Chapter 2268: Lonely and Isolated

Fantasy Novel

Over the years, Cang Yan had dedicated the most effort to this area.

It wasn't that Cang Yan didn't want to fully govern these immortal sects and demon clans, forcing them into complete submission; it was simply impossible.

Even Emperor Jiuyou could not go against nature or prevailing trends.

Sun Hongye looked as if he wanted to speak but held back.

He Lingchuan noticed immediately and generously said, "Go ahead and speak."

"By letting the immortal sects and demon clans compete and annex each other so freely, aren't you worried they might eventually produce a self-proclaimed king, which would be detrimental to the region?"

This would be detrimental to Cang Yan.

In recent years, Sun Hongye had traveled the world and witnessed many struggles and power shifts among human factions. Why did they fight incessantly?

On one hand, for survival; on the other, for growth.

Weren't immortal sects and demon clans the same? If their struggles eventually led to the consolidation of several powerful sectarian forces, that would be extremely detrimental to Cang Yan's rule.

"A good question," He Lingchuan said, patting his shoulder. Sun Hongye had only just heard his governance philosophy yet could think so deeply; his mind was still sharp. "However, you can't have it both ways. There is no globally optimal solution, only the best solution for the current moment."

He Lingchuan certainly knew that Cang Yan's current approach had its drawbacks, but: "Whether it's immortal sects or demon clans, their organizational methods are too backward; they can hardly contend with truly great nations."

Emphasis on "truly."

Why did immortal sects and demon clans decline in the past? Apart from the primary factor of diminishing spiritual energy in the world, the rise of human nations was also a significant reason.

He Lingchuan always believed that human nations had a more advanced organizational structure compared to the loose nature of immortal sects.

"Once the Awakening of Insects period passes, their numbers will decrease, and individual forces will grow stronger, which will actually be beneficial for our governance."

"Large numbers," "dispersed," and "lacking a central entity" are the effective camouflage for these forces.

Once they become integrated and centralized, the authorities can then manage them effectively with targeted approaches.

Sun Hongye nodded, "That's also because Cang Yan is powerful."

Only strength allows one to fear no challenge.

A powerful nation possesses mighty primordial energy. This is a potent weapon against divine abilities and immortal arts.

Many nations in the world had already fallen before reaching the second stage.

Thinking of this, Sun Hongye couldn't help but sigh, "I heard that Beijia has also had some troubles in recent years."

"This isn't just Cang Yan's problem; Beijia, Mou Nation, and all other countries must confront this impact," He Lingchuan said. "Beijia is known as the 'Northern Demon Nation,' but its foundation for national continuity still rests on its vast human populace. Thus, it too has been significantly impacted during the Awakening of Insects period."

Ultimately, the wealth of society must still be created by humans.

"Beijia has also devised many ways to mitigate this, but demon nations inherently have an additional problem compared to Cang Yan."

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty?"

"The top-tier nobility in demon nations mostly consists of great demons. In the current environment, their demand for spiritual energy profound crystals has surged," He Lingchuan explained. "The more intense their cultivation and the higher their cultivation level, the more spiritual energy they require. However, most demon clans do not engage in production, and their increased demands at this time burden the common people, exacerbating the conflict between demons and humans. This is why Beijia has seen frequent uprisings in recent years, which the authorities have consistently suppressed with force. Furthermore, the power disparities between various vassal demon states have also widened, leading to increasingly unbalanced development."

At this point, He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "All right, I still need to see Granny Zhu. You've traveled a long way and must be tired. Get some rest first; I'll send for you in a couple of days."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sun Hongye, knowing Emperor Jiuyou's time was precious, immediately stood up.

Sun Hongye's accommodation had already been arranged; palace attendants outside the hall would lead him there.

After Sun Hongye had withdrawn, He Lingchuan summoned the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, stepped through it to return to the Imperial Study, and then beckoned:

"Someone, who from Rongshan is on duty in the palace today?"

Soon, a palace attendant replied:

"Second-class Imperial Guard Peng Sixuan."

A quarter of an hour later, Peng Sixuan arrived to receive the imperial decree.

"Go and ask Elder Dao if, when he took the Rongshan disciples to Baisha Bay to board the ship back then, he met a person named Sun Hongye at Qingmu Inn."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Also, did they ever mention Beijia's demon puppet experimentation facility to Sun Hongye?" He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Sun Hongye will be staying temporarily at the Scarlet Heaven Golden Palace for the next couple of days. Arrange for Elder Dao and the Rongshan disciples who stayed at Qingmu Inn that night to 'accidentally' encounter him, and see if he truly is that person."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Peng Sixuan respectfully retreated, turning to leave only upon reaching the doorway.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror then asked He Lingchuan, "Oh, so you don't trust old acquaintances anymore?"

"It's just routine procedure," He Lingchuan said, taking a sip of water. "After all, we haven't seen each other in many years, and he suddenly appears to bring me such vital information."

The mirror snorted twice, "Your paranoia is getting worse and worse."

He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered to respond.

What is an emperor? A lonely man.

Weren't those four words enough to explain everything?

People's hearts are veiled. In his position, there were simply too many people with ulterior motives around him; he lacked the energy to discern each one individually.

What power brought him, besides supreme glory, was endless loneliness and suspicion.

Sun Hongye was talented and an old acquaintance; He Lingchuan truly wanted to employ him. But as the old saying goes, "If you suspect someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't suspect them."

Before considering employing Sun Hongye, he first had to ascertain if the man was reliable and trustworthy.

For a superior in his position, the loyalty and reliability of his subordinates far outranked their talent and ability.

Cang Yan Nation, Xunyang Mountain, north of Wei'an City.

A few evenings prior, a medicine gatherer occasionally spotted green light flickering in the outer mountains, suspecting an invasion by wild demons. He then reported it to the authorities.

Officials dispatched people to patrol the mountains, but finding no abnormalities, they returned.

Xunyang Mountain consisted of continuous rolling peaks. Its outer areas were cultivated as medicinal fields and forests, while the deep mountains were rarely visited by humans and were often home to spirits and monsters.

That night, someone hastily entered the mountains, walking almost without touching the ground, covering ten zhang with each stride, like a ghost.

In the stream, there was a white stone resembling a recumbent ox. This person reached out, tapped the stone three times, and then walked directly into the large stone.

The large stone flashed with a green light, and the person vanished.

The stream gurgled, and everything remained as it was.

Behind the Recumbent Ox Stone was a hidden realm.

Before their eyes was a flowing waterfall, scattering pearls and jade, its waters ceaselessly flowing year-round.

Beside the waterfall stood a white jade mountain gate, bearing the two characters "Qixia" in seal script.

The mountain path wound upwards, and climbing the steps revealed pavilions and towers half-hidden and half-revealed among the green trees.

The color of the rocks here differed from those outside; at first glance, they were plain white and grey, but in the evening, bathed in the sunset, a red light would flow across them, as if they had been branded red-hot by an iron, appearing as if lava could flow out any second.

However, compared to the outside, it was too quiet here.

After entering the mountain, the person made several leaps, arriving at the entrance of a grand hall with more agility than an ape.

The grand hall was imposing, but unguarded. He walked straight to the end, where three robed figures were meditating and cultivating their breath in the White Jade Hall, with several disciples attending them.

He stepped forward and bowed, "Disciple Tang Jingye greets Martial Uncle Sect Master and all the Elders."