Chapter 316: Want to Be Emperor? You'd Better Have a Thick Hide! |
With such a powerful brother-in-law like Chen Yi, Shen Qingshan's concern wasn't for his wife and daughter's safety, but rather that they would lose a husband and father's companionship.
However, judging from the results of the fifth simulation.
Shen Qingshan had actually completely replaced the Founding Ancestor Shen's identity in the end.
The Founding Ancestor Shen's powerless soul had ultimately remained with only his books for company, forever stuck in the Star Force Mystic Realm—the moment it left, it would be dragged away by the Underworld.
From this, it was clear that after the Dual-Soul Sacred Physique merged, it could still be separated.
"Brother-in-law, how about this—first come with me to Golden Sand Beach and see if Old Shen has a better solution, one that lets him contribute to this battle without you losing yourself forever."
"That's a fine plan."
Chen Yi went even further.
He packed up Third Sister, Shen Jia, and even Shen Qingshan's entire courtyard, sending them all into the Cauldron Realm.
"You've made me wait too long!!"
Seeing Chen Yi again, the Great Demon roared with fury.
"Easy, easy. What's with the impatience?"
The three continued flying.
When they passed over the Great Qian capital city, Chen Yi stopped again.
"Stop!"
The Great Demon howled.
"What now?!"
"There's one more ally here."
Hua Wuyan understood immediately.
"You want to recruit Li Wentian, right?"
Chen Yi laughed.
"This old man would be wasted if he didn't go to the Real Realm. He might even get a chance to be reborn there."
"But if Li Wentian leaves, the Li Imperial Clan will no longer be impregnable."
"Every man can be a king or a general—who says bloodline decides?"
Seeing the two flying straight down, the Great Demon's mass of dark clouds crackled with lightning in frustration.
"Don't I get a say in this?!"
When three Martial Gods appeared above the capital, ordinary people simply saw three flying figures with vastly different styles, like "immortals" from legend.
At most, they found the Great Demon's black mist a bit frightening.
But to the Li Imperial Clan within and outside the city walls, it was a catastrophic threat!
Every Martial King and Martial Saint in the clan who happened to be in or near the capital immediately soared into the air and flew to surround Chen Yi's group.
The Great Qian Dragon Protector Li Liushui and Li Lingyue's Third Granduncle, Li Yang, were both among these Martial Saint-level powerhouses.
"All three are Martial Gods? Are you kidding me! Have the heavens abandoned our Great Qian?"
"I didn't know the human world even had three Martial Gods?"
"That mass of thick, pitch-black mist doesn't look righteous..."
The Li family members murmured among themselves.
Below, the capital's citizens were also buzzing with noise, craning their necks to stare.
However, the panic among Li Yang and the others eased considerably when they spotted Hua Wuyan.
Not many in the world knew that Hua Wuyan was the Guardian, but anyone who had cultivated to the Martial Saint Realm had at least that much common sense.
"We pay our respects to the Guardian!"
Hearing this title, the Li family's Martial Kings relaxed significantly.
The Guardian probably wasn't here to usurp the throne.
Hua Wuyan wore a benevolent smile.
"Everyone, no need to be nervous. We've come to the capital to discuss some matters with the Li family."
With that, Hua Wuyan looked at Chen Yi.
"Young Martial God, perhaps you should explain."
Chen Yi stepped up without hesitation.
"The Path to Immortality has emerged. Is the Li family in or out!"
Chen Yi had to waste more breath explaining the situation with the Path to Immortality.
After hearing him out, every Martial King and Martial Saint of the Li family wore expressions of yearning.
Calling it "a path to the Real Realm" didn't sound like much.
But what if you called it "ascension"?!
No matter how much everyone cultivated in the Void Realm, they could only ever reach Martial God.
But if they went to the Real Realm, there was a chance to become immortals!
Wasn't that a form of ascension in itself?
It did sound a bit like painting a pie.
But for those powerhouses with dwindling lifespans, having an opportunity to reach the Real Realm—they'd gobble up that pie in a heartbeat.
Li Liushui declared on the spot.
"Elder Li Yang, I think our Li family can't miss this chance! The Shen family has already decided to march. If the Path to Immortality falls under Shen family control, our people will have to beg for permission to use it in the future!"
Chen Yi grinned and pointed at Li Liushui.
"Hey? Brother Liushui hit the nail on the head. Whether you want to be 'founding shareholders' of the Path to Immortality is entirely up to you all. But I must warn you—investing comes with risks, and you bear the gains and losses yourselves."
The Li family didn't have a "clan head" position; instead, they used a council of elders to make major decisions.
There was a group of specially designated decision-making elders called the Inner Council Elders.
Li Yang was one of them.
As they were deliberating, the Great Demon grew impatient.
"How much longer do we have to wait! I told you long ago—I could handle this alone! Why do we need these insignificant ants! They're just wasting time! Let's go!"
Chen Yi went along with the push.
"Everyone, if you keep deliberating, my demonic path friend here will run out of patience."
The Li family immediately decided to join.
Chen Yi then laid out his conditions for joining.
First, he needed some Imperial Mausoleum Nethersoil.
Second, Li Wentian's power had to be awakened, and he had to participate in the battle.
In the simulation, getting Imperial Mausoleum Nethersoil required him to ask as a favor based on his friendship with the emperor.
But now, the Li family agreed outright.
However, when it came to awakening Li Wentian's power, they started making excuses.
"Awakening the Ancestor Dragon requires sacrificing millions of livestock, which isn't easy to gather on short notice. And this demonic friend of yours looks like he can't wait, doesn't he?"
Awakening Li Wentian did indeed require some cost.
But sacrificing livestock was an annual ritual to maintain his power, not to awaken him, and it didn't require millions.
If it weren't for the information he'd gained from the simulation, Chen Yi would have been completely fooled by them.
"Elders, there's no need to play tricks in front of us. The enemy we're about to face is no pushover. If the Li family isn't willing to deploy Martial God-level combat power, then don't bother getting on board. We don't need passengers who just paddle in place."
In the simulation, Chen Yi's wife was Li Lingyue, so there was no way any Li family secrets could be hidden from him.
Chen Yi instantly transformed into a master negotiator, completely twisting the Li family around his finger.
The Li family members had no choice but to agree to awaken Li Wentian.
"Please give us a few days to prepare. This is no easy task..."
Chen Yi looked at the Great Demon.
The Great Demon's mass of black clouds burst apart like an explosive afro.
"What's so great about Li Wentian! We can fight for the Path to Immortality without him! Let's go!"
Chen Yi looked back at the Li family members and shrugged.
They could only sigh in resignation.
"Fine. We'll get it done right now."
The cost of awakening Li Wentian was—letting the current emperor bleed.
With luck, the emperor would survive.
With bad luck, too much blood would need to be drawn, and he'd kick the bucket.
This was a rule known to anyone before they became emperor.
If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight.
In the Great Qian Empire, if you want to be emperor, you'd better have a thick hide.
In the fifth simulation, Li Chengqian had awakened Li Wentian for the first time without any issue.
But the second time, his luck ran out, and he died on the spot.
Chen Yi wasn't asking them to awaken Li Wentian right now.
He needed the Li family to convince the emperor to come along, and also bring Li Wentian's lump of flesh and blood.
They would awaken him when the battle began.
Because every time Li Wentian was awakened, he could only sustain himself for a short time.