Chapter 539 - Chapter 539: Chapter 487 Life Simulation – Usurping the Throne

Chapter 539: Chapter 487 Life Simulation – Usurping the Throne

It should be known that before Pei Xuanjing, whether it was his original Daming World or the world he was projected into, a cultivator’s ascension in power also meant the evolution of their life, granting them a much longer lifespan.

Cultivators defied the heavens and endured immense hardships in their cultivation. Aside from their quest for immense power, their fundamental goal was to gain an even longer lifespan, allowing them to exist undyingly in the world. This is the true aim of practicing cultivation.

All actions are aimed at realizing this goal. If one cannot achieve longevity, what could be the significance of having great power, if not for engaging in destruction and battles?

Take the Daming World for example, where the continuous increase in one’s strength also led to a continual increase in lifespan.

An ordinary mortal martial artist’s lifespan would increase upon stepping into the Grandmaster Realm. Theoretically, a martial artist at the First-Grade Realm would have a lifespan equaling four cycles of sixty years, i.e., two hundred and forty years.

Upon entering the Spirit Realm, one’s life evolves again. Even cultivators at the Spirit Realm Onefold have a lifespan of five hundred years. According to Pei Xuanjing’s understanding, the maximum lifespan for cultivators from Spirit Realm Onefold to Threefold would not exceed one thousand five hundred years.

Those in between the Fourth Level of the Spiritual Realm and the Sixth Level have a lifespan ranging from three thousand to five thousand years.

After his own breakthrough, armed with his Qi Refining cultivation at the Fifth Order of the Spirit Realm, he had an even more horrifying lifespan of over four thousand years.

And as for the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm and above, although Pei Xuanjing has not yet broken through, his understanding suggests that even a powerful cultivator at the Seventh Level of the Spirit Realm would have a lifespan of at least ten thousand years.

This world’s unfriendliness towards cultivators cast a shadow over Pei Xuanjing’s heart. Only now did he realize why this world was fraught with so much war and slaughter: simply because cultivation in this world couldn’t grant one eternal life. The cultivators with formidable powers could only indulge and vent their desires so they wouldn’t feel like they were wasting their lives.

At sixteen, Pei Xuanjing entered the Fourth Order and then joined the army, starting from the rank of a common soldier.

In the borderlands, Pei Xuanjing started as a lowly soldier, achieving remarkable military exploits. He swiftly passed the ranks of Corporal, Decurion, Centurion, and Thousand Leader, eventually becoming a Colonel commanding five thousand men.

With his status, even if he didn’t understand any military tactics or strategies, his exceptional strength alone would suffice to stand out amongst these soldiers. More so, as a royal family member, he was given instructions by many teachers.

Once Pei Xuanjing had control of the five thousand men, he generously taught these soldiers special skills, using countless funds from his own reward to exchange for resources, improving these soldiers’ strength.

These soldiers originally didn’t have any good background or innate talent. Some of them even joined the army as a last resort.

Pei Xuanjing’s actions undoubtedly won them over, gaining their loyalty.

With his vast experience from traversing through various worlds and seeing countless cultivation methods, Pei Xuanjing’s vision and insight were unparalleled. His modified skills might not have a high limit, be they were best suited for ordinary soldiers without any cultivation talents.

It’s especially noticeable with the cultivation method he created, combining the Ten Thousand Spirit Body Forging Skill and Dragon Elephant Art. This method allowed cultivation through the brutal bloodshed and battles on the battlefield, similar to the legendary Star Absorption Method or Beiming Divine Skill he had heard about in his previous world, allowing for extremely fast cultivation rates.

And the troop alignment methods Pei Xuanjing had learned in the World of Myriad Manifestations now came in handy. Within three years, though he hadn’t increased the number of soldiers under his command, these five thousand soldiers had been transformed into an ironclad cavalry by him, causing a stir in the empire and making many enemies tremble at the news.

At twenty-four, Pei Xuanjing stationed at the frontier and leading five thousand iron-clad knights, crushed an enemy army of sixty thousand. He captured ten cities, expanded the territory by a thousand miles, and shook the world. This prince finally entered the public eye, becoming an adversary in the eyes of neighbouring countries.

An old emperor, who had been vexed by the gradually intensifying power struggle among the crown prince and other princes, saw this rising royal son as a balancing force. He greatly lavished him with fiefs, catapulting his power and influence into the empire’s upper echelons, making him a figure both the crown prince and the numerous princes were wary of.

However, unbeknownst to them, at the same time as Pei Xuanjing was being conferred his titles, several letters penned by him had secretly made their way into the capital, into the hands of the crown prince and a few princes aspiring to seize the throne.

Thirty: The emperor fell gravely ill. Heaven was not granting him more time, so he issued an edict to summon Pei Xuanjing back to the capital. Both the crown prince and the numerous princes surprisingly did nothing to obstruct this prince, whose name had been renown to all, from coming back to the capital.

However, Pei Xuanjing left his vast army under the command of his confidant. He returned to the capital with only a thousand ironclad knights, obeying the old emperor’s order to take charge of the defense of the capital.

Since Pei Xuanjing spent most of his time on the frontier and was not closely associated with the court officials, the emperor’s decree went unobstructed and was implemented smoothly. In turn, this allowed Pei Xuanjing to take control of the garrison troops in the capital.

In the ensuing period, he was cautious and reserved, living in seclusion and abstaining from involvement in any court disputes. He only responded to the emperor’s orders.

Thirty-four: The emperor passed away. The crown prince, with a swift and forceful approach, defeated the other princes and was about to ascend to the throne when Pei Xuanjing suddenly emerged from the royal residence. He led his elite troops, took control of the city from inside and out, and wiped out the crown prince’s faction.

The Fifth Order strength revealed by Pei Xuanjing at this moment sent shivers down everyone’s spines. In confrontation with Pei Xuanjing, who was virtually in control, everyone except a few hard-liners chose to surrender.

Next, Pei Xuanjing ascended to the throne, reorganized the court, and several princes who had fled the capital urged the regions to rise up in rebellion against him, branding him a treasonous usurper. They vowed to restore order and retake the throne.

Little did they know, this was part of Pei Xuanjing’s baiting scheme all along. He intentionally let these people go, aiming to annihilate all those who harbored dissatisfaction. Through this, he exterminated entire families, filling the state treasury in the process.

Thirty-five: Within a year, Pei Xuanjing swiftly crushed the rebellion and took control of the nation’s military. Despite the decline in civilian life after consecutive wars, his era of powerful military strength marked the most prosperous time in the empire.

Thirty-six: Faced with the empire’s continuous civil turmoil, everyone thought that Pei Xuanjing would choose to pause and revitalize the national strength. However, he made an unexpected decision.

During the empire’s turmoil over the succession to the throne, several neighboring dynastic empires took advantage and invaded, taking cities and villages and plundering citizens. After Pei Xuanjing consolidated internal affairs, he deployed his troops in a fury and went on the attack again.

In one year, he annihilated two countries, causing fear among many dynastic empires. They began dispatching envoys to each other, apparently forming alliances.

Pei Xuanjing seized this as a chance to pause the war.