124: Fourth Generation: Overlord (20)

On the altar, purple Qi swirled, and the radiance of the Heavenly Dao's favor had not yet completely dispersed.

Xu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, eyes slightly closed. He appeared to be calming the slightly turbulent Qi caused by his recent Breakthrough, but in reality, his entire focus had sunk into his body, carefully comprehending the newly formed "Purple Extremity Vast Heaven Foundation".

Compared to the nine-grade Flawless Dao Foundation, "Ten Thousand Blades Facing the Origin Foundation", which he had condensed in his previous life and which was already considered top-tier in the Foundation Establishment stage, the gap was no longer something that could be described by the word "chasm".

That nine-grade Flawless Dao Foundation, which had been his pride in his past life and had helped him stand out in the Southern Region's Elite Battle, now appeared to him—having condensed the Perfect Dao Foundation—like a weapon crudely forged from ordinary iron. Though sharp and tough, it was ultimately an ordinary object; it had form, but lacked spirit, and even more so, lacked its own "Dao".

Yet within his Dantian at this moment, the "Purple Extremity Vast Heaven Foundation", constructed from countless, extremely complex purple runes containing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, did not seem like a dead object, but rather a miniature, breathing, living "Purple Imperial Court"!

At the center of the Dao Foundation, the purple Talisman seed, which carried all his insights into the "Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art", had completely merged with the Dao Foundation, becoming the core of this "Imperial Court". Like an Imperial Seal, it reigned over every bit of power circulating within the Dao Foundation.

Majestic and pure Foundation Establishment spiritual power flowed ceaselessly within, its quality and quantity far exceeding what he had at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage in his past life by more than ten times!

It even carried an Imperial Dao status that commanded, suppressed, and encompassed the eight wastelands!

"So that's it... So this is the true meaning of a Perfect Dao Foundation..." Xu Yuan understood, as if clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

He had originally thought that the strength of a Perfect Dao Foundation lay in granting the Cultivator a trace of a "Pseudo-Golden Core status" that stood above ordinary Foundation Establishment, allowing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had condensed a Perfect Dao Foundation to nearly crush those of the same stage. But until now, he finally understood. This "Pseudo-Golden Core status" was merely the surface appearance, or rather, an incidental benefit!

The most fundamental and Heaven-Defying aspect of a Perfect Dao Foundation was that it was not an isolated "destination" or "platform" that required the Cultivator to grope for the path ahead on their own, but rather a clearly outlined "path" that pointed directly to the Golden Core Path!

This "path" was not a specific set of cultivation steps, but a deeper level of "Dao Law imprint" and "guidance for the road ahead".

For ordinary Cultivators at Foundation Establishment, the quality of their Dao Foundation determined their potential limit, but how to move from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core remained shrouded in mist. Even for the nine-grade Flawless Dao Foundation that Xu Yuan had condensed in his past life—the absolute pinnacle of Flawless Dao Foundations—he had still needed to comprehend heaven and earth on his own, searching for the opportunity and method to condense a Golden Core.

Yet now, as his Divine Sense observed this "Purple Extremity Vast Heaven Foundation" internally, he could feel in the dark a formless power of Luck gathering, spontaneously converging, compressing, and purifying toward the "Imperial Seal" Talisman at the center in an unfathomably mysterious way.

The entire process seemed to be pre-enacting and guiding him on the path to condensing an "Imperial Dao Golden Core of Human Luck" in the future!

As long as he followed the steps, accumulating spiritual power along this "path", comprehending the Imperial Dao, and gathering National Fortune, then condensing a Golden Core would almost become an inevitable outcome, as natural as water flowing to form a channel!

"Gathering the Luck of a nation to condense into a Golden Core... this path is my Golden Core Path!" On the altar, Xu Yuan's eyes shone with a brilliant light, and his heart was suddenly enlightened.

In this life, reincarnating into the Eastern Region Dynasty and inheriting an Imperial Dao Cultivation Technique was an alternative path that tightly bound his own Dao journey with the rise and fall of the Dynasty and the Luck of the people.

While this path was constrained by the Dynasty's territory and national strength, with risks and opportunities coexisting, it was nonetheless a Great Dao that pointed straight to the Golden Core!

"However, the Great Shang is newly established, and its territory is but a few core provinces of the Old Xia Dynasty. Having endured the flames of war, the people's livelihood is withered, and the National Fortune is like a stream."

"It was already not easy for it to help me condense a Perfect Dao Foundation; it is far from enough to support me in condensing that magnificent Imperial Golden Core."

Xu Yuan's Divine Sense swept over the capital below, which, despite being cleansed, still appeared dilapidated, as well as the more distant territories that had just been brought under control and where the hearts of the people were still unsettled. He already had a plan in mind.

"To strengthen the National Fortune, the first priority is the hearts of the people, the second is the territory, and the core lies in... centralization of power!"

Only with smooth political decrees and the hearts of the people united could resources be efficiently gathered, and national power grow rapidly. A vast, efficient, centralized Empire that obeyed only his will could gather a level of Luck far beyond the loose Alliance of the Old Xia Dynasty, where the royal family and the Noble Families ruled together.

"The Nine Nether Puppet Killing Array from Mo Qianji's Legacy requires the National Fortune of one billion living people and is said to be comparable to a Golden Core... In my past life, in the Southern Region where sects were numerous, this was almost impossible to achieve. But in this life..."

"Perhaps it will be able to help me achieve the Golden Core Fruit Position!"

With this thought, Xu Yuan had a plan. Afterwards, the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony ended in a subtle atmosphere.

The new Emperor's Divine Might on the altar—where his words became law and he killed a Foundation Establishment assassin with a flip of his hand—had, through the deliberate spreading by observers and the Wang family's forces, rapidly swept across the entire Great Shang, and even surrounding powers.

Returning to the slightly repaired Nine Dragon Hall, Xu Yuan did not even have time to fully consolidate his Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation before summoning his core team, led by the Wang family.

Inside the hall, it was brightly lit, and the light of the Formation isolated the interior from the exterior. Besides the high-level Elders of the Wang family, there were also several Wang family descendants who had made great contributions in the previous layouts, were highly capable, and had been confirmed loyal, along with capable officials who had newly submitted.

Xu Yuan sat upright on the Dragon Throne. Although his face still carried a trace of paleness, the faint Foundation Establishment pressure around him made everyone in the hall feel awe. Even Wang Qingshan, who was already at the Foundation Establishment Perfection, felt that the son before him had become somewhat unfathomable.

"The Old Xia Dynasty has perished, and the Great Shang shall be established. However, the nation is newly founded, everything is waiting to be done, and both internal and external situations are difficult." Xu Yuan spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable power.

"To stabilize the world, enrich the nation, and strengthen the military, we must use thunderous means to eradicate deep-seated malpractices." He swept his gaze across the crowd and slowly stated his vision:

"First, abolish the old system, establish the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and abolish the feudal lords and Noble Families' privilege system that the Old Xia Dynasty imitated from ancient times."

"Establish the Three Departments—the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs—to manage state affairs, separating the powers of decision-making, review, and execution, with all directly responsible to Me."

"Below them, establish the Six Ministries: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works, to further divide responsibilities and ensure everyone performs their duties."

"Locally, abolish the hereditary system for commandery governors, and change to the division of provinces, prefectures, and counties, with principal officials directly appointed by the imperial court, and subject to regular assessment and rotation."

How did the Old Xia Dynasty perish? Wasn't it because of thousand-year-old Noble Families like the Wang family that could not be controlled? Since Xu Yuan was now establishing a new Dynasty and wanted to gather Luck, he naturally would not allow those old-established Noble Families that were not under his control to exist within the new Dynasty.

As soon as this order was issued, the expressions of several ministers from Noble Families in the hall changed slightly, and their breathing became a bit hurried. This was to completely eradicate the Foundation of the Noble Families' politics!

Among them, an old man wearing a deep purple Dharma robe, with a gaunt face and an aura that had reached the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, could no longer hold back and stepped forward abruptly. "Shang King! This must not be done!"