Su Chen sensed a terrifying aura lock onto him—there was nowhere to retreat, nowhere to dodge. This was a force capable of killing him outright.

  "This must be the Spirit Martial Hall's trump card—the King-Slaying Arrow. Legend says it can kill a true Profound Connection Realm king!"

  Su Chen recalled the records he had read about the Spirit Martial Hall. He had once dismissed it as a mere myth. Clearly, it was not.

  The Spirit Martial Hall dared to carve out a third of the realm precisely because they possessed such a hidden ace. But… if the Spirit Martial Hall had a trump card, how could the Li Clan possibly lack one?

  "Imperial Apex War Armor!"

  Golden streams of qi surged across the sky, coalescing into a sacred, radiant golden suit of armor that enveloped Su Chen's body. This was the deepest foundation of the Li faction, forged by none other than Ancestor Li Shenhua himself and left behind to protect his descendants. It was precisely this armor that had allowed the Great Ancestor to defeat the Heavenly Wind King.

  Clad in the Imperial Apex War Armor, Su Chen had never felt such overwhelming power. It was as though a single punch from him could shatter heaven and earth. For a fleeting moment, he even had the absurd illusion that he could slay a god.

  The collision between the King-Slaying Arrow and the Imperial Apex War Armor shook the land for thousands of miles.

  A blinding white light erupted. Even Spirit Soul Realm cultivators could see nothing through the glare. Yet when the clash between trump cards concluded, victory belonged to Su Chen. The armor over his chest shattered into fragments. Blood bathed his body. In the sunlight, he revealed a brilliant, defiant smile.

  "This battle… belongs to this commander after all!"

  The Great Martial Dynasty's ultimate weapon had failed to kill him. Realizing the tide had turned irreversibly, Song Wuxia let the bow fall from his hands and chose surrender. Even those in the Spirit Martial Hall who still wished to resist could do nothing.

  The Great Martial Dynasty fell.

  Following the Heavenly Wind Dynasty, another kingdom perished by Su Chen's hand. The Heavenly Wind Dynasty had required the Great Ancestor's aid to topple, but the Great Martial Dynasty—Su Chen had crushed it through sheer personal strength.

  Upon his return to court, Su Chen was ennobled as Champion Marquis and appointed Grand Marshal of the Heavenly Origin Dynasty, guardian of the nation. There was no higher honor left to bestow. It would not be long before the Li Clan elders began to consider deposing Li Jiangqun in favor of a younger sovereign.

  Yet Li Jiangqun had ruled the Li faction for decades and now sat upon the throne of an entire dynasty. How could he tolerate being removed so easily? Even if the one replacing him was his own son.

  Dark currents stirred within the court.

  Meanwhile, Su Chen paid a visit to Li Ming's residence. Li Ming had grown old, yet he still stubbornly hoped to marry his great-granddaughter to Su Chen.

  Su Chen refused once again.

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  "This old man must truly be getting senile."

  Peach blossoms drifted down, settling gently on their robes.

  Li Ming sighed with deep emotion. More than two hundred years ago, he too had been full of vigor and ambition, marching shoulder to shoulder with a close companion. Now all his old friends were gone. And his own time was drawing to a close.

  Su Chen listened quietly as Li Ming reminisced about the past. In his heart, he murmured, "Old Ming, rest assured. For the sake of those few third-grade pills you gave me back then, as long as I live, your bloodline will remain prosperous forever. But marrying your great-granddaughter to me… that, I truly cannot do."

  He had no desire to see his good brother suddenly turn into his father-in-law.

  In the corner, the beautiful woman playing the guzheng lowered her head, a shadow of sorrow crossing her face.

  Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, ten years went by.

  The Heavenly Origin Dynasty swept across the four seas and once again unified the realm. Su Chen's cultivation had reached the fifth layer of the Spirit Soul Realm. His progress had slowed considerably.

  Over these ten years, he had never given up studying the Imperial Apex Shock-the-World Scripture left behind by Li Shenhua. Yet he still came away empty-handed. The technique demanded far too much comprehension. In this life, his aptitude had already reached its limit simply by glimpsing the scripture's name.

  "Father… Father, please don't force your son's hand."

  Su Chen let out a soft sigh. His father's recent little moves had grown increasingly obvious. In this world, the ruler of a nation stood not only above ten thousand people but also wielded national fortune, which could accelerate cultivation.

  Li Jiangqun had no intention of stepping down early.

  …

  Inside the palace, Li Jiangqun summoned Li Yuanfa.

  "Yuanfa, do you wish to become the crown prince?"

  Li Yuanfa's eyes widened as he stared at Li Jiangqun. An indescribable surge of excitement flooded his chest.

  'Could it be… Father hasn't given up on me after all?'

  Ever since his crushing defeat at Song Wuxia's hands, no one had held high hopes for him anymore. They all believed he was unworthy of his position.

  Li Yuanfa had spent his days brooding in seclusion. Now, his father's attitude rekindled hope.

  Li Jiangqun smiled warmly. "Among all my children, you, Yuanfa, are the one I have always loved and favored most. The position of crown prince should rightfully go to you."

  Li Yuanfa's voice trembled with emotion. "Father, is this truly what you mean? …Does your son still have a chance to become the crown prince? But the elders of the Li faction—they all support Little Brother Chen!"

  Li Jiangqun's gaze turned icy. "I am the sovereign of a nation. How dare those old fossils presume to dictate my will? The foundation of the state cannot be overturned by a few casual words from them."

  Li Yuanfa nodded vigorously, his face twisted with resentment. "Father is the ruler of the realm—your word should be law. For the Li faction elders to try to control the succession is simply outrageous! But… how can Father make me crown prince?"

  Li Yuanfa was puzzled. Though he despised the Council of Elders, he could not deny their terrifying influence. Not only could he not oppose them—his own father, Li Jiangqun, had long been little more than a puppet on their strings.

  A smile spread across Li Jiangqun's face. The expression sent a chill down Li Yuanfa's spine.

  "If I am left with only you as my surviving son, what choice would they have?"

  Li Yuanfa froze. For the first time, he felt his father had become utterly unfamiliar. Madness and raw ambition flickered in those eyes. But the momentary coldness was quickly overtaken by blazing desire for power. If Little Brother Chen were eliminated… wouldn't the crown prince position fall to him?

  Li Yuanfa's gaze gradually grew fervent.

  With Li Jiangqun's backing, there was a real chance to get rid of Su Chen. After Li Yuanfa departed, Li Jiangqun watched his son's retreating figure with indifferent eyes. Even a tiger does not devour its own cubs. But he, Li Jiangqun, was no tiger. He was a king—the king who had clawed his way out from among countless heirs of the Li faction. He too had once been proud and ambitious. If anyone dared use him as a stepping stone—even his own child—Li Jiangqun would remove that obstacle without the slightest hesitation.

  With Li Jiangqun's support, Li Yuanfa staged a comeback. His influence in the court grew rapidly. Several factions that feared the rise of an unrivaled king in the Heavenly Origin Dynasty began secretly intervening in the dynasty's affairs. The skies over the capital seemed to dim.

  Su Chen merely sneered.

  "Pathetic death throes."