Lin Fengxi's Mysterious Move, the Rise of the Zichuan Clan, and a Century of Upheaval on the Continent

The next day, Zichuan Mingyue found Lin Fengxi, who had been settled in Snow Moon Residence.

They spoke for a long time. Afterward, Zichuan Mingyue left the residence.

No one knew what they had discussed.

But after that conversation, everyone felt that Her Highness Princess Lin Fengxi had changed.

She began following Lin Feng, learning all kinds of military and administrative knowledge, while summoning back clan members scattered across the land.

Lin Feng was delighted to see the imperial orphan devote herself wholeheartedly to managing the family.

As the princess matured, much of the pressure on his shoulders eased.

The war had ended, but the many wounds it left behind gave Lin Feng a terrible headache.

People's livelihoods were in ruin, city buildings needed to be rebuilt, and the country was waiting to be restored from the ground up.

Fortunately, in the early stages, he sought help from Big Brother Lin.

Big Brother Lin had no idea what price he paid.

He directly persuaded the proprietress of Snow Moon Tower to provide a huge sum to help him rebuild the Lin Family.

With this initial funding, Lin Feng's life became much easier.

Outside, Zuo Chuan Mingwang used his military might to deter the feudal families in every direction, leaving them afraid to make any rash moves.

Inside, Lin Feng assisted Her Highness Princess Lin Fengxi in establishing a series of systems for family rule.

Many surviving members of the Lin Family, scattered throughout the former empire, heard that Princess Fengxi was in River Hill and came one after another to join her.

This directly made up for Lin Feng's shortage of capable local administrators and restored the strength of the entire Lin Family.

But this also weakened Lin Feng's authority. Rule over the River Hill region was no longer his alone.

However, having been nourished by love, he took it in stride.

In the 558th year of the Bright Calendar, a major event occurred in the outside world.

Ming Lin, the former commander of the Empire's Southwestern Military District, announced that he would submit to the rule of the Zichuan Clan. The Ming Family swore eternal loyalty to the Zichuan Clan.

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng could only sigh inwardly. He understood why Ming Lin had done it.

Ming Lin of the Ming Family was undoubtedly a formidable figure, but the entire Ming Family had produced only one person like him.

The rest were worthless fools, using the Ming Family's name to commit all manner of vile deeds within its territory.

Abducting women by force and slaughtering entire families were things the thoroughly rotten Ming Family descendants did regularly.

With no powerful heir and such a corrupt family, while other families' power continued to grow year after year, his own territory was filled with chaos and bitter complaints.

To prevent the family from being cursed for generations, Ming Lin pondered for a long time and decided that, while the family still held some value, he would decisively declare allegiance to the Zichuan Clan. Not only would they gain the Zichuan Clan's protection, but the family could also be passed down in peace.

Ming Lin's actions naturally enraged everyone in the Ming Family. They had been living well as petty tyrants, so why should they become someone else's dogs?

Thus, they began rebelling against Ming Lin's rule, and the Ming Family's civil war erupted.

After that civil war, ninety percent of the Ming Family's descendants had perished, and Ming Lin himself suffered incurable grievous injuries.

The once-glorious Ming Family completely declined at that moment.

After announcing his submission to the Zichuan Clan, Ming Lin could not understand why his clansmen failed to appreciate his painstaking intentions and instead rebelled against him, causing the family's complete downfall.

Filled with indignation and confusion, he passed away.

The Zichuan Clan easily acquired the large army and vast territories formerly controlled by the Ming Family.

When the Zichuan Clan's soldiers entered the cities across those lands, the people lined the streets to welcome them, celebrating the end of Ming Family rule.

After annexing the Ming Family's power, the Zichuan Clan's influence soared like the midday sun, and it leapt to become humanity's foremost power.

Thus, in the same year, Zichuan Yun, leader of the Zichuan Clan, established Zichuan Clan rule at Jiashan Fortress and formally renamed Jiashan Fortress Imperial Capital City.

This drew back the curtain on the story of the Zichuan Clan on the West River Continent.

That same year, perhaps sensing that one era had ended and a new one was about to begin, Lin Feng, the twenty-eight-year-old former Imperial Navy Marshal and one of the founders of the River Hill Lin Family, announced that he would resign from all his positions and return all authority to Lin Fengxi.

He himself planned to take his wife and travel the continent to enjoy more of its scenery.

Lin Feng's retirement allowed Lin Fengxi to take complete control of the Lin Family.

Everyone wondered what her first act after taking power would be.

Would she suppress Marshal Lin Feng's old subordinates? Or would she crack down on those who had always opposed her?

Just when everyone believed she would purge her political enemies on a large scale and consolidate her rule.

Yet she did something that shocked every minister and general.

She mobilized River Hill's troops, but not to arrest Marshal Lin Feng's former subordinates.

Instead, she had the army surround River Hill's most popular tavern, Snow Moon Tower.

A man was dragged out of the tavern and taken back to her residence.

Everyone in the city who witnessed it was stunned. Had an iron tree actually blossomed?

The queen who sat in the council hall, always cold as frost and imposing over her ministers—

actually made such a grand spectacle for a man.

And after that man entered the residence, an edict was issued.

Princess Feng Xi declared that she would not interfere with the current distribution of family power. All officials would remain in their original posts.

No one knew what had happened, but this was wonderful news for them.

Throughout history, what transfer of power had ever been bloodless? Everyone welcomed such a peaceful transition.

Everyone knew it had to be because of that man, and they were filled with gratitude and curiosity toward him.

Meanwhile, the man everyone in the city was talking about was preparing to flee with a bucket in hand.

He kept muttering that women were too terrifying.

He wanted to return to his mountain cabin, where no one could disturb his research.

Only research could drive him mad!

After the various human powers had ceased fighting and recuperated for over forty years, the demon race indeed launched a massive invasion of humanity.

The new demon leader, Golden Khan, was wise, valiant, and immensely powerful. Unlike the previous Divine Emperor, he held no fear of the two people who had suddenly appeared.

In the year 602, he personally led a great army to the gates of Valen City.

But he was met with the powerful resistance of the Zichuan Clan, which had grown strong over forty years.

The demon army suffered devastating losses. Before Valen City's rock-solid walls, they could not advance a single step and had no choice but to retreat!

In 698, Kara XIII of the demon race inherited the aspirations of the Divine Emperors before him and declared a full-scale invasion of humanity.

But he encountered the Zichuan Clan at the peak of its strength.

Under the leadership of the new Zichuan Clan Chief, Zichuan Yaoxing—

the Zichuan Clan led armies from every direction in a massive counterattack against the invading demon forces. The demon army collapsed beneath Valen City's walls.

Demon Divine Emperor Kara XIII died on the battlefield.

This was the first demon Divine Emperor slain by humanity. Cheers of victory resounded across the entire Valen Battlefield.

Everyone shouted, "Long live the Zichuan Clan!" The Zichuan Clan's prestige reached its peak!

Afterward, one famous general after another emerged from the Zichuan Clan, blocking the demon race's frenzied attacks.

They protected the human lands beyond the Ancient Strange Mountain Range.

In 754, after two hundred years of development, the imperial capital that had evolved from Jiashan Fortress—

had become the foremost city on the continent, renowned throughout the world.

The streets were brightly lit, public security was stable, and the family's patrol officers walked the roads to maintain order.

The people's faces were filled with pride, because they were subjects of the Zichuan Clan.

Outside the imperial capital's majestic gates, a handsome young man rode a donkey.

He raised his head to look at the resplendent gates, flanked by statues of giant eagles, and sighed.

"Four hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. I never expected this place to have changed so much!"

After sighing, the young man followed the endless stream of people around him.

He entered this magnificent human city, where the first lights of evening had just come on and the streets shone brilliantly.