Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Visitor from Chaoge!

“Is Your Majesty doing this to win over the hearts of the common people? Does Your Majesty believe the people’s hearts matter more than those ministers’?” Shang Rong asked bluntly.

There was a faint note of reproach in his voice. For a decision with such uncertain consequences, the king had made it without even consulting the others; it was a little too rash.

Jiang Yuan nodded and glanced out beyond the hall, saying with quiet feeling, “Water may bear a boat, and it may also overturn it.”

Shang Rong mulled over the line carefully and found, to his surprise, that it was deeply wise. Since when had the king become capable of uttering such astonishing words?

He would have to copy that sentence down and hang it in his study. It was indeed profound.

“It seems that during this period of touring the realm, Your Majesty has gained many insights,” Shang Rong said with admiration.

Jiang Yuan gave a self-mocking smile. In truth, he had only been borrowing a famous line and putting on airs.

Yes, indeed. How could a scholar’s business be called plagiarism?

“Though I did not act on a sudden whim, I have not thought through every detail. That is where Prime Minister Shang will need to fill in the gaps later,” Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

“I can only promise to do my utmost. There is no precedent for such a matter in history, and I would not dare to assure Your Majesty of anything,” Shang Rong replied humbly.

“Never mind. With me here, nothing too disastrous will happen,” Jiang Yuan said, waving a hand.

“I certainly hope so,” Shang Rong said, smiling.

He could not help but admire the king’s courage. Matters of this kind were never even considered by ordinary sovereigns.

After all, they were, by nature, the greatest slaveholders in the world.

“This world will ultimately remain the world of our human race. What business do the foreign tribes have meddling in it?” Jiang Yuan said coldly.

“General Huang, how long will it take to settle the recent unrest?” Jiang Yuan asked.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, three months,” Huang Feihu replied confidently.

Jiang Yuan shook his head. “Three months is too short. I will give you only one month. Whether or not the uprising has been suppressed, you are to return to Chaoge.”

“I have a feeling that within a month, great chaos will break out.”

“What sort of chaos does Your Majesty mean?” Huang Feihu asked, his brow twitching.

Jiang Yuan looked at him with playful amusement and smiled. “Would all the realm rising in rebellion count as great enough?”

“Why would Your Majesty think that?” Huang Feihu asked, puzzled.

“You will know when the time comes,” Jiang Yuan said, offering no explanation.

He himself needed to hurry and build up his reserves as well.

In a while, he would have to summon Wen Zhong back too. In Jiang Yuan’s view, a man who could not even protect himself was still guarding the border for the sake of the human race.

That was putting the cart before the horse.

“All of you may leave. I am tired,” Jiang Yuan said, waving them away.

There were still many things he needed to ponder, and he also had to see whether his tyrant points could raise him to the level of a Golden Immortal.

The Thunderlight Treasure Sword was no longer enough either. He would have to see whether that damned system had anything worthwhile hidden away.

After Shang Rong and the others had all departed, Jiang Yuan began calling out to the wretched system.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had played with that thing.

“Are you there, system?” Jiang Yuan asked arrogantly.

“...Yes. Please speak, Host,” the system replied. Its voice had become noticeably more humanlike, faintly carrying a touch of its own emotion.

“How many tyrant points do I have left?” Jiang Yuan asked, though he already knew the answer.

Dealing with those ministers in mind games and contests of force had been exhausting; thinking about it now, talking to the system was far easier.

At least with that thing, he could curse at it without restraint. Nobody could hit anybody. There was nothing to worry about.

“Three hundred forty-seven points,” the system said, sounding a little impatient.

His tyrant points could now grow on their own, which made Jiang Yuan quite pleased. It had to be said, being a tyrant really was easier.

“How many tyrant points would it cost for me to advance to Golden Immortal?” Jiang Yuan asked again.

“Three hundred ninety-nine points,” the system replied.

Jiang Yuan was instantly left with a face full of dark lines. He still felt poor as hell.

Then he suddenly remembered something and asked hopefully, “Can the lottery actually draw the Xuanyuan Sword I saw before?”

“Yes. However, let me warn you in advance: the probability is extremely small, so small it can be ignored. If the Host truly intends to draw it, you should prepare yourself mentally and avoid screaming in rage,” the system suggested.

“...”

For a moment, Jiang Yuan was speechless.

Was he really the sort of uncultured man who went around shouting obscenities?

“Where is the real Xuanyuan Sword?” he asked.

The Xuanyuan Sword was the sword of the Human Sovereign. As a Human Sovereign himself, Jiang Yuan had never even seen it. That was a little much.

So inheriting the title of Human Sovereign had only given him this, along with some increasingly thin thread of human sovereign fortune?

“The Host once came close to it, but simply did not notice,” the system reminded him.

“Oh?” Jiang Yuan said, surprised.

He had not run into any dazzling treasure at the time, had he?

“Damned system, I was right there when I encountered it. Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Yuan said with a trace of anger.

He had already forgotten that he had just been pretending to be a civilized man.

“The Xuanyuan Sword is in Shennong’s hands,” the system explained.

Hearing that, Jiang Yuan immediately felt relieved. No wonder the system had said nothing. If he had been careless and Shennong had noticed, wouldn’t that have been the end of everything?

So it was in my Shennong father’s hands. In that case, another trip to the Heavenly Abyss is absolutely unavoidable.

“This thing should be a chaos spirit treasure, right?” Jiang Yuan asked.

“A chaos spirit treasure, second only to sacred artifacts,” the system explained.

Treasures were divided in order into post-heaven spirit treasures, post-heaven supreme treasures, pre-heaven spirit treasures, pre-heaven supreme treasures, chaos spirit treasures, chaos supreme treasures, and sacred artifacts. Beyond that lay the sacred relics of the opening of heaven.

Pangu’s Axe was one such relic.

Jiang Yuan had not expected the Xuanyuan Sword’s rank to be so high. That did surprise him.

He had already decided to head for the Heavenly Abyss at once.

After all, he still needed to ask his Shennong father about rescuing Yang Jian’s mother.

“The celestial race may end up being the greatest beneficiary of this Investiture War,” Jiang Yuan murmured to himself.

After the war, the Heavenly Court would be established, and it would be ruled by the Heavenly Emperor.

“Damned system, just tell me plainly what use this tiny bit of system power can actually be to me,” Jiang Yuan asked irritably.

He had originally thought that more than three hundred tyrant points was quite a lot. He had never expected it would not even be enough to make him a Golden Immortal.

“Lottery draws. Exchanging for treasures,” the system said indifferently.

Jiang Yuan dismissed that at once. What good things could three hundred-plus tyrant points possibly buy?

He was a man who would one day wield the Xuanyuan Sword. How could he possibly think highly of such trifles?

He also had no idea whether Shennong’s father would let him enter the Heavenly Abyss this time.

Jiang Yuan thought of nothing else. He summoned the Purple Jade Qilin and set out alone for the Heavenly Abyss.

He did not want anyone to know just how much importance he placed on it.

After all, Shennong himself did not seem eager for others to learn what truly lay at the bottom of the Heavenly Abyss.

Just as Jiang Yuan was preparing to leave the palace quietly, a black leopard streaked through the air toward the imperial city.

Jiang Yuan grew curious at once. Before he could even inspect it properly, Zhang Kui, who had been standing guard outside the palace, shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

“Who goes there? Do you know this is the imperial palace of Great Shang and that entry is forbidden?”

“I’m here to see your king,” Shen Gongbao said calmly.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go inside and report,” Zhang Kui said. He did not act rashly, because Shen Gongbao was giving him an immense sense of pressure.

This man was a Great Luo Golden Immortal, just like the Grand Preceptor!

“No need. Your king is already here,” Shen Gongbao said, his tone measured.

Sure enough, Jiang Yuan was approaching on the Purple Jade Qilin from not far away.

Looking at Shen Gongbao, Jiang Yuan could not help but feel that the timing was rather suspicious.