It wasn’t just the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou; the Martial Saint Ancestor of the Jin Meng Empire was the same.
After the incident at the border, the truth of what happened was pieced together. Once people understood the full story, their opinion of those two Martial Saint masters naturally soured.
After all, countless people had died just so those two could extend their lives.
A Martial Saint’s life was a life, but were the lives of the countless people who died just to extend it not?
The accounts of the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou’s achievements, written by the Old Emperor, seemed more like an attempt to cover up the calamity he had left behind—the monstrous slaughter he had committed.
And the Old Emperor was one of the beneficiaries.
His current Cultivation, his breakthrough to the National Guardian Martial Saint Realm, and the solidification of the Yang Family’s status as the Great Zhou Imperial Family—all of it was built upon a mountain of countless corpses, allowing him to remain high and mighty.
Then, they would bestow some small favors upon the common people to smooth over the pain of war and console the families who had been torn apart and left bereft.
If it had been a true war between nations, no one would have complained. But that it was all just for the sake of extending a lifespan filled countless people with rage.
The common people were powerless to say anything; they couldn’t even afford to roar in anger. The pressures of daily life weighed heavily on their shoulders. They had no time to grieve, still busy trying to make a living, because those who survived had to keep on living.
The powerful factions, like the Major Sects and Noble Families, could receive compensation from the Great Zhou Imperial Family. But such compensation was only for the living; the dead had no use for it, nor would they ever see it.
Before they died, they probably thought they were fighting for their nation, never knowing they were fighting just to extend one person’s life.
The truth was even more heart-wrenching, even harder to accept.
But the living had no choice but to accept it.
With a National Guardian Martial Saint presiding over the Great Zhou Imperial Family, no one was a match for them. As for a fight to the bitter end, that would only lead to even greater losses.
Besides, even if the major factions united, few would be willing to fight to the point of mutual destruction.
The living, naturally, had their own considerations. They wanted to survive and prosper, and some had already set their sights on the Cultivation Resources offered by the Great Zhou Imperial Family.
The intelligence reports laid out before Yang Chan were filled with praises for the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou’s achievements, urging the common people to be eternally grateful. It was all utterly nauseating to read.
Then there were the courtiers who actively promoted the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou’s accomplishments, showering him with flattery. They called him an "emperor for the ages," "the one and only in ten thousand years," and "the emperor who secured the people’s destiny."
The border conflict, meanwhile, was covered up, with the dead being labeled as heroes who fell in a war for the nation. No matter how they spun it, it was all propaganda. The truth was nowhere to be seen.
The common people, ignorant of the truth, would only be grateful. They would shout, "All hail the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou!" and offer incense and blessings in gratitude for his benevolence.
"Is there any other intelligence besides this on the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou?"
Yang Chan took a long, deep breath and slowly exhaled before asking.
’This is just how the world is,’ he thought. ’With my current strength, I can’t change a thing.’
’In an era like this, anyone who dares to challenge the status quo will face the most ferocious opposition, possibly even having to fight against all those in power.’
’It would require immense courage, absolute strength, and extraordinary patience to even have a chance of success.’
’It would take a very long time and countless efforts just to have the slightest possibility of succeeding.’
’Success might be possible, but I don’t have that kind of ambition.’
’In these times, all I want to do is continue to increase my strength so I don’t become another sacrifice. If a great calamity comes, I want to have the power to avoid it, not be consumed by it.’
’The only path I want to walk right now is one of survival—long-term survival.’
He didn’t know what the future held or if things would ever change.
But he was certain of one thing: no matter what he wanted to do, he would need absolute strength to suppress all opposition.
If he could become truly invincible under the heavens, then the world itself might change according to his will.
"There’s nothing for now. It’s all been about the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou lately. I’ll check if the Han Family has any new information in a few days."
"I’ll keep a close watch on the Sect’s side as well."
Han Bingyu shook her head in response.
Right now, the biggest news in the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty was about the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou. Everything else was either being suppressed or simply wasn’t happening.
Han Bingyu hadn’t received much information on her end.
Even the previous talk of the Major Sects forming an alliance seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Yang Chan had also heard whispers that the Great Zhou Imperial Family was willing to pay a certain price, but it was unclear how the compensation would ultimately be distributed.
It seemed some kind of agreement had already been reached.
"Alright. You can get back to your work."
Yang Chan nodded.
With little else to attend to, he naturally fell back into his daily routine.
Martial Arts Cultivation wasn’t accomplished overnight; it required constant perseverance.
Aside from his practice of the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method, which had to be done in a secret chamber, there was no need to be secretive about his other Cultivation Techniques.
For instance, when he cultivated the Yuanzhen Mutual Sensing Technique, he had Han Bingyu assist him, and the results were remarkable.
Han Bingyu would pull him into training every day, as it was beneficial for her as well; her progress was much faster than when she cultivated alone.
As a result, she was even more enthusiastic than Yang Chan, only stopping each day when she was completely exhausted.
The remaining Martial Arts Techniques and Health Cultivation Techniques were advanced through the proficiency on his panel. Though the progress was a bit slower, it was still quite substantial.
Take his Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques, for example. Even though his current Cultivation Realm had surpassed them, they still provided a faint Tempering effect. The panel didn’t show any limit, indicating they could be improved indefinitely, though the cost of each subsequent improvement grew larger.
As things stood, Yang Chan was unwilling to spend his Potential Points on them, preferring to use them to raise his Martial Arts Cultivation. So, he just relied on the daily proficiency gains from the panel, which also served to strengthen his foundation.
The benefits of the Health Cultivation Technique were also obvious. Both the increase in his Lifespan and its terrifying Recovery Power were more than enough reason for him to spend time on it every day.
As for the Longevity Lock that the Black Dragon had mentioned, he would only be able to understand it once his Cultivation reached the necessary level. For now, his goal was simply to increase his Lifespan as much as possible.
The Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou and the Martial Saint Ancestor of the Jin Meng Empire—two masters of the Martial Saint Realm—had done such insane things just to extend their lives. He never wanted to find himself in a position where that was his only choice.
Before facing a true predicament, a person might have many ideals and even utterly despise such actions. But when truly faced with that situation, the choice they make is the one that reflects their true self, their innermost thoughts.
After Han Bingyu left, Yang Chan began his training in the practice courtyard. He even went through the motions of the Ox Demon’s Mighty Fist, the first Cultivation Technique he ever learned, engraving the Fist Technique into his very being.
He executed the moves one by one: Ox Demon’s Horn, Ox Demon’s Hoof Stomp, and Ox Demon Tail Swing. He even began practicing the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist, which was used for Tempering the bones.
The Cultivation he currently displayed was at the External Refining Steel Realm, so it was natural for him to begin Tempering his bones. There was no need to hide it. Besides, with the current strength of his Soul Body, he could detect anyone who got close.
If it weren’t for the commotion caused by practicing the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method, he could have trained in the courtyard as well. But for now, it didn’t make much of a difference.