The Last Renegade: Empire of the Sun

A Divine Dynasty with cultivators of Divine Transformation, with millions of cultivators, billions of mortals. Inconceivable weapons and objects.

If this Dynasty turned its eyes toward the newly emerged Jin Empire, the apocalypse would be inevitable.

Now, one question constantly pondered Jin: how could he create a calamity that would affect all the power and foundation that the Divine Dynasty Wang had built over all this time? Or at least something that would keep them busy until he grew strong enough to deal with them?

He hoped the answer would be in the next gacha a year from now; if not, Jin would have to use any method, even the most drastic one possible. As a Divine Transformation being, his memories were practically photographic, and he could remember everything clearly. Even though he had only briefly glanced at biology books in his previous life, it would still be enough to try and create a virus that could affect mortals or even cultivators.

The deaths of billions of mortals would have to be sacrificed for the ascension of his Empire.

….

Year 7 of the Jin calendar, seven days after the launch of the Divine Plot.

Jin was still in the sky over Yang City, observing the growing flow of information pouring into his mind.

It had been seven days since the launch of the Divine Plot in the Divine Jin Empire. The lives of mortals and cultivators were now inextricably intertwined with this new reality; it was as if the Divine Plot had become an indispensable oxygen in their daily routines, a structure that completely transformed the way they lived and interacted.

It was like the brutal difference between existing without the vastness of the internet and suddenly being introduced to it—a life-altering experience that made it impossible to return to the former life of ignorance and limitations.

This was also essentially due to the Xuan Mirror. Not everyone had this mirror, and purchasing one would require more than a thousand low-grade spiritual stones.

Thus, the famous cultivation houses were created, where cultivators could rent a mirror via the Divine Plot.

Shhh

Suddenly, Jin felt a flow of turbulent energy in his mind, and instantly, he knew what it was.

"I can do the gacha now." Jin called for the celestial talisman as he stood in the air, his eyes hiding a hint of excitement.

"Celestial Talisman."

[Name: Jin]

[Fortune (Divine Jin Empire): 10,000]

[Bound Territory: Divine Jin Empire]

[Gachas: 5]

[Bound Item(s): Dantian Restoration Card, 10x Zifu Grade Spiritual Veins, Empty God Puppet Core, Xuan Mirror Immortal Grade, Items of a Deceased Cultivator of the Empty God Realm.]

A golden panel appeared in Jin's mind. He couldn't help but smile unconsciously when he looked at his empire's fortune; his work over the years had not been in vain.

'Use Gachas'

That familiar black-and-white roulette appeared before him once again.

The endless twisting runes, spinning extremely fast, still left him in awe and dizzy.

[Would you like to merge the (5) gachas into one? Merging the gachas into one can increase the level of the reward.]

Jin was surprised by this new twist, but he soon fell into deep contemplation. Opting to use the five gachas conventionally could yield a valuable item, perhaps an artifact that would give him the edge he needed to deal with the Divine Dynasty Wang. However, the alternative of merging everything into a single gacha promised an item of much higher rank, a trump card that could consequently increase his strength or that of the empire.

"Yes, merge them all into one." Jin decided to merge them, firstly because the item would be of a very high rank. Secondly, because he wanted to test this new option. If it turned out well, he would repeat it in the future; if not, he wouldn't do it again.

[Congratulations! You have been gifted with: Skeleton of an Unknown Cultivator.* A skeleton of a cultivator who failed to achieve harmony with their Dao.]

Jin looked at a humanoid skeleton of a bluish-green color floating in the air in a lotus position. The skeleton seemed extremely ordinary at first glance, except for its strange color. Its skull was pointed toward the heavens, as if challenging them.

"That..."

Jin moved back a hundred meters from the skeleton, extremely cautious. Although he thought the celestial talisman wouldn't send him something he couldn't handle, it was still necessary to be cautious. This distrust was innate to him; he didn't trust anyone, and the celestial talisman was included in that list.

One hour..

Two hours..

One day..

He waited a whole day, analyzing the skeleton multiple times. As time passed, his caution lessened, and he concluded that this being must truly be dead.

Jin finally gathered a bit of courage and approached the skeleton.

Ten meters.

Five meters.

One meter.

In just a few seconds, Jin reached the side of the skeleton, and when he touched it, his mind was transported to an unknown space. In this space, strange forms and designs passed through his mind. He inherently felt that these forms and designs were far above his cultivation level.

Some of the designs seemed simple and contained doodles that looked like fragments of dreams or memories, glimpsing a forest that stretched endlessly and a river that ran through everything.

Although they were just doodles, they seemed to create a world in Jin's mind. His eyes shone with contemplation.

…

Time had no form, and thirty days passed after Jin entered a state of contemplation. He had lost himself in a sea of deep reflections, where past and present intertwined, and experiences turned into wisdom. As he delved deeper into these visions, his mind and body seemed to begin integrating into these images.

Slowly, his mind began to be absorbed by these visions.

And at that moment, the celestial talisman in his sea of consciousness seemed to vibrate slightly, and this vibration was like a wave in Jin's mind, instantly awakening him from these visions.

His first action was to move more than a hundred meters away from the bluish-green skeleton.

Jin placed his hand on his chest as he took a deep breath, his back soaked with cold sweat.

In less than a breath, he had calmed down. His eyes moved to his left arm.

This! Just thirty days, and it had this side effect!?

Jin's left arm was completely green, and if someone looked closely, they would see green lines like plant veins.

Jin's eyes darkened. If the celestial talisman hadn't awakened him, what would have happened? Would he have disappeared and become part of those forests and rivers?

He shook his head, the more he thought about it, the more he felt the answer would be unpleasant. Furthermore, he realized that he couldn't trust all the items the celestial talisman sent, regardless of their descriptions.

Perhaps it was his fault too; the description of this skeleton was very vague. He should have tested it on a guinea pig first.

Sigh

Sighing lightly, despite this extremely dangerous event, Jin also thought he hadn't come out empty-handed.

"The forests and rivers are eternal, above the three thousand daos." The phrase echoed in his mind like a mantra, reverberating in his being. "Below the forests and rivers, there are mortals and immortals, and above them, there are Gods. And beyond the Gods, there are... mortals?" Jin's eyes were slightly confused as he gazed at the skeleton from afar. While observing the skeleton, he continued to chant the mantra.

"I am the life force of a forest and the reflection of the sky in the river." The words came from his lips, soft but full of power and time. With every syllable spoken, the scene around him began to transform. He found himself standing next to a small tree, while a shimmering puddle of water lay in front of him, measuring less than ten meters in diameter.

"My understanding of the forests and rivers is still far behind that of this unknown cultivator." Jin gently shook his head, his thoughts returning to reality.

However, despite this unexpected gain, he was even more cautious in his heart. Jin didn't know how strong the forests and rivers could be, but according to the unknown cultivator's words, they were above the three thousand daos.

Unchanging and eternal.

This was something Jin currently couldn't contemplate.

He didn't know how strong the immortals were, but he didn't think they could compare to the forests and rivers he glimpsed.

…

Inside the palace, Jin sat on the throne. A golden gauntlet covered his left arm, hiding no piece of skin.

A few days had passed since he returned from that strange illusion, and the skeleton was still seated in the lotus position in the sky of Yang City.

What made Jin shiver with fear was that no one except him could see the skeleton.

"Enter." Jin looked beyond the door and saw General Xu kneeling. His movements seemed a little tense.

General Xu opened the door and entered with his head lowered in reverence. Jin examined his cultivation closely; the general had already reached the Perfection stage in the Zifu Disciple realm, being just a step away from entering the Golden Core realm.

"Emperor, the creation of the nine orders and three churches is complete. With the level of permission the Emperor granted me via the Divine Plot, I am recruiting more mortals who are loyal to the empire and the Emperor." General Xu spoke with a hint of pride and anticipation when mentioning the nine orders and three churches.

Jin was also satisfied, though he didn't fully trust General Xu. With the creation of the Divine Plot and using his divine consciousness, he decided to implant subtle thoughts of loyalty and reverence to Jin and the Empire in the general's mind during periodic intervals throughout the day.

As time passed, this effect seemed to work faster than he expected, which left him with a slight feeling of joy.

Furthermore, the creation of the three churches, which would aim to venerate and spread Jin's testimony as a God, was a tactic he had often seen used by dictators in his previous life. Creating a religion around oneself was one of the most effective ways to control the population.

The nine orders would serve as the main departments, functioning as the pillars for the structure and perpetuation of the empire. With his extreme caution, Jin planned to create nine clones of himself to lead each of these departments.

The departments included: Technology, Cultivation, Economy, Military, Legal, Educational, Religious, Productive, and Informational.

With this structure, he would maintain a high concentration of power within himself, preventing the growth of any rebellion or discontent. Furthermore, he planned to strengthen the Divine Plot, and with that, his control would become even more robust, as he would be able to read the thoughts of every individual in his empire.

Currently, he could only sense some of their intentions, but he couldn't fully read their thoughts.

Additionally, Jin planned to carefully select the three Golden Priests, who should be extremely pure and loyal to him. Although it wouldn't be an easy task, it was something he could accomplish soon, though it would require time and effort.

"And my sovereign, our scouts have found a strange rift located at the far south of the empire." General Xu shifted slightly, clearly apprehensive about this matter.

Jin was brought back to reality upon hearing about the rift. His eyes narrowed; what he feared most now were the unexpected variables. His empire needed time to grow, and time was essential. Any variables that could affect his future plans needed to be eliminated or contained as quickly as possible.

The skeleton incident had already left him cautious and a bit paranoid, and any other event beyond his understanding would have to be studied meticulously.

"Send a group of cultivators specialized in exploration, fortify them, and have them investigate this rift. Make this mission the highest priority; I will not accept failure or setbacks. If something beyond control happens, inform me immediately." Jin's serious voice echoed through the silent palace, his eyes notably darkened.

He wouldn't venture alone to that mysterious rift; he would first send his 'soldiers' to explore.

If they died, they would have sacrificed themselves for the glory of the Empire.

"My sovereign, should we delay the Imperial Exam?" General Xu looked anxiously at Jin, seeking an answer. The Imperial Exam was supposed to have taken place two weeks ago, but the Emperor had suddenly postponed it. This had caused General Xu a great deal of pressure from the insubordinate mortals who constantly troubled him.

"Yes, I will delay it for a year. In compensation, I will issue a decree providing a free session on the Xuan Mirror for each candidate who registers for the exam."

"Yes, my lord! This subordinate takes their leave." General Xu quickly left after receiving Jin's answer and approval with a hand gesture.