A Millionfold Return: My Children Cultivate Immortality, I Become a God - Chapter 407

Chapter 407: An Imperial Dynasty Without Cultivators

“Your Majesty, you need to stay calm. What the Wanfeng Dynasty says may not be true. There’s still no news of the Crown Prince, and given his skills, it’s not necessarily the case that something has happened to him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, the Wanfeng Dynasty is indeed somewhat stronger than our Tianling Dynasty. Their current provocation is just an excuse to have a legitimate reason to go to war with us.”

“Please, Your Majesty, we beg you to consider carefully for the sake of the countless people of the Tianling Dynasty.”

In the Tianling Dynasty’s court, several ministers earnestly pleaded with Emperor Zhang Yu, who sat on the throne.

At this moment, Zhang Yu’s expression was dark. He waved his hand decisively and said, “The people of the Wanfeng Dynasty have come to provoke me directly. If I respond, am I really in the wrong? Haor was just a trigger. Even without Haor, the Wanfeng Dynasty would sooner or later start a war with us—it’s only a matter of time.”

“But Your Majesty, even if war must be waged, the army will need time to prepare. And if our Tianling Dynasty strikes first, we won’t have the moral high ground.”

Just then, the Commander of Ten Thousand Troops stepped forward, bowed his head respectfully, and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu took a deep breath, forcing down his anger, and began to speak slowly.“General Yu, how long do you estimate the army will need to prepare?”

“Currently, our troops are scattered across the entire dynasty. If we don’t gather them together, the Tianling Dynasty is certain to lose if we go to war with the Wanfeng Dynasty. Given the current situation, it would take at least half a year to assemble the army.”

General Yu thought carefully for a moment before giving a definitive answer.

“Half a year, huh? Very well, then let’s set that as the deadline. If the Wanfeng Dynasty is still causing trouble after six months, then we will go to war.”

“And whether Haor is alive or dead, I want him found!”

At the mention of Zhang Tianhao, Zhang Yu’s face was filled with anger. Zhang Tianhao was his only son and the crown prince of the entire Tianling Dynasty. If he died at the hands of the Wanfeng Dynasty, it would be a disgrace for the entire dynasty.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The ministers then withdrew one after another, and soon the court was left with only General Yu and the two chancellors of the Tianling Dynasty.

“Your Majesty,” General Yu and the two chancellors stepped forward respectfully.Zhang Yu waved his hand and said calmly, “Alright, there’s no need to dwell on trivial matters. What do you think—why is the Wanfeng Dynasty provoking the Tianling Dynasty? After all, our two dynasties had a good relationship not too long ago.”

Ten years ago, the Tianling Dynasty and the Wanfeng Dynasty still enjoyed fairly friendly ties. The turning point came a decade ago when, for reasons unknown, the ruler of the Wanfeng Dynasty suddenly changed temperament and became aggressive.

Since then, the relationship between the Tianling and Wanfeng dynasties grew cold, though it did not escalate to open war.

It wasn’t until recently that people from the Wanfeng Dynasty slaughtered a village belonging to the Tianling Dynasty near the border between the two dynasties. However, Zhang Yu suppressed the news, preventing it from spreading. Otherwise, the entire Tianling Dynasty would have already erupted in rebellion.

“Your Majesty, nothing ever changes suddenly. Perhaps Li Changsheng was only pretending to be kind before, but ten years ago, he simply stopped pretending and returned to his true nature,” General Yu said with a shake of his head and a neutral expression. He had seen some people enjoy disguising themselves as different personalities, but without exception, after a while, they couldn’t suppress their true nature and reverted to whatever felt most comfortable to them.

Left Prime Minister Zhao Gongming then spoke respectfully, “Your Majesty, no matter the cause, now that the Wanfeng Dynasty has come this far, things could very well worsen in the future. We must prepare ourselves as early as possible.”

“I second that,” another minister added.Right Prime Minister Lu Guan also spoke in agreement.

“Sigh, I understand. If there’s no other choice, then we must prepare for war,” Zhang Yu sighed. But just then, something crossed his mind, and his expression grew extremely complicated as he said, “Do you think Haor could still be alive?”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, the chances of the Crown Prince still being alive are slim. After all, the Wanfeng Dynasty sent their most elite Divine Archers Battalion. It’s said that every archer there can shoot accurately from a hundred miles away. This was a surprise attack, and since the Wanfeng Dynasty dared to leak the news, it’s highly likely that they succeeded. So please, Your Majesty, accept our condolences,” General Yu said, shaking his head and sighing.

“I know,” Zhang Yu replied, “but I just want to hold on to a glimmer of hope. As long as I haven’t seen Haor’s body, then he isn’t truly dead. Haor is the only hope Nannan left me with. If he’s gone, then what am I supposed to do?”

His face filled with sorrow, Zhang Yu was not crying as the ruler of the Tianling Dynasty, but as a man in his forties who had lost his wife and might have lost his only son.

General Yu and the two prime ministers merely sighed and offered no words of comfort, allowing His Majesty to grieve for a while.

After a long pause, Zhang Yu finally composed himself and spoke with a grave expression.“In any case, do not spread this news for now. If the people below find out that Haor was silenced by the Wanfeng Dynasty, it will inevitably spark an early war, which would not end well for our Tianling Dynasty.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

…

Meanwhile, back at the Heavenly Emperor Sect, Zhang Tianhao had no idea that because of him, his father was already preparing to go to war with the Wanfeng Dynasty.

At this moment, Zhang Tianhao looked hesitantly at the milky-white pool in front of him and said,

“Master, do I really have to go down? This liquid feels a bit like… something indescribable.”

Wu Hao waved his hand beside him and said,

“Just go down. That’s all Spirit Essence—the ultimate boost for cultivation. Even those in the Tribulation Crossing Stage rarely get to use this. Otherwise, do you want to be expelled from the sect after a month?”

Hearing Wu Hao’s words, Zhang Tianhao shivered involuntarily. For the sake of not being kicked out of the sect in a month, for the future he wanted to chase within the sect, he had to overcome his fear.

With that thought, Zhang Tianhao slowly took off his clothes, leaving only his shorts on. With a determination as if embracing death, he stepped into the pool.In an instant, Zhang Tianhao froze in place, then immediately dove straight into the Spirit Pool before him, because the sensation inside the pool was simply… incredible!