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

"Look, the fog outside seems to have thinned out quite a bit. That vaguely visible city must be Qing'an Prefecture."

"That's right. We should be almost out of the Qishan Mountains. We'll be home soon."

"Those writers like to talk about being eager to get back home. I used to think they were being pretentious, a bunch of grown men who just knew how to whine all day long. But now that I've been away from home for several years, I'm actually starting to feel a little uneasy."

"Who wouldn't? It's been so many years since I've been back; I just hope nothing terrible has happened at home..."

……

From the perspective of the soldiers on the warships, the three warships successfully sailed out of the Qishan Mountains and into the suburbs of Qing'an Prefecture.

As the clouds and mist gradually thinned, the vast city beneath the sky came into view.

As the largest urban area in the Nine Regions, Qing'an Prefecture expanded several times over the centuries, and its administrative territory encompassed the three prefectures of Lingzhou, Yongzhou, and Jiangzhou during the Daqi period.

To facilitate management, about a hundred years ago, Mu Zhaoyang divided Qing'an Prefecture into inner and outer prefectures.

The entire Qing'an Prefecture consists of 120 administrative districts.

The Inner Palace encompassed forty areas, including the Imperial Palace, while the Outer Palace covered eighty areas, including the Qishan Mountains.

Today, approximately 240 million people live in the 120 districts of Qing'an Prefecture, making it the largest metropolitan area in the Nine Regions.

Standing on the deck of the warship and looking down at the city below, you will see ancient and elegant pavilions in the style of the Nine Realms standing in the center of each district.

The area covered by the high pavilion is no more than a few dozen miles in length and width.

Beyond the central area, surrounding these hundred-meter-high pavilions are rows of two- or three-story buildings in a retro style.

These low-rise buildings, centered around high-rises, are connected by a network of roads and extend all the way to the edge of the area.

Because land prices in the central area were too high, Qing'an Prefecture also embarked on a path of seeking answers from the heavens.

Skyscrapers, rail trains, highways...

These technologies, which symbolize technological civilization, have all been conquered by the empire's cultivators, who have developed versions suitable for the Nine Realms.

The difference is that the cultivators of the empire pay more attention to life experiences and the protection of heaven and earth and nature.

Apart from the central urban area, most areas of Qing'an Prefecture still maintain a relatively ancient architectural style.

Looking down at the familiar buildings, the soldiers were excited, their hearts filled with the joy of returning home.

Under the influence of the illusion array, the soldiers saw a world that was almost identical to reality.

They sailed three warships across the ancient capital and soon arrived at the military camp outside the palace.

The warships landed, adjusted their bearings, and began escorting the prisoners of war...

Everything went smoothly and according to plan.

The only difference was that when the soldiers were escorting the royal family and nobles of Ying Kingdom off the warships, an imperial messenger brought with him an imperial edict from His Majesty the Emperor.

The emperor summoned the three ship captains and the escorting officers and soldiers to the palace to meet him.

Logically, after these frontline soldiers arrived at the military camp, the Imperial Guard should have received the prisoners and escorted the princes and nobles of Ying Kingdom to the palace to pay homage to His Majesty the Great Empire.

Only after His Majesty makes his divine decision and everything is properly handled will the returning officers and soldiers be rewarded according to their merits.

Given the empire's immense size, apart from the three generals in charge of the warships, no one else could possibly have the opportunity to meet the emperor.

What awaits these ordinary soldiers should be official documents from the Ministry of Personnel and rewards from the Ministry of Revenue.

But for some reason, this time His Majesty personally issued an imperial edict summoning these ordinary soldiers.

Filled with excitement and joy, the captains of the three warships, along with three thousand escorting officers and soldiers, stepped into the sacred imperial palace.

……

"Hiss hiss hiss—it's so spectacular! So magnificent!"

"Hurry up! Stop looking around here!"

"Yes, yes, yes, you're right, sir!"

Passing through the tall and majestic Tianqi Gate, the 999 jade steps shrouded in mist come into view.

As they walked up the cloud-like steps of the pilgrimage, the escorting soldier, suppressing his shock, slapped the minister of Ying on the forehead.

"Look at your ignorant and slovenly appearance... It's just a small step, and you're so shocked. A small country is a small country; its kings and nobles are all barbarians..."

Stepping into the power center of the Great Spirit Empire for the first time, walking on the jade steps shrouded in mist, and looking at the towering, majestic gates, the escorting soldiers felt as if they had entered a celestial palace.

But upon hearing the exclamation of the Ying Kingdom nobles, the soldier immediately "adjusted" his mindset, pretending to be used to it, and slapped them down.

"Our Great Spirit Empire is a celestial empire! We bask in the glory of our great True Lord day and night; how can you barbarian nations compare?"

"Watch your step! If you behave poorly in front of His Majesty, I'll beat you to death after court!"

"Yes, yes, yes! You are right, sir. I will certainly abide by the proper etiquette!"

……

"Summon all officers and soldiers of the Five Spirits Fleet to an audience!"

"The King of Xuanying Kingdom requests an audience!"

The messenger's powerful voice resounded throughout the Five Spirits Hall.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, three generals, led by Zhong Hu, led their troops into the sacred Five Spirits Hall.

The courtiers spontaneously moved to both sides, making way for a passage.

Three generals led the King of Ying through the passage, and three thousand soldiers in golden armor dragged the King and nobles of Ying to the ground.

They did not follow their general forward, but stood behind the court officials in the spacious hall.

Three thousand golden-armored soldiers stood with halberds in hand, resembling heavenly warriors, inspiring fear in all who beheld them.

The Ying Kingdom nobles, prostrate on the ground, trembled with fear, cold sweat dripping down their cheeks and falling to the ground.

Even worse, some were so terrified that they lost their manners in the majestic palace, drawing angry glares from the soldiers behind them.

In an instant, the already distraught nobleman of Ying State was even more terrified, collapsing to the ground, his body trembling more violently than a sieve.

The 500-meter distance was quickly traversed. The emperor on the throne lowered his gaze, his majestic eyes sweeping over the three generals and then over the ruler of Ying Kingdom.

"Are you the blasphemer who betrayed God?"

A voice as loud as thunder resounded in the hall, echoing clearly in everyone's ears.

Unlike other royal palaces and nobles, in this majestic and sacred hall, the King of Ying did not kneel, but instead looked up at the emperor on the throne.

No matter how hard the two generals behind him tried, he did not lower his head.

This scene also made Zhong Hu, who was dressed as an ordinary general, frown.

Something's not right! Something's not right!

Ever since he stepped into the Qishan Mountains, Zhong Hu had had a strange feeling.

Upon arriving in Qing'an Prefecture and stepping into the imperial palace of the Great Ling Empire, this feeling of unease reached its peak.

The Immortal Spirit Demon-Slaying Halberd, shrunk countless times, quietly appeared in Zhong Hu's hand, and the roar of the Great Dao resounded within Zhong Hu's body.

The next instant, an aged, hoarse voice came from the mouth of the King of Ying.

"The illusion array is not bad, but the technique is still too immature."

"You brat on the throne, didn't your elders tell you—"

"Those below the Golden Immortal realm are all mere ants!"

"Faced with absolute power, all scheming is futile!"

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