...
Just as the Demon Emperor and the Third Prince were basking in glory.
In the outer regions of the Demon Domain.
A secret base some distance from the Demon No. 2 Base.
This was an artificially excavated underground palace, not large, about the size of a villa, but with very complete defenses and lavish interior decorations, almost like a small palace.
Deep within the underground palace, in a room styled like a bedchamber.
Exquisite demon-patterned lamps emitted bright light, illuminating everything inside the hall.
At this moment.
Under the light, a burly and strong man sat cross-legged on a spirit jade bed, eyes closed, meditating and cultivating.
He was a middle-aged man, with a stern demeanor, chiseled features, and an aura of authority emanating from him.Surging demonic energy swirled around him, pulsating slowly with the operation of his cultivation technique.
Along with the spread of demonic energy, a terrifying pressure also permeated the entire room, surging like a tide, exuding a suffocating oppressive force.
This figure was none other than the Demon Sovereign.
After being injured by the combined assault of the Nether Fiend Demon God and Yuntai An, he had been hiding in this secret base to heal, and it had been quite some time since then.
Now, after some time, his injuries had temporarily stabilized, but to fully recover, it would likely take decades or even centuries.
There was no other way. During the battle, Yuntai An had attacked in anger, with no intention of holding back, aiming to either kill or severely injure the Demon Sovereign.
And the power of the "Dragonblood Demon God" that Yuntai An inherited was inherently inclined towards strength and destructive laws, with astonishing destructive and lethal power.
If Yuntai An had not just "recovered" the power of a Demon God not long ago, with strength equivalent to the first or second level of the True Demon Realm of the human race, the Demon Sovereign's injuries might have been even more severe.
It was unknown how much time had passed before the surging demonic energy around the Demon Sovereign gradually subsided, and he slowly ended his cultivation and woke up.
At this time, a gentle woman appeared at the entrance of the underground palace, holding a large bowl of steaming soup: "My lord, this is a top-grade medicinal meal I prepared, which can regulate demonic energy and ease injuries. Please have some; it will be beneficial for your recovery."
This figure was none other than Elder Yun.
It was evident that she had been outside for a long time, but she refrained from entering for fear of disturbing the Demon Sovereign's healing. Now that the Demon Sovereign had finished a round of meditation, she finally entered.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The Demon Sovereign took the medicinal meal she handed over and began drinking it slowly, casually asking, "How is Qianjue? Have you found him?"
"The young master has returned safely. It seems he suffered quite a bit on the way, but his injuries are still within a controllable range, and there are no lasting effects," Elder Yun said. "However, this incident seems to have hit him hard. He's become very quiet and withdrawn lately. Moreover, the entire base is filled with voices condemning him, and his reputation will be hard to recover in the short term."
The Demon Sovereign frowned.
After pondering for a moment, he finally said nothing, just sighed, "Well, as long as he's safe. This incident can be considered a test for him."
He was naturally very disappointed with Chao Qianjue's performance, but he also understood that Qianjue's character was largely spoiled by the elders in the family.
Aside from his character, Qianjue's performance in other areas was actually commendable.
As for replacing Qianjue and cultivating another heir, he had thought about it but ultimately gave up.
Cultivating an excellent heir is not easy, and even if he cultivated another, who could guarantee that the new heir would be better than Qianjue?
Moreover, although he was slightly younger than the Demon Emperor, he was also nearing the inheritance period, and even if he wanted to cultivate another heir, it was too late.
Now, he could only hope that Qianjue would learn from this setback, shed some of his arrogance, and grow.
Regaining his focus, he asked again, "What about Moro? Any news of him?"
Apart from Chao Qianjue's safety, he was now most concerned about the whereabouts of Moro Demon Lord.
After all, it was Moro Demon Lord who left with the Nether Fiend True Demon Seed. If they could find Moro Demon Lord, even a tiny clue about his whereabouts could lead them to the Nether Fiend True Demon Seed.
"This..." Mentioning Moro Demon Lord, Elder Yun's expression turned a bit grim, but she still reported truthfully, "I've been secretly searching for him, even using the undercover agents we have within the demon race, but there's still no news."
The Demon Sovereign frowned, "No clues at all?"
"None," Elder Yun shook her head, "We haven't found him alive or dead, not even a trace."
As she spoke, her eyes were filled with confusion, clearly perplexed.
This was a Void Realm expert, disappearing without a trace like this was indeed unbelievable.
In fact, although Wang Lici had thoroughly cleaned the battlefield and erased her traces, the destructive power of a battle involving a Void Realm demon lord was so terrifying that changes in the terrain and landscape were impossible to conceal.
If someone had observed carefully, they would have noticed that the area had undergone a fierce battle, with participants of extremely terrifying strength.
Unfortunately, shortly after Moro Demon Lord's death, the demon race began a massive invasion, and for a long time, the demon domain was in chaos. Changes in the landscape due to battles were common, and maps had long become useless.
The changes in that area's terrain, mixed in with the large-scale changes, were not considered unusual and thus went unnoticed.
As Elder Yun recalled the series of events caused by the Demon Emperor within the demon dynasty, she hesitated for a moment but couldn't help asking, "My lord, are we really not going to do anything about the Demon Emperor?"
"Hmph," the Demon Sovereign snorted coldly, "Shentu Yujing has always been one to seize any opportunity to suppress me."
He understood the Demon Emperor's character better than anyone and had long expected him not to stay quiet.
"Since we can't act now, let him have his moment. Once I recover, I'll deal with him," the Demon Sovereign said. "Our most urgent task now is to find the Nether Fiend True Demon Seed. Continue searching for Moro Demon Lord, whether alive or dead."
As long as they found the Nether Fiend True Demon Seed and successfully broke through to the mid-True Demon Realm, no matter how the Demon Emperor slandered him, he wouldn't be able to escape his grasp.
After a pause, the Demon Sovereign frowned again and said, "Besides, keep an eye on the various forces within the demon dynasty. If anyone suddenly breaks through to the True Demon Realm or late Void Realm, report to me immediately."
"Also, if any young person with exceptionally outstanding talent suddenly emerges, especially those practicing Nether Fiend-type techniques, report to me immediately."
Even if luck was not on their side and the Nether Fiend True Demon Seed had already been used, he needed to find out who used it.
This time, his downfall was inexplicable. Although the Demon Emperor seemed to be plotting against him on the surface, for some reason, the Demon Sovereign instinctively felt that this matter was not as simple as it appeared.
It seemed as if there was an invisible hand manipulating everything behind the scenes, giving him a hair-raising feeling.
Until he found this hand, he wouldn't be at ease.
...
Some time later.
In the main residence of the Changning Wang's Clan, within Shouzhe's Small Courtyard.
Some important figures were holding a family meeting.
Wang Shouzhe leisurely sipped his spiritual tea, looking at Prince An with a somewhat peculiar expression, as if questioning why he was here at an internal Wang Clan family meeting.
Don't you have court to attend? Aren't there state affairs to handle?
Are you this idle?
"Ahem!"
Prince An felt uncomfortable under his gaze, gulped down a few sips of spiritual tea, and muttered, "I'm a relative of the Wang Clan by marriage, so what's wrong with attending a Wang Clan meeting? Alright, alright, just start the meeting."
Wang Shouzhe withdrew his gaze, looked at everyone, and said, "Everyone, share your thoughts first."
"Grandfather," Wang Shizhao, the future chief minister of the cabinet, was the first to bow and speak, "Recently, news has come back that the Third Prince of the Red Moon Demon Dynasty, Shentu Jingming, has been officially confirmed as the Crown Prince. The demon dynasty's royal family is also making a big deal out of it, promoting that Shentu Jingming was already a Heavenly Son of the Fourth Rank before inheriting the Red Lotus True Demon Codex."
"Now, Shentu Jingming holds high prestige among the younger generation in the demon dynasty, hailed as the top of the Red Moon Sage List."
Upon hearing this, everyone didn't have much of a reaction.
A Heavenly Son of the Fourth Rank would barely make it into the second tier in the Wang Clan. However, Shentu Jingming was, after all, a member of the demon dynasty's royal family, with the True Demon Codex passed down in his family, paving a smooth path for his future as a True Demon.
"Ahem, due to the stimulation from the demon dynasty, our Han Yue Immortal Dynasty's Immortal Emperor has also decided to use the mysterious heritage left by the ancestors to enhance Princess Suiyun's bloodline aptitude, elevating her to a Heavenly Son of the Fourth Rank, and has set a date to announce her as the Crown Princess," Wang Shizhao continued with the second piece of news. "This shows that the heritage accumulation of True Immortal and True Demon families is indeed unmatched by ordinary families."
Wang Shouzhe nodded slightly, "As the royal family, the Yun's Clan has ruled the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty for tens of thousands of years, having its own heritage and secrets is very normal. As for Princess Suiyun becoming the Crown Princess, it is also as expected. She is outstanding in both ability and character."
"However, this means that our family's Mengyu might not have a chance," said Wang Liyue, who had recently returned from the outer region battlefield, adjusting her glasses. "But this is also good, as it reduces the resistance for Mengyu to marry into our Wang Clan."
The other core family members also expressed satisfaction with Princess Suiyun becoming the Crown Princess, as it greatly benefits the stability of the future dynasty structure.
"Father," Wang Liyue continued, "Recently, our Thunderous Operation has been progressing very smoothly. Not only have we successfully experimented and opened up outer region farms, but in terms of warfare, we have taken advantage of the chaos in the Nether Fiend Demon God's territory to capture our long-time rival, the Dragon Elephant Demon King Fortress, and have effectively controlled its surrounding areas."
"Indeed, this is a cause for celebration," Prince An was also excited, "I just received the news and rushed to the Wang Clan to share the joy. The Dragon Elephant Demon King Fortress has been our Great Gan's nemesis, and to think it has been dealt with. The final blow was delivered by our Ancestor personally."
"I heard His Majesty was injured in this battle?" Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly, "His Majesty is quite old, why is he still charging on the front lines? Wasn't he supposed to oversee from the rear?"
"Shouzhe, our Ancestor has been at war with the Dragon Elephant Demon King Fortress for thousands of years," Prince An sighed, "Because the other two Demon King Fortresses have always supported the Dragon Elephant Demon King Fortress, it has caused us Great Gan much difficulty. Many of our predecessors have perished in countless battles of attrition. I'm sure our Ancestor personally intervened to fulfill a dream."
"Well, since His Majesty has fulfilled his dream, let him return to recuperate," Wang Shouzhe said, "so he doesn't act recklessly again."
"Yes, Father, I will notify His Majesty to return for healing after the meeting," Wang Liyue replied, then continued, "Now that we've taken the Dragon Elephant Demon King Fortress, our Thunderous Operation has entered the next phase. We need a large number of pioneers to settle in the outer regions, to gradually improve and control the environment, turning the conquered territories into a habitat for our human race."
"This matter will be entrusted to Zong'an," Wang Shouzhe looked at his eldest son, Wang Zong'an, and said, "Zong'an, summoning you back from Dala Commandery was to have you oversee the various tasks of pioneering the outer regions."
"Yes, Father," Wang Zong'an stood up and saluted, his demeanor calm and composed. His resume was impressive, from initially managing the Qingluo Garrison to overseeing the Dala Great Desert development plan, he was highly skilled in organizing manpower and allocating resources for large-scale development.
Today, Dala Commandery has become one of Great Gan's oases and economic pillars, and Wang Zong'an's contributions are indispensable.
Decisions concerning the livelihood of the people and the development of the outer regions were being made in this small family meeting, including the mass production of pioneering equipment, promoting the pioneering plan, distributing benefits, and even the maintenance and modification of Domain-Crossing Flying Boats, all listed on the agenda.
This was an enormous cake, and how to manage, distribute, and control it was a very complex and profound subject.
As the meeting concluded, the second act of the Thunderous Operation began to unfold.
The Wang Clan also entered a busy phase.
As the young clan leader, Wang Zong'an rarely stayed in the main residence, but he was busy with the preliminary work for the pioneering plan, keeping him occupied daily.
Recently.
Wang Fugui also retired from the Immortal No. 3 Base, without leaving any illustrious record, only gaining the reputation of being the number one playboy of the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty.
He returned to the Wang Clan from the Immortal Dynasty, accompanied by Princess Chunnan and Princess Zhaoyu as guests.
After paying respects to Ancestor Shouzhe, Wang Fugui took the two princesses to visit Ancestor Zong'an.
As Wang Fugui stepped into Zong'an's courtyard, he encountered a small group of people.
The leader, sporting a small mustache, looked quite mature and steady, followed by two spirited young men and women.
Upon seeing him, Wang Fugui quickly stepped forward to greet, "Brother Fuxiao, it's been a while."
The mustached man brightened up with surprise, "Fugui, when did you return?" This person was Wang Fuxiao, the first of the Fu generation in the Wang Clan, now just over a hundred years old.
But that's normal, as Wang Fugui ranked one hundred and thirteen in the Fu generation, while Wang Fuxiao ranked first, indicating a significant age gap. As the family developed, there were more and more peers, and often they could only be addressed by name and title.
"I just returned a couple of days ago," Wang Fugui smiled, "I came to pay respects to Ancestor Zong'an. Brother Fuxiao, are you here on business with Ancestor Zong'an?"
Speaking of this, Wang Fuxiao showed a proud expression, "It's not exactly business, just helping Ancestor Zong'an with errands. To be honest, it's thanks to Ancestor Zong'an's support that I was invited to work on the project."
No wonder Wang Fuxiao was proud. The Fu generation had over a hundred people, and those who could leave a deep impression on Ancestor Zong'an were less than ten, and Wang Fuxiao was one of them.
It wasn't because Wang Fuxiao was particularly outstanding, but because he was the eldest in the Fu generation.
This was the family strategy passed down in Wang Fuxiao's line, from the eldest of the Shou generation, Wang Shouxin, to his eldest son Wang Zongwei, then to his eldest son Wang Shining, then to the An generation's Wang Anmin, the Ning generation's Wang Ninghui, and the Fu generation's Wang Fuxiao, all were the eldest in their respective generations.
Even Wang Fuxiao's eldest son Wang Baoshan, eldest grandson Wang Youxian, and eldest great-grandson Wang Yinle were all the eldest in their generations.
In the lineage passed down by Wang Shouxin, there was a persistent notion: as the eldest of the generation, you could be mediocre, but you must marry and have children quickly to secure the position of the next generation's eldest.
This strategy was quite effective, at least when thinking of a certain generation, apart from those exceptionally outstanding, it was either the direct line or the eldest of this line.
No choice, the Wang Clan members were too excellent, and the internal competition was very intense.
"Congratulations, Brother Fuxiao, on your promising future," Wang Fugui said, taking out gifts from his storage ring, asking as he did, "By the way, Brother Fuxiao, how many people are in your family now?"
"Not many, including daughters, there are forty-three," Wang Fuxiao proudly replied. In terms of having many children, who in the Fu generation could compare to him? At just over a hundred, he had already branched out so extensively, while many peers in the family were still unwilling to marry.
Of course, this number included his great-grandchildren.
Wang Fugui was asking in this sense, counting all descendants and daughters from Wang Fuxiao onward.
"..." Wang Fugui was also shocked by the number, admiringly saying, "Brother Fuxiao is truly a model for our generation."
Then, he honestly took out forty-three gifts, "These are just some local specialties I brought back from the Immortal Dynasty and outer regions, nothing precious, please don't refuse, and kindly distribute them when you return."
"Fugui, you're thoughtful, I thank you on behalf of the children," Wang Fuxiao happily accepted, then said, "Fugui, as a direct descendant, you must work hard too, the direct line is waiting for you to continue."
Behind Wang Fugui, Yun Mengyu and Princess Zhaoyu both began to blush. In fact, Yun Mengyu followed this time because Princess Zhaoyu insisted on visiting the Wang Clan, and to prevent any external threats, she naturally had to follow closely.
"Yes, yes, I understand," Wang Fugui awkwardly laughed, ending the conversation with Wang Fuxiao, then greeted a young woman behind him, "Greetings, Aunt Mei Heng."
This was Wang Meiheng, ranked one hundred and thirty-nine in the Mei generation. Despite her young age of just over twenty, she was an elder to both Wang Fugui and Wang Fuxiao. She was from the line of the third of the Shou generation, Wang Shounuo.
"Hello, Fugui," Wang Meiheng also blinked, looking with interest at the two princesses behind Wang Fugui.
At this time, another young talent greeted, bowing deeply to Wang Fugui, "Baogun greets Uncle Fugui, and the two princesses."
This was Wang Baogun, ranked forty-three in the Bao generation, a descendant of the second of the Shou generation, Wang Shouyi. Fortunately, Wang Fugui, Wang Meiheng, and Wang Baogun had significant age differences, so they recognized each other. If the age gap was too large, not recognizing each other was normal.
A large family was like this, indicating prosperity.
After some pleasantries.
Wang Fuxiao introduced, "Aunt Meiheng and Baogun have just graduated from the advanced clan school and have been temporarily assigned to me to help Ancestor Zong'an with errands. I, meeting the two princesses for the first time, as Fugui's elder brother, should give a meeting gift."
Saying this, Wang Fuxiao began to frantically take out treasures from his storage ring, stuffing all the good things and family assets into the arms of the two princesses.
"Fugui, this..." Princess Chunnan and Princess Zhaoyu were at a loss.
Then, despite repeated refusals, Wang Fuxiao insisted, repeatedly saying he was the eldest of the Fu generation. Unable to refuse, Wang Fugui had the two princesses accept the gifts.
After bidding farewell, Wang Fugui led the princesses to pay respects to Ancestor Zong'an.
Wang Meiheng and Wang Baogun were shocked, especially Wang Meiheng, who exclaimed, "Fuxiao, you're known as a stingy person, when did you become so generous? You even gave away your hard-earned savings?"
"Exactly, logically, you don't need to give a meeting gift, are you trying to curry favor with the princesses?" Wang Baogun also wondered, "It doesn't make sense, our Wang Clan members rise through their abilities, not by currying favor, right?"
"Aunt Meiheng, Baogun, you're too young," Wang Fuxiao chuckled, "What kind of person is our Fugui? He's the direct descendant, the world's number one noble son, even a strand of his hair is thicker than our thighs."
"And Fugui is righteous and follows the rules, how could he not return a meeting gift?"
"Also, don't forget, I have forty-three family members, all are Fugui's juniors."
"..." Wang Meiheng and Wang Baogun looked at each other, was there such shamelessness? Indeed, compared to the cunning Fuxiao, they were too young.
"Don't look at me like that... I'm struggling too," Wang Fuxiao said with a face of grievance, "I'm young, first supporting my son, then my grandson, now even my great-grandson. I'm also contributing to the Wang Clan, making great achievements."
Wang Meiheng and Wang Baogun, the two young ones, almost wanted to hide in shame. This was too shameless and brazen.
How could they work with Fuxiao in the future? Would he use this shamelessness in work too?
...