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

He turned around and looked back at the magnificent, golden palace behind him.

Amidst the rolling sea of ​​clouds, nine hundred and ninety-nine jade steps ascend one by one, dividing the path leading to the Five Spirits Hall into nine areas.

Neat, uniform small palaces sit atop a platform in the center of the steps, guarding the Five Spirits Palace high above the clouds.

These small palaces served as offices for the officials of the court. On ordinary days, unless there were any major events, the officials would handle memorials from all over the country in these palaces.

If the great emperor of the empire convened a court assembly, the officials in the court would ascend the steps to the Five Spirits Hall, which was located deep in the clouds.

Nine-tiered platforms and thirty-three palaces together form this vast palace complex.

At the crossroads leading to each platform, there is a huge portal.

The nine gates are named after the sacred beasts represented by the five elements and their respective regions, in the following order:

Tianqi Gate, Yinji Gate, Xingyun Gate, Baihu Gate, Qinglong Gate, Xuanwu Gate, Zhuque Gate, Yinglong Gate, Wuling Gate.

On either side of each gate, there are two high-level puppets at the Refinement of Emptiness and Integration of Dao realm guarding the entrance.

To reach the Five Spirits Hall, one must ascend the steps, watch over by eighteen puppets, climb nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, and pass through nine gates before finally glimpsing the true face of the Five Spirits Hall.

The ten-mile-long road is entirely paved with jade, and the railings on both sides are meticulously crafted by the most outstanding sculptors.

The sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, plants, birds, beasts, insects, and fish are all present within it.

The road surface is also engraved with intricate cloud patterns, and auspicious clouds rise from the road surface at all times, making the surroundings look like a dream.

Those walking on this road only need to glance to the side to see the rolling sea of ​​clouds and the palaces appearing and disappearing.

If an ordinary person had the chance to walk on these jade steps, they would surely think they had stumbled upon a sacred celestial realm.

As his gaze traveled upwards, at the top of the steps, a magnificent golden sun drew Zhuang Sheng's full attention.

The Great Sun itself is a supreme treasure, using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as its energy source. Like a small sun, it illuminates the entire palace, symbolizing the glory of the Great Spirit Empire and its eternal rule.

Amidst rolling clouds and a high-hanging sun, the Five Spirits Palace appears even more magnificent, resembling a true celestial palace.

……

Beneath my feet lies a vast plaza crafted from jade, and before me stretches an immortal palace where the sun never sets.

Looking at the magnificent and imposing building before him, Zhuang Sheng let out a long sigh.

Even a simple imperial court hall possesses such grandeur; even the celestial palaces in legends are no more magnificent.

Even the former Great Qi Imperial Palace can only be called a mortal palace in the face of the current Great Ling Empire Imperial Palace.

It's not hard to imagine how many resources were used to build this palace and how many corpses were buried.

Prosperity, people suffer; death, people suffer.

But there are different kinds of suffering. Even with the most extravagant lifestyle, the Great Spirit Empire of today is still far, far better than the Great Qi Empire of the past.

In prosperous times, bones exist only in the shadows, while in chaotic times, corpses litter the streets.

As long as there is even the slightest chance, Zhuang Sheng does not want the Great Ling Empire to go to war.

Standing in the center of the square, Zhuang Sheng shook his head and turned his gaze to the dome.

Deep in the clouds, a celestial island stands above a sea of ​​clouds, overlooking the mortal world.

Through the sea of ​​clouds, Zhuang Sheng saw a figure that seemed familiar yet was extremely unfamiliar.

Everything Zhuangzi saw today puzzled him.

He couldn't understand how the magnanimous Lord Mu, who had stood up for ordinary people and transformed Qishan Road into a paradise, would sit idly by and watch all of this happen.

He couldn't understand why the girl who used to cry and laugh for others, and who said she wanted to make everyone happy, had become a cold and aloof deity.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhuang Sheng finally took a step.

In the hundreds of years since his death, far too many things have happened in the Nine Realms.

Now he has countless questions to ask, and the person most likely to answer all his questions is that "old friend" on the fairy island.

……

Autumn of the 285th year of the Gregorian calendar.

Zhuangzi visited the Five Spirits Immortal Realm and talked with the Five Spirits Mysterious Maiden for three days.

……

Spring of the year 286 in the Gregorian calendar.

Zhuang Sheng visited Mu Yong, the founder of the Great Spirit Empire, the Eternal Emperor, and the empire's founding emperor.

The two spent seven days enjoying tea and playing chess amidst the mountains.

Seven days later, Mu Yong emerged from seclusion and personally went to the Yin Extreme Domain, where he killed dozens of Mu-surname lords.

On the day Mu Yong emerged from seclusion, a dazzling golden light rose from Qing'an Prefecture, forming a magnificent avenue between the two continents.

Fifty-two golden swords descended from the sky, bringing down the emperor's judgment upon twenty-two Mu clan princes and thirty Yinji Domain warlords.

For decades, everyone in the Yin Yin Domain lived in fear and dared not act as recklessly as before.

……

Summer of the 287th year of the Gregorian calendar.

To gain a deeper understanding of the world today and the changes in literature and art over the past few centuries.

Zhuangzi visited the Wuxiang Academy as the founder of the Great Harmony School.

The founder of the Wuxiang Academy, Zhuge Xiang, the Grand Preceptor of the Great Ling Empire, personally received Zhuang Sheng.

Zhuangzi stayed at the Wuxiang Academy for a year, reading through all the classic books there.

Before leaving, Zhuangzi and Zhuge Xiang had a discussion at the Wuxiang Academy.

The discussion lasted for a month, and countless scholars and cultivators traveled from all over the world to Qing'an Prefecture, just to participate in this rare literary and Daoist event.

Mountains and rivers, towns and villages, and countless people...

Countless strange phenomena appeared one after another, the laws of literature and Tao manifested, the heavens and earth resonated with them, and the phantom images of sages appeared one after another, shrouding the Wuxiang Academy.

Countless scholars and cultivators were enlightened by the discourse between the two literary sages, and their cultivation levels increased dramatically.

……

Autumn of the year 288 in the Gregorian calendar.

On Zhuge Xiang's advice, Zhuang Sheng put aside his past grievances and traveled to Tianming Domain to visit the Wenhua Palace, a sacred place for literature and Taoism.

Upon learning of Zhuang Sheng's visit, apart from Zhuge Xiang and Bai Ling, the seven literary sages of the Nine Realms gathered at Wenhua Palace to exchange ideas and discuss the Dao with Zhuang Sheng.

Over the past few centuries, the Great Harmony Way has long since ceased to be universally condemned as it once was, and has truly become an important part of the literary and moral tradition.

The ideas belonging to the Great Harmony Way were integrated into the original literary and moral system, and the completely different literary and moral concepts continued to merge in the process of collision.

Today, these principles of literature and philosophy are no longer distinct from each other, and are no longer as clearly defined as they once were.

Of the seven sages of literature and Taoism who made a bet with Zhuangzi years ago, three have already passed away.

Although the remaining four, led by Meng Yan, still did not agree with some of Zhuang Sheng's ideas, they had long since let go of their prejudices and no longer ostracized Zhuang Sheng and the Datong Dao as they had in the past.

As for the three later sages of literature and the Way, they did not have such sectarian prejudices. During their growth, they had also conducted detailed research on the Great Harmony Way, so they would not reject Zhuangzi.

Eight literary sages gathered at Wenhua Palace, thus convening an unprecedented grand gathering of literature and philosophy.

……

Spring of the year 289 in the Gregorian calendar.

Emperor Mu Zhaoyang of the Great Ling Empire broke through to the realm of terrestrial immortals.

In the same year, a small space channel appeared above the cathode domain.