Chapter 520 Just Call Me Zhuzhou (14,000 Words, Big Chapter Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

As a child, the boy was certain he would succeed.

As for the reason, there was nothing particularly special.

It was simply that he had good parents who praised him, relatives who were willing to echo their praise, friends, and a younger sister who was willing to offer looks of amazement and admiration.

And they were all very clear that a successful person needed to believe in themselves and then make others believe as well.

So they were not stingy with praise, and coincidentally, the boy himself was quite promising, excelling in both literary and martial studies, though not the best, he was among the top students at the local private school.

So when the boy grew up, he was always very confident.

Seeing flames, he felt he could extinguish them.

Seeing water flowing, he felt he could cut it off.

Seeing great cultivators who could fly through the sky and traverse the earth, dominating the mortal realm, he also believed that he could do such things in the future.

Why did he think this way, why did he have this confidence... If one were to delve into the reasons, the boy wouldn't be clear, but he always felt he could.

After all...

[Since others can do it, why can't I?]

Of course, all of this was in his childhood.

Because after growing up, the boy discovered that he was trash.

Perhaps that was a bit of an overstatement, but he was indeed just a plain and unremarkable ordinary person.

An ordinary person who could do nothing in the face of disaster.

-- Divine Demon Era, Autumn of the 829,985th year.

Turmoil in the Central Continent, the Zhengyang Kingdom battled the Kun demons in the Dongyuan Province.

To eliminate the Kun demon force invading Dongyuan Province from the Xuan Sea, Nan Zhengkai, the leader of the Zhengyang Kingdom, gathered seventeen Land Immortals and established the 'Wild Sky Rending Earth' Grand Formation, directly shattering the earth veins of Dongyuan and Jinye Provinces, confusing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, creating a spiritual energy chaotic zone and various disasters.

While this action severed the Kun demon's main advance route, it also caused billions of people to be displaced, and hundreds of millions of residents of the two provinces died directly, with countless others dying thereafter.

The boy, who had become a teenager, also had his parents among them.

He remembered it very clearly. That year during the autumn harvest, the rice ears were everywhere, and the uncles in the town were busy threshing and husking, the water mills were about to begin operation, and the few cultivators in the town, such as the township head and the teacher, went to start the spiritual machines, while he stayed at home to play with straw dolls with his childhood friend and younger sister.

He was a bit clumsy, not as dexterous as his childhood friend, who could weave very elaborate dolls out of straw, making his younger sister happy, but he didn't mind, because he felt that as long as he learned slowly, he could always learn it.

If others could do it, so could he, it was just that he hadn't taken it seriously yet.

But at this moment, suddenly the sky rumbled with thunder, pitch-black storm clouds surged out of nowhere, and the earth and air vibrated together, rippling like water waves.

In an instant, the mountains behind the town not far away collapsed, and boundless, incredible earth vein spiritual energy spewed out from it, like a volcanic eruption. And the sudden downpour mixed with the crumbling mountains, turning into a rolling mudslide, pressing towards the peaceful town below the mountain.

The mudslide had no obstruction, and once it erupted, it was like a thousand horses galloping, roaring and submerging everything, destroying everything in its path.

Wherever it passed, hundred-year-old trees broke, huts in the forest collapsed, and rivers and small city walls were swallowed without any resistance. Those who had just returned from the mountains, and those who wanted to enter the mountains, let out a scream before falling silent.

In the sky, spiritual energy transformed into rainbows and auroras, and brilliant霞光 (xiaguang) shone across myriad miles of long clouds, crisscrossing the endless sky, and the thunder rumbled for a long time - this was a great disaster affecting tens of thousands of miles across the two provinces. Within this range, anyone who wasn't a Land Immortal would be directly knocked down to the mortal realm, only able to use the spiritual energy remaining in their body.

Help—save me!

These words weren't even uttered, because the teenager was so shocked that he forgot how to speak. In a daze, he felt several figures rushing from the doorway, and then he, his childhood friend, and his younger sister were taken and ran madly towards the town entrance.

But how could human power compare to the speed of a mudslide formed by collapsing mountains? In the midst of fear and panic, the teenager only felt himself being passed from hand to hand, and an incredibly earnest and sad 'Please'.

Next, he felt himself flying - and many others were flying as well, mostly young children.

The spiritual energy vibrated, and combined with the mental impact, he passed out.

When he woke up, the town had already been submerged.

Beside the teenager, only his younger sister and his childhood friend were present, and his younger sister was still clutching that straw doll in her hand.

After a long time, after wandering for a long time, the three vaguely guessed that during that cataclysm, their parents had arrived as quickly as possible, but their strength was insufficient, and in the end, they could only entrust them to the teacher in the village.

And the teacher used the last bit of spiritual energy in his body to send several young children in the village ten miles away to the fields using the 'Qi Condensation Object Control' technique.

Ten miles wasn't far, but it was the last thing he could do.

The great disaster in Jinye and Dongyuan provinces devastated nearly ten thousand miles, and in the surrounding towns alone, a single garrison area, there were millions of displaced people.

The autumn harvest hadn't been collected yet, and the livestock hadn't been slaughtered. For a time, countless people were digging up tree roots, eating insects, and catching flying birds, just to fill their stomachs.

The three, to be precise, the teenager and his childhood friend, took care of their still young younger sister, struggling to survive along the way. They ate ants, peeled tree bark, and even ate mushrooms growing on the clothes of human corpses, not knowing if they were poisonous.

Even corpses…

"Zhengde, I, I feel like I can't go on..."

Occasionally, they couldn't find anything to eat for days, and the surrounding wilderness was desolate, and they didn't dare to encounter other people - after all, to those hungry and red-eyed adults, children's meat was always tenderer.

After experiencing several such days, his childhood friend, who had always been somewhat weak and shy, and only had some talent in literary studies and handcrafts, would occasionally cry despairingly at night: "Can we…can we survive?"

"We can survive."

And at that time, even if he was confused and desperate in his heart, the teenager would always answer so firmly.

His younger sister was next to him, holding her straw doll and sleeping soundly. Stroking his younger sister's hair, his eyes were like those of a hungry hawk, firm, fierce, and also with an obstinacy that he would never admit: "We will definitely survive!"

As for why… of course, it was because of this world.

Hundreds of millions of common people struggled in the sea of suffering, countless people lost their relatives, lost their friends, lost everything around them.

Although there were many dead, there were also quite a few survivors.

[Since others can do it, why can't I?]

The life of wandering in the mountains lasted for several years.

The two teenagers became youths, and during this time, his younger sister also grew up, learning to weave baskets and straw sandals. With the combined efforts of the three, and a bit of cultivation talent, they were not afraid of ordinary bandits. Therefore, they left the mountains to seek a living, and were eventually taken in by a partial army belonging to the Zhengyang Kingdom, as servants and laborers.

The work in the army was hard, getting up early and working late every day only resulted in a meager and deducted ration. Laboring was also more tiring than hunting and foraging in the mountains, but it was better than being hungry one meal and full the next in the mountains, and it was more stable, without worrying about encountering demon beasts and evil spirits.

But one day, an accident still happened.

Perhaps it was because of malnutrition since childhood, coupled with the hardship and exhaustion in the army, and many years of wilderness life, which had already caused hidden ailments, when the youth and his childhood friend had worked hard for several years and were about to get formal positions, his younger sister fell ill.

The body of a person with a fever was very hot, but in the end, it would slowly cool down. The emaciated girl muttered nonsense in the high-fever dream brought about by the illness, tightly grasping the straw doll in her hand, which had long since rotted beyond recognition.

If it weren't for the youth's careful care all along, perhaps that little doll would have rotted away long ago.

It wasn't so much grief, just pure bewilderment. His childhood friend was outside, hurriedly boiling water to decoct medicine. Inside the tent, the youth tightly held his younger sister's gradually becoming cold and powerless hand, and his heart was also gradually cooling. He suddenly felt that he wasn't really clear whether he could survive. People's lives were like grass in this world, who knew what the future held, and how should he move forward?

And at this moment, perhaps it was a final burst of vitality, or perhaps it was finally waking up from a dream. The girl, who had been tormented by illness for so long, but had remained silent, suddenly opened her eyes.

She clutched the straw doll in her hand, her eyes bright, and she whispered something, causing the youth, who was filled with mixed emotions of grief and joy, thinking there was a turning point, to quickly lean forward and listen to that faint voice.

Then, he heard it.

She said: "Live on."

"Brother, live on."

When his childhood friend hurriedly came with the medicine, he could only see the youth sitting quietly beside the girl, reaching out to close her eyes.

"Zhengde…Little Sister, she…"

"Cangsong, I won't die."

His childhood friend's sorrowful whisper hadn't finished when it was interrupted by the youth's calm statement.

He stood up, covering the girl's body with a simple straw mat: "So many people have lost their family and friends, they can persevere, and so can I."

"I can live on."

His younger sister's death due to illness, to some extent, accelerated the youth's process of becoming a part of the main army. He no longer had any concerns, nor would he have any attachments, so naturally he could take more risks and seize merit.

Life in the army was monotonous, boring, and extremely dangerous.

As a partial army of the Zhengyang Kingdom, they might not need to face the main force of the Kun demons, but they often had to exterminate a large number of rebel armies, insurgent armies, and bandits within the country. Death was not uncommon.

It was common for military pay to be deducted, and it was normal for promised supplies not to arrive. The swords and spiritual talismans in their hands were either rusty or simply a piece of paper.

After more than ten years of fighting, the youth became a man, and with these ten years of military achievements and experience, even the man and his childhood friend, who had no background, became centurions, leading a team to fight on the front line.

There was danger, there were injuries, there were near-death experiences, but in the end, relying on mutual support and care, they still survived.

However, just as they were gradually adapting to this kind of life, the decisive battle between the Heavenly Yuan Realm and the Kun demons began.

This time it was a battle for the survival of the human race, and the continuation of the people of the Central Continent. Not to mention the partial armies, even bandits, rebels, and even insurgent armies, contributed to this decisive battle.

This war was extremely fierce. The Kun demons were in the form of giant insect spiritualization. They devoured everything, were extremely fierce, and ordinary armies could only form formations to resist, passively counterattacking, using their flesh to hold back the Kun demons' advance. If they really wanted to exterminate them, they needed the cultivator troops in the main army to come and kill them.

The man's army was stationed on the front line, obviously as cannon fodder to resist the Kun demon's impact.

However, it wasn't that excessive to be just cannon fodder. The high-ranking officials of Zhengyang ordered that as long as each unit resisted for a certain period of time, and completed the plan, they would be allowed to retreat and rest, and there would be great rewards.

Since this was the case, fewer people complained, after all, they were fighting for the human race and the Central Continent. If they couldn't stop the Kun demons, everyone would die sooner or later, so why not fight desperately?

The man and his childhood friend thought the same way.

But in the end, they didn't wait for the order to retreat.

Red light of spiritual energy flashed in the sky, and terrifying spiritual arts pressed towards the Kun demon's battle formation with earth-shattering momentum, stirring up gales and sudden thunder.

In the distance, in the depths of the Xuan Sea, many Land Immortals and Kun demon妖神 (yaoshen) were fiercely fighting, unable to determine the victor for a long time, and in front of them, the ant-soldier army of the Kun race had already intertwined with the front-line army, making it difficult to distinguish between each other.

As a human-rank peak, a cultivator close to the earth-rank, the man had been leading his team to resist the Kun demons in front of the formation, but the ant soldiers were endless, and human stamina was limited. As his comrades died one after another, the remaining people became even more tired, and he was no exception. He had already fought until he was covered in blood, his eyes were bloodshot, and the spiritual energy and blood in his body had reached their limit.

A gust of fishy wind rose, and the Kun demon's scorching aura came from the side, and the mantis-like blade arms danced. Noticing this, the man looked to the side in astonishment, and found that the soldiers beside him were either all decapitated, or swallowed. He was alone except for his childhood friend behind him.

In the instant before he could even cry out, his childhood friend erupted with his last spiritual energy, and a simple Qi Condensation Object Control technique dragged the man away from the front line, and threw him towards the already collapsing battle lines in the distance.

In that instant, he seemed to return to his childhood - it was also a moment of life and death, it was also the instant before he could cry out, it was also a gust of hazy wind stirring, and he was pulled away from danger with the help of others.

But this time, he didn't pass out. The man saw his childhood friend looking at him with a bitter smile, his mouth seeming to be saying something.

He could understand it.

He said: "Sorry."

"Zhengde, live on."

Then, his figure was submerged by the Kun demons. The sound of chewing flesh and blood rang out.

-- In the year 830,007 of the Divine Demon Era, the Zhengyang Kingdom defeated the Kun demons in the Xuan Sea, killing countless enemies.

Two years later, the Zhengyang Kingdom was founded, unifying the Central Continent, and establishing the Zhengyang Era, Year 1.

Because the unit was defeated, the soldiers in this partial army received no rewards, no glory, and not even their sacrifices were counted.

Everything in the official records of the Zhengyang Kingdom was just a light sentence: 'Killed countless enemies'.

How many people died on their side… who knew?

But all of this was at least a relief for the man.

The Kun demons were defeated, and the Central Continent was unified. Although the process was full of endless blood, tears, and suffering, at least… at the very least, it was all over.

The three-thousand-year Warring States period was ended, the human race established a nation, and the Kun demons were driven back.

Peace was about to arrive.

But the man, who was preparing to retire to his hometown, received this news at the very end.

-- Since the Warring States period, the Divine Demons, who had only appeared less than ten times in three thousand years, suddenly appeared, and signed treaties with the Zhengyang Kingdom, occupying the five most important earth vein nodes in the Central Continent.

The immortals and gods from the【Immortal Heaven Divine Realm】, above the Heavenly Yuan Realm, occupied the three nodes in the northwest, while the demon gods from the【Nine Nether Demon Earth】, below the Heavenly Yuan Realm, also occupied the two nodes in the southeast.

Different from the ancient legends, where they pressured all living beings to obtain offerings of blood and flesh, the Divine Demons that appeared this time indeed no longer demanded offerings, asking all races to become their vassals, to amuse them.

But now, they were using the power of the high-ranking officials of the Zhengyang Kingdom to officially eliminate all native cultivation methods in the human world, and promote the cultivation methods they introduced, controlling people's hearts and minds.

The promotion of the 【Supreme Sage Dao】and the 【Great Free Heart Method】swept the country in an instant with the cooperation of the Divine Demons and the Zhengyang Kingdom.

The man, who originally wanted to return home to farm, looked blankly at the Divine Demons descending their thoughts upon the world.

The divine light of the heavens flashed, pressing down on the firmament, and the myriad people were nothing more than their grazing toys, pawns, and chips.

They no longer personally fought each other, but secretly competed, using the living beings of the Heavenly Yuan Realm as a chessboard, and began a 【Great Dao Competition】that was completely different from the previous life-and-death struggles, but was equally intense.

Illusion, despair.

For the man, that was it.

A lifetime of struggle, a lifetime of hard work, a lifetime of survival, was just making a wedding dress for the Divine Demons.

Sacrificing many strong men to fight against the Kun demon race, with countless casualties in the mortal realm, only made the Divine Demons' rule more convenient.

The high-ranking officials of the Zhengyang Kingdom had probably been corrupted long ago, right?

But even so…

"I still have to live on."

"After all… there are so many people still alive, so can I."

In the first life, the man died in the thirty-third year after the Divine Demons descended, at the age of seventy-one, the cause of death being natural causes.

The emaciated old man, covered in hidden injuries, was discovered in his own farmhouse. He hadn't even rotted yet. He should have died long ago from the depletion of qi and blood caused by his hidden injuries, but he had stubbornly lived to the end of his body and soul with incredible willpower.

The flesh and blood on the withered corpse had been squeezed dry. When touched, it was as hard as meat that had been dried for decades, without any blood or moisture.

Only a single tear, for some reason, flowed and soaked into the wrinkles at the corner of his eye.

Sad?

Just unwilling.

So, golden light flickered.

Like a dream.

When the man began his second life, returning to when he was just born, his soul didn't even react, and he thought it was just a hallucination before death.

But soon, he, who had already been dead in his heart, reacted. He was indeed a baby, just born, still the child of his parents!

Therefore, he was overjoyed and filled with hope.

"I thought I was going to live my life in such a muddled and lonely way, without achieving anything, and eventually only returning to dust."

"I didn't expect that the heavens would have mercy and grant me a chance to start over!"

"I swear, in this life, I will definitely make up for all the regrets and pain!"

In this life, the man began to cultivate from a young age to prepare for the disasters to come.

Although there were some stumbles, by means of some intimidation and deception, and acting as a sorcerer in the name of supernatural powers, he did lead all the people in the entire town out of the danger zone before the disaster began, escaping the calamity.

Everyone in the entire town survived. Although more resources were needed, more resources could also be found. In addition, the man had transferred a lot of supplies to a safe area from the beginning, leaving behind reserves, so in reality, not much was lost.

Everyone worked together, digging up the grain stored in the buried villages, hunting the mountain beasts in the surrounding area, and immediately began to plant some fast-growing crops, which could be considered to have sustained them for several years, barely rebuilding the village.

His parents were alive, his relatives and friends were all safe, his younger sister was healthy, and his childhood friend had also read something out of his studies under the guidance of the teacher, becoming the teacher's disciple.

Everything was perfect.

But the man understood very well that without joining the army in this world, he would ultimately be a rebel. The army was the most dangerous place in a chaotic world, but at least there was a possibility of struggling. Rebels without a background would only be exploited, plundered, and become withered bones.

And with a proper identity, and not as a refugee joining the army, naturally he wouldn't have to do servant work for too long. He soon became a member of the reserve army.

Relying on his familiarity with the battles, and his understanding of the Kun demons, the man smoothly rose to the rank of founding the Zhengyang Kingdom. His cultivation also broke through to the earth rank, becoming a somewhat famous partial general who had special plans to deal with the Kun demons.

He was really disheartened about the Divine Demons and couldn't muster any energy. Anyway, as long as he could let his relatives and friends live well, it wouldn't be bad to be ruled by the Divine Demons.

-- Since others can be ruled, why can't I?

I just want to live well.

This was his life creed.

In this way, several years passed. The man, who thought he had calmed down and could enjoy life in peace, was ordered to go to one of the five earth veins occupied by the Divine Demons in a secret mission.

Several heaven-rank experts were stationed there with them, and even a Land Immortal and several strange异人 (yiren) entered the earth vein to explore.

Several days later, accompanied by bursts of violent earth vein spiritual energy vibrations and rumbling, the Land Immortal and the strange异人 (yiren) flew out of the earth vein.

"I didn't expect that the main earth vein of the mortal realm would be so powerful… It's simply comparable to our high-level celestial immortal gods!"

The异人 (yiren) stood high in the sky, praising like this: "And it's so solid, integrated with the entire Heavenly Yuan Realm. No wonder when the Heavenly Emperor was still around, he didn't take away the spirit of the main vein and cut off the ladder to heaven!"

And the Land Immortal on the side flattered and smiled: "Then Your Excellency, what should we do next?"

"Although they don't know the meaning of this news, it's best if there are no accidents."

Hearing this, the man was stunned, and heard the incomparably indifferent voice of the异人 (yiren): "Kill everyone within a thousand miles."

"We respectfully obey the decree of the Upper God!"

Immediately afterwards, the man heard the Land Immortal's incomparably respectful tone.

So, in the next instant, unparalleled spiritual energy waves swept over, carrying rolling thunder.

"Why?!" At once, the man was both shocked and angry, but facing a Land Immortal, he was powerless to resist.

A vast force like a tide swept over, causing him to sink into darkness completely.

Third life.

At the age of sixty, he avoided the inexplicable earth vein incident, but died from the impact of the Divine Demons' thoughts.

Fourth life.

Because of an accident, he failed to persuade the villagers to evacuate successfully. Only his family survived alone. He became a 正将 (zhengjiang), and after the Zhengyang Kingdom was founded, he died in the internal strife between the civil and military officials in the court.

Fifth life, sixth life…

He died in a surprise attack by an accident in his childhood, and was killed by a Kun demon妖神 (yaoshen) in the final battle because he was too strong.

Then there was being betrayed by his subordinates, being sold out by the high-ranking officials of the Zhengyang Kingdom, being trampled to death by the Divine Demons as an ant, being blinded by the treacherous hearts of people…

He didn't know why, but he kept being reborn.

The man himself couldn't figure out why he would return to the time of his birth every time after he died.

But the more he was reborn, the more desperate he became.

He was desperate about the Zhengyang Kingdom, this world, the Divine Demons, and even all things in heaven and earth.

"The Zhengyang Kingdom is so corrupt that it is simply a servant of the Divine Demons. Whether it is people's livelihood or administration, everything is going backwards, squeezing the marrow of all the common people, doing everything possible to exploit them!"

"But without relying on the Zhengyang Kingdom, there is no other force that can resist the Kun demon invasion - it is the Divine Demons who have supported the group of high-ranking officials of the Zhengyang Kingdom, so they have the power to fight against the Kun demons…"

"Under the rule of the Zhengyang Kingdom, I have no way to make my family happy, and I have to be careful myself."

"And I can't save the human race at all, I can't save the living beings of the Heavenly Yuan Realm. They are just the lackeys of the Divine Demons, the tools of the nobles and royal families of the former countries!"

The man was reborn dozens of times, and each time he failed to end well, without any good results.

Even the most insensitive person could know that as long as the Zhengyang Kingdom existed for one day, this world would never allow people to be happy.

One rebirth after another made the man feel that the Zhengyang Kingdom was simply a dead end. If he wanted to get a real perfect ending, an ending where everyone could live happily, then he had to break away from the Zhengyang Kingdom and take another path to save the entire Heavenly Yuan Realm and save the people around him!

"I just want to live… to live well!"

There was no one to share this feeling with. He could only encourage himself.

"Come on, Ming Zhengde, others can do it, and so can you."

"Others can…"

He comforted himself like this, but halfway through the comforting, the man named Ming Zhengde suddenly fell silent and stopped speaking.

Because he discovered.

There was no 'others' anymore.

The Zhengyang Kingdom was the only major power at the end of the Warring States period. The others were just the rebel armies of small countries, bandits, and insurgent armies within the Zhengyang Kingdom.

If he wanted to change something, if he wanted to achieve something… he had to try a new path.

He had no other learning objects. The only one he could learn from was himself – the self that was reborn again and again.

Using his own death as the material, he let himself move forward step by step.

To walk out a path that could defeat the Kun demons, pacify the Zhengyang Kingdom, and prevent the Divine Demons from influencing the world!

-- As a child, the fearless newborn calf felt that he would definitely succeed, after all, others could, and so could he.

After growing up, Ming Zhengde, who knew his own insignificance, understood that everything in the world was far from that simple.

Because sometimes, on a dark and lonely road, there was no one else to use as a goal, to imitate, to learn.

He could only use his own blood and sweat to 'pioneer'.

So, from that time on, the man began to search for such a path.

For this, he was constantly reborn, constantly reborn.

-- When a person is beheaded, they need to suffer once.

-- When they are blinded, they need to suffer twice.

-- When their limbs are cut off, they suffer four times.

-- To pry open and smash all the fingernails and toenails on a person's body with a hammer is a pain of twenty times.

-- Breaking every bone in a person's body requires more than two hundred pains.

-- Lingchi, the punishment of being sliced into thousands of pieces, ranges from hundreds, thousands, to three thousand pains.

And Ming Zhengde died ten thousand times, twenty thousand times… thirty thousand times, using various methods.

And the number of pains, perhaps, was already uncalculatable.

Struggling, struggling.

He felt that he was really just an ordinary person.

Without a good talent, without agile reactions, without the wisdom to see through people's hearts, without the inspiration and keenness to find the right path.

He was just using his experience of death to pave a road leading to the long and dark distance.

Using his own bones as the foundation, using his own blood scabs as the road surface. Only this kind of life.

-- When will it end? This kind of rebirth?

-- Where exactly am I going? And what exactly am I going to do?

Occasionally, he would feel this kind of hesitation.

-- Divine Demon Era, 830,013 --

-- New Era, Year 1 --

In the imperial palace of the New Kingdom's capital, the young man sitting upright at the head of the study opened his eyes, his eyes deep.

Ming Zhengde, who was already at the peak of the Land Immortal realm, could sweep his gaze across the entire capital, and even all the people within it.

Now, both his parents were alive and well, enjoying their lives in the palace.

His younger sister was the current Princess of the Dynasty, happy and fulfilled, and had never suffered.

The straw doll that his younger sister never forgot even when she died before the first rebirth never existed from the beginning.

After all, he had diligently cultivated and studied hard since he was a child, fearing that he was not strong enough and did not go far enough, so how could he waste time playing games? And if he wanted a toy, why use straw?

As for his childhood friend, Cangsong, he was his only trustworthy and capable assistant, so naturally he had cultivated his character and taught him cultivation methods since he was a child.

So, the somewhat shy, agile-eyed and dexterous youth had also become his current Minister, who was deep in the city since childhood, had unpredictable methods, and was also loyal.

Indeed.

The younger sister who used to rely on him so much, and liked to sleep with her head on his lap in the wilderness, was now a well-mannered young lady who called him "Imperial Brother".

The childhood friend who would put his arm around his shoulder and was willing to protect him with his life was now a direct and loyal official who called him "Your Majesty" when they met.

Ming Zhengde wasn't very clear whether this was a good thing or not… but at least, everyone had survived fairly happily.

He had led less than a thousand relatives and friends from a township, cultivated a court full of civil and military generals, won every battle, conquered every place, suppressed the Kun demons, defeated Zhengyang, negotiated with the Divine Demons, and created a new country. It could be called a miracle among miracles, an unbelievable among unbelievables.

Even the Divine Demons were amazed by it, calling him the person most likely to achieve the status of a new Divine Demon - both the Immortal Heaven and the Nine Nether were wooing him, expecting him to join their side.

Sage Emperor.

The Sage of this world.

The future Divine Demon.

These were all words of praise for him.

Even, Ming Zhengde had formulated a plan, a plan that could drive the Divine Demons out of the mortal realm, drive them out of the Heavenly Yuan Realm.

"Your Majesty, this plan has hope!"

In private, Cangsong said so excitedly: "Borrowing the power of the central earth vein of the Heavenly Yuan Realm, we can eliminate the influence of the Immortal Heaven and the Nine Nether, and completely sever the connection between heaven and earth!"

"In this way, the Divine Demons will no longer be able to descend into the world and drop their thoughts at will, interfering in the affairs of the mortal realm. We humans can live in peace and enjoy peace!"

-- Hope?

There has never been hope.

That was all I struggled out of with my life, filled with blood.

Recalling the past conversations, Ming Zhengde closed his eyes.

He had heard this conversation thousands of times.

And every time the plan was implemented, the result of the failure was unacceptable. At the very least, hundreds of billions of people would die because of it, and the capital of the New Kingdom would inevitably be destroyed and turned into a bottomless pit.

Countless deaths, endless repetitions, had long filled his heart with a strong sense of weariness.

-- Why can't I commit suicide when I'm young, and then re-experience happy childhoods?

-- Why do I have to struggle to live so long every time, live to the moment of despair at the end, and then be reborn?

Occasionally, occasionally, these kinds of thoughts would always float in Ming Zhengde's heart.

There were several times, suffering from negotiating with the Divine Demons, maintaining balance, promoting the internal affairs of the New Kingdom, and implementing those secret plans, he had already taken out his divine weapon and sword, intending to give himself a quick death.

But, every time at this moment, he would always recall those two sentences.

In the first life, when his younger sister died, her gradually cold hand, and that sentence 'Live on'.

In the first life, when Cangsong saved him, the voice that could not be heard on the battlefield, but reached directly to the heart, 'Live on'.

-- Live on.

Yes.

Because, he couldn't bear it in his heart.

Because, he couldn't give up.

Because, he really couldn't be willing.

He could only live on - the longer he lived, the better, the best if he could live forever.

So, again and again.

Again and again.

Again and again and again he was reborn.

Until now.

Ming Zhengde.

Born in the 829,971st year of the Divine Demon Era.

Forty-two years old this year.

He has experienced three thousand rebirths.

The founding monarch of the New Kingdom, a natural sage, the Five Virtues Sage Emperor.

A person without a predecessor.

"Your Majesty!"

Suddenly, the door of the study was pushed open with disrespect, and a figure walked in, and the guards on the side tried their best to stop him but couldn't.

A young official with a fair face and no beard walked into the study with an angry expression, waving a piece of document in his hand.

Cangsong, the Minister of the New Kingdom, was obviously overwhelmed by anger and doubt at this moment. He came directly to Ming Zhengde's desk, who had already raised his head, and then took a deep breath, calmed down, and handed over the document, saying in a deep voice: "Why are you going to Linmo Prefecture in Qinglin Province? The Northern Ridge City has just been subjected to the Divine Demons' thoughts, it's extremely dangerous!"

"Although the Divine Demons have an agreement with us, as long as the New Kingdom is free from turmoil, and assists in spreading their inheritance, they will never take action in the mortal realm unless something unexpected happens… but this time, the God Emperor and the Demon Lord have simultaneously descended their thoughts, which proves that there is something they must have there, and they will not hesitate to break the agreement!"

Speaking of this, Cangsong's tone also turned to pleading: "Please take back your order - the Divine Demons are fickle. If something unexpected happens, they will risk breaking through the two realms and being injured to kill you… A sage ruler does not take risks!"

Speaking of this, Cangsong thought that Ming Zhengde would know the danger involved, and as in the past, would propose a compromise, a perfect answer that both sides could accept.

But, he heard a shocking sentence.

"Then let them kill me."

Slowly putting down the memorial in his hand, the monarch wearing a jade crown said calmly.

Ming Zhengde had phoenix eyes and sword eyebrows, a dignified appearance, and acted unhurriedly, leaving room for maneuver - this was the best posture summed up after being a monarch for ten thousand times