Chapter 171 - Defeated!

Hengsheng walked through the Southern Sea Gulf City, where numerous people moved about—working, relaxing, enjoying their lives—the city filled with vitality.

When Hengsheng first came to this place, it wasn't this prosperous; it all changed once the city lord became the King.

Without Hengsheng or King Xiyuan doing anything extra to make the city prosperous, people from all sides just flowed into it on their own, simply because they wanted to stay close to—or find an opportunity with—the new powerhouse that resided in this place.

The result was that the local people received great benefits. In just a few years, most lives improved—the weak did not starve, and the common people became wealthier.

He didn't know whether to feel proud or indifferent about having contributed to improving the lives of the people here.

'No,' He stopped his thought.

Hengsheng shook his head, thinking that he should stop having a mindset like the people from Earth; he had been living in this world even longer than he had lived on Earth.

His Earth-like mindset would only drag him down, making his life difficult.

'Stop caring about the common or the weak,' Hengsheng reminded himself.

In the past years, as his cultivation realm grew higher, his perception became very sharp, allowing him to see through the true intentions people tried to hide and hear their ugly secrets.

He realized that the common and the weak do not always deserve help—most are selfish and ungrateful, worse than cats.

He had already witnessed many things happen in the world, both beautiful and ugly, mostly the ugly ones, and it opened his eyes, shattering his idea of keeping his original Earth people-like mindset.

It would be stupid and dangerous if he had to risk his own life trying to save an undeserving other's life while fighting the enemy.

So, He threw it away, not entirely, though.

He decided to be more adapted to this world.

'Sorry in advance, to all others—if you die because of the collateral damage from my battles…' He prays to the future dead soul in his mind.

'Well, you're not really dead, dead anyway. This world has the world after death, the Samsara; you will be reincarnated. So technically, I didn't kill anyone, right?' Hengsheng thought hypocritically.

Hengsheng continued walking through the city like an ordinary mortal would without anyone noticing his presence, then stopped at the front gate of the former City Lord's Palace, now the King's Palace.

He contemplated how he should approach the Xiyuan King—whether he should simply teleport in to meet him directly or formally request an audience.

'If I just appear there out of nowhere, King Xiyuan might feel threatened and think of doing something stupid later out of fear…'

'But if I request an audience, he might think I'm trying to show him respect, and still end up doing something stupid later out of arrogance…'

'What the hell?'

'No matter what I do, things could still go wrong!' Hengsheng thought.

Hengsheng realized that human culture promotes conflict, especially in this violent, strength-reigns-supreme world.

He considered not going in at all and going back to his mansion, but dismissed the thought since he had already decided to come and remind Xiyuan Dynasty who the real boss was.

…

In the Throne Hall of the Xiyuan Palace.

King Xiyuan sat on the throne indifferently, surrounded by courtiers, listening to the royal general report on the results of eliminating the rebels.

While King Xiyuan listened to the royal general, his thoughts drifted back to the event that had forced his clan—his newly crowned dynasty—to take its first lethal action against anyone in this case was the rebels: a coalition of noble clans from the Great Sea Region within the Southern Sea Kingdom's territory.

A year ago, the Endless Wealth Company had contacted them and proposed a cooperation in the operation that aimed at eliminating the noble clans who showed dissatisfaction in following the new laws of the kingdom.

At first, he thought the company's suggestion was too barbaric, too extreme. Eliminating a noble clan simply because they are expressing dissatisfaction would only make the other noble clans feel uneasy and threatened.

The end result would be creating distrust among the nobles toward his Xiyuan Dynasty, disrupting the kingdom's unity.

However, the Endless Wealth Company did not come with empty words, but with overwhelming evidence that his dynasty could use to justify its actions.

The evidence revealed that the rebellious noble clans had allied with thieves, pirates, and foreign outsiders to sabotage the dynasty's governance.

After a moment of consideration, he agreed to the proposal, deciding to seize the opportunity offered by the company to solidify his dynasty's position as the proper ruler of the kingdom.

It was time to exert the power they had accumulated since becoming the new dynasty—to show every powerhouse in the kingdom that they were not mere puppets without strength.

Discussion on how things would proceed continued for many months, and they began to act when the time came three months ago.

They took on the role of the face—the frontmen of the operation—while the experts sent by the Endless Wealth Company remained hidden within their army, accompanying them in secret.

The raid began with the weakest of the rebellious clans, and as he expected, the other noble clans demanded an explanation for his actions. But once they saw the evidence, most of them asked to join the raid, hoping to claim a share of the ruins left behind by the destroyed clans.

He accepted their support, further expanding the size of his army, and led the combined forces of the kingdom's major powerhouses to crush the rebellious noble clans.

In just a little over two months, the Hai Clan—the head of the rebellious nobles—was destroyed, with only the patriarch managing to escape.

The success of this operation greatly strengthened the Xiyuan Dynasty's presence among the remaining noble clans within the Southern Sea Kingdom.

Most had already accepted them as the rightful dynasty. Though some still believed he and his dynasty were merely puppets of the Endless Wealth Company, that perception would soon change.

Once he broke through and became a Spirit Integration Realm expert, he would stand on equal footing with the kings or top experts from the other Fortune Dynasties.

And the Endless Wealth Company, whom others considered the real ruler, would be forced to reconsider the status between themselves and his Xiyuan Dynasty.

Soon after, the loyal general ended his report and stepped back into line, his head bowed in respect.

King Xiyuan sat in silence for a moment, his fingers gently tapping the armrest of his jade throne. The flicker of torches cast long shadows across the hall, dancing over the golden emblems of his dynasty.

Then, he slowly rose to his feet.

"Inform all brave warriors—the royal court shall host a grand banquet in honor of their triumph."

With that, he turned and stepped behind the throne, disappearing into the royal chamber.

The courtiers within the hall bowed one last time as their king left the hall, before they began to leave the throne hall.

When the last courtier disappeared from sight, the hall fell into silence.

…

As King Xiyuan crossed the door, expecting to enter his royal chamber, he frowned—he hadn't arrived where he should have. Instead, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

The entire space was shrouded in mist and darkness. When he looked down, he could see his feet. When he looked up, the sky stretched endlessly above. Yet when he extended his divine sense, nothing.

One thought surged into his mind. "An Illusion"

He was certain—this place could not exist in the real world. He had fallen into some kind of illusion.

But how did this happen? He was certain his royal chamber was secure—no one could enter, set an illusion formation, or cast a spell without being noticed by him or the royal guards. By whom, then?

His spiritual Qi and divine sense surged outward, blasting skyward in an attempt to shatter the illusionary realm with sheer force.

However, his effort was useless, like throwing a stone into the void. Nothing changed.

"No need to be so vigilant, Lord Xiyuan. Ah—my apologies... Your Majesty, King Xiyuan."

A calm voice echoed from behind, causing King Xiyuan to whirl around instantly.

"What do you mean by this, Chairman Lan…" King Xiyuan frowned deeply. He hadn't expected Lan Hengsheng, the head of the Endless Wealth Company, to appear here.

What is his goal?

Eliminate me?

Does he know I'm about to break through to the next cultivation realm and seek to prevent it from happening, to stop the Xiyuan Dynasty from growing stronger?

At this moment, countless thoughts surged through King Xiyuan's mind.

As if reading them, Lan Hengsheng spoke with a polite smile.

"I didn't come with ill intentions. I simply wanted to thank you for your cooperation."

"Chairman Lan, you went this far… to my humble place just to say thank you?" King Xiyuan said.

Lan Hengsheng's answer did not make him feel safe—only more suspicious. He knew he was in a dangerous position right now; he could be killed at any moment.

"A personal thank-you holds more weight, don't you think?" Lan Hengsheng said calmly, his eyes sharp.

"And… I hope our cooperation will continue in the future. There's still much we can achieve together."

King Xiyuan forced a smile, nodding slowly.

"Of course. Cooperation with Lord Hengsheng has always brought prosperity. I hope it continues as well."

Lan Hengsheng gave a slight nod, his expression unreadable.

King Xiyuan met his gaze and took it as his cue; he knew that Lan Hengsheng hadn't come just to say thank you—this was a warning.

With a polite bow, he said, "Then I shall see you next time."

"Then I shall take my leave," Lan Hengsheng replied calmly.

The world shifted.

In the blink of an eye, King Xiyuan found himself standing alone in his familiar royal chamber.

…

Hengsheng opened his eyes.

He smirked, having succeeded in threatening the king.

But before he had the chance to celebrate his victory, Blue cried,

"Master!" Blue cried, breathless and urgent.

"Xiaorong… he's been defeated!"

"What?!"Hengsheng's eyes widened as he let out a sharp cry of disbelief.