1587 350 Years
The snow continued at the end of the 10,034th year of the Divine Prefecture Calendar for a while. The flying snowflakes dyed Tianhe City a silvery color.
On the last day of the year, the city was very busy. Lantern light lit up the night sky until it was as bright as day.
Every household had lit their lanterns, and people were walking and running through the streets.
Within the Realm Palace of the Tianhe Realm, many of the halls were lit up with brilliant divine light. The light shot out into the sky, lighting up the dark night with divine radiance.
This was fated to be an extraordinary night.
In Tianhe City, a little girl pulled at an elder’s hand and asked, “Grandpa, why is it so lively tonight?” She was very curious. She was more than ten years old and knew many things. She had seen new year celebrations before but had never seen an atmosphere like this.
It seemed as if Tianhe City was particularly looking forward to the coming year. Even the Realm Palace seemed different. It was taking this very seriously. The whole city was rejoicing together.
“It’s because this is going to be a special year,” answered the old man.
“A special year?” The girl did not understand. “Why is it special?” she asked.
“You will understand when you are older.” The old man patted her head with a smile, his eyes full of kindness. He looked up into the sky. Many years ago, the Tianhe Realm had experienced a great storm. The chaos of the world seemed like it would never stop, but the contributions that they had made were invaluable in bringing an end to a dark and chaotic time.
Up on the snowy mountain, Ye Futian was seated in cultivation. He could sense the merriment in Tianhe City in his thoughts, and could not help but feel a little confused. Did Tianhe City really make such a big deal about the New Year?
Over the years, he had found that the place he had felt had had the most New Year’s spirit was Qingzhou City, where he had started out. As he had come to more and more impressive cities and more powerful realms, he had found that the New Year’s spirit weakened. The people were concerned with pursuing power and cultivating, and so they lacked some of the pa.s.sion of the people of Qingzhou City.
Now he was seeing such a marvelous sight here in Tianhe City. Could it be that this was some kind of tradition?
At that moment, a figure walked to his side. She looked off into the distance, and her thoughts seemed to go out over there as well. She seemed to remember something, and a tear trickled down from the corner of her eye.
“Ping’an,” Ye Futian looked to the woman beside him and said softly, “are you thinking of your parents?”
“Yes.” Ping’an smiled slightly and nodded. She looked at Ye Futian and said, “I must look like a fool to you.”
“Their wish before they died was for you to live peacefully and happily. Ping’an, do not be sad,” said Ye Futian comfortingly.
“I’m not, I’m just thinking of when I was with them. It is not purely sadness,” said Ping’an with a smile. “Let’s go out into the city and celebrate the New Year with everyone.”
“Alright,” said Ye Futian with a nod. The two of them smiled at each other, then stepped through the air down the mountain.
Before long, they had come to Tianhe City. People walked on the roads in an endless stream. There were no conflicts between people on this day, and no one challenged anyone else to a fight. Everyone was very modest and accommodating. Even if there was friction between them, they had only to smile, and things would sort themselves out.
Many people took their children out with them onto the streets to experience the friendly atmosphere.
“It would be wonderful if the world was always like this,” said Ping’an with a smile as she watched this beautiful scene.
Ye Futian smiled and shook his head. This was definitely just a flight of fancy.
They two of them wandered aimlessly. They were not headed anywhere in particular; they were just sightseeing. Perhaps Ping’an wanted to walk on familiar roads, ones that she had trodden in New Year’s past.
“Do you have anyone that you miss?” Ping’an looked up at Ye Futian beside her. His white hair melded into the white snow, and it was impossible to tell them apart. With his handsome face and piercing eyes, he clearly had some stories to tell.
He was refined and cultivated, handsome and kind, and had a great amount of talent. There must be many women chasing him. So why did he have white hair as a young man?
He may have been 50, but for a cultivator at the peak of the Saint level, this was quite young. Even if his cultivation did not advance at all, his face would still be unchanged after several hundred years.
“Of course,” said Ye Futian with a smile. “There are many people that I miss.”
“Who?” asked Ping’an curiously.
“My love, my teachers, my friends, and my brothers. I miss many people,” said Ye Futian.
“If you miss them, why don’t you go and find them?” asked Ping’an. Her level was too low, so she had been unable to protect her parents. But Ye Futian was very powerful. He was at the peak of the Saint plane, and there was no one below the Renhuang level who could match him.
“It is impossible to be satisfied in all aspects of life. Everyone has hards.h.i.+ps. I want to be with them, and that is why I cultivate,” said Ye Futian.
Ping’an nodded. “I understand.” Was her own cultivation not also to protect her parents?
Ye Futian must have his own stories as well.
“Is there a lake in Tianhe City?” asked Ye Futian.
Ping’an nodded, “Yes, there is. Do you want to go see it?”
Ye Futian nodded. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll take you.” Ping’an led the way. Before long, they had come to the edge of a lake. It was very busy here as well, with people sailing across the lake on small boats. Some of them were lighting lamps and making wishes.
It was an incredibly familiar scene.
A bright smile came over Ye Futian’s face. He loved lakes, perhaps because all his best memories took place beside them. They were memories from his youth.
At that moment, brilliant, beautiful light flashed in their eyes. Ye Futian looked up and saw that the sky was full of fireworks. At that moment, his memories seemed to overlap, and time seemed to flow backward.
Many cheers rang out over the lake as the fireworks bloomed in the sky.
The 10,035th year of the Divine Prefecture Calendar had finally come.
“It’s so beautiful,” whispered Ping’an. She looked at Ye Futian. In the light from the fireworks, his handsome face looked even more extraordinary.
A beautiful woman and a n.o.bleman were perfectly matched for each other.
Perhaps Ye Futian was just such a man.
When he smiled like that, was he thinking of the person that he loved?
This was fated to be an extraordinary night.
…
The Heavenly Mandate Realm and the Higher Heavens Realm were both members of the Nine Supreme Realms. Thus, they stood at the peak of the Three Thousand Realms of the Great Path.
However, the strongest of the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path had no conflicts. It was the realm that stood at the center of the Nine Supreme Realms—the Imperial Realm. All of the Nine Supreme Realms acknowledged this without hesitation.
The Shen clan was a power of the Imperial Realm. Thus, even the Tianhe Realm, which was under their control, was very strong. Many powerful Renhuangs came from there, including the Sky River Great Elder.
In the center of the Imperial Realm was a mighty divine palace, so tall that it reached into the sky and pierced through the clouds. It was holy and mighty.
The palace was covered in endless divine light. Everyone who walked by it felt incredibly pious and bowed down before it.
This was the symbol of the Imperial Realm—Void Emperor Palace.
It was said that this place was once the personal palace of Donghuang the Great.
Now there was a statue of the great emperor within the palace. It was said that he had left some of his Divine Spirit within the image.
At that moment, nine clouds were floating above Void Emperor Palace.
Incomparably holy divine light shone down from the sky, forming into seven beams of light. All of the clouds in the vast, endless sky seemed to be surging.
At that moment, a beam of divine light shone down from the high heavens upon the tall palace.
Afterward, an invisible wave swept down from the heavens.
Dong!
The sound of a bell ringing spread throughout the sky.
The sound melded into the world, becoming a formless rhythm. It sounded like thunder that pierced through the sky.
There were many top powers, tall palaces, and mighty halls within the Imperial Realm. Many people were praying to heaven, and thousands of people knelt behind them.
Dong!
The bell rang again, and the people praying to heaven bowed as if they had known the sound of the bell would come.
“The prophecy is coming, and we await it here,” said a solemn elder up on the sacrificial platform. They were all waiting for a prophecy to come from Void Emperor Palace.
The Shen clan was one of the top forces in the Imperial Realm.
But at that moment, many members of the Shen clan were gathered together, looking off into the distance.
Dong!
The bell rang again, filling everyone’s minds with its sound.
And it was not only them. The Imperial Realm’s seemingly endless land made it the largest of the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path. At that moment, countless souls heard the ringing of the bell.
What was more, the bell was ringing throughout all the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path. It went out towards the Heavenly Mandate Realm, the Higher Heavens Realm, and all of the Nine Supreme Realms.
It rang out in the Divine Palace of the Higher Heavens Realm, in the Golden Divine Nation, and on Taixuan Mountain.
It rang out in the Heavenly Mandate Dynasty, in Brahma’s Pure Sky, and in the Violet Heavenly Palace.
No one knew how to describe this sound. It was a miracle, truly the work of the G.o.ds.
As the bell rang, a group of figures wearing identical clothing walked out of Void Emperor Palace. They flashed away in different directions. It seemed like they were heading to the Nine Supreme Realms.
Far away in the Tianhe Realm, Ye Futian and Ping’an had returned to the snowy mountain. Light bloomed in the sky, lighting up the clouds, and sunlight fell.
As the 10,035th year of the Divine Prefecture Calendar started, it seemed as if everything was starting anew.
Dong!
At that moment, the sound of the bell rang over the mountain. Ye Futian opened his eyes as he sat there cross-legged. He looked up into the sky, and his thoughts stretched out. A look of surprise came over his face. He felt the ringing sound descend from the sky. It was everywhere at once. It filled Tianhe City.
“Where is that sound coming from?” His heart was in turmoil. He rose into the air, trying to find the source of that sound.
An elder stepped out onto the snowy ground, looking up into the sky.
“Master.” Ye Futian alighted beside the elder, a questioning look on his face.
The old man was still looking into the sky. He said, “The 10,035th year of the Divine Prefecture Calendar is the start of a new era. Donghuang the Great unified the Divine Prefecture 350 years ago. If we count from this, we can also say that it is the 350th year of Donghuang’s Calendar!”