Ever since swallowing the White Bone True Pill and ascending to True Insight, his path had been smooth sailing.
Even the less-than-smooth process of erasing Jiang Wang had been no more than a tiny ripple in his grand design. That was the only thing that had gone poorly.
Zhuang Gaoxian had never imagined that one day he would be reduced to such a sorry state—being chased down and hacked at by a pack of Divine Presence cultivators! They had pursued him from the Long River back to the Western Border, then across half the Western Border besides!
A dignified Jade Records True Person of Yujing Mountain, the legitimate Son of Heaven of the Present World, fleeing all this way—who knew how many people had enjoyed the spectacle of his disgrace.
But disgrace did not dishearten him.
Nor was he afraid of being laughed at.
It was only temporary... only temporary!
Over the years, he had repeated those words to himself countless times.
His imperial father had died suddenly within the depths of the palace.
The people of Yong Kingdom had stirred up trouble at the border again.
Yujing Mountain had not thought highly of the young Son of Heaven.
Mo State had massed troops and demanded grain.
Yong Kingdom's envoys had come once more to flaunt their might.
When he had gone to Jing Kingdom to pay court to the Jing Son of Heaven, he had stood among the crowd like some underling...
It was all temporary!
Those setbacks of the past had already been overcome. The Zhuang Kingdom under his rule had reached its peak since its founding. In civil affairs, he had Du Ruhui; in military matters, Huangfu Duanming. The State Daoist Academy was brimming with talent, Xin'an's Eight Young Elites held boundless promise, he commanded two mighty