Lord of the Celestial Throne
His fate was predetermined: fight, defend, and perish with the stars, a mere cog in the great machinery of creation. But something within him resisted this cruel fate. A seed of defiance sprouted in his heart, whispering of freedom. He sought a way to transcend the cosmic chains—to escape, to defy destiny, to seize freedom at any cost. As a mortal, he felt the agony of watching his loved ones wither and die, powerless to stop the decay of time. He wept for children, lovers, friends. As an emperor, he conquered kingdoms and wielded unimaginable power, only to be betrayed by those he trusted most, dragged from his throne, and executed in shame. As a beggar, he wandered the streets, starving and shivering under the cold gaze of uncaring gods. As a villain, he became the monster in stories told to frighten children—burning cities, drowning nations in blood, only to be hunted and killed by the heroes of those same tales. As a saint, he gave everything—his wealth, his strength, his life—to others, only to discover that gratitude was fleeting and the world did not remember the sacrifices of the righteous. But, Every failure, every death, every betrayal—they were nothing but steps on a long, infinite path. And the path had only one direction: up, through the layers of existence, through the fabric of reality itself. No prison could contain him. No curse could hold him. His heart whispered one thing to him, a truth carved into his soul:Move forward. Always forward. Because he was Li Shenrong—the Lord of the Celestial Throne.
Taixiu Mountain.
"Young master, alchemist li just left the guest house now." A servant brought the news to Wu tong.
In a dark room, Wu tong's eyes turned sharp as he laughed maliciously. He gestured the servant to leave and took out a talisman from his pocket.
After writing something on it, he burned it.
"Hahaha, little bastard. Let's see who can save you now. After you die i'll feed your dead body to the dogs." His crazy laughter echoed inside the dark room.
…
"Young noble, do you have any place in mind?" Wu xia asked li shenrong timidly.
"Where do you think we should go?" Li shenrong thought for a bit then suddenly asked her back with a smile.
Wu xia was taken aback. She had thought he would be the stubborn type, never listening to anyone's suggestion. With his question her eyes lit up.
"I can guess you came out to take some fresh air. So we should go somewhere peaceful and enjoy nature. I know exactly a place which can liven up your mood." She stated, her expectant eyes looking directly at li shenrong.
"Why not. Let's get moving." replied Li shenrong.
After some time, Wu xia and Li shenrong arrived at a small mountain peak.
"Taixiu mountain.
It is a famous mountain inside the holy city known for its beauty and rich qi energy and this mountain has always been open for public.
When the three clan discovered it in the early days, everyone coveted this mountain. Our Wu clan, Bai clan and Xia clan fought fiercely which caused many deaths and casualties. In the end my clan's former clan leader means my grandfather proposed that it should be left as a public property.
Everyone accepted the suggestion. And of course the three clan has been in-charge of protecting the mountain since then." Wu xia chirped as she explained.
"Indeed, this mountain is worth fighting for." Li shenrong commented as he looked infront of him.
The scenery ahead was covered in batch of clouds and fogs.
Flock of birds flew from time to time and refreshing cold breeze brushing past both of them. Medicinal herbs and plants were abundant and the mountain was full of rich spiritual energy.
The taixiu mountain could even be taken as a small cultivation ground.
"Taixiu mountain was declared open for everyone but the three clan decided to set a limit to how many people can enter a day. If not, the whole mountain would become crowded and everything would be taken away. So only a thousand people could acquire entry tokens." Wu xia seemed very happy to talk about this certain topic.
"Thousand people climbing the mountain each day? Why do you think the mountain is still vibrant with medicinal herbs and rich with spiritual plants?" Li shenrong suddenly asked a question.
Wu xia was stumped.
"Think about it, how many plants and herbs does one person takes? One?two?three? If you were an average cultivator, desperate for cultivation resources. When you enter a place such as this, will you be so generous as to take only one or two? No, you would take as many as you can.
How many resources are being taken away by thousand people each day? Despite this, Taixiu mountain is like a bottomless spring, giving birth to countless resources each day, each hour, each minute, unceasingly." Li shenrong's words made Wu xia fall into deep thought.
"Young noble, isn't the rich qi energy here on Taixiu mountain the main reason for it's current situation?" She suddenly asked with uncertainty.
Previously she had asked her grandfather, he said it was because of the rich qi energy that the mountains resources never dwindled.
"You are partially right. But the mountain itself is a treasure." Li shenrong's words made her shocked.
"You mean this mountain is a certain treasure? Just like how we use external treasures?" She asked with her eyes wide open.
"Yes. A man made treasure." Li shenrong smiled.
Wu xia felt her heart skipping a beat. She couldn't imagine someone who could create a treasure this big.
Keep in mind that Taixiu mountain is not small at all, infact it is a huge mountain range with its peak touching the clouds. It would take three months to make one circle around the Taixiu mountain.
She had always thought Taixiu mountain was a wonder of nature. But Li shenrong's words made her completely shocked and full of disbelief.
After contemplating for a bit, she thought his words makes sense.
"Young noble, what kind of treasure this mountain is? And who made it?" She asked with extreme eagerness.
"An Emperor's treasure." Li shenrong replied and casually sat down on a stone bench.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as refreshing cold breeze brushed past him, making his robe flutter.
Wu xia stood behind him absentmindedly, still thinking about what Li shenrong said.
The information he revealed was too hard to digest for her.