174: Fourth Generation: Overlord (Seventy)

The sharp edge of external conquest was temporarily sheathed, and a wave of internal digestion and construction surged forth with even greater efficiency!

Wang Qingshan sat at the center, dispatching capable officials and generals to the new territories.

The new policies were implemented with unprecedented force and speed; light taxes and levies allowed the newly annexed people to catch their breath, the establishment of Official Schools opened the people's minds, and population migration broke down old tribal barriers. At the same time, combined with iron-fisted methods, any budding signs of rebellion were mercilessly crushed!

The entire internal administration system of the Dynasty operated with the efficiency of a tightly wound spring, exerting all efforts to digest the massive fruits of war.

Wang Zhengqing guarded the frontiers, drilling the army and reorganizing the newly surrendered soldiers. Relying on the newly built fortress clusters and patrolling War Puppets, he constructed a solid defensive line.

The border defense army drilled day and night, with their alert level raised to the maximum. Like a tiger that had retracted its claws but remained vigilant, they silently licked their wounds, accumulated strength, and stood guard against any prying by foreign enemies.

Wang Xuanmo, meanwhile, had completely buried himself in the workshop district, working almost without sleep or rest.

The massive quantities of rare ores and spiritual materials, provided at his request by Your Majesty, were continuously transported in. Under his command, craftsmen used exquisite techniques to smelt, forge, and engrave spiritual patterns upon them.

One by one, the skeletons of War Puppets—more massive, more complex, and radiating heart-palpitating energy fluctuations—gradually took shape.

Inside the workshop district, there was a day-and-night roar, flames soared into the sky, and Spiritual Qi surged; it was as if a terrifying war beast was gradually being awakened.

The rudimentary form of the "Nine Nether Puppet Killing Array" was also, through the accumulation of countless resources and Wang Xuanmo's painstaking deductions, gradually becoming a reality.

Officials from the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites traveled secretly to famous mountains and rivers across the land, eventually selecting "Tianzhu Mountain" in the Central Region as the site for the Fengshan Ceremony, and began secretly preparing for the monumental ceremony that would surely shake the Eastern Region.

Every ritual procedure and every sacrificial vessel was crafted to be perfect, imbued with profound meaning, and designed to invoke Luck.

The entire process was kept strictly confidential, with all participants undergoing rigorous screening, and outwardly, it was merely referred to as "repairing the altar."

Xu Yuan himself remained in the Royal Capital, handling government affairs and controlling the overall situation, while continuing to refine his own cultivation, thoroughly absorbing and refining the complex National Fortune he had frantically devoured over the past year, pushing his Foundation Establishment Perfection Realm to its true Peak limit, and quietly waiting... for the moment of that final leap.

The entire Great Shang had entered a peculiar state of being relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside.

On the surface, expansion had stopped, flags were lowered and drums silenced, and even the tentative harassment from surrounding dynasties was mostly met with defense, making it appear somewhat "weak."

But internally, an unprecedented, efficient, and frenzied integration and upgrade was taking place!

Everyone could feel that a majestic power was accumulating and brewing deep within the Foundations of the Dynasty, waiting for the moment to erupt!

However, beneath this seemingly calm curtain, undercurrents remained turbulent.

Around Great Shang, those surviving small dynasties, after their initial panic, saw that Great Shang had delayed taking any new actions, and their desire to probe returned; small-scale friction and infiltration never ceased.

The "hand" behind them did not seem to have been withdrawn; instead, it had increased its level of support and was providing information regarding Great Shang's internal movements that was difficult to distinguish as true or false.

The traces of the Shadow Tower also appeared like ghosts, occasionally flashing at the borders or in the newly annexed territories; although they had not launched any further assassinations, their very existence was a silent threat.

Xu Yuan knew clearly in his heart that these three years of recuperation would be the final tranquility before the storm.

That Imperial Dynasty hiding behind the scenes, restless and ready to move, would absolutely not sit idly by and watch him successfully complete his accumulation and Breakthrough.

They must be watching in the dark, waiting for the best opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Time passed day by day, and the Great Shang Dynasty was like a dormant giant beast—calm on the surface, but undergoing nearly frenzied digestion and transformation within.

Wang Qingshan sat at the center, employing both iron-fisted and gentle methods in the new policies, like a massive millstone crushing all internal resistance, forcibly integrating the new territories into the body of Great Shang. Although there were occasional growing pains and bloodshed, the overall trend was positive, and the hearts of the people were gradually won over, intertwined with high pressure and tangible benefits.

Wang Xuanmo's workshop district roared day and night, with intense Spiritual Qi fluctuations; one by one, the rudimentary forms of War Puppets radiating terrifying auras were taking shape, and the mountain-like piles of rare resources were being consumed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites' secret construction of the Fengshan altar on "Tianzhu Mountain" was also nearing its end. Although they tried their best to keep it confidential, such a large-scale mobilization of manpower and resources was ultimately difficult to completely hide from all interested parties.

Undercurrents began to surge.

On this day, the Great Shang Royal Capital was as busy and orderly as usual.

Suddenly, an incomparably tyrannical and unmasked Spiritual Pressure approached from the horizon, descending upon the outside of the Royal Capital with a boom like a meteor striking the ground!

The person who arrived wore a gorgeous crimson Daoist robe inlaid with gold, with an arrogant expression; he appeared to be around forty years old, and his cultivation was astonishingly at Foundation Establishment Perfection!

However, the condensation of his Spiritual Pressure and the longevity of his aura were far beyond the likes of Boljin or Xietu, clearly indicating he came from a major sect and possessed a profound Foundation.

He did not force his way through the Royal Capital's Formation but instead hovered in mid-air, looking down from above. His voice was like rolling thunder, carrying a natural arrogance as if examining a vassal, spreading across half the Royal Capital:

"By the decree of the Flame Dragon True Person of the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty!"

"Summoning the Lord of Great Shang, Wang Yuan, to come out and meet him immediately!"

The sound waves rolled on, carrying an unquestionable tone of command, instantly shattering the tranquility of the Royal Capital!

Inside the Royal Capital, countless Cultivators and commoners looked up in shock. Feeling that suffocating Spiritual Pressure and hearing words like "Lihuo Imperial Dynasty" and "Golden Core True Person," everyone changed color!

Deep within the Imperial Palace, Xu Yuan, who was reviewing memorials, paused his brush slightly and looked up. There was no surprise in his eyes; instead, a cold, sharp light flashed across them, as if to say, "It has finally arrived."

With a flicker of his figure, he appeared on the highest Star-Gazing Platform of the Imperial Palace, standing with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance at the arrogant figure outside the city.

"Lihuo Imperial Dynasty…"

Xu Yuan understood clearly in his heart.

It was one of the few major Imperial Dynasties in the Eastern Region, with vast territories and a profound heritage, far beyond what the newly risen Great Shang could compare to.

It seemed this was the true master who had been hiding behind the scenes, supporting countries like Black Tooth and Yelang in their constant provocations.

"...Truly... enemies often cross paths!"

Cold light gathered in Xu Yuan's eyes. The Mo Qianji Legacy he had obtained in his previous life had belonged to Mo Qianji, who had fallen at the hands of the ruler of the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty in that life. Having inherited his Karma, he had once sworn in his heart that if he had the ability, he would certainly avenge this blood debt for him.

"Flame Dragon True Person... Qiu Li..."

Xu Yuan silently repeated these two names in his heart.

Qiu Li was the very name of the ruler of the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty who had slain Mo Qianji!

And "Flame Dragon" was very likely the honorific title of the current ruler of the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty or a characteristic of the Cultivation Technique he cultivated.

"A Golden Core True Person has a Lifespan of five hundred years, but if their cultivation is profound or they have consumed life-extending Medicinal Pills, living longer is not impossible. Even more, a Golden Core True Person who has condensed the Indestructible Golden Essence can attempt to discard their body and undergo Reincarnation, living another life!"

"Is this Lihuo True Person actually Qiu Li himself? Or is he a descendant?"

But no matter which possibility it was, the other party was currently casting their gaze upon him!