Protect Our Patriarch

...

As Emperor Longchang was muttering to himself, the three Southern Qin people, realizing the situation was dire, panicked and took to the sky, attempting to break through in three different directions.

"Boom!"

One of them, possessing immense strength, punched through the three guards blocking his path and roared furiously as he shot towards the sky. At the same time, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.

A high-pitched screech echoed as a massive, dark phoenix shadow suddenly appeared behind him. It was an enormous phoenix, almost solid, with vast, dark wings and crimson eyes exuding a terrifying malice. Its tail feathers, burning with nether fire, seemed infinitely long, stretching into the distant void.

The sinister aura of the netherworld burst forth with the appearance of this phoenix, sweeping across with endless malevolence and violence. In an instant, the entire world seemed filled with this aura, as if descending into the depths of hell.

Dharma Aspect Shadow, Netherfire Dark Phoenix!

At this moment, there was no room for holding back. With Emperor Longchang, a Lingxu Realm powerhouse, present, even the slightest hesitation could lead to instant death. The man dared not take any chances and unleashed his full strength.

With the Dharma Aspect of the Netherfire Dark Phoenix enhancing him, his aura surged continuously, his entire body emanating a dense, inky black demonic energy, as if embodying the unchallengeable might of the heavens.

On his hands appeared a pair of dark claw blades, resembling phoenix claws, emitting a chilling gleam and the terrifying power characteristic of a Divine Spirit Artifact.

It was clear that this was a Divine Realm Basalt cultivator.

"The Nether Phoenix bloodline, indeed a prince of the Murong Clan from Southern Qin!" Emperor Longchang's eyes flashed with fervor. "This lad's bloodline is pure, and he primarily cultivates the first half of the 'Netherworld Codex.' He's likely the Northern Mountain Prince of Southern Qin."

Southern Qin's overall national strength was considerably weaker than the Great Qian, with the number of princes consistently maintained between five and seven. As the emperor, he naturally knew the few princes of the neighboring country like the back of his hand.

In wartime, the opponent would often be surrounded by an army, making it difficult to kill a prince. Even for Emperor Longchang, the number of Divine Realm cultivators he had killed in his lifetime was limited.

But since this Northern Mountain Prince was alone today, he was likely doomed.

For a moment, Emperor Longchang felt a strong urge to jump out and kill that Northern Mountain lad, adding another glorious achievement to his imperial career.

"Your Majesty, you should restrain yourself," Wang Shouzhe advised. "Don't steal the glory from our allies."

Emperor Longchang's eye twitched. Going out with Wang Shouzhe was truly dull. He arranged everything meticulously, avoiding fights whenever possible, and even when a fight was necessary, he would arrange a suitable opponent.

There were no surprises, no accidents, everything passed so calmly and uneventfully.

He wanted to be reckless for once, but he had to set an example for his adopted granddaughter, Lixian, and it was indeed more important to have the Southern Barbarian Gu Clan pledge their allegiance.

Of course, in his view, the former reason was more important. Now that he was retired with the Wang Clan, if he led Lixian astray, he would likely be kicked out by the furious Liu Ruolan, the matriarch of the Wang Clan.

Not only would it be embarrassing, but he would also lose such a rare retirement place.

While he could shamelessly act unruly with Wang Shouzhe, he couldn't do the same with Liu Ruolan, could he? That would truly be disrespectful in his old age. Moreover, the Wang Clan's matriarch wouldn't tolerate him, would she?

Even as an emperor, living under someone else's roof, he had to be sensible.

As the emperor muttered to himself, the Northern Mountain Prince, whose bloodline had erupted, had already charged into the air, clawing at the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm blocking his path.

The chilling light cut through the air, with a terrifying power seemingly capable of shattering the heavens and earth.

Where the claw light reached, even space trembled violently, leaving a dark scar as if tearing the space apart.

Saintess Dai's face changed.

She had thought that the strength of these three spies was at most at the Purple Mansion Realm, but unexpectedly, there was a Divine Realm prince among them!

This battle was the Sacred Gu Clan's pledge of allegiance to the Great Qian! It had to succeed, failure was not an option!

If this Southern Qin prince escaped, the Sacred Gu Clan would be in big trouble!

Gritting her teeth, she suddenly slashed her left wrist.

A drop of black-red blood, exuding a powerful aura, shot out like lightning, entering the body of the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm.

At the same time, she took out an ancient insect flute, infused it with power, and began to play.

"Roar!"

The Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm trembled, erupting with a roar unlike any insect.

In the next moment, golden patterns appeared on its plump white body.

Its chubby body squirmed and trembled, an ancient and vast aura continuously emanating from within, transforming into waves of terrifying soul pressure spreading out.

A tangible storm of spiritual energy swept across the heavens and earth.

Suddenly, within a radius of dozens of miles, all the Gu insects let out a collective screech.

One after another, spiritual forces surged from these Gu insects, converging towards the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm in the sky.

Unknowingly, the aura emanating from the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm grew stronger and stronger, the spiritual energy storm sweeping the heavens and earth becoming more and more powerful and terrifying.

Even the space began to tremble under the strain.

The Northern Mountain Prince's face changed, hurriedly trying to use his divine powers to resist, but he was a step too late.

The speed of spiritual energy was incredibly swift.

The Northern Mountain Prince's profound energy had just been mobilized when he was swept into the terrifying spiritual storm, feeling as if his head had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, his mind dizzy, and even his profound energy somewhat unresponsive.

On his hands, the Spirit Artifact "Nether Phoenix Claws" also struggled to withstand the terrifying spiritual force, emitting mournful cries.

Great Divine Ability—"Dominion of Ten Thousand Gu"!

The spiritual energy storm before him was just one application of this great divine ability.

This was also the most terrifying aspect of the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm.

Not only did it possess strength equivalent to a human Divine Realm cultivator, but it was also an extremely rare soul-type, or spiritual-type, Gu insect, with a talent for dominion.

With the support of countless Gu insects from the Gu God Village, it could unleash extremely formidable combat power.

In group battles, it could even empower the Gu insects, awakening their bloodlines, allowing them to unleash greater combat power.

When countless Gu insects charged under the leadership of the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm, their combat power became incredibly formidable.

This was the fundamental reason it became the Sacred Gu Clan's inherited Sacred Gu.

Of course, this came at a cost.

As a Divine Realm Sacred Gu, Saintess Dai had to pay a considerable price to control the Heavenly Silkworm and unleash its full power. In just a short while, her face had already turned pale.

However, as long as she could control the Northern Mountain Prince, it was worth it.

As the saying goes, "strike while the iron is hot," seeing the Northern Mountain Prince hindered, Saintess Dai's eyes turned fierce, and she flicked her wrist, releasing three more Gu insects.

The three Gu insects grew rapidly in the wind, expanding several times in the blink of an eye before landing on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the three Gu insects were a giant black-red centipede, a completely red spider, and an inconspicuous gray scorpion about half a person's height.

These three Gu insects were all exceptionally powerful, each possessing peak eighth-order strength, exuding a formidable aura comparable to the pinnacle-level Purple Mansion Realm.

Of course, this was not enough.

Amidst the sound of the insect flute, the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm in the sky let out a sharp cry, suddenly splitting into three miniature Heavenly Silkworm shadows, which shot into the three Gu insects like lightning.

After splitting into these three shadows, the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm visibly weakened, but the three Gu insects' auras surged instantly, each exuding a power close to ninth-order Gu insects.

In the next moment, the giant centipede roared, its massive body charging towards the Northern Mountain Prince like a tank.

The half-person-high gray scorpion flickered and disappeared into the air, clearly a stealth-type Gu insect.

The completely red spider remained still, its massive abdomen suddenly swelling, spawning countless black-red spiders.

The dense swarm of spiders surged towards the Northern Mountain Prince like a tide, making one's scalp tingle.

With the four Gu insects working together, the Northern Mountain Prince was immediately besieged.

The giant centipede's body, tempered by the Sacred Gu Clan's secret methods, was extremely tough, with a defense comparable to eighth-order fierce beasts known for their defense. Although the Nether Phoenix Claws could tear its skin and cause significant injuries, they couldn't kill it instantly. Encouraged by the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm, it fought fearlessly, always blocking the Northern Mountain Prince's path.

The tide of black-red spiders had only one combat method: self-detonation. Each spider exploded, releasing a fire poison that could cause dizziness.

A single spider wasn't terrifying, but when countless spiders swarmed, even the Northern Mountain Prince dared not face them head-on.

Even though Divine Realm cultivators had strong bodies and high resistance to toxins, there was a limit. If so much fire poison accumulated, even a Divine Realm cultivator couldn't guarantee they could withstand it.

The gray scorpion lurked in the shadows, striking opportunistically.

Its low-key, dark tail stinger, seemingly able to swallow light, contained a terrifying toxin. Even the Northern Mountain Prince would be weakened and slowed for a while if stung.

Then, countless spiders would swarm.

Saintess Dai's Gu insects were clearly carefully coordinated. Although none of these attacks could directly threaten a Divine Realm powerhouse's life, their combined efforts posed a significant threat, causing the Northern Mountain Prince a headache. Coupled with the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm's area-controlling spiritual storm and its occasional mental assaults, they managed to hold the Northern Mountain Prince in place, preventing him from breaking through the encirclement.

However, the Northern Mountain Prince wasn't easy prey.

As a Southern Qin prince and Divine Realm powerhouse, his combat power was formidable. With the great divine ability "Nether Spirit Jade" in play, the Nether Phoenix Claws constantly struck, forcing most spiders to explode before they could approach. Combined with his rich combat experience, the gray scorpion had few opportunities to strike.

For a time, the two sides were evenly matched.

However, this was ultimately the Sacred Gu Clan's home ground, and it was foreseeable that if the battle continued, the Northern Mountain Prince would eventually be overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, the other Gu elders also joined the fray, each driving various Gu insects to join the interception.

Among them, Wa Bake, who had early pledged allegiance to "Prince An," was the most enthusiastic. He alone drove two seventh-order Gu insects and one eighth-order Gu insect, easily blocking a Southern Qin Purple Mansion Realm commandery prince.

At the same time, he shouted, "Elder Ga, you handle the other Purple Mansion commandery prince. The other Gu elders, assist Saintess Dai in taking down that Divine Realm prince. The opportunity for merit and success is right before you, don't miss it!"

Elder Ga looked troubled.

You shameless Wa Bake! You clearly want to perform well in front of the new master.

But at this point, Elder Ga knew the tide had turned and reluctantly joined the battle, putting in a good effort. Otherwise, after this matter, if Prince An and the new Saintess settled accounts, he would be in big trouble.

The entire battle, though seemingly lively, was actually without suspense. The Barbarian Gu Clan's powerhouses overwhelmed the few, smoothly annihilating a Southern Qin prince and two commandery princes.

Throughout the process, every Gu elder's hands were stained with "blood."

After recording everything with the Heavenly Recording Disk, Prince An couldn't help but say to Wang Shouzhe, "Shouzhe, by forcing the Barbarian Gu Clan to pledge allegiance, those people might not say it, but they probably resent you in their hearts. Why bother being the villain yourself?"

"This kid's getting cocky, just wants to show off," Emperor Longchang complained. "Actually, it would be best if I forced them to pledge allegiance. After all, they don't have much affection for me."

"In the future, Luojing will be the Saintess of the Barbarian Gu Clan," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "I want all the Gu elders to remember that Saintess Jing is not a rootless loner. Before bullying her, they'd better remember that she has a ruthless brother."

"You brat..."

Emperor Longchang was utterly speechless.

Wang Shouzhe's seemingly casual actions were not without purpose?

Alright~

I admit, my teachings on strategy to Wang Shouzhe have begun to show results.

...

Once the dust settled, everything proceeded smoothly.

Under the dual influence of the military pressure and the pledge of allegiance, no one in the Sacred Gu Clan opposed the prospective Saintess Jing succeeding as the Saintess of the Sacred Gu Clan.

Saintess Dai truly severed her life contract with the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm and passed on the "Holy Gu True Method" and the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm to Wang Luojing.

The Sacred Gu Clan's inheritance was divided into two parts: the Sacred Gu inheritance and the true method inheritance. Once Wang Luojing truly took charge of the Sacred Gu Clan, she could use the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm to enter the sacred inheritance land and receive the other half of the true method inheritance.

The entire process was equally uneventful, as if following a rehearsed script.

Subsequently, under the signatures and witness of Emperor Longchang and the former Saintess Dai, Prince An and Saintess Jing signed the agreement for the Sacred Gu Clan to submit to the Great Qian.

This agreement took over a decade from drafting to finalization. Many clauses were repeatedly negotiated and revised.

The main points of the agreement included the following:

First, the Southern Border Sacred Gu Clan officially announced both internally and externally that they would submit to the Great Qian Empire from now on. Their current territory would be established as a semi-autonomous commandery in the Southern Border, with the Great Qian appointing a Commandery Governor and other officials to oversee the Southern Border, while establishing a Sacred Gu Clan Elder Council to participate in governance.

This point included numerous detailed clauses, covering the scope of governance and solutions for conflicts between laws and local customs. Almost everything conceivable had been thoroughly considered.

Second, from now on, the Southern Border Commandery would follow the tax system of other commanderies in the Great Qian, with 25% as national tax and the remaining 75% as various local taxes.

Regarding taxation and subsequent laws, Prince An and Wang Shouzhe initially had some disagreements. According to Prince An, as a newly established commandery, the Southern Border should be exempt from some taxes, with full taxes collected after a century. Additionally, the laws should offer some leniency to the Southern Border people to quickly win their allegiance.

However, Wang Shouzhe disagreed. The conditions in the Southern Border were much better than decades ago. Reasonable taxation according to the Great Qian laws wouldn't impoverish them.

If the common people resisted, more propaganda and education would suffice.

If they weren't accustomed to paying taxes from the start, over time, they would consider not paying taxes as natural, and would be unwilling to pay taxes later.

In short, there could only be one set of laws throughout the Great Qian. Regardless of race, everyone should be treated equally.

Although the Southern Border Commandery was semi-autonomous, it didn't mean the Sacred Gu Clan could operate outside the Great Qian laws.

Every person in the Southern Border Commandery had to comply with conscription, pay taxes, and receive protection, all according to the Great Qian laws.

Of course, similarly, the family system implemented in the Great Qian also applied in the Southern Border Commandery.

If the people of the Sacred Gu Clan were willing to expand territories for the Great Qian and develop the outer regions, they could apply locally and receive a development order, following the normal family development model.

In summary, one phrase: equal treatment.

It was Wang Shouzhe's insistence on this point that once slowed the progress of the negotiations significantly.

However, Wang Shouzhe was firm on this matter and conveyed a message to Saintess Dai and the Gu elders through several indirect points.

If they couldn't accept this condition, everything would return to the way it was, and military conquest would proceed as necessary.

In the end, seeing the improving conditions in the Southern Border, Saintess Dai increasingly trusted Wang Shouzhe and ultimately compromised under his will.

Additionally, there were over a hundred miscellaneous clauses, some of which were quite beneficial to the Southern Border Commandery. For example, the Great Qian would invest annually to lead the development of various industries in the Southern Border Commandery.

Moreover, if the Southern Border semi-autonomous commandery encountered natural disasters or man-made calamities, the Great Qian would provide manpower, resources, and even military assistance. However, if the Great Qian went to war, the Southern Border's military must also accept conscription.

Many clauses won't be detailed here.

Once the agreement was signed, Emperor Longchang felt both invigorated and deeply disappointed, a contradiction.

The submission of the Southern Barbarian Gu Clan to the Great Qian and the resolution of many hidden dangers were undoubtedly a great achievement and honor during his reign, something that would be prominently recorded in history.

But in reality, he was just a figurehead, unaware of what transpired in between. By the time he knew, all he had to do was sign and stamp...

This was incidental.

If he hadn't shamelessly come to watch the excitement, Wang Shouzhe might have waited until everything was done before having Prince An bring the agreement back for him to stamp and be done with it.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Limei and Prince Dexin have been detained in the central army," Wang Shouzhe kindly reminded. "A prince and a grand marshal, it's better for you to handle them personally."

"Shouzhe, you're the most capable minister I've ever seen. Why don't you handle it all for me?" Emperor Longchang's tone carried the melancholy and dissatisfaction of being "usurped."

The implication was clear.

Aren't you quite capable? Why do you still need me to clean up?

If you have the guts, go ahead and execute Dexin and Xiao Limei! No matter how you handle it, you'll offend countless people.

"Alright, Your Majesty, please issue me a decree for full authority," Wang Shouzhe replied thoughtfully. "I'll handle everything strictly according to the Great Qian laws, without bias."

Emperor Longchang was momentarily speechless.

Shouzhe, you really dare, don't you?

However, because Wang Shouzhe dared, Emperor Longchang didn't.

Having experienced Shouzhe's capabilities, Emperor Longchang knew he had to protect him when necessary. If he made too many enemies and became disheartened, choosing to retire, it would be a disaster.

"I'll handle Dexin and Xiao Limei," Emperor Longchang waved his hand. "Once this is done, let's head home early. I do miss the leisurely days of having morning tea, playing mahjong, and card games at your Wang Clan."

The emperor's chess skills were "too high," and after bullying Shouzhe for too long, it became dull. Fortunately, the Wang Clan had plenty of card games, including mahjong, landlord, eighty points, and more, simple yet refreshing.

"Your Majesty, we can head home early," Wang Shouzhe said, looking at Emperor Longchang with a sigh. "But when will you issue a decree to settle your retirement funds with the national treasury and the Ancestral House? Our Wang Clan is small..."

"Didn't we just settle it?" The emperor glared, looking fierce, as if accusing first. "Shouzhe, are you trying to extort an old emperor's pension? I've bled for the Great Qian, for humanity..."

"Your Majesty, that's not how it works. Everything has its own account," Wang Shouzhe interrupted. "I heard from Ruolan that you felt playing mahjong without stakes was dull, so you issued a decree to play for money, resulting in losing three years' worth of pension. It's still owed. The therapy costs from Xian'er and me are a gift to you, but the gambling debt needs to be settled, right?"

The Wang Clan prohibited gambling internally, and family members could only play small stakes. But the emperor found it unsatisfying, and they had to find ways to curb him, lest he spoil the Wang Clan's atmosphere.

"Well, it's not appropriate to ask the national treasury and the Ancestral House for gambling debts... Let's find another way to repay it." The emperor's tone softened, looking innocently at Wang Shouzhe.

"Does Your Majesty have any private industries left?" Wang Shouzhe inquired, looking as if he was about to make the emperor bleed.

"No, I've given them all to my descendants," Emperor Longchang spread his hands, acting shamelessly. "I'm just a lonely old man, what do I need them for? Don't worry, I won't issue decrees to play for money in mahjong anymore."

Hearing this, Wang Shouzhe was not angry but pleased. He suddenly pulled out a stack of documents from his storage ring, smiling broadly, "Your Majesty, take a look at the outer region development project list... This task is quite good, there's a large high-grade spiritual vein, and Tianhe Daoist's divine power can't extract it..."

"..." Emperor Longchang.

...

In the blink of an eye, time flew by.

In the spring of the 3,260th year of the Longchang era.

It had been two years since the pacification of the Southern Border and the resolution of the hidden dangers posed by Dexin and others.

Wang Shouzhe was now 134 years old, with a large family of descendants.

On an unnamed island two thousand miles from Ice Shard Island, Wang Shouzhe sat quietly cross-legged on a small hill.

Behind him stood a towering tree, several dozen zhang high.

The thick trunk extended in all directions, supporting a massive canopy like a green umbrella. The verdant leaves rustled, emitting green light, forming a huge energy shield centered on the towering tree.

It enveloped Wang Shouzhe below, providing him with an absolutely safe space.

This towering tree was naturally Wang Shouzhe's life spirit plant, Wang Lixian.

Over the years, under Wang Shouzhe's profound energy catalysis, Wang Lixian had advanced to the seventh order. Usually, in the Wang Clan, to accommodate her father's desire to keep a low profile, she deliberately kept her size small.

Now, her true form fully extended, she was almost as large as the old Changchun tree in Changchun Valley. In terms of strength, she was not much inferior.

At this moment, the man and the tree were here for one reason: Wang Shouzhe was about to advance to the Purple Mansion Realm.

Since his bloodline aptitude transformed to the innate spirit body level, Wang Shouzhe's already impressive cultivation speed accelerated further. In less than twelve years, he had completed the accumulation and refinement of profound energy, reaching the standard for advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm.

At this moment, he was making final refinements and adjustments, preparing for the upcoming advancement to the Purple Mansion Realm.

Thinking about his imminent entry into the Purple Mansion Realm, even Wang Shouzhe's calm mind couldn't help but feel a slight thrill.

Having traversed for 118 years, the arduous journey was vividly remembered, and his heart gradually surged with emotion.

Once in the Purple Mansion, he would be an esteemed figure, with a lifespan of up to 800 years!

In his previous life on Earth, that would be akin to a terrestrial immortal.

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