Only after unifying the world did I realize that immortals existed in this world.

As the sun sets, the evening glow melts into gold.

"drive!"

The galloping steeds trod across the bluestone road and headed straight for the royal city.

Zhaolin Pavilion was where the emperor handled state affairs.

The dim afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, falling on the face of the gentle beauty. Her eyelashes trembled slightly in the warm light, and her crystal-clear eyes were filled with the face of the person in front of her. She reached out her hand and gently traced his face with her fingertips.

The king who ruled the world lay on her lap, his hand caressing her, his eyes closed in rest.

Peaceful and serene, a time of tranquility.

Report!

Suddenly, a servant's call from outside the door shattered the beautiful tranquility, and Xie Cangrong opened his eyes. The beauty paused for a moment, then consciously straightened his clothes, gently smoothing Xie Cangrong's hair with her delicate hand, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Xie Cangrong smiled and said, "Go then!"

After a while, the waiter led a soldier in.

Xie Cangrong leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile, "Did you get any news from Ning Boxing?"

Opportunities to meet the king are rare.

The soldier was somewhat excited, his eyes filled with fervent faith: "Your Majesty, General Ning is on his way back and has specially ordered me to send this item back to Lieyang by express courier and deliver it to Your Majesty."

He carefully took out the box and handed it to the waiter with both hands.

Xie Cangrong glanced at the box but didn't open it immediately. He just smiled and praised him, quite amiably, "Really! You've worked hard~ It was delivered so quickly, you must have been on the go!"

The soldier hurriedly replied, "General, you have entrusted me with this matter; it is a matter of national importance, and I dare not fail to do my utmost!"

"I remember, your name is Ma Chengyong... right? From Yuezhou?"

For some reason, Ma Chengyong had a strange feeling that His Majesty's gaze could penetrate his soul and see right through him.

But this feeling was quickly overwhelmed by a surge of excitement and gratitude. His Majesty, a man of such stature, actually remembered the name of someone as insignificant as him.

How fortunate! How glorious!

His face flushed red, and he knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, this humble servant... this humble servant is Ma Chengyong, a native of Liuwu County, Yuezhou."

Xie Cangrong laughed heartily, stood up to take the brocade box, and patted him on the shoulder: "Haha, get up, no need to stand on ceremony."

"Since you've been traveling at breakneck speed without stopping or eating a single grain of rice, why don't you eat something here with me?"

He then waved to the waiter, "Yang Li, take him to get something to eat."

"yes!"

The waiter agreed and led the somewhat stunned soldier away.

Once he stepped out of the palace gates, Ma Chengyong finally came to his senses. He abruptly stopped, turned around, and looked back at the majestic palace. His eyes were filled with tears, and he bowed again and again towards the highest place from the bottom of his heart.

"His Majesty……"

With such an enlightened ruler in charge of the world, how could people not be willing to give their lives and follow him to the death?

The attendant beside him chuckled, "General Ma, His Majesty's virtue is as deep as the ocean; this is not just a rumor."

"Come with me. Only after you've eaten your fill can you serve our Emperor wholeheartedly!"

"yes!"

After several subordinates left, Xie Cangrong was left alone in Zhaolin Pavilion.

He weighed the box in his hand and opened it. Inside lay a small, exquisitely crafted wooden boat, as delicate as a toy, with every detail—cabin, mast, sail—exquisitely carved and meticulously detailed.

In addition, a letter was also attached.

Xie Cangrong opened the letter and glanced through it, then narrowed his eyes slightly: "The Immortal Alliance... the Taihua Sect... have they run into cultivators?"

Besides Song Zhaowen's letter, there are also a few supplementary sentences from Ning Boxing regarding the situation of the cultivator.

At least they're all humanoid, so at least we can communicate with them.

His Great Xia had no martial arts, no magic, no supernatural powers... He originally thought it was just an ordinary secular world, but unexpectedly, after he unified the world, a group of immortal cultivators appeared.

On the day these people arrived, Xie Cangrong fell into a mysterious and profound state.

He knew very well that he had gained a power, or rather, after his perception changed, he finally saw these things beyond his imagination. It was a power that gathered the spirits of this world, the spirits of heaven and earth, the reverence of all people, the sun, moon, mountains and rivers... the energy of the entire world gathered in one place, all protecting him and supporting him. He could see the Great Xia Dynasty flourishing and its national fortune rising. He was protected by this, and he had absolute control over his country, which he could use to suppress anyone.

However, he didn't know what kind of concept his power was, or what level it was. He didn't know what kind of concept the powerful immortal alliance expert opposite him was, whether the other party could cross realms to arrive, whether they could move mountains and fill seas, destroy all things, and overthrow his country.

These are all unknowns, and he needs to find out after meeting with those outsiders.

Moreover, he was well aware that his power was limited. If he ventured beyond his own territory or if the dynasty were to collapse, he would lose the protection of his prosperous nation. He could also sense that this power was essentially a drain, a drain on the nation's spirit and vitality. The farther the distance and the larger the scope, the greater the drain... If he used it too much, he feared it would deplete the energy of heaven and earth, and the spirit of the people, leading to the decline of the world and frequent disasters. He could not squander it recklessly.

Ultimately, this is a trump card for self-preservation, and every point must be used wisely.

We must find ways to use this power for deterrence, in exchange for benefits, so that the country can continuously become stronger, the people can be united, and the nation can prosper. Only then will this power continue to grow stronger.

A strong nation means a strong me; a nation's destiny means my destiny.

Compared to the cultivators who could move freely on the other side, he was stuck here, in a defensive position, and did not have the upper hand. Even if he unified the world and enjoyed boundless glory, Xie Cangrong admitted that the Great Xia was currently in a weak position.

People need to learn and accept more advanced civilizations and knowledge.

Cultivating immortality and science are essentially the same; in any case, falling behind will lead to being bullied.

The lessons of another era constantly served as a warning to him.

Xie Cangrong had no intention of being closed off or completely exclusive. On the contrary, he wanted to embrace these cultures, find ways to acquire more information, use his advantages to seize more benefits, extract the essence, and spare no effort to improve productivity and promote the development of his dynasty.

With that thought in mind, he put down the letter and picked up the small wooden boat from the box.

It's really hard to connect this child's toy with the strange floating wooden boat in the sky.

This is simply unbelievable!

If Song Zhaowen hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have been able to send out this letter, which was tantamount to deceiving the emperor.

Xie Cangrong, who came from another time and space, undoubtedly had the strongest ability to adapt among all the officials in the dynasty, and he also trusted his subordinates implicitly. He let out a soft breath and picked up the small boat to examine it carefully.

An invisible wind blew, and unseen spiritual energy gathered into a vortex around him. His eyes shimmered with a faint light as he focused intently on the small boat.

He didn't know what his power was or what level it was at, but he knew how to use it.

No need for any trouble, all I need is my thinking power.

If one petitions Heaven and Earth with the aspirations of a monarch, Heaven and Earth will respond to his request.

For example, now he wants to see the true nature of this ship.

In the next instant, his will surged like a torrent, stretching infinitely far, as if he were in the space of a ship, surrounded by shimmering light, with mysterious patterns engraved on the walls, and countless runes of unknown meaning flashing like stars, flowing endlessly.

Inside the small magical artifact were countless arrays and runes!

Xie Cangrong studied history in college in his previous life, and he hadn't even mastered advanced mathematics. At this moment, he felt the same helplessness a liberal arts student would feel when faced with a screen full of densely packed programming language.

Perhaps I need a steamed bun.