137: The reincarnation of the Qin Emperor?

Tianqi Continent is "disk-shaped," divided into five major regions.

The Central Plains' Tianwu Dynasty is primarily composed of loess plains, with a moderate concentration of Spiritual Qi, and is traversed by an "Earth Element Spiritual Vein."

The Southern Myriad Woods Barrens, with its hundred thousand great mountains, is filled with miasma and violent Spiritual Qi, teeming with Yao Beasts, and possesses a Wood Element Spiritual Vein.

The Eastern Vast Sea Archipelago features mountains and basins intertwined, with thousands of Immortal Cultivation Sects. Among them, nine floating islands have become Holy Lands for Immortal Cultivation, fiercely contested by various Schools.

The Northern Extreme Cold Profound Ice is covered by glaciers, with thin but pure Spiritual Qi, and is traversed by a "Profound Ice Spiritual Vein."

The Western Red Fire Desert is covered by quicksand, with extreme temperature differences between day and night. Its core Spiritual Vein, the "Heavenly Incineration Spiritual Vein," has the "Earth Core Fire Eye" as its source, and when the Fire Eye erupts, it forms Spiritual Fire.

Tianwu City, the capital of the Tianwu Dynasty, stands majestically in the heart of the Central Plains, renowned as the "Number One City Under Heaven."

This magnificent city, stretching for a hundred li, is entirely constructed from profound iron rock, and its city walls, thirty zhang high, are covered with defensive Formations.

Twelve Heaven-Reaching Towers encircle the inner city, their spires piercing the clouds. During Dynasty celebrations, the tower tops emit brilliant spiritual light, illuminating the night sky for a thousand li around.

Inside the city, seventy-two market districts are bustling with people all day long. Rare treasures from all corners of the world are traded here, and countless Cultivators move through them, seeking Opportunity.

The legendary experiences of Emperor Wu Zhao Zheng, who created this prosperous era, are even more astonishing.

He was born in a small tribe deep within the Red Fire Desert and displayed astonishing cultivation talent from a young age.

At sixteen, he tamed the Red Flame Steed of the desert and formed the Red Fire Legion, which struck fear into the hearts of its enemies.

Wherever this iron cavalry passed, the land became scorched for a thousand li, and they were invincible in battle.

Zhao Zheng led them on a three-hundred-year eastern campaign, successively defeating the seven ancient kingdoms of the Central Plains.

The most famous battle was the decisive clash with the State of Chu at Soul-Severing Cliff. In that battle, he single-handedly slew three Foundation Establishment Stage Old Ancestors of the opposing side, completely establishing the framework for unifying the Central Plains.

In the two hundred years since his ascension to the throne, Zhao Zheng's cultivation has reached the Early Golden Core Stage. Looking across the entire Tianqi Continent, Zhao Zheng's cultivation is enough to rank among the top ten.

The Northern Snow Plains called him "Crimson Flame Heavenly Monarch," the Eastern Vast Sea Cultivators revered him as the "Co-Lord of the Central Plains," and even those arrogant Buddhist Cultivators in the Western Regions had to admit that he was one of the few peerless powerhouses of the current era.

Under his rule, the Tianwu Dynasty became the undisputed strongest Empire on the Tianqi Continent.

"Bai Qi!" Zhao Zheng's deep voice echoed through the main hall.

A young general, clad in profound iron heavy armor, responded and entered, kneeling on one knee: "Your Majesty, your subordinate is here!" He raised his head, his sharp eyebrows and starry eyes full of determination.

Zhao Zheng rose from the Dragon Throne and descended the nine jade steps, his profound black Dragon Robe embroidered with five-clawed golden Dragons trailing on the crimson carpet.

"Still haven't remembered anything?"

Bai Qi frowned in confusion: "Your Majesty, your subordinate does not know what you wish for me to remember, nor do I understand why Your Majesty always prefers to call me Bai Qi." He paused, then added, "Your subordinate has been called Bai Qi since I can remember, and I am a native-born citizen of the Tianwu Dynasty."

Zhao Zheng sighed deeply, turning to look at the snowflakes fluttering outside the hall, memories flooding back like a tide.

On the day of the Tianwu Dynasty's centennial celebration, as the myriad people cheered "Long Live!" countless memories suddenly exploded in his mind—it turned out he was not the Zhao Zheng of this world at all, but Emperor Qin, the Eternal Great Emperor of the Great Qin Spiritual Pivot Immortal Cultivation Empire! The Divine Being powerhouse who once ruled an entire civilization and contended with the Heavenly Dao!

"Didn't I die..." Zhao Zheng murmured to himself, "Wasn't I personally annihilated by a single finger of the Heavenly Dao?"

He still remembered that terrifying finger! He remembered his final roar before his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!

Yet now he had Rebirth in this strange world and had even established the Tianwu Dynasty, so similar to his previous life.

Was this a new chess game created by the Heavenly Dao? To toy with him a second time?

But the civilization stele never recorded such a thing!!

"Heavenly Dao! Get out here!" Zhao Zheng roared in fury, the Golden Core Stage pressure instantly sweeping through the entire palace. "You toyed with me once, isn't that enough? Do you want to toy with me twice!!"

His roar shattered a nearby palace maid, who looked bewildered before she died: Why me again!

However, only dead silence answered him.

No matter how he insulted or provoked, the Heavenly Dao never appeared.

Even more ironically, he had found Bai Qi in this world—although the other party was called Bai Qi, those eyebrows and that posture clearly belonged to his most trusted general, the God of Killing!

Zhao Zheng had tried countless methods: according to his memories from his previous life, he appointed Bai Qi as the commander of the Heavens Punishment Legion; he deliberately called him "human butcher" and "God of Killing" in court; he even built a palace similar to the Epang Palace and took him there to experience it, but Bai Qi's eyes always held only confusion, with no sign of Awakening.

"Your Majesty... are you alright?" Bai Qi's worried voice pulled Zhao Zheng back to reality.

The young general still knelt in place, a thin layer of snow already on his armor.

Emperor Qin speculated there were two possibilities.

First, the Heavenly Dao was deliberately disgusting him, only allowing him to Awaken his memories.

Second, Awakening memories required a certain Opportunity, for example, Zhao Zheng unified the Central Plains, fulfilling his core need to unify a Dynasty.

But what would Bai Qi need to Awaken?

Zhao Zheng spoke: "Bai Qi! Have you found Meng Yi, Li Bing, Master Craftsman Ban, Lin Fei, and the others you were asked to find?"

Bai Qi knelt on one knee, his young face filled with guilt: "Reporting to Your Majesty, your subordinate took the portraits personally drawn by Your Majesty, dispatched the most elite secret agents of the Heavens Punishment Legion, searched through thirty-six prefectures and seventy-two cities, and even ventured deep into the barren lands... but found no one matching the portraits."

Zhao Zheng slowly closed his eyes. Perhaps... not everyone had Reincarnation.

Suddenly, urgent footsteps came from outside the hall, and a guard shouted from the doorway: "Report—"

Bai Qi rose, took the secret letter, and his expression changed drastically after a quick glance. "Your Majesty!" He stepped forward quickly, "An urgent report from the Eastern Vast Sea! Someone has established a new Immortal Cultivation Sect called the God Slaying Pavilion!"

Zhao Zheng's eyes snapped open, his pupils seeming to flash with thunder: "Continue."

"The founder is a Cultivator named Ling Tian, only a hundred years old, yet he has already reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage." Bai Qi's voice carried unconcealed astonishment. "It is said that this person entered the Qi at ten, established Foundation at thirty, and is now hailed as a rare genius seen only once in a thousand years. Several ministers in court have suggested whether we should establish relations with him in advance, or incite other Immortal Cultivation Sects to eliminate him!"

"Ling Tian?!" Zhao Zheng suddenly stood up from the Dragon Throne, his face instantly turning pale. "Say it again, what is this person's name?"

Bai Qi was startled by the Emperor's sudden loss of composure and took half a step back: "Ling... Ling Tian. Your Majesty, is there something wrong with this person?"

Zhao Zheng staggered and leaned on the imperial desk, relevant memories flashing through his mind—

【God Slaying Stele】

【My name is Ling Tian. The Heavenly Dao toys with us, but I will never accept my fate. I have established the God Slaying Pavilion. I will slay the Heavenly Dao.】

So that's it!

Zhao Zheng laughed uproariously, his laughter shaking the glazed tiles on the palace roof: "I understand! I understand everything!" He pointed wildly at the sky, like a madman, "Heavenly Dao! You've gathered all the civilizations you've destroyed, all the failures, together!"

Bai Qi watched the suddenly frenzied Emperor in horror, his right hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

The guards outside the hall exchanged glances, but no one dared to step inside.

"Do you want us to kill each other?" Zhao Zheng's laughter abruptly stopped, and a terrifying glint shot from his eyes. "Or is this what Lin Fei called the 'selection'?"

The Heavenly Dao wants to select the strongest Ascender from these destroyed civilizations!

Zhao Zheng slowly sat back on the Dragon Throne, all emotions instantly receding.

He straightened his slightly disheveled attire, once again resuming the majestic image of Emperor Wu.

"Bai Qi." His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Issue the order to strengthen surveillance of the God Slaying Pavilion, but remember not to alert them."

Although Bai Qi was full of questions, he still bowed respectfully: "Your subordinate obeys."

Only after the hall doors were closed again did Zhao Zheng let out a long breath of turbid Qi.

He looked down at the faintly visible nine tripods mark on his palm. The reason his Cultivation speed was so fast, reaching the Early Golden Core Stage in five hundred years, was entirely due to the nine tripods in his palm.

His Cultivation path was the Five Elements' Gold, the twelve zodiac signs' Dragon, and the Horn Mansion of the Azure Dragon constellation among the twenty-four constellations! He exclusively occupied the Golden Dragon Horn position.

Once this position is exclusively occupied, others will be unable to Cultivate this path.

"The enemy is in the open, I am in the dark..." It was a good thing Emperor Qin Zhao Zheng had not changed the Tianwu Dynasty back to the Great Qin Dynasty—once his identity was exposed, he would become the public enemy of all Reincarnation individuals!

The wind and snow outside the hall grew stronger, the howling north wind beating against the window lattice. In this life, he, Zhao Zheng, would not lose again! He must win! Win against all Reincarnation individuals, win against the Heavenly Dao!