In ten years, Taiyuan City had regained its former prosperity. Although the population had not yet returned to its previous numbers, the economy had far surpassed what it once was.
Under the conquest of the Red Armored Army and the Black Armor Army, the Barbaric Tribes close to Taiyuan City were either annihilated or had surrendered.
Under the deterrence of military force, these frightened tribes chose to trade with Taiyuan City. A vast influx of Exotic Beast resources contributed to a continuous rise in both the number and quality of Taiyuan City’s military forces. Aside from the Red Armored Army and the Black Armor Army, the strongest unit was known as the Taiyuan Tiger-Leopard Cavalry.
This was a troop equipped in full armor, riding beasts resembling tigers and leopards; their combat prowess had been demonstrated in several wars against rebellious uprisings.
The past decade was not peaceful for the Wu Dynasty.
After Baili Wen left, Li Qiuhai, the Princess of the Wu Dynasty, ascended to the throne and became the new Empress.
This Empress was not one to submit. Tormented by Baili Wen, Li Qiuhai deeply despised these outsiders from the Myriad Beasts Sect. With the help of loyal supporters and covert rebel armies, she caused quite a stir. Unfortunately, due to the huge disparity in power, she was repeatedly defeated, and countless figures who once stood at the pinnacle of the Martial Arts World fell.
「Inside the Imperial Palace of the Wu Dynasty.」
Lin Wanhai, the person in charge of the Myriad Beasts Sect’s minor world conquest this time, addressed the elegantly dressed, noble Empress, "Stop causing trouble; it’s pointless."
"Trouble? This is the world of my Li Family! You Heavenly Demons have occupied our world, killing my father and brother. And you dare say I am just causing trouble?" Li Qiuhai said furiously.
"I am very sorry." Lin Wanhai was also quite dissatisfied with Baili Wen’s actions. If the Baili Family had not been so powerful, and Baili Wen had not been a direct descendant of a Golden Immortal, he would have made him pay.
"Does that help? All my family are dead! Either kill me, or I will keep fighting!" Li Qiuhai shouted, pointing at Lin Wanhai.
"After all these years, you should know our strength. And what you’ve seen is but a negligible fraction of our Sect’s power. If you truly wish for revenge, I suggest cooperating with us and becoming one of our subordinate minor worlds. Then you might have a chance at revenge," Lin Wanhai suggested.
"Do you really think you would help us seek revenge? Are you insulting my intelligence?" Li Qiuhai scoffed.
Scratching his head, Lin Wanhai finally described the general framework of the Myriad Beasts Sect to this stubborn Empress and informed her that Baili Wen was the chief culprit who had killed her family.
As for the consequences, what could they be? It was Baili Wen who had first broken the rules. Although the Lin Family doesn’t have a Golden Immortal, they are an established Heavenly Immortal Family. The Baili Family isn’t under Baili Wen’s control yet, and I, Lin Wanhai, have long been designated as the Lin Family’s next head. If not for the need to accumulate more experience, I would have already advanced to the Mahayana realm and started preparing to attain immortality.
Lin Wanhai, having convinced the Empress, was in a very good mood. In fact, the imperial families of these conquered minor worlds generally fared quite well after becoming subordinate to the Myriad Beasts Sect; some even became powerful forces within the Sect.
「Inside the Imperial Palace Study.」
Li Qiuhai took out a Jade Token covered in cracks, engraved with "Li" on the front and "Hai" on the back. She remained silent for a long time, eventually letting out a sigh, "Father, please don’t blame your daughter."
The Empress, who had been enthroned for ten years, issued a decree to select ’concubines’ for the harem, which shocked the world.
When Chen Jiuge heard about this, he looked incredulously at Chen Kui, who had brought the news, and said, "Did you say the Empress is starting to select concubines?"
"Yes. It seems someone convinced her. If you can’t beat them, join them, right? After all, it was Baili Wen who plotted against her family, not us," Chen Kui replied, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
We’ve spared no effort here to improve the livelihood of the people in Taiyuan City and build a formidable army, all with the intent to seize some cities not under the control of Myriad Beasts Sect disciples. Since the Empress wasn’t cooperating, no one would have intervened in such matters. But now, it seems we can no longer proceed with that plan. After all, the Myriad Beasts Sect is a rather righteous Sect and is quite benevolent towards these minor worlds.
"I’ll go and gather some information," Chen Jiuge said, then began to contact Zhu Yinghuang.
"Brother Zhu, what’s with the Empress?" Chen Jiuge eagerly asked as soon as the connection was established.
"Ah, Brother Chen, what else could it be? Lin Wanhai let the Empress cause trouble for ten years and finally convinced her. It seems like our mission this time is a bust. It’s so frustrating!" Zhu Yinghuang grumbled, somewhat through gritted teeth.
"What exactly happened?" Chen Jiuge pressed.
"That... I’ll have my younger sister explain it to you," Zhu Yinghuang said with a chuckle.
"Is that Senior Brother Chen?" Zhu Yingque asked softly.
"Junior Sister, what’s the situation now?" Chen Jiuge continued to ask.
"Right now, the Empress has agreed to join our Myriad Beasts Sect. With the righteousness of the Wu Dynasty on her side, we can’t wage large-scale war. The next step is to wait for contact to be made with the various rebel groups, determine which ones will resist to the bitter end and which are willing to submit. Then, it will be up to the Empress to eliminate them herself to prove her capabilities. As for us... it seems we’re just here as tourists," Zhu Yingque also sounded a bit disheartened.
"Unlike other minor worlds, the Martial Arts World was originally a unified dynasty. As long as the Imperial Family is willing to submit, the Myriad Beasts Sect can provide some assistance, help her sweep away any obstacles, and then control can be smoothly established."
"By the way, Senior Brother Chen, what position did you choose when you arrived? If it’s something like a General without a fixed garrison, that would be a loss. It seems the Elders are planning to give us disciples some compensation. The cities we previously occupied are apparently supposed to become our personal property. If you don’t have one, then let it be. Absolutely do not try to forcibly seize any cities now. The consequences of not following the rules are very severe," Zhu Yingque advised.
"I understand," Chen Jiuge responded.
"So, it really is just tourism, huh," Chen Kui muttered with a wry smile.
"Fortunately, Taiyuan City isn’t too small, and its resources are quite decent. We can acquire a significant number of Exotic Beasts, which is pretty good for Body Refinement. So, it’s not a total loss," Chen Kui consoled himself.
A potential world war was thus averted, all due to the Empress’s public decree to select ’concubines.’
No one could have predicted this outcome. The Myriad Beasts Sect disciples who felt hopeless about breaking through their cultivation and had dreamed of establishing their own foundations were now wailing in despair. Opportunities to explore minor worlds without any sign of the Demon Abyss were rare; another such chance might not come again even if their Life Spans ran out.
This event dealt a considerable blow to the cultivators of the Chen Family. After all, they had deployed such a massive force this time precisely to carve out a larger territory for the Chen Family, to support the emergence of a second True Immortal, and to expand the family’s influence. They had spent ten years sharpening their blades, only to be told, before they could even draw them, that their efforts were no longer needed. It was all over.
The turmoil outside did not disturb Chen Jiuge. Having Taiyuan City was enough to leave him quite content. Now is the time to focus on integrating this world’s Martial Arts cultivation system into my own Cultivation Technique. Moreover, the Exotic Beasts here seem rather special; I might be able to acquire several powerful fighters.