Chapter 13: The Predicament of Great Yan

  Originally, not far from the outskirts of Jiayuan County, there was a steep and high mountain called Panlong Mountain. Here, a group of bandits lived. These guys were extremely evil, each with numerous crimes. The people in the surrounding areas, as soon as they mentioned the bandits on Panlong Mountain, would change color in fear. To put it bluntly, whenever something bad happened in Jiayuan County, eight or nine times out of ten, these bandits were involved. As the parent official of Jiayuan County, Li Fang felt he had a responsibility and duty to eliminate the evil for the people, bring this group of bandits to justice, and restore peace to the world.

  Unfortunately, the terrain of Penglai Mountain is treacherous and easy to defend but hard to attack. Moreover, those bandits are exceptionally fierce and ferocious. With just a small number of troops under his command, Li Fang's idea of taking down Penglai Mountain was simply a pipe dream. As a result, Li Fang's plan to eliminate the bandits on Penglai Mountain never came to fruition.

  But as the saying goes, opportunities often come when people are about to give up. One time, Ma Yidao, the second-in-command of Panshan Mountain, led a few subordinates to sneak into Jiayuan County secretly. Li Fang was overjoyed upon receiving the news and immediately led his men to capture them. However, no one expected that the bandit Ma Yidao would be so ferocious. In order to subdue Ma Yidao and his men, Li Fang's subordinates paid a price of nearly fifty lives.

  "There are external enemies eyeing us covetously, and internal rebels running amok, when can the world truly be at peace?" County Magistrate Li Fang let out a heartfelt sigh. Xiao Chen had arrived in this place located within the Great Yan Empire, where the land was rich and the people were prosperous, a typical agricultural nation. The external enemies referred to the barbarian tribes neighboring the Great Yan Empire, situated in the extremely cold lands of the north. The barbarian tribes were established by nomadic peoples, although their population compared to the Great Yan Empire was pitifully small. However, every single one of the barbarians was born with a bold and unrestrained nature, each one fierce and formidable, every person a natural-born warrior.

  Moreover, due to being in the extremely cold land of the north, the land was barren and resources were extremely scarce, making the lives of the barbarian tribes exceptionally arduous. To solve this problem, the barbarian tribes turned their attention to the wealthy and populous Great Yan State adjacent to them. Thus, war broke out between the two countries, although the barbarian tribes had a sparse population, but because each one was a fierce warrior. Facing the soldiers of Great Yan State, they could take on ten with one, which was not a problem at all. And although Great Yan State had a vast territory and a large population, due to the innate gentle nature of an agricultural nation, coupled with some reasons that certain nationals dared not speak of, when facing the barbarian tribes' attack, they could only barely hold on, and sometimes even had to agree to some humiliating conditions proposed by the barbarian tribes.

  In the Great Yan State, due to the court's ineffective suppression, bandits and thieves emerged one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. These guys were all experts in harming the people. Under such internal and external troubles, it was no wonder that County Magistrate Li Fang felt deeply distressed.

  "Master, all of this is due to the incompetence and weakness of the imperial court. It's not anyone else's fault, especially the current emperor... really is too much." Hearing Master's sighs, Wang Banhou beside him couldn't help but interrupt.

  Jiayuan County is a small city among the many cities of the Great Yan State. The Great Yan State is vast and rich, with a large population. In terms of land area, population size, resource environment, and cultural achievements, it surpasses its neighboring countries. The current imperial family of the Great Yan State is the Murong clan, and the reigning emperor is Murong Yan, who is just over twenty years old and full of vigor and energy. Logically speaking, with such a good environment, as long as the emperor is willing to work hard and govern the country, and his ministers are able to strive for self-improvement, they should be able to create a prosperous era, or at least achieve something. However...

  However, the current emperor Murong Yan is only interested in pleasure and does not care about state affairs, resulting in power falling into others' hands. If an emperor doesn't care about state affairs, it's still okay if he knows how to use people well. Even if you're a monarch who spends all day indulging in comfort and pleasure, the world won't be too chaotic. The problem is that Murong Yan, although he is the ruler of a country, is too weak as a person, so weak that even his court officials don't take him seriously.

  As the monarch of a country, the emperor is weak and incompetent, indulging in pleasure, and on top of that, the ministers are lawless. The consequence is that the national machinery operates severely poorly. Those so-called pillars of the court ignore the people's livelihood, only seeking to grab money and grain, and fight for power and profit. It is rare to have a few high-ranking officials with noble character who do not want to go with the flow, either being squeezed out of the imperial court or having to leave quietly.

  As the last few honest ministers left, it made the already corrupt court even more chaotic. It can be said bluntly that the current court is almost paralyzed, and officials only know how to extort money from the people and do not want to do anything else. A good country has been messed up, causing the common people to complain endlessly. Alas, a country that has reached this point should have perished long ago. However, Murong Yan was extremely fortunate because behind him, there was an incredibly powerful force silently supporting and helping him - the Huangfu clan.

  The Huangpu clan, a somewhat mysterious and exceptionally powerful family, is also an extremely loyal family to the Murong imperial family. When Murong Yi established his country, four people worked tirelessly to assist him, making great contributions to the establishment of the Great Yan State. After the founding of the state, they were revered by the people as the "Four Heroes of the Founding of the Country", and their families were also revered as the "Four Great Families of the Great Yan State". Especially Huangpu Yan of the Huangpu clan was directly revered by Murong Fu, the founding emperor of the Great Yan State, as the "National Master". How powerful the Huangpu clan is, no one knows, but what people do know is that no matter how great a crisis appears, once someone from the Huangpu clan appears, the so-called great crisis becomes just a small trouble.

  But everything changed after the incident that made most people in Yan dare not to mention it twenty years ago. The wise and powerful founding emperor Murong Fu actually ascended to heaven, and immediately afterwards, the other three of the four founding heroes also chose to leave the court, leaving only the most loyal and devoted Huangfu Yan and his family to continue serving the descendants of Murong Fu without complaint or regret.

  But since then, the brilliance of the Great Yan State no longer existed. And the descendants of Murong Fu were getting worse and worse with each generation, until now, it has been passed down to his grandson Murong Yan...

  "Shut your mouth, as a subject, how can you comment on the Emperor? Since ancient times, those who eat the king's salary should share the king's worries. Your Majesty is currently not managing state affairs, it's just because of youth and indulgence. Just wait a few years, when Your Majesty grows up and focuses, he will surely work hard to govern, eliminate corrupt officials, and reform bad practices. Ultimately creating a great peaceful era. And we only need to do our own jobs well, slowly waiting for the arrival of that day." Li Fang suddenly changed color, scolding incessantly.

  "Guilty of the crime, guilty of the crime!" Wang Bantou hastily lowered his head. He understood that his master's loyalty to the imperial court and the Murong royal family was as clear as day and night.

  "Wang Bantou, remember this: the kind of disrespect towards His Majesty that I heard today, I hope it's the first and last time. Li Fangzhang took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Although he had scolded Wang Bantou, as for whether things would really develop as he said, to be honest, he didn't have any confidence in his heart either."

  "I understand, I understand." Wang Bantou didn't say anything. But after all, he had been serving under the county magistrate for so many years, how could he not know what was truly on his mind?

  "King Ban Tuo, it's getting late, you should hurry up and get some rest!" Li Fang waved his hand, feeling extremely tired.

  "Yes." Wang Bantou finally left. Li Fang then sighed endlessly, Your Majesty, my current Great Yan country has already reached a critical moment, as the ruler of a country, you must not sink again.

  How great it would be if the gods had never appeared in this world! Such a thought suddenly emerged in Li Fang's mind. "Damn it! Li Fang, what nonsense are you thinking about?" Li Fang shook his head vigorously.

  A hundred years ago, this was still a peaceful and serene world. People lived simple yet exceptionally happy lives every day, with the only worry being the threat from ferocious beasts. And it was at that time that the gods descended. They told people about the existence of Mirage Ocean and also taught them how to awaken the method of Mirage Ocean.

  Finally, those who successfully awakened to the illusion of the sea gained immense power. The ferocious beasts that were once a mortal threat to humans are no longer so. Logically speaking, humans should be able to live happier lives. But...

  But who would have thought that as human strength grows, so does human greed. Money, beautiful women, power, status, these visible or invisible temptations can drive the vast majority of people crazy. And these things cannot be obtained out of thin air, and those who possess them will not give them up easily.

  Finally, disputes gave birth to fights, and gradually turned into killings. When more and more people were involved, the killings finally became war. The most intuitive manifestation of war is the corpses all over the ground, wailing everywhere, thousands of miles without chicken crowing, ten thousand miles without dog barking. Countless people lost their homes and families, had to leave their hometowns, and wandered homeless. A beautiful world suddenly turned into a hell on earth.

  Fortunately, just as people were about to fall into despair, the gods finally took action. They scolded those who had lost their sanity due to great greed and severely punished some who refused to listen to advice. It is hoped that through this, the chaotic world can once again restore its former peace.

  But what the gods did not expect was that, in the face of the stimulation of great greed, people had long lost their original boundless reverence for the gods. At best, they would pretend to obey the gods' advice while secretly disobeying them. As for those who were bold and unscrupulous, they even dared to openly defy the gods.

  At last, the gods were thoroughly enraged. They really didn't want to see the originally beautiful world become so dirty and unbearable, nor did they want to see the originally kind people become so violent. After repeated efforts, no significant effect was achieved. The gods finally lost hope, they decided to leave this world, and vowed never to return again. And named this place as the Land of God's Abandonment.

  As soon as the gods left, people couldn't help but feel a thrill of joy. Great, the last bit of restraint was finally gone. But not long after, people fell into endless panic.

  That's right, the Awakening Illusion Sea can indeed grant people immense power. However, this immense power is also a double-edged sword, as it makes people stronger while also harming their physical and mental bodies. In the past, people revered and believed in the heavenly gods, receiving their protection and assistance, thus avoiding harm from such negative energy.

  But now, the gods have left, and people have finally tasted the consequences. Without the protection of the gods, using the power of the Illusory Sea at will, lightly results in spiritual frustration and physical harm. Heavily, it can lead to mental collapse and complete physical annihilation. So, don't use the power of the Illusory Sea! But who can really put it down in front of Chi Luoluo's temptation? Moreover, even if you are willing to put it down, will your enemies agree?

  Finally, the situation became more and more terrible. "Heavenly gods, we know we were wrong, please come back!" People cried out in despair. But how could the heavenly gods return to a place they had already abandoned?

  The war is still going on, and the slaughter is being performed at every corner of the world. No one knows whether they can see the sunrise of the next day. People finally find out that the greatest enemy of humanity is not the terrible beast, but human beings themselves.