The national religion of the Empire of Chu in the west actually does not have an official formal name; terms like Star Religion and Shamanism are just commonly accepted titles. Its origin lies only in the reverence ancient people had for the stars. They saw each individual star as a node of destiny, believing that by interpreting the arrangement of stars in the sky, they could read the past and the future.

Xingjian, then, exists specifically for interpreting these phenomena. Every year during festivals or important building inaugurations, Xingjian would make divinations – although, they definitely do not rely on the stars but on the "Dao" passed down through generations by Xingjian. While ordinary people and followers believe in this, Xingjian themselves are well aware that looking at the celestial phenomena at most predicts the weather or such trivial matters.

Reliance on daily changing star charts for predictions is just for amusement; the real usefulness lies in each generation of Xingjian using the laws to penetrate cause and effect with their eyes.

Of course, this secret is not allowed to be divulged to outsiders; only when the people harbor unknowns and awe towards the religion can the authority of the religion be maintained – this is the significance of Star Religion in the Empire of Chu after its founding.

The royal family and the central government maintain practical rule through power and military, while the religion upholds rule over faith. The incorporation of both creates a period of significant national stability.

As a representative of the religion and a super powerful individual, Xingjian, besides occasionally making prophecies about the future of the country, is crucial in utilizing absolute strength to intervene when the country, or rather its rule, faces threats.

Apart from the Empire of Chu, the Divine Land also consists of the ferocious beasts of the Northern Boundary, the Daoist sects scattered across the continent. Although under normal circumstances they may not shake the foundations of the empire, the powers of these existences surpass ordinary imagination – no one can guarantee that accidents won't happen.

“The Empire of Chu has existed for a thousand years, and the duty of Xingjian has endured for a thousand years.”

Xingjian gazes at Tiran, “Each generation of Xingjian is chosen by the previous generation based on talent, and trained personally. This is both tradition and a condition for the inheritance of Xingjian's power. When the successor turns sixteen and takes over, the previous Xingjian erases all memories of the successor's life before the age of sixteen – family, friends... all memories, even their name, are not retained.”

“From that day onward, I only remembered being Xingjian, and my life was dedicated solely to the duties of Xingjian.” Xingjian gently touches his chest with his left hand, speaking softly.

“The term of each generation of Xingjian is actually quite free; whenever one grows weary, they can seek out their successor. When the next generation is ready to bear the burden, we can gain back our own lives.”

“But... the child I chose asked me before her 'Baptism,' 'Teacher, what do you want to do in the future?'”

“I pondered for a long time, so long that I forgot about time. For someone like me, what is left once the identity of Xingjian is removed? Even if I gain freedom, will the life I lost ever return? Are the experiences I undergo truly what the original me desired?”

“On that day, I did not complete her baptism, and that child did not stay by my side any longer. She should have her own life, rather than being guided like me to a path that even I am unsure if I can accept.”

“Looking back, I am probably the longest-serving recorded generation of Xingjian. Unfortunately, I am neither a true immortal nor a deity. Eventually, I will have to find a successor, and then the cycle of finding a new inheritor and repeating these events, taking away someone's life unilaterally, will occur time and time again.”

"..." Tiran wanted to say something in response but didn't know what to say.

"Fortunately, now I have a chance to change everything."

Xingjian looked up at the fake starry sky in The Realm. "It's time to end this."

"What is this...?!"

As Xingjian let out a final sigh, Tiran suddenly sensed a terrifying energy wave surging beneath his feet, so powerful that it could penetrate into The Realm through the starry sky.

"So, this is the method he pointed out to me."

...

What should we do, what should we do, what should we do?

In front of the Fengtian Hall, Xiangji, protected by more than ten loyal guards, watched helplessly as the City Guards, with absolute equipment advantage, repeatedly compressed the formation of the Imperial Guards with heavy shields and spear formations. Originally three thousand Imperial Guards, now reduced to less than a thousand, their formation compressed to a range of just over twenty meters in front of the Fengtian Hall, while the archers of the City Guards were ruthlessly harvesting the lives of the Imperial Guards behind their shields.

Xiang Liang was not in a hurry to deal with his brother. This was a winning situation almost guaranteed, and all he needed to do was to crush the final support of his brother, killing each of these Imperial Guards one by one.

Kill the heart along with the person, everyone on your side must die, completely defeat them from start to finish.

"Your Highness, there is a secret passage leading to the underground waterway of the Imperial City in the courtyard of the servants. If you need, we will protect you desperately to help you leave the Imperial City."

At that moment, a whisper came to his ears, whispered by one of the guards.

"Excellent!" Xiangji almost looked jubilant, as if grasping a lifeline, taking the opportunity while the Imperial Guards were still resisting, he had a chance to escape. As long as he could leave the Imperial City and enter the densely populated and chaotic urban area already stirred up by the slum riot, finding him again would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

As long as he could hold out, when the city defense was breached, the outcome was still uncertain.

But just as he was about to turn around and escape, Xiangji stopped himself forcibly.

Do I really want to flee like a defeated dog? Being driven out of the palace as the crown prince by rebels would be a significant disgrace even if I eventually win.

Of course, he could explain it as a strategic retreat and so on, but how would others see it? Even deep down, he would feel embarrassed, right?

Even though reason was clear that this was the right thing to do, his foolish persistence and pride in his heart would not allow him to take a step back.

"Everyone, retreat! Don't fight them head-on here!"

Damn it! Xiangji cursed silently in his heart, giving orders to the still resisting Imperial Guards below.

The disadvantage of confronting the fully armed regular army openly in an open field was too great. Only by retreating to the complicated terrain inside the palace and resisting using the narrow passages with a relatively larger number of troops could they minimize the disadvantage brought by the difference in equipment and numbers.

"Wanna run? One-Three, circle around to their back and surround them!"

Naturally, the openly given command was heard by Xiang Liang and he followed suit in command.

Of course, with the skills of the Imperial Guards, some would be able to retreat immediately and escape, but by reducing the number of live forces as much as possible, their resistance would be significantly weakened.

"Can we only retreat a little...?"

Xiangji was escorted back by guards, but he felt a pang of regret when he saw some Imperial Guards completely surrounded.

"Your Highness Xiangji, you have more courage than I had imagined."

"Hmm?"

Xiangji was taken aback, and turned his head around.

Listening to the voice, the person speaking was the guard who had just whispered beside him. His bodyguards were all loyal and trustworthy subordinates, he recognized every one of them, but it wasn't until he noticed the guard's face that Xiangji realized he had no impression of him at all.

"Who are you?!"

Already in a precarious situation, Xiangji immediately took two steps back in great fear. He could have easily received a kidney punch from behind by blending in with the bodyguards for so long without being discovered.

"Don't be nervous, Your Highness Xiangji, as you can see, I mean no harm."

The fake guard took off his helmet, and the sudden strong wind tousled his slightly disheveled hair, revealing a rather young face. The sharp lines of his face were as clear-cut as a knife, with a sharpness in his eyes and brows that made him seem like a seasoned warrior at first glance.

And... Xiangji noticed a subtle detail, his nose was slightly flatter than usual, cheekbones a bit lower, all characteristics of people from the northwest grasslands.

Of course, having features of grassland people doesn't necessarily mean he is one, there are also... people living on the northwest border of the empire.

Taking a closer look, his skin was very rough, as if weathered by wind and sand.

"On the contrary—"

The fake guard moved away from Xiangji and strode to the front steps of the Fengtian Hall. On his flanks, the bodyguards who were not surrounded retreated, while those who were surrounded had begun their final resistance.

"We are here to protect you, to protect this city."

He cleanly drew a sword from his waist scabbard, holding it up in front of his chest with the tip pointing to the sky, and shouted loudly:

"Soldiers of Jiangdong, follow orders, punish the traitors!"

"Punish the traitors! Punish the traitors!"

"Soldiers of Jiangdong, punish the traitors!"

With one voice, multiple voices rose.

While the voice of that guard had not yet dissipated, within the retreating ranks of the bodyguards, even among the resisting guards, and even in the military formation on the flanks of the city guards, echoed the same response. Soon, more than a dozen individuals and the initial guard stood side by side, holding their swords uniformly in front of their chests and chanting loudly:

"Soldiers of Jiangdong, punish the traitors!"

Just as the sudden appearance of a different voice in the ranks caused chaos in the city guard's military formation, heavy military sounds and the same cries suddenly resounded inside and outside the imperial city.

"Punish the traitors! Soldiers of Jiangdong, under orders to punish the traitors!"

From the side passages of the Fengtian Hall, soldiers armed to the teeth rushed out, causing turmoil among the city guards, with experienced soldiers immediately recognizing the melody of the military sounds belonging to the iron army stationed at the border.

On the other side, besides seeing troops charging out from both flanks, Xiang Liang received even worse news.

"Your Highness! A fully armed cavalry suddenly emerged within the city, bearing the flag of the Jiangdong army! They are heading towards the main gate of the imperial city!"

Three directions, three units, instantly formed a encirclement against the rebels who had just broken into the imperial city.

"The game is over, dear brothers."

A clear and cold voice sounded behind them, and Xiangji instinctively turned around, only to see a young woman in iron armor and a red tassel spear walking out of the Fengtian Hall, casually tossing a round object to the ground with her left hand.

"Guilin?!" Xiangji's face turned pale.

"Soldiers of Jiangdong, are you ready to fight?"

Xiang Ling scanned the entire scene.

The response she received was a unanimous one-word reply.

"Kill!"