The Emperor stood atop the peak of Emperor's Footprint, the tranquil abode of the Compassionate Navigation Zen Monastery.
Outside the Compassionate Navigation Hall, a sea of martial artists crowded together. Any discerning person present would have gasped in astonishment, for nearly every renowned figure, both righteous and villainous, in the martial world was present. Through the throng, a figure could be glimpsed.
Upon closer inspection, it was a debonair young gentleman in snow-white robes, tall and slender. His hands, more delicate than any woman’s, held a fan that he idly twirled. He wore a smile, yet showed no sign of panic despite being surrounded by a hostile crowd.
“Wang Lianhua, you demon! You have wreaked havoc on the martial world, defiling countless virtuous women. We have gathered here today to rid the world of your evil!”
“Indeed! You, a demon, have the audacity to call yourself the ‘Gentleman Who Loves Flowers’. You have repeatedly committed acts of cruelty and depravity. Today, you shall be torn limb from limb!”
“Well said!”
“Destroy the demon!”
The targeted Wang Lianhua tilted his head, and the crowd, despite their boisterous calls, involuntarily took a step back. He chuckled, “You rabble! I came here at the invitation of the Master, to meet her for drinks. What are you doing crowding around? Trying to eavesdrop?”
“Wang-ge, thank you for your trust,” a voice clear as a bell cut through the crowd. At the sound, the crowd parted, revealing a woman who stepped forward. “Wang-ge’s martial arts are unparalleled. If not for his prowess, how could he be coerced? I, Fei Xuan, have acted presumptuously. Please forgive me.”
She approached Wang Lianhua, bowed gracefully, and spoke sincerely, “I implore you, Wang-ge, for the sake of the world, spend the rest of your life with me here on Emperor’s Footprint.”
The crowd was incensed, their eyes blazing with hatred for Wang Lianhua. They longed to tear him apart.
Wang Lianhua, with a hint of admiration, gazed at the woman before him. “Fei Xuan, you are still so shameless,” he commented slowly, nodding as she remained unresponsive. “You know I dislike excessive chatter. So, I shall ask you this: will this victory, this cave I have won, be more than the last?”
Upon hearing this, Shi Fei Xuan remained unfazed. “Wang-ge, your wit is sharp. I admire you,” she said, before drawing her Colorless Sword without a word.
Facing this fierce attack, Wang Lianhua's expression didn't change. Only when the Colorless Sword was inches from his face did he slowly raise his left hand. The next second, Shi Fei Xuan discovered that the moves she had practiced countless times suddenly became impossible. A gust of wind brushed past her, and the demon had vanished. She turned, but found no one behind her.
Shi Fei Xuan was horrified. “You… you have reached such a level?!”
Wang Lianhua loosened his belt slowly, whispering, “The fat tortoise, Pang, intended to use me as a cauldron, so he sent his woman to me. He then hid and watched. He couldn't bear to watch my methods, though. He didn't even finish cultivating his skills before he died, leaving everything to me.”
Shi Fei Xuan, ignoring the demon’s hand reaching for her clothing, felt fear for the first time. Her voice trembled, “Then… my junior sister… my master?”
Wang Lianhua continued his leisurely manipulations, answering casually, “Oh, given my nature, do I even need to ask?”
Shi Fei Xuan closed her eyes in despair, allowing the demon to have his way…
After countless peaks, Shi Fei Xuan suddenly felt lighter. She struggled to open her eyes, only to see the demon being drawn upwards by a beam of light. Bewildered, she uttered, “Break… breaking through the void?”
Having reached the peak of his enjoyment, Wang Lianhua confirmed the completion of his final task. He felt the resistance of space, realizing he had reached the limit of this world’s capacity, and relinquished control, letting the beam guide him upwards.
Suddenly, the sky twisted. A voice echoed in his mind, the voice of his accompanying system, “Energy anomaly. Energy anomaly. Please prepare, host. This void-breaking has a severe error. Compensating… Error. Error. System crash…”
Wang Lianhua's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
It was said that Wang Lianhua was originally an ordinary otaku from Earth, living off the rent from his parents’ property. He was obsessed with the world of martial arts, yearning for the carefree days of swaggering around in white robes, seeking justice and revenge. One day, he inexplicably transmigrated into the body of Wang Lianhua. Initially, he was ecstatic, believing that miraculous martial arts and beautiful women were within reach. However, he gradually discovered the world was unusually chaotic and complex. His body’s mother, Yun Meng Xianzi, was an elder of the Yin Kui Sect, and her sect had a prominent saintess, Wan Wan. He, on the other hand, was a nobody, the son of a failed disciple. The factions of the martial world were in disarray, and his mother, after her cultivation method was disrupted, had become erratic and cruel. Driven by revenge, she relentlessly forced him to train and learn, torturing him until he was on the brink of death.
Poor Wang Lianhua, a 宅男 who had never done a day’s work in his life, couldn’t endure such torment. Moreover, the demonic sect was a place of survival of the fittest. As the son of a failure, he naturally endured countless scorn. Because of his birth into the martial world, he was also hunted down by everyone. In such an environment, Wang Lianhua did not die in silence; instead, he went mad!
By chance, he awakened a twisted, cruel system. The system’s mandatory task was to kill, possess, and kill again after possession. To avoid annihilation, he had no choice but to delve deeper into the path of villainy.
…
The third year of the Kaiyun era, the twelfth month, under the reign of the Latter Jin Dynasty. The Khitan army conquered the capital of the Later Liang, exterminating the Shatuo Stone clan. Their leader, Yelü, declared himself the Liao Emperor, aiming to rule over China. Han heroes rose in rebellion. Guo Wei of Xingzhou raised an army in Taiyuan, reconquered the Eastern Capital, and established the Later Zhou. Zhu Yuanzhang of Fengyang raised an army in Haozhou, marched north to invade Yan and Yun, cutting off their retreat, and established the Ming Dynasty. The Liao Emperor was terrified and died, never returning to Yanmen Pass. With the foreign enemy vanquished, the Later Zhou and the Ming Dynasty stood against each other in the Central Plains.
The Later Zhou Emperor passed the throne to his adopted son, Guo Rong. Guo Rong then passed it to his young son, Zongxun. The general Zhao Kuangyin, under the guise of attacking the Ming, led his army back to the capital, usurped the throne, and renamed the Later Zhou as the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin’s claim to the throne was illegitimate, and he feared that others would follow his example. Therefore, he prioritized civil affairs over military matters, holding a banquet and taking away the power of his generals.
Over a century, the Later Zhou and Ming Dynasties grew weaker, and the Khitan Liao Dynasty also decayed. Its vassal tribes, the Jurchens and Mongols, successively rose up to establish their own nations.
The Jurchen Jin Dynasty under the leadership of the Wan Yan clan was just emerging. They had successively defeated the Liao and Song, and were invincible until they were met head-on by Yue Fei, a Song general. Temujin, the great Khan of the Mongols, attacked them from behind, leaving the Jin to hold onto only a small area of Guanzhong, forming an alliance with the Xi Xia state in Hebei, guarding the Tong Pass. The Liao Dynasty, aided by Temujin, reestablished itself in the north of Yanmen Pass, allowing it to recuperate.
The Jianzhou Jurchens, who had always been subservient to the Ming Dynasty, also grew ambitious. They rebelled and established their own nation, which they called Qing, abandoning their Jurchen identity and calling themselves Manchu. The Ming army’s campaign against them was unsuccessful, and internal rebellions broke out, capturing the Yanjing capital. The Ming Dynasty fell. Wu Sangui allowed the Qing army into the Pass. They successively defeated the peasant rebellions and the remaining Ming forces, conquering all of the former Ming lands. The remaining Ming forces under Zheng Chenggong retreated to the island of Taiwan and proclaimed the Southern Ming Dynasty.
Temujin led his army westward, leaving his brother-in-law Chaghan to govern the Central Plains. Chaghan ruled “汉人以汉法” ("govern the Han people with Han laws"), recruiting Han collaborators and suppressing Han resistance. For over a decade, he grew so powerful that he became a force to be reckoned with.
With the Mongols’ growing power, countries across the land submitted to them. Zhao Gou, the Song Emperor, appointed Qin Hui as his chancellor, who framed Yue Fei, killing him and weakening the Song Dynasty.
Our story takes place in this chaotic era.