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

The red dots that had previously appeared due to accumulated karma had disappeared, and the ancient book, which had never changed much, opened to the first page, which recorded a mysterious and unpredictable martial art.

Its name is the Five Elements of Creation.

Ultimately, Mu An summarized it in just ten words.

The five elements generate each other, giving rise to all things in the universe.

The essence of this technique is not some mysterious scripture, nor is it the understanding of the Five Elements by some great being. Rather, it is about elevating one's essence, enabling one to observe the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth from a higher perspective and comprehend the Great Dao.

Ultimately, the Five Elements refer to the creation of heaven and earth, and the evolution of the universe.

Unfortunately, the conditions for cultivation are too harsh. Without the existence of the nameless ancient book, even Mu An cannot cultivate according to the methods in the book.

To be more precise, even the cultivation method that Mu An has been practicing all along is something that no one else can practice except himself.

He had Mu Ling'er try this many years ago.

He only spent a few minutes getting started, while Mu Ling'er spent half a year without any progress.

Lost in thought, Mu An slowly turned her gaze to the other side of the ancient book.

At the edge of the ancient book, a black and white bronze mirror engraved with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams huddled in a corner, like a frail woman cornered by a strong man, not daring to move an inch.

Mu An stared at the Taoist treasure that the old Celestial Master had lent him for a while, then sighed softly.

"A madman! A complete and utter madman! I hope we'll never have to face him."

With a wave of his hand, dozens of five-colored shackles appeared out of thin air, forming a trapping array that further strengthened the seal on the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Mirror.

Five-colored Daoist energy intertwined behind him, transforming into a ten-thousand-foot-long halo of light that adorned the lotus platform.

As if a gentle breeze had swept by, the calm lake surface was rippled with waves. Amidst the rolling waves, one could vaguely see buildings standing tall and figures moving about.

This was exactly what was happening inside the Mu residence.

……

……

Four Elephant Mountain, Celestial Master's Mansion, Sun and Moon Lake.

Deep in the bamboo forest, the old celestial master, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. He raised his hand to press down the trembling whisk at his waist and looked in the direction of Lingzhou.

"Another seal has been added."

The old celestial master reached out his hand, his fingertips pulsating with spiritual energy, simulating a five-element shackle.

"It's not that incomprehensible power from before; this time it's the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth."

After raising his hand and transforming the five-element chains dancing at his fingertips into yin and yang colors, the old celestial master murmured a soft verse.

"They've grown so much stronger in just a few years. Could it be that these people from beyond the realm have regained a portion of their power?"

After making his own judgment, the old master stood up, took a step, and appeared deep in the lake.

Beneath the water curtain lies a complete underground palace, isolated from the world by a transparent barrier separating the inside from the outside.

Deep within the underground palace, a furnace was burning fiercely, its rising flames illuminating the surrounding walls and the three stone sculptures beside it.

The old celestial master glanced at the alchemy furnace, then looked at the walls surrounding the underground palace, where figures dressed in Taoist robes were carved.

After looking around, he sighed softly and stroked the three stone sculptures beside the alchemy furnace.

"A flawed saint, a powerful being from beyond the realm, the nascent will of Heaven—everything is uncertain; these are turbulent times..."

The old celestial master stood in front of the stone sculpture, gently brushing away the dust with a whisk, his movements slow and gentle, as if he were caressing his beloved.

"Saints cannot live forever, and those beyond the borders have not yet awakened, but they are indeed a problem. Let's send some gifts to establish goodwill..."

"There is no path to immortality in this world. At most, within a hundred years, the karmic ties between people from other realms and this world will be severed. My day of attaining enlightenment is still far off. At that time, there will be no conflict of interest, so I will not be hindered."

……

Qi'an City, Imperial Palace, Court Assembly Hall.

The court was quite quiet today. There was no shouting, no fistfights, and no scene of brains being ripped out in the struggle for power.

For the virtuous and martial men of the Great Qi Dynasty, such a harmonious atmosphere was a rare sight indeed.

Civil and military officials stood on both sides, each standing ramrod straight, all looking at Jun Cheng'an who sat on the dragon throne.

Having reigned for thirteen years, Jun Cheng'an was no longer the naive young man he once was.

He was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and sat upright on the dragon throne.

Despite possessing the cultivation of a Celestial Martial Saint, Jun Cheng'an usually presents himself as a middle-aged man.

Every move he made was well-ordered, and from afar, one could feel the majesty of someone who had long held a high position.

While not enough to suffocate the courtiers, it did allow them to quiet down and listen attentively to his words.

Compared to when he first ascended the throne, the situation is completely different.

After more than a decade of open and covert struggles, although the forces led by the Wenchang Hall still held the upper hand, the imperial power also continued to expand in the process, seizing all the forces it could control.

Especially when the new laws were first enacted, the powerful feudal lords marched into the capital in large numbers, and many envoys were instructed by their respective lords to stir up trouble in the capital.

A group of troublemakers focused on maintaining the balance. Seeing the weakening of imperial power, they all sided with Jun Cheng'an, reversing the predicament of suppressed imperial power in one fell swoop.

On the surface, the current Daqi court has achieved a relatively stable balance between the imperial faction led by Jun Cheng'an and the Wenchang Hall faction led by Meng Yan.

For thirteen years, the former master and disciple were locked in a fierce battle in the imperial court, with hundreds and thousands of high-ranking officials becoming pawns in their struggles each year.

The power struggle between the imperial court and the Wenchang Palace lasted for thirteen years, spreading from Qi'an City to the borders of Daqi, and even in the territories of some feudal lords, the two sides continued to fight.

For more than a decade, it was common for civil and military officials to hurl insults in the imperial court. When they got carried away with their swearing, they would roll up their sleeves and start a full-blown brawl on the spot.

Half of the high-ranking officials in the Great Qi Dynasty possessed some level of cultivation, and the literary forces, led by the Wenchang Hall, were all incredibly capable fighters.

Although these officials in the court had nothing to do with being honest and upright, they were always extorting money and demanding bribes, vying for power and profit, and their homes were filled with countless treasures and piles of silver.

But this did not affect their righteous spirit at all; they showed no fear even when facing generals who had fought for many years.

The main hall, which should symbolize power and majesty, is often punctuated by loud, crackling noises. It undergoes minor repairs every seven days and major repairs every month.

In a sense, this unique court atmosphere can be considered a distinctive feature of the Great Qi Dynasty.

But today, the usually bustling court was unusually quiet; not a single person uttered a sound.

Until Prime Minister Meng Minzhou stepped forward, holding his official tablet, filled with righteous indignation.

"How dare these barbarian demons insult the majesty of our Great Qi! I request that you dispatch a million troops to annihilate the three or five demon kingdoms above us, thus restoring our national prestige!"

As he said this, Meng Minzhou's face turned bright red, and wisps of steam rose from his head, fully revealing his anger.

It was as if he were truly a prime minister who cared deeply for his country and its people, and was furious that the dignity of the Great Qi had been humiliated.