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Chapter 261: Chapter 258 Intentions
Fang Yumian quickly understood her father Fang Linghai’s intent.
As a genius who reached the Divinity Transformation Realm in just over thirty years, she thought more than most people.
The various achievements of Gu Jinlai emerged in her mind...
Remarkable personal strength.
Possessing a trump card capable of slaying a Demon King.
Establishing the Heavenly Master’s Holy Land.
Controlling the territories of both Star State and Jiangzhou State.
Any of these aspects were more than enough to match her.
If she were to marry such a heroic figure, she wouldn’t hesitate at all.
What about Gu Jinlai being over seventy years old?
That wasn’t a problem at all. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Immortals of the Refining God level theoretically live up to two hundred years.
Even though not everyone lives that long, seventy years old is comparable to just thirty-something for an ordinary person.
This is precisely the most charismatic moment in a successful man’s life.
However, after pondering for a moment, Fang Yumian still shook her head, "Father, my personality is different from others; I am quite competitive. Although I don’t reject the idea of marrying into the Gu family, I can’t guarantee that I would settle down. In the struggle for power and position, it’s inevitable that I would end up in an overt and covert battle with Gu Jinlai. If his career were inherited from someone else, I could indeed compete with him, but as he is a lord who has opened up new territories, I fear that my methods might not be enough to suppress him and a single misstep... could lead to a lethal disaster and ultimately destroy our relationship with Lingxiao City."
Upon hearing this, Fang Linghai also calmed down.
His daughter was indeed an unsettled individual.
If she really became part of the Gu family, it would lead to trouble.
And since Gu Jinlai was a forceful person, if not handled well, they could end up outsmarted and lose more than they bargained for.
"So be it."
Fang Linghai dismissed the idea, saying, "Still, you will need to take care of Lingxiao City on our behalf. We really can’t leave here."
"Yes, Father."
Fang Yumian nodded.
...
Yuntian City.
Gu Chifeng, whose blood and Qi were surging throughout his body, was somewhat reluctant.
"Patriarch, are we really going to retreat?"
Cheng Wanli stood by his side, looking at Gu Jinlai as well.
Yuntian City was what they had managed to protect.
Now that Yellow Sky Dao was gravely weakened, with very few Divinity Transformation Cultivators left alive and most of the Refining God Immortals fallen.
As for the Hugging Pill, Gang Condensation, Qi Refinement stages, and the elite disciples, their losses were even more significant.
Whether Yellow Sky Dao could still defend the cities and prevent internal chaos was questionable.
"Retreat!"
Gu Jinlai said calmly, "Yellow Sky Dao may have suffered heavy losses, but several Primordial Spirit Monarchs are still safe and sound, and they still have enough strength."
At that moment, Gu Chaoyang stepped forward and whispered, "Patriarch, not long ago the largest sect in Yuntian City, Green Bird Sect, approached me. The whole city, grateful for your contributions to defending Yuntian City, is willing to join our Star State and accept Star State governance..."
Gu Jinlai looked at him.
He wasn’t surprised that the Green Bird Sect made such a choice.
Although Yellow Sky Dao was heavily damaged, and despite the fact that the true Monarchs are still there and the sect is safe, without enough Refining God and Divinity Transformation experts to occupy the cities, all sorts of troublemakers would likely emerge, fighting for power and influence.
"Now is not the time to occupy Yuntian City and Half Realm Yellow State."
Gu Jinlai stated frankly.
His gaze unconsciously glanced in the direction of Tianhe.
Under the effect of the Qiantian Purple Qi Technique, the qi pillar belonging to the Tianhe Demons in Tianhe had dissipated by a large margin.
But...
It was still far from completely vanishing or dropping to the level of the Yunqi Mountain Range, as Gu Jinlai had imagined.
In other words, the Tianhe Demons still had the strength for another battle.
Months ago, Gu Jinlai had guessed that the demon forces were not as simple as they appeared.
They were hiding their true capabilities.
The primary reason for their subtlety was fear that showing too much strength would unite all human factions against them and lead to their destruction before they had the chance to overturn Daqian.
As a power that could disrupt Tianhe North and South...
A Champsosaurus King and a hundred thousand demons were definitely not the full extent of the demonic power.
Given that the Mu State Demons had already assembled, looking far more formidable than the Tianhe Demons, he had to keep Yellow Sky Dao as a check on the Tianhe Demons.
As for himself, he would mobilize forces to reinforce Mu State and extinguish the threat of the Mu State Demons before considering other plans.
Otherwise, even if he ended up paying a certain price to eliminate Yellow Sky Dao and Cold Moon Sect was breached, he would face a much more severe situation than before.
"We of Lingxiao City must withdraw, but we shouldn’t make it obvious... Moreover, we should continue advancing to the surrounding towns under the pretense of clearing out demons... at least until Yellow Sky Dao offers us enough benefits to back off."
Gu Jinlai said.
"You mean to extort a sum from Yellow Sky Dao?"
Although Gu Chaoyang, Gu Chifeng, Cheng Wanli, and others felt it a pity not to fully seize Yellow State, they could only execute the orders, as the patriarch had decided.
Shortly after deciding on their next course of action, Jiang Chongshan appeared outside the main hall where Gu Jinlai handled various matters.
Accompanying him was a middle-aged man dressed in armor, exuding an imposing demeanor.
Gu Jinlai gave it some thought and quickly remembered a piece of intelligence reported by Cheng Wanli two hours ago.
He went out to meet the visitors and said with a smile, "Star King, you’ve arrived."
After speaking, he clasped his hands towards the middle-aged man, "This must be General Shang Zhenbei, I presume? I have long admired your renown."
A trace of guilt was evident in Shang Zhenbei’s eyes as he responded, "I do not deserve such words. I came under the Emperor’s orders to support Governor Gu, but... with an overwhelming number of demons, far too numerous to count, I dared not risk my soldiers being annihilated by the demon hordes. Thus, I could only halt north of Tianhe, wandering and hunting down some demons that slipped through the net, leaving Governor Gu to fight a lone battle."
Nevertheless, Gu Jinlai seemed rather magnanimous about it.
After all, according to what he knew, even if Shang Zhenbei decided to move south at the critical moment, it would take several days for his thirty thousand elite troops to cross the river.
By the time they arrived at Yuntian City, the battle would have already concluded.
Hence, their presence, or lack thereof, was not a significant issue.
What Gu Jinlai truly valued was the active response from the Imperial Family represented by this gesture.
This sign, at the very least, allowed him to speculate on the Imperial Family’s attitude toward him.
"I am already grateful that General Shang could come. Moreover, although you did not move south from north of Tianhe, you restrained a large number of demon forces for us. Otherwise, our pursuit of the demons would not have proceeded so smoothly,"
Gu Jinlai declared.
After exchanging pleasantries, the group quickly took their seats.
At this moment, Jiang Chongshan spoke up, "Heavenly Monarch Gu, my royal brother has decreed, officially appointing you the Lord of Star State, granting you the right to govern Star State. The defense of Star State’s livelihood now falls to you, Heavenly Monarch Gu."
"The Emperor has decreed this?"
Gu Jinlai was somewhat surprised, yet found it reasonable.
Over the past few decades, the control of the Daqian Royal Family over the surrounding Great States had been waning. Some Great States, such as Yellow State, Blue State, Jiangzhou State, and Red State, were nominally under Daqian, but in reality, their commands could hardly be enforced locally.
Even Star State, which Gu Jinlai currently occupied, was the same.
Unless Daqian was willing to appoint Devas to seize power in Star State, even if a Primordial Spirit Monarch came, it wouldn’t take long before they would have to flee back to Central State, shamefaced, and if they were unwise, even risking their lives.
Now that the Emperor Daqian has officially appointed him as the Lord of Star State, it was merely a formality to legitimize his position.
On one hand, it was a favor to him.
On the other hand...
It was a move to reassert their presence in Star State.
To let the people of Star State know that they were still under Daqian’s jurisdiction.
Understanding the rationale behind it, Gu Jinlai nevertheless stood up, "I thank the Emperor for his generous favor. I will do my utmost to defend Star State and ensure not a single one of the sixty million citizens suffers the slightest harm from the demons."
"If the Emperor has appointed Heavenly Monarch Gu as the Lord of Star State, it is because he believes Governor Gu will not disappoint the Emperor’s high expectations,"
Shang Zhenbei followed up with a smile.
At this point, Jiang Chongshan spoke again, "My royal brother also appointed me as the Jiangzhou Governor. However, I do not have enough personnel at my disposal, and with Jiangzhou requiring significant restoration, I must trouble Heavenly Monarch Gu to help oversee matters there."
"Jiangzhou?"
Gu Jinlai quickly guessed the Qian Emperor’s thoughts.
It seems...
That the Qian Emperor’s attitude towards the Star King might not be as cautious as rumors suggest.
But considering that Jiang Chongshan was able to obtain the top-tier Qiantian Purple Qi Technique, Gu surmised that Star King Jiang Chongshan’s previous behavior was nothing more than an act for the public.
Thereupon, he clasped his hands again, "I will not disappoint His Majesty the Star King."
It was then that Shang Zhenbei took the initiative to speak, "Governor Gu, I have a rather presumptuous request to ask during my visit, hoping that you may grant it."
"Oh?"
"That remarkable Sword Heavy Cannon from Star State is truly a divine artifact. Against it, neither the Cloud Wing Arrow Cart nor the Fire God Cannon is worth mentioning. Especially when obliterating the inherently large and tenacious demons, which lack agility, it is far superior to any War Spiritual Artifact. Therefore..."
Shang Zhenbei looked at Gu Jinlai. Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Chongshan laughed and interjected, "General Shang wishes to represent the Imperial Capital in requesting to purchase the Sword Heavy Cannons from Lingxiao City?"
Shang Zhenbei was taken aback.
His actual intention was to hope that Lingxiao City would present the method of crafting Sword Heavy Cannons to the Imperial Family.
After all, the Imperial Family had more Heavenly Masters, Great Heavenly Masters, and Heavenly Monarchs.
With the resources at the Imperial Family’s disposal, if they were to handle the production of Sword Heavy Cannons, the efficiency would undoubtedly be multiple times greater than that of Lingxiao City.
With enough Sword Heavy Cannons, driving out demons would be no idle boast.
However, the Star King...
He glanced at Jiang Chongshan.
And he subtly guessed something.
Was he worried that Lingxiao City would refuse?
If Lingxiao City refused...
Considering the Supreme Treasure in Gu Jinlai’s possession that was rumored to be equivalent to a Peak Heavenly Being’s strike, Shang Zhenbei suppressed his original intention.
Whether or not to ask for the method of crafting was a decision for the Emperor himself; it was not Shang Zhenbei’s place to demand.
For a moment, he had no choice but to change his words, "Indeed, we wish to purchase Sword Heavy Cannons on behalf of the Imperial Capital to combat demons. May I inquire about Governor Gu’s thoughts on this?"
Gu Jinlai had already observed the silent exchange between Shang Zhenbei and Jiang Chongshan.
"While the production rate of Sword Heavy Cannons by Lingxiao City is extremely slow, we are willing to allocate some for sale to the Imperial Capital if it is for combating demons. However, the production cost for the Sword Heavy Cannons is considerable..."
"The production cost is high?"
Shang Zhenbei thought of the power of the Sword Heavy Cannon.
Aided by a Heavenly Master Apprentice with a number of elites, an Upper-level Demon could be annihilated; such a formidable weapon justifiably carried a hefty price tag.
"May I know how much Governor Gu plans to price one Sword Heavy Cannon?"
"Selling to the Imperial Capital, I will naturally offer a cost price, ten portions of Immortal Essence Gold will suffice."
