Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 545 - 263. I’m truly happy for my senior fellow student (Chapter of merging two into one)_3

Chapter 545: 263. I’m truly happy for my senior fellow student (Chapter of merging two into one)_3

Zhang Jingzhen had already returned to Dragon Tiger Mountain, south of the Grand River, from Guanzhong.

With her return, assisting Yuan Mobai in handling the mansion’s affairs along with Shangguan Ning, the legitimate Celestial Master Tang Xiaotang and Elder Lei were finally able to rest assured and enter closed-door cultivation in peace, not concerning themselves with external affairs.

In Chang’an, another Elder from the mansion, who was also at the Sixth Heavenly Realm, took up permanent residence.

As the former capital of the Great Tang, the Celestial Master Mansion already had a dedicated Taoist Temple in Chang’an.

However, after the relocation of the capital, most of the corresponding staff moved to Luoyang.

In Chang’an, due to its proximity to the Sacred Land of the Alchemy Cauldron Sect, Pure Yang Palace, the Celestial Master Mansion did not dispatch more people, simply maintaining a presence there.

Now, this presence was starting to expand once more.

This certainly was not the Talisman Sect’s Sacred Land, the Celestial Master Mansion, taking the opportunity to move northward on a large scale and exert pressure on the Alchemy Cauldron Sect’s Sacred Land, Pure Yang Palace, which was suffering from Severely Damaged Vitality.

Rather, it was because Her Majesty the Empress herself had been staying in the Old Capital Chang’an for over three years, and it seemed she had no plans to return to the Imperial Capital Luoyang anytime soon.

As such, it was not only the Celestial Master Mansion; other families had also dispatched more personnel. They set up footholds in Chang’an to monitor changes in the Great Tang Court Situation at any moment.

"The Empress has been away from the capital for so long?" Lei Jun raised an eyebrow.

Yuan Mobai nodded lightly.

Previously, some speculated the Empress’s departure from the capital was a ploy to lure out certain characters, to see who would voluntarily step onto the stage she left behind. By now, however, hardly anyone thought so. The time had simply been too long.

Thus, under the ponderings of some observant individuals, another, bolder speculation began to emerge.

"Could it be that the Great Tang Dynasty is considering a move back to its old capital, back to Chang’an?" Lei Jun wondered curiously.

The Empress’s prolonged absence from Zhongzhou, staying in Guanzhong, was unanticipated by many.

Currently, the Western Regions were relatively peaceful, unlike the intense situation during the earlier demonic outbreak in the Western Regions.

Therefore, there was no need for the "Emperor to guard the national gate."

"Recently, voices advocating for the relocation of the capital have indeed been heard from the Imperial Court," Yuan Mobai nodded lightly.

After the initial surprise, people were not particularly shocked.

Throughout long history, not only were there precedents for such a situation, but there were many, with almost every dynasty having similar rumors.

Because in today’s world, the fortune of a dynasty is tied not only to the cohesion of the people’s hearts but also intimately linked to the Earth Vein Spiritual Qi.

This is not a subjective supposition, but an objective reality.

Therefore, the survival of a dynasty must adapt to its location and follow the changing currents.

Thus, moving the capital, even more than once within the same dynasty, is not entirely incomprehensible. There are even precedents of the Imperial Capital changing hands back and forth between two places over a thousand years.

The final location of the Imperial Capital is not immutable.

As for the Great Tang Dynasty possibly changing its old capital back to the new capital, the reason naturally lies in the consecutive great wars that happened previously.

Jiangzhou, Youzhou, Jinzhou, and the Guanlong Region, where Pure Yang Palace is located, all experienced four major upheavals in just about half a year.

Strictly speaking, none resulted in the complete annihilation of a power.

However, from a geopolitical standpoint, all four wars shattered the very foundations and heritage of the local powers.

Similar to Holy Land Sects or Prestigious Families, their sect headquarters and ancestral lands rely on the local environment. These are intertwined with the flow of Earth Vein Spiritual Qi, granting them strong geographical advantages.

And if the sect headquarters and ancestral lands were breached and utterly destroyed, it would undoubtedly disturb the earth veins.

To influence the fortune of both the landscape and the nation, not just any action would suffice.

But with major upheavals in Jiangzhou, Youzhou, Jinzhou, and Guanzhong in such a short period, the overall fortune and vitality of the Great Tang were inevitably affected.

It wouldn’t lead to the downfall of the nation. However, in the wake of such drastic changes, stabilizing the nation’s destiny anew required the Tang Imperial Court to adapt accordingly.

Although there hasn’t been any official major action yet, it looks like the Great Tang Dynasty’s Imperial Capital might indeed return to the Guanlong Region, back to Chang’an.

In light of this, Empress Zhang Wantong’s several-year stay in Chang’an was no longer surprising.

"Perhaps the location of the dragon’s head is still wavering, swaying between Chang’an and Luoyang," Yuan Mobai said. "It might take some more time, or perhaps another major upheaval, to completely stabilize."

To some extent, that meant that another major power, or perhaps more than one, was doomed to suffer.

Yuan Mobai continued, "In Luoyang, the Crown Prince is in charge by decree. However, most of the time, he listens and observes quietly, claiming his experience and talent are limited, so he primarily focuses on learning. At present, this hasn’t led to a situation of dual suns vying for glory. The Council Hall handles the majority of political affairs in the capital, with constant express reports sent to Chang’an. Matters too substantial and complex to decide are also reported to Her Majesty the Empress for judgment."

Lei Jun said, "The Crown Prince is still building his reputation. Though he is of age, he’s still somewhat green compared to Her Majesty the Empress."

Yuan Mobai said, "His Cultivation Realm has progressed very quickly. It was rumored that he had already reached the Sixth Heavenly Realm a couple of years ago."

If Crown Prince Zhang Hui were to reach the cultivation level of the Upper Three Heavens, it might mark the beginning of a new situation.

Yuan Mobai explained, "There hasn’t been much activity at Changjie Island in the East Sea. Although demon attacks occasionally occur along the coast, neither King Sea Chrysanthemum nor Thousand Leaves Butterfly King, the two Great Demons, have shown themselves in recent years. It’s rather the other regions that have been experiencing some disturbances."

In the Northern Lands, the top two Great Demons, Snow Country Bear King and Long Sky Gray Wolf, had erupted in fierce battle.

They had previously joined forces to move southward, breaking through Pure Yang Palace, trampling Zhongnan Mountain, and wreaking havoc in Guanzhong.

But with the Snow Country Bear King injured in a combined attack by Xiao Xueting and Jiasheng Upper Master, the situation changed entirely.