Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 265: The Rise and Fall of the Empire

After Liu Qing, A Xian, and Wang Heng ascended to the rank of Supreme, they joined forces to defeat the Supreme of the Holy Land, forcing them to step down. Once the three took control of the Holy Land, they immediately began their campaign to conquer the world!

As “outsiders,” their goal was to dominate this illusory world and claim the rewards of the broken world.

Thus, they were far from being conservative like the previous Supreme of the Holy Land.

With the attitude of “Those who submit will prosper, those who resist will perish,” they first annihilated all the small and medium-sized forces around the Holy Land, and then began attacking the nearest top-tier power.

This top-tier power had two Supremes, making it a formidable force. However, the Holy Land now had four Supremes, and the top-tier power had no chance against the expansion of the Holy Land. After their two Supremes were defeated, they had no choice but to submit to the Holy Land in order to protect their disciples.

With this, the Holy Land now had six Supremes, greatly increasing its strength and allowing it to expand even more aggressively.

With six Supremes leading the charge, they were unstoppable.

As the Holy Land expanded wildly, the Mortal Empire naturally flourished alongside it.

Wherever the influence of the Holy Land spread, so did the territory of the Empire. There was little resistance, for any resistance would be futile. Even if the mortal realm were to be defeated, the Holy Land would intervene, and any mortal resistance would be wiped out.

Thus, the trends of the Cultivation World dictated the trends of the mortal world, and the mortal realm could not change them.

As a result, the Mortal Empire entered an era of unprecedented prosperity, with its territory doubling almost daily.

If Genghis Khan were here, even he would be impressed.

The Emperor and his court officials were overwhelmed with joy. The Empire’s territory had grown so vast that they could no longer keep track of it.

Aside from the expansion of its territory, another sign of the empire’s prosperity was the constant influx of rare treasures and exotic beauties from foreign lands sent as tribute to the capital.

The Empire’s territory had grown so large that the court couldn’t possibly manage it all. Instead, they simply issued decrees, stamped with the imperial seal, enfeoffing these foreign powers as vassal kings to help manage the vast territory as long as they paid tribute to the empire.

“I don’t want any more! Stop sending them to me!”

Xu Lian, as the Empire’s Peer of the Realm, had a status nominally equal to that of the Emperor. In reality, his status was even higher, as his two sisters and one brother were all Supremes of the Holy Land. The entire court had to obey him. Thus, the exotic treasures and beauties from foreign lands were sent to his palace first.

His palace had been repeatedly expanded and was now even larger than the Imperial Palace, yet it still couldn’t contain all the treasures and beauties.

This annoyed him. Every inch of his palace was paved with gold and jade, every corner filled with rare treasures. He had over ten thousand beauties, each one more stunning than the last. It was overwhelming.

More importantly, this was an illusory world. No matter how luxurious it was, it still felt somewhat hollow to him.

“Peer of the realm, do not refuse. This is the honor you deserve.”

“Please accept these gifts, Peer of the Realm…”

Whenever Xu Lian refused, the officials would kneel outside his palace, urging him to accept.

Even the emperor often visited him, begging him to accept more treasures and beauties to help the empire “digest” some of the wealth.

The reason was simple: if the Peer of the Realm wouldn’t accept, the Emperor and the officials wouldn’t dare. It was a psychological barrier.

After several rounds of back and forth, Xu Lian stopped arguing and let them do as they pleased.

As huge amounts of wealth poured into the capital from foreign countries, the wealth of the nobles and officials exploded. They indulged in lavish lifestyles, turning the capital into a massive center of luxury and extravagance. Even the common people prospered, with every household becoming wealthy.

It was said that even a single copper coin dropped on the ground might not be picked up.

If someone did pick it up, it wasn’t for the money, but for the joy of finding it.

Twenty years passed like this.

Xu Lian reached the age of one hundred and fifty, a milestone no mortal had ever reached. The emperor and officials had changed multiple times, yet he still lived. The people of the capital were in awe, having grown numb to his longevity.

To celebrate, the court bestowed upon him the title of “Peer of the Realm, Sage King of Eternal Life.”

The influence of the Holy Land had spread so far that no one could accurately measure the realm’s territory. It had grown beyond comprehension.

Every day, countless tributes poured into the capital. Even ordinary households had some rare treasures, a testament to the empire’s wealth.

The capital could truly be described as a city built on treasures, a city of riches.

Just when everyone thought that this luxurious life would continue forever, the court suddenly noticed that the daily influx of treasures and beauties was decreasing – and decreasing rapidly!

This was not a good sign.

The entire court was struck with fear, for they sensed that something was wrong.

The luxurious atmosphere of the capital began to grow tense.

Xu Lian watched all this and had an inkling of what was happening.

There was only one possible explanation for the decrease in tribute: the Holy Land had suffered a defeat!

Some foreign powers were no longer submitting to the Empire, hence the decrease in tribute.

The panicked emperor and officials rushed to the palace of the Peer of the Realm, Sage King of Eternal Life-although it could hardly be called a palace anymore, as it was several times larger than the imperial palace.

Xu Lian calmly said, “I am just a mortal like you. What can I do about the affairs of the cultivation world?”

The emperor and the officials left disappointed, knowing that there was little he could do. They had sought comfort only in his presence.

That evening, after a lavish meal-so lavish that even a single bite of each dish would have been enough to fill him up-Xu Lian took a short walk in the imperial garden to aid his digestion, then reclined on a dragon-shaped rocking chair and gazed at the stars.

Dozens of concubines and beauties surrounded him like stars around the moon. Some held incense burners, others waved jade fans to ward off insects, while others gently massaged his shoulders and back. Everyone was quiet for fear of disturbing the most revered figure in the empire.

Xu Lian sighed inwardly. Although this world was illusory, it was undeniably enjoyable.

Suddenly, Liu Qing, A Xian, and Wang Heng appeared in front of him.

The concubines screamed in terror and called for guards, and chaos broke out in the garden as eunuchs and imperial guards rushed in to protect him.

Xu Lian waved his hand, amused. “They are not assassins. You may go.”

The concubines, eunuchs, and guards retreated, still shaken. If anything happened to him, they would all be executed.

Wang Qing looked at him with a strange expression. “You’ve certainly figured out how to enjoy this illusory world.”

Xu Lian smiled. “This is all thanks to you, making me the Peer of the Realm in the Mortal Empire.”

A Xian pouted. “We are out there fighting for our lives against other Supremes, and here you are living in luxury. It’s infuriating.”

Xu Lian replied, “You chose to conquer. I chose to relax. Of course, our paths are different.”

Liu Qing spoke seriously, “We have suffered a defeat. The situation is dire.”

Xu Lian wasn’t surprised. Even the emperor and the officials had noticed it. As an outsider, he understood even more clearly.