The moment Ying Zelan opened his eyes, he found himself at an enthronement ceremony, facing the mountain breeze while the beautiful State Preceptor beside him read out an imperial edict.
As far as he could see, the mountains and rivers were magnificent, the scenery exquisite.
Then suddenly, with a crash, the mountain split and the river was cleaved in two.
A group of people stood on flying swords, carrying the demon beast they'd just defeated. They casually tossed down a few spirit stones as compensation, then flew away.
Ying Zelan froze as he took in two pieces of news.
The good news: He'd woken up to become the emperor, ruler of all under heaven.
The bad news: This world had a cultivation realm, where mortals were no more than ants.
On top of that, the Heavenly Dao was on the verge of collapse, and the already chaotic world was growing even more disorderly.
Disasters raged, famine spread everywhere, and floods swept across the land without mercy.
His people had no proper clothes or enough to eat, living out their days in this country with numb expressions.
Those without spiritual roots were all treated like ants.
They were tiny mayflies, easily discarded at any moment.
No one cared or offered help, so they didn't dare to fight back either.
They said, “Immortals, demons, and monsters alike are our heaven. We cannot defy them.”
Ying Zelan refused to accept that.
The spark of rebellion had never gone out.
He led the people in joining forces to overthrow this so-called “heaven.”
He only wanted to make sure his people no longer had to crawl through life, lower than the dust.
And so spirit cannons, lightning rods, enchanted guns, and even the Great Wall were forged one by one under Ying Zelan's hand.
Then,
spirit stones, which cultivators said commoners had no right to touch, became part of the people's everyday currency.
Spirit rice, once prohibitively expensive because corrupt officials and merchants hoarded it for resale, became an everyday staple.
Talismans and magical artifacts, once family heirlooms treasured by nobles, became everyday items for the people.
The once arrogant and insolent cultivators even bowed their haughty heads to the emperor who had made these miracles possible.
Ying Zelan paid them no mind and turned to nestle into the beautiful State Preceptor's arms.
Qianyuan put an arm around him, shielding him from every covetous gaze.
Those who had entertained such thoughts finally remembered the man's terrifying powers of divination and his possessive streak. They all shuddered, feeling the wounds they'd gotten from being beaten up by the couple start to ache again.
Quick-witted, cautious, idealistic emperor shou Ying Zelan x cool on the outside, fiercely protective and domineering State Preceptor gong Qianyuan
As usual, one-on-one romance, plot-focused, slow burn. (Blurb written July 2, 2023; revised for the fifth time on June 21, 2025 _(:з」∠)_ and tweaked the character traits a little!)
P.S. Thanks for your support! This book will be published on January 1! The chapters being removed from free access start at Chapter 27 and run through Chapter 81.
1. Alternate history. Don't overthink the logic; there are lots of original additions, and many characters will die as the plot requires.
2. You're free to stay or leave. My writing is limited, so don't force yourself to read if you don't like it. There are thousands of great stories on Jinjiang. Don't make yourself unhappy.
3. The main characters aren't perfect.
4. Reposting is prohibited. This story is the author's hard work and is officially published on Jinjiang. Please don't pirate it.
Cultivation stages: Body Tempering, which makes you somewhat stronger than an ordinary person, like a martial arts expert; Foundation Establishment; Golden Core; Nascent Soul; Meridians Condensation; Out-of-Body; Divine Condensation; Void Insight; Great Ascension; Tribulation Transcendence.
Theme: Establish a heart for heaven and earth, a destiny for the people, carry on the lost teachings of past sages, and bring peace to all generations