All along the way, Zi Shou had been thinking about these questions, and gradually, some ideas began to take shape in his mind.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea weren't important. What mattered was who stood behind them.
"Master, I've reached Great Perfection in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm!"
A child with his hair in two little buns bounced over to Zi Shou, speaking with smug delight.
He had heard the same thing many times over the past few days and had long since grown used to it.
"Not bad. Keep working hard," Zi Shou said expressionlessly.
The child before him was naturally Li Jing's third child, Nezha, one of the protagonists of the Investiture of the Gods.
By rights, Nezha had only just been born. Taking part in a military expedition really was a bit too outrageous.
But Nezha had spent three years in the womb before being born, and he was extraordinary from birth. He couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
For example, Zi Shou had given him the opportunity he'd obtained to receive the inheritance of a Human Emperor.
Nezha had indeed received the inheritance of a Human Emperor—and it was the inheritance of Emperor Wushi.
Zi Shou himself had once inherited Emperor Wushi's legacy, but Nezha had received the inheritance of Emperor Wushi's path to becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
He naturally hoped Nezha would inherit Emperor Wushi's legacy and fight for the Human Race in the future.
That alone wasn't anything special, but after only three days of cultivation, Nezha had already reached Great Perfection in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm!
Such an astonishing cultivation speed was even more outrageous than Zi Shou's had been back when he first started cultivating.
What did it mean to be a Child of Fortune? This was what it meant!
At this rate, Nezha would prove the Dao and become Emperor in less than ten days!
A child who could bounce around and cultivate at such a terrifying speed was no trouble to take on a military expedition, even at his young age.
Li Jing had originally been somewhat worried, too, but after seeing all this, he finally let go of his concerns.
After hurrying along as fast as they could, the North Sea was now visible in the distance, and Zi Shou and his party soon met Zhang Guifang.
"Your subject Zhang Guifang pays his respects to the King!"
A silver helmet crowned with phoenix wings, and linked armor gleaming like autumn frost!
On closer inspection, Zhang Guifang was indeed a mighty, imposing general!
"Rise. Tell me what exactly is going on with the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea," Zi Shou said.
Back then, when Grand Tutor Wen had been summoned to court and learned that Zhang Guifang would take over from him, he hadn't said much.
That alone showed that, in Grand Tutor Wen's eyes, Zhang Guifang was undoubtedly a capable general.
Zhang Guifang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Contrary to his expectations, the King wasn't furious or blaming him.
After all, the defeat was a fact, and so was the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea capturing cities and territory.
If the King truly blamed him, it would be entirely understandable if he punished him—or even had him killed.
Once he had steadied himself, Zhang Guifang said, "The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea aren't particularly strong, but..."
As Zhang Guifang recounted the details, Zi Shou quickly gained a thorough understanding of the situation in the North Sea.
According to Zhang Guifang, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea weren't very strong. They should have been put down quickly by the imperial army.
In fact, after taking over from Grand Tutor Wen, Zhang Guifang had led the army forward cautiously and had already achieved some success.
However, the North Sea had a harsh environment and complicated terrain, while its people were unusually fierce. Suppressing them with an army was indeed a slow and arduous task.
That wasn't a problem in itself. It would simply take a little longer, and Zhang Guifang hadn't made the mistake of underestimating the enemy and advancing recklessly.
But during one campaign against the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, Zhang Guifang had stumbled and suffered a major defeat.
"Your Majesty, great waves rose in the North Sea that day, and the Yao Race appeared. That was what threw the army into confusion!" Zhang Guifang said gravely.
That was why Zhang Guifang had been defeated. The Yao Race had appeared, and the army's morale had plummeted, leading to a crushing defeat.
Still, Zhang Guifang had some ability. Though the army's morale had sunk, it hadn't fallen apart.
It would simply take some time to restore its morale, which was why Zhang Guifang had stayed on the defensive.
They said the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea were capturing cities and territory, but the North Sea was vast and barely had any cities to begin with. That wasn't much of a concern.
"The Yao Race? There's a Yao Race in the North Sea?" Zi Shou asked gravely.
This was the Investiture of the Gods World, so the appearance of the Yao Race wasn't strange in itself. The important question was where these giant beasts had come from.
For them to make Zhang Guifang's army's morale collapse at such a crucial moment, there was no way this was simple, no matter how one looked at it.
"If nothing unexpected happened, the Yao Race in the North Sea should be remnants of the Yao Race," Kong Xuan said.
Remnants of the Yao Race?
Zi Shou paused. Given Kong Xuan's strength, it was only natural that he knew what was happening in the North Sea.
But the existence of Yao Race remnants in the North Sea was itself astonishing news.
"Grand Preceptor, do you mean that the remnants of the Yao Race are entrenched in the North Sea?" Zi Shou asked.
He had heard Grand Tutor Wen speak of the Yao Race before, but according to Grand Tutor Wen, they were no longer a force to be reckoned with.
The Human Race was now the Protagonist of Heaven and Earth, and the era that belonged to the Yao Race had long since passed.
"The Yao Race once suffered a Great Calamity, and all its powerful members perished. Later, the Human Race rose, leaving the Yao Race with even less room to survive," Kong Xuan said.
According to Kong Xuan, the Yao Race had suffered a calamity in ancient times, and nearly all its powerful members had perished.
Later, the Human Race rose and fought a bloody war against the Yao Race. The current state of the Human Race made it clear who had won in the end.
In the world as it stood, few Yao Race forces remained powerful. Most of them were entrenched in the North Sea.
"So the Yao Race is targeting Great Shang this time?" Zi Shou asked.
To talk about the Yao Race, one first had to understand the Human Race's current situation.
Ever since Great Yu, one of the Five Emperors, had established order throughout the land, the Yao Race had become a rare sight among the Human Race.
Either they were minor demons of no consequence, or they were Yao Race members with some notable background.
For example, the Interception Sect had quite a few members of the Yao Race, but they couldn't be treated as though they were simply the Yao Race.
Still, the two races had been at odds since ancient times, so it was only natural for the Yao Race entrenched in the North Sea to target the Human Race.
"If it really is the Yao Race, they shouldn't dare do this," Zhang Guifang said.
Zi Shou nodded. According to Kong Xuan, the Yao Race was now weak, with few masters left.
Even if Yao Race remnants were entrenched in the North Sea, how would they dare target the powerful Human Race?
If they provoked the Human Race's powerful figures, the Yao Race in the North Sea might truly be wiped out.
"Whoever it is, let's first pacify the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea," Zi Shou said.
Whoever stood behind the Yao Race, Zi Shou would encounter them sooner or later if he wanted to pacify the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
After observing him for a while, Zi Shou found that Zhang Guifang was indeed a seasoned battlefield general.
Whether it was training his troops or commanding the army, Zhang Guifang handled everything in an orderly fashion.
That was why Zi Shou hadn't punished Zhang Guifang. Instead, he had let him continue to command the army and earn merit to atone for his failure.
For the time being, Zi Shou, the King, was little more than a figurehead—but that was enough.
The King's Imperial Expedition had a tremendous effect on boosting morale, if nothing else.
As morale gradually recovered, Zhang Guifang began to launch attacks and slowly reclaim the lost territory.
The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea could no longer capture cities and territory. Faced with the imperial army, they could only flee in disarray.
It was only because the North Sea's terrain was complicated that Zhang Guifang had chosen to advance cautiously, step by step.
Otherwise, under a thunderous assault, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea would never have lasted long.
None of this concerned Zi Shou. He knew very well that the key to the North Sea wasn't the Seventy-Two Route Lords.
Given Grand Tutor Wen's abilities, it had still taken more than ten years to fully quell the rebellion of the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
That made it clear that powerful forces were interfering behind the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
So while Zhang Guifang commanded the army, Zi Shou had quietly made his way into the North Sea.
He wasn't alone, but the only ones with him were Kong Xuan and Nezha.
"Grand Preceptor, do you know which powerful members of the Yao Race are still in the North Sea?" Zi Shou asked.
The North Sea was vast and boundless. Even if Yao Race remnants were there, finding them wouldn't be easy.
But if he wanted to completely resolve the matter of the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, he couldn't ignore the Yao Race remnants there.
Otherwise, he might suppress the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea today, only for thirty-six more lords to appear tomorrow.
"Although the Yao Race is no longer a force to be reckoned with, a few Great Demons from ancient times remain in the North Sea..."
According to Kong Xuan, there had originally been many powerful members of the Yao Race in the North Sea in ancient times.
The most famous among them was Demon Master Kunpeng, a demon of unfathomable power and one of the rare peak experts in the world.
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