Chapter 683: Two Thousand Years of Rise and Fall
Chapter 683: Two Thousand Years of Rise and Fall
In the 300th year of the Great Xia Dynasty, Emperor Mang passed away!
The entire nation mourned, and Mang was revered as the Sage Emperor...
Not only did he bring unparalleled technology and martial arts, but he also lived for over three hundred years!
The other officials, even the most powerful among the Xia nobility, did not live beyond a hundred and ninety-eight years, never breaking the two-hundred-year limit!
In the common folk, he was more affectionately known as the Warrior Emperor!
...
"Black, I pay my respects to the senior!"
Inside the True Martial Talisman realm, the new emperor of the Great Xia bowed respectfully.
He had a dark complexion and ordinary features, being a great-great-grandson of Mang.
There was no choice; Mang had lived for so long, dedicating his later years to cultivation without marrying or having children. His sons and grandsons had all died... leaving no choice but to select from his more distant descendants.
"Who would have thought... that before his death, Mang would ultimately hand over the True Martial Talisman as the foundation of the royal family?"
On the high dais, Fang Xing's figure appeared.
"Senior."
Black was shocked, never expecting such a demonic deity to actually exist.
Fang Xing shook his head and raised his hand. A stone tablet rose, inscribed with the two major effects of the True Martial Talisman.
Then, he spoke calmly, "I am about to enter seclusion, perhaps for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years... You must decide what to do next."
He had enjoyed his time out, and it was time to return to seclusion, continuing his arduous cultivation and enlightenment of the True Martial Path.
He would await the arrival of a new era!
After all, this martial arts era, where the strongest could only live for two to three hundred years, clearly held little value.
From now on, he would not personally meet each new host.
The rules were already established; the rest was up to them to figure out.
Perhaps... one of them might surprise him?
"Senior? Senior!"
As Fang Xing's figure disappeared, Black became frantic.
No matter how he tried, he couldn't ascend even a single step of the dais, as if an insurmountable chasm separated them.
In the end, Black had no choice but to bow to the empty stone throne and enter the cultivation space.
His heart was filled with fervor, eager to practice and break through, becoming a powerful warrior like the Warrior Emperor.
At the very least, he could live for three hundred years!
...
Fang Xing's seclusion meant sealing off the spatial permissions for outsiders, leaving only a room-sized area for the new host to freely use.
Then, he rejected the temptations of fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women, sitting cross-legged and beginning his enlightenment of the True Martial Path.
"True Martial... starting from within, the tortoise and snake intertwined, the seven stars converged... the yin and yang duality..."
Time passed, and when Fang Xing finally felt he was making progress, he was delighted and decided to take a three-year break to enjoy himself.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, he discovered that the True Martial Talisman had fallen into an ancient tomb, becoming a burial item!
"Did I become a burial item? What's going on?"
Fang Xing was alarmed and immediately checked the 'surveillance footage.'
Since he could observe the external situation of the True Martial Talisman, he had always kept this function active and stored.
Now, scenes from history appeared before him:
"The second Xia Emperor, Black, was fairly normal, using the True Martial Talisman to cultivate to a level comparable to Mang, ruling for three hundred years before passing the throne and the talisman to Jiao..."
"Jiao was a martial arts fanatic, engaging in countless duels and killing countless people, a tyrant... but he still ruled for three hundred years."
"The fourth Xia Emperor, Fei, was obsessed with pleasure, neglecting his martial arts training and only living for two hundred years... but the Great Xia Dynasty managed to continue despite his shortcomings..."
"Another thousand years passed, and the Xia Emperor, Qing, was a love-struck fool who revealed the secret of the True Martial Talisman to his beloved, Si... The talisman was then stolen... At this point, the Great Xia Dynasty had ruled for over two thousand years, with all kinds of contradictions piling up, relying solely on the royal family to maintain control..."
"Without the True Martial Talisman, the Xia Emperor was no longer the supreme expert who could suppress everything. After struggling for several decades, the Great Xia Dynasty crumbled..."
"The True Martial Talisman was then contested by various factions, but through a series of coincidences, it was taken by a relative of Si. This person had no ambitions, reaching the peak of Original Martial Arts and then retiring, even building a tomb for himself... and burying the True Martial Talisman with him?"
"Until now... who knows how many years have passed."
"The Great Xia Dynasty... has fallen?"
Fang Xing shook his head, unconcerned.
Having seen sects in the Qingyuan Great World with lineages spanning millions of years and civilizations in the Xia Universe that remained unchanged for tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years, the sudden sight of a human race that died out after a few hundred years and a dynasty that collapsed after a few thousand years was quite a poignant reminder.
"I wonder how martial arts have developed in the outside world now?"
Fang Xing fell into deep thought.
While he could now observe the external world through the True Martial Talisman, his range was limited to a very short distance around the talisman.
With the talisman still within the ancient tomb, he had no way of knowing how the outside world had developed.
But he wasn’t in a hurry, knowing that he would eventually see the light of day again.
...
Rumble!
Years later, a sudden tremor shook the ancient tomb!
"Hmm? An earthquake?"
Inside the True Martial Talisman, Fang Xing nodded.
Earthquakes, windstorms, and floods—these natural disasters were most susceptible to the influence of the 'Heavenly Dao.'
It was fated that this True Martial Talisman would emerge.
Crash!
A rock wall collapsed, and most of the tomb’s traps and mechanisms were destroyed. A massive cauldron rolled down, crashing through the debris.
Days later.
Several agile figures, resembling large monkeys, sneaked into the tomb.
"Brother, how much treasure do you think we’ll find this time?"
A man with slanted eyes and pale skin looked at the leader.
The 'Three Dogs of the River' were tomb raiders, each of the three sworn brothers possessing a unique skill.
For example, the leader, 'One-Eyed Dog' Ma Long, had a single, sharp eye that could identify all funerary objects and burial goods. Nothing could escape his scrutiny.
The second brother, 'Grave-Digger' Du Sha, had practiced the 'Earth-Penetrating Hands,' making him exceptionally adept at digging graves and raiding tombs.
The youngest, 'Sky-Barking Dog' Gou San, though the youngest, was the most skilled in martial arts. He had a talent for 'Wind-Scenting,' which allowed him to detect and dismantle any traps in the tomb with ease.
Hearing Du Sha’s question, Ma Long, who wore a black eye patch with one gleaming eye exposed, shook his head. "It’s hard to say... In our Nine Provinces, warriors often bury themselves with divine weapons or secret martial arts manuals. Finding them means wealth. We all started this way, so there’s no need to elaborate. However, before the Nine Provinces, there were several dynasties where the nobles preferred to be buried in dragon veins with large amounts of gold and silver. Unearthing one of these could make us incredibly rich."
"But that cauldron outside doesn’t look like it’s from the Great Yuan or Great Kang dynasties... It seems more like something from the ancient times."
"Before the Great Yuan, the ancient times? That’s thousands of years ago, right?"
Gou San scoffed. "In ancient times, people lived in a primitive age. If we dig up such a tomb, we’ll be in the red. The only thing of value might be that bronze cauldron, which might fetch the price of iron at best."
Indeed, ancient tombs were known to have little value, a fact acknowledged in the tomb-raiding community.
After all, those early people were very poor! Extremely poor!
Even a piece of iron was considered a treasure.
Without considering archaeological or literary value, such tombs were a loss to dig.
"Old Three, be more respectful when you’re in someone’s home."
Ma Long, though thinking the same, still reprimanded him. "After all, the ancient times were when the Warrior Emperor was alive... The major sects of our Nine Provinces theoretically recognize him as the 'Ancestor of Martial Arts.'"
"I grew up listening to stories of the Warrior Emperor, but they sound like fairy tales... How could he know everything from birth, be taught by celestial beings, and be a master of iron forging, livestock, farming, weaving, and martial arts without a teacher? Why not say he could even give birth?"
Gou San snorted. "And in the Great Xia Dynasty, every emperor just happened to awaken the 'Heavenly Imperial Martial Vein' to suppress the powerful of their time... It’s all just boasting. I’ve seen a few of those ancient martial arts manuals, and they’re all rudimentary. They even require special 'flesh and blood medicines,' which should have been abandoned long ago..."
Low ceiling, high consumption... That’s what ancient martial arts felt like to modern warriors.
Ma Long nodded, his eyes still able to see clearly in the darkness as he disarmed the remaining traps. "We’re almost at the main chamber. Stay alert; we can’t trip over a puddle after navigating a storm... Even if it’s an ancient tomb, though most are average, some... well, are very average. This time, we’ll just earn our keep."
Ma Long spat, then tossed a flint.
Seeing that the flames inside the main chamber were still burning, he nodded. "Good... The 'Earth Dragon’s Roll' has dispersed the foul air from this tomb. We can move freely without maintaining the 'Breath Holding Technique.'"
The three entered the main chamber, and by the light of the flames, they saw various carvings and murals on the walls. They all shook their heads. "Indeed, it’s from ancient times, specifically the Great Xia Dynasty... We’re in for a loss."
However, these burial murals often narrated the life of the tomb’s occupant.
As educated, skilled, and knowledgeable tomb raiders, they generally took a look.
"It probably starts here..."
Ma Long found the first mural. "This tomb owner was of noble birth, likely from a royal family of the Great Xia Dynasty... Then, he was chosen for the palace? No, it seems his family had someone chosen for the palace?"
The murals and carvings, having endured thousands of years, were already in poor condition.
Even with Ma Long’s keen eyes, he could only make out the general scenes. "Then, battles, slaying beasts..."
"Someone took something from the palace... Damn, this part of the mural is missing!"
Gou San looked around. "It was probably destroyed when the 'Earth Dragon’s Roll' happened earlier..."
"Ah, let’s just open the coffin and see what we can get."
Du Sha approached the center of the chamber, staring at the stone coffin. His hands shot out, gripping the lid. "Open up!"
(End of Chapter)
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