I am Jinshan Youxia

Father and son had not seen each other since the coronation ceremony in the first year of Weining. If he hadn't threatened to kill himself, they probably would have stayed in the palace until they died.

Xiao Feng remained silent.

Being an emperor isn't all that great. He's gradually expanding his empire to encompass the entire world, fulfilling the grand promise Zhang Chengyi made in a drunken stupor, but he's also rapidly becoming a lonely figure.

The mistakes her father made back then offended not only Bao Qianling's daughter, grandson, and friend Huiming, but also the Xiaoyao Sect disciples led by Wuyazi and Su Xinghe, who all intended to kill her father.

Once they left the palace, they would never live to see the next day's dawn.

Even Xiao Feng would be wary of a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect who had hidden and nurtured swords and specialized in assassination, if he were to suddenly rise up, let alone his father who had lost all his martial arts skills.

Moreover, as an emperor, there are many people who want to kidnap the retired emperor for personal gain, and many people in the martial arts world are willing to risk their lives for fame and fortune.

Zhao Xu, who once joined forces with his father and then disappeared without a trace after the fall of the Jin Dynasty, was also a huge threat.

"I have no regrets." Xiao Yuanshan chuckled softly. "My child, you have Khitan blood flowing in your veins, yet you've taken over the world from the Han people who treated us like pigs and dogs. How satisfying..."

Xiao Feng didn't hear the rest of what was said. He suddenly realized that his father had gone mad long ago.

Now, there is no distinction between Khitans and Han Chinese. Having inherited the clothing and customs of the Han people, one is Chinese. This is a truth he had figured out during his more than twenty years of seclusion.

At some point, Xiao Yuanshan could no longer utter a single word; his head tilted to the side, and he was completely lifeless.

On that day, the Emperor Emeritus of Daheng passed away, and the whole country mourned.

Chapter 142 Epilogue to Tianlong II: Our Journey is to the Stars and the Sea!

In the seventh year of the Hongwu reign, the twenty-ninth year since the founding of the Great Heng Dynasty, at Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.

Above this ancient temple, hundreds of imperial guards floated silently in mid-air. Yue Fei, the leader, held his spear low and solemnly said, "His Majesty has ordered the destruction of the mountain and temple. Monk Xuzhu, please do not make things difficult for me."

Xu Zhu, dressed in a plain monk's robe, had his ugly appearance somewhat changed by the passage of time and his otherworldly demeanor. With a heavy expression, he said, "Shaolin has been closed to the world for fifteen years, ignoring worldly affairs. Why is the government being so aggressive?"

"The emperor's command is inviolable." Yue Fei did not want to argue. The emperor had already made up his mind to rectify the chaos in the Central Plains.

Shaolin Temple is not the first, nor will it be the last. When the power of the government expands to a certain extent, batches of top martial artists who have emerged from martial arts academies and palaces will be sold to the imperial family. The court will no longer be able to turn a blind eye to the martial arts sects that cause chaos.

In the past, it was impossible for all the farmers in the countryside to be brought under control, but now it is not difficult.

Having attended a martial arts academy for three to five years, one is comparable to the peerless masters of the previous dynasty. If one can become a disciple of a master in the army and learn one or two moves and manipulate spiritual energy, flying and escaping will be a piece of cake.

More than twenty years was enough time for Xiao Feng to build up a solid foundation.

More importantly, the accumulated spiritual energy of the mountains has formed blessed lands and grottoes. In the past decade, there have been numerous instances of martial arts masters who fell into these blessed lands and emerged as unparalleled masters.

Such an important resource cannot be entirely controlled by martial arts sects.

Xu Zhu could see clearly that Yue Fei was no match for him. Even if they fought right now, he was still confident that he could escape with his grandmaster. But even if Shaolin Temple had been closed for fifteen years, there were still thousands of monks who ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures, and disciples who practiced martial arts day and night for over a hundred days.

To run away would mean abandoning them completely.

He pleaded, "His Majesty was once a disciple of a high-ranking Shaolin monk..."

"Therefore His Majesty has said." Upon hearing this, Yue Fei knew there was no need to fight anymore, and said, "If the Venerable Monk Xuzhu and Venerable Monk Xuanji are willing to reside in the capital for a long time, one-tenth of the monks of Shaolin Temple may be selected to move to Yangzhou overseas with the thousand-year-old heritage of Shaolin Temple."

After Huang Shang presented the map, the imperial court used the ancient legend of the Nine Provinces to define the five continents of the world.

The Central Plains is located in Shenzhou. 20,000 li to the east is Yangzhou (the Americas), 20,000 li to the west is Shizhou (Europe), 16,000 li to the southwest is Rongzhou (Africa), and 7,000 li to the southeast is Yingzhou (Oceania).

Although Daheng has conquered thousands of miles, most of its land is considered extremely barren by the standards of the people of Shenzhou today.

Nourished by spiritual energy, the land of Shenzhou can grow enough food for a family by simply scattering a handful of rice. In contrast, the four continents overseas are simply barren lands.

The scarcity of spiritual energy is not only a problem for plant growth and meat nutrition, but more importantly, it slows down cultivation. As the generations go by, the area will inevitably decline.

Upon hearing this, many Shaolin disciples were dissatisfied. They believed that even if they were to be relocated, it would be best to go to a southeastern island, or even Yingzhou. Sending them to Yangzhou would be a waste, as that place had little spiritual energy.

Compared to a sacred mountain like Mount Song, which is rich in spiritual energy, wouldn't this be like exile?

Many Shaolin disciples are already preparing to flee. They are chanting scriptures day and night to overcome their inner demons. Being exiled to Yangzhou would greatly reduce their chances of breaking through in this life. What difference would it make if they were killed?

"Anyone who resists will be killed without exception."

Yue Fei's voice, cold as iron, rang out.

An uproar immediately broke out in the Shaolin Temple.

Xu Zhu looked down at the monks with their varied expressions and sighed softly. Unlike his disciples, he knew clearly that the Emperor only truly valued him and his grand-uncle Xuanji; otherwise, he wouldn't have called Yue Fei, who had already been enfeoffed as a king in Yingzhou, back.

They're determined to get rid of those two.

The Southern Free and Unfettered Sect and Lingjiu Palace are difficult to eliminate, and they are backed by the Martial Ancestor. Mount Wutai is even more difficult to deal with because of the number one martial artist in the world. Naturally, we must first strike at the Central Plains. Shaolin Temple is a thorn in our side.

It was precisely because the court was wary of the two of them that it hesitated to eliminate the martial arts world in the north. Unexpectedly, even after Shaolin closed its doors for fifteen years, it still couldn't escape.

"Agree to their request." Xuanji's voice, which had helped him overcome his inner demons twenty years ago, rang in Xuzhu's ears.

"Shaolin is nothing more than a temple where people eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. It wouldn't matter if it were located elsewhere."

Xu Zhu looked sorrowful. He knew that his grandmaster was trying to comfort him, but he was still overcome with grief. He put his hands together and said, "Amitabha, I will obey your holy command."

Yue Fei breathed a sigh of relief. These bald monks were not easy to bully. Daheng had been established for less than thirty years, and in the process, it had relied heavily on the Xiaoyao Sect, Lingjiu Palace, Qingliang Temple, and a large number of the emperor's former subordinates. Now, they had become too powerful to control.

If we rashly confront the old guys left over from the previous era, Daheng will probably fall into war in an instant. With the current strength of the court, it won't be torn apart, but being besieged would be terrible. It's hard to say whether the move to put pressure on Shaolin is good or bad.

He wore a smile, but his heart was filled with worries.

-------------------------------------

One day later, at night, in Chang'an, the imperial city.

"Your Majesty," Yue Fei bowed and said, "I have not failed in my mission."

Xiao Feng, dressed in casual clothes, looked over with a smile, his voice light and nasal: "Hmm?"

“Master.” Yue Fei raised his head and smiled.

Their relationship as master and disciple remains strong to this day.

“I have no intention of taking action against Mount Wutai at the moment.” Xiao Feng seemed to have guessed his thoughts long ago and directly stated his own idea: “What I want is the Central Plains.”

"The next step is overseas."

His expression was calm. "In recent years, the spiritual energy in this overseas conflict zone has gradually increased. Although it is far inferior to that of the Divine Continent, it is still a place that has not been interfered with by the martial arts sects."

Regarding spiritual energy, Xiao Feng discovered the secret twenty years ago: people, livestock, wild animals, plants, and everything in the Divine Continent are permeated with spiritual energy, and they also release spiritual energy after they die.

Fifteen years ago, the concentration of spiritual energy in Shenzhou reached its limit and began to dissipate outwards year after year. From near to far, everything in overseas lands was also slowly being spiritualized. It is estimated that within fifty years, the entire world will be filled with spiritual energy, at which point Shenzhou will no longer be so important.

That's why he appointed Yue Fei to Yingzhou and sent the martial arts academy disciples to various overseas continents one after another.

and……

Xiao Feng looked up at the ceiling above the palace, which he had ordered to be opened several years ago. The glittering stars and bright moon reminded him of Huang Shang's amazed and excited expression when he returned from beyond the universe.

The world is so vast that it cannot be divided into mere regions. The universe encompasses all directions, and time encompasses the past and present. Your Majesty, beyond our own world lies an immeasurable expanse of heaven and earth.

"Are the Kingsoft Rangers also from that boundless world outside?"

He asked himself the same question, but couldn't find the answer. He recalled what Zhang Chengyi had said to the sky decades ago when they were drinking and making merry:

Our journey is to the stars and the sea!

"Your Majesty, the Hermit of the Divine Mountain requests an audience."

Chapter 143 The End of the Heavenly Dragon Epilogue

In the tenth year of Shaowu, and the sixty-first year of the founding of Daheng, in Chang'an, at the Martial Palace and the drill ground.

"You are all exceptionally talented individuals sent from various regions to study at the Martial Palace..."

Wearing a vest and sporting bulging muscles, the stern-faced instructor from Chang'an Martial Palace slowly said, "Next, I will test your physical training level. Starting from the far left, step forward."

Below, rows of new students, heads held high, stood in bewilderment as they lined up to lift the stone weights.

Don't be fooled by the small size of the stone locks; they are all forged with the energy of metal and stone. The smallest stone lock alone weighs ten thousand jin (5,000 kg). It is a new product developed by the Martial Palace in recent years.

"How many do you think he can lift?"

"I bet that skinny guy will hurt his back."

Outside the fence in the distance, a group of upperclassmen dressed in Wugong uniforms were watching the commotion from the edge, chattering away.

"Boom!"

A pebble shot out from behind the crowd, hitting the young man's arm with a sharp crack. The steamed rice cake he was holding flew out of his hand and stuck to a stone lock that was being held up not far away.

The young man, who was holding a stone lock in each hand and wearing a plain-colored robe, swayed slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead before he finally stood firmly.

"Hong Qi!"

One of the instructors who had been watching from the drill ground stepped forward. He was tall, with a sword at his waist and sharp eyes. He shouted, "Get over here!"

"Instructor Wang, I didn't mean to, someone..." Hong Qi, the young man who had dropped the steamed rice cake, chuckled as he climbed over the railing. He walked up to the instructor in front of the new students, but his face had completely fallen by the time he regained his footing.

This is so embarrassing!

The young man who had just thrown the stone in the crowd realized that something was wrong, and before he could leave, he found that he could not move.

"Duan Zhixing, come here too!"

Instructor Wang pointed his finger, and the frozen young man, with a tragic expression on his face, flew out of the crowd.

“Disrupting the enrollment order, you two will be punished by wearing spiritual energy locks for three days and cleaning the school grounds for a month.” He finished saying the punishment in a cold voice, and then said, “Duan Zhixing, last time you led people to harass Liu Ying, a student from the girls’ college, I warned you that if you cause trouble again, I will definitely report your matter to Senior Duan Yu.”

“I’ll go home with you tonight; you don’t need to stay in the palace.”

"No, instructor!" Duan Zhixing exclaimed in alarm.

Hong Qi revealed a gloating expression.

"And you, where did you get the steamed rice cake from in the Martial Palace? You sneaked out again, what time were you with, and who were you with? Tell me honestly."

After reprimanding Duan Zhixing, Instructor Wang turned and fired at Hong Qi beside him.

Among the instructors, a young man in shorts suddenly froze, shaking his head repeatedly at Hong Qi.

"Um, it was when Instructor Zhou took us out last time, besides me there were..."

"Zhou Botong, get over here!"

"No, senior brother..."

"What are you looking at!" The muscular instructor shouted at the freshmen, then looked at the freshmen on the stage who had completed all the physical training results with an appreciative look. He looked down and drew a picture in his notebook, and said, "Your name is Huang Yaoshi, right? The Huang family of Zhejiang West Road. Not bad, you come from a prestigious family and your martial arts are very good. You've been assigned to Group A."