After fighting at the Human Race's Great Wall for half a year and witnessing life and death, Li Qi had even assumed that the Great Han Dynasty beyond the wall was equally oppressive.
But in reality, he was mistaken.
As the saying goes:
Where you cannot see, there are always those who bear the weight for you.
And the cultivators who fought on the Human Race's Great Wall daily were those who bore the weight.
When Li Qi departed from the Human Race's Great Wall.
What he saw was a scene of peace and harmony.
Traveling merchants chatted and laughed.
The common people were relaxed and content.
Only the cultivators heading towards the Human Race's Great Wall wore solemn expressions.
Some might say these people beyond the Great Wall were heartless for being able to smile.
But this… wasn't it what those fighting valiantly yearned for?
The environment beyond the wall was not as Li Qi had imagined, where everyone was a cultivator.
Ordinary people still formed the largest portion of this Human Race's dynasty.
A few days later, Li Qi arrived at a village.
The village was crisscrossed by paths, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard.
The village was small, with only a few dozen households.
There were farmers, livestock breeders, and hunters.
Although they had to be self-sufficient, their lives appeared incredibly leisurely and content.
Li Qi suddenly felt like stopping here.
Such a life… seemed not bad.
He walked into the village and borrowed some tools from a villager.
Li Qi leisurely chopped wood, and in a matter of days, a small wooden house was built.
In this silent manner, Li Qi also joined the small village.
The villagers were not overly wary of Li Qi.
His harmless appearance made it difficult to perceive him as a bad person.
Furthermore, Li Qi's handsome face was quite appealing.
Globally, perhaps only a species called "readers" could be considered slightly handsomer.
The older women and even the toothless grandmothers in the village were fond of Li Qi.
Even some of the village girls of marriageable age would often steal glances at him.
Alas, this was the burden of being handsome.
Added to this, Li Qi seemed to be very knowledgeable about various farming skills, such as cultivation, hunting, and animal husbandry.
He would occasionally help the villagers.
Therefore, even the men did not dislike him.
Years later, when Li Qi had fully integrated into the village, the village chief enthusiastically offered to introduce him to someone for marriage.
"Little Li, do you want a wife? If you do, Old Man Wang's daughter next door is also of marriageable age, and she'd be perfect for you. Just give the word, and I'll send her over tonight."
To this, Li Qi could only wave his hands, smiling wryly as he declined.
Wives and female companionship were things Li Qi currently strictly refused.
After all, as the saying goes, the heavens have three treasures: the sun, the moon, and the stars; humans have three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit. One part spirit, one part wealth; ten parts spirit, wealth comes naturally.
If he were to indulge in sensuality now and drain his essence, qi, and spirit.
How could he achieve great things in the future?!
For instance, Li Qi, not indulging in sensuality, had his strength slightly improved over the years since entering the outer territories. He had reached the peak of the first layer of the Golden Core realm and, if all went well, would naturally step into the second layer within ten years.
...
And while Li Qi was contentedly living a laid-back life in the village.
News that shook the entire realm suddenly emerged.
The current King of the Great Han Dynasty.
Was dead!
A Nascent Soul stage demon had sneaked into the Great Han Dynasty beyond the Human Race's Great Wall and, in a suicidal attack, killed the current King of Han.
Despite the protection of numerous experts, his life could not be saved.
Even the Crown Prince had died in that very attack, sacrificing himself to protect the King of Han.
The King of Han had passed away.
The Crown Prince was also dead.
Upon hearing this news, even the several Soul Transformation stage cultivators within the Human Race's Great Wall were instantly enraged.
On the day the news reached the Great Wall, the furious roars of countless cultivators could be heard ceaselessly.
On that day, led by several Human Race Soul Transformation stage great experts, countless cultivators proactively launched an assault.
They forcefully broke into the demon's main base, unleashing their fury.
Screams of agony filled the air.
This was a battle rarely seen in the countless years of war between humans and demons.
Countless humans and demons perished.
The battlefield was stained crimson with blood, and the thick smell of blood could still be faintly detected decades later.
This battle lasted for over half a month.
Innumerable cultivators and demons fell.
It was only when the numerous Soul Transformation stage experts on both the human and demon sides suffered severe injuries and retreated that the fighting finally began to subside.
After this battle, both the human and demon sides were severely weakened.
For a short period, not even demons appeared outside the Human Race's Great Wall.
Both sides seemed to have a tacit understanding and began to recuperate.
Thus, the demon threat was temporarily halted, and the pressure on the Human Race's Great Wall eased considerably.
However, after this external threat subsided, internal strife began to slowly brew.
The throne of the Great Han Dynasty remained vacant.
Gradually, several kings of different surnames within the Great Han Dynasty began to harbor ill intentions.
One by one, they raised their banners, aiming to seize the Mandate of Heaven.
In the following years, the original Great Han Dynasty was directly carved up by these kings of different surnames, each establishing their own territory.
During the most intense periods of war between these kings, even Nascent Soul stage experts under their command resorted to drawing their weapons against each other.
This matter even prompted the temporary return of a Soul Transformation stage great expert who had been living a secluded life at the Human Race's Great Wall.
However, although this Soul Transformation stage great expert's power was unparalleled and he was revered by all the kings of different surnames, royal power was ultimately royal power, and the complexities involved were too great.
Even with his standing as a Soul Transformation stage great expert, he could not unilaterally decide who would ascend to the throne.
Finally, to ensure that the high-level human cultivators did not suffer heavy casualties in internal conflicts, several Human Race Soul Transformation stage experts jointly issued a decree, prohibiting any cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul stage from participating in the dynastic disputes.
Upon hearing this news, the various kings of different surnames breathed a sigh of relief. If these Human Race Soul Transformation stage great experts had truly intended to support a specific king, their absolute power would have made it impossible for them to resist.
But now, at least they were all starting from the same point.
Thus, each king of a different surname established their own kingdom, and the Great Han Dynasty finally disintegrated.
The war continued.
As time passed, one by one, the kings of different surnames faded from this conflict.
Ultimately, the realm was divided among three kings of different surnames who possessed the greatest strength.
They were collectively known as Eastern Wu, Western Shu, and Northern Wei.
Although the realm was not unified at this point, it was infinitely more stable than during the initial contest among the various kings of different surnames.