Chapter 264.1 - I Became the Legendary Emperor Throughout the Ages After I Started Giving Away My Territory

The fleet sailed northward along the river and arrived at the estuary in less than half a month.

After staying at the estuary for two days, they set sail, riding the wind and waves towards the island named ‘Painting Realm’, where the Master Painter resided.

At this time, many people from the rivers and lakes, noble family scions, and royal offspring also set sail towards the direction of Painting Realm after receiving the news.

There are also some highly skilled martial artists who walk directly on the waves, which is quite elegant.

Along the way, Lin Beifan encountered several of these people.

One of them even jumped onto Lin Beifan’s Dragon Boat and arrogantly declared, “Sorry, you’ve been robbed! If you know what’s good for you, be obedient, lest I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!”

But the next second, he was dumbfounded.

Because he realized that the people on the boat seemed to be really strong, with more than a dozen whose strength he couldn’t even fathom.

“Sorry! Wrong boat!”

Lin Beifan said expressionlessly, “Sorry, but you can’t leave now.”

The other party drew a knife, “Brother, it’s always better to leave some room and take it easy so we can meet again in the future!”

“Meeting is not as good as reminiscing, and reminiscing is not as good as mourning!” Lin Beifan waved his hand.

“Go break his limbs, cripple his martial arts, and throw him into the sea to feed the fish for me!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” An innate master took action.

Without any surprise, the man was dealt with and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.

Many people watched from a distance, whispering among themselves.

“Such an idiot… That guy really had a death wish. Just one look at the Dragon Boat and you know it’s the Great Xia Emperor on board! The Great Xia Emperor must have experts protecting him, maybe even a Grandmaster, and yet he dared to attempt a robbery?”

“The forest is big and has all kinds of birds! Such fools are everywhere in the rivers and lakes, thinking a little skill makes them incredible! Little do they know there’s always someone better out there!”

“That’s why you should make your stance clear and never offend those you shouldn’t when you’re in the rivers and lakes!”

Everyone slowly steered clear of the Dragon Boat fleet to avoid accidentally offending Great Xia.

After another two days, they finally arrived at the outskirts of ‘Painting Realm.’

From afar, they saw a mountain rising from the sea, covered with peach blossoms, pear blossoms, and other flowers, painting the whole mountain in a myriad of colors.

Shrouded in sea mist, the island truly resembled a realm of paintings.

“This is Painting Realm, where Master Painter resides within a square li area!”

Yaoyao introduced, “Because Master Painter loves painting and pursues all the beauty in the world, he has made his dwelling as beautiful as a poem or painting! It is said that on his island, he has planted hundreds of varieties of flowers and trees! When spring comes, the flowers bloom in such splendor that it’s like a paradise!”

The women listened with great longing.

“Really? Is the island really full of flowers and plants?”

“I really want to go and see it!”

“Let’s hurry, I can’t wait any longer!”

The fleet sped up, hoping to land on the island sooner.

But after half a day, they hadn’t gotten any closer, as if they were just moving in place.

Everyone was very puzzled.

At that moment, Peerless Spear Immortal and Sword Elder furrowed their brows and asked, “Master, is there something strange about this island?”

Lin Beifan asked with a smile, “What’s strange?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it… It feels very fake, like a mirage!”

Lin Beifan clapped his hands and laughed, “Exactly, it’s fake! This is a test from Master Painter for all of us!”

“A test?” Everyone was puzzled again.

“Have you forgotten? The reason Master Painter wants us all to come here is to find a successor to carry on his legacy! What do you think is the most important ability for a painter?”

“To paint?”

Lin Beifan shook his head, “Many people can paint, but that’s not the most important thing! To truly understand painting as a path, the most important thing is to see through illusions to the truth.”

The crowd was confused but listened intently.

Lin Beifan continued, “Only by seeing through the illusions of the world and extracting the essence can you depict it on paper and make it come to life! If you can’t even do that, you’re just a soulless craftsman, not a true painter.”

“Just like these two paintings!”

Lin Beifan took out two paintings from the boat and said, “Look at these two paintings, both are of fish, but one fish is depicted with just a few strokes, yet it captures the essence of the fish, lively and lifelike!”

“But the other painting, although it’s also of a fish with more brushstrokes, more detailed lines, and richer colors, it still looks lifeless.”

“Really, there’s such a big difference!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Beifan continued, “That’s the difference between the two! One can be called a work of art and sell for a thousand taels of silver in the market! But the other might not even sell for one tael!”

“Master Painter is looking for a painter who can see through illusions to the essence, that’s why he set up this test! Those who can see through it can naturally reach the island, those who can’t will never make it!”

“But…”

Yaoyao pointed to the island ahead, asking in confusion, “How did he do this?”

Lin Beifan smiled and said, “He used the world as his canvas to create this illusion! It seems close at hand, but it’s actually worlds away! We seem to be approaching the Painting Realm, but we’re just going in circles! However, once you see through the illusion, you can find the flaw and land on the island successfully!”

“Is it that complicated?” Yaoyao muttered softly.

“Actually, there’s a very simple way!” Lin Beifan said.

“What is it?” Yaoyao asked.

Lin Beifan pointed ahead and said, “Disciple, use all your strength to destroy the sea area in front of us, we’ll brute force our way through!”

“Yes, Master!”

The two Grandmasters took out their divine weapons and swung with all their might.

“Boom” “Boom…”

The sea area in front of them exploded with water splashing everywhere.

Many reefs were also sunk.

After a moment, the scene in front of them seemed to change, looking a bit more real.

But just then, an elder dressed in a white robe, with the appearance of a young boy despite his white hair, rushed out from the island and, standing on the sea surface, angrily exclaimed, “What are you doing? Hey, what exactly are you doing?”

Lin Beifan said with a smile, “What else could we be doing?Isn’t the Master Painter set up a test here to find a successor? How can we pass the test if we don’t ‘break’ through the illusion?”

“But you didn’t have to be so barbaric and violent!”

The old man said with heartfelt pain, “Do you know what you have destroyed? It’s art, you’ve destroyed art!”

Lin Beifan said expressionlessly, “To me, art is an explosion!”

The old man exclaimed, “F*ck!”

***