Inside the Changsheng Hall of the Dajing Dynasty.
The morning court was in session, with hundreds of officials standing in two rows, civil and military.
At this moment, General Ying Lan walked to the center.
"Your Majesty, the remnants of the Great Kun Kingdom have been eradicated, and the Dajing Kingdom is now stable. I ask for your permission to pacify the five kingdoms and establish the prosperity of the Dajing Dynasty," Ying Lan said according to protocol.
Sitting on the throne, Zhongshan, with his hidden identity, looked at Ying Lan and smiled slightly. "The Dajing Dynasty has just stabilized, and the hearts of the people are still uncertain. Let's take some time to build up our forces and nurture the people."
"But..." Ying Lan immediately exclaimed.
At that moment, Zhongshan, seated on the throne, suddenly frowned and looked outside the hall.
"Dismissed," Zhongshan said immediately.
Dismissed? All the courtiers looked at Zhongshan in astonishment. What was happening? How could he dismiss the court just like that, without any warning?
Everyone felt as if they had misheard.
"Ying Lan, heed my command," Zhongshan suddenly called out.
"Here," Ying Lan responded respectfully. Though he didn't know what was happening, he could tell from his uncle's sudden change in demeanor that something significant was occurring.
"Lead all the Forbidden Army to guard the Imperial City. Anyone who dares to enter must be killed," Zhongshan quickly ordered, rising from his seat.
Upon hearing Zhongshan's words, everyone was taken aback, wondering what had happened to the emperor.
"Yes," Ying Lan immediately obeyed.
Then, the courtiers filed out of the hall, and Ying Lan organized the Forbidden Army to guard the newly constructed Imperial City.
With the hall empty, Zhongshan sat on the throne. With a flip of his hand, he took out the Fangtian Jade Seal and the Scroll of Gods, placing them in a hidden compartment. After some thought, he cut his hand, leaving a bowl of blood. Then, he glanced around, his figure swaying slightly as he turned into a shadow and sank into the ground, swiftly speeding towards a certain direction, far away from the Changsheng Hall.
Two hours later, within the Imperial City, there was silence. Everyone had been arranged to leave the city, even Wei Taizhong, Zhongzheng, and other close confidants of the emperor, who were now waiting outside the city with puzzled expressions, wondering what the emperor was up to.
Outside the Imperial City, as Ying Lan continued her patrol, all the generals couldn't help but show their admiration when they saw this female general. Ying Lan, the commander of the Second Legion of the Dajing Dynasty, not only had her military rank but also demonstrated her abilities during her command this past year, which were no less than those of Lin Xiao, the commander of the First Legion.
After Ying Lan finished her inspection and arrived at the South Gate, she coincidentally encountered Wei Taizhong leading a group of eunuchs waiting outside the palace.
Seeing Ying Lan approaching, Wei Taizhong's previously worried expression suddenly turned into a gentle smile.
"General Ying Lan," Wei Taizhong immediately greeted her.
"Oh, Senior Wei?" Ying Lan looked a little surprised. After more than a year of getting to know each other, Ying Lan could also see Wei Taizhong's goodwill towards her, especially his goodwill towards her.
"General Ying Lan, the Wan Nian Red Coral Screen you mentioned last time has been arranged. It can be delivered to your residence at your convenience," Wei Taizhong said kindly.
"Really? Thank you so much, Senior Wei," Ying Lan said happily.
Seeing Ying Lan's joy, Wei Taizhong also showed a satisfied smile. As long as Ying Lan was happy, everything was worth it.
During the conversation between Englan and Wei Taizhong, suddenly three men and a wolf appeared out of nowhere in the Longevity Hall of the Great Loong Dynasty. Leading them was Zhongshan, accompanied by the Wolf Clan Supreme, the Blue Cloud Wolf General, and the little wolf, Xianxian.
Upon arriving at the Longevity Hall, the Blue Cloud Wolf General remained kneeling, showing no intention of rising. Zhongshan swiftly approached a hidden compartment, first storing a vial of blood in a storage bracelet before retrieving the Square Heaven Jade Seal and the Divine Decree. He kept the Square Heaven Jade Seal and held onto the Divine Decree.
The Wolf Clan Supreme glanced around and then turned to Zhongshan.
"How have you arranged your subordinates?" The Wolf Clan Supreme asked with slight surprise, noting that the people outside the imperial city seemed to have just left. What was going on?
"Forgive me, senior. This is a secret method I have to ensure my safety," Zhongshan replied, neither denying nor revealing the existence of the hidden body.
"Oh?" The Wolf Clan Supreme looked at Zhongshan with increasing interest.
"Senior, please take a look at the Divine Decree," Zhongshan said.
Zhongshan slowly unfolded the Divine Decree, revealing the colorful cloud patterns to the Wolf Clan Supreme.
As the Divine Decree unfolded, the Wolf Clan Supreme fixed his gaze on Zhongshan's name.
"Zhongshan? Huh?" The Wolf Clan Supreme read Zhongshan's name and was suddenly surprised.
"Is this your seal?" The Wolf Clan Supreme asked, somewhat astonished, as he looked at the large seal.
"Entrusted by heaven, shall live long and prosper!" Eight characters froze the expression of the Wolf Clan Supreme.
Zhongshan looked at the Wolf Clan Supreme with slight confusion.
"Great Loong, clearly just a dynasty, so why does your jade seal bear the imprint of an empire? No, no. Your courtiers are weak, and the fortune of the imperial city is meager. How could it be the seal of an empire? Why does this seal emit the aura of an empire?" The Wolf Clan Supreme said, puzzled, as he gazed at the large seal.
Hearing the Wolf Clan Supreme's words, Zhongshan's eyes lit up slightly as he immediately thought of the Nine Dragons Seizing Pearl on the Square Heaven Jade Seal. That red bead that brought him here must be the cause.
"Let me see your Square Heaven Jade Seal," the Wolf Clan Supreme said to Zhongshan.
Zhongshan shook his head slightly. "The Square Heaven Jade Seal is a symbol of the dynasty. Besides me, no one else can touch it."
The Wolf Clan Supreme was slightly surprised.
"Hahaha." The Wolf Clan Supreme suddenly burst into laughter.
"Alright, I won't take a look. I look forward to your Great Loong Dynasty," the Wolf Clan Supreme said with a hearty smile.
Hearing the Wolf Clan Supreme's words, Zhongshan breathed a sigh of relief. He had been nervous just now.
The Wolf Clan Supreme became increasingly interested in Zhongshan. Initially, when he saw Zhongshan's root bone, he was somewhat dissatisfied. However, since Xianxian had bestowed the seed, he naturally had to fulfill his promise. Moreover, Zhongshan had saved Xianxian's life.
During the assessment of Zhongshan, the Wolf Clan Supreme found that despite Zhongshan's extremely poor cultivation, he always managed to surprise him. There was something peculiar about him that even he couldn't understand. However, not understanding was fine. It was even better to have some mystery.
"Yes, senior," Zhongshan said.
"Do you know the purpose of the Wolf Clan Covenant?" the Wolf Clan Supreme asked.
"I don't know, senior," Zhongshan replied.
"Establish it first," the Wolf Clan Supreme said with a smile.
With a wave of his hand, a huge scroll suddenly appeared in midair. It was shaped somewhat like the Divine Decree but lacked its splendor. The scroll was translucent and floated in front of Zhongshan, exuding a mysterious aura.
On the back of the scroll were five large characters.
Wolf Clan Covenant.
The five characters were extremely peculiar, with three rows of text on the front. The first row read: "Yutang, Kong Deming." The second row: "Yuan, Huang Jian." The third row: "Zuo, Ruyi." Each row was inscribed with strange red characters, resembling the name of a country at the top and a name below, with a large seal imprint over each name. The colors of the three names looked like blood inscriptions.
"Establishing a covenant; the upper part is the name of the country, and the lower part is the name, with a seal imprint," the Supreme Wolf Clan said.
"Is this an established covenant?" Zhongshan asked, taking a deep breath.
"Yes, these three, tens of thousands of years ago, signed a covenant with the Wolf Clan, and eventually all became celestial dynasties, namely the Yutang Celestial Dynasty, the Great Yuan Celestial Dynasty, and the Great Zuo Celestial Dynasty. However, time leaves no trace, and everything turns to nothingness. Only my Wolf Clan still exists," the Supreme Wolf Clan explained.
Zhongshan took a deep breath upon hearing this, while Xianxian, the little wolf beside him, kept nudging him as if urging him to hurry.
Zhongshan quickly pricked his finger, letting his blood mix with the hidden body's blood, and then began to write on it.
Guo, Zhongshan.
In the fourth row: Guo, Zhongshan.
In a flick of his hand, Zhongshan took out the Square Heaven Jade Seal and pressed it on top, but his palm covered the dragon pearl on it.
The Square Heaven Jade Seal didn't need ink; it seemed as if its ink was gathered fortune.
"Boom!"
When the jade seal touched the Wolf Clan Covenant, a loud noise erupted, shaking the sky above the imperial city as if thunder had struck the ground.
"Boom!"
Everyone looked up in horror, not knowing what had happened.
Zhongshan sealed the document with the large seal and then put it away. On the Wolf Clan Covenant, there was a crimson seal, much redder than the other three, even brighter than the characters Zhongshan had written with his blood.
Seeing the seal, the Supreme Wolf Clan became increasingly astonished. What kind of jade seal was this?
At that moment, Zhongshan suddenly felt as if his body had connected with something.
Taking a deep breath, the Supreme Wolf Clan looked at Zhongshan with slight surprise, then waved his hand and collected the rolled-up Wolf Clan Covenant.
"How does it feel?" the Supreme Wolf Clan asked with a gentle smile.
"It's a strange feeling, as if my spirit is connected to something," Zhongshan said softly, taking out the Divine Decree. On the Divine Decree, after the crown prince's name, another row of text appeared.
National Beast: Wolf.
Satisfied with what Zhongshan had done, the Supreme Wolf Clan nodded gently.
With a gentle touch, the Supreme Wolf Clan pointed his finger, emitting a green light directly at Zhongshan.
Seeing the green light, Zhongshan reached out and grasped it. The light suddenly disappeared into his palm, and Zhongshan closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, Zhongshan's face showed a look of horror, then he respectfully said to the Supreme Wolf Clan, "Thank you, Supreme."
"Don't you want to give it a try?" the Supreme Wolf Clan asked with a smile.
"Yes," Zhongshan nodded, putting away the Divine Decree.
Walking to the center of the hall, Zhongshan's right palm trembled slightly as he forced out a drop of blood.
Quickly, Zhongshan pressed his right palm against the ground and suddenly exclaimed, "Heaven and Earth, summoning!"