A grand vision! But just castles in the air?

Above the magnificent Star River Plaza, the Emperors Phantom in the profound black Dragon Robe turned around.

His questions were devoid of emotion, yet each word weighed a thousand pounds, reverberating with a thunderous roar throughout the entire space, and within the Sea of Consciousness of Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang.

"What kind of governance can make a Dynasty... eternally immortal?"

Eternally immortal?

Ji Lingxue's delicate body trembled violently.

This question had completely exceeded the scope of her understanding.

This was no longer a competition of cultivation levels, nor a struggle of schemes and stratagems, but an ultimate question that pointed directly to the Origin of the Great Dao, inquiring about the supreme truths of Heaven and Earth!

Since ancient times, the rise and fall of Dynasties and Imperial Dynasties have been part of the Heavenly Dao's cycle.

Looking back at the long river of history, when has there ever been a truly eternally immortal nation?

Even those supreme Great Emperors who awed the ages and suppressed several epochs, the divine dynasties they established ultimately could not escape decline under the erosion of time.

Eternity itself was a false proposition!

How was one to answer this?

An endless sense of despair and powerlessness once again engulfed Ji Lingxue.

She felt as insignificant as a speck of dust before this ancient Emperor, not even qualified to ponder this question.

Beside her, Liu Fang trembled all over, her mind violently shaken, almost unable to stand steady.

She looked at the vague yet overwhelmingly powerful Emperors Phantom, and a fear stemming from the depths of her Soul made even her breathing incredibly difficult.

It's over... This ultimate Legacy was simply not prepared for them.

Just as the master and servant fell into complete silence and despair, believing that the final Legacy was hopeless, they simultaneously cast their last hope towards that always calm back.

They saw that Lin Mo, upon hearing this question, also showed a momentary look of surprise.

But that surprise quickly dissipated, replaced by a playful expression that they completely failed to understand.

It was a peculiar look of finding a ultimate challenge not daunting, but rather somewhat interesting.

The next moment, under the incredulous gaze of Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang, Lin Mo, facing the Emperor's scrutiny that could pierce through all ages, spoke calmly and without subservience.

"To establish an immortal Dynasty, only four words are needed."

"Everyone like a Dragon."

The instant the words fell, the plaza was silent.

But these four words carried a strange magic, stirring up waves in Ji Lingxue's mind!

Everyone like a Dragon?

How could this be!

Her beautiful face was filled with confusion and shock.

In her deeply ingrained perception, the ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister, and the people are the people; this was the order of Heaven and Earth, the foundation of a Dynasty.

Between Cultivators and Mortals, there was an unbridgeable chasm.

To make everyone a Dragon among men?

This was simply a fantasy, a madman's dream!

Even the Emperors Phantom, which had always been as still as an ancient well, showed a barely perceptible stagnation in the starlight circulating around him when he heard these words.

His blurred face even held a hint of surprise.

"Everyone like a Dragon?"

The Emperors Phantom repeated, and for the first time, a ripple appeared in his grand tone.

Lin Mo completely ignored their shock; he simply stood calmly, continuing to speak eloquently.

His voice was not loud, yet every word was a pearl of wisdom, clearly echoing above Star River Plaza,

as if expounding an unprecedented, supreme Dao capable of overturning all ages.

"Senior's question is about the Dao of immortal governance."

"And in my humble opinion, the root of governance lies not in 'rule,' but in 'guidance.'"

"Rule is to suppress the myriad people with the might of the monarch, forcing them to submit; this is the Dao of Hegemony."

"Hegemony can bring temporary prosperity, but it ultimately has its limits."

"As the saying goes, the rise and fall of a Dynasty depend on the hearts of the people. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it!"

"Under suppression, resentment will inevitably arise. Once the monarch's power slightly declines, it is the beginning of disintegration. What was depicted in the murals before is the dead end of this Dao."

"Guidance, on the other hand, is to give hope to the myriad people, to pave for them a path to heaven that they can continuously ascend."

"The nation should be the foundation of their cultivation, the haven for them to become stronger, not the shackles that bind their hands and feet!"

Ji Lingxue was stunned!

These words completely overturned her understanding of the word "nation."

In her view, a nation was a collection of power, a maintainer of order, an embodiment of the monarch's will.

But in Lin Mo's description, a nation had become a platform... to assist the entire populace in cultivation?

This... this was simply an unheard-of, absurd theory!

Lin Mo did not pause; his narration gradually grew more impassioned, and the firm belief it contained made the very starry sky tremble.

"When 'the myriad people' are no longer ants to be herded, no longer lambs providing faith!"

"But when everyone can cultivate, and everyone is a strong one, the nation will possess an internal vitality that is eternally immortal!"

"Because their desires will no longer be the resentment of overthrowing royal power, but the striving heart to pursue higher Realms and see a wider world!"

"When all living beings in an entire nation share the same goal of ascending upwards, how can this nation decay? How can it perish?"

"By then, the monarch will no longer be a high and mighty Dominator."

Lin Mo's tone shifted, presenting an even more astonishing viewpoint.

"The monarch will be the 'beacon' that carries the common aspirations and Karma of these billions of Cultivators!"

"He will be the 'guide' on this path to heaven!"

"The monarch will lead the myriad people to explore the unknown, conquer the heavens, acquire more cultivation resources, and open up broader living spaces."

"And in the process of becoming stronger, the myriad people's power, insights, and Luck will all feed back into the monarch's body, who serves as the 'beacon'!"

"The monarch leads the myriad people in exploration, and the myriad people feed back their power to the monarch."

"If the monarch is strong, the people are strong! If the people are strong, the nation is strong!"

"Thus, they are mutually causal, endlessly regenerating!"

"This, is what I mean by... immortality!"

As his voice faded, the entire Star River Plaza once again fell into an unprecedented silence.

In Ji Lingxue's mind, it was as if billions of thunderbolts exploded simultaneously,

shattering all her understanding of "Dynasty," "monarchical power," and "governance" from the past twenty-plus years!

She stared blankly at the figure standing with hands behind his back in the starlight,

the magnificent blueprint depicted by that man had exceeded the limits of her imagination.

What a grand and inspiring world that was!

Everyone can cultivate, and the entire populace explores the heavens!

The monarch and the myriad people are no longer in an adversarial relationship of ruler and ruled, but rather Fellow Daoists who complement each other and progress together!

Before such a Dynasty, what Heaven-Supporting King, what struggles for royal power, all seemed so insignificant, so laughable.

She finally understood that the gap between herself and Lin Mo was no longer merely a vast difference in cultivation Realm.

It was a gap in Dao!

It was a difference in vision and scope as vast as heaven and earth!

Her Dao Heart, shattered during the "questioning of the myriad people," was at this moment,

re-adhered by the supreme Dao contained in Lin Mo's words, and began to reshape in a more resilient and grander manner!

And that hint of admiration that had just begun to sprout in her heart now burst forth,

transforming into a colossal wave that could drown reason, mixed with a reverence and worship almost akin to faith.

Who knows how long passed, perhaps an instant, or perhaps ten thousand years.

The Emperors Phantom, silent for a long time, finally spoke again.

"Good... what a 'mutually causal, endlessly regenerating' indeed!"

His voice of praise echoed through the starlight, and on his blurred face, a clear expression of approval was revealed.

"To transform the people of a nation into the foundation of one's own Dao, and then use one's own power to guide the Dao of the myriad people."

"This Dao indeed has some semblance of eternal immortality!"

Hearing this incredibly clear affirmation, Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang were instantly ecstatic!

They passed!

Fellow Daoist Lin's answer had received the approval of this ancient Emperor!

They trembled with excitement, immense joy washing over their nerves, making them almost weep with happiness.

However, just as they thought the trial was about to end perfectly, the Emperors Phantom's tone suddenly shifted.

"But..."

Just one word carried a bone-chilling coldness, instantly freezing the joy that had just surged.

The Emperors Phantom's tone, from approval, became one of immense regret.

"This vision is too grand, almost illusory."

"You have taken the murals as a lesson and know the drawbacks of authoritarian rule."

"But you have overlooked the most fundamental point."

The Emperors Phantom's gaze pierced through the Void Realm, carrying a touch of all-knowing compassion.

"The hearts of the myriad people are the most difficult to fathom."

"Selfish desires, laziness, jealousy, suspicion... these dark aspects rooted in the nature of living beings are the true poison of a Dynasty, the most insurmountable obstacle on the path to immortality."

"You wish for 'everyone like a Dragon,' but have you considered that there will always be those willing to be snakes and rats?"

"You wish to 'guide,' but have you considered that there will always be those unwilling to be guided, or even those who will bite back at the guide?"

"When resources within the nation cannot satisfy everyone's desires, when the strong begin to oppress the weak, forming a new 'rule,' how will your 'everyone like a Dragon' be maintained?"

A series of questions plunged Lin Mo, who had just been so spirited, into silence.

The Emperors Phantom's words were incisive, pointing directly to the most fatal and realistic flaw in this grand blueprint.

"Your Dao is too idealistic; ultimately... it is merely a castle in the air."

The Emperors Phantom delivered his final judgment, his words now carrying undisguised disappointment.

Ji Lingxue's heart, too, sank completely into a bottomless ice cellar with these words.

Could it be... that after depicting such a magnificent blueprint and giving such an astonishing answer, it would ultimately still fail?