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

March of the 79th year of the Five Kingdoms calendar.

Emperor Xiangyang of Western Qi announced to the world that he had officially established the Eastern Palace and appointed his eldest son, Changping, as the Crown Prince of Western Qi.

In May, the Western Qi formed a coalition army.

Crown Prince Changping personally took on the role of commander-in-chief, with Huoyumen elders Chu Tian and Jiang Yunzhi serving as his deputies.

The million-strong army marched westward from Huangzhou, advancing in five routes and successively capturing forty-two cities of varying sizes.

The allied forces were powerful and unstoppable, continuously expanding the territory of Western Qi.

The series of great victories excited the entire Western Qi court and people, who bestowed upon Jun Changping the title of "Ever-Victorious Crown Prince".

He has never been defeated since his debut, and wherever he goes, small forces bow down in worship.

Mountain bandits, horse bandits, local gangs...

Each victory made Jun Changping increasingly proud, feeling that even the greatest heroes in the world were no more than this.

Even though he knew that the small forces he had conquered were not on the same level as the five great empires, Jun Changping still underestimated his enemies.

In November, with the encouragement of the entire court, Xiqi officially declared war on the Great Shi Empire (Southern Frontier).

……

March, Year 80 of the Five Kingdoms Calendar.

The Xiqi Allied Forces, heading south, were blocked at Yinyin Mountain and clashed with the troops stationed in the northern part of the southern border.

Facing the well-equipped and well-trained Southern Frontier Army, the Western Qi Allied Forces encountered unprecedented difficulties.

Relying on their superior troop strength, the Western Qi allied forces launched a six-month offensive at Dingshan Pass, the gateway to Yinyin Mountain, but failed to achieve any results. Instead, they suffered heavy losses and repeated defeats, leaving tens of thousands of corpses at Dingshan Pass.

The other armies also encountered setbacks one after another, and were scattered and fled by the defending forces in various parts of southern Xinjiang.

The gap between elite and ordinary local armed forces has been vividly demonstrated in the past six months. Southern Xinjiang did not even send reinforcements, and the border garrison alone kept the Western Qi coalition forces out of the country.

Unlike the scattered soldiers they had faced before, the Southern Frontier, as the empire with the largest territory and the largest population among the five kingdoms, possessed the most complete military system.

In terms of both equipment quality and troop quality, southern Xinjiang is in an absolutely leading position.

Talismans, mechanisms, formations, witchcraft, unmanned vehicles...

Over the past century, under the leadership of Ye Lin and Bai Xi, Southern Xinjiang has followed a development path that is out of step with the times, truly integrating the cultivation system with people's livelihood and military affairs.

With the continuous improvement of productivity, southern Xinjiang has entered a completely different realm.

……

The rules of the Nine Realms do not allow for normalized technological development, but they have never restricted the use of cultivation techniques.

Generation after generation of researchers have applied cultivation techniques to daily life through their hard work and dedication.

Lamplights powered by the forces of heaven and earth, vehicles powered by lightning, and ships that achieve high-speed navigation by efficiently utilizing wind and water...

Even ordinary people can use these pre-designed rune artifacts to make their lives more convenient.

The development of one technology after another has greatly increased productivity and also greatly improved the quality of life for ordinary people.

Compared to when Mu An first arrived in the Nine Domains, the Nine Domains have changed a lot now.

……

More than two hundred years ago, Qishan Road was already on this unique path, and with Ye Lin's encounter with Bai Xi, Southern Xinjiang also embarked on this road.

If we continue to develop along this path, in time, the two countries will surely become pioneers of the times and the true overlords of the Nine Realms.

Unfortunately, as Mu An's cultivation level increased, he stopped caring about these matters and handed them all over to Mu Ling'er.

In the process of innovation, Mu Ling'er had to be much more restrained. Compared to its military applications, she was more concerned with changing the lives of ordinary people.

Later, Mu Ling'er and Mu An left Qishan Road one after another, and Qishan Road, which once had only one voice, became the Great Ling Empire.

The Five Elements Sect, as a frontier of innovation, also turned against imperial power.

In the past, as long as research yielded results that helped people's lives, they would be appreciated by Mu Ling'er, and promotion and wealth would be within reach.

In order to gain important positions, the disciples of the sects at that time were all enthusiastic about technological research and development, regarding it as a path to success.

But now, everything has changed.

Unlike Mu Ling'er, Mu Yong did not care about the living standards of the people of Qishan Road, nor did he care whether ordinary people would be oppressed.

He only cared about whether his imperial power was secure and how much land the Great Ling Empire could expand.

In addition, Mu Yong lacked prestige and could not be as authoritative as Mu Ling'er, so he focused most of his energy on the struggle with the Five Elements Sect.

For Yu Muyong, technology is something that only needs to be sufficient; whether it's a little advanced or a little outdated, it doesn't matter much.

Power is different. Once power is lost even slightly, countless people will turn into wolves and tigers, tearing a piece of flesh from those in power.

……

The reason things have turned out this way is not because Mu Yong is useless, nor because he doesn't want the Great Ling Empire to become better.

Rather, it's because in Mu Yong's eyes, some issues are far more important than temporary development.

Qishan Road was established because of Mu An, and it also achieved its glory because of Mu An.

Unlike any other empire, Qishan Dao was essentially a theocratic empire.

All the power of the empire revolved around the god of Qishan Road, who was once known as the Five Elements True Lord and was called the Great Sun.

All the ministers of Qishan Road were Mu An's confidants. It had nothing to do with ability or talent, but simply that they were Mu An's confidants and that they were loyal enough to have followed Mu An from the very beginning.

Wang Le's publication of "The Sayings of Lord Mu" not only played a significant role but also deepened this loyalty, making Mu An a true god in the hearts of his subjects.

Although the second generation added many new officials and opened up selection channels, the center of power remained the successor of the first generation, and the ruling system was formed around Mu Ling'er.

This was decided when Mu Ling'er was a child. Most of Mu Ling'er's childhood playmates later became her confidants.

This was something Mu An had tacitly approved of, and even if Mu Ling'er later wanted to change it, she was powerless to change much.

She's so much like Mu An; she can never be ruthless towards people she knows well.

The men under my command are loyal and devoted, so I can't let them down.

With each generation of officials coming and going, the entire power system of Qishan Dao has always revolved around divine authority.

Against this backdrop, the entire power structure of Qishan Road has taken a distorted turn.

There was only one voice in Qishan Road.

By the time Mu Yong succeeded Mu Ling'er as the third ruler, Mu An had already withdrawn from worldly affairs.

Mu An didn't care at all about this so-called heir.

Mu An's attitude made countless powerful officials realize that their great gods seemed to have grown tired of human affairs.

Mu Yong cannot represent the will of the gods.

If Mu Ling'er had made up her mind at this point and fully supported Mu Yong, the Qishan Road might have continued to sail along its inertia for a while longer.

But she didn't do that.

Because Mu Ling'er had already realized the serious problems of Qishan Road in the past, and also realized the difference between Mu Yong and herself in personality, Mu Ling'er did not choose to let Mu Yong become a dictator.

Although she provided Mu Yong with some support, she never cleared obstacles for him and even consciously restricted imperial power.

……

One reason after another has contributed to the current predicament of the Great Spirit Empire.

The main theme of the Great Spirit Empire is whether to forge ahead amidst internal strife or simply preserve oneself.

Because Mu Yong doesn't care much about these technical matters, even if researchers achieve some research results, they will no longer be valued as before, and the rewards they can receive will become increasingly lower.

Over time, fewer and fewer people are willing to delve into technical skills.

Compared to tedious research and helping ordinary people who are ignored, the disciples of the Five Elements Sect are now more concerned with how to gain power and how to make more money for themselves.

With this attitude, the Great Spirit Empire slowed down its research progress and devoted more energy to power struggles and territorial expansion.

On the contrary, in the southern border region, because of Ye Lin's emphasis, they never relaxed their efforts on this route.

Among the many "time travelers," only Ye Lin truly stood at the pinnacle of power in a country, able to do whatever he wanted at will.

With Ye Lin's full support, southern Xinjiang has undergone one technological innovation after another.

As reforms begin, the gap in national strength between southern Xinjiang and other countries is gradually widening.

As things stand, without considering cutting-edge combat capabilities, the three great empires of Lingbei, Dongqi, and Datong have all fallen behind Nanjiang in terms of technology and equipment. Only the Daling Empire still possesses the ability to compete with Nanjiang.

Due to geographical reasons, Jun Changping, who was just starting out, chose to face what is now southern Xinjiang as his first opponent.