Chapter 1119

Time flies; in a blink, a hundred years have passed.

Wu Tie's three sons were born, and upon their birth, the martial state of Wuguo was shocked.

The three sons were just as the elders of the Wu Clan had said: truly possessing the bearing of a sage, they could run about wildly right after birth, condensing the Dao seal, already having the strength of an initial Honored-level cultivator.

After the Wu Clan elders rejoiced wildly and vied for them, in the end it was Wu Tie's father, Wu Zhan, who obtained the naming rights for the three grandsons—just as he had given names to Wu Tie's four brothers, these three grandsons' names also had distinctive flair.

Wu Dashan, Wu Dahai, Wu Dahe... For these three names, including Wu Tie, the officials of Wuguo up and down could only sigh, feeling that these three names were very down-to-earth, good, very good!

Thus we need to collect all named entities appearing in lines.

Let's go line by line.

From then on, Wu Tie resided in Wudu, personally instructing the three sons.

At one year old, they began their enlightenment, studying under Kong Chengxi and Meng Buyan, starting with the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic, learning various classics.

At two years old, they began labor; Wu Tie personally led them in farming, planting, herding, fishing and hunting.

At six years old, they went out to study; Wu Tie led them to travel the world, to experience life, combining study with chivalry, concealing their identities, standing up against injustice, gathering and making medicines, along the way treating injured and sick commoners, chatting with farmers and silkworm women in the fields, gaining a clear understanding of the people's hardships.

At sixteen, Wu Tie brought them into the battlefield of the human commoners, personally witnessing the flying flesh and blood of war. The father and four sons became ordinary medical orderlies, concocting pills and medicines, saving lives and healing wounds, while Wu Tie analyzed for them the origins of the human commoners' war, explaining the hidden struggles of interest.

At eighteen, Wu Tie divided three former human hunting grounds among the three sons for them to practice and govern.

The three sons, gifted and clever, had since childhood followed Wu Tie to see the world's red dust and experience the people's livelihood; they reduced corvée, lowered taxes, accumulated the people's strength, and governed their territories so that the population flourished and thrived day by day.

During the three sons' internship, Pei Feng, Bai Huang, and Zhu Guan became pregnant again.

From then on, Wu Tie settled peacefully in Martial Capital, raising children, educating them; the entire Wuguo enjoyed peace and stability, the people's livelihood was tranquil, the nation's strength gradually accumulated, giving a feeling of constant renewal.

Another hundred years later, the human commoners' great war continued; in Wuguo's army, even the rank of Thousand-man Commander had attained Honored-level cultivation.

After another hundred years, the human commoners' great war continued; in Wuguo's army, even the rank of Hundred-man Commander had attained Honored-level cultivation.

After yet another hundred years, the human commoners' great war persisted; in Wuguo's army, even the junior officers of the rank of Ten-man Commander had attained Honored-level cultivation.

Time passed bit by bit; the favorable, vast, resource-rich, densely populated territories occupied by the human commoners had already been reduced to chaos, many places where the people could not make a living, and the common folk cried day and night.

Meanwhile, whether in Wuguo's army, government offices, or among the populace, strength surged; civilian and military granaries overflowed, military equipment and weapons were repeatedly updated, and in armories across the land, stockpiled military supplies piled up like mountains.

When Wu Tie's ninth and tenth sons were born, Wu Yu and the Wu Tribe elders secretly visited the main sect of the Wu Clan.

After a stern persuasion, the Wu Clan Main Sect's Grand Clan Leader and the elders, having lost many elite tribesmen, ordered all Wu Clan warriors to withdraw from the battlefield.

The Wu Clan Main Sect's entire populace completely withdrew from the human commoners' life field and entered Wuguo's territory to rest and recuperate.

The Wu Clan withdrew so cleanly that they even uprooted their own ancestral temple and ancestral shrine, placing them in a magnificent great mountain outside Martial Capital City.

The Wu Clan became the first great clan among the top powers of the human race to withdraw from the chaos.

Around the time Qing Ning said the gods would descend again, about five hundred years later, inside the Martial Capital Imperial Palace, Wu Tie leaned against the railing of the Lotus Pond, constantly grabbing handfuls of fish feed and throwing them into the pond.

Numerous koi fish swayed their heads and tails, frantically competing for the fish feed, piling up on top of each other; some fish were even squeezed out of the water, jumping wildly on the backs of other fish.

Wu Dashan stood behind Wu Tie, silently watching the fish in the pond for a while, then asked Wu Tie: "The human commoners' warfare is becoming ever more frenzied... Father, do you truly not care?"

Wu Tie grabbed a large handful of fish feed and scattered it, without turning back he asked: "How would I manage? By what authority? On what basis should I manage?"

Before Wu Dashan could speak, Wu Tie calmly said: "If I wanted to manage, it would be simple—I would strike out and kill all the human commoners' clan chiefs and elders; within two or three days, the matter would be suppressed. Could I really strike down the human commoners' clan chiefs and elders?"

Wu Dashan shook his head.

"I, a mere offspring of a branch of the Wu Tribe, only a few hundred years old, how could I manage those who have lived tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years—the direct descendants of the ancient human emperors? They are heavenly imperial nobility; by what authority could I manage them?"

"If I were to manage them... do you believe it or not, the human commoners would immediately join forces and attack Wuguo?"

"I simply lack the qualifications to manage them; they, and their subjects, in their hearts also think this way."

Wu Tie scattered another large handful of fish feed, his voice deep: "Finally, I—your father, Wu Tie—am merely a fortunate ordinary person. Relying on a bit of luck, I have clung to life until today. Along the way I have killed countless people... I no longer wish to kill."

"At root, I am merely a side branch of the Wu Tribe, an insignificant offshoot small family's concubine-born son... Am I clever? I am not clever. Am I wise? I am not wise. I lack the grand ambition to swallow mountains and rivers like a tiger, nor do I possess the lofty aspiration to teach the sun and moon to change heaven."

"The human commoners' great clan chiefs and great elders—what business is it of theirs that I should manage?"

"I only care for my wife and children, my relatives and friends to live happily and freely; I only care for my subjects to live carefree and joyful... As for the current state of Wuguo, this is already the utmost I can achieve."

Wu Tie lifted the large sack of fish feed and flung the full sack 'hualala' into the pond.

He shook out the empty sack, folded it neatly, and handed it to a palace attendant standing beside him; Wu Tie said calmly: "You all think my cultivation surpasses that of all human commoners, so I can do as I please?"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, utterly wrong..." Wu Tie said coldly: "Now I am a single hair that moves the whole body; if I and Wuguo remain still, then at least Wuguo stays peaceful. If I move, heh, Wuguo will instantly be engulfed in war smoke, and countless commoners will perish."

Wu Tie recalled the youth who, years ago, had come to deliver a message for Qing Ning, having already, to the bone, regarded himself as a devout lackey of the gods.

Such a person—who knows how many like them exist among the human commoners and within Wuguo itself?

They remain unnoticed, mingling silently among the human commoners; if Wu Tie dared to intervene in the human commoners' life field war, they would have enough power to plunge Wuguo completely into the mire of war.

Shaking his head, Wu Tie muttered: "I'm not afraid; it's just killing after all... but I cannot guarantee that if Wuguo were to fully engage in war, you would remain safe."

"The divine arts and secret techniques left by the ancient human commoners are endless; you three brothers—do you really think you could survive the attacks of those ancient Wu spells?"

Wu Dashan's face changed slightly.

He recalled that in recent years, the Wu Clan ancestors had taught his brothers similar toxic divine abilities like the Nail-Head Seven Arrows Manual.

He unconsciously shook his head.

Wu Tie also nodded, lowering his gaze to watch the koi swimming in the pond, then pointed to an especially fat one, about four feet long: "What a big fatty—haul it up, make a hot and sour fish soup..."

Wu Dashan rolled up his sleeves, leapt into the air, head down, slapped the water with both hands, and lifted that big koi, then using the momentum lightly returned to Wu Tie's side.

Wu Tie smiled satisfactorily: "Alright, it's settled—your mother has worked hard these years; this throne of Wuguo shall be yours. For all matters, big and small, listen more to Uncle Xiahou and Elder Huang Lang... Do well, and I'll reward you with several more wives; do poorly, and I'll beat you to death."

Wu Dashan's face twitched violently, a look of utter despair.

Wu Tie walked leisurely along the waterside corridor, heading toward a distant grand palace; Wu Dashan followed closely, holding the flopping koi.

"These years, your mother has worked hard, and I have too—every day I worry about you lot turning into spoiled rich brats." Wu Tie murmured: "Many times I've wondered, if among you there arose a bully who oppresses men and women, what punishment should I use to quell the world's anger... but fortunately, you have been somewhat commendable."

Wu Dashan gave a dry laugh.

"I will take your mother and your two concubines to rest awhile, to go out and sightsee. Wuguo's territory is vast, with countless beautiful mountains and waters. Heck, it's time to go see the sights. Especially, the cultivation of those three must be urgently increased."

"Our time is not much left, eh."

Wu Tie looked up at the sky.

Wu Dashan looked up at the sky.

The faces of the father and son both turned solemn.

Half a month later, Wu Tie announced that he would yield the throne to his eldest legitimate son, Wu Dasha, to inherit, while his second son, Wu Dahai, and third son, Wu Dahe, would participate in governance as princes of Wuguo.

Wu Tie took Pei Feng, Bai Huang, and Zhu Huang with him to travel the world and pursue carefree cultivation.

Under Wu Dasha's governance, Wuguo continued to develop peacefully; the only difference was that, under Wu Dasha's orders, the nation's military establishment gradually expanded its manpower, and the number of reserve troops also increased more than tenfold without fanfare.

The common folk of humanity were still locked in bitter battle.

However, among the common folk of humanity who had originally joined the war, the great clans lacking sufficient strength, just like the Wu tribe that had withdrawn early, also pulled out of this chaotic conflict ahead of time.

Compared to the Wu tribe, which withdrew in time without suffering harm, every clan that pulled out later paid a heavy price.

Fifty years after Wu Dasha ascended the throne, the great war of humanity's common folk had evolved into a four‑way conflict between the Youxiong Tribe, the Jiuli Tribe, the Shennong Clan, and the Zhuanxu Clan; all four forces gathered countless followers and openly raised the banner of humanity's orthodox rule.

Humanity's internal strife finally erupted into an outright contest for the human emperor!