Chapter 137

That was the decline of a dynasty; it didn't happen overnight.

It must have been a long process.

It was like an old giant, walking unsteadily across the plains.

At first, everyone was afraid of his enormous size, and although they were greedy, they dared not approach him.

But as the giant revealed his decay and weakness, more and more jackals and tigers gathered around him, their pupils flashing with bloodthirsty red light.

The giant brandished his club to drive away the jackals, but to no avail.

But the moment he revealed a weakness, countless tigers and leopards pounced, baring their bloody fangs, piercing the giant's flesh and absorbing its nutrients.

Gradually, the giant's body rotted and became emaciated, but its bright eyes never went out.

The giant, carrying his withered body, walked across the land, feeding all the carrion eaters along the way.

Finally, the giant fell, and everything came to an end.

However, after the giant fell, the ferocious tigers and leopards did not leave, but instead established a new kingdom on this land.

And now, the illusory figure has made her choose no other option than this.

Leave the kingdom of tigers and leopards and rebuild your territory.

Or will it bear the weight of a giant's past, rise from decay, and declare war on tigers and leopards?

Xiao Minghuang fell into deep thought.

She knew that the illusory figure wouldn't tell her the truth until she made her choice.

Because once she knows the reason behind it, it will inevitably influence her choice.

What she needs to do is follow her heart.

After much deliberation, Xiao Minghuang ultimately chose the latter.

"This junior does not wish to leave."

This is the most genuine answer from the bottom of her heart.

"This junior is willing to take on the responsibility of restoring prosperity to this land, so that its people can enjoy the good life instead of spending their lives in barren wasteland."

"Very good."

The illusory voice rang out again, this time tinged with a hint of joy, "Your choice is correct. With your talent, even in my time, you would be among the very top tier. I hope you can steadfastly continue down the path you've chosen."

Xiao Minghuang breathed a sigh of relief and asked the question that had been on her mind for a long time.

"Senior, could you tell me about the past of the Great Xia?"

Next, the illusory figure made no attempt to hide anything and revealed everything it knew.

But he was, after all, a Lingering Will left over from countless years ago, and what he knew was incomplete, but for Xiao Minghuang, it was enough.

In the narration of the illusory figure.

The Great Xia rose to prominence at the beginning of an era. Its founder was an exceptionally talented and powerful figure who dominated his era and whose might shook the world.

But no one in this world is immortal. Even the mighty ancestor of the Great Xia perished after living for an unknown period of time.

Since then, the Great Xia has never produced another figure as powerful as its progenitor, capable of dominating an entire era.

Although powerful figures continue to emerge, maintaining a dynasty that rules over an entire realm is extremely difficult.

As a result, the power of the Great Xia continued to shrink.

While this contraction allowed the Great Xia to recover somewhat, it also cost it its status as the ruler of a realm.

As time went by, the Great Xia became just another ordinary Immortal Dynasty.

There's not much more to tell in the rest of the story.

It was nothing more than scheming and fighting with other holy sites, constantly depleting its own resources in one battle after another, until it finally declined completely.

This illusory figure was the last supreme expert of the Great Xia to reach the Saintly Realm.

Before his death, he left behind the Dragon Transformation Pool and preserved a trace of his Lingering Will within it.

If a descendant with sufficient talent enters in the future, he will be able to sense it and bestow the inheritance, so that the Great Xia will not completely lose its lineage.

But this arrangement was just a backup plan.

After all, although the Great Xia was in decline at that time, there were still many young geniuses who had the hope of becoming saints.

But unexpectedly, this backup plan actually came in handy today.

The illusory figure's voice was faint and indifferent, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

But Xiao Minghuang knew in his heart that this senior must have done his best to protect the country he loved.

"Before I passed away, there were many forces opposing Great Xia, but only one could be considered a sworn enemy. It was a newly emerging force, and although it only had one supreme expert who had entered the Saint realm, it had an extraordinary genius. Therefore, many forces allied with it to jointly attack Great Xia."

"That sacred land is called the Ziwei Holy Land. If you encounter their successors in the future, you need to accumulate strength and not fight them head-on. Wait for the right opportunity."

"The Ziwei Holy Land? This junior will remember it."

Xiao Minghuang nodded.

She vaguely remembered that the Ziwei Sacred Land seemed to be a powerful and Immortal Dao Lineage within the Eastern Pole.

"I have told you everything I know. The secret realm has existed for too long and is about to decay. You may take all the Meteor Star Liquid in this pool with you!"

"In addition, I have some cultivation techniques and martial arts manuals here, which I will give to you as well. Take good care of them!"

"This junior will keep in mind the teachings of my seniors."

Xiao Minghuang bowed respectfully.

The illusory figure smiled and waved, then vanished without a trace.

"This junior respectfully bids farewell to the senior..."

The words had barely left his mouth.

The surrounding scenery shattered and vanished like a mirage.

The world before my eyes turned into complete darkness, so dark that I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the ancestral temple of the Imperial Palace.

The main hall was empty.

Before Xiao Minghuang could even look around, she felt a surge of memories flooding her mind.

"This is... a martial arts technique from the Great Xia Dynasty?"

Xiao Minghuang closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and absorbed the memories in her mind.

Most of the martial arts techniques that the Great Xia once possessed have been lost. The only ancient technique that can be considered to have been passed down today is the <Sacred Dragon Heart Method>.

Most of the other techniques were acquired after the migration.

However, all the cultivation techniques that Xiao Minghuang has obtained are the inherited martial arts of the ancient Great Xia, and there are even some Heaven-tier Cultivation Method!

"The Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Swords, the Nine-Bend Sword, the Thousand Layers Sword Intent, the Nine Revolutions True Dragon Art..."

Among these complex memories, Xiao Minghuang even discovered the <Star Transformation Scripture> and the <Big Dipper Seven Stars Sword Technique>!

Keep in mind, this is compensation returned by the system!

"It seems the system's compensation wasn't entirely fabricated."

Xiao Minghuang pondered that the system's compensation logic should be to compensate her with what she already has, rather than to produce rewards for her based on the multiple of the compensation.

After counting, Xiao Minghuang had acquired more than a hundred different cultivation techniques, most of which were of the Earth rank, with a few of them being top-grade Profound rank, and a total of nine of them being of the Heaven rank.

As for the Saint Realm cultivation techniques above the Heavenly Rank, there wasn't a single one.

Xiao Minghuang couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"The Great Xia is clearly Immortal Dao Lineage with supreme experts, so how come it can't even produce a Saint-level cultivation technique?"

But at this point, the answer to the question can no longer be found.

The secret realm collapsed, and everything in the Dragon Transformation Pool ceased to exist.

Thinking of this, Xiao Minghuang suddenly realized that she hadn't had time to take the whole pond of Meteor Star Liquid with her.

But when her gaze shifted to the ground not far away, a smile suddenly appeared on her face.

"So, you were here..."

Not far away, thirteen fist-sized white jade bottles stood quietly on the ground.

Those thirteen white jade bottles were the Meteor Star Liquid that Xiao Minghuang had obtained!

Xiao Minghuang channeled her spiritual power, and with a flick of her sleeve, she stored all thirteen bottles into her storage bag.

"I wonder what kind of compensation we'll get for sending out this Meteor Star Liquid?"

A hopeful smile appeared on Xiao Minghuang's lips.

It was around this time.

Emperor Xia sensed the fluctuations in the atmosphere inside the palace and immediately pushed open the door.

"Little Nine, you're out. How did it go?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang showed a hint of apology.

"Although there were some gains, the secret realm has collapsed due to the erosion of time."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia's pupils constricted sharply, his face filled with shock.

"Collapse?!"

Xiao Minghuang nodded.

The Emperor Xia's face was extremely grim, but he knew that this was an irreversible fact.

After all, the Dragon Transformation Pool had long been overburdened by the passage of time, and its collapse was only a matter of time.

But hearing the news with his own ears still filled him with mixed feelings.

"Little Nine, you are the future hope of Great Xia. You must cultivate diligently. I know that with your talent, the Primal Embryo Realm is by no means the end!"

Xiao Minghuang nodded.

"By the way, I obtained some cultivation techniques in the secret realm, which might be of some help to the royal family's retainers."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor Xia's face lit up with excitement.

He knew that with Xiao Minghuang's comprehension, she would definitely have the opportunity to comprehend the cultivation technique in the secret realm.

Although he had said that he hoped she wouldn't focus her energy on cultivation techniques, he wouldn't refuse if Xiao Minghuang truly comprehended them.

Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly and said:

"There are quite a few. I'll write down all the cultivation techniques from memory these past few days and then give them to Father Emperor."

"Okay, okay, okay..."

Emperor Xia exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row, clearly overjoyed.

After the initial excitement, Emperor Xia thought of another very important matter.

"Little Nine, how many bottles of Meteor Star Liquid did you obtain from the Dragon Transformation Pool?"

Xiao Minghuang had no reason to hide anything from this, so she told the truth.

"There were only thirteen bottles left in the pond, and I brought them all out."

"What?!"

Emperor Xia suddenly spoke, utterly shocked.

Thirteen bottles?!

"Um."

Xiao Minghuang nodded.

Emperor Xia realized his lapse in composure and was once again shocked.