Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

The Gregorian calendar begins in the thousandth year.

After nearly five hundred years of bloodshed and turmoil, the power structure of the Nine Realms has undergone a new round of reshuffling, ushering in an era of unification.

The small countries that were originally scattered around the world disappeared one after another, leaving only eight great empires to govern the nine regions.

These small countries either perished in wars or were annexed by major empires, transforming from independent nations into vassals of those empires.

……

Even the Great Spirit Empire has undergone significant changes during these five hundred years of turmoil.

As the strongest empire that once dominated the Nine Domains, the Great Spirit Empire was split in two, losing its absolute control over the Nine Domains.

This was partly because other empires had stronger backing, and partly because internal turmoil had created a protracted and unresolved farce.

The Tianqi Continent and Yinji Continent remain under the rule of the Great Ling Empire, with all levels of feudal lords pledging allegiance directly to the emperor.

The East China Sea and the South China Sea have been occupied by rebels for more than 300 years.

Three hundred and thirty years ago, the Five Spirits Mystic Maiden instigated a rebellion in the name of the national guardian deity. Apart from Mu Zhaoyang, who had recently abdicated the throne, all the high-ranking members of the Five Elements Holy Sect defected.

Because the event happened so suddenly, the imperial family didn't even have time to react.

Furthermore, because the people involved in this matter were of such special status, the empire was thrown into complete chaos.

Some believe this was a complete rebellion, in which the high-ranking members of the Five Elements Holy Sect betrayed the empire, bewitched the great Mystic Maiden, and caused her to make a wrong judgment.

As part of the empire, they should launch a holy war to punish the high-ranking members of the Holy Church who have betrayed the empire and to wipe out these treacherous ministers who have bewitched Her Majesty the Mystic Maiden.

Some believe that Her Majesty the Mysterious Maiden took such action because the imperial court failed to fulfill its responsibilities, and that the high-ranking members of the Five Elements Holy Sect were merely following divine instructions and should not be overly criticized.

Her Majesty the Mysterious Lady is expressing her dissatisfaction in this way, and the Imperial Court should take it seriously and carefully examine its governing policies over the years.

If there are faults, correct them; if not, strive to improve. Let Her Majesty the Mysterious Lady see the Imperial Court's determination.

In their view, this matter should be classified as an internal affair of the empire and should not be simply treated as a rebellion.

The imperial court held meetings for a full hundred years just to determine how to characterize the rebellions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

While the imperial court was still discussing how to respond, the Five Elements Holy Sect had already taken over the East Sea and the South Sea, deploying its troops to every major transportation route.

It is worth mentioning that although the Five Elements Holy Sect occupied the East China Sea and the South China Sea and sent troops to important shipping routes, they did not blockade these two sea areas.

As long as you are a citizen of the empire, as long as you believe in the Great True Lord and follow the doctrines of the Five Elements Holy Sect, you can still travel freely in the seas and even enjoy the protection of the Holy Sect.

As luck would have it, all the people of the Great Spirit Empire worship the Great True Lord, and every single one of them is a most fervent believer in the Five Elements Holy Sect.

Imperial officials were all incredibly devout, showing the utmost respect to the Great True Lord and revering the Five Spirit Mystic Maidens.

Therefore, apart from the imperial family and a very small number of court officials, everyone else could still freely travel between the two seas.

The South Sea and the East Sea remain the most important transportation hubs of the empire. Apart from the fact that the imperial court cannot collect taxes, the East Sea and the South Sea have not changed at all.

Merchant ships could pass through normally, and airships could land freely. Trade was not only unaffected, but it also became more prosperous due to the reduction of port taxes.

The childish rebellion silenced the imperial court; they racked their brains but couldn't figure out what the Five Spirits Mystic Maiden was trying to do.

If the higher-ups of the Five Elements Holy Sect wanted to establish their own independent sect, it would be understandable.

Power is always incredibly tempting, and it's normal to be blinded by it.

However, judging from the changes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, it seems that this matter was indeed caused by Her Majesty the Mysterious Maiden herself.

After all, even if the people of the Five Elements Holy Sect were stupid, they wouldn't do something like this. They didn't even blockade the sea area. What's the difference between that and courting death?

If the Five Elements Holy Sect had not followed the divine decree and openly declared the East Sea and South Sea independent and under the rule of the Holy Sect, the officials in the court would have even thought that no rebellion had occurred at all, and the empire would still be living in peace and tranquility.

After racking their brains, the officials in the court came to a conclusion.

The thoughts of Her Majesty the Mysterious Maiden are beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals!

If the empire is dissatisfied with the present state, why not take further action?

If you want to use earthly land as a place of worship, why go through all this trouble?

The Great Spirit Empire was founded on faith, and the original empire was established by the Great True Lord and the Mysterious Lady.

The current emperor is also a descendant of Her Majesty the Mysterious Lady, and he must even kneel and bow before her.

With Her Majesty the Mysterious Lady's noble status, isn't it just a matter of a divine decree if she wants anything?

It's just two sea areas. As long as the divine decree is issued, would His Majesty dare not give it to us?

The gods have strange ideas; they make such a simple thing into so much trouble.

The trouble they cause is ultimately something that ordinary people like them have to clean up.

Ugh……

What a capricious god!

After it was confirmed that the rebellion was indeed initiated by Her Majesty the Mystic Maiden herself, the empire was immediately divided into three factions, who argued endlessly and were unable to make a decision on how to quell the rebellion.

Even though the Five Elements Holy Sect claimed to have established a nation, no one really labeled them as rebels; at most, they would only make a few verbal accusations.

Even the most radical pro-war faction chanted slogans like "Eliminate the treacherous and protect the gods."

In an eerie atmosphere, the empire held meeting after meeting.

It started with once every three days, then gradually became once a month...

Even after all the centrists became compromisers and all the pro-war factions became meeting-oriented, the imperial court was still holding meetings.

More than three hundred years later, the empire is still holding meetings, only now the interval has been extended to once a year.

During each meeting, palace maids would serve desserts and tea, and the palace band and dance troupe would perform in the meeting hall.

Rather than discussing whether to quell the rebellion, it was more like a banquet disguised as a meeting, which failed to inspire any enthusiasm.

Rather than focusing on the changes in the East Sea and the South Sea, the officials in the court preferred to study the situation in the Nine Regions.

The Myriad Spirits Demon Court of the Myriad Spirits Domain, the Great Harmony Federation of the Heavenly Brightness Domain, the Western Spirit Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Spirits Domain, the Reincarnation Ancestral Court of the Chengtian Domain, the Vast Sea Royal Court of the Vast Sea Domain, the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court of the Wusheng Domain, and the Enlightenment Empire of the Tianyuan Domain.

The seven great empires each occupy one of the seven great domains. Together with the Great Spirit Empire, which dominates the Apocalypse Domain and the Yin Domain, the entire Nine Domains are divided into eight, and no one can gain an absolute advantage.