Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 373: Great Yu’s Imperial Preceptors

Upon hearing Lan Ting’s defense on their behalf, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were deeply moved. This favor is no less than second parents who have granted us another life.

In stark contrast, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy wore an expression of someone eagerly anticipating chaos. Fortunately, Lu Yang reacted with lightning reflexes and clamped his hand firmly over her mouth. Otherwise, his survival today would be up in the air.

“Let’s go. We’re returning together.” With these words, Yun Zhi flew to the foot of the mountain.

Noticing that, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou bid goodbye to Lan Ting and the others before hurriedly catching up with Yun Zhi.

“We’ll take our leave first!”

“Until we meet again.”

“Come visit Moon Laurel Immortal Palace when you have time.”

With the grand ceremony concluded, the five had to exchange goodbyes as they each had their own affairs to attend to.

When Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou reached the mountain’s base, Yun Zhi lifted the carriage curtain. “Get on.”

Meng Jingzhou stared at the old horse with a peculiar expression. Normally, the old horse’s coat lacked luster, and its eyelids drooped, resembling a picture of an elderly person counting each day alive as a blessing.

Yet, before them now stood an old horse with a glossy coat and invigorated spirits. It was a rare steed shedding all semblance to its former self.

Yun Zhi tugged the soul chain in her grip, its other end extending beyond the carriage where the Calamity Venerable Lord floated outside comically like a balloon.

Witnessing the old horse withdraw its haughtiness as a great demon king and willingly pull Yun Zhi’s carriage, the Calamity Venerable Lord became convinced of his speculation.

This dragon horse great demon king must be the mount of a half-immortal!

“Don’t grow arrogant! His Excellency the Imperial Preceptor will definitely restore Great Yu!” The Calamity Venerable Lord roared with savage laughter.

Yun Zhi frowned at the grating laughter and casually sealed his five senses with a sigil, rendering him mute and insensate to the external world.

“Imperial Preceptor? The Great Yu’s imperial preceptor is the mastermind behind this?” Inside the carriage, Lu Yang rummaged through intelligence about the Great Yu’s imperial preceptor in his mind.

“What’s an imperial preceptor?” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy inquired. She hadn’t even fully grasped the knowledge of the modern era, much less the now-defunct system with an imperial preceptor.

“The imperial preceptor was part of a system unique to the Great Yu Dynasty. If you treat the Great Yu Dynasty as a sect, the imperial preceptor is a protector who ensures the longevity of the sect.

“This system can be traced back two hundred thousand years, when the Great Yu Dynasty was founded. It was said that the first imperial preceptor was the teacher of the founding Yu Emperor, who established the dynasty with his aid.

“To have overthrown the rule of the previous dynasty and unified the Central Continent, the first Yu emperor must have been a formidable and ambitious hero. Unfortunately, his children were disappointing, lacking cultivation talent and the vision to govern the nation.

“At that time, the founding emperor thought of his teacher and set up the position of imperial preceptor, inviting his teacher to assume the role, thus beginning the lineage of imperial preceptors.

“Based on historical records, this system of imperial preceptors did make meritorious contributions after the founding Yu Emperor’s passing. The prosperity of the early Great Yu Dynasty stemmed largely from the imperial preceptors’ tutelage of emperors and quality governance.

“However, this created another problem. The imperial preceptors became de facto rulers of the Great Yu Dynasty. At their zenith, they could even replace the emperor with a word, though such changes often benefited the dynasty. That said, how many emperors would tolerate an emperor emeritus[1] above them?

“Moreover, while the first imperial preceptor selflessly served the Great Yu Dynasty, could such altruism be the same for subsequent imperial preceptors, or were they driven by personal ambition?

“By the mid to late stages of the dynasty, beneath Great Yu’s prosperous veneer festered deadly intrigues as the struggle between the imperial preceptors and the Yu emperors intensified. Assassinations, schemes, honey traps, succession wars...all unfolded one after another, with no one knowing what hidden cards their opponents held.

“110,000 years ago, at the ‘Summit of Pingding Mountain,’ tensions erupted into open warfare between the factions of the Imperial Preceptor and the Yu Emperor. At least eight Transcendent Tribulation cultivators participated in the battle, and it was unknown how many more acted from the shadows.

“Both sides suffered devastating losses. With their top-tier combat powerhouses gone, the Great Yu Dynasty’s authority plummeted. Long-repressed conflicts resurged, and the dynasty entered its final days.

“Do you remember that archaic Transcendent Tribulation cultivator, the Blood Devil Venerable Lord, whom Big Senior Sister caught? He too served as imperial preceptor.”

“Blood Devil? Oh, I remember now. Weren’t there a few archaic Fusion cultivators in Buyi Town? Lass Yun learned from them that they had left treasures in the Three-Tenets Cave Domain to enable their comeback. Then, Lass Yun encountered a slumbering Transcendent Tribulation cultivator in the cave domain—the Blood Devil Venerable Lord you speak of.”

“That’s right. My research later revealed that during the waning years of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Blood Devil Venerable Lord had supported a Yu emperor, while he himself assumed the position of imperial preceptor. After that, he chose to hibernate for the Battle of the Great Era, only to be captured by Big Senior Sister upon awakening.”

“I remember that he was just at the Basic Transcendent Tribulation Stage. Was the final phase of the Great Yu Dynasty such a lousy mess?” As the leader of the Five Ancient Immortals, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy felt that all Transcendent Tribulation cultivators were trash.

However, the fact that a Basic Transcendent Tribulation cultivator could become the imperial preceptor indirectly reflected Great Yu’s debilitation. Just like the Blood Devil Venerable Lord, the Calamity Venerable Lord was at the Basic Transcendent Tribulation cultivator. His reverence toward ‘His Excellency the Imperial Preceptor’ signified how outrageous this imperial preceptor’s cultivation must be.

“The twilight years of the Great Yu Dynasty were in utter chaos. High-level combatants had severely diminished, with hardly any Transcendent Tribulation cultivators left, and those stronger than the Blood Devil Venerable Lord were uninterested in the position of imperial preceptor. That gave the Blood Devil Venerable Lord an opening to seize.

“However, the first two imperial preceptors possessed immensely high cultivation. Some speculate they were at the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage, while others guessed they were half-immortals, though their true cultivation realms remain unknown.”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy replied insipidly, “Oh. That’s not high. Does Great Xia have imperial preceptors? I can reluctantly take on the role.”

Lu Yang inwardly remarked, With you as the imperial preceptor, I’m afraid Great Xia would crumble even before the Great Era arrives. “Immortal Fairy, have you forgotten? I mentioned that imperial preceptors were unique to Great Yu. Great Xia has no such position.”

“Tsk, what a pity,“ the Everlasting Immortal Fairy lamented the lost opportunity to showcase her abilities.

Lu Yang was about to add something when he heard Yun Zhi’s calm voice. “We’ve arrived. You can disembark.”

Lu Yang was confused. Arrived?

Peeking his head out, he realized they were already at the entrance to their mountain peak back at the sect.

How much time has passed? Has it even been an hour?

Meng Jingzhou shot unfriendly stares at the old horse. Our journey to Qing Province had taken days, yet with Big Senior Sister around, we returned in less than an hour?

Aren’t you going overboard with sandbagging and concealing your shortcomings?!

“Old horse, level with me—what’s your actual cultivation stage?” Meng Jingzhou whispered while wrapping his arms around the old horse’s neck.

The old horse snorted, paying no heed to Meng Jingzhou.

Meng Jingzhou was fuming yet helpless; he couldn’t defeat the old horse.

“I’m going to Incarceration Peak to see if I can extract any information. The two of you may do as you please.” With the Calamity Venerable Lord in tow, Yun Zhi flew toward Incarceration Peak.

1. An emperor who has retired and is still alive. ☜

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