170: I never consider status; I have no interest in status.

"Please ask!"

Although he was now invincible in the world, Huang Chen still showed a certain degree of respect toward the old man.

"The first question."

Long Pingsheng's voice was not loud, but it sounded powerful and resonant in their ears; "Are you willing to use your strength to become the sword of my Huaxia, to cut down all foreign insults, and protect my people?"

"Wherever the spearhead points, it is the land of my Forbidden City." Huang Chen's reply was as nonchalant as stating an insignificant fact.

"The land of the Forbidden City?"

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their heads in surprise. Could the Forbidden City be compared side by side with Huaxia?

Huang Chen ignored the others and merely said indifferently, "If Huaxia encounters difficulty, I will take action within the limits of my ability."

An invisible aura of killing intent spread with his words, and the temperature in the hall plummeted.

Nakamori Meicai, in the corner, involuntarily shivered, as if she had once again seen the demon god amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Long Pingsheng frowned. To be honest, he was not satisfied with this answer, but he continued to ask:

"The second question! If the Official Faction recommends you, allowing all of Huaxia to revere you as supreme, how will you treat them?"

"Heh heh!"

Hearing this, Huang Chen smiled.

He finally understood why such a grand display had been set up today.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over every face in the room, finally resting on Long Pingsheng.

Have him lead these old schemers?

Are they worthy?

A sneer curled his lips: "Recommend? Revere me as supreme?"

"Hahahahaha!!"

"If I, Huang Chen, wanted that position, why would I need anyone's recommendation!"

"May I ask Old Long, if I desired it, who in Huaxia currently could stop me?"

This nearly arrogant rhetorical question caused everyone to gasp.

Domineering! Absolutely domineering!

There were no superficial promises; his words were utterly arrogant.

Yet, no one could find a single point to refute him.

The name Huang Chen, at some unknown point in time, had become the rule, the direction, and the protection within the Huaxia Clan!

On Long Pingsheng's steady, mirror-like face, a rare hint of astonishment finally appeared.

He took a deep breath and muttered:

"Status seized through brute force is ultimately unattractive. If you could gain it..."

"Old Long!"

Before Long Pingsheng could finish, Huang Chen interrupted, "What use is power and status?"

"As long as you have strength, what status can you not obtain?"

"I never consider status; I have no interest in status!"

Time seemed to freeze; every second felt as long as a century, and the air was so heavy it was suffocating.

Sweat silently trickled down the temples of many high-ranking officials, fraying their nerves.

At this moment, they had only one thought: "Is this person crazy? He's refusing the immense wealth and glory handed to him?"

Tie Weiguo's hand, placed under the table, was trembling slightly, his knuckles white.

He slowly raised his head, his weathered face filled with unprecedented complexity.

His gaze swept over Long Pingsheng's rock-solid eyes, then over Huang Chen's cynical smile,

Finally, his eyes struggled to settle on the disconsolate Saintess in the corner, who symbolized the disgrace of the Sakura Country.

A person who slaughtered tens of thousands of Trial Takers in the cities of the Sakura Country like mere chickens and dogs, who killed the Licking Emperor, and captured the Saintess... a person who possessed a clone, ignored level barriers, and treated Diamond-rank monster territories like smooth paths... yet discarded the position of the Huaxia Son of Heaven like a worn-out shoe!

Was this the fortune of Huaxia, or its misfortune?

Did Huaxia's future have any other path besides being tied to this person's hands?!

Only at this moment did he truly realize that the era belonging to their generation had already irreversibly ended under the rules of the Star Abyss's arrival and the supremacy of strength.

Unlike the disappointment of Tie Weiguo and Long Pingsheng, the other high-ranking officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Huang Chen's refusal.

Huang Chen's actions were eccentric and domineering.

Working under his nose, they might be killed one day without even knowing why.

Just as everyone harbored their own thoughts.

Huang Chen suddenly received a large wave of System Notifications;

[Nakamori Meicai Affection +40, +10, +10, +10, +10!]

[Nakamori Meicai Affection: 60 (Intimate Friend Level.)

Nakamori Meicai looked at Huang Chen's back, her eyes shining brightly.

This Ojisan is simply too handsome, too wicked, and too overbearing!!

Moreover, the strength of his spear technique has completely conquered me... Huang Chen glanced strangely at Nakamori Meicai.

He thought: Is there something wrong with this woman?

I haven't even started training her, and her Affection is already increasing. How am I supposed to use the tricks I prepared?

Forget it. Never mind. Even if your Affection reaches 100, I'll still use what I planned.

He didn't pay much attention to Nakamori; she was just a bitch he had captured, merely a slave.

He looked back at Long Pingsheng and said, "There's no need to discuss this matter further. If I want that position someday, I will take it myself."

Upon hearing this, the two, Tie and Long, exchanged glances, and their aged faces instantly seemed to grow even older.

"In that case, we won't say anything more," Long Pingsheng said disappointedly. "We only hope that if Huaxia faces trouble in the future, you will step forward."

"I will!"

Huang Chen nodded, then looked at Tie Weiguo and continued, "Actually, I came here today to discuss one other matter with Old Tie."

"What is it?" Tie Weiguo asked.

Huang Chen did not answer directly, but looked up and glanced at the people seated at the table.

The resources of a Satellite City were immense, and Huang Chen did not want these people to take even a tiny fraction.

These people were already masters at managing social dynamics, and immediately, one by one, they stood up and excused themselves.

Soon, only four people remained in the Council Hall: Tie, Long, and Huang Chen.

Only then did Huang Chen turn his gaze back to Tie Weiguo, the topic suddenly shifting, his eyes sharp: "Old Tie, Sakura Country's No. 9 Satellite City is now an empty shell."

Hearing this, a sharp gleam suddenly burst forth from the cloudy eyes of Tie Weiguo and Long Pingsheng!

The sense of loss they had just felt instantly vanished.

Of course, they knew what this meant! An ownerless Satellite City meant massive Resource Points, Spawn Zones, and possibly even special opportunities!

More importantly, it was a wedge driven into the heart of the Sakura Country!

"Are you suggesting..." Tie Weiguo's breathing quickened slightly.

"Occupy it!" Huang Chen stated firmly, tapping his finger heavily on the table. "Destroy their teleportation altar connecting to their Main City, and we will rebuild one that connects directly to the Huaxia Main City!

The Forbidden City will deploy five thousand Top Combatants for defense, which is enough to suppress any initial counterattack.

As for subsequent garrison duties and Resource Extraction, that will require your efforts.

Regarding the profits, the Forbidden City and Yanhuang split it fifty-fifty!"

"Occupy it and rebuild the teleportation altar?!"

Long Pingsheng exclaimed involuntarily; how to divide the profits was completely insignificant compared to these two points.

"What do you require?"

Tie Weiguo, having held high office for many years, immediately grasped the core issue.

"One hundred Forging Masters, and one 'teleportation altar Forging Diagram'."

Huang Chen was concise. "The Forbidden City has Forging Masters. As for the Diagram... I will take responsibility for it."

After a brief silence, Tie Weiguo and Long Pingsheng exchanged glances, and the eyes of the two old men burst forth with unspeakable ecstasy and burning fervor.

"Hahahaha! Good! What a great idea to occupy it!"

Tie Weiguo slammed the table, making the teacups rattle, and his hearty laughter echoed throughout the Council Hall. "We will settle the score with those little devils, starting with their No. 9 City, clearing every debt, one by one!"

Long Pingsheng clapped his hands and laughed, every wrinkle on his face smoothing out: "Weiguo, handle this personally. Yanhuang must cooperate with Little Friend to the greatest extent possible. As for those who are unruly, I will personally intervene!"

At this moment, National Righteousness overshadowed personal gain, and the two old men seemed to have rediscovered the passion of their youth.