"My lord, you've returned?"
When Chen Qing returned, the first thing he saw was Wei Gongcheng waiting at the barrier, and he was immediately stunned.
Isn't this guy supposed to be busy? He's not going to stay here guarding me the whole time, is he?
"Your Majesty's return this time is of great importance, and your subordinates are all very worried. To prevent any unscrupulous individuals from doing anything here, Seventh Master Shen, Nezha, and I have been taking turns guarding this position. However, recently Ghost Child was transferred away by Lord Ziyue, so my guard duty will be extended."
" Nezha has been transferred away?" Chen Qing was taken aback. After the Dragon Palace incident, the Ghost Child had been almost invisible, mainly because there was no need for him to do anything.
The reason why the Ghost Child was used so often in the past was because of its superb combat power. At its full strength, among the top experts of the human race at that time, only Lu Ming and the Xiao Household emperor had a chance to defeat it head-on.
But after the Dragon Palace incident, one Transcendent after another emerged, and the power of the Ghost Child was no longer enough.
As the War God of the Thunder Division, Ghost Child's talent is exceptional, far surpassing Xu Hu's. However, precisely because of his high talent, the Power of Faith required for further growth is also high. Ghost Child lacks suitable followers, resulting in his stagnant strength. It's not that Chen Qing didn't value him, but rather that Ghost Child's current situation is not suitable for focused investment.
The reason is simple: he lacks military talent. Currently, the two who command armies, whether it's Tian Heng, the God of the West Sea, or Xu Hu, who is also a Battle God, are both highly respected in the military. One has a solid foundation and talent for commanding troops, while the other excels at training soldiers and enjoys immense prestige within the army. Investing in them would not only increase their individual strength but also provide a very balanced boost to the overall military power.
Unlike Ghost Child, his entire life has been spent fighting alone. Asking him to command troops would be a nightmare, and it's impossible to train him in that area for the time being. So, he's been idle since returning from the Dragon Palace.
Why did Ziyue call him over?
Is there any special connection between this and the recent recapture of the Northern Wolf Kingdom?
Chen Qing was puzzled, but he also had a bad feeling. He felt that Ziyue had taken a greater risk than he had imagined to achieve such great results.
"I'm not entirely clear on the specifics either," Wei Gongcheng shook his head. " Lord Ziyue originally needed the cooperation of the Underworld to take over Northern Wolf City, but the North is different from the Southeast. The Underworld's Ghost Domain is likely to pose a great threat in that location. At the time, all of us from the major Underworld felt that we shouldn't open it without authorization, but Lord Ziyue insisted that the opportunity was too good to miss."
"At the crucial moment, she took a step back, telling us to continue holding our original positions. She devised a plan for the north on her own, only managing to borrow the Ghost Child."
"And then?" Chen Qing asked, taken aback.
"And then... Northern Wolf City was captured!" Wei Gongcheng said strangely, "I can sense that the Underworld over there is connected to us, and it's clearly been conquered by us. But how Senior Ziyue managed to take over Northern Wolf City with just a few people is something we still don't understand."
Chen Qing: "."
Is it true or not?
Actually, he had felt something was strange before he came. Logically speaking, given the cautious nature of Wei Gongcheng and the Shen Family, they would not have agreed to easily start the war between the Underworld and the north. How did Ziyue manage to take over Northern Wolf City? He always thought the worst-case scenario was that the other party had forcibly controlled Wei Gongcheng and the others through A Li.
It seems that this is not the case now. Because there's no faking it; he is the Principal God, and he would sense if there were a large loss of troops.
But the fact is, without losing a single soldier, their Power of Faith has increased significantly again!
This appears to be because the other side used some special method to seize the faith of Northern Wolf City.
The question is, how did they do that?
Before leaving, he personally inquired about the situation there. At least three ancient guilds were vying for control of Northern Wolf City. By the time Ziyue arrived, they had already laid out their plans. To be honest, he didn't have much hope. He only hoped that Ziyue could slow down one of the forces' progress in unifying the area.
But I never expected the other side to pull off such a huge move.
Did they manage to persuade the king of the Northern Wolf Kingdom?
Perhaps it was A Li who seduced the king?
That's not impossible, but as far as he knew, the Northern Wolf Kingdom was in a period of uncertainty due to the new ruler's ascension to the throne. Even if he controlled the young ruler of the Northern Wolf Kingdom, it was unlikely that he could completely take over the Northern Wolf City.
That's not the key point. The key point is that if we want to take over Northern Wolf City, we must open up the Underworld. Once the passage is open, how did the enemy manage to occupy the Underworld section of Northern Wolf City?
Why was Ghost Child called away at the last minute? What role did Ghost Child play in the capture of Northern Wolf City?
Everything was so exaggerated that even someone as audacious as Chen Qing couldn't quite grasp the reasoning behind it.
"It seems you're unaware of the situation over there." Chen Qing sighed. "I'll probably have to go there myself to see for myself the details."
"Only our lord can figure out the situation in person." Wei Gongcheng didn't object. Ziyue's methods were unpredictable, and with A Li by her side, if they were going to rebel, it would be pointless for anyone else to go. Only our lord's personal visit would be effective.
"How are the immigration preparations going?" Chen Qing asked, getting to the crucial question.
"Yes, everything is almost settled." Wei Gongcheng said as he walked into Liuzhou City with Chen Qing, "My lord, after you left, your compatriots have been reincarnated one after another. Most of them were assigned to families of scholars and rites, and only a few were assigned to blood-related aristocratic families in Jiangnan. But is it really a good idea for my lord not to erase their memories?"
"It's alright," Chen Qing said with a smile. "If anything goes wrong, arrest him on charges of Outer Demon invasion and imprison him in the Underworld. We'll do whatever we say, and we won't make things difficult for you."
Upon hearing this, Wei Gongcheng's brows relaxed considerably. He and Shen Qi knew the origins of their master, but others did not, especially the judges of the Underworld. During Samsara, they could use their supernatural powers to deceive some people and tamper with things, but once they revealed it themselves, it would be difficult to openly protect them.
"Do you have any objections to this arrangement, my lord?"
"They can only swallow their complaints," Chen Qing said calmly. "You don't need to worry about that. A large number of reincarnated individuals will come in later. Of course, only a few will retain their memories. There are only 10,000 slots available, and their birthplace can only be in the southeast."
"The Southeast is indeed easier to handle." Wei Gongcheng nodded in agreement. The Southeast has undergone a demonic evolution, where even the chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs raised there can turn into man-eating monsters. If the children become precocious, there probably won't be too much suspicion. It's easier to deal with than the Jiangnan region.
"The new souls that are reincarnated will all come from the southeast. The Southeast Underworld has not yet fully taken office, so it's a good time to fish in troubled waters. Please help arrange it. Ziyue is calling urgently, and I can only stay here for a limited time. I must get these things done within two or three days."
"Yes, my lord. Approximately how many are there?"
"Probably around one hundred million."
"So many?" Wei Gongcheng gasped. "Of so many people, only ten thousand can retain their memories?"
"For easier management," Chen Qing nodded. "However, in the latest terms, I've added another million, but on the condition that you must go to the Underworld in Northern Wolf City to be reborn."
Wei Gongcheng: "."
The Lord says he is from that side, but he seems quite ruthless towards his own people.
"Oh, right." Wei Gongcheng suddenly remembered something and said, "Does Your Majesty remember that among the compatriots you transferred here, there was a group of very strange fellows? Their appearances were vastly different from those of the people of the Central Plains, and they resembled some of the barbarians from overseas."
"Oh?" Chen Qing looked at the other person, not understanding why they brought them up. "What happened to them?"
Those guys from the West who were shoved in here, weren't they sent to the West Sea by me? What happened to them?
"That group of people are protesting, saying they want to establish a special Underworld for some colorless race."
Chen Qing: "."
That's quite a bold statement!