Chapter 143: 199, 200. Transcending the World, Laughter and Lies (Seeking Subscriptions)

Song Cheng still saw A Ting's face.

The childish little face in his memory had already aged; the eye sockets were somewhat deep, the skin somewhat pale, and the figure very thin. That chill, which could not be concealed even in a warm room, made Song Cheng's heart ache beyond words.

He knew that A Ting was a freak who should not have existed in the first place.

Living as a human, yet not a human.

Existing as a Soul, yet lacking the qualifications.

The power of her youth had turned into a torture worse than death after she grew older, to the point where she not only could not extend her life, but also lived more exhaustedly than anyone else.

A Ting was crying.

Song Cheng cupped her face, wiped away her tears, and said, "Trust Dad."

"Mm." The Princess responded softly.

Song Cheng helped her lie back down on the couch; it was winter now, and he wanted to wait at least until the end of next spring before leaving.

In the twilight snow, with the sunset at the edge of the sky not yet dissipated, Song Cheng sat in the Princess's palace.

Regarding this sudden change of dynasty, if it had happened when he was weak, he would surely have been very shocked, but now, there was only a feeling of indifference.

As long as this dynasty was prosperous and long-lasting, free of war, and could accommodate his descendants, then he had no problem with it at all.

And upon entering the city, having walked this path, he had already generally understood the situation in the Imperial Capital.

Therefore, he still had to go out once.

At a certain scholar's house, Song An had pointed at the scholar's beautiful wife and was about to have her serve him, when his body suddenly stiffened. He felt a stern, terrifying aura locking onto him, and a cold, familiar voice drifted through the air.

"Come out."

Song An's body stiffened.

The scholar's wife was in the middle of undressing, enduring her grievance; as she saw her silk bodice revealed, large patches of snow-white flesh were exposed.

She was about to serve this dissolute Heavenly Son, but was suddenly grabbed by the hand by Song An, who said, "Stop undressing. I have matters to attend to; I don't need you to serve me anymore."

Having said that, Song An hurriedly wrapped his clothes, put on his shoes, and then ran out of the scholar's mansion, subsequently following that voice at a fast pace. He had just rushed out of the mansion when numerous secret guards, who were guarding him in the dark, moved to follow.

Song An waved his hand at those behind him, signaling them not to come.

The secret guards were stunned; this was the first time they had encountered such a situation, but Song An's authority as the Heavenly Son was extremely formidable, and once he waved his hand, no one dared to follow.

Song An headed quickly toward the direction of the voice, and sure enough, in a small grove behind the scholar's mansion, he saw a youth—a youth who looked even younger than himself.

That youth was wrapped in a black robe and was unarmed.

Yet, *Boom. *

This founding Emperor, without a word, knelt down directly, lowered his head and brows, and said again, "Dad, you've returned."

Song Cheng said, "Is patrolling in a sheep-drawn carriage very interesting?"

Song An did not quibble, but only let out a long sigh and asked in return, "Dad, if you say I shouldn't indulge in pleasure, what else can I do?"

"When those above act, those below follow; the world will surely fall into chaos!" Song Cheng said, "Aren't the many concubines in your household enough? You still have to go out and do such things?"

Song An said dismissively, "Dad, they can't overturn the heavens; no one can."

Song Cheng lowered his voice and said, "What about after ten generations or a hundred generations? The debts you incur today will inevitably fall upon your descendants in the future."

Song An said, "That will be a long time from now; what does it have to do with me?"

"Damn it."

Song Cheng was instantly enraged; he stepped forward and scooped up Song An.

Song An did not resist at all and was pressed directly onto a large bluestone.

Song Cheng inhaled and exhaled, the wind and snow around them turning wild; he plucked a wooden branch and lashed it fiercely against his son's backside.

Song An gritted his teeth, not making a sound.

After a round of "bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat," Song Cheng tossed the branch aside, then looked at Song An, whose eyes clearly lacked any light, and suddenly said, "The Soul can be broken through."

Song An was startled, and his eyes instantly regained their luster.

Although he was only nearly forty, he had already reached the peak of his life in terms of power, influence, and achievements, and now that he heard his power could be further elevated, how could he not be interested? "Really?" Song An's voice even trembled slightly.

Song Cheng nodded.

Song An, ignoring the pain in his backside, stood up directly, then knelt down again and said, "Son was wrong."

Song Cheng said, "I do not want to see the dynasty in turmoil, and even less do I want to see you plant the seeds of disaster."

Song An said hurriedly, "Yes."

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Dad, do you think I should appoint a Crown Prince early?"

Song Cheng said, "Is Chang Jian not capable?"

Song An said, "Chang Jian's temperament is too cowardly; in anyone's hands, he is a puppet. Before it was Ji Youke, and now it is Little Mom. I get a headache just seeing them now."

Song Cheng really wanted to say, "If your Little Mom wants to manipulate a puppet, then let her manipulate one; let her play however she wants," but he thought about it and ultimately did not say it. What kind of thing was that to say? Telling his son, "Don't let your wife manipulate your son, you must let your Little Mom manipulate him"? Moreover, if An Chenyu knew he had said that, she would certainly be very unhappy.

Furthermore, Song An also made him understand one thing: his own group of people had, like him before, entered a "dormant period."

Simply put, there was no longer the pressing survival pressure as before, and they couldn't find anything to do.

Song An was so motivated before, such a good child, but now, how was his behavior any different from a tyrant? If they want to fight, then let them fight; it would also help pass the time.

So he said, "Just let it be, but whoever throws the dynasty into turmoil, I will not spare them. Also, in this family, no one I recognize must die an unnatural death."

Song An nodded repeatedly, thought for a moment, and said again, "Dad, next time you go somewhere, why don't you take me with you... This throne is really meaningless. It's only been a few years, and I'm already bored. Dad, let me go with you; I want to see the wider world."

His eyes were fervent.

Song Cheng said, "The places Dad goes, you cannot go for the time being."

Song An sighed softly and said nothing more.

A few days later, the ministers were surprised to find that the Heavenly Son's enthusiasm during court sessions had become much more intense.

But Song Cheng never revealed his identity again.

He knew that the attitude of everyone in this Imperial Capital toward "King Song" was identical; it was all very meaningless. This taste of prestige was quite interesting when first tasted, but it became very boring after tasting too much.

Over these many years, nurtured by the most top-tier resources, both An Chenyu and Tong Jia had already reached the peak of the Qi Realm, with no further room to ascend.

Song Cheng personally concocted secret pills, elevating the two of them, as well as Ying'er, Song An, Zhao Hua, and even A Ting's good friend Ding Yuan and others, to the pseudo-Xuan Realm, increasing their lifespans by three sixty-year cycles.

With these three sixty-year cycles, plus the three sixty-year cycles gained from the Qi Realm itself, it was enough to last until he reached that step of the Mountain God.

Besides these, he also frequently shared intimate moments with An Jie, Tong Jia, and Xiao Yu'er.

An Jie was obsessed with power.

Tong Jia was obsessed with alchemy.

Xiao Yu'er, hearing Song Cheng say he was going to take Song Mo north, also wanted to follow, but was rejected by Song Cheng, who told her to practice diligently with her sister.

Time flew by, and soon it was the spring of the following year.

Song Cheng enjoyed the flowers with Tong Niangzi and An Jie, while Song Zhangjian and even a bunch of grandsons and granddaughters followed behind, each showing off their abilities, wanting to make an impression before this unfathomable grandfather.

The Crown Prince had not yet been decided, and there was a hint of hidden gunpowder among the crowd.

Song Cheng was also helpless.

If it weren't for An Jie's insistence, he wouldn't even want these little ones tagging along.

But An Jie loved the bustle and loved being surrounded by people.

Power truly is the best rouge and powder; the current An Jie was glowing all over.

Song Cheng did not like the bustle, but he liked the glowing An Jie.

A few days after the flower viewing, Song Cheng planned to set off while the weather was warm.

So that night, after An Chenyu had completely gone limp, he hugged her from behind again and whispered about this matter in his wife's ear.

If A Ting were still small, An Chenyu would certainly have been a hundred or a thousand times unwilling, but now... A Ting had already grown up, and An Chenyu had also successfully transitioned from the role of "mother" to the role of "Empress Dowager regent."

She did not refuse.

Xiao Yu'er was the same.

Thus, in the sixth month, Song Cheng drove the carriage and left directly with the five women.

The reason it is said to be five women is because, besides A Ting and Xiao Mo'er, there were also Ling'er, Ying'er, and Ding Yuan.

Because Ling'er practiced Soul refining, she was likewise unable to cultivate; Song Cheng kept her by his side, also hoping to think of a way to extend her life.

Song Cheng was a rather sentimental person.

As for the women he had favored, he would not heartlessly abandon them.

As for Ding Yuan, she followed A Ting.

Ying'er was there to take care of Xiao Mo'er.

The carriage was quite large and warm, and none of the five women spoke; they just sat quietly, enduring such a long journey.

Ying'er and Ling'er looked at the carriage curtain, and when the man's back was revealed as the wind of the journey blew the curtain open, they showed a bit of infatuation.

Women are also lustful, and for Ying'er and Ling'er, a master like him was the only man in their hearts; it was just a pity that they were together rarely and apart often, and when at home, the master mostly satisfied the wives—how would it ever be their turn? For a time, the two women's thoughts ran wild.

Ding Yuan leaned against the side of A Ting's eldest sister.

Xiao Mo'er would sometimes close her eyes to rest, and sometimes shout "Ya ya ya."

During such a journey, the group soon arrived at the Barbarian land.

On the grasslands where the Barbarian tribes were stationed in the Yu Prefecture, yellow leather tents were linked in camps as far as the eye could see, with cattle and sheep everywhere, lowering their heads to graze under the scattered white clouds of late spring and early summer; further away, herds of magical beasts ran by, mixed with a bit of inexplicable murderous intent.

Xiao Mo'er, deep in the palace, had never heard the rumbling sound of footsteps; at this moment, looking outside, she waved her little fists and shouted: "Wolf, wolf, wolf."

That was a two-headed giant wolf, also the most common magical beast among the Barbarian tribe.

In the past, when Song Cheng saw magical beasts, they were just magical beasts; now, he only needed to see them to make an inference—the North Land must contain a "Town" or an "Extreme Yang Land," because without such a place, magical beasts could not form on a large scale.

Seeing Xiao Mo'er's eyes light up, Song Cheng was also happy.

This trip was not only a journey for him to pursue a higher realm and help his daughter increase her lifespan, but also a... vacation.

However, his good mood was soon broken.

There were very few people in the world who had truly seen what the King of Song looked like, let alone these Barbarians; at this moment, a pair of Barbarians were patrolling, and seeing a carriage approaching from afar, they looked at each other.

"Are the Song people here to trade again?"

"Why is there only one carriage?"

"Heh, let's go see."

Having said that, the Barbarians looked at each other, hiding a bit of inexplicable greed inside, and then approached with a fierce and menacing air.

Xiao Mo'er had been enjoying the breeze, but hearing the increasingly rapid footsteps of the magical beasts and feeling the hostility, she immediately shrank back in fear. Song Cheng smiled and said: "Xiao Mo'er, don't be afraid."

Ying'er said: "Master, shall I go?"

Song Cheng shook his head and frowned: "Wasn't the Barbarian tribe notified?"

Ying'er respectfully said: "The Heavenly Son did indeed notify them, and the Barbarian tribe responded, saying that a guide had already been arranged."

Having said that, she added: "However, the Heavenly Son only said there were distinguished guests, and didn't say anything else..."

Song Cheng nodded and said in a loud voice: "Requesting to see the Great Barbarian King."

The two Barbarians opposite were stunned for a moment, slightly restraining their insolence, but they did not welcome him; instead, they hurriedly turned their magical beasts around and left quickly... The two still had some sense and would not court death to the end.

Song Cheng was stunned for a moment; he felt more and more that the current Barbarian tribe was in a mess, as if there was a feeling that a storm was about to break.

The Barbarian territory was very vast, so there was still a long distance from entering the Barbarian land to the Great Barbarian King's location.

Along the way, Song Cheng began to encounter more and more Barbarians with hostile faces; some even showed covetous looks after seeing the appearance of Ying'er and Ling'er, eager to try, as if wanting to plunder—this quickly exhausted Song Cheng's patience.

He respected the rules of the human world; he could refrain from using force to suppress others for the sake of human prosperity, but that did not mean he could let himself be in a bad mood for the sake of these rules.

There was nothing to say; he jumped off the horse, instantly manifesting Dharma Heaven and Earth, turning into a thousand-foot Kunpeng burning with crimson flames, its claws gripping the mountains and rivers, its head looking down from the clouds, staring straight at the "ant nests" under its feet, and said: "Stop making noise."

Seeing the Barbarians who had previously wanted to plunder the carriage still running around, he lowered his head sharply and, like a chick pecking at insects, instantly annihilated them; seeing that there were still places moving in chaos, he pecked repeatedly.

As his perception expanded, he saw more and more scenes; among these scenes, he actually saw robbery and slaughter—Song Cheng's face grew increasingly gloomy.

On a government road, a number of ox carts were overturned, and a noblewoman in silk clothes held her son, facing the surrounding Barbarians, angrily scolding: "Stop! If you want the goods, take them; this is the territory of the Great Song, if you do this, is there still any law?"

However, the surrounding Barbarians sneered and said, "The rule of law? Why should we Barbarians obey the Great Song law?"

Boom! Before the words even faded, the area where the Barbarian stood simply vanished, and the Barbarian vanished too.

The noblewoman in silk clothes looked up in astonishment, only to see a divine bird appear in the clouds of the sky; she hurriedly kowtowed, murmuring thanks for the grace of saving her life.

"Still noisy?"

"Still noisy?!"

Song Cheng questioned angrily.

Now, he truly knew that it was a coincidence, the Barbarians were in trouble.

At a time like this, the entire Barbarian territory was incomparably dangerous; anyone with even a little wisdom would choose to wait for changes, observe the situation clearly before acting, rather than rashly entering the fray.

Because, at this moment, the Barbarian territory was like a meat grinder gradually revealing itself; the power of turmoil originated from an unknown place, like a storm about to break.

But... that was only because Song Cheng had not come.

If Song Cheng came, everything dangerous on this land would no longer be dangerous, simply because Song Cheng was the most terrifying horror of all.

Peck, peck, peck! Following his casual strikes, within a hundred miles, cruel Barbarians were constantly dying violently.

The entire grassland was trembling incessantly, many tents collapsed directly, and where he pecked at will, some places revealed large pits over ten zhang in diameter.

Instantly, the originally noisy environment fell completely silent; even the running Demon Beast Cavalry all quieted down, each one prostrating on the ground, not daring to move.

Within the lively Barbarian territory, there was no more sound; even the chirping of insects was quietly hidden away.

"What is going on?"

At this moment, inside a large tent, a scion of a noble family with a somewhat ethereal temperament was discussing something with a richly dressed Barbarian noble; he suddenly felt the movement outside, so he calmly and lightly waved a gust of wind—the Zhao Family's "Separating Fire Kunpeng Skill" made them naturally adept at controlling wind.

Boom! The tent curtain flipped up.

And outside, it was a sea of red.

The sky was also red, red like a doomsday sea of fire.

In the sea of fire, a Kunpeng was lowering its head to look at the surroundings.

That noble scion opened his mouth in extreme astonishment, stammering in disbelief, "Sepa... Separating Fire... Separating Fire Kunpeng!! Impossible! Impossible!"

He hurriedly ran out, knelt on the ground, and shouted nervously and excitedly, "Is it my Zhao Family ancestor? Is it my Zhao Family ancestor?"

He had never known that the Separating Fire Kunpeng could be this big, and it was even materialized.

Heavens, what kind of realm is this.

That noble scion who had been conspiring with the Barbarian dignitaries was completely stunned.

Song Cheng scanned this relatively powerful data: 430~860, and also recognized that this seemed to be someone from the Zhao Family, so he coldly said, "Roll over here to receive someone."

After these five words fell, he retracted his Dharma Heaven and Earth form.

The carriage was protected under his wings, and from beginning to end, it did not receive the intrusion of his aura, but what he had done was seen clearly by everyone in the carriage.

Whether it was Ying'er or Ling'er, it was the first time they had seen their master like this; thinking that the master who had mated with them actually had such an appearance, both women were both in awe and dumbfounded.

A Ting was not surprised; no one in the world understood her father's power better than she did.

Xiao Mo'er giggled.

And after a short while, neat rows of Demon Beast Cavalry came from afar; even though Song Cheng did not say where he was, the tribal leader here had already reacted quickly and then knelt down from afar.

The leading commander saw the young man behind the curtain of the carriage, and a heat suddenly arose in his heart, having a thought of "recruiting" him, but he was slapped hard by the Zhao Family member beside him, who then gave him a look.

'This is an old demon or great expert of unknown level; how dare you still be deceived by his superficial appearance?'

The two had talked when they arrived; the leader hurriedly put away his thoughts and respectfully welcomed Song Cheng's party in.

Song Cheng learned a little and only then knew that the great Barbarian King had died.

He was in the Qi Realm and originally had plenty of lifespan, but it seemed he had fought Ghost servants too much before, and the Yin energy left behind a root cause of illness; it suddenly erupted this year, causing his heartbeat to stop abruptly, and he died because he could not catch his breath.

Now the Barbarians were in chaos; the people below were taking advantage of the fire to loot, starting to reap benefits from the surrounding Song people, while the Barbarian King's descendants were fighting each other, and war was about to break out.

Song Cheng said directly, "Gather all the current Barbarian King's descendants and tribal leaders, and just say that Song Cheng has come."

Hearing the name "Song Cheng," this tribal leader and the Zhao Family scion were both stunned for a long time.

The two words "Song Cheng" had not been mentioned directly for a long time, but they were deeply branded in the minds of all the high-level figures.

It could be said that this was the most mysterious and terrifying existence in the world.

One month later... in a certain open area, the leaders gathered, but there were also a very few who made excuses and did not come.

Song Cheng looked at everyone and did not waste words, directly giving one person a portion of secret medicine, transforming them into his own medicine-man.

His "secret medicine effect" was getting better and better, and it no longer affected the person's intelligence at all; given time, perhaps it would not even affect their potential.

Having casually controlled the Barbarian high-level figures, Song Cheng then nepotistically appointed his former disciple "Yuan Shouyu" as the new Great Barbarian King; as for the problem of the Barbarian turmoil, he would solve it.

Doing things as a powerhouse who completely towers over this place is just this convenient.

Incredibly thorny problems were nothing but things that could be done at will in Song Cheng's hands.

Of course, he also knew that such a rough appointment would definitely bring endless lingering problems, but that was not something he needed to consider for the time being.

He also could not consider that much.

That night, the new Barbarian King ascended to the position in an unprecedentedly strange way; all the turmoil, chaos, and roots of disaster were suppressed by Song Cheng with one hand, not daring to move.

The false prosperity turned into a carnival for the Barbarians.

In front of the huge bonfire, the Barbarians were reveling, and all kinds of delicacies and wine were available.

In the grim darkness, some people were still whispering, but no one dared to express their emotions openly... because everyone was scared.

Noble families can still be resisted, but Song Cheng cannot be resisted.

Everyone, whether it was a butcher who killed like hemp, or a strategist, or an ambitious person, all became obedient babies in front of Song Cheng.

Xiao Mo'er and A Ting sat by the bonfire, eating delicacies, and occasionally went to ride some Demon Beasts with Song Cheng for fun; the two girls played until their little faces were flushed red.

The singing came from afar, and for a time they were immersed in it; even though there was a long night, it was no longer long, and when it reached the fourth watch, tired and weary, they leaned against their father and closed their eyes to sleep.

They had not experienced this kind of happiness for a long time.

Seeing his daughter happy, Song Cheng was happy too.

After covering them with a thin blanket, Song Cheng stared blankly at the campfire, pondering the method of "Ghost-Suppression Fusion"; he had already scoured the fragments of the Mountain God's diary for this method, and by combining it with his own deductions, he had only managed to piece together a little.

But he had no time left.

Only by completing this step could his daughter break through from nothing.

The campfire burned fiercely for three days and three nights.

The carnival for the Barbarian King's inauguration ended, and the Barbarians also finished selecting their guides.

Over a hundred old Barbarians would serve as guides and head north with Song Cheng.

It had actually been over forty years since the Barbarians moved inland, and many of the new generation of Barbarians knew nothing of the situation in the North Land, so only the elders knew.

These elders also understood that this trip heading north with this mysterious Lord Song would likely be a one-way journey, so one by one they left behind wills at home, settled their affairs, then mounted their magic wolves, and amidst the rough, sorrowful, and heroic sound of Barbarian flutes, they surrounded the upgraded magic beast carriage and departed.

The four horses pulling the carriage had been replaced by four wolves.

The wolf carriage headed north, growing further and further away from the human world.

And Song Cheng finally began to teach the two girls the "Fusion Secret Method" he had integrated himself.

He did not mention A Ting's uniqueness, only saying: "In this world, there are those reincarnated from evil ghosts called Zhan; Zhan are incomparably powerful, and if one fuses with a suppression, one can ascend to the heavens in a single step.

A Ting, Xiao Mo'er, you are both Zhan.

This trip north, Daddy is taking you to find suitable fusion targets, and as long as you succeed in the fusion, you can extend your lives by many years, and from now on, you will be able to stay with Daddy and Mommy forever."

Xiao Mo'er immediately sat up earnestly, head held high and chest out, sitting perfectly straight, and said: "Daddy, I will study hard."

A Ting did not doubt it, after all, it was said by her own super-mysterious daddy, so she nodded gently and said: "So that's how it is. Zhan... Zhan... Xiao Mo and I are actually reincarnated evil ghosts."

Song Cheng nodded heavily and added: "A Ting, you and Xiao Mo'er might be different. The kind of Zhan Xiao Mo'er is is an ordinary Zhan. But you are the most mysterious Nine Yang Mysterious Zhan.

Zhan are extremely yin, how could they have yang energy?

But you are different; you have it.

Therefore, in the process of fusion, you might encounter greater obstacles than Xiao Mo'er.

But once you succeed, the harvest will be immense, even surpassing Daddy."

Xiao Mo'er hurriedly shook Song Cheng's arm and said: "Daddy, Daddy."

"What is it?"

"Daddy, I also want to be a Nine Yang Mysterious Zhan, I don't want to be an ordinary Zhan."

Song Cheng couldn't help but laugh: "Your sister is gifted with extraordinary talent; how could it be something you can just choose to be?"

"No, I want to be like my sister." Xiao Mo'er looked at A Ting with bright eyes, feeling that "Nine Yang Mysterious Zhan" sounded a hundred times more impressive than "ordinary Zhan."

Although she couldn't understand what "Zhan" or "reincarnated evil ghost" meant, she could still tell the "prestige" of it.

A Ting also felt inexplicably happy, and something called hope suddenly sprouted in the bottom of her heart; so she was a "Nine Yang Mysterious Zhan," then... she would definitely succeed, and she would definitely not give up.

(End of this chapter)