From the top of the high tower, the entire capital sprawled beneath Su Chen's gaze. Sixty years had passed since the founding of the Heavenly Origin Dynasty.

  Su Chen's cultivation had reached the seventh layer of the Spirit Soul Realm. Apart from Li Hongwen and the gravely wounded Great Ancestor who still lay in his coffin, Su Chen now stood at the absolute peak of power within the Heavenly Origin Dynasty.

  "Father… Father, your ambition has grown far too great."

  Su Chen murmured to himself. Three months earlier, his mother in this life had passed away. Two days ago, the Council of Elders had failed in their attempt to impeach Li Jiangqun.

  Li Jiangqun had no desire to remain a puppet emperor. In recent days, many unfamiliar Spirit Soul Realm auras had appeared throughout the capital.

  Su Chen found himself regarding Li Jiangqun with a measure of respect. The man was ruthless. And Su Chen admired ruthlessness.

  Li Jiangqun had treated him well in this life. If possible, Su Chen would not have minded granting him a peaceful retirement. Unfortunately, Li Jiangqun refused to yield—even when the one poised to replace him was his own son.

  Su Chen had no intention of waiting any longer.

  As twilight gradually darkened the sky, figures materialized around him. Each one radiated the powerful aura of the Spirit Soul Realm.

  "Kill them. Leave none alive."

  Su Chen issued the command in an icy tone. Since Li Jiangqun could not make the decision himself, Su Chen would make it for him.

  ……

  Inside Li Yuanfa's residence, Li Yuanfa, now backed by the Shadow God Sect, was riding high.

  "Your Highness, it seems the Champion Marquis has begun to move."

  The high priest of the Shadow God Sect spoke gravely to Li Yuanfa.

  "Little Brother Chen has finally acted. I have prepared for this day for fifty full years!"

  Li Yuanfa's heart surged with excitement. The vast rivers and mountains of the realm seemed within his grasp. The Shadow Demon Sect had two Spirit Soul Realm late-stage powerhouses in its ranks!

  With their support, Li Yuanfa brimmed with confidence.

  Outside the residence, Li Hongwen narrowed his eyes. He struck without mercy.

  …

  Elsewhere in the palace, Su Chen had already reached Li Wenxuan. He placed the severed head of Duke Zhao—Li Wenxuan's chief backer—directly in front of him. The sight caused Li Wenxuan to collapse to the ground, scrambling backward in terror.

  "Li Chen, you can't kill me…"

  Su Chen remained unmoved.

  "Second Brother, I'm your own little brother—you can't kill me!"

  Li Wenxuan wailed in despair. Tears streamed down his face and into his mouth as he lunged forward, trying to cling desperately to Su Chen in a final attempt to awaken fraternal feelings.

  But Su Chen searched his memories—from childhood to the present—and could find no reason whatsoever to spare this "younger brother."

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  Su Chen patted Li Wenxuan gently on the head and offered a kind smile.

  "Third Brother, rest assured. I'll make sure your passing is painless."

  How kind-hearted he was.

  Carrying Li Wenxuan's head, Su Chen moved on to the next target. Soon, within the entire palace, every one of Li Jiangqun's other children had been eliminated. Only Su Chen remained.

  In the grand hall, a black-robed middle-aged man sat calmly at the center. Terrifying auras all around eyed him warily.

  When Su Chen appeared, the black-robed man opened his eyes and gave a faint smile.

  "Finished?"

  Su Chen nodded. "Finished."

  The black-robed man was none other than Lin Wu, whom he had not seen in many years.

  On the throne, Li Jiangqun stared at Su Chen placing the heads of his siblings before him. Even Li Jiangqun could not suppress the bone-chilling cold that crept into his heart at that moment. He burst into loud laughter.

  "Good! Good! Excellent! Truly worthy of being my son, Li Jiangqun's child! To have a son like you—this life has been worth it. This life has been an honor. I hope the Heavenly Origin Dynasty will reach unprecedented heights under your rule!"

  The victor takes all.

  Li Jiangqun knew the game was over. Su Chen successfully took the throne of the Heavenly Origin Dynasty from Li Jiangqun's hands.

  Bathed in the fortune of the nation, Su Chen felt his cultivation speed increase several times over.

  After presiding over the grand coronation ceremony, Su Chen sat together with Lin Wu, sharing wine and conversation as they delved into the affairs of the Eastern Wasteland.

  "The land we inhabit is called the Heavenly Profound Domain. It is divided into five major regions: Eastern Wasteland, Northern Desert, Southern Barbarian Lands, Western Regions, and Central Continent. The Central Continent is the sacred ground for all martial cultivators—countless sacred lands take root there, including supreme orthodoxies that once gave birth to Emperors."

  "The Eastern Wasteland's spiritual qi is noticeably inferior, yet even here several saintly lineages and even a few declining imperial orthodoxies have established themselves. The Profound Origin Sacred Land is merely one among them. There are at least ten or more forces of similar caliber scattered across the Eastern Wasteland. As for geniuses… they are as numerous as carp crossing the river—too many to count."

  Su Chen sighed inwardly. The world was truly vast beyond imagination. In the grand scheme of this realm, the Heavenly Origin Dynasty was no different from a speck of dust.

  The two men drank freely, reminiscing. Beyond learning about the wider world from Lin Wu's mouth, they spoke at length about everything that had happened since parting ways outside Mysterious Spirit City.

  Lin Wu revealed that after entering the Profound Origin Sacred Land, he had caught the eye of a Void Refining Realm elder who accepted him as a direct disciple. A Void Refining Realm cultivator stood on equal footing with the rulers of imperial dynasties.

  In the mere seventy years since then, Lin Wu had reached the eighth layer of the Spirit Soul Realm—one layer higher than Su Chen. He had now been dispatched by the sect as one of the inspectors overseeing the Hundred Kingdoms. It was an extremely lucrative post.

  And the Heavenly Origin Dynasty under Su Chen's rule was one of those hundred kingdoms. A casual act of mercy all those years ago had yielded such unexpected returns—even Su Chen felt a touch of astonishment.

  In the hundredth year of his reign, under Su Chen's governance, the Heavenly Origin Dynasty flourished day by day.

  In the one hundred and forty-third year, Su Chen appeared at the residence of Duke Li.

  Li Ming lay upon his sickbed. He dismissed all attendants.

  "Your Majesty… your humble servant fears he can no longer serve at your side, share tea and discourse with you, drink together, or hunt at your shoulder."

  Li Ming was dying. He had already lived more than three hundred years. His life had finally reached its end.

  "Your Majesty, this old man still has one final wish. I beg you to grant it."

  Su Chen's curiosity stirred. Could the old fellow have seen through something after all?

  Clinging to his last breath, Li Ming spoke.

  "Your Majesty… my great-granddaughter has loved you devotedly all these years and remains unmarried… Why not take her as your wife?"

  Su Chen's expression darkened instantly.

  "Beloved subject, on this one matter alone, We will never agree!"

  Li Ming struggled to prop himself up and laughed twice. His breathing grew steadily weaker. Another old friend passed away before his eyes.

  Countless memories flooded Su Chen's mind—scenes of youthful days spent in fine clothes and spirited horses flashed through his thoughts like a lantern show.

  In that life, he had been called Jiang Chen, merely the ordinary son of a city lord. And Li Ming had been nothing more than the ordinary son of a Li family patriarch.

  "Old rascal—even on your deathbed you still try to take advantage of me!"

  Su Chen cursed with a laugh.

  This time, he spoke the thought aloud from the depths of his heart. But Li Ming gave no reply. The last trace of Jiang Chen vanished from this world forever.

  A wave of insight washed over Su Chen. His cultivation had long since reached the peak of the Spirit Soul Realm. The Profound Connection Realm lay only one step away.

  Su Chen entered seclusion. He intended to seize this moment and break through to the Profound Connection Realm.