In a courtyard within the back gardens of the Fuyuan River Water Mansion, Ji Yuan looked calmly at the young man before him, quietly awaiting his next words.
The Great Yu Dynasty was currently in a period of upheaval. From the great cultivators dwelling in the heavens and the powerful nobles to the common citizens, all were gradually being drawn into an unseen vortex.
However, since the other party had spoken of this matter, it was unlikely to be dismissed lightly.
"More than five hundred years ago, I was merely a scholar. Though I had some reputation, I was only a petty official in a remote county yamen."
The True God of Fuyuan River spoke slowly, recounting a story from centuries past under Ji Yuan's gaze.
In this story, a disgruntled minor official met a sword cultivator traveling the world. The two drank and conversed, eventually becoming confidantes.
They often talked about everything under the sun, pointing out the mountains and rivers, criticizing the court's atmosphere, and so on.
One day, the sword cultivator received news that his junior fellow disciple was trapped in a siege. He immediately took to his sword and rushed to his aid.
However, by the time he returned, the minor official in the county yamen had already fallen victim to assassins.
The reason was simple. The powerful figures who suppressed the minor official, upon learning that he had befriended a powerful sword cultivator, became restless day and night. They ultimately decided to eliminate the threat beforehand, lest he one day rise again.
"That sword cultivator was the ancestor of the Xuantian lineage. If we count seniority, he was the second-generation disciple of the Jiuxuan Sect."
The True God of Fuyuan River sighed, reminiscing about the past and ancient figures, his expression filled with emotion.
In the end of the story, after slaying those who had instigated the murder, the ancestor of the Xuantian lineage exhausted his wealth and his merits in the court, allowing the minor official, whose soul had been preserved, to become the water god of a long river.
For the next hundred years, this ancestor of the Xuantian lineage further helped the water god gradually gain greater authority.
The latter, in turn, did everything within his power to provide all conveniences and assistance to him and his sect.
The two supported each other, becoming a legend in Feiyun Commandery, as both the individual and the god ascended to the realm of great cultivators within a hundred years.
They leaped to stand above the clouds, and even the Great Yu Dynasty had to treat them with respect, often making concessions on certain matters to appease them.
"But everything changed three hundred years ago?" Ji Yuan asked thoughtfully.
Within the Xuantian Temple of Qianyu City in Luoxia Commandery, a rumor had always persisted: it was said that more than three hundred years ago, this lineage was at its zenith, even nearly becoming the national religion of the Great Yu Dynasty.
After embarking on the path of cultivation, especially after leaving Luoxia Commandery, Ji Yuan learned much about the past deeds of the Xuantian lineage.
Over hundreds of years of inheritance, this lineage had produced a total of five great cultivators and seven powerful Golden Core Grand Cultivators. Although their disciples were not numerous, each possessed innate genius.
There were over a dozen disciples in the Third Realm alone, and they were incredibly powerful within their respective realms. If the disciples of the First and Second Realms grew successfully, reaching the Third Realm was a certainty.
Most importantly, every cultivator of the Xuantian lineage possessed extremely formidable combat power, with few rivals within the same realm. They had never known defeat since their debut.
Such a powerful lineage was more than qualified to become a national religion. The only perceived lack, the number of disciples, would not be an issue, as the Great Yu Dynasty would readily find prodigies and have them join the Xuantian lineage.
However, all its glory vanished abruptly more than three hundred years ago.
After a long period, the once incredibly prosperous Xuantian Temple eventually became an unremarkable Daoist temple in Qianyu City.
Furthermore, the treasures left behind by successive ancestors were plundered by various forces through different means during these years.
In fact, without the protection of the Jiuxuan Sect, the Xuantian Temple would have had its lineage severed in a very short time after the upheaval of three hundred years ago, not even having a chance to linger on.
"More than three hundred years ago, almost all the powerhouses of the Xuantian lineage perished," the True God of Fuyuan River said. "The two or three remaining Golden Core realm cultivators fled with their disciples, evading pursuit from their enemies."
However, the Xuantian Temple cultivators, who were almost invincible within their realms, only held on for less than half a year before finally being slain by their sworn enemies.
Ji Yuan had also heard about this period of history. He had found ancient texts in the Jiuxuan Sect's library that recorded related events.
The upheaval at the time occurred too suddenly, and the enemies were too powerful. Even with the strength of the Jiuxuan Sect, they could only protect one or two disciples of the Xuantian Temple's Enlightenment Realm.
This was why the small Daoist temple in Qianyu City was merely surviving.
"As soon as I received the news, I wanted to rush to their aid." The young man, who appeared no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, suddenly let out a long sigh.
His eyes held a look of reminiscence, as if he could see the scene from that year.
At that time, the True God of Fuyuan River had received news of the Xuantian lineage's plight and immediately wanted to support his friend.
However, he could only leave his water mansion, and could not even leave the riverbed, because three great cultivators had already ambushed him. One of them even held a supreme treasure of the lineage.
As a true god of the river officially appointed by the court, the other party naturally dared not truly shatter his golden body or destroy his soul.
But this also prevented him from leaving Fuyuan River, and ultimately, he was unable to go and rescue the Xuantian lineage.
"So, senior, is it because of the guilt from that year that you have treated this junior so kindly?" Ji Yuan asked tentatively.
After learning of the relationship between the other party and his own ancestor, he naturally changed his form of address.
Given the True God of Fuyuan River's status, there was no need for him to debase himself by fabricating lies to deceive a junior in the Third Realm.
"My surname is Wu, my given name is Qingyuan," Wu Qingyuan said, glancing at the young man before him with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's expression immediately turned serious, and he respectfully performed the ceremony of a junior.
For a deity, all the events of their mortal life had long since passed. They existed in the world by their divine name from then on. Only when treating someone close would they mention their mortal name again.
"Another point, my kindness towards you is not solely for that reason," Wu Qingyuan said, his smile fading as he composed his expression.
He slowly walked to the center of the courtyard and looked up, his gaze seeming to penetrate the water mansion and the river.
"Since the Xuantian lineage was almost annihilated, I have also been affected. I have been suppressed by some people all these years."
The ones who had suppressed him, or rather the forces, had become powerful enough to disregard the laws of the court. If he had not wished to avoid a complete falling out, he would have already met the fate of his golden body collapsing.
After all, disregarding the law was fundamentally different from disregarding the court.
Although Emperor Tianwu was old and his combat power was no longer at its peak, the full might of the imperial court was not something that anyone could easily contend with.