Chapter Fifteen: The Sage Without Mercy

“What divine retribution?” Liu Ru asked instinctively.

“Floods, earthquakes, plagues, locust swarms, volcanoes, droughts, torrential rains, darkness, perpetual daylight, frost and snow,” Su Ziye replied calmly. “These are the ten calamities that have occurred, none repeating, and so they are collectively known as the Ten Divine Punishments.” Su Ziye smiled slightly. “Perhaps there would have been an eleventh or twelfth, but as the city-states that dared defy the will of the Sage were destroyed one by one by these punishments, everyone gradually accepted Yue Yi the Sage as the sole ruler of this land.”

“This marked the advent of the Age of Sages,” Su Ziye gazed at Liu Ru and continued, “Heaven and earth are merciless, treating all things as straw dogs.”

“And the Sage is merciless, treating the people as straw dogs.”

“Countless citizens perished under the Ten Divine Punishments, yet soon after, the land returned to a long-lost peace. Which is right or wrong, which weighs more or less, is impossible to judge.”

“But one thing is clear: humanity finally gained a sober understanding of the power of the Sage.”

“In fact, before this, when humans first reached the threshold of the Celestial Realm, they grew arrogant, likening themselves to gods. I still call these people monsters, for they could easily annihilate a nation.”

“But a Sage is entirely different.”

“To date, humanity has produced three Sages, each with powers utterly distinct, with no discernible pattern. At the Celestial Realm, there are many beings with similar abilities and comparable might, but for Yue Yi, his Sagehood is defined by the word ‘comprehensive.’”

“Just like the Ten Divine Punishments he unleashed, which were not so much a cruel slaughter as a display of elegant and magnificent power.”

“He could summon the forces of heaven and earth at will, punishing his enemies without boundaries or limits. In short, Yue Yi allowed humanity to glimpse what a true god might be.”

“And such a being exists among us, a creature transformed from humanity itself.”

“What happened next?” Liu Ru asked Su Ziye, though she already sensed the answer within.

“Afterwards, Yue Yi established the Academy,” Su Ziye replied simply. “He invited the other two Sages to reside at Nightleaf Academy, and with their help, the Academy was finally founded. In fact, every blade of grass and stone you see in the Academy may have been planted or laid by those three Sages themselves.”

Liu Ru imagined the scene, feeling her heart stirred, but then realized something. “But why did the other two Sages eventually leave?”

“And…” Her thought remained unfinished.

For it was well known.

Yue Yi was dead.

The other two Sages of his era were still active in this world, but Yue Yi, who left the most traces, founded the Age of Sages, and created Nightleaf Academy as his legacy, ultimately died.

“And why did Yue Yi die, right?” Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru and said quietly, “Because he fell into confusion.”

“Why did Yue Yi wish to become a Sage? Because he wanted the power to change the world. Yet when he finally gained it, he discovered that whatever he did, the world only grew worse.”

“When you can see the future, everything you do becomes constrained. Take the Ten Divine Punishments, for instance.” Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru. “They were Yue Yi’s means to awe the world, ending all wars in the shortest time, for every war seeks victory, and no one wishes to start a conflict that means their own destruction.”

“Afterwards, Yue Yi changed nothing more.”

“He was unlike the Primordial Emperor, who built a powerful army to conquer the world and force all to submit under his feet, though for Yue Yi, this would have been effortless.”

“He never issued any superfluous commands to the original rulers either. He seemed aloof, yet said nothing, did nothing.”

“All trembled before the terror of the Sage, suppressing their desires, living blandly and obediently like sheep. The land quickly became stagnant and lifeless.”

“Yes, such a life may have been better than the chaos of war, but only just.”

“Society lost progress and drive; everything fell into stagnation and silence.”

“Yue Yi saw all this, but made no change.”

“He simply established the Academy.”

“The Academy recruited the best students from all over the world, gave them the finest education and the most relaxed environment, and once their studies were complete, returned them to the world.”

“Yue Yi hoped that what he could not comprehend might be understood by more brilliant youth.”

“And so, finally, a result emerged,” Su Ziye said with a long sigh.

“The first result was the founding of the Aus Empire. When Xia roamed the clouds, he once found a remarkable boy, whom he brought to Nightleaf Academy and took as his first disciple. When that boy came of age, he returned to the western continent, led a great uprising, uprooted the seven kingdoms there, and finally established the Aus Empire. Incidentally, the North Boat you once saw belonged to the Blade of Blue Wings, the remnants of those kingdoms, still seeking to reclaim their former glory.”

“And when the first domino fell, another stepped forward.”

“His name was Ye Xuanyin, though now we call him Emperor Yuan Tai.”

“He was the founder of the Lanye Empire, and the man who raised the banner of rebellion against his own teacher.”

“Why?” Liu Ru couldn’t help but ask.

Why would a student oppose their teacher?

Especially since, from Yue Yi’s actions, he was undoubtedly a great man.

“Because Emperor Yuan Tai disliked the lifeless world under the Sage’s rule,” Su Ziye said quietly to Liu Ru. “The founding of the Aus Empire happened because that land was distant, and the Sage’s radiance could hardly reach so far.”

“But Emperor Yuan Tai faced the very Sage who sowed the Ten Divine Punishments.”

“So, what would the outcome be?” Su Ziye smiled and asked Liu Ru.

Liu Ru could not imagine what would happen next.