Chapter 5: Lifelong Regret.
For many years, every detail from her past memories had been repeatedly chewed over by Ji Xuanyuan, refined into ever deeper and more poisonous regret.
This debt of remorse, fermented over several hundred years, was no longer simple guilt. It had become the driving force that kept this body moving through the mortal world after her Dao foundation shattered.
Pain was her pulse. Memories were her sustenance.
The more prosperous her achievements became over the past century, the clearer this debt of regret grew.
In truth, Ji Xuanyuan could have used “regretful emotion” to re-enter the immortal path and recast her Dao foundation.
But a future without her junior brother was never the future she wanted.
Finally, one day, even this body that had been barely sustained by imperial fortune reached its end.
In the imperial court, she calmly announced:
She would pass the throne to a royal niece whom she had examined for many years, one whose character and ability were both outstanding.
Upon hearing this, the entire court of civil and military officials knelt on the ground. There were no ripples, no disputes—only silent, choking sobs.
For many years, the Female Emperor’s beauty remained peerless. Court officials had repeatedly petitioned her to select a Phoenix Lord, expand the harem, and secure the imperial lineage to stabilize the nation’s foundation.
Yet every memorial submitted sank like a stone into the sea.
The Female Emperor’s silence on the matter was more suffocating than any reprimand.
Over time, no one dared mention it again.
Now that His Majesty was retiring, they knew an era was about to end.
After court was dismissed, she waved away all guards and palace maids, then walked alone into the deepest part of the forbidden palace—the Star-Gazing Platform.
The old prime minister who had followed her the longest tremblingly blocked her path, tears streaming down his face.
“Your Majesty! You… you must not be planning to use that heaven-defying method! You absolutely cannot! Your Dao foundation is damaged, and your soul has long been entangled with this remorse. If you force it, you will surely face total destruction of body and soul, never to be reborn for all eternity!”
Ji Xuanyuan looked up at the vast, star-filled night sky.
“In this life, I have no regrets toward the Heavenly Dao above, no regrets toward the common people below, and I have done right by the ancestors of the Xuanyuan clan. The only debt I owe… is to him. Now, at the moment when the oil is about to run dry, I should fight for one possibility for myself.”
With those words, an ancient-looking scroll appeared in her hand.
This was the secret technique [Tracing Light and Time] that she had spent a hundred years of effort to find by searching through ancient ruins.
Without hesitation, she stepped onto the Star-Gazing Platform and unfurled the scroll.
The runes on it moved like living creatures, emitting an ancient and boundless aura.
“I, in the name of the eighth-generation Emperor of the Xuanyuan Divine Dynasty and disciple of the Extermination Sword Venerable of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Ji Xuanyuan!”
Her voice was not loud, yet it stirred the last remnants of her spiritual power and imperial fortune.
“Burn this remaining body, sacrifice this soul, trace back through time, and seek the Dao at its beginning! Heavenly Thunder—come!!!”
The originally clear night sky was instantly covered by endless thunderclouds.
Boom!
In an instant, blood-colored lightning as thick as dragons tore through the heavens, striking down toward that slender red figure.
The old prime minister staggered backward. In his blurring vision, the blinding lightning completely engulfed the Female Emperor’s form.
In the final moment when her consciousness was torn apart and merged into the violent flow of time and space,
She seemed to see once more that rainy day—the resolute eyes of the youth turning back while held tightly in the Black Dragon Emperor’s embrace.
“…Senior Sister! Sword, come!!!”
“Junior Brother!!!”
Ji Xuanyuan reached out her hand. The moment she grasped the illusion, her soul drifted away.
When the lightning finally dissipated and revealed the empty Star-Gazing Platform, the old prime minister collapsed to the ground. After a long time, he let out a deep sigh.
Xuanyuan Immortal Dynasty, Year 817, Autumn.
Female Emperor Ji Xuanyuan disappeared while seeking the Dao at the Star-Gazing Platform in the forbidden palace. Her whereabouts are unknown.
When life and death are uncertain, it is death.
History records: The Emperor’s merits covered a thousand autumns. In her later years, she drifted away in pursuit of the Dao, leaving blessings for ten thousand generations.
……
Ji Xuanyuan suddenly opened her eyes.
What greeted her was the intricately woven golden shark-silk canopy of a bed.
The air was filled with the calming scent of dragon saliva incense, reminding her that this place was not the Star-Gazing Platform.
“Where is this?”
She scanned her surroundings. The furnishings were elegant and refined, exuding royal dignity everywhere.
Outside the window, the sunlight was pleasant and flower shadows swayed—a scene of peace and tranquility.
Ji Xuanyuan remembered this seemed to be the study in her outer palace residence from when she was still the Crown Princess.
After recalling a little, Ji Xuanyuan confirmed the current time:
It was several years before she formally entered 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 stepped onto the path of freezing her own heart to seek the Great Dao.
At that moment, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar female voice sounded beside her.
“Your Highness, you’re awake?”
Ji Xuanyuan slowly turned her head.
What entered her sight was a young face that still carried a scholarly air—it was none other than her future old prime minister.
“Your Highness, are you alright? This humble minister has already ordered someone to prepare calming soup. It will be brought shortly.”
Success!
I have truly succeeded in rebirth!
A faint smile curved Ji Xuanyuan’s lips. She then rubbed her temples with feigned fatigue.
“This palace is fine. I was merely a little tired. All of you, withdraw. Do not enter unless summoned.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please rest well.”
The young civil official bowed respectfully, led the attendants out quietly, and carefully closed the door.
After watching them leave, Ji Xuanyuan sat cross-legged, calmed her mind, and turned her divine sense inward.
In the True Emotion Realm, cultivation realms were divided into:
Qi Sensing, Clear Brightness, True Accumulation, Domain Transformation, and Dao Integration.
At this time, the spiritual power flowing through her meridians was not as vast and majestic as in her peak period, but it was pure and full of vitality.
This was the early stage of the Clear Brightness Realm.
It was precisely the critical period for finding and establishing the direction of one’s own “Dao heart.”
In her previous life, she had chosen the “Heartless Dao,” which abandoned emotions and drew closer to the Heavenly Dao, allowing her to advance triumphantly all the way.
Yet the drawback was that she had frozen her own heart along the way, until she ultimately lost the one she loved most.
In this life of rebirth, she would absolutely not repeat the same mistakes.
But what if she used “regret” as the foundation to forge the “Regretful Emotion Dao”?
As soon as the thought arose, she secretly shook her head.
Pure regret easily led to obsession and sinking into the past.
Moreover, she had come here to make up for regrets.
Once those regrets were compensated, the remorse would naturally dissipate, making it difficult to support the path she wanted to walk in the future.
Then what emotion should she choose to enter the Dao with?
Ji Xuanyuan felt troubled.
If she did not choose an emotion to enter the Dao, her cultivation would stagnate for who knows how many years, and she would have no chance of entering the Heavenly Sword Sect to reunite with her junior brother.
Ding~!
At that moment, a cold voice echoed in her mind.
【Congratulations on activating the Strongest Treasure System. Please now claim your first divine artifact: Divine Treasure Meditation Cushion!】
Ji Xuanyuan was stunned.
System?
What is a system?
Facing Ji Xuanyuan’s confusion, the system answered:
【The Heavenly Dao, moved by your thousand years of benevolent rule and blessings bestowed upon the common people, specially grants a wisp of good fortune to accompany you and assist you on your renewed cultivation path.】
【This is the Strongest Treasure System. It can connect with Your Majesty’s soul, sense all your needs, and provide all necessary assistance.】
The Heavenly Dao… is helping me?
Ji Xuanyuan’s eyes flickered slightly.
She had never expected the Heavenly Dao’s favor, yet she still received this aid. Truly, “those who possess the Dao receive much help.”
Sensing the origin light cluster bound to her soul, Ji Xuanyuan roughly understood what this “system” was.
【Please now claim your first divine artifact: Divine Treasure Meditation Cushion.】
【Divine Treasure Meditation Cushion: Carved from an entire piece of ten-thousand-year cold jade marrow by an ancient great expert. It contains profound opportunities of creation. Once seated upon it to cultivate, regardless of whether the user has “chosen an emotion to enter the Dao,” cultivation will steadily advance without being blocked by mental state bottlenecks. The longer one meditates, the faster the cultivation improves, and there is a certain chance to enter a state of “sudden enlightenment.”】
Ji Xuanyuan’s pupils contracted slightly. Her red lips murmured.
“Regardless of whether one has ‘chosen an emotion to enter the Dao,’ it can still increase cultivation?”
Ji Xuanyuan’s greatest current difficulty was undoubtedly the Clear Brightness Realm bottleneck of choosing an emotion to enter the Dao.
Without choosing one, she would remain stuck at this realm for an unknown number of years.
With this cushion, she could slow down her search for the Dao and would not need to hastily give herself an answer.
In an instant, a direction appeared in Ji Xuanyuan’s mind.
It was a mysterious yet clear pulling sensation.
It felt as if an invisible thread in her soul stretched across mountains, rivers, and cities, remotely connecting to a certain place in the east.
The cushion was there.
Ji Xuanyuan opened her eyes. Her red pupils were clear and bright.
Without any hesitation, she rose from the bed and pushed open the door of the study.
Outside, the young civil official was waiting in the corridor, holding a scroll of documents awaiting approval.
Seeing her emerge, the official immediately bowed.
“Does Your Highness wish to travel somewhere? This humble minister will immediately arrange the entourage.”
Ji Xuanyuan’s tone was calm yet carried an unquestionable resolve.
“No need! This palace simply wishes to go out for a stroll.”
As she spoke, Ji Xuanyuan pointed toward the direction she sensed.
“Do you know what major family resides in that area?”
The official pondered for a moment before replying respectfully.
“The most famous city in that direction is Xuanji City. It is the fief of the Chu family!”
Chu?
Just that one word caused Ji Xuanyuan’s heart to tighten.