Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

The laws governing the operation of Earth are clearly that everything follows time and, in accordance with a specific order, will eventually experience birth, aging, sickness, and death, without exception.

What then is the Heavenly Dao of the martial arts world and the historical world of the new dynasty?

Taking advantage of the opportune moment, Ye Xuan once again infused his perception into the historical world.

This time, history has once again crossed a different timeframe, with about three months having passed since the end of the Battle of Kunyang.

Looking out forty miles outside Chang'an, a massive, dark army, its more than 100,000 metal armor gleaming in the sunlight.

In the midst of the vast army, only one kind of red flag flew high:

The "Green Forest Han Army" was led by Liu Xiu, who had just won a battle.

Now that 12 Han troops are about to besiege Chang'an, Wang Mang is anxious and worried.

He questioned Grand Tutor Tang Zun beside him, "What is the current state of the city's garrison?"

Tang Zun was somewhat flustered and hurriedly replied:

"Reporting back to Your Majesty, the city is garrisoned by over ten thousand troops, who are already setting up defensive lines."

Halfway through his sentence, a hint of despair flashed in Tang Zun's eyes. In the end, the losses in the Battle of Kunyang were still too great.

In the Battle of Kunyang in June, Wang Mang dispatched almost all of his skilled generals and nearly all of his manpower.

That army of over 100,000 men and numerous capable generals was his desperate gamble; if he failed to quell the rebellion, the outcome would be the same as today.

The royal lands surrounding Chang'an have all been seized by the Han army. The current capital of the dynasty is nothing more than an isolated city with only old and frail officials and common people.

In Wang Mang's aged and cloudy eyes, there was not only despair, but also a deep sense of resentment.

He ordered the remaining ministers to come to the high altar built within the city and ask the heavens a question:

"Could it be that I fabricated the Mandate of Heaven, while Liu Xiu is truly the one who has attained the Way of Heaven?"

Wang Mang tilted his head back, his breath weak, his face etched with the marks of time, bearing the deepest resentment and regret.

Seeing this, the four attendants beside Wang Mang quickly surrounded him in the crowd and tried to persuade him:

"Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven; you must not utter such discouraging words!"

"What about Liu Xiu and the rebels?"

Wang Mang retorted with a question to his ministers, leaving them speechless. He had already seen through everything, and now such words of advice sounded more like sarcasm to him.

Liu Xiu's army will be at the city gates in half an hour. When they storm into Weiyang Palace, Wang Mang's head will fall to the ground.

And the new dynasty he had maintained for over a decade, the one upon which his grand dreams were placed, was about to come to an end…

Wang Mang returned to his palace alone and took out the white stone from years ago that he had forged the Mandate of Heaven. It had the words "Announce to Anhan Duke Wang Mang that he shall be Emperor" engraved in red on it.

Wang Mang stared blankly at the white stone, and no one knew how much time had passed.

Until a eunuch with a shrill voice burst in, and he knelt on the ground in extreme fear, saying:

"Your Majesty, the rebels have breached the city gates, and Liu Xiu is currently in the front hall of Weiyang Palace..."

"You must run, Your Majesty! Lord Ai Zhang has already assembled a guard. Your Majesty, your health is at stake!"

Following closely behind the eunuch was Ai Zhang, a former general, who led more than ten men to escort Wang Mang on his escape.

But Wang Mang flatly refused: "How could a mere handful of people escape from Liu Xiu's army of over 100,000?"

His life was already hanging by a thread; even if he managed to escape today, he wouldn't live much longer.

Wang Mang then ordered Ai Zhang to escort him to the front hall of Weiyang Palace, where he saw Liu Xiu, the Han imperial relative who was about to personally overthrow the Xin Dynasty and was a ninth-generation descendant of Liu Bang.

"Wang Mang, you usurper of the Han throne, since you do not flee today, I, Liu Xiu, will cut off your head to offer as a sacrifice to our ancestors!"

Before the palace, Liu Xiu, with his tall and imposing figure and heroic appearance, spoke first, drawing his long sword and pointing it directly at Wang Mang on the throne.

……

Ye Xuan quietly observed this moment when one dynasty came to an end and another rose to prominence.

His gaze was fixed on Liu Xiu and Wang Mang, and he suddenly thought of how history would unfold—

Today, the new dynasty has perished, and soon the Eastern Han Dynasty will be established by Liu Xiu, which will once again shine for hundreds of years.

After that, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke up the Eastern Han Dynasty, eventually leading to a period of warlordism and the Three Kingdoms period.

Later, the long Three Kingdoms period ended, the Sima family seized the victory, and the world was unified under the Jin Dynasty!

However, this short-lived Jin Dynasty did not last long, and history soon developed into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, a time of moral decay and social upheaval...

For the next thousand years, through every dynasty, it seemed to be the same.

The world, after a long period of division, will eventually unite; after a long period of unity, it will eventually divide.

But under this ironclad historical law, Ye Xuan, observing the world, could only see the people of the current dynasty suffering torment back and forth between the new and old dynasties.

Thus, whenever war and division occur, it is only the common people who suffer.

Regarding the natural order of history, the saying "The world, after a long period of division, will unite; after a long period of unity, will divide" sparked a bold idea in his mind—

If there could be an immortal dynasty... then the natural order of this world would not need to be like this.

The instant this thought arose, Ye Xuan realized that his consciousness and perception seemed to be nailed to this historical world.

He could not freely withdraw his senses and return his consciousness to the real world; he could only watch closely as the fate of the new and old monarchs changed.

Wang Mang was speechless. Facing the enemy's sharp swords, he raised the white stone in his hand, intending to smash his head against it and commit suicide!

He boasted that his life had its faults, but it had also been glorious and magnificent. For Wang Mang, dying by the enemy's sword would be too shameful.

"what!"

He resolutely closed his eyes, embracing the white stone engraved with "Destiny," but after a few seconds, he felt no pain.

Wang Mang opened his eyes suspiciously, watching as the white stone inexplicably slipped from his hand and rolled down the vermilion steps, landing in front of the Han army's formation.

Immediately, dark clouds gathered over Chang'an, which had been under a clear blue sky.

A deafening clap of thunder pierced through the leaden clouds and also through the rubble of the Weiyang Palace.

With a deafening roar, the thunderbolt struck the white stone squarely, blasting it into powdery dust that drifted away with the wind.

Liu Xiu was overjoyed and looked up at the light shining through the cave.

A thunderbolt struck the white stone inscribed with the forged Mandate of Heaven, a sign of Heaven's power, showing its disapproval of Wang Mang's misdeeds.

"The Way of Heaven." He was about to use this to boost morale when he heard several muffled claps of thunder in his ear.

The continuous booming sounds pierced the hearts of everyone present, while the several thunderclaps that had just arrived were aimed at their Han army!

After the thunderbolt exploded, dozens of Han soldiers were blasted to death, their bodies charred and ashes, and they perished on the ground.

This scene left everyone bewildered, staring blankly at the deep craters created by the lightning bolts in the palace.

Only in Wang Mang's ear did a faint voice ring out:

"I am the Celestial Venerable of the Heavenly Dao. I now unleash heavenly lightning. You shall lead your army to meet the challenge."

The voice was clear and majestic, as if it truly contained an unquestionable divine power.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Wang Mang was greatly encouraged!

He drew his imperial sword and shouted at the still chaotic Han army:

"Our new dynasty is aided by Heaven! Today, lightning strikes! Kill!"

The newly formed army, which had been fighting fiercely outside the palace, and the Han army, which was unaware of what was happening, both stopped fighting and watched in disbelief as the lightning descended from the sky, slowly forcing Liu Xiu's vanguard of more than a thousand men out of the Weiyang Palace.