Wu Qingyu said to Chen Shi, "You seem worn out from the temple?"

Chen Shi replied, "Definitely worn out. Last time she helped me interpret the Dao patterns on the Heaven Measuring Iron Ruler, she was so exhausted she fainted."

Wu Qingyu rolled her eyes and whispered, "Do you understand what this implies? Show some concern for her, and she'll hold you in her heart—the only way to progress your relationship further."

Suddenly enlightened, Chen Shi entered the small temple with his Primordial Spirit.

Watching him, Wu Qingyu thought, "Each generation is worse than the last."

Lady Houtu meticulously noted these flaws, practicing them repeatedly in her mind, before solemnly retrieving the West King Jade Seal, handing it to Chen Shi, saying, "The True King must unify the Yin Yang Two Realms soon."

Chen Shi received the True King Seal, bowed slightly to the lady, left the Houtu Temple, and walked down the Yellow Earth Slope, coincidentally meeting Chen Tang.

Chen Tang asked, "You disappeared days ago, taking the black pot. Now you've returned without it. Where did you dispose of the black pot?"

Chen Shi was deep in thought, and suddenly said, "Father, Lady wants me to unify the Yin Yang Two Realms."

On hearing this, Chen Tang said, "The Yan Family has been destroyed for several months now; the other Twelve Families have long allied. Whichever family you attack, the remaining eleven will unite against you. Among the Twelve Families, there are numerous Mahayana Realm masters, and they control the underworld filled with powerful Ghost Gods. To seize them, I'm afraid many will die. Now Red Mountain Hall prospers, producing exceptional cultivators; the longer we wait, the more advantageous it becomes for us..."

Chen Shi interrupted, "Lady has named me True King."

Chen Tang originally had more to say, but hearing this, he was taken aback, his voice raspy, "True King?"

Though he knew this day would come, he still felt apprehensive.

His son was truly going to rebel.

His son becoming the True King—does that make him the Supreme Emperor?

A myriad of chaotic thoughts flooded his mind: Should Chen Shi change his surname to Zhu? Or just rebel outright? Employ eunuchs? Use palace maids? Move to the Western Capital? Will he earn honor due to his son's glory? Will anyone gossip about him?

He snapped back to reality to find Chen Shi long gone.

Quickly regaining his composure, Chen Tang sought Scholar Zhu, informing him, "Little Ten plans to seize the throne from the teacher's family..."

Scholar Zhu laughed heartily, "Does the world bear the Zhu surname? Hardly. Why am I the only Zhu? I've already left this world hanging on willows, gifted it to him."

Chen Tang thanked him.

Bidding farewell to Scholar Zhu, he urgently sought Chen Shi's four great disciples, saying, "Fellow Dao Brothers, your master is soon to be named True King, please widely invite the wanderers to gather."

Dragon Traveling Wanderer and others understood that if Chen Shi claimed True King's title, they'd face backlash from the major families. So they invited wanderers to gather, amassing strength.

Chen Tang went to Little Heavenly Realms, instructing Li Tianqing, Yu Tiancheng, Yang Bi, and others to relocate the Six Ministries to Xinxiang City.

He met Situ Wen, mobilizing Lu Ban Sect's power to repair Xinxiang City, constructing royal palaces, various halls, and building a large camp on Qianyang Mountain to ally various camps.

During the initial disaster, the Western Capital was decimated, invaded by sea demons, and its court collapsed; Chen Tang attracted the Six Ministries' staff to Red Mountain Hall under its banner. The Ministry of Industry held the most staff.

These officials excelled at designing buildings, Magical Treasures, refineries, yet held low positions and little pay in the court. Upon joining Red Mountain Hall, their pay and status flourished, being granted various cultivation techniques and resources, they advanced rapidly.

They constructed Xinxiang City fast.

Chen Tang summoned Yang Bi, Sun Yisheng, and others, establishing ministerial roles, arranging Red Mountain Hall and Heavenly Court personnel according to their abilities, handling different affairs.

He barely caught his breath before heading directly to Mengta City.

Post-disaster, many areas were desolated with deaths, but Mengta City saw survival.

Outside Mengta City stood a large town filled with varying firearms, from muskets to General Cannons, iron caltrops to even larger ones. Surrounding the town were firearm factories belonging to Lu Ban Sect.

Townspeople, all highly skilled cultivators, were strictly disciplined.

"Why has Mr. Chen come?"

Surprised at the dusty-faced Chen Tang's arrival, Jin Hongying quickly invited him in.

Xiao Wangsun brought a pale young girl, asking her to bow to Chen Tang.

"Congratulations to the virtuous couple."

Chen Tang gifted the young girl an ornamental hairpin engraved with talismans.

"Little Mr. Chen, would you like our girl to wed your Chen Shi?" Jin Hongying laughed.

Xiao Wangsun solemnly shook his head.

Watching the town's thousands of cultivators, Chen Tang praised, "Back then, the virtuous couple led Divine Mechanism Camp from the Western Capital to Mengta—utterly admirable, safeguarding Mengta and weathering four years of calamity, truly noble."

Jin Hongying smiled pridefully, Xiao Wangsun couldn't help but grin.

The town's thousands of cultivators were Divine Mechanism Camp soldiers; during the calamity, sea demons invaded, breaching the Western Capital's shoreline wall, entering en masse. Divine Mechanism Camp covered the rear, risking lives against demons, yet failed to hold.

Jin Hongying barely survived demon assault, Xiao Wangsun fiercely saved her. As the camp leader, Xiao Wangsun commanded soldiers to break through the siege.

Arriving at the Western Capital, they found officials had long abandoned the people; the capital fell, countless citizens died.

Leading the Divine Mechanism Camp, they shielded and guided surviving citizens eastward, fighting relentlessly, traversing thousands of miles to safety. Jin Hongying and Xiao Wangsun later settled the camp at Mengta.

It was the epicenter of Mengta's demon transformation; Jin Hongying the sole survivor, with Xiao Wangsun vanquishing demon seeds.

Returning amidst calamity, they guarded Mengta's people.

Under soldier witnesses, they married, becoming spouses, bearing a daughter.

Even post-calamity, they hadn't returned to the Western Capital.

Chen Tang once invited them to Red Mountain Hall, but Jin Hongying and Xiao Wangsun declined.

Pondering a bit, Chen Tang spoke, "My son Chen Shi will raise the banner of righteousness in Xinxiang Imperial City, self-proclaiming as True King, defying Twelve Families, restoring justice to the world. I've come to inform you, Little Ten seeks neither prosperity nor power, but aims to eradicate the evil spirits exploiting the people!"

Pressing his lips, he continued, "Now, we are few and need both your strength and Divine Mechanism Camp's power. The Mengta demon transformation and world calamity must not reoccur."

Xiao Wangsun hesitated; despite his bond with Chen Shi and Chen Yin, he had little interest in the power struggle.

During his indecision, Jin Hongying smiled, "Rest assured, Mr. Chen, our couple and Divine Mechanism Camp will surely go to Xinxiang Imperial City!"

Chen Tang exhaled, thanking them sincerely, and departed.

Frowning, Xiao Wangsun remarked, "We swore not to meddle with court matters."

Jin Hongying chuckled, "Little Ten is indebted to us, and Chen Yin could count as your half-teacher; how could we refuse their cause? Besides, don't you wish to see whether Little Ten can wisely use your gifted West King Jade Seal?"

Contemplating, Xiao Wangsun said, "Indeed. I desire to see if another can safely hold the True King throne our Zhu family hasn't sat upon for over six millennia."

Promptly, Jin Hongying gathered Divine Mechanism Camp soldiers, uprooting camp and advancing with various firearms to Xinxiang City.

Chen Tang tirelessly connected idle Western Capital's talents, running himself thin within only ten days. Exiting the Honglu Temple official's residence, a voice spoke behind him.

"Mr. Chen, with True King's enthronement, wouldn't he need our Eastern Factory?"

—Sorry, today is all I'll write for this chapter.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.