Heavenly City.

Jiang Yu sat in the grand hall, the Celestial Divine Sword hovering above his head.

The resonance between the sword and him had grown slightly stronger than when he had first descended, yet it was far from complete mastery. This was precisely why he had ordered both the Heavenly City and the Earthly City to conserve their strength.

He couldn’t understand.

Why?

When he was born, he had possessed dual pupils and a sword-bearing bone—signs of a natural-born emperor.

Yet now, the divine sword eluded his grasp, and the protagonist of the Heavenly City seemed to be someone else entirely.

The earlier confrontation between the sun and moon lingered in his mind, leaving him unsettled.

That woman who had descended alongside him—why was she so unfathomably powerful?

Many of the Heavenly Clan no longer looked at him with the same reverence as before. The reason was simple—they worshipped strength, and Ying Bing was far, far stronger than the one they now collectively revered.

Jiang Yu suspected that if Ying Bing ever returned, a single word from her might force him to relinquish his position.

"Now, it seems I’m the one who’s superfluous."

"She may not intend to return for now, but what about the future?"

Jiang Yu gently stroked the sword.

Earlier, the divine blade had also trembled, as if responding to some unseen summons—likely stirred by the power of the masses.

It seemed his assumption was correct.

The power of the masses was the key to wielding the divine sword.

"I must hasten my efforts..."

An inexplicable irritation rose within Jiang Yu as he pondered ways to tighten his control over the Heavenly City.

......

The Heavenly City seemed to have regained its tranquility.

Li Mo descended upon the Heavenly City once more, though the reality differed from what he had anticipated. Unfortunately, he remained unaware.

"Our Heavenly City has a long and storied history, fraught with trials. Every era, calamity befalls us."

"Fortunately, before the last disaster struck, Emperor Jiang descended from the heavens, leading our Heavenly City to a glorious rebirth..."

The words flowed into his ears—was this a lecture?

Li Mo felt as though he had awoken from a long dream. Sunlight streamed through the window, dazzling his eyes.

Before him was a bright classroom, where a teacher held a ruler, recounting the history of the Heavenly City to the students.

Memories flooded back.

This was the school built by the Heavenly Clan in the newly risen city after the Earthly City had endured its first calamity.

All prominent martial families of the Earthly City sent their most talented descendants here to study.

Aside from the formidable martial arts techniques created by the Heavenly Clan, the most frequent lessons were on history—primarily the glorious achievements of the Heavenly Clan and that emperor.

But his recollections didn’t end there.

"Teacher, I have a question."

Young Li Mo suddenly raised his hand.

His classmates immediately turned their gazes toward him, their expressions brimming with amusement.

"What is it this time?"

The teacher sighed, rubbing his temples.

This boy from the Li family possessed extraordinary martial talent and sharp intellect, but he had one flaw—his insatiable curiosity. He often raised questions that even the teacher found difficult to answer.

For instance: What lay beyond the Heavenly City? Did the Heavenly Clan need to eat? If eating certain things strengthened certain parts of the body, did eating bitterness mean endless suffering? And if one ate humans, would they rise above others?

The teacher often felt like a rookie soldier facing Li Mo’s relentless inquiries.

"Go ahead, ask."

"I’ve heard from the bounty hunters that decades ago, the southern gate was breached in an instant, and the demons that still plague us today were let in during that attack."

"Correct. So what’s your question?"

"Wasn’t it the Frost Moon Immortal who turned the tide and sealed the southern gate?"

"No, it was Emperor Jiang, leading the elite warriors of the Heavenly Clan..."

The teacher reflexively shook his head—this was clearly recorded in history.

"If Emperor Jiang was so heroic and the Heavenly Clan so omniscient, why do demons still roam the human city? Why do bounty hunters still need to slay them?"

"That’s... That’s to provide you with trials. 'Adversity leads to prosperity, comfort leads to ruin.' The Heavenly City must not forget the terror of calamity amidst peace."

Hearing this, Li Mo only grew more perplexed.

What he had witnessed and what the teacher described seemed like two entirely different worlds.

Which of the great families in the Earthly City truly embraced hardship? Weren’t they all just indulging in luxury, sprawling across vast estates?

How often had they lifted a finger against the demons? Yet when it came to suppressing the common folk, they spared no effort.

"Enough. Stop mingling with those bounty hunters."

The teacher, now irritated, spoke more sternly:

"Listen to their heresies too much, and if the Heavenly Clan abandons you, it won’t just be you who suffers—your entire family will pay the price!"

"There is no such thing as the Frost Moon Immortal!"

"Teacher—"

"Class dismissed!"

The teacher stormed off, sleeves flaring.

"Brother Li, the teacher isn’t exaggerating."

A classmate leaned in, whispering.

"We enjoy privileges only by the grace of the Heavenly Clan. They can lift us up just as easily as they can cast us down. Any family without the backing of the Heavenly Clan is like a rootless weed."

"Think about it—if the Frost Moon Immortal truly existed and was so powerful, why would Emperor Jiang rule the Heavenly Clan?"

"Be careful not to displease the Heavenly Clan. Otherwise, you might just get your wish—and end up as a bounty hunter."

Li Mo’s words had sounded like the wild fantasies of a naive youth.

The classroom buzzed with laughter.

Li Mo shook his head. He disliked arguments, and his questions stemmed only from an inquisitive mind.

As a transmigrator, wasn’t this perfectly normal?

The school day had ended, and students dispersed in lively groups, chatting and laughing. For a moment, it reminded him of his past life’s school days.

The only difference was, back then, he had been far more sociable.

As he stepped out of the elegant, opulent academy, his thoughts churned.

Was there truly no Frost Moon Immortal?

Was the teacher’s version... the correct one?

By the lakeside, sunlight danced on the rippling water. Melodious music filled the air as courtesans twirled between pavilions, singing of the Heavenly Clan’s miracles and achievements.

This was where many of his classmates headed after class—children of noble families, never short on coin for leisure.

"Spare some alms, kind sir..."

A grimy hand suddenly stretched out before him—a gaunt, ragged child.

His eyes were hollow, his voice mechanical as he begged from every passerby.

Li Mo handed over the beef he hadn’t finished at noon. The child’s eyes lit up as he carefully tucked the meat into his tattered clothes and darted to a street corner.

"Mother... I’ve got food..."

No matter how much he shook the woman wrapped in straw matting, she wouldn’t wake—her body had long gone stiff.

The teacher called the revelry by the lakeside a golden age.

Then... what was this?

The truth he had learned under the red banner declared: A golden age for the few was no golden age at all.

The teacher was wrong!

Then... was the existence of the Frost Moon Immortal also being deliberately erased?