[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet-":3,"chapter-i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-720":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Just Maxed Out, and You Want Me to Be a Puppet Emperor?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2337159,4569,"Chapter 720: Li Chen Really Got Every Single Advantage!","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-720",720,"\u003Cp>Li Chen also knew how to seize the moment; occasionally he would appear before the carriage, clad in a mysterious shamanic robe, his face shrouded in a halo of arcane light—a simple minor spell—uttering a few words like “Protect the faithful” and “Cease the strife,” stirring the masses into fervor as faith surged wildly toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene bore no resemblance to two opposing forces locked in mortal combat; instead, it looked like a mighty overlord, Tian Ce, showing the highest recognition and respect to a revered sage, the Witch Ancestor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the “Witch Ancestor’s” presence, the land and people under his protection gained temporary peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hidden in the shadows, Ivan and Romanov watched this scene utterly deviate from their script; their faces shifted from initial anticipation to shock, then to a dark flush, finally settling into dead gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scenario they had imagined—two tigers clashing, one dying, the other surviving—never materialized; instead, it had become Tian Ce’s army offering unilateral “courtesy” and “recognition” to the “Witch Ancestor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their painstakingly devised, supposedly unbreakable strategy now appeared laughably crude and inept—not only had it failed to harm the “Witch Ancestor” in the slightest, but it had also handed over vast territories, temporarily occupied by Tian Ce but nominally now the Witch Ancestor’s fief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had also greatly elevated the “Witch Ancestor’s” prestige among the common folk, cementing his status as a “guardian deity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not just losing the wife and breaking the spear—it was losing the wife and giving away land!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Ivan felt a sweetness rise in his throat, nearly spitting out blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All their calculations, all their hopes, had become mere stepping stones to highlight the Witch Ancestor’s unfathomable depth and majesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Li Chen reveled in the surrounding fervent faith and imagined the furious rage of his two old rivals, his heart filled with unbounded satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, the Tian Ce Emperor, had transformed into the Great Luo Witch Ancestor—the one universally acknowledged by the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had received the fiefdom “handed over” by the Great Luo nobility, won the people’s hearts, charmed the beauties, and toyed with his enemies—he had seized every advantage, suffered no loss whatsoever; this southern journey could not have been more perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news spread like wings to Xie Ergai’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Xie Ergai heard the detailed account of how Tian Ce’s army halted all hostilities and bowed respectfully wherever the “Witch Ancestor” appeared,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he first froze, then could no longer contain himself; in his study, he clapped his hands and burst into loud, unrestrained laughter, sweeping away days of worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aide, watching this, felt both curiosity and admiration, and could not help asking: “Your Grace, did you foresee that the Witch Ancestor would respond this way? Could Tian Ce’s army really show such deference to the Witch Ancestor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Xie Ergai’s laughter subsided, yet his face still glowed with proud radiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the Witch Ancestor’s direct disciple!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this fact was top secret, known to only a handful, he could never reveal it publicly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled how his master, Li Chen, had once casually mentioned having “some connection” with the Tian Ce Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, he had assumed it meant two powerful figures knew of each other or had minor dealings—he never imagined this “connection” ran this deep!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make the fearsome, unstoppable Tian Ce Emperor cooperate so thoroughly, almost as if performing a play to build up his master’s prestige—was this merely “good relations”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was outright bosom friendship—or perhaps the Tian Ce Emperor harbored profound fear, even reverence, for his master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Ergai could never guess that the master he revered as a god and the mighty Tian Ce Emperor who dominated the continent were one and the same person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the curious, expectant gazes of his aide and several trusted generals, Xie Ergai cleared his throat, wore a mysterious smile, and began to embellish his master’s “grandeur”:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I once had the fortune to meet the Witch Ancestor and hear his teachings. My master’s heart is filled with benevolence, his wisdom vast as the sea; his realm has long transcended mortal strife. His actions align with the Dao, his words and deeds carry profound meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Tian Ce Emperor is the ruler of a hostile state, his ability to command such a mighty army suggests he is no fool. Perhaps he sensed my master’s overwhelming power and his benevolent heart that blesses all beings, and thus felt reverence, unwilling to confront my master directly—hence he ordered his troops to retreat three leagues as a sign of respect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words, half-truth and half-fiction, elevated Li Chen’s status as the “Witch Ancestor,” framing his actions as benevolent influence, while subtly implying the Tian Ce Emperor’s “pragmatic wisdom”; the aide and generals listened in awe, their reverence for the “Witch Ancestor” rising yet higher.\u003C\u002Fp>",811,"2026-06-20T21:59:20.546Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","456b6380cd2f096258829ae34620057af5f781d73ed4e6274e9214cbd10a01fd","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-721","i-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--chapter-719",766,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-just-maxed-out-and-you-want-me-to-be-a-puppet--cover.jpg"]