"What?!!"
Whether it was the Empress Dowager, the Empress, or the several princes and princesses, all of them now looked at Ling Xiao with intense shock in their eyes.
They had heard the legends of Great Xia's ancestor, Xia Chen, countless times since childhood.
A True Dragon among men, who chanced upon the ancient dragon's fortune, shattered the void upon becoming Emperor, becoming Great Xia's supreme legend.
Even the half of the dragon talisman he casually left behind became Great Xia's heritage treasure.
Uh...
That dragon talisman seemed to be just like the ancient ring in Jiang Yu's hand. Although it contained a wisp of ancient dragon saint aura, it was also... pretty much useless!
But it was a symbol of the ancestor's identity, the proof of the Xia Clan's glory!!
Thinking of it this way, no wonder the ancestor had protected Jiang Yu earlier... they were all people with stories.
Quite inexplicably, a trace of reverence suddenly appeared in everyone's gaze towards Jiang Yu.
But!!
The ancestor should be over six hundred years old by now, right?
Why did this young man look... only about sixteen or seventeen...
"Who told you I am your Xia Clan's ancestor?"
Just as everyone was bowing and kneeling, Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of mockery seeming to play on his lips.
"Huh?"
Emperor Xia, who was about to kneel, froze, then looked up at the young man above with a dazed expression.
You, his...
Not the ancestor?!
Then how dare you come to my Great Xia to show off?
And where did this dragon talisman come from?
Is it fake?
Impossible!!!
The wisp of ancient vein dragon aura within it shares the same origin as Great Xia's own!!!
This...
"Your Great Xia ancestor was merely a dog I kept in the Upper Realm. Knowing a wisp of my divine soul was descending, he specially gave me this dragon talisman, saying his descendants would serve me as their master."
Ling Xiao smiled faintly. Immortal radiance seemed to diffuse around him as eight types of Dao Principles transformed into layered divine shadows, indescribably mystical and vast.
"Have you ever heard my true name: The Great Venerable Mahūyu True God Pīluó Wangsheng."
"What!!!"
Emperor Xia's face changed drastically. He felt a surge of intense cold air rush from the crown of his head, and his entire person thumped to the ground, prostrate.
A wisp of divine soul descending to the mortal realm to experience life?
No wonder the aura on this person was only at the Divine Emperor realm!
In that case, how powerful must his true body be!
No wonder!!
He killed Xia Yong, the legitimate descendant of the Xia Clan. Perhaps in his eyes, legitimacy meant nothing at all?
And no wonder he didn't let me call him ancestor!
So!!!
He was actually the ancestor's master!!
Ridiculous, I actually wanted to be his grandson!!
In the eyes of this lord, I'm just the grandson of a dog he raised. I got the status wrong!!
Too terrifying!!
Absolutely too terrifying!!
As for whether this is true or false...
The dragon talisman can't be fake, and the ancestor's ascension to the Upper Realm can't be fake either.
This lord must have come from the Upper Realm, and he holds the dragon talisman...
If the ancestor didn't offer it to him, then... he probably killed him for it.
Tsk tsk!
Such a person must not be offended!
"We've heard of it! We've heard of it! So it's you, Great Lord!!"
"The King of Great Xia, Sheng, pays respects to the Old Celestial Venerable!!"
"We pay respects to the Celestial Venerable!!"
The Xia Clan members all shouted loudly, their faces showing excited and awestruck expressions.
As if... they had truly heard Ling Xiao's true name before!
"Of course, my descent is not for greed of anything below. Truly, the myriad clans of the Upper Realm have all submitted to me, leaving not a shred of fun. So I sent down a wisp of my soul to find some of the joy of conquering the world from back in the day."
Ling Xiao sighed, a hint of loneliness seeming to flash in his eyes.
Seeing his apparent distress, Emperor Xia and the others were even more shocked!!
The myriad clans of the Upper Realm... all submitted?
He descended just to... find the joy of conquering the world?
What... a magnificent kind of joy!!
If... supposing... could... Great Xia serve as this Upper Realm supreme being's hounds and horses for his conquest?
When he grows bored, wouldn't he... possibly bestow the entire Western Frontier upon us?!
Tsk tsk!! So joyful, so joyful!!
"Celestial Venerable!!! My Great Xia..."
"Silence!! I'll state a number!! One year, this soul incarnation of mine can only remain here for one year. After one year, I want this land unified under one dynasty, the people chanting my true name, receiving my protection!!"
Ling Xiao coldly shouted, and the excitement in Emperor Xia's eyes could no longer be concealed.
One year!!!
He can only stay in this world for one year. In other words, what he cares about isn't the world itself!!
But the joy of conquering it!!!
When the time comes, this world...
Humph!! Let's see who dares call me a False Emperor then!!
I, Xia Sheng, will open up territories for ten thousand generations, achieve a domineering legacy for the ages!!
Unification of the Western Frontier!!
"And at that time... I might take a few talented and loyal dogs with me to ascend to the Upper Realm, to become my servants."
Seeing everyone's reaction, Ling Xiao nodded with satisfaction.
Probably, these Xia Clan people never dreamed in their wildest dreams that their ancestor had indeed descended to the mortal realm, but unfortunately died by his hand.
As for the bloodline he left behind, since it was a deep-seated hatred, of course it needed to be eradicated, roots and all.
Conquering the world requires casualties.
This Xia Sheng and the like seem to have the look of short-lived people.
"What? Become the Great Lord's servant!!"
The expressions of Emperor Xia and the others solidified once again. This was an even greater fortune than unifying the Western Frontier!!
Ascending to the Upper Realm!
Which cultivator in the Saint State didn't dream of one day shattering the void to witness the true vastness of heaven and earth?
In this realm, Divine Emperor is the limit.
But the Upper Realm...
Tsk tsk.
And the division of realms is, in a way, a division of lifespan?
"Celestial Venerable!!! My son, the Crown Prince of Great Xia, is named 'Sky' and possesses the bearing of an Emperor! I wish for him to follow you, Great Lord, and be your loyal servant!!"
From the crowd, a Divine Marquis of the Xia Clan suddenly shouted loudly, his expression excited.
"Huh? The bearing of an Emperor? Execute!"
Ling Xiao frowned slightly and said coldly.
"Wh... what?"
Everyone's faces showed bewilderment, especially the speaker, Yong Qinwang, the Emperor's third brother, Xia Zeshan!!
How... just execute?
"Now I am the one with Emperor bearing. What thing is your son?! Are you planning to usurp the throne?"
"G-Great Lord, the Emperor bearing I spoke of..."
"Crown Prince named 'Sky'? I am the Celestial Venerable, the one who sets the rules of heaven and earth. Your son is actually named 'Sky'? I see you are deliberately targeting me! Exterminate his nine clans! Send the women to the border passes to serve as prostitutes! Castrate the old men! Tear the able-bodied men apart by five horses! Place their heads on the city walls to congeal wax, light candles!"
Ling Xiao snorted coldly, his tone authoritative. Immortal light seemed to spill behind him, revealing endless mystery.
"Yes!!"
Emperor Xia's eyes narrowed. He turned his head and gave a deep look at the Yong Qinwang, who stood frozen in place, but couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Serves you right for showing off, for barking nonsense! What qualification does your son have to become the Great Lord's servant?
If anyone in my Xia Clan has that qualification, it should be me!!
Besides... this Yong Qinwang's cultivation isn't high, but his influence is immense, and he never regarded me, the False Emperor, highly.
Originally, when I usurped the throne, I needed to rely on him.
But now, with the Celestial Venerable here, what is Xia Zeshan worth?!
"No!! You... you are not the Celestial Venerable! Such actions are no different from a demon..."
"Hmm?"
Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly, the soul light in his eyes suddenly surging violently.
Everyone saw him glance at the Divine Marquis. A seal suddenly descended upon the latter's head, actually crushing him... into a pile of minced flesh.
Father of 'Sky', deceased!
"Tsk tsk!"
The entire hall instantly fell into dead silence.
Everyone looked at the divine figure seated at the head of the hall, profound awe stirring in the depths of their eyes.
Killing a Divine Marquis with a glance, this is... what kind of heavenly might?
Hehe.
If I don't reveal a small part of my power, there's always a lack of intimidation.
Blame it on this Xia Zeshan for holding a high position and great authority, yet being a waste all the same.
What court prestige was worthless in Ling Xiao's eyes.
"Alright, regarding this Venerable's identity, it must not be publicized. I'm afraid that once people find out, they will come to submit voluntarily. That way... how could I possibly experience..."
"The joy of conquering the world!!"
Before Ling Xiao could even finish his sentence, Emperor Xia had already opened his mouth and answered first.
"Great Lord, rest assured, I understand, I understand! Besides the direct line of my Xia Clan, no one else will know of this!"
"Very good! By the way, are all the members of the direct line present in this hall?"
A hint of sinister cunning flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes.
It shouldn't be.
According to his thinking, there should be a Son of Fate within the Xia Clan.
The one who plundered the luck of the Ninth Prince.
But this bunch of rotten shrimp and stale fish before him...
"My eldest son, Xia Feng, is not in the royal city. Great Lord, rest assured, I will summon him back as soon as possible so he may serve you like a dog or horse!"
Emperor Xia's expression turned stern, afraid Ling Xiao would blame him.
"Oh. In the coming days, I will reside within my own world. You need not send anyone to follow me. If I wish to see you, I will summon you myself."
As soon as Ling Xiao finished speaking, a golden vortex manifested behind him.
Within it, one could vaguely see towering mountains and divine palaces, indescribably majestic and vast.
And even!!
Deep within the golden vortex, a black dragon silhouette soared into the air, its terrifying dragon might overwhelming heaven and earth!
But...
The moment it saw Ling Xiao, it actually stuck out its tongue, putting on a fawning expression!
Dammit!
No wonder!!
This lord said... my Great Xia ancestor was a dog he raised.
So... that wasn't a metaphor!!
A True Dragon is kept captive by this lord within his world, so what is my Great Xia ancestor worth?!
"This is!!!"
At this moment, the last trace of doubt in the hearts of Emperor Xia and the others completely vanished.
Manifesting a world!
What kind of monumental power was this?!
Such a divine miracle was simply unheard of, unseen!!
Even Saints, it is said, cannot create their own world!
Only a supreme being of heaven and earth can construct a world within their soul sea, achieving their own Heavenly Dao!
Dammit, dammit!
A Supreme Being of Heaven and Earth!!
This was actually a peerless existence!!
My Great Xia is going to prosper!!!