Chapter 125: A Waste of Heavenly Treasures?

With the establishment of the Xia Dynasty and its recognition by the human race, Li Tian, residing in the Heavenly Court, clearly sensed a surge in the court's fortune. After all, the Xia Dynasty had been canonized by the Heavenly Court and was effectively a part of it; its destiny was naturally intertwined with that of the heavens. It was not just Li Tian who felt this; many officials of the Heavenly Court, as well as Nüwa and others, were acutely aware of the shift.

Simultaneously, the other Sages felt a disturbance in their hearts. Although the connection between human destiny and the Heavenly Court did not cause them any immediate, tangible harm, the situation was undoubtedly not to their liking. Under these circumstances, a single decree from the Heavenly Court could drastically reduce the share of human destiny they possessed. While the Heavenly Court was unlikely to openly turn against them, this sense of being at the mercy of another left them feeling deeply uneasy.

"We must restore the system of 'Public Governance' to the human race!" After a brief discussion, the Three Pure Ones reached a firm decision. However, they dared not intervene overtly, fearing they might provoke the Heavenly Court and create an unmanageable situation. They first sent their disciples to contact Shaohao, hoping to secretly support him in overthrowing the Xia Dynasty. After all, Shaohao held the territory of Yangzhou and commanded the largest force in the human race outside of the Xia Dynasty. Furthermore, as the son of the Yellow Emperor, surely he would support the tradition of a public-spirited leadership?

The reality, however, proved to be the exact opposite. While Shaohao accepted the support of the Three Pure Ones, he flatly refused when the topic of restoring "Public Governance" was raised. He, too, desired the "Family Governance" system. If he were to be limited to only a few decades as the Human Emperor, he would much rather remain as the ruler of his Yangzhou domain.

Left with no other choice, the Three Pure Ones turned their support to smaller factions, such as the Youhu clan. As the Youhu were staunch supporters of the public system, they did not hesitate after receiving the aid of the Three Pure Ones. Before long, they had cultivated a powerful army and formed an alliance, marching grandiosely toward the Xia Dynasty.

Upon learning of this, Qi immediately ordered the feudal lords to assemble for defense. A great battle erupted in the land of Gan. In the end, the Youhu clan lacked the foundation to prevail and were defeated by the Xia Dynasty, their territories partitioned among the meritorious lords. From that day on, with the exception of Shaohao and the Yin-Shang tribe—which had recently defected to him—the entire human race was essentially brought under the rule of the Xia Dynasty.

For a time, Qi felt immensely self-satisfied and began to indulge himself recklessly. He abandoned the frugal traditions of his ancestors, summoned craftsmen to build vast palace complexes, and gathered beauties from across the world to dwell within. He spent his days drinking, making merry, and wallowing in extravagance. Qi reigned for over a thousand years in this manner until, eventually, Yu—residing in the Sacred Land of the human race—could no longer stand it and sent men to summon him to the Sacred Land.

After Qi departed, one of his sons ascended the throne. Perhaps due to the absolute impartiality of the Heavenly Dao, although successive emperors were protected by the purple aura of imperial authority and were immune to all sorcery, they were likewise unable to tread the path of immortality, destined to remain mere mortals for the duration of their lives.

The new Xia King ascended the throne and held a grand ceremony to worship the Heavenly Emperor. Li Tian paid minimal attention to it; he was too lazy to concern himself with such matters, not even bothering to manifest a divine presence. A mortal monarch without any cultivation could reign for at most a hundred years—a mere blink of an eye—so what was there to watch? In truth, the trivial affairs of the human race could barely capture his interest anymore. Even during the great battle between Qi and the Youhu clan, he had only glanced at it briefly, too indifferent to intervene, even while knowing full well that the Three Pure Ones were pulling the strings.

He seemed to have become devoid of ambition. He used to spend time in cultivation, but it felt as though he had not practiced for an eternity. This was not unique to him; Nüwa and many others in the Heavenly Court felt the same. Since almost everyone had reached a point where further progress was impossible—where even millions of years of seclusion yielded not a shred of improvement—who would still bother to invest effort into cultivation?

Unnoticed, Li Tian arrived at Xuanming’s palace and stepped inside. "Heavenly Emperor," Xuanming said, sensing his arrival. She emerged immediately and bowed respectfully. Although this was not their first meeting, Li Tian always felt an inexplicable pleasure when he saw Xuanming—who once used to gnash her teeth at him in hatred—now as docile as a kitten. Over the years, besides spending time with Nüwa, Li Tian had spent most of his time dallying with the various goddesses of the Heavenly Court, and Xuanming was no exception. As years passed, she had long since accepted her predetermined fate, and her temperament had gradually shifted.

"Mm," Li Tian nodded slightly and sat down in the center of the palace. Xuanming dutifully served him wine and stood to the side. Looking her up and down, Li Tian smiled, took a sip of wine, and looked up at her again, a strange thought blooming in his mind. "You shall serve me in bed tonight," he said.

He looked up, intrigued by her reaction, wondering if this Ancestral Witch, who had once loathed him to the bone, would still fight him to the death over such a remark. In reality, he did not have much interest in Xuanming; he had said it on a whim, merely to amuse himself. After all, Chang'e—a beauty born to the human race only once every billion years—was still waiting on the Lunar Star, and he hadn't even touched her, let alone Xuanming.

Under Li Tian's gaze, Xuanming was visibly stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting such a demand, followed by a surge of shame and rage. *Me, serve him in bed?*

Li Tian watched the enraged Xuanming and couldn't help but smile; this was the real Xuanming. "Enough, I was only joking. In truth, I have no interest in you," he said with a laugh. A single sentence extinguished the flames of her shame and anger. "I will come to see you another day."

Li Tian glanced at the stunned Xuanming, smiled, set down his wine cup, and stood up to leave, abandoning her in a state of confusion. There was, of course, a lingering sense of resentment. "Detestable, Supreme Sumeru Divine Heavenly Emperor!" Xuanming spitefully smashed the wine cup Li Tian had used onto the floor, which finally made her feel a little better.

This scene was, of course, seen clearly by Li Tian, but he merely brushed it off with a smile. However, he did not anticipate her subsequent actions, or he would certainly have regretted it. Stepping out of the Xuanming Palace, Li Tian flew directly toward the Lunar Star. He suddenly felt that keeping Chang'e—a beauty born once in a billion years—merely as a collection piece was a terrible waste of heaven's gifts.