187: Fourth Generation: Overlord (83)

The news of Xu Yuan slaying the veteran Golden Core True Person, Flame Dragon True Person, at Tianzhu Mountain, condensing the Imperial Dao Golden Core, and establishing the foundation of the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty spread across the entire Eastern Region with astonishing speed, as if it had grown wings!

The world was shaken, and ten thousand nations were terrified!

The birth of a newly advanced Golden Core True Person was enough to change the landscape of a region.

Moreover, this newly advanced Golden Core True Person had slain a veteran Golden Core True Person who had undergone three Reincarnations!

What kind of deterrent power was this?

What kind of potential was this?

For a time, the Eastern Region was in turmoil, and various forces reacted differently.

Those surrounding Dynasties that had once been enemies with Great Shang, or had secretly coveted it, felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave the moment they heard the news!

Monarchs dispatched envoys overnight, carrying heavy gifts, traveling thousands of miles to the Dashang Imperial Capital, weeping and wailing to express their submission, willing to be vassals for generations, coming to pay homage every year, begging only for the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty and Emperor Shang to forgive their past disrespect!

And more Dynasties and Sects that were far away and originally had no connection also sent envoys to congratulate and offer generous gifts, intending to befriend this newly advanced Imperial Dynasty ruler with infinite potential.

The territory of the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty did not expand significantly through war, but its influence and radiation range were expanding rapidly in a peaceful way.

Countless small nations and tribes voluntarily submitted, seeking protection, causing the territory of Great Shang to constantly expand in practice, and its National Fortune to become increasingly prosperous.

After retreating for several years and initially stabilizing his Early Stage Golden Core cultivation, Xu Yuan personally went to the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty. Having lost the protection of a Golden Core True Person, the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty, despite still having vast territory and a profound foundation, was already a scattered mess.

Major forces fought endlessly for the throne and resources, making it impossible to form an effective resistance.

Facing Xu Yuan, the newly advanced Golden Core Emperor Shang who carried the prestige of slaying Flame Dragon True Person and was at the peak of his power, the remaining forces of the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty either surrendered upon seeing him or collapsed at a single touch!

Even if a few die-hard elements activated the legacy grand arrays or forbidden means of the Imperial Dynasty, in front of Xu Yuan's Imperial Dao Golden Core and the surging National Fortune, they were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, easily crushed!

With this, the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty, which had dominated a part of the Eastern Region for thousands of years, was officially declared destroyed!

Its vast territory, massive resources, and countless population were all incorporated into the territory of Great Shang!

The Great Shang Imperial Dynasty leaped to become one of the powerful Imperial Dynasties in the Eastern Region!

Its territory surged several times over, and its National Fortune grew crazily like a snowball!

After annexing the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty, time passed, and a hundred years went by in the blink of an eye.

These hundred years were a century for the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty to digest its fruits of war and consolidate its foundation, and also a century of entering an unprecedented golden period of development.

The territory was unprecedentedly vast, resources poured in, the population multiplied, the National Fortune was prosperous, presenting a scene of a flourishing age.

However, a hundred years is not short, enough for Mortals to experience several Reincarnations, and for the world of Cultivation to welcome the replacement of the old with the new.

In the imperial court, the traces of the replacement of the old and the new were becoming increasingly obvious.

The most heartbreaking thing was the passing of Xu Yuan's father, Wang Qingshan.

After annexing the Lihuo Imperial Dynasty and putting Great Shang on the right track, Xu Yuan, grateful for his dedicated service and hard work, and in order to stabilize the court and cultivate core Golden Core combat power that truly belonged to the Imperial Dynasty, bestowed the precious Golden Core obtained from slaying Flame Dragon True Person upon Wang Qingshan, and poured the Imperial Dynasty's resources to help him retreat and attack the Golden Core Path.

Wang Qingshan lived up to expectations. Relying on his deep accumulation and the Golden Core as a guide, he successfully triggered the Heavenly Tribulation of the Golden Core.

Unfortunately, perhaps because of his advanced age and exhausted potential, or perhaps because the Cultivation Technique he practiced was not top-tier, Wang Qingshan was severely injured under the Heavenly Tribulation, his Golden Core collapsed, and there was no way to save him.

On his deathbed in the sleeping quarters, Wang Qingshan lay there, his face withered, his breath weak, his once sharp eyes now clear and calm.

The hall was filled with the faint scent of medicine and spiritual materials, but it could not hide the sense of decay as life was coming to an end.

Xu Yuan dismissed the attendants, sat alone in front of the bed, and tightly held his father's wrinkled, cold, and thin hands.

Even though he was already a Golden Core True Person and the ruler of an Imperial Dynasty, looking at his father whose life candle was about to be extinguished, complex and indescribable emotions inevitably surged in his heart.

Wang Qingshan seemed to feel his son's mood. He tried hard to pull the corners of his mouth, revealing a comforting and satisfied smile. Although his voice was weak, it was exceptionally clear and peaceful:

"Yuan'er... no need... to be sad."

He looked at Xu Yuan with soft eyes, without fear of death, and without unwillingness for failing to break through to the Golden Core, only a kind of peace as if dust had settled and his wishes had been fulfilled.

"For Father... this life, already... has no regrets."

He slowly took a breath, as if gathering his last strength, a strange luster shining in his eyes, and continued:

"Think of my Wang Family... although we had some foundation in the past, in the end... we were just a Noble Family in a corner. My life's wish... was nothing more than... to protect the Family, to glorify the Family name... at most, it was just thinking... of gaining a foothold in this Great Xia Dynasty..."

His words carried reminiscence, and even more, an incredible gratification and pride.

"But now... my son... you, are already an Emperor! The founding monarch of this vast Imperial Dynasty! A Golden Core True Person who shakes the Eastern Region!"

"My Wang Family... is noble because of you, and thrives because of you! Now... we are the number one Noble Family of the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty, sharing weal and woe with you... This is an honor that... I, as your father... didn't even dare to imagine back then!"

Wang Qingshan's hand exerted a little force, tears flashing in his eyes, but he was full of smiles: "My Aptitude is limited, my fortune is shallow, the Golden Core Path... is after all... like a flower in a mirror and the moon in the water, not something to be forced..."

"But... so what?"

His voice suddenly raised a bit, with a heartfelt joy and pride: "My son achieved the Golden Core, opened up an Imperial Dynasty, and led the Wang Family to such a height... This makes me... a thousand times! Ten thousand times happier than achieving the Golden Core myself!"

"To be able to see my son have today's achievements... to be able to see my Wang Family have today's atmosphere... I... this life is enough! Even if I die immediately, I can... smile upon the nine springs!"

He said these words intermittently, but every word came from the heart, full of a father's pride and satisfaction.

His life's ambition had long been realized beyond imagination in Xu Yuan.

Listening to his father's words, Xu Yuan felt a mix of sourness and heroism in his heart. He nodded heavily and said in a deep voice: "Father, rest assured, the Wang Family and Great Shang will be guarded by your son. I will definitely let the flag of Great Shang fly all over the Eastern Region, and let the glory of our Wang Family pass down for ten thousand generations!"

Hearing this, the smile on Wang Qingshan's face spread even more, and the last trace of worry in his eyes completely dissipated, becoming extremely peaceful.

He gently patted the back of Xu Yuan's hand, just like encouraging him when he was a child, and then used his last strength to murmur in a low voice, as if talking in a dream:

"Good... good... my son... will definitely... be able to do it..."

"For Father... will go first... to see the ancestors... and it is good... to tell them... that our Wang Family... has produced... a true Dragon..."

The voice gradually lowered, and finally fell into silence.

Wang Qingshan held Xu Yuan's hand and slowly lowered it, with an extremely peaceful, satisfied, and even slightly proud smile on his face, completely closing his eyes.

This old man who assisted his son in creating the Imperial Dynasty and worked hard all his life, ultimately failed to step onto the Golden Core Path, but left without regrets, passing away peacefully.