Longevity Clan Starts with the Patriarch's Marriage

“The four major powers dared to brazenly provoke a fight and launch an invasion because the combat ability of the Daqian Empire’s True Martial Realm experts had all entered the Sacred Dragon Secret Realm, leaving no one to suppress the situation,”

“These powers also have True Martial Realm experts among them, and I fear they’re not just trying to fight over the Dragon Ball but also aim to… completely eliminate Prince Wu’an and the retired Emperor, cutting off Daqian’s strongest combat force. Then, Daqian will truly have no power to resist.”

“If there were an Emperor Wu of the True Martial Realm from our Daqian to take charge of the overall situation, I believe it would cause all parties to hesitate greatly, buying us more time until the retired Emperor and Prince Wu’an emerge from the Sacred Dragon Secret Realm.”

“By then, with the Daqian Empire having three True Martial Realm combat abilities, Yinyang Sect, Kurong Sect, and the Ancient Empire would not dare to make any rash moves, and we could quickly counter-attack.”

After the Grand Preceptor finished speaking, he looked toward Emperor Qian, seemingly hoping to discern something from his face.

The State Preceptor, the Left Chancellor, the Prophet, and other high-ranking officials did the same, for they all knew where the crux of the problem lay.

The Daqian Empire now lacked True Martial Realm combat ability and urgently needed an Emperor Wu of the True Martial Realm to take control of the overall situation, otherwise, any plan would be useless.

Without the combat ability of the True Martial Realm to preside, who would dare go to the Eastern Three Provinces to suppress the rebellion?

The mysterious forces behind those rebellious powers have an Emperor Wu of the True Martial Realm. If these Grandmasters of the Myriad Phenomena Realm go, it would be tantamount to seeking death.

As long as there is still True Martial Realm combat ability in Daqian, Daqian still has a chance. The Eastern Three Provinces could be subdued, and even if the struggle becomes prolonged, the hearts of people in the other fourteen provinces could be stabilized.

The powers in other provinces would not dare to defect easily and would most likely choose to watch and wait, and the preparations they’ve made would be able to resist the three major powers for a while.

As the backbone of the Daqian Empire, the State Preceptor, the Grand Preceptor, the Left Chancellor, and other high-ranking officials were also uncertain whether Daqian still had any True Martial Realm combat abilities hidden.

Apart from Prince Wu’an Chu Hao and the retired Emperor Chu Wuji, they were aware that Daqian still had one elder ancestor in the True Martial Realm.

However, rumor had it that the elder ancestor was over nineteen hundred years old, and whether he was still alive was a mystery to everyone; there had been no news of him for hundreds of years.

Deep down, they all faintly believed that the elder ancestor of Daqian was still alive, otherwise, the retired Emperor and Prince Wu’an would not have entered the Sacred Dragon Secret Realm together, knowing that doing so would leave Daqian in jeopardy.

It was also possible that the elder ancestor had already died, and facing the current situation, the retired Emperor and Prince Wu’an chose to gamble, confident in their chances of seizing the Dragon Ball.

Should they successfully refine the Dragon Ball, their strength would greatly increase in a short time, and in the future, they might even reach the Divine Yuan Realm. At that point, the crisis of the Daqian Empire could be resolved.

The Prophet, the Head Supervisor, the Great General, and others all turned their gaze to Emperor Qian. Only Emperor Qian was privy to such core secrets, and they urgently wanted to know the answer in order to plan their next move.

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Qian finally spoke, “The elder ancestor is indeed still alive.”

Upon hearing this, the State Preceptor, the Grand Preceptor, the Prophet, and others showed joy on their faces, relieved at heart. If the elder ancestor of Daqian was still alive, then there was hope for Daqian.

This elder ancestor had likely reached the mid-stage of the True Martial Realm. Just by standing up, he could stabilize the situation, causing those restless forces within the empire to temporarily halt their ambitions and choose to observe.

“Champion Duke, State Preceptor, head to the Eastern Three Provinces to suppress the rebellion; the Left Chancellor, the Grand Preceptor, the Great General, and others, proceed to situate yourselves in the predetermined locations in the other three regions. You must block the advance of the three major powers and buy time for the retired Emperor and Prince Wu’an,”

“I will immediately go to report to the elder ancestor and ask him to come out of hiding,” Emperor Qian declared solemnly.

“Yes.”

The State Preceptor, the Left Chancellor, and others promptly departed, each feeling much less pressure.

After everyone left, Emperor Qian, facing Grand Internal Manager Cao, said, “The Capital City lacks strength now, and the task of defending it falls on you.”

“Your Majesty, rest assured,” Grand Internal Manager Cao responded respectfully.

Emperor Qian nodded, his figure vanished, and he soon reappeared at the entrance to the core forbidden area of Daqian.

He took out the golden ‘Qian’ metal token, injected Gang Yuan into it, activated the Formation, and quickly entered the passageway.

Walking through the passageway, Emperor Qian felt somewhat apprehensive; in fact, he didn’t know whether the elder ancestor was still alive.

Since his ascension to the throne, he had only been to the forbidden area a few times, and on each visit, he was received by the retired Emperor. The elder ancestor had never opened his eyes or spoken, and the retired Emperor had not informed him of the truth.

But Emperor Qian knew he had to say the elder ancestor was still alive, otherwise those Daqian officials would also lose confidence and have no grounds for assurance.

After all, whether the retired Emperor and Prince Wu’an would emerge alive from the Sacred Dragon Secret Realm remained an unknown.

Soon, Emperor Qian exited the passageway and arrived at the entrance of the great hall. Hesitating for a moment, he still entered and stopped three meters away from the elderly man wearing coarse gray linen, with hair as white as a crane’s and skin like chicken skin.

After observing for a while, Emperor Qian cautiously began, “Great Ancestor Zhenxiong, the retired Emperor and my brother have both entered the Sacred Dragon Secret Realm together, their lives and deaths uncertain. Now with the Yinyang Sect, Kurong Sect, and the Ancient Empire all launching an invasion, alongside mysterious forces inciting rebellion in the Eastern Three States, Daqian is on the brink of peril.”

“I implore the elder ancestor to make an appearance, to suppress heaven and earth, to stabilize the world, and to fight for the everlasting foundation of our Daqian Empire.”

Having spoken, Emperor Qian bowed deeply and did not rise.

Time ticked by second by second, and Emperor Qian grew increasingly anxious, even a fine sweat appearing on his forehead. As a Great Grandmaster, he should not be exhibiting such a state, but it uncharacteristically occurred.

One breath, three breaths, five breaths, ten breaths…

Emperor Qian’s expression shifted from hopeful to disappointed, and then slowly to despair.

After nearly half a moment, the Elder of Zhenxiong had not responded. Could it be that he had truly passed away?

What was the Daqian Empire to do then?

Five more breaths passed, and just as Emperor Qian was about to succumb to utter despair and turn to leave, the eyelids of the man in grey twitched. Emperor Qian immediately noticed.

“Elder of Zhenxiong, Elder of Zhenxiong…” Emperor Qian called out anxiously, his demeanor becoming agitated. The Elder of Zhenxiong was still alive.

Two more breaths later, the man in grey opened his eyes, divine light shooting forth, and his aura climbed steadily, quickly restoring him to the True Martial Realm.

Emperor Qian felt quite uncomfortable suppressed by that aura, but his face showed an undeniable joy.

“Ah.”

The man in grey sighed, a trace of resignation that was hard to detect flickered in his eyes.

“I heard everything you just said. You go first; I will appear soon,” the man in grey said calmly.

“This will be my last battle for Daqian. I hope Daqian can survive this crisis.”

The man in grey paused and added those words.

Emperor Qian nodded solemnly, his heart heavy, yet he quickly left.

Although the Elder of Zhenxiong was still alive, he was clearly not in good condition. Having been in a closed deathlike state, if he were to engage in a major battle this time, the Elder probably couldn’t withstand it much longer.

Thinking that the Daqian Empire would be short of a True Martial Realm warrior king to suppress heaven and earth, Emperor Qian felt heartache, yet the thought of the empire overcoming this crisis brought him some happiness.

Once Emperor Qian left the core forbidden land, the man in grey became indifferent, but soon his face twisted with rage.

“Damn it, how could that dragon woman be so powerful?”

The thought of his plans being thwarted filled the man in grey with immense irritation, desperately wishing he could tear the dragon woman to pieces.

Emperor Wu’s City, Xuan Domain.

Emperor Wu’s City was an immeasurably large city, even bigger than the Capital of Daqian, gathering countless people of the Human Clan.

At that moment, on top of the walls of Emperor Wu’s City stood a middle-aged man dressed in mysterious yellow battle clothes, tall and majestic, with a commanding presence.

The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back looking towards the direction of the Qian Dynasty, murmuring to himself, “The show is starting.”

He showed no intention of intervening, as if he only wished to watch the drama unfold.

The Ancient Empire, Capital City.

Deep within the forbidden grounds of the Imperial Palace, a dignified elder opened his eyes and looked towards Leizhou of the Qian Dynasty, a cryptic expression crossing his features.

“Interesting.”

His eyes seemed capable of piercing through the void, spying the scenes in Leizhou.

After uttering those words, the dignified elder glanced westward and then closed his eyes again.

Daqian, Qingzhou.

Atop a high mountain range, Han Li, dressed in blue, was intently observing the Sacred Dragon Secret Realm in Leizhou, watching Tianxuan Mountain.

Originally, he had planned to wait at Chengsheng Mountain to see if he could pick up a true martial realm female cultivator to take home, but the situation changed in an instant, and the Daqian Empire was now in grave danger.

The Yinyang Sect had invaded Leizhou, steamrolling everything in its path, and Wan Guiyuan, the Commissioner of the Three Provinces, along with Yang Tianxiong, the Supervisor of Jingye Office, were organizing a large army to confront them.

In such circumstances, Tianxuan Mountain could not remain uninvolved; it had to choose a side, or it would face destruction.

Thus, Han Li made a quiet appearance in Qingzhou, of course, after changing his appearance, completely concealing his own aura, ready to act under an alias.

Considering there were still several shrewd old beings guarding Leizhou, Han Li had no desire to join the fray. So, he decided to watch from Qingzhou and be close enough to rush over if necessary.

Han Li planned to act as the situation dictated, both looking to see if there was a chance to rescue Tianxuan Mountain and seeing if he could seize the opportunity to capture a true martial realm female cultivator to become his Dao companion.