Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
This was his newly carved seal, prepared for the upcoming country-establishing ceremony. There were a total of eight words: Given power from the gods, everlasting and mighty. There was nothing creative about it, since most rulers and emperors were like that, Zong Shou just followed along and was too lazy to innovate.
However, the line of small words below was a little different, writing the words-seal of the Gantian Mountain Lord.
Looking at the silk once more, it was made from hundred-year dragon silkworm silk, and the dye used was also extremely expensive.
Based on what Renbo and the other officials said, he couldn’t continue to use leather. Similarly, he couldn’t use normal paper, either.
Since he was already the king of a large country, he should show it. Some money couldn’t be saved.
The words on the silk made Zong Shou’s heart twitch. Not bothering about the others, just that eighty-two million Grade Four beast crystal amount made his heart skip a beat.
This was what Zong Shou set himself, the compensation to the dead soldiers, as well as the rewards to the soldiers for the victory.
Although they ended this war with a complete victory, pretty much all the larger powers in Donglin were all wiped clean. However, it wasn’t perfect. While he led the elite cavalry troops to Mysterious Cloud Mountain, the three hundred and sixty towns of Gantian Mountain, along with the hundreds of thousands of Xuan Mountain troops, had blocked the Thousand City Alliance army assaults, suffering close to three hundred thousand casualties.
Calculating things accurately, apart from the consumption of the three million strong army when they fought everywhere, as well as the following army expansion, the amount was so huge that it would pretty much emptied the treasury of Gantian Mountain!
He even needed to take a portion from his own wallet!
He felt really pain in his heart, and wasn’t willing to look on anymore. He hurriedly folded up and threw it at a corner of the table.
He took in several deep breaths before he managed to calm himself down. However, he still felt really conflicted.
Opposite him at the table, Renbo was standing unperturbed. At this moment when he saw that he couldn’t help but feel amused.
The moment he took that document and opened it, his eyes were filled with shock, “Your Majesty is really generous! Eighty-two million Grade Four beast crystals. Even the most basic warrior will have huge gains. However, this amount of money, currently the country treasury is unable to take it out.”
Zong Shou waved his hand and said annoyingly, “The lacking portion, the internal treasury can temporarily loan it. However, you have to return it to me with twenty percent interest each month.”
This time Renbo didn’t retort and argue about the interest, looking at Zong Shou with a weird expression. “I thought that since Your Majesty didn’t manage to raise the taxes, you would definitely reduce the rewards…”
Zong Shou broke out into a cold laugh, thinking that although he wasn’t that good at running a country, he knew how to settle an army and buy their hearts.
At such a time, even if he felt really pained, he still needed to take out this amount of money!
The spiritual wave was about to begin, and Gantian Mountain was far from relaxing vigilance against war.
“I will follow the Ruler’s orders!”
Renbo smiled and bowed as acceptance of the decree. He then asked, “Then what does Ruler plan regarding the Great Shang combined army matter?”
Zong Shou frowned. He originally planned on sending troops and conquering outer worlds. However, he couldn’t totally ignore this matter.
That void fissure was actually closer to Central Continent, but Gantian Mountain still had some responsibility over it.
He sighed. Lingyun Sect’s strength was greatly reduced, those other sects who did escape all fled, those that were destroyed were gone.
Gantian Mountain had to take up this matter, now they could only try to obtain benefits from Great Shang.
“From five hundred army towns, expand another two hundred thousand cavalry!”
Luckily Gantian Mountain had unified Donglin, they just needed to suppress the cities to reduce their troops. When Donglin was totally calmed down, their burdens would be lighter.
However, it wasn’t good to be totally without military matters, that place would be good for training troops.
Before the spiritual wave, he was prepared to slowly change all the Gantian Mountain towns to raise the majority to Xuanwu ancestors.
There needed to be elites made up, with a hundred thousand Grade Four experts. He needed to conquer outside worlds to pillage more resources.
Renbo nodded and knew that they had to expand the cavalry. He looked around, “Then does the palace need to be expanded and rebuilt?”
The Hanyan Palace at the peak of Gantian Mountain… it was said to be a palace, but actually some city lord manors in Donglin were many times better than this.
It was built during Zong Weiran’s era, and was completed not long after Gantian Mountain City was built. In the past it was still okay, but now with Gantian Mountain’s position in the Cloud World, it was really simple and crude.
Zong Shou was immediately tempted when he heard that, as he also felt that this palace was too simple.
He had two desires in his life. One was the peak of the martial path, and the other was wanting to enjoy his life. It was a wish when he was Tanqiu in his last life, and could be pretty much said to be an obsession of his.
However, thinking about it, Zong Shou couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment. It wasn’t that he didn’t think about renovating, but that he had no money in his pocket. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be willing to, as he needed to first use it on the Book of Eon Extreme Life.
“No. This Hanyan Palace can still be used, let’s wait another two years.”
Renbo was totally surprised, and bowed again. “The Ruler is wise! After the war, we have to cherish our manpower and rest up. The Ruler fairly punishes and rewards, handling matters with responsibility. I was worrying when Ruler wanted to increase taxes, only at this moment I know that I worried for nothing. Today, on behalf of the people of Gantian Mountain, I thank the Ruler! With the Ruler like this, how will our Gantian Mountain not prosper?”
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His tone was filled with emotion, and he was choking up.
Zong Shou’s mouth opened up, his face filled with loss. Even after Renbo left, was he still unable to understand what was going on.
Shaking his head, Zong Shou got up and went to the back of the hall, only to see that in the corridor was a white shirt teenager sitting under the moon and looking up.
None of the guards around bothered her.
Zong Shou’s brow burrowed, thinking to himself that her posture of looking at the night sky was really modern. However, at such a place, she should have heard what was said in the hall.
Luckily what Renbo and him discussed today wasn’t of importance, but it seemed it should be time for him to punish and manage the guards here.
Kong Yao retracted her gaze from the sky and looked over. The light in her eyes was usually as dead as ash. At this moment, however, it had some unknown color to it.
“This is the Saint Ruler…” Muttering softly, she was talking to herself, filled with disbelief, enlightened, many different types of feelings mixed up together.
Kong Yao walked towards a room with a stunned expression. Before she left, she turned her head, “In Gantian Mountain, there are many amazing people hiding. If Ruler wants, you can send people to investigate. If you are able to gain their help, maybe your legacy…”
She was unsure why she said those words. After she finished, she walked away with a dazed expression.
Zong Shou was totally confused. But since he was caught off guard before, he didn’t bother much about it anymore.
What Saint Ruler? What amazing people?
Did this Kong Yao suffer a heavy blow and go mad?
That wasn’t good. What he wanted was a commander talent who could lead a huge army, not an abnormal girl. One Zhao Yanran was enough. It seems like she needed Xuanyuan Yiren and Xuan Yunlan to console and persuade her.
Since she was being forcefully snatched over, then she didn’t have any choice!
Returning back to his room, with his thoughts rising, the time around him started to slow down.
Zong Shou reached in and took out the Book of Eon Extreme Life.
He had already opened the second page, and consumed decades of lifespan.
However, he had obtained huge gains. Apart from the basic layer of time laws and pheonomenons, he started trying to grasp the skill of accelerating time.
In the past he could unknowingly speed up time fivefold when he slashed out, but he didn’t know how he managed to do it.
Currently, not only could he naturally speed up time twofold, he also knew that theory behind it, and knew what he had to do to achieve it!
However, the more he studied, the more confused he got. How did that illusionary realm in his last life achieve time acceleration?
He thought that it was due to speeding up thoughts. However, now that his cultivation was higher and his comprehension of the heaven and earth paths deeper, the more he felt that that was impossible.
At this moment he had only grasped the edges. What happened ten thousand years away had nothing to do with him, and he didn’t need to bother.
Today he chose to use Eon Techniques to accelerate time, because he wanted to study sword techniques.
The battle above Mysterious Cloud Mountain had allowed him to comprehend many things on the sword path, which he needed time to digest.
Which was why, even if he knew that this book was a bottomless pit, he didn’t hesitate to use it! Because what he lacked the most now was time…
He stood in the room, taking up his sword. He suddenly thrust ahead, pulling back and then stabbing again!
His actions were really simple and ordinary, not using any internal energy. However, every moment his internal energy and soul power were continuously surging, trying to use various kinds of trajectories to find the best way to thrust out.
It was roughly that sword which he had thrust out that day in front of Dragon Shadow.
One Origin Sword, absolute beginning…
There was some parallelism, yang as the absolute beginning, and yin as the end.
The One Origin Sword should be only one sword, and only need one sword. However, as time went on, Zong Shou could only helplessly separate the yin sword, yang sword, black sword, and white sword.
The more he thought and researched, the more he felt how arrogant his idea of trying to merge all the sword intents into one was.
What he was merging wasn’t just sword techniques, but also his understanding of the grand paths!
Using the One Origin Sword to speed up cultivation, it was already the forty-fifth day. The previous twenty days he had been studying the second page to consolidate his spiritual technique cultivation.
Twenty days later, he tried to merge that absolute beginning intent into his sword intent.
His progress was surprisingly quick, but it couldn’t be compared to that day when he thrust out that sword under the suppression of Shenxiao and Dragon Shadow.
At that time he could feel that he had broken through the peak of sword intent soul, like he lacked just one step to break through…
After twenty-odd days of training, continuously perfecting and focusing on this sword, he was still unable to make any progress.
Was it due to his cultivation being too low?
Tossing aside all his other thoughts, Zong Shou didn’t think about anything, continuously improving his internal energy and spiritual energy cycles, as well as viewing the scene of the absolute beginning several times. The sword in his hand slowly gave rise to sounds of wind and lightning.
Only several days later did he finally stop. Another day, and it would be the day of his marriage to Xuanyuan Yiren!