In the world of "Covering the Sky": An Analysis of the Ancient Sacred Body at the Start

"It would be better if I just transmigrated into the body of an emperor; otherwise, I'd have to go to great lengths to rebel for the sake of the nation's fate..."

Yu Yi's transmigrated identity is Zhu Houzhao, the tenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, also known as the Zhengde Emperor, who had just ascended the throne three months ago.

"The martial arts level in this Ming Dynasty martial arts world is not low. The most powerful terrestrial immortals are probably no weaker than ordinary Divine Bridge Realm cultivators..."

Having received Zhu Houzhao's memories, Yu Yi gained a general understanding of the martial arts world of the Ming Dynasty.

The martial arts world has a strict hierarchy: third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, acquired, innate, grandmaster, great grandmaster, celestial realm, and terrestrial immortal.

A martial artist at the Celestial Realm can fight an entire army single-handedly, while a terrestrial immortal can harness the power of heaven and earth for their own use. Although they cannot live forever, their lifespan can reach three hundred years.

In this world of martial arts where powerful figures abound, the emperor's situation is both awkward and extremely dangerous.

In the end, the world is ruled by the strong. In the eyes of those top martial artists, the so-called emperor may just be a puppet that can be replaced at any time.

"However, Zhu Houzhao is not stupid. He knows how to hide his talents, and his martial arts talent is also extremely outstanding. At a young age, he has already become a Xiantian Realm martial artist..."

Zhu Houzhao appeared arrogant and domineering, indulging in pleasure, like a good-for-nothing playboy.

In reality, he had been secretly cultivating diligently, and had already broken through to the Innate Realm at the age of fifteen.

A fifteen-year-old martial artist at the Innate Realm would be an absolutely brilliant genius in the martial arts world, someone that would make all the major sects fight tooth and nail for.

But in a world where Grandmasters are everywhere and even Celestial Realm experts hold positions in the imperial court, the strength of a mere Innate Realm expert is simply not enough!

Whether it's Zhu Wushi, Cao Zhengchun, or even Zhuge Zhengwo, they are all martial artists at the Celestial Realm.

The Ming Dynasty was able to suppress the world for a reason: there was a terrestrial deity in the palace, namely the legendary eunuch Sanbao.

That was the legacy left by Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di), who always stayed in the deep palace but never interfered in worldly affairs.

"Internally, Cao Zhengchun wields immense power, outwardly obeying the emperor but inwardly defying him; externally, Zhu Wushi, eyeing the throne and controlling the Dragon Guard Manor, plots to seize power..."

"The martial arts world is also in turmoil. Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue will have a decisive battle at the Forbidden City on the fifteenth of August, their true purpose being to assassinate the emperor..."

"It really is a case of internal and external troubles. I'm so glad I transmigrated here, otherwise, with Zhu Houzhao's abilities, he would have been played to death without even knowing it..."

Considering the historical cause of Zhu Houzhao's death—that he drowned from shock—it's utterly ridiculous.

The emperor's protective forces are formidable; how could he easily fall into the water? Besides, it's just falling into the water; it shouldn't cause him to fall seriously ill and eventually die, right?

Of course, that happened in another world and has nothing to do with this world, but we can see some clues from this incident.

In addition, the fact that martial artists in the martial arts world despise imperial authority can be seen from the fact that two mere swordsmen dared to declare a duel at the top of the Forbidden City.

Most importantly, the fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Six Doors, and the Dragon Guard Manor all turned a blind eye to this is something that deserves serious consideration.

"Hmm? Why is the Ming Dynasty's national fortune so low? No! Someone is draining the nation's fortune..."

Yu Yi activated the Yin-Yang Mirror to absorb the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty and convert it into source energy. However, he found that the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty was pitifully small, and it was gone after only converting a little over 5,000 units of source energy.

If the nation's fortune continues to be consumed, causing it to decline, once the critical point is exceeded, the entire Ming Dynasty will fall into turmoil, with natural and man-made disasters occurring constantly.

Yu Yi channeled his divine power into his eyes and immediately saw wisps of national fortune flowing in two directions, one of which was the inner palace.

"Could he be the eunuch Sanbao? Can a terrestrial immortal in this world really absorb the nation's destiny for cultivation?"

The person who absorbed the destiny of the Ming Dynasty possessed an extremely powerful aura, no weaker than an ordinary cultivator at the Divine Bridge Realm.

However, Yu Yi is no ordinary Divine Bridge Realm cultivator. He not only possesses the Ancient Sacred Body, but also cultivates the Nine Heavens Emperor Scripture, making him more than capable of easily crushing ordinary Other Shore Realm cultivators.

Yu Yi transformed into a divine rainbow and arrived in a remote, cold palace in the blink of an eye. No one would have guessed that a terrestrial immortal would live there.

"This old servant Zheng He greets Your Majesty. Your Majesty is truly a man of great hidden talent, and has astonished everyone with your sudden breakthrough, having quietly broken through to the realm of a terrestrial immortal..."

An old eunuch with white hair, a wrinkled face, and sunken eyes slowly walked out of the Cold Palace.

"No need for formalities, please rise! Let's go inside and talk. There are some things I'd like to ask you..."

Yu Yi did not deny it. Since Zheng He believed that he was a terrestrial immortal, then let him be one!

"After I broke through to the Land Immortal Realm, I discovered someone was absorbing the nation's fortune for cultivation, which led me to you. Besides you, who is the other person?"

"Your Majesty, that is another revered figure of our Great Ming, Wang Shouren. He is currently stationed on the northern border, defending against Pang Ban of the Demon Master's Palace..."

Wang Shouren, courtesy name Bo'an, also known as Wang Yangming, was the greatest synthesizer of the philosophy of mind, whose achievements were unparalleled in the Ming Dynasty.

Since attaining enlightenment in Longchang, he sat silently in the stone coffin to purify his mind and broke through to the realm of a terrestrial immortal.

"In recent decades, the remnants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the Demon Master Palace, have invaded the martial arts world of the Ming dynasty several times. During this period, Master Zhang of Wudang took action once and repelled the Demon Master Pang Ban."

"But the Demon Master Palace has not given up and has started harassing the Ming Dynasty again in recent years. Master Zhang is playing in the mortal world and his whereabouts are unknown. This old servant has no choice but to take action personally."

"Fortunately, Wang Shouren broke through to the realm of a terrestrial immortal several years ago, otherwise this old servant would have been too busy guarding the capital and resisting Pang Ban to handle everything..."

"Is Zhang Zhenren of Wudang the only immortal being in the martial world? When the Demon Master's Palace invaded the Ming Dynasty's martial arts world, did the other sects just sit idly by?"

Yu Yi didn't believe that Zhang Sanfeng was the only immortal on land in the vast martial arts world.

"As far as this old servant knows, there is a terrestrial immortal in Buddhism. This person is hiding in Shaolin, but he is very well hidden, and this old servant does not know his true identity."

"This old servant once contacted the Buddhist sect, asking their terrestrial immortals to step in and resist Pang Ban, but the Buddhist sect refused, citing their seclusion from the world and their aversion to worldly disputes."

"What eccentrics they are, detached from worldly affairs. Are they all otherworldly beings? Or do they think the court can't touch them?"

Yu Yi sneered upon hearing this. If they can sit idly by when foreign tribes invade, what use is such a sect?

Yu Yi felt a surge of murderous intent, and a trace of his aura leaked out. Zheng He immediately felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stood on end, and he looked up at Yu Yi in shock.

He's a late-stage Land Immortal, while His Majesty just broke through! How could his aura be so terrifying? It actually made him feel a fatal threat.

"Aside from Buddhism, are there no other immortals on earth in the martial arts world of the Great Ming Dynasty?"