Chapter 149: Zhen Wu, Guang Han – 62K Seeking Subscriptions

"Is this starship subordinate to the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace?"

"No," Tian Xing, the son of Tian Ling, shook his head, "this starship has no relation to the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace, but according to the elders' speculation, it should come from the March Realm not far from our side of the world."

"Is that so..."

Wang Wu's acquaintance Si Tu Yuan was also in the room; anyone who could appear here were major figures within the jurisdiction of South Yuan Prefecture, such as the clan heads of the six great surnames.

Of course, it also includes the noble families of Yuan Prefecture; that must not be forgotten.

If this were in the past, such state affairs would clearly not be something Tian Xing and his fellow monsters needed to concern themselves with. Or rather, they had no right to sit at the table to discuss such matters.

Although the demon race society has many strong individuals, this world cannot be solved merely by a few hundred or even a few thousand top‑tier elites.

Moreover, even if you add up all the demon race across the planet, the number of its top elites might not even reach five hundred.

That count already includes all those above the Cultivation Realm; if you consider only the Heavenly Communication Realm, the number is even smaller, probably less than a hundred.

But now, with the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace as a backing, the demon race has begun to rise; not only do they qualify to be invited to such meetings, but the overall treatment of demons within human society has also improved.

Si Tu Yuan originally thought the demon race must harbor some secret; he believed there was a great secret within them, such as the internal elixir he had previously speculated could serve as a great medicine.

But in reality, um, how to put it, the reason is actually quite simple:

That Heavenly Court Divine General—the surviving one—was a demon, so Wang Wu, as a member of the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace, naturally would look after the demon race here.

It's that simple; there is no other reason.

It makes sense; observations of the demon society on Ten Thousand Great Mountain later confirm that this is indeed the case.

But, to put it mildly, Si Tu Yuan felt somewhat disappointed.

Wang Wu didn't know whether that general was truly a demon, but to the locals, aliens and monsters are probably no different. So a monster is just a monster, no problem, and he believed the other side would certainly understand.

After all, merely attaching a name can greatly elevate the demon race's status; that general himself has a rather kind nature, albeit perhaps a bit twisted, but it doesn't matter—he would certainly agree to this.

Moreover, the Heavenly Court doesn't practice racial discrimination; it treats every race equally. There's no reason to object.

I suppose so.

Even if it weren't, the Heavenly Court is gone now, so it would have to be that way anyway.

Wang Wu doesn't know how strong the Heavenly Court was at its peak, but the current Heavenly Court certainly can't match Wang Wu's solid backing, namely Sha Shou Ge, and the masters' hometown.

The masters' hometown remains very powerful, though it has little to do with him.

However, once Wang Wu realized that society over there was a fairly normal one, he naturally began to consider its matters using the mindset of an ordinary person from his previous life.

For example, right now he's pondering how to obtain citizenship in Sha Shou Ge's world; um, that doesn't count as immigration, because he's still an Earthling, and Yun Guang City is still... um, in short, you get the idea.

Citizenship in Yun Guang City isn't impossible, but it's not exactly easy either. At least for Wang Wu now, it may still take some time.

The conference at Qingnan Prefecture lasted several days, after which Tian Xing was taken to Luoyi.

Today, Great Zhou is still ruled by the Son of Heaven, but the power of the feudal lords... ah no, the provincial governors has reverted to the state before Zhou Mu Wang.

Everyone dislikes centralization; after all, the feudal system has been in place for tens of thousands of years, and the system has long become well developed.

The big fellows are quite content on their own modest plots of land and don't want the Zhou Son of Heaven, as "Universal Ruler," to wield excessive authority and control over the regions.

But Zhou Ping Wang—ah no, he's not called Zhou Ping Wang yet. Zhou Son of Heaven Ji Yi Jiu, who was not favored by his biological father and grew up with his mother, naturally has some grievances about his ancestor Mu Wang's decision.

Zhou Ping Wang, in Wang Wu's hometown, was the first ruler of Eastern Zhou.

However, this world's Great Zhou clearly cannot copy the situation of his hometown entirely, because the two Zhou there together span only eight hundred years, whereas here a single Western Zhou has already lasted eight hundred years.

When King You died violently, the newly enthroned Zhou Son of Heaven Qian's first act was to move the capital to Luoyi.

Wang Wu doesn't know where Luoyi is, and even if he did, he wouldn't say, because it's inappropriate.

The discovery of an alien spacecraft beyond the Solar System quickly alarmed several neighboring states—the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, as well as Chu and Summer Kingdom.

Prominent figures from several states gathered in the Eastern Zhou capital Luoyi for a related conference. At that meeting, Tian Xing, as the demon race society's representative, showed no sign of fear and performed well, leaving the high officials of the various states with a firm impression of him.

The conference lasted for a while, until the next month near the Mid‑Autumn Festival, when Tian Xing finally returned with his party.

And as soon as they returned, Heavenly Python City held another meeting.

Wang Wu hates meetings; he prefers to be a hands‑off manager, but there's no choice—now that he's a big figure, he must shoulder the corresponding responsibilities.

Sitting in his private room within the council hall, as a prominent figure Wang Wu naturally maintains secrecy and cannot casually interact with these demons.

Thus he has a dedicated room where he can see outside and hear the discussions, while those outside cannot see in nor hear any sounds from inside.

So this gives Wang Wu plenty of maneuvering space.

Gently rubbing the sole of Wu Er Niang's foot, Wang Wu listened intently to the conversation outside.

Since Shu Niang and San Niang both failed the exam, Wang Wu naturally gives them no reward, at most a kiss on the cheek as encouragement.

But Wu Er Niang, being the top scholar among the three female demons, naturally receives Wang Wu's meticulous service.

"So Great Zhou also doesn't know the specifics of that starship outside?"

Facing the demon kings' question, Tian Xing nodded and said:

"Yes, after all, the Exploration Mirror originated in the Great Summer era, and in recent years the Summer Kingdom has been maintaining it; they are the most knowledgeable about this matter. It was they who informed Great Zhou, Great Chu, and the Two Wei, leading to the conference held in Luoyi."

"Does Great Summer still keep an eye on their Star City?" After hearing his son's report, Tian Ling asked curiously.

"Of course," Tian Xing smiled and nodded, "after all, their dream is to set foot across the universe, so how could they not care about external affairs?"

"Thus at this conference, Great Summer's stance was to promote contact, and they strongly opposed the Chu proposal of a preemptive strike."

"But that's not really a problem, right?" The lord of Falling Feather City, clearly more supportive of Chu's proposal, said: "First seize the initiative, understand the other side, then decide whether to be friendly or hostile; that's certainly better than blindly extending goodwill."

"Hmm, the Lord of Ying City is right," other demon kings also voiced agreement.

"Um, I also support the Lord of Ying City's view," Tian Xing nodded, "but the Chu suggestion is to slaughter everyone, keep only a few captives, and extract information by interrogating them..."

"Um..."

The demon kings fell silent.

If one were to name the existing country today that most resembles the former Great Shang, it would be Chu.

But it can't be said to be close, because Chu has always been like this: either waging war on another state or on the way to doing so.

After all, the country is known for its classic slogan, "I am barbarian!"

One is extremely xenophobic—uh, the Chu Kingdom isn't really xenophobic, because before the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace, their attitude toward the demon race was actually the best among the major nations.

In short, one side advocates mindless friendliness, the other advocates mindless killing, and either way is definitely unacceptable.

So after a heated discussion and bickering, everyone finally adopted a compromise.

First seize the initiative, then consider whether to use force or ceremony.

"My dear, this Chu Kingdom is a bit too extreme."

"W… what's wrong, Wu Lang?" Wu Er Niang lifted her head, her watery eyes looking at Wang Wu as she asked.

"Tian Xing outside is talking about the information he got from the human side, about that starship beyond our world," Wang Wu said with a smile, gently stroking Wu Er Niang's dark hair.

"Oh…"

Wu Er Niang nodded, lowered her head. After a while of continuing her work, she raised her head again, this time also putting her feet down and adjusting her posture.

"Commissioner Wang."

But at that moment, Tian Xing's voice came from outside the room.

"Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

"Um, this…" Wang Wu pondered for a moment, his mind and body syncing and beginning to race.

"Which aspect are you referring to?" After a moment, he asked.

"I'm referring to the starship in the March Realm—what's your stance? It's not that I'm questioning you; the human side also places great importance on their attitude toward you."

He then added, "Moreover, the Summer people are very interested in you. When I was in Luoyi, they sent a messenger to me, saying that if the chance arose, they'd like to meet you."

"Um, let's discuss later; I'm quite busy this year," Wang Wu first declined the Summer people's meeting request, then added, "As for attitude? I have none. I think the outcome they discussed at the previous meeting was fine, so let's go with that."

"Alright," Tian Xing replied, then prepared to leave.

But just as he turned, Wang Wu's voice sounded again from behind:

"By the way, how's the road‑building project you discussed earlier progressing?"

"Ah, that matter is already underway," Tian Xing turned back, nodding toward the room, "But it's still in planning; after all, some cities have complicated geography, like our Heavenly Python City."

Building roads first to get rich is what they say back at Wang Wu's hometown. However, this wasn't Wang Wu's directive; Tian Mang City had already intended it.

First, roads are built between Tian Mang City and several neighboring friendly demon cities, facilitating exchange, then gradually expanding to the entire Hundred Thousand Great Mountain.

Since the 'Extreme Heaven Divine Palace' exists, it's natural to consider unifying the entire demon race.

But it's not that easy, after all not every demon city is willing to 'unify'.

Even this is far looser than human nations, merely a city‑state alliance unification.

After all, for some demon‑city monsters, living their simple lives on their own little plot is fine, so why join a federation that might harm their city's interests?

"I previously hired someone to prepare a set of design blueprints for you; perhaps you can refer to them," Wang Wu said inside, "I'll deliver them after I return in a while."

"Thank you, Commissioner!"

Hearing Wang Wu's words, Tian Xing instantly expressed gratitude.

As Hundred Thousand Great Mountain is his own territory, Wang Wu is naturally very invested in its development. Though not every demon city in the mountain is fond of him as the 'Divine Palace Commissioner', Wang Wu doesn't care about them.

The blueprint cost Wang Wu little; it took only half a month, and others helped him design the entire Hundred Thousand Great Mountain in detail.

A detailed 3D model map of the entire Hundred Thousand Great Mountain was created beforehand, then packaged and sent to the master's world people for design.

Originally it was just to design roads connecting the few demon cities he requested, but perhaps because more money was spent, the other side directly planned the whole Hundred Thousand Great Mountain.

So after receiving the items, Wang Wu tipped the other side a thousand coins, plus two thousand for the design blueprint, totaling three thousand five hundred.

During the Mid‑Autumn Festival, family reunions are expected, so Wang Wu gathered all the girls together and held a banquet in a tavern in Heavenly Python City.

They feasted vigorously at noon, then spent the whole afternoon in romance and leisure.

In the evening they went out again for a feast, then returned to continue their work.

Time quickly reached year‑end, and in the blink of an eye Wang Wu's second year in this world is about to end.

As for the massive vessel beyond the solar system, it still approaches at an extremely fast speed.

According to continuous reports from the Summer Kingdom, it seems that at intervals this starship disappears from the universe and reappears in another distant region of space.

Today the Xia Dynasty has become a purely academic nation, gathering the most cutting‑edge research talent from various countries. Though it still has an army, its border defense is now very lax.

But the Summer people don't seem to care about this matter.

As for invasions from other nations, even the chaotic states like Chu Kingdom and Yin Shang never considered the Summer Kingdom during their peaks, let alone now.

Chu Kingdom and Yin Shang were once part of the Xia Dynasty; although they eventually split off, they still hold respect for the Xia Dynasty.

The Zhou Dynasty needs no mention; the Si clan, though a loser in the Great Zhou political struggles, faced little persecution, and even Baozhou remains under Si clan rule.

Moreover, the Si clan of the Zhou Kingdom has direct blood ties with the rulers of the Summer Kingdom.

On the ninth day of the twelfth month, during the Minor Cold period, Heavenly Python City, situated at an altitude of 6,700 meters, is much colder than the ground.

Daytime temperatures are over minus twenty degrees, night drops straight to minus thirty, and the whole city is wrapped in a silver coat.

Nevertheless the city remains lively; from time to time you can see juvenile demons, not yet fully transformed, frolicking in the streets.

Because the demon race has a long lifespan and high fertility, children are rare in the city, though some exist. Especially as the New Year approaches, Wang Wu saw many.

Second‑generation demons aren't immediately able to take human form, nor are they fully beasts; they resemble the Furi image from Wang Wu's hometown.

Although monsters of different species can combine and bear offspring, their true nature is randomly assigned, following only one side.

If you want a child of your own species, it's better to find a mate of the same kind; even if not, at least it should be a compatible animal‑form without reproductive isolation.

After all, combining completely different species makes the difficulty increase further, making it not worth the effort.

The day before yesterday was Wang Lan, yesterday was Zhao Xingyue, and today it's Yao Qing's turn. I must admit, having many girls around can be troublesome, but trouble or not, Wang Wu enjoys it.

"How is it, my lady? Heavenly Python City isn't bad, right?"

Holding Yao Qing as they strolled through Heavenly Python City, Wang Wu gently placed a hairpin on her, then lightly pecked her cheek and asked.

Blushing, Yao Qing returned a smile to Wang Wu, gently grasped his hand, and looked at a nearby couple, saying, "Wu Lang, why don't we also…"

Wang Wu followed her gaze, saw the oblivious couple, then smiled lightly and nodded.

That pair, though somewhat selfless, didn't overstep; at this rate they'd probably catch up soon. But it's fine; a demon will come to stop them.

As for Wang Wu and Yao Qing, they of course have better self‑control. So when they separate, only a crystal‑clear thread connects them.

"Qing'er, shall we change places?"

After parting, Wang Wu smiled and asked Yao Qing, his gaze affectionate.

"Alright…"

Then Wang Wu lifted Yao Qing in his arms and flew into the sky.

In a year, on the first day of the new year, Wang Wu was still a seventh‑rank warrior. By December, his strength had leapt to a fourth‑rank.

All of this is thanks to the supplements sold by his masters… ah no, it's all thanks to his masters' meticulous teaching and his own relentless effort.

The Heavenly Demon Dragon thing definitely has to be used; when he was broke, Wang Wu's dose was 50 mg per day, but now that he has money, the daily dose naturally soars to 250 mg—a tenfold increase.

Of course, besides the 250 mg of Heavenly Demon Dragon each day, Wang Wu also injects 250 mg of Yin Spirit Liquid daily—one spinal injection and one intravenous injection.

Such a large amount must be paired with appropriate medicines, for example White Crane Liver‑protecting Tablets; the normal dosage is three per day, but because Wang Wu's dose is larger, he takes six daily.

Taking the drugs, of course, also requires training, since this stuff isn't the steroids from his hometown; if you don't train, it has no effect—the body can't absorb it and it'll just be metabolized.

Steroids also need training, but even without training they still provide some muscle‑building effect.

In the Assassin Brother World, a future sci‑fi setting, the supplies naturally don't have as many side effects as those from Wang Wu's hometown.

Wang Wu's lychees won't spoil, his blood won't become viscous or freeze, his pores won't enlarge, his skin won't inflame or form cysts from needle sticks, and his veins won't become varicose.

His temperament won't change dramatically because of steroids; that, uh, is the effect of the Vajra Gate technique.

Moreover, the Vajra Gate technique merely strips away pretenses to reveal the true self; it won't turn this personality into an unrelated one unless that's your nature.

And there's no Osei Belly either. Because Wang Wu doesn't body‑build; he practices martial arts.

Of course, the most important thing: he won't go early to the Steroid Star… uh, Supplement Planet.

A fourth‑rank warrior has fully mastered Atomic Power and has begun attempting to touch, to step into the realm called 'Annihilation'.

When positrons collide with negative protons, they annihilate each other, converting all mass into photon radiation; at a one‑hundred‑percent conversion rate, the resulting power can truly achieve 'world‑destroying' devastation.

Wang Wu's current speed is 480 Mach, still 120 Mach short of a fourth‑rank warrior's limit.

Reaching this realm, he, as an Earth martial‑arts practitioner, is officially 'initiated'; in other words, he has unlocked all skills.

And the most important among them is 'True Martial'.

A tenfold full‑attribute enhancement means Wang Wu's speed is actually 4,800 Mach, 5.8 million km per hour.

Five point eight million km per hour translates to 98,000 km per minute, or 1,633 km per second.

The distance from the planet's surface beneath his feet to its satellite is 400,000 km, and Wang Wu can cover 16,000 km in ten seconds.

That's roughly four minutes.

However, for a fourth‑rank warrior, even this speed is still minuscule on a cosmic scale.

After all, even the world's number‑one master in the Assassin Brother World can only reach 87 % of light speed under normal conditions.

Yet even the nearest neighboring star to this stellar system, the March Realm, is a full eight light‑years away.

Therefore, when it comes to distances between planets or between stellar systems, the warriors of the Assassin Brother World naturally possess corresponding means of travel.

Today, the foremost sect of the Mysterious Yin System, the Cloud Crane Sect, boasts the world‑renowned Cloud Crane Instant Body Technique; before the martial‑arts patch, it already allowed jumps of 150 light‑years, and after the update the distance surged to an astonishing 500 light‑years.

The Extreme Heaven Vajra Gate naturally has a similar method, called 'Extreme Heaven True Gate', which can cross 100 light‑years in a single use.

Of course, there's also the exclusive translocation technique of the Yin Extreme Divine Sect that Master Yin Shenli once demonstrated: Mirror Flower Water Moon, which spans 400 light‑years in one go.

However, at Wang Wu's level he can't reach that far; as a fourth‑rank warrior, he can at most activate a 20‑light‑year Mirror Flower Water Moon.

At this moment, Wang Wu didn't use Mirror Flower Water Moon; instead, he hoisted Yao Qing and flew straight to the Moon, because that was more romantic.

"How is it here, Qing'er?"

The scarlet lunar surface is cracked; looking out, a ruined city lies quietly beneath his feet, stretching all the way to the horizon.

Within the city wanders a hunched, completely unrecognizable monster.

That is the ancient Summer City, called Jade Toad.

(End of chapter)