iron hooves trod, officials' hats and robes were covered in dust and stained with blood.

Naturally, noble families rose up, and regional military governors and regional warlords, ambitious and eager to seize the opportunity, attacked each other, plunging the world into chaos!
……

In the Tian Ce Mansion.

Life is full of ups and downs, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

This is one of the few quiet places in the world today.

Although he lived a secluded life, he still knew about what was happening outside.

Initially, Bai Juyi and other famous scholars regarded him as the crown prince and the hope for restoring the imperial power of the Tang Dynasty.

He brought in a group of famous scholars and experts to give him lectures and instill various kinds of knowledge and ideas.

Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, Ru Man, and the other Nine Elders of Xiangshan.

Liu Zongyuan and Han Yu, who are among the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties...

He had met all the poets whose names have been passed down through the ages, including Du Mu, Li Shangyin, Meng Jiao, Jia Dao, and Li He.

Even the unparalleled poet Li Bai!

I've also visited his Tian Ce Mansion before!

This poet is still alive and well in this world, and has even become a god-like figure!

The world-famous Bailu Cliff was his place of seclusion!

He finally understood the origin of the name "White Deer"—let the white deer roam freely among the green cliffs, and when the time comes, ride it to visit famous mountains. How can I bow and scrape before the powerful and wealthy, making me unable to be happy?

In short.

Although he was confined to a small space throughout his life, he experienced all kinds of life and learned a great deal.

All because of Bai Juyi's words: "A ruler must have a benevolent heart, great wisdom, unwavering perseverance, and a heart that embraces the world!"

Xie Lingxin did not refuse his kindness.

Because he knows that knowledge is a good thing, no matter where it is.

"Suzhen, I want to eat cherries, give them to me..."

Xie Lingxin called out, but she froze halfway through her sentence.

Because Suzhen is no longer here.

In the blink of an eye, sixty years have passed. Just last month, Suzhen breathed her last in his arms.

When she died, Suzhen, who was once innocent and radiant like a flower, was now an old woman with white hair.

Over the years, he has watched helplessly as many people have passed away.

Cui Chenglin, Zhang Zhihong, Gao Ming, Gao Jue, Cui Hong, Fang Zhaoshuang...

There were people from the Great Zhou Dynasty, and there were those who underwent trials.

Su Zhen was the closest person to him in this world.

They've gone now.

A lifetime is very long, so long that some people feel it's too long and don't want to live anymore.

A lifetime is very short, so short that it passes in the blink of an eye.

Xie Lingxin lived a life full of such contradictions.

Sixty years was not enough for him; on the contrary, it felt too long.

Because he's tired of living.

Bai Juyi, who once nagged him every day in an effort to mold him into a benevolent and sage ruler, has long since turned to dust.

Those poets and scholars who taught him, who once traveled with him among the mountains and rivers, who engaged in eloquent discussions, and whose talents were soaring and whose elegance lasted for eternity, have all disappeared from the world.

Xie Lingxin had a sudden thought.

【基础观想法：1/1】【拴马桩：1/1】【夜照神烛法：1/1】

【石精录形图：1/1】【拙火图：1/1】【请神术：1/1】

【九峰式：1/1】【三五斩邪剑：1/1】【踏罡步斗：1/1】【先天玄水阴雷图：1/1】

【动山河：1/1】【百战血炼功：1/1】【大幽冥钟护身神通：1/1】

【紫烟化影：1/1】【天理拳：1/1】【剑戟峥嵘百花杀：1/1】

【The Azure Emperor Stepping on Penglai Island: 1/1】

【Buddhist Kingdom in Your Hand: 50.00/100 (↑39.04)】

【Buddha Descends to Rule the World: 50.00/100 (↑1.81)】

【The Dragon Soaring Through the East Sea: 100/100 (↑56.69)】

[The Fragmentary Map of Dongsheng Shenzhou: Incomplete]

[Sex: 994208.44/1000000 (↑990016.78) (Sixfold)]

[Life: 1.07/100000 (↓32.33)]

[Root Factor: Medium -99%]

Magical artifacts: Black Crane Azure Banner, Demon-Illuminating Mirror, Soul-Capturing Mirror, Joyful Union Bell, Golden Guard Staff

Legendary items: Pottery jar, Treasure Pouch, Jade Bottle, Yellow God's Chapter, Ruyi Golden Light Supreme King Sword, Hundred Ghosts Painting

Supernatural Powers: Unimpeded by All Laws, Supreme Golden Light Sword (Tian Shu), Golden Bones
He learned a lot of things, but not many martial arts techniques.

Only in his early years was he interested in learning various martial arts techniques.

He learned the signature skills of Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao, including the Heavenly Principle Fist and the Hundred Flowers Killing Sword and Halberd Technique.

It is said that the skill of wielding swords and spears and killing a hundred flowers was taught to him by Lü Chunyang, and it originated from a painting called "The Green Emperor Stepping on Penglai". However, he was unable to learn it completely.

He later found this picture in the box containing the male and female swords.

The pretentious criminal who stole his sword case that day was none other than Lü Chunyang!
He even tricked that old eunuch Qiu Shiliang—the Purple Smoke Transformation technique was created by Li Bai, and Li Bai himself verified it.

Later on, he lost interest.

The skills "Buddha's Descent" and "Buddha's Kingdom in the Palm of Your Hand" are both stuck at level 50 and cannot be upgraded further.

Xie Lingxin was holding a mirror; it was a demon-revealing mirror.

Over the years, he has also crafted several magical artifacts.

Rare and precious materials are indeed not so easy to obtain.

Over the years, those trial participants have only managed to gather enough materials for a few magical artifacts for him.

The mirror reflected an old man with white hair and three strands of white beard reaching his chest.

He does have a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal air about him.

So this is what I'll look like when I'm old...

He has cultivated to the primordial spirit level, reaching the sixth level of the spiritual realm.

Once the twelve heavenly barriers are broken, the mortal body is shed, and a jade-boned immortal body is refined. One returns to simplicity and truth, the body becomes empty and void, and one unites with the Dao. One can consume qi and live forever, with a lifespan exceeding three hundred years.

However, after using the Blood Essence Pearl, his life cultivation made little progress.

Spiritual cultivation alone cannot grant him longevity.

Now that he is very old, his health has dropped to an extremely low point.

He is probably nearing the end of his life.

but……

He learned what he was supposed to learn.

He did what he was supposed to do.

Those who were there to accompany me are now gone.

Xie Lingxin was quite relieved that her time had come in time...

In the courtyard of Tian Ce Mansion, half-reclining on a chair, a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over me.

The thought floated away, seemingly taking flight.

Flying over the sky, flying over the capital, I saw familiar yet unfamiliar streets and alleys...

The city remained bustling, though the world was in chaos, and no one dared to harm it.

He found himself drifting into the Ziwei Palace, flying over the Wanxiang Divine Palace, arriving at the Tongtian Pagoda, and flying to the top.

A figure, not particularly tall, dressed in the robes of the Ming emperor and wearing a phoenix crown, stood at the highest point, his back to him, looking down at the capital.

Like a god or Buddha, she dwells high in the heavens, overlooking her country and her people...

"Sixty years have passed, and your time is drawing near. Are you still unwilling to inherit the throne and take over the divine weapon?"

The figure was facing away from him, and the voice came from behind. Xie Lingxin couldn't quite describe her feelings.

It was an ordinary woman's voice, yet it sounded like an unfathomable, profound destiny...

Wu Zetian!
Xie Lingxin shook her head, weak but firm: "I don't want to."

The most noble and powerful figure in the world did not show any emotion because of his "disobedience".

He showed neither joy nor anger, remaining calm and composed: "The Chakravartin King abandoned his supreme human form, shaved his head, entered Nirvana, and became the World Honored One."

"Do you also wish to emulate the Buddha and attain enlightenment?"

Xie Lingxin chuckled: "I don't have that ability. I neither know how to govern the world nor have I ever governed it. How can I abandon it?"

Wu Zetian said slowly, "No matter who you were before, in this life, your surname is Li, and your name is Li Rui."

Xie Lingxin was taken aback: "What does the Sage mean?"

Wu Zetian did not answer, but still turned her back to him and said leisurely, "All phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and all phenomena cease due to causes and conditions."

“I have wronged you, and now I try to save you. If you are unwilling, then so be it…”

With a flick of her sleeve, Xie Lingxin's thoughts returned instantly, and she opened her eyes to find herself still in the Tian Ce Mansion.

All phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and all phenomena cease due to causes and conditions.
Betray me? Or save me?
What does that mean?

Forget it, stop being so mysterious.

Riddler, get out of here!
tired……

Destroy it!
Xie Lingxin… no, Li Rui, slowly closed her eyes, her hands falling to her sides, exhaling her last breath in this world…

(End of this chapter)