"Son Chen Ke pays respects to his father!"

Sima Ke raised his head, a flattering smile on his face, seemingly not ashamed of 'recognizing the enemy as his father,' but rather feeling very happy.

Of course, Sima Ke's personality wasn't originally like this.

He used to think highly of himself, possessed great ambitions, and had even schemed against Chen Yuan. But after being subdued by Chen Yuan time and again, he adopted the most comfortable posture when facing Chen Yuan.

After all, a person's bottom line is gradually broken through, bit by bit.

He had already sacrificed his own mother consort, so he had already given up everything. Now, under the shadow of a life-or-death crisis, was it still meaningful to dwell on such trivial matters?

After all, Chen Yuan had said that he wouldn't leave any member of the Sima clan alive.

He felt that if he didn't make such a move, he would certainly follow in his biological father's footsteps.

He didn't want to die, he really didn't want to die.

And the sentence his mother consort had said earlier became the turning point for his rapid transformation.

Before, his mother consort had said:

"Nonsense, isn't your father standing right there?"

At that moment, he understood his mother consort's meaning.

Whoever wins is the father!

Following Sima Ke's words, the surroundings fell silent. Noble Consort Yang kept her head lowered, not saying a word. The Eldest Princess raised an eyebrow, but didn't say much either.

It seemed that she thought it was right for her younger brother to say such words at this critical moment.

Yang Huatian glanced at Noble Consort Yang with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, then turned his gaze to Chen Yuan. The meaning was something only men could understand sometimes.

Li Suqing's eyes flickered, recalling the rumors about Chen Yuan that had been circulating all along. She had thought they were false, but she didn't expect them to be true, and even exposed by Sima Ke.

Honestly, if Emperor Jingtai had heard these words, he would definitely die with unresolved grievances.

Who could tolerate such a great humiliation?

But Chen Yuan didn't say anything, not even a hint, because he felt it was a bit unseemly.

There was also no need for it.

Now, Sima Ke's move stunned Chen Yuan for a moment, and he looked him up and down with a serious expression.

"Brother Chen, may I say a word?"

Suddenly, Eldest Princess Pingyang spoke.

"Eldest Princess, please speak frankly."

Honestly, Princess Pingyang had never been his enemy, and she had even helped him conceal his identity before. Therefore, he wasn't in a hurry to bring her down.

"Brother Chen currently has no intention of conquering the capital by force, right?"

"Why?"

"Hehe, actually, Brother Chen has already made preparations, but since you asked me to speak, then I'll say a few words of conjecture. Now is not the right time to attack the capital."

"Where is it not right?"

"First, Brother Chen's reputation has reached its peak with the subsequent spread of events. Attacking and destroying the imperial court now will only make you a target of public criticism."

"You will be besieged by ambitious heroes from all over the world who seek to seize power."

"Second, a centipede dies but never falls down, even though the imperial court's foundations have been exhausted here, it still has some strength left. In various parts of Central Province, as well as Bing Province, Yun Province, and other places, there are still large armies gathered. Once the central imperial court is destroyed, these armies will be annexed by other forces, increasing their strength. And Brother Chen's base is in the south."

"Currently, you can't extend your reach to the four provinces of the Central Plains yet. You would only be making wedding clothes for others."

"Third, Sima's Ancestor is still alive. Although it's unknown why he hasn't taken action, he must have his plans. But once the capital is destroyed, there's a 90% chance that it will provoke him to act."

"After all, immortals are immortals. Immortal power is difficult to fathom. Brother Chen has gone through two great battles. If you want to kill an immortal, the price you pay will be very high."

"Well said."

Chen Yuan nodded.

Princess Pingyang was praised for being no less than a man. If she were a man, none of Emperor Jingtai's other princes could compare to her. The things she said now weren't profound.

But to be able to see them in such a short period of time and list them one by one was indeed worthy of being called extraordinary.

But Princess Pingyang didn't show any signs of complacency and continued:

"Therefore, I boldly ask Brother Chen to spare the lives of my mother and son."

"Hmm."

"With the Emperor fallen and the great Yuan of the court exhausted here, the only ones who can ascend the throne are my second brother and fourth brother. Before, there were too many constraints, and some of my preparations were nothing."

"But now, there is hope."

The First Prince, Sima Qian, had already fallen in the aftermath of the battle. Princess Pingyang had been paying attention all along. Now, only the Second Prince, Sima You, had escaped back to the capital.

"Continue."

"If Sima You ascends the throne, he will definitely try every means to mobilize forces to fill the Central Province, turning this place into an iron bucket. And he will use all kinds of power to protect the country."

"He might even invite the Ancestor to act. Once that happens, although Brother Chen might not care, it will still be some trouble."

"But if A Ke can ascend the throne, it will be different."

"How is it different?"

"Although A Ke will also imitate Sima You's actions, our real purpose is to leave a complete and fertile land in the Central Province for Brother Chen."

"When Brother Chen's army points directly at the Central Province in the future, A Ke will abdicate the throne to you. In this way, first, it will be justified, and second, it can avoid losses."

After hearing these words, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in Sima Ke's eyes.

He... had the hope of ascending the throne and becoming emperor?

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because Sima Ke is now called Chen Ke." Princess Pingyang looked directly at Chen Yuan and asked.

"Not enough."

"Because we are left with your restrictions."

"Unnecessary."

If they were really allowed to return to the capital, with the foundations of the Sima family, some restrictions could definitely be broken. As for oaths, they weren't high-level martial artists.

Oaths were useless.

"Hehe... Actually, the Sima family is basically finished now. Um... Doesn't Brother Chen want to see the Sima clan fighting among themselves in the future?"

"Hehe..."

Chen Yuan nodded:

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

It wasn't that he was merciful, but he actually had this idea when he saw the three of them. Honestly, the Sima family had lost all public support and had their foundations destroyed today.

They had almost no chance left. The heroes of the world would also be watching them. Keeping them was just a facade to attract firepower.

Even if they regretted it in the future, it wouldn't be a problem.

Because, it didn't matter.

But Chen Yuan still didn't want the Sima family to unite in this time of crisis. Even the slightest chance had to be snuffed out.

Now, the only ones qualified to compete for the throne were Sima Ke and Sima You.

And if it weren't for Princess Pingyang, he didn't think Sima Ke could defeat Sima You. But with Princess Pingyang's assistance, there was still some hope.

"Thank you, Brother Chen."

Princess Pingyang bowed.

"Son... thank you, Father. Father, rest assured, your son will definitely consolidate the power of the Sima clan with the assistance of his sister. We will... welcome Father's triumphant return to the capital!"

Sima Ke... no, Chen Ke, repeatedly kowtowed, grateful for Chen Yuan's mercy in not killing him.

Noble Consort Yang lowered her head and also bowed.

Actually, if there weren't so many people around, she might have already thrown herself at him. But there were too many people around, and her son and daughter were watching.

She really couldn't bring herself to do it.

Chen Yuan slowly stepped forward, extended a finger, and lifted Noble Consort Yang's chin, making her raise her head. His eyes were filled with a faint smile and scrutiny.

Noble Consort Yang's face turned red, and she closed her eyes.

Chen Ke also smiled, as if he was the one whose chin was being lifted.

"You've lost weight."

Chen Yuan said.

"Then... then I'll eat more in the future."

"Hehe, alright. When I attack the capital next time, I hope you'll be more plump. The lives of your son and daughter are all in your hands."

While Chen Yuan was chatting, Yang Huatian and Li Suqing had gradually walked away.

It was enough to watch a little bit of the show. They both knew what was going on in their hearts.

"Okay, okay."

"Alright, go back and continue to be your Imperial Noble Consort, not the Empress Dowager."

Chen Yuan smiled.

"Mm."

"Your Highness."

"Your son is here."

Chen Ke immediately stood up.

"Take your mother consort back."

"Your son takes his leave."

Chen Ke let out a breath and immediately stepped forward to help Noble Consort Yang leave. Noble Consort Yang turned her head to look at Chen Yuan several times, her expression quite complicated.

"What, Eldest Princess, aren't you leaving yet?"

Chen Yuan watched the departing Noble Consort Yang and her son and said.

"The situation in the capital is chaotic now. I still need Brother Chen's help."

"Speak."

"The Sky Patrol Division!"

"Hmm?"

"The military has already collapsed. Only the Sky Patrol Division is still organized, and it's the most important force in the struggle for the throne. Now that the two Divine Envoys, Wu Tianxi and Huang Tiancheng, have fallen."

"But the two Divine Envoys, Xiao Jingzhang and Yan Tong, are still alive. With their help, the capital can be stabilized faster, and I can be more confident in fighting with the old guys of the imperial clan."

"They are people of the imperial court."

"They were when His Majesty was alive, but now that His Majesty is dead, the imperial court has lost its power. Envoy Zhang's daughter is by your side, and he's probably waiting for you now."

"How do you want me to help? Write a letter?"

"No need. My message is enough. Also, we'll need that Sister Zhang to send a message to the capital in the future to reassure Envoy Zhang."

"Okay, I believe you."

"Good."

After saying that, the two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

Princess Pingyang looked directly at Chen Yuan and suddenly smiled:

"What, is Brother Chen waiting for me to call you Father too?"

"Hehe..." Chen Yuan shook his head:

"No need for that."

"That bes-"

Before the last word 'best' could be said, Chen Yuan suddenly uttered a few words.

"Just call me Daddy."

"Daddy?"

Princess Pingyang, who had already left, was thinking about what 'Daddy' meant. Although she couldn't figure it out, Chen Yuan thought that with her intelligence, she should be able to understand its meaning.

"Sigh."

Chen Yuan shook his head. He could naturally sense the subtle meaning that Princess Pingyang was intentionally or unintentionally revealing. But this... was really detrimental to morality.

Stepfather and...

Alas, he, Chen, had accumulated virtue and done good deeds all his life. He never expected to encounter such a 'dilemma.' It was really... really making him a little overwhelmed.

He wondered what Emperor Jingtai's spirit in heaven would think.

He had seized his country, snatched his concubine, and even...

Chen Yuan shook his head and stopped thinking about these nonsense things. Instead, he flew to the side of Daoist Tianxu and Daoist Lingxu, sensing Daoist Lingxu's current mood.

A bit reluctant.

Before, it was a necessity, but after the foundations left by the immortals of the Shu Mountain were really used up, he still felt a little uncomfortable and lacking in confidence, even though Shu Mountain had three True Lords.

The difference between having immortal foundations and not having them was very big.

Foundations were like nuclear weapons. You might not use them, but you couldn't not have them.

Having a sword but not using it was different from not having a sword at all.

"Daoist doesn't need to be like this. In the future, when Daoist becomes an immortal, won't that be better than the foundations left by some immortals? You need to look forward." Chen Yuan stopped in front of them.

"Hehe, what Chen... Demon Lord says is true."

Daoist Lingxu nodded.

Without an official title, the address was indeed a bit awkward.

"Foundations, there will always be some."

"Lord Chen."

"Daoist."

Chen Yuan turned his gaze to Daoist Tianxu. To be honest, he was a little surprised by the old Taoist's strength. He had originally thought that the reclusive Taixu Palace didn't have much strength.

At most, it had some foundations left by its predecessors.

But the strength he had shown had surprised him a little.

In his opinion, Tianxu's strength could even be compared to Li Kuangxiu. If he had immortal weapons, he wouldn't be without a chance to fight even the top five on the Heaven Ranking.

"You're a bit unkind."

"Where?"

"Daoist Lingxu said that the condition you gave to Shu Mountain was also the state religion. Before, I remember, my Taixu Palace also seemed to have been promised the state religion. In the future... won't every force that relies on you have the state religion as a condition?"

Chen Yuan shook his head:

"Daoist, you're too attached to appearances."

"Hmm?"

Daoist Tianxu frowned.

"The state religion that I, Chen, promise will definitely be the state religion. I'm not just deceiving you. You're thinking too superficially. The state religion of a Central Plains empire is naturally not enough to divide."

"But what if we pacify the grasslands, destroy the southern border, intimidate the East Sea, and annihilate Mount Ling?"

Chen Yuan didn't give them a chance to react and looked deeply at the east, saying in a deep voice:

"My ambition is very great. It's not limited to the thirteen provinces of the Central Plains. In the future, I will definitely sweep across the world and create a dynasty that will last for ten thousand generations. Even if there are several state religions, there will be enough benefits to divide."

"Hehe..."

"Hehe..."

Tianxu and Lingxu chuckled a few times. Although they didn't quite believe it, they still cooperated and said:

"Okay, I hope I can see that day."

"Yes."

"There will be plenty of time to imagine in the future, but not now. I hope Daoist Lingxu can return to Shu Province immediately to take control of the situation for me. Also, Taixu Palace will fully support me, not just Daoist alone."

No matter how declining Taixu Palace was, it was still a genuine immortal sect. Moreover, just looking at Tianxu's strength, one could infer that the strength of this reclusive immortal sect was actually very extraordinary.

"Okay."

Having already placed their bet, there was nothing to hesitate about. Daoist Tianxu directly nodded in agreement.

"Also, regarding Biyou Palace, I hope Daoist can persuade Zhao Danqing to assist me."

"I'll try."

"I believe in Daoist's eloquence."

"Actually, it would be more effective if Demon Lord went in person. With the momentum of this great victory, Biyou Palace should know that the general trend is irresistible. It's better than my empty words."

Daoist Tianxu chuckled.

"I have more important things to do."

Chen Yuan shook his head.

"What is it?"

Chen Yuan pointed to the east and said:

"In the battle with Emperor Jingtai, I had some insights. I'm going to find a deserted place in the east to cultivate for a period of time and improve my cultivation. Not reaching the Yang God realm is a bit underwhelming."

Lingxu: "..."

Tianxu: "..."

If Chen Yuan hadn't said it, they would have almost forgotten that Chen Yuan's current cultivation was only at the Refining Spirit realm.