The second emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, Kong Jia, was already over 150 years old when he inherited the throne. He reigned for only over 30 years before he died in Yangjing. His temple name was Taizong.
His eighth son Kong Zhang inherited the throne and named the reign Hongqing. At this time, the Great Zhou Dynasty had entered its most prosperous period and was known as the Divine Dynasty.
All the mountain gods and water masters in the vast mountains and rivers of the Great Zhou are under his command. All the large and small sects of cultivation in Dongzhou are nominally subject to the Great Zhou. Hundreds of thousands of warriors guard one side, and the military generals suppress the gods of the cultivators in the world.
However, after being passed down for two hundred years in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the complete set of skills transformed from the ancient secret techniques of the Heavenly Court has gradually spread.
Secretly, the major sects of cultivation and the aristocratic families in the world are not so stable. The sects of cultivation train Taoist soldiers according to secret techniques, and the aristocratic families train secret guards. It's just that the Great Zhou Dynasty is now at its peak, so they are keeping silent.
The Great Zhou Dynasty had been established for more than 200 years, and the imperial examination system had attracted all the literati in the world. The status of students and literati in the world had also grown to the highest peak in all dynasties. The academy also expanded rapidly with the Great Zhou Dynasty, and spread to all provinces, prefectures and counties in the world, and even private schools of the academy could be seen in every village.
Even though the status of warriors has risen dramatically since the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they have become beings that can compete with the immortal sects and suppress the gods, the warrior training methods are no longer as secretive as they used to be and are not spread throughout the world.
At the same time, the number of warriors has reached a terrifying level. Even ordinary people can embark on the path of martial arts. However, this ordinary person is just an ordinary powerful person from the original ancient wizard family and the aristocratic family passed down from the Dahuan period. It is not an easy thing to learn martial arts. The various elixirs, exercises, etc. during the period are not something that an ordinary person can afford.
The academy opens its doors wide and welcomes everyone, even the poorest children. Anyone can enter the academy. As long as they read the sage books passed down by the saints of the academy, they can inspire righteousness, suppress all evil spirits, and subdue monks, and they are no less capable than any other sect.
It is even rumored that Qu Yong, the master of Shangxian Academy, which is currently the main branch of the academy, has never taken action, but it is rumored that he holds the jade slips of preaching and can even suppress the leaders of the top-notch sects.
He could serve as a minister in the imperial court, or write books to shock the people, attracting generations of people from all over the world to join the academy.
The poor were good at literature but rich at martial arts, and this academy became the only chance for poor scholars in the world to step onto the stage of history.
Countless students followed the enlightenment of the teachers in the academy, passed the imperial examinations step by step and entered the officialdom, served as officials and stepped into the court. Some of them wrote books and became great sages. Even in this Great Zhou, their reputation surpassed that of the warriors who ruled the world in the past.
It was the twelfth year of Hongqing. Fang Xiu came all the way down from the north, turning himself into a hundred-mile breeze, passing over the earth and mountains, crossing the river and arriving at the former Xundu.
Fang Xiu stopped involuntarily, descended from the clouds, and stood on the vast wilderness and loess.
The xiaos of the past have long disappeared, the broad city walls and palaces have long since turned into rubble and yellow earth, the barefoot and brown-clad xiao players throughout the city have long since passed away, and you can no longer hear the farmers sitting under the big trees on the ridges of the fields, blowing the pottery xiao and producing the age-old and simple music.
The wind at the end of the sky rustled across the earth, lifting Fang Xiu's white clothes. He walked against the wind, his feet moving forward on the wild grass and yellow soil.
The city walls of the former Xun capital gradually emerged before my eyes, and scenes seemed to return across time.
He rode in an oxcart, leaning back with his arms, basking in the sun comfortably, passing through the city gate of Xundu. People from the Huan State were coming and going, driving cattle and sheep. Farmers held up sticks or farm tools, their bare feet covered in mud. Goods and leathers pulled by oxcarts were driven into the city by barbarian merchants from the south who had come from afar.
Ancient sorcerers with witch tattoos on their faces sat in sedan chairs carried by slaves, noble ladies with painted faces rode wild beasts through the city gates, groups of guards wore straw armor and carried bows and arrows, round-roofed huts and stone walls stretched endlessly, and the wide avenue like a square seemed to converge into a long painting.
At that time, I came to the city with a smile on my face and built a not-so-tall academy, which changed this era and opened a new chapter for Dongzhou.
The entire scene collapsed in an instant as Fang Xiu arrived in front of the former Xundu Academy.
In the ancient capital of Xun, the ancient people who came and went, the shamans, priestesses, and noble ladies who were regarded as gods by the Chinese people, have all passed away, and even the traces of their existence have been wiped out.
Watching these scenes, Fang Xiu suddenly thought of a poem for some reason.
"It is sad that the palaces of the Qin and Han dynasties have all turned to dust."
Fang Xiu picked up a piece of rubble on the ground. He didn't know if it was the green tile on the big houses he built in the past. His eyes flickered slightly.
"It's time for Xundu Academy to return!"
In the imperial city of Great Zhou in Yangjing, Emperor Kong Zhang of Great Zhou summoned the Minister of the Chancellery, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and the Minister of Rites in his study, while Crown Prince Kong Zhao stood by.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
Two men of righteous integrity and a cultivator at the realm of immortality were standing in the imperial study at the same time, meeting the Emperor of the Great Zhou. Although the young man in front of them was only a third-grade warrior at the realm of supernatural powers, the three of them were respectful and did not dare to neglect him in the slightest.
The emperor's strong aura, coupled with the powerful pressure brought by holding the Nine Dragon Imperial Seal, also brought great pressure to the three people.
As heaven and earth recover, the fortune of the Great Zhou becomes stronger. The Nine Dragon Emperor Seal is no longer what it used to be. It can be said to be a treasure that suppresses the fortune of Dongzhou. The emperor holds it and sits in the imperial city. It would be difficult for ordinary demon cultivators to get close to it.
"I have hurriedly summoned you three here because I have something important to discuss with you and I want to hear your opinions."
The three of them glanced at the prince standing beside them and roughly knew what was going on. Everyone in the world knew that the prince went to Lingshu Mountain to pay a visit to the four people, but at this moment he did not dare to show any other thoughts on his face.
"You three haven't had dinner yet! Serve us some food!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After sitting down in the study, the emperor and his subjects began to discuss state affairs as if they were having a casual chat, and the emperor seemed to start talking about it casually.
"The Crown Prince has just returned from the Immortal Feast at Lingshu Mountain. The four beings who have crossed the Tribulation Stage and are close to being gods are all in Dongzhou right now. I wonder what you think of listing them as your beloved ministers!"
Although dinner was served to the three people, no one dared to move. At this time, the Minister of the Chancellery stood up and looked at the Crown Prince: "Your Majesty! The Crown Prince went to Lingshu Mountain. I wonder what he saw and heard. Can you tell us?"
Emperor Kong Zhang waved his hand and the prince immediately stood up.
"Although this Immortal Banquet is nominally to celebrate the success of the Lingshu Mountain Patriarch's tribulation, it is actually a gathering of Fengdu, Jiayi Immortal Lord, Changde, and Zhang Heming Divine Lord to reminisce about the past. I sat in the front row of the Immortal Banquet and heard some of their conversations."
"Master Jia Yi has been secluded on Mount Lingshu for many years and has never gone out. He has no intention of leaving the mountain in the future. The two masters Chang De and Zhang Heming came here for the birth of the Lord of the Four Seas. After the Immortal Feast, they returned to the Tianshi Sect and the Ancient Divine Mountain in the Northern Wasteland respectively, preparing to go to the Northern Abyss after surviving the third immortal thunder tribulation."
"As for Fengdu! This immortal king is too mysterious. I don't know why he came back to Dongzhou across the sea this time. However, this immortal king never interferes in the change of dynasties, and he is about to ascend to heaven. He should be passing through Dongzhou for the purpose of transcending the calamity."
"I heard before that Fengdu Immortal Lord accepted the three daughters of the Dragon King of the East China Sea as his disciples in the East China Sea and left behind a legacy. This time he went to Dongzhou, perhaps to settle his past affairs before ascending to heaven."
Shang Shu Ling nodded and said, "These four are highly respected and have all been practicing since the ancient times. Our Great Zhou is prosperous and the country is peaceful and the people are safe. I think the four immortal monarchs and gods will certainly be loyal to our Great Zhou."
The director of the Imperial Observatory also said immediately: "This is also thanks to your majesty's great blessing!"
The Ministry of Rites is not only in charge of ceremonies, sacrifices, and tributes, but also the registration of gods and the various rituals of conferring titles. The Minister of Rites stepped out and said, "Now that the matter of the four immortals has been decided, I think we should pay attention to the upcoming birth of the Lord of the Four Seas!"
"This is the general trend of the world. We may..."
However, before the conversation between the monarch and his subjects had finished, the emperor, the crown prince, the director of the Imperial Observatory and two other ministers all looked up at the sky with astonishment on their faces, as if their gazes passed through the roof of the palace and looked up at the sky.
At this time, a bright moon fell from the sky and landed in Yangjing.