Bright City's Ancestral Ceremony! The Plan to Encircle and Annihilate the Holy Spirit Cult!

Outside Bright City, in a royal park.

A golden dragon carriage drove in, and the accompanying Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion surrounded the estate so tightly that not even water could seep through.

This was also one of the few occasions when Xu Tianran had voluntarily left Bright City since returning from the front lines, coming to the outskirts to honor his ancestors.

Inside the park, the civil and military officials were seated at a banquet in the outer courtyard, while Xu Tianran and Ju Zi went to the rear courtyard to wait.

"Where's Xin'er?!"

Xu Tianran raised his eyebrows and glanced around, somewhat surprised to discover that Ju Zi had not brought their daughter.

Normally, Ju Zi treasured Xu Xin'er and never left her side.

"She caught a chill a few days ago, so I did not bring her..."

Ju Zi bowed slightly and explained softly to Xu Tianran. Her tone was rather flat, but Xu Tianran was accustomed to it.

He had pushed her too hard over the matter of offspring, leaving Ju Zi with quite a few grievances, though she still maintained a respectful appearance.

"Very well! You may leave."

Xu Tianran nodded, suspecting nothing, then waved a hand, intending to spend some time alone in the ancestral hall.

"I shall take my leave."

Ju Zi bowed and withdrew.

After she left, Xu Tianran wheeled himself before the ancestral tablets and reached up to take one down.

"Father! Oh, Father! Ruling a nation truly is no easy task, and this grand undertaking of unification is as difficult as ascending to heaven..."

The spirit tablet he held happened to belong to the late emperor. He looked at his father's posthumous title, lightly brushing his fingertips over it, his gaze complicated.

Once, he too had looked down on