King James' Conquests Chapter 29: Given The Keys

While my vassals were hunting for resources, I decided to use the Heaven Basin Secret Realm to train. My profound strength had been slowly increasing relative to my usual speed due to me focusing on improving my battle strength ever since the Dragon God’s Trial. Even so, I wasn’t all that far from the second stage of the Emperor Profound Realm. I could practically touch it.

…

Right as the two days were about to end, I called upon my vassals to return. Each of them had gathered a substantial amount of rich resources. I had the System calculate who brought the most worth, and it did so using %’s. Some of the results were rather surprising.

1st: Enderman (35%)

2nd: Beatrice (30%)

3rd: Yun Wuxin (15%)

4th: Itachi (13%)

5th: Zero (7%)

“My brother Enderman.” I chuckled, nodding. “Zero, what happened?”

“Do I look like a scavenger?” She questioned.

“Clearly not.” I shrugged, turning to Enderman. “So, what wish do you have?”

Bro just shrugged.

“Did you… just get first place because you could?”

He nodded, taking out a piece of paper from god knows where alongside a pen. He drew himself dripped out with a ‘#1’ golden medal and a trophy in his hand.

“Man did it just to be first.” I chuckled. “I feel that. But, really, there isn’t anything you want?”

He stroked his chin, getting a new piece of paper. He drew up a series of drawings where he teleported inside of a sect, took everything and left.

“You want to rob places clean?”

He nodded.

This man is just a straight-up criminal…

“Alright… I’ll get some jobs for you.” I smiled, turning to Beatrice who was pouting slightly. “Even though you didn’t get first place, you were pretty close. I respect the effort.”

“Hmph, that lanky blockman cheated.” Beatrice crossed her arms. “There was more than one instance where I had a valuable resource in my sights… before he stole it for himself.”

“Is my Enderbro beyond even the Endless Witch?” I questioned, smiling slightly. “It’s alright, I got a reward for you later.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course, I would never lie.”

~

When the time was running out, I recalled back Yun Wuxin, Zero and Enderman to the throneroom while subbing in Eleonora. Everyone was teleported out after the two day mark. The Xiao Sect’s representatives were naturally distraught over the disappearance of their sect master. I looked around with a clueless and shocked expression.

Who could do such a terrible thing?

“Sect Master Xiao Juetian… what could have possibly led to this? There are hardly any experts here with the power to outright kill him.”

“Perhaps he was trapped or killed by a powerful profound beast.”

Xiao Kuangyu frowned at me.

I raised an eyebrow.

Surely… he can’t be accusing a saintly person like me.

“It’s truly tragic,” I remarked, sighing.

“Tragic?” He questioned. “It… was you who did it!”

His shout led to quite the attention, bringing a halting silence with it.

“Did what?” I blinked.

“You killed my father!” He stepped closer, grabbing me by the collar. “Don’t you dare deny it…”

“I understand that you are angered by the loss of your father.” I grabbed his hand and almost snapped it like a twig. “However, that doesn’t give you the right to throw around such accusations.”

“Lies… it’s all a lie! You lied about your strength, you lied when you killed my brother, and now, you dare lie again!”

“Calm down, Young Master Xiao.” Fen Juecheng smiled, pushing him off me. “You are being hysterical.”

“Hysterical?” Xiao Kuangyu laughed madly, pushing him off. “This bastard… is truly twisted! Parading as a saintly prince while drawing his sword from the shadows. You think you’re so damn clever, don’t you?”

He drew a sword, raising it against me.

Part of me… had grown tired of him crashing out. This mask I had been wearing… its use was fading, too. There was no point in maintaining it.

I raised one finger and stopped the sword in its tracks.

“The young master… is simply tired and unwell; please forgive him, Your Royal Highness.”

One of the elders stepped in and grabbed hold of him, forcing the young master back.

“Indeed… he did not mean a single thing he said. How could a virtuous figure such as His Royal Highness kill our esteemed Sect master when he publicly forgave him and even vouched for the Xiao Sect?”

A virtuous figure…

I sighed, turning away.

“I forgive him. It is understandable for him to accuse me of his father’s murder; I would be the most likely suspect. Even so, I wouldn’t stand to gain anything from such an act… it would all be rather pointless.”

I was this close (imaginary fingers with a tiny bit of space between them) to breaking his sword and teaching the boy a lesson about putting his hands on me… alas, that will have to wait a while longer.

“It seems that the matter settled itself.” Ling Kun smiled slightly, clearly not giving a single fuck about the Xiao Sect. “Should anyone wish to settle any grievances, it should be done outside of the Heavenly Sword Villa. Whatever happened before… is not relevant here. Is that understood?”

Everyone was in mutual agreement, of course. Who was going to say no to an elder from the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region?

Everything was going according to the script. We went to the Sword Management Terrace, Ling Kun yapped about the ‘demon’ and lifted the sword to redo the seal. Yun Canghai threw an ocean of curses onto him while Ling Kun remained mostly amused as he humiliated the Demon King.

“Tsktsk, how pitiful.” Ling Kun shook his head: “The former Demon Emperor’s guardian angel, the ‘King’ of Illusory Demon World’s millions of inhabitants, has now become a pitiful mad dog. Even I am not willing to see such a sight. I guess it’s best to let me… send you down!!”

In truth, it was, indeed, quite pitiful… that a walking trashcan like Ling Kun could act so arrogantly before a being that is well over a thousand times stronger than him.

Even so, I did not care enough to intervene.

Even if I did, the consequences would hardly be worthwhile…

The Demon Seal Ritual was completed without any setbacks, unlike in canon. There was no Yuanba for Yun Canghai to grab onto and no Yun Che to step in for him. Perhaps in the future, he would be of some use to me.

Though… making him obey my orders wouldn’t be all that simple.

Once he was sealed away and the top ten sects were about to separate, I took to the stage.

“Representatives of the top-ten ranked sects of the Blue Wind Empire, hear me!” I rose to the skies. “It is my firm belief that we are greater than our separate halves. That is why, rather than hoarding my resources for myself, I have shared them… and - despite being more than strong enough to earn first place, I was willing to concede. To me, this Blue Wind Ranking Tournament is nothing!”

“I have my eyes set on the bigger picture… the future of the entire Blue Wind Empire!” I spread open my arms, my royal cape fluttering ever so dramatically. “For too long, we have been the laughing stock of the seven nations, enduring ever so willingly with our heads so low that they might as well be on the ground. You have been beaten down so many times that you acknowledge yourselves as sheep… as mere prey!”

“Perhaps you are willing to see yourselves as inferior beings… but I… Cang Chao, your royal prince, am not! My heart burns with ambition, the desire for change!”

I withdrew a royal banner of the Blue Wind Imperial Family, raising it to the sky.

“If you seek change, if you seek to fulfil your potential and hold your head high with pride in this world…”

“Then, geniuses of this nation and the powerful sects behind them… swear fealty to me!” I pointed it down, waving across the crowd. “I will protect you, guide you, see you break past your shackles to heights that you can’t even imagine and bring a new age upon this nation…”

“This, I most solemnly swear!”

I put away the banner.

“To those who have taken my words to heart and seek the future, then I will be waiting in the Blue Wind Imperial City six months from now. This is an offer I make only once, for I do not intend to waste my resources on those who lack faith in me.”

“That is all.” I smiled, lowering myself to the ground. “Thank you for your time.”

Clearly, my speech had made quite the impression on the people who listened. They began to openly contemplate joining me.

“You never fail to inspire the people around you.” Cang Yue remarked, her lips curling into a smile. “You alone have raised the status of the Blue Wind Imperial Family so much… even the sects that used to scoff at us can’t help but contemplate swearing fealty to you.”

“That is how people are… they laugh at you when you’re down and kneel when you’re up,” I remarked, smiling slightly. “It is human nature.”

The way out of the Heavenly Sword Villa was a little tedious. I was surrounded by fangirls asking me to sing… to which I politely denied. I also received quite a number of propositions from disciples and elders alike, from swearing fealty early to some even offering daughters and disciples to me. Mu Tianbei, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress was the most prominent of the group. He was beyond shameless in trying to ass-kiss me.

Given that his sect had been outside of the ‘Four Major Ranked Sects’ since its inception, it was only natural… he wanted to grasp this opportunity to surpass those who looked down on both him and his ancestors.

I told him to save it for the right day.

Once I got through all of that, I walked into Xuanyuan Yufeng.

“Leaving so soon, Your Highness?” She smiled. The look in her eyes… was telling me something. I knew that look all too well. “I thought that you might like to spend more time in the Heavenly Sword Villa.”

Whole married woman with kids…

“I didn’t think that I was welcome to such a privilege.” I smiled slightly.

“Why wouldn’t you be?” She questioned with a warm tone. “You are a genius worthy of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s recognition. Indeed, you are a most… inspiring and captivating figure.”

“You flatter me, lady Xuanyuan.” I chuckled. “For now, I have no intentions of lingering around any longer. However, in the future, I could see myself returning for a short while.”

“I would make it worth your time, Your Highness.”

“... I’m sure you would.” I nodded, moving past her.

Cang Yue gave me the side-eye afterwards. “Was that… what I think it was?”

“I sensed trouble.” Dongfang Xiu remarked, almost with a humorous tone.

“That average woman really thought that she could interest my liege with such a bland offer.” Beatrice scoffed.

“It was nothing.” I chuckled.

Beatrice was right… a woman with that kind of appearance was just like a green blade of grass in a field. It wasn’t even a straight blade of grass, for that matter. It was bendy, having been stepped on already. Her only value was her connection to the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region and being the mother of Ling Yun and Jie.

Eventually, I was able to make my way out of the Heavenly Sword Villa.

I summoned HMS Victoria, got everyone seated and flew back home.

~

“Presenting His Royal Highness, the Seventh and Crowned Prince, Heir to the Blue Wind Empire and his sister, the Blue Wind Princess!”

The royal guards all made way for me, forming two lines on separate ends of the hall. I led the way, followed by Cang Yue, Dongfang Xiu, Fen Juechen and Beatrice. Cang Wanhe immediately rose from his throne.

“Well, did you emerge victorious?”

“News travels quite slow.” I smiled.

“His Royal Highness would’ve placed first quite comfortably, boasting the strength of a throne.” Dongfang Xiu replied, kneeling down. “Alas, he fell in love with the Fairy of Frozen Moon, Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace’s newest genius, and allowed her to have the victory-”

“Fell in love isn’t quite accurate, Palace Chief.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “We made an agreement, and I simply honoured it.”

“Certainly.” Dongfang Xiu replied with a doubtful tone.

“The… strength of a throne?” Cang Wanhe blinked. “The Emperor Profound Realm?”

Dongfang Xiu nodded. “He received an offer to join the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region and was brazen enough to decline, choosing the Blue Wind Imperial Family first.”

“... You truly are a wilful boy.” Cang Wanhe laughed. “The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region… even being the lowest of disciples would give the Blue Wind Empire a shield-”

“I do not intend to kneel down to anyone.” I interrupted, shaking my head. “I am a prince of the Blue Wind Empire, first and foremost. Nothing will ever change that. Rather than leaving this land and seeking my personal growth someplace else, I will remain here and raise everyone with me until this nation stands at the pinnacle of the world.”

After my speech, silence crept up in the hall and stayed for a good while. I retained eye contact with the Emperor, whose lips curled into a smile.

“... Hahahahahaha…” Cang Wanhe suddenly laughed. “How can I even command you to do otherwise?”

“... Heh.” I chuckled. “You can’t, royal father. I am the strongest here.”

“If this is the path that you have chosen… then I will honour it.”

…

Notable figures from across the Blue Wind Empire had gathered in the throneroom, anticipating His Imperial Majesty’s announcement. Due to the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s great spike in prestige, even mighty experts and sect masters gathered to witness this moment.

“What could this announcement even be?”

“Why, of course, it has something to do with His Royal Highness, who has attained the power of a throne. There shouldn’t be even ten people who could defeat him across the entire Blue Wind Empire.”

“Given his rumoured ability to use both fire and wind simultaneously… I do not believe there’s even three.”

Even though the Blue Wind Emperor was seated on his throne, the subject of the hall was Cang Chao.

“Presenting his Royal Highness, the Seventh Prince and first in line for the throne… Crown Prince Cang Chao!”

The gates opened slowly, revealing his golden radiance. James proceeded to walk the blue carpet, which ran along the middle of the throneroom to the top. His regal drip was immaculate, perfect to the smallest detail. However, unlike the usual colour of blue, he donned black, gold, red and white.

His steps were light and graceful, yet they seemed heavier than a collapsing mountain. It was the only sound in the hall, echoing loudly. All eyes focused on him.

He stopped only a few steps away from the throne.

“In light of my son’s recent accomplishments, I have made the decision to… step down from the throne and assume the duties of a royal advisor.

Everyone observed with shock as Cang Wanhe stood from his throne and stepped to the side.

James proceeded to continue walking, sitting himself down on the throne as if it were completely natural to him.

It suited him perfectly.

Cang Wanhe took off his crown and placed it on his heir’s golden head.

“I hereby proclaim my son, Cang Chao…”

“The one-hundredth Emperor of the Blue Wind Empire!”

[Throneroom upgraded greatly to suit your new title and fame.]

[Conquest Mode unlocked.]

‘Conquest… mode?’

James’ lips curled into a grin.

‘Sounds fun.’