Time flew, and six years passed in the blink of an eye...
Six years ago, the Huashan Sect on Mount Hua's Jade Maiden Peak had suddenly ascended as an entire sect. Then the mountain-protecting formation that no one could break through or pass through had shrouded the whole peak once more.
It had not only sealed off the mortal and immortal realms like a mysterious, impenetrable barrier; it had also truly proven to the world that immortal arts existed.
From that moment on, Mount Hua—especially the area around Jade Maiden Peak—had undergone tremendous changes as time quietly passed.
Over those six years, after repeated summons to seek immortals came to nothing, the Jiajing Emperor, who cared only about cultivating the Dao and seeking immortality, had simply unilaterally pardoned the Huashan Sect's alleged treason. Then, over the following year, he had personally traveled to Mount Hua many times in search of immortals. Eventually, he had people build a luxurious Daoist temple atop Falling Wild Goose Peak, the highest peak in the southern range. From then on, he had stayed at the summit to perform rituals and cultivate immortality, ignoring state affairs and refusing to leave.
Fortunately, the Ming dynasty's grand secretaries and generals had proved capable!
With the emperor no longer holding them back, they had swiftly deployed their forces and crushed the Sun Moon Sect's rebellion in Jiangnan, achieving unprecedented administrative efficiency. Otherwise, their emperor might have died and his kingdom fallen before he ever attained immortality.
Of course, none of that mattered.
What mattered was that when certain high-ranking officials and aristocrats saw the emperor behaving this way, they naturally followed suit, rushing to imitate him. They cast aside court politics and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to Mount Hua and the pursuit of immortality, hoping to catch even a trace