Carefree Capital

Shen Jian jumped up as if electrocuted, leaning against the car door, sitting on the ground with one leg crossed, ready to flee at any moment. "My grandmother is a transcendent being, about to go to the front lines. If she learns that her grandson, who is destined to become a transcendent being, has been tragically killed by you, she will rush to Carefree Capital to seek revenge. Do you dare to kill me?"

Shen Jian looked quite young, with a broad back, a square face, thick eyebrows, and fierce eyes.

The claim that he "will surely achieve transcendence" is clearly an exaggeration.

However, someone who can cultivate to achieve Great Longevity within a hundred years must be a rare Outstanding Person within the clan and is indeed qualified to say such a thing.

Li Weiyi said, "If I kill you, can she touch me? Before the competition, the Demon Kingdom will protect me. After the competition begins, the rules of the entire human race will protect me. Brother Hongting, is that right?"

"I've never heard of anyone daring to touch the successor of the Stored Son of Heaven's Dao Law Successor. After all... the Shen Family is large and powerful, with many members. The consequences... sigh!" Zuoqiu Hongting looked at Shen Jian with pity and gently shook her head.

Shen Jian was stunned, then frowned and said, "You're serious? Impossible! If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it outside the Immortal Forest long ago. Why would you seal your cultivation and plant the Death Spirit Fire?"

Li Weiyi and Zuoqiu Hongting discussed amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. "We need to make his death look like a mess and pin the blame on the Taiyin Sect."

"That's perfect, it avoids a lot of trouble." Zuoqiu Hongting clapped her hands and cheered.

Li Weiyi whispered, "His Longevity Golden Pill will surely fetch a good price. His Golden Bones are also valuable; they can be extracted, and the Golden Marrow can help cultivate a fully-fledged Golden Bone."

Shen Jian a chill run down his spine.

He was no fool to have achieved his current level of cultivation; he knew these two were deliberately trying to scare him.

But the crucial thing is, they can actually do that.

Shen Jian's voice was hoarse. "Isn't that unnecessary...? We're just here to test your strength and verify the quality of the Southern Dragon. We're all human; you can't just kill innocent people like this."

"We will never indiscriminately kill innocent people; we are silencing them," Zuoqiu Hongting said.

Li Weiyi nodded.

Shen Jian's tone became much more earnest. "You clearly let me hear this on purpose! Besides, the Blood Butcher Demonic Armor's weakness in mental defense isn't any big deal; the Demon Kingdom knows this and has corresponding strategies."

"Southern Dragon was able to break through the Seven-level Pagoda because his cultivation was strong enough, while the seven people inside the pagoda were not strong enough. The influence of Intent Attack only accounted for about 10% or 20% of the reason."

"When I take charge of the array tower, none of your Intent Attack will work. An eighth-level pagoda can crush all Ninth Generation Longevity Person... Sigh!"

"What exactly do you want? Just say it! I give up, I give up, okay?"

Shen Jian perfectly clear-headed, yet he was still trembling with fear.

Li Weiyi asked, "Who sent you?"

"Wenren Tinghai," Shen Jian said.

Li Weiyi asked, "Who are the other eight people?"

"That's incredibly unethical! We were just testing each other; we don't have any deep-seated hatred," Shen Jian said.

Li Weiyi looked at Zuoqiu Hongting: "Wouldn't it be too noisy to make a move inside the car?"

"I release the cage of spiritual light," Zuoqiu Hongting said.

Shen Jian then recited the names and origins of the eight people one by one.

Li Weiyi nodded in satisfaction. "I will visit these eight people one by one. I imagine you will be infamous from now on. Even if you go back, you will be ostracized, ridiculed, and retaliated against. If you leak my conversation with Brother Hongting, you are dead. I'm sure it will be the Taiyin Sect that kills you."

Shen Jian had been invincible in the Yunxu Life Realm for decades, believing his talent and wisdom to be unmatched. He had come to Carefree Capital to make a name for himself, but he never expected to suffer such a huge setback before the competition even began.

The Demon Kingdom was established 20,000 years ago. Through numerous expansions and calamities, its territory has changed constantly. Today, it has 565 states (including disputed areas) and 17 medium and small habitats that have submitted to it. It stands majestically in the South of the Hundred Realms Life Domain, and its national power is awe-inspiring.

However, what goes up must come down. In recent centuries, the court has been plagued by infighting, factions have sprung up, and political infighting has led to chaos.

Externally, the Canghai Dao Realm, the Sacred Dynasty, and the Wing Dynasty are taking advantage of the Hundred Realms Crossing gradually encroach upon and devour other regions. Border conflicts are constant, killings are endless, strange occurrences are frequent, and many mysteries are rife, indicating that there are signs of great chaos.

The Demon Emperor is dead, Devil Lord is now in power.

The Demon Kingdom's cultivation methods originated from the Years Ruin Empress, who called herself a demon, but in reality, like the Du'e Temple, they were born from Daoism.

The two religions differ in doctrine. The Demon Kingdom promotes "intercepting the Way of Heaven and changing one's destiny," which is completely different from the Du'e Temple's concept of "following the Way of Heaven and accepting one's fate."

This is why, whenever Lingxiao Shengjing encounters chaos, the Du'e Temple claims that the fate of the Lei Xiao Sect or Lingxiao Palace has run out, and chooses to support a new force to regain control of the realm.

However, when faced with a life-or-death destiny, Devil Lord Yu Baxian is willing to fight for change at all costs.

Despite the chaos on the border and the massive gathering of the Departed Spirit Army in the southwest of the Demon Kingdom, Carefree Capital remained prosperous and decadent.

As the year draws to a close and the grand examination results announcement approaches, this magnificent ancient city, built amidst the five elements of celestial phenomena and terrestrial landscape, becomes increasingly bustling with activity. Every day, New Generation heroes emerge, mysterious treasures are born, and Proud Daughter of Heaven vie for attention. Furthermore, the most intense battles and clashes of this era take place.

Everyone is trying to cross to the other side.

Below the Devil Lord are the Three Chancellors, the Nine Ministers, the Twenty-Seven Great Demon Officials, and the Eighty-One Origin Scholar, each a powerful figure who commands respect throughout the land. Each represents a region and controls the resources of at least one state, with countless experts under their command. Li Longshu is one of the Eighty-one Holy Warriors.

The demons still exist, and any attempt to conquer or annex the Demon Kingdom from the outside, even the Dongxu Ghost City, would come at a terrible cost. The only option is to wait for internal changes to occur.

The Chang Family Ancestor was none other than the head of the Nine Ministers— the Huntian Grand Minister of Works.

The Grand Minister of Works' Manor is located in the Water Element City Region north of the Carefree Palace, near the 200-mile- North Lake.

It is not located right next to the lake.

Instead, it is led in by a tree-lined ancient path, surrounded by a lush green bamboo forest. The path is heavily fortified, making infiltration impossible.

The mansion is secluded and deep, with water from the North Lake used to build inner streams and inner lakes, and arched bridges and corridors.

Li Weiyi and his group arrived the following evening.

A light drizzle and snow were falling from the sky, the sky was overcast, and the entire Grand Minister of Works' Manor seemed to be shrouded in a dim twilight.

The spirit lanterns hung high, brightly lit, and elegantly dressed servants moved about.

The current head of the Chang family, "Mr. Shu" Chang Shu, personally hosted a family banquet to invite the two younger members, Li Weiyi and Zuoqiu Hongting. All the core members of the younger generation of the Chang family were present, some of whom held positions in the imperial court, and others of exceptional talent.

The three gentlemen of the Chang family— Mr. Shu, Mr. Zhi, and Mr. Gui —are all top-tier figures in the Demon Kingdom, capable of challenging Origin Scholar.

Mr. Zhi has the highest talent in cultivation.

Mr. Gui stayed behind to guard the Changhu Life Realm.

Mr. Shu was in charge of all affairs of the Imperial Court, clan, and prefecture on behalf of the Grand Minister of Works. Only when it came to the highest-level battles would the Grand Minister of Works personally intervene.

Chang Yujian and Chang Yuqing are the children of Mr. Shu, who lived through the sixty years of his life.

It is precisely because their parents have strong bloodlines and they have received abundant resources since childhood that they are all at the level of Young Son of Heaven in the Dao Seed Realm.

"Tonight is a family dinner; there are no outsiders. Everyone, please relax and don't be shy."

Mr. Shu possesses Pure Immortal Body, but his appearance is only considered above average. He is slightly overweight, dressed in casual clothes, and resembles a middle-aged scholar. It's hard to imagine that the exceptionally beautiful Chang Yujian and Chang Yuqing are his children.

He lacked the sternness of someone who had fought his way through the imperial court; instead, he was extremely approachable, making it easy for people to overlook his extraordinary cultivation level and his status as a high-ranking figure in the Demon Kingdom.

After Li Weiyi and Zuoqiu Hongting bowed, they were led to the main table by Mr. Shu. Chang Zhi, however, was nowhere to be seen, clearly uninterested in the atmosphere.

"Every sixty years, I must complete a task: to marry one or two outstanding young women who failed to become the Son of Heaven's Disciple's disciples, to have several children, and to raise them to be extraordinary, so as to carry on the family line."

"Over the past thousand years, Yu Jian and Yu Qing have consistently ranked among the top three or five in cultivation talent among all my children, something I am very proud of. Yet, both of them hold you in the highest esteem, readily admitting their inferiority. I have long wished to meet them! Haha!"

Mr. Shu held Li Weiyi's hand tightly and began to talk casually, without any condescending airs.

For a large clan like the Chang family, at least one extraordinary person is assigned to each generation to ensure the continuation of the family line. This is to prevent the undesirable situation where powerful and talented individuals are obsessed with cultivation while mediocre individuals reproduce.

In a powerful clan with millions of members, cultivating a descendant at the Longevity Realm is considered a successful mission.

But among the Mega-clan, in a grand family like the Chang Family, only by raising extraordinary offspring can one be considered to have passed on the lineage and continued the family business.

The task is arduous.

Mr. Shu's gaze fell on Zuoqiu Hongting: "If you want to have children, it's best to break through to a higher realm before giving birth. The stronger the parents, the greater the advantage their offspring will have in inheriting the child. Especially for women who have reached a higher realm, the mother's body nurtures the fetus, Divine Charm, ensuring that none of their offspring will be inferior. I've been through this myself, so I have a lot to say about it."

Even with her carefree personality, Zuoqiu Hongting looked embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.

Mr. Shu never let his words fall flat, and he further instructed Li Weiyi: "Women with sufficiently high talent will be targeted by Mega-clan and the imperial court. These old fogies of these powerful families are very shrewd and know that marrying a princess or a transcendent woman is the foundation for the continued prosperity of their Lineage."

"Those Proud Daughter of Heaven failed in the competition for the Son of Heaven's Disciple and the Ancient Sect True Disciple, without the protection of the mission to spread the teachings, cannot escape the fate of being married off to a transcendent being, sent to the palace, or forced into an arranged marriage. They can't escape it. Little Li, find some time to get married and have children as soon as possible, making it a fait accompli."

Li Weiyi, who considered himself thick-skinned enough, was about to lose his composure, so he quickly chuckled awkwardly, preparing to change the subject. "Uncle Shu's words have greatly broadened my horizons. No wonder the Chang family has so many experts and Outstanding Person; no other clan in our Lingxiao Shengjing can compare."

Mr. Shu's interest was immediately piqued. "Don't underestimate the Lingxiao Shengjing. If the Mist Son of Heaven and the three Palace Masters of the Lingxiao Palace had wanted to have children, they would have been extraordinary beings long ago. Look at the Flying Phoenix next door, how prosperous their descendants are! All Five Luan have become extraordinary, and even the third generation has produced extraordinary beings. Demon Talent."

Li Weiyi choked and started coughing.

This time, I truly felt like a greenhorn!

"Don't say that to the Great Palace Master. I still can't afford to offend the Stored Son of Heaven Prince."

Mr. Shu picked up his wine cup and took a sip, his expression leisurely. Suddenly, he said mysteriously in a low voice, "It is said that the Second Palace Master and His Crown Prince have an heir."