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

After that day, the pawnshop returned to its usual quiet and deserted state.

Because it was already the end of the year, the town of Ping'an quickly became lively as the snow melted.

People in the county town celebrated the New Year with great enthusiasm, and the sound of firecrackers rang out from morning till night.

Because of the miracle that happened before the New Year, everyone in the town believed that this year would be a joyous and auspicious one. Everyone attached great importance to this year's New Year and celebrated it with great pomp and circumstance. The entire county was immersed in a joyful atmosphere.

The outside world is full of wonders, but the pawnshop remains largely unchanged.

After the first sale, the pawnshop returned to its original state.

A pot of tea, a person, a rattan chair, and a few picture books—that's how Mu'an celebrates the New Year.

Since Mu Ling'er ran away from home, nothing has changed; it's the same every year.

It is worth mentioning that Mu An received a letter during this year's New Year.

Mu Ling'er in the letter was quite proud, as if she already had a perfect life, and her little tail was practically wagging in the air.

Since he couldn't see anyone and couldn't casually tap Mu Ling'er on the head, Mu An could only smile helplessly.

To be honest, he really did miss Mu Ling'er's little head.

Whether it's tapping or not is another matter, but it feels quite comfortable to rub.

……

On the morning of the seventh day of the new year, the peasant woman brought an eight-year-old boy to the pawnshop.

Mu An's peaceful life was suddenly disrupted.

From the peasant woman, Mu An heard a story, a story about the destruction of the Great Qi, about the Dark Feather Guards, and about the Jade Token.

The fall of an empire is always accompanied by countless bloodshed and turmoil; behind the few strokes of history in the book lies the story of countless lives.

Countless stories often unfolded during those long years.

With over a thousand years of orthodox heritage, no matter how many problems or irrationalities exist, the influence of the Great Apocalypse has already penetrated into every aspect of the Apocalypse Domain.

Even today, many people still consider themselves to be people of Daqi.

More than 20 years ago, with the fall of Qi'an City and the death of Jun Huayang in the palace, the thousand-year-old Qi Dynasty also came to an end.

The capital fell, the king was killed in battle, and the elite troops were wiped out...

If it were an ordinary small country, it would have no chance of continuing to struggle after suffering such a heavy blow.

However, the Great Qi is different. As an empire that has been passed down for thousands of years, even though it has perished, countless forces still participate in the struggle for supremacy in the name of the Great Qi.

Whether they are genuinely seeking to restore their kingdom or using the banner of the Great Qi Dynasty to vie for supremacy...

These kinds of things are too numerous to count.

In this turbulent era, the five kingdoms focused all their energy on war and had no spare capacity to suppress the rebellious forces that were spreading throughout the land.

In the entire Apocalypse Domain, there are no fewer than eight hundred independent forces that have declared themselves kings.

Against this chaotic backdrop, the forces that relied on the Great Qi for survival in the past are naturally becoming active in the shadows.

The Dark Feather Guard is one of the most important forces among them.

The reason is simple: in the final war, the Dark Feather Guard, as the emperor's direct force, did not suffer much loss, and their influence still spread throughout the entire Tianqi Domain.

When Qi'an City was about to be destroyed, Jun Huayang sent one of his favorite young grandsons to the Dark Feather Guard for protection.

Unlike other forces in Daqi, the high-ranking members of the Dark Feather Guard were mostly personally selected by Jun Huayang and were deeply trusted by him.

Entrusting his young grandson to the Dark Feather Guards for protection was also a contingency plan left by Jun Huayang.

The value of the emperor's direct lineage at the beginning of the empire's collapse is self-evident.

At first, in order to escape the pursuit from the Southern Frontier, the Dark Feather Guards simply took the young imperial grandson and fled from place to place like stray dogs.

Every now and then, underground strongholds are wiped out by various forces.

Over time, some people who were no longer willing to persevere turned to Dongqi instead.

The entire Dark Feather Guard went underground, and its power gradually declined.

Later on, even joining Dongqi became a luxury.

As time went by, the regime in Dongqi became completely stable, and power had long been distributed.

These former officials of the old dynasty were also kicked out of the circle of power, and even if they sought refuge with the new regime, they could only sit on the sidelines.

Such an outcome was unacceptable to the proud and arrogant high-ranking members of the Dark Feather Guard.

They had no other choice but to place all their hopes on the young prince, living day to day while praying for a miracle.

Logically speaking, if things continue to develop this way, it won't be long before the Dark Feather Guard completely collapses.

But then, a miracle happened.

As the boy named Jun Xiangyang grows up, everything begins to change.

This emperor's grandson was far more talented than anyone imagined, more talented than anyone could have imagined.

Spiritual practice, politics, military affairs...

Jun Xiangyang demonstrated exceptional abilities in all the skills required by emperors.

His talent surpassed that of all the emperors of the Great Qi Dynasty. Even Jun Cheng'an and Jun Mingle of the Eastern Qi Dynasty could not compare to this young prodigy when they were young.

After Jun Xiangyang demonstrated his extraordinary talent, the commanders of the Dark Feather Guard had a new idea.

Maybe it really can work?

After Jun Xiangyang attained enlightenment at the age of fourteen and reached the Innate Realm, the previously divided leadership of the Dark Feather Guard reached a consensus.

Why is it that people in Dongqi are thriving while those of them who are loyal to the monarch have to hide and eke out a living?

Upon closer examination, one realizes just how powerful the Dark Feather Guard is.

The Ten Heavenly Stems, the Seven Azure Jade Stars, and dozens of deputy commanders at the Celestial Martial Saint level, with their forces spread throughout the entire Great Qi.

At its peak, every county town had a branch of the Dark Feather Guard.

A dead skinny camel is bigger than a horse.

Even though the Dark Feather Guard's open branches have been almost completely wiped out over the years, the Dark Feather Guard hidden in the shadows still possesses considerable strength.

With such a vast military force distributed throughout the land, and with a righteous cause at their disposal, why can't they compete for the throne?

Their lineage is the last legacy of the Great Qi, the true successor of the Great Qi!

As long as the young prince can attain the Dao of a terrestrial immortal, restore the Jun clan, and recreate the Great Qi Dynasty, it is not impossible!

Let's take a gamble, and we can go from a third-rank official to a first-rank official, each of us a new Duke!

……

Under this trend of thought, the Dark Feather Guards, who had been dormant for a long time, became active again.

The peasant woman's husband also lost his life in the process of seeking a great revival.

The peasant woman's surname was Lin and her given name was Yu. She was a direct descendant of the Lin family of Qi'an City, a prominent family that had existed in the Great Qi for over five hundred years.

If we really trace it back, Mu An actually met Lin Yu's ancestor two hundred years ago.

Lin Li's father was Lin Chaohai, the Minister of Rites during the Vermilion Bird Gate Incident.

In other words, Lin Yu was actually a young lady from a prominent family in her early years.

As for her husband Jiang Lin, he was originally just an ordinary beggar. Later, he was adopted by the Children's Home in Qi'an City, where he discovered his talent for martial arts and eventually became the new generation of Kaiyang Envoy of the Dark Feather Guard.

Like countless slightly melodramatic stories, after a heroic rescue, Lin Yu fell in love with Jiang Lin.

In an ordinary family, they might simply consider this a good match and tacitly approve of the marriage.

But the Lin family is different. Since two hundred years ago, the Lin family's rules have become increasingly strict.

As Qi'an City was on the verge of destruction, the Lin family moved their entire household to seek refuge in Dongqi.

After a series of events, Lin Yu and Jiang Lin chose to elope.

Following closely behind, Qi'an City was destroyed in the midst of the battle.

Jiang Lin's loyalty to Jun Huayang is self-evident, as he was adopted by the children's home built with Jun Huayang's support and rose to a high position.

Six years ago, Jiang Lin led the Dark Feather Guard Kaiyang Division, which was ambushed and wiped out.

With her two-year-old child, Lin Yu lived a life of constant hiding and fleeing, eventually leading to her current predicament.