Chapter 1591: Chapter 1264: Civil Strife
Zhou Maochang also did very well, becoming a good person in the hearts of all his siblings.
Most importantly, he received recognition and praise from his father!
…
And the one who taught Zhou Maochang to do so, hiding behind him, was Li Zhirui.
Although he felt that the progress was still a bit slow, there was no other way, after all, he couldn’t speed up the passage of time, so he could only quietly wait for him to grow up.
Of course, he only offered some ideas and suggestions, the ones who actually took action were the disciples of Great Zhou Mountain.
——
Don’t be fooled by the seeming abundance of the Li family’s inheritance skills, but compared to the real great forces, there’s still a certain gap.
For those forces with years of inheritance, they have at least three or more different inheritance skills internally, and they are complete and intact.
The main reason for this is to prevent outsiders from discovering the flaws in the skills and targeting them, leading to their downfall.
Such scenarios have occurred more than once in the long history of the Primal Spirit Realm!
One of the most famous instances is when a Heavenly Immortal sect was completely annihilated by another Heavenly Immortal force after having their weakness exploited.
Since then, any force with a bit of background and strength in the Primal Spirit Realm would try to acquire new inheritance skills to avoid the calamity of family destruction.
Speaking of Shen, after achieving Human Immortality, his vision broadened with the breakthrough in his realm, gaining a deeper understanding of the Earth Immortal Dao.
After a period of seclusion, he compiled the most comprehensive Earth Immortal Dao cultivation technique at the time and made some renovations to his own blessed cave heavens.
Comparing before and after, not only did the space become larger, but the spiritual energy grew denser, as if completing a promotion.
Meanwhile, Shen’s entity, as the fundamental support for his cave mansion, received feedback in this process, reinforcing his foundation.
Perhaps many people couldn’t imagine that the Earth Immortal Dao, widely spread outside and cultivated by numerous beings, was founded by someone who had only recently broken through the Realm of Human Immortality.
But from another perspective, it highlights Shen’s brilliance, creating a whole new path of cultivation while still at the Individual Immortal Realm, and receiving adoration from numerous beings.
The expansion of the Li family naturally couldn’t be hidden from the nearby forces.
But upon knowing it was Shen, they paid it no mind, as the Human Immortal limitation of the Earth Immortal Dao was too significant.
If within his blessed cave heavens, he might defeat late-stage Human Immortals, but once he leaves, his power would not increase but decrease instead.
Is there really any need to pay attention to such a Human Immortal?
Of course, only the disciples of the Cave Abyss Sect had this thought, whereas other forces near Mount Wanxian were neither brave nor bold enough to underestimate a Human Immortal cultivator.
Moreover, the Li family had developed for so many years, becoming a minor overlord in the vicinity; except for a few forces, all others became vassals of the Li family, how dare they utter half a word against them.
——
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than a decade had passed.
The Great Zhou Imperial Palace saw a new batch of young boys in their early teens, running around and playing.
The Emperor dispelled his doubts, saying, “Fu Hai, let’s go.”
The next night, Attendant Chen was favored, and by the next morning, she was named Lady Yue.
Afterward, she was favored for several consecutive days, with continuous favor.
Within half a month, Lady Yue was diagnosed with a pregnancy!
Upon knowing, the Emperor’s face, which rarely showed emotions, displayed a rare bright smile.
Although it quickly vanished, it still shocked the attendants like Fu Hai, who secretly noted that Lady Yue had earned a place in the Emperor’s heart, at least for now.
“Elevate Lady Yue to Consort Chen, and move to the main hall of Chang Chun Palace.”
Upon hearing the news, countless women in the palace tore countless handkerchiefs to pieces, but no one dared to lay a hand on Consort Chen, for who knows how many eyes were watching in the palace, making it almost impossible to conceal anything!
After Consort Chen became pregnant, a few long-forgotten concubines made a resurgence, although it did not affect Consort Chen, who remained favored as before.
On the other hand, the Emperor became infatuated with the flowers, indulging each night, waking up each morning somewhat lacking in energy.
“Your Majesty, perhaps you should rest well for a few nights?”
“Ah! It’s hard to resist the favor of beautiful women!”
Perhaps he had suppressed himself for too long before, and upon unleashing it all at once, he found it hard to control.
Fu Hai and others dared not speak further, only following in the Emperor’s footsteps.
Meanwhile, Li Zhirui also received the latest news that the Emperor was indeed indulging in beauty, but had yet to neglect state affairs because of it.
Judging by Ze’s current trend, it might not take long.
Li Zhirui initially felt happy, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed off, something seemed amiss.
To be safe, he immediately ordered the individuals from Great Zhou Mountain sect to hide and not take action for the time being.
“Isn’t this too much fuss over nothing, shouldn’t we press on for a victory?” a disciple from Great Zhou Mountain sect secretly complained.
“Yes, but what can we do when the ancestors trust him, everything follows his command?”
Some informed disciples privately complained, but it did not alter Li Zhirui’s resolve.
…
“What have you found? Which forces are making moves secretly?” the Emperor asked coldly.
“Your Majesty, there are the Fu Family, Zhang Family…” Fu Hai’s voice grew quieter because the list almost encompassed one-third of the forces in Great Zhou!
“Ha! Good! I never expected there to be so many disgruntled with me under my rule.”
In fact, the Emperor and his men had not realized anything unusual at first, but later, as more beautiful concubines appeared, and even the palace maids became startlingly beautiful.
Such a significant change could not help but arouse suspicion, especially from the Emperor, who was extremely suspicious.
The result was the situation we see now.
Unsurprisingly, those forces would suffer as well.
Meanwhile, the layout of the Great Zhou Mountain sect also became more hidden and concealed.
And the disciples who had previously grumbled about Li Zhirui now felt quite awkward, but he himself didn’t mind these, only focusing on completing the task quickly.
…
The flowers bloom in two phases, each branch on its own.
North of Shanhai State, in the Changli Mountain Range.
On this day, it suddenly welcomed clusters of dark tribulation clouds, bringing Shen’s Human Immortal Thunder Tribulation!
Indeed, after long suppression and concealment, the Earth Immortal Ancestor finally failed.
Thus, the Thunder Tribulation quickly formed, with the first Tribulation Thunder crashing down with a tremendous momentum, yet not causing any harm to Shen.
More accurately, the power of the Tribulation Thunder wasn’t as terrifying as it seemed, instead, it was more of a bluff!
Shen’s ability to have the power of the Tribulation Thunder become so ‘weak’ despite suppressing his breakthrough, which should enhance the Thunder Tribulation, was all thanks to his identity and merit.
Therefore, the Tribulation Thunder did not harm Shen, allowing him to easily pass through the Thunder Tribulation that others fear.
“Come, immediately issue an order to strip the Third Prince and Fifth Prince of their succession rights, and confine them for three years, during which they are not to step out the door!”
With that said, he waved his sleeve and turned to leave.
As for the Fifth Prince’s injuries, he didn’t bother to ask a single question.
Zhou Maochang left this place with a few of his younger siblings, sending them each back home, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud in his cave mansion.
Not only did he lose two strong competitors, but it would also make the other brothers cautious. He would wait a few more years, and by that time, he would be grown and able to join the competition for the throne.
Before he came of age, he just needed to maintain a persona of brotherly love, respecting elders, and especially showing respect to the Emperor, without a hint of neglect.
Zhou Maochang also did very well, becoming a good person in the hearts of all his siblings.
Most importantly, he received recognition and praise from his father!
…
And the one who taught Zhou Maochang to do so, hiding behind him, was Li Zhirui.
Although he felt that the progress was still a bit slow, there was no other way, after all, he couldn’t speed up the passage of time, so he could only quietly wait for him to grow up.
Of course, he only offered some ideas and suggestions, the ones who actually took action were the disciples of Great Zhou Mountain.
——