Over the years, every detail of her past memories had been repeatedly chewed on by Ji Xuanyuan, refining a deeper and more poisonous sense of regret.
This regret and debt, fermented over hundreds of years, had long since ceased to be simple guilt. Instead, it had become the power that sustained her physical shell as she walked the mortal world after her Dao base had shattered.
Pain was her pulse; memories were her nourishment.
For over 100 years, as her achievements grew greater, this sense of regret only became clearer.
In truth, Ji Xuanyuan could have used this ‘regret’ to re-enter the immortal path and recasts her Dao base.
However, a future without her junior brother was never the future she desired.
Finally, one day, even this body—which had been barely maintained by her imperial destiny—reached its limit.
Above the imperial court, she calmly announced her decision.
She would pass the throne to a royal niece whom she had observed for many years, a woman whose character and abilities were of the highest caliber.
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials knelt on the ground. There was no upheaval, no dispute—only the sound of uncontrollable weeping.
For years, the Empress’s beauty had remained world-tilting. Her ministers had repeatedly petitioned her to select an Imperial Consort and expand the harem to continue the imperial bloodline and stabilize the foundations of the state.
Yet, whenever such memorials were submitted, they vanished like stones dropped into the ocean.
The Empress’s silence on the matter was more suffocating than any reprimand.
As time passed, no one dared mention it again.
Now that Her Majesty was stepping down, they knew that an era was coming to an end.
After dismissing the court, she waved her hand to send away all guards and palace maids, then stepped into the Star-Gazing Platform at the deepest part of the Forbidden Palace.
The old Prime Minister, who had followed her the longest, tremblingly blocked her path, his face covered in old tears.
“Your Majesty! You… could it be that you intend to perform that heaven-defying method? You must not! Your Dao base is damaged, and your soul has long been entangled with this regret. If you force it, your body and soul will surely be extinguished, and you will never be reborn!”
Ji Xuanyuan looked up at the vast, starry night sky.
“In my life, I have felt no shame before the Heavenly Dao above, nor before the common people below. I have lived up to the ancestors of the Xuanyuan clan, yet I alone owe him a debt of regret… Now that my lamp is running out of oil, I should fight for one possibility for myself.”
As she finished speaking, an ancient-looking scroll appeared in her hand.
This was the secret technique, [Backtracing Time], which she had spent 100 years of painstaking effort to find by searching through ancient ruins.
Without hesitation, she stepped onto the Star-Gazing Platform and unfurled the scroll.
The runes upon it moved like living creatures, emitting a desolate aura.
“I, Ji Xuanyuan, in the name of the eighth generation emperor of the Xuanyuan Immortal Dynasty and a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Extinction Sword Venerable!”
Her voice was not loud, but it stirred the residual spiritual energy around her, along with her imperial destiny.
“I burn this remnant body and sacrifice this soul to trace back time and seek the Dao at its beginning! Heavenly Thunder! Descend!”
The originally clear night sky was instantly covered by endless thunderclouds.
Boom!
In an instant, blood-colored lightning, thick as a dragon, tore through the sky and struck down toward that slender red figure.
The old Prime Minister stumbled back repeatedly. In his blurred vision, he saw only the blinding lightning engulfing the Empress’s silhouette.
In the final moment before her consciousness was completely torn apart and merged into the violent turbulence of time and space…
She seemed to see that rainy day again—the moment when the young man, held tightly by the Black Dragon Emperor, turned back with those resolute eyes.
“…Senior Sister! Sword, come!!!”
“Junior Brother!!!”
Ji Xuanyuan reached out, and the moment she grasped the phantom, her soul drifted away.
When the lightning finally dissipated and the Star-Gazing Platform stood empty, the old Prime Minister sat paralyzed on the ground for a long time before finally letting out a deep sigh.
Immortal Dynasty Calendar, Year 817, Autumn.
The Xuanyuan Empress, Ji Xuanyuan, vanished while attempting to seek the Dao at the Forbidden Palace’s Star-Gazing Platform. Her whereabouts were unknown.
If life and death were uncertain, then she was dead.
History recorded: The Empress’s merits surpassed a thousand years. In her later years, she drifted away to seek the Dao, leaving a legacy that blessed ten thousand generations.
—
Ji Xuanyuan snapped her eyes open.
Her gaze met the intricate and sophisticated top of a gold-woven shark-silk canopy.
The air was filled with the scent of ambergris, which calmed the mind and reminded her that this place was not the Star-Gazing Platform.
‘Where is this?’
She scanned her surroundings. The furnishings were elegant, exuding imperial grace at every turn.
The sunlight outside the window was just right, and the shadows of flowers swayed in a peaceful scene.
Ji Xuanyuan remembered that this seemed to be the study of her private villa outside the palace back when she was still the Crown Princess.
Recalling the past for a moment, Ji Xuanyuan confirmed the current time.
It was several years before she officially joined the Heavenly Sword Sect and disguised herself as “Li Shixue.”
At this moment, she was still the Crown Princess of the Immortal Dynasty and had not yet embarked on the path of freezing her own heart to seek the Great Dao.
Right then, a female voice, both familiar and strange, spoke beside her.
“Your Highness, are you awake?”
Ji Xuanyuan slowly turned her head.
What entered her vision was a young face still possessing the spirit of a scholar. It was her future Prime Minister.
“Your Highness, are you well? This official has already ordered the servants to brew a calming soup. It will be brought here immediately.”
‘It succeeded!’
‘I really succeeded in my rebirth!’
A slight smile curved Ji Xuanyuan’s lips. She then feigned exhaustion and rubbed her temples.
“I am fine; I am perhaps just a bit weary. All of you may withdraw. Do not enter unless summoned!”
“Yes. Please rest well, Your Highness.”
The young civil official bowed and quietly led the attendants out, carefully closing the door.
Watching them leave, Ji Xuanyuan sat cross-legged, calmed her heart, and looked inward with her divine sense.
In the Realm of True Emotions, cultivation ranks were divided into: Qi Sensing, Clarity, Truth-Nurturing, Domain-Manifesting, and Dao Integration.
At this time, the spiritual energy flowing through her meridians was not as vast and majestic as it had been at her peak, but it was pure and full of vitality.
This was the early stage of the Clarity Realm.
It was the critical period for finding and establishing the direction of one’s Dao Heart.
In her past life, she had chosen the Ruthless Path, which discarded emotions to draw closer to the Heavenly Dao, leading to her rapid advancement.
The drawback, however, was that she had frozen her own heart all the way until she finally lost her beloved forever.
In this rebirth, there was no way she would repeat those mistakes.
But what if she used ‘regret’ as her foundation to forge a ‘Regretful Path’?
The moment the thought appeared, she secretly shook her head.
Pure regret was prone to obsession and drowning in the past.
Moreover, she had come here to mend her regrets. Once they were mended, the regret would naturally dissipate, and it likely wouldn’t be able to carry the path she intended to walk in the future.
Then what emotion should she choose to enter the Dao?
Ji Xuanyuan felt troubled.
If she did not choose an emotion to enter the Dao, her cultivation would hardly progress, and it would be impossible for her to enter the Heavenly Sword Sect and reunite with her junior brother.
Ding!
At that moment, a cold voice echoed in her mind.
[Congratulations on activating the Strongest Dharma Treasure System. Please claim your first artifact, the Divine Treasure Cushion!]
Hearing this, Ji Xuanyuan was stunned.
‘A system? What is a system?’
Facing Ji Xuanyuan’s question, the System answered:
[The Heavenly Dao has taken note of the good results of your thousand-year reign and your blessings upon all living beings. It has specially permitted a wisp of creation to accompany you and help you walk the path of cultivation again.]
[This is the Strongest Dharma Treasure System. It can be linked to Your Majesty’s soul, sensing all your needs and providing all assistance.]
‘The Heavenly Dao… is helping me?’
Ji Xuanyuan’s eyes flickered slightly.
She had never expected pity from the Heavenly Dao, yet she was still being assisted. It truly was a case of “one who possesses the Dao receives much help.”
Sensing the source of light bound to her soul, Ji Xuanyuan gained a rough understanding of what the “System” was.
[Please claim your first artifact, the Divine Treasure Cushion.]
[Divine Treasure Cushion: Carved by an ancient expert from a single piece of ten-thousand-year-old Cold Jade Marrow, it contains the mysterious mechanics of creation. Once one sits upon it to practice, regardless of whether the user has “chosen an emotion to enter the Dao,” they can steadily increase their cultivation without being blocked by state-of-mind bottlenecks. The longer one meditates, the faster the cultivation increases, and there is a certain chance of entering a state of “sudden enlightenment.”]
Ji Xuanyuan’s pupils shrank, and she murmured, “Regardless of whether one has chosen an emotion to enter the Dao, cultivation can be increased?”
Ji Xuanyuan’s greatest current difficulty was undoubtedly the hurdle of choosing an emotion to enter the Dao in the Clarity Realm.
If she did not choose an emotion, she would remain stuck in this realm for untold years.
With this cushion, she could slow down her pace of seeking the Dao, without needing to rush herself into an answer.
In an instant, a location surfaced in Ji Xuanyuan’s mind.
It was a mysterious and clear sense of guidance.
It felt as though there was an invisible thread in her soul that crossed mountains and cities to tie itself to a place far away in the East.
The cushion was there.
Ji Xuanyuan opened her eyes, her red orbs as clear as if they had been washed.
Without any hesitation, she rose from the bed and pushed open the door to the study.
Outside, the young civil official was waiting in the corridor, holding a bundle of documents to be reviewed.
Seeing her come out, the official immediately bowed.
“Is Your Highness heading somewhere? I will arrange the imperial procession immediately.”
Ji Xuanyuan’s tone was calm, but it carried a determination that Brooked no argument.
“No need! I only wish to go out and clear my head.”
As she spoke, Ji Xuanyuan pointed toward the direction she had sensed.
“Do you know which great family resides over there?”
After a moment of thought, the official respectfully replied, “The most famous city in that direction is Xuanji City. It is the fief of the Chu family!”
‘Chu?’
Just that one word made Ji Xuanyuan’s heart tighten.