Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“Wow!”

In the delegation of the underground people, Bing Bing and the other young people who met Li Jialing before exclaimed, “Is he our new emperor? Why does he look completely different from the past?”

The new-generation underground people were completely fascinated by the charm of Li Jialing, or Wuying Ling.

Xu Zhicheng put on a bitter smile, as those little guys had acknowledged a new emperor when he had taught them to be independent and unyielding for such a long time.

However, it was not entirely their fault. Even Xu Zhicheng himself could barely control himself in the passionate atmosphere.

At the center of attention, the new emperor finally stepped on the platform.

On the platform, several officials and members of the royal family in formal clothes had been waiting respectfully, with the seal that allegedly had been passed on from the Star Ocean Imperium.

Having been taught with the procedure of the ceremony many times, Xu Zhicheng knew that the officials had to make a long and tedious announcement and put the crown that represented royal power on the head of the new emperor before the members of the royal family gave the seal that represented the country to the new emperor.

However, this new emperor did something unexpected at this point.

One of the officials coughed and was about to start his speech, and Xu Zhicheng was ready to be bored for the next hour, when the new emperor stepped forward, grabbed the crown from the officials, and put it on his own head!

To echo with the rumor that he was the reincarnation of the black-starred lion, the newly-made crown was like a lion that was opening its bloody mouth. There were also two dragons on its two sides that were holding a glittering pearl, making the new emperor seem more domineering than ever!

For a moment, the whole royal palace was silent. Everybody was too shocked by the new emperor’s move to say anything.

The new emperor, however, did not stop there. While everybody was dumbfounded, he grabbed the seal from the members of the royal family and pressed it on the first decree that he was about to issue, skipping all the redundant formalities and sending his voice to the whole Imperium!

As he spoke in a deafening voice, glittering words popped up in the sky, allowing everybody to see it clearly. They were even more shocked than before!

“This… This… This is…”

Hearing the new emperor’s voice and reading the rolling words, Xu Zhicheng found it hard to believe his ears and his eyes.

The new emperor had brought him more shock than the real sun did when he saw it for the first time!

“What do you mean?”

Bing Bing and the other young people from the underground, however, did not understand why the new emperor seemed so tough at the coronation ceremony. They asked curiously, “Uncle Xu, what is the emperor talking about? Why does everyone seem so excited? Isn’t it a good thing that the emperor is pardoning criminals? I’m told that all the emperors did the same thing when they were crowned. Is it any different this time?”

“Of course it is.”

Holding back his dizziness, Xu Zhicheng explained to the young people from the underground patiently, “It’s true that every new emperor pardoned criminals when they ascended the throne, but they never released those who might jeopardize their reign.

“However, the new emperor is mainly pardoning three kinds of people this time.

“Firstly, the Immortal Cultivators within the Imperium, whom the new emperor said to be ‘terrible but understandable’. Many of them took the side of the Cultivators because of the exploitation of the four families. In the Battle of Seven Seas and the battle of the capital, they proved their loyalty to the Imperium. So, the new emperor has given the clemency so that they can serve their country again.

“Secondly, the space pirates led by Boss Bai. Those space pirates were also forced to the wrong path by the four families. Now that a new emperor has claimed the throne, the Imperium is a place of fairness again. Those people can totally change themselves into loyal warriors of the Imperium. Why can’t they be pardoned?

“Thirdly, the soldiers of the four families’ ace fleets who surrendered in the battle of the capital. The new emperor said that those soldiers were deceived and threatened to attack the capital by the four illegal Kurfursten. However, since he prevented the capital from being sabotaged under the support of the Black Wind King and Lei Chenghu, he has decided to give the soldiers another chance to atone for themselves by attacking the four families!”

“Wow…”

The young people, including Bing Bing, did not entirely understand it, but it sounded quite awesome.

“Not just that. The pardon order was astounding enough, but the abolition order next is even more so!”

Xu Zhicheng said in a low voice, “You should know that the slavery system is kept in many Sectors of the Imperium. Those who unfortunately became slaves have been as miserable as us. However, the new emperor has announced that the slaves under the control of the four families are all freed by him! Even more, if they stand up against their former owners, they can even get parts of their owners’ properties and become citizens of the Imperium!”

“Ah!”

The underground people, including Bing Bing, said in delight, “That’s… That’s fantastic. In such a way, the slaves under the control of the four families will definitely take our side and help us fight their masters!”

Xu Zhicheng nodded his head first, but he put on a bitter smile again.

The slavery system had been going on in the Imperium for a thousand years. How could it be abolished by a simple royal decree?

Also, not just the four families, but the Immortal Cultivators who claimed to be reformists mostly had some slaves in their houses.

The warlords who took the reformists’ side in the end, in particular, might even have thousands of slaves in their far-flung territories.

If the slaves controlled by the four Kurfursten families were freed, what about the slaves controlled by the reformists?

It was definitely a critical matter, and the foundation of the reformists would be shaken if it was not dealt with properly.

That was why even Wuying Qi had never thought to strike the four families when he held the power of the reformists, because the reformists would’ve suffered just as much.

The abolition order released by the new emperor did not specify the arrangements for the slaves outside of the territory of the four families. Although it did not force all the Immortal Cultivators to liberate their slaves, it did mention that if anyone ‘volunteered’ to liberate their slaves, they would receive abundant compensation, and that the earlier they did that, the more they would receive.

Basically, the compensation was slightly higher than the value that a slave could create in ten years. However, there was only one minor problem, which was that the compensation would be given as bonds that could not be redeemed until the four families were taken care of.

Obviously, the new emperor was going to refill the national treasury and carry out the new policies including abolition with the fat of the four families.

So, after the pardon order and the abolition order, it was the shocking mobilization order against rebels!

After the coronation ceremony, the Astounding Thunder Fleet, the Arsonist Fleet, and the former four families’ ace fleets would march to the territory of the four families unstoppably and eliminate the illegal Kurfursten as well as the illegal emperor to restore the glory of the Imperium!

“I… really didn’t see this coming!”

Looking at the spectacular image of the new emperor in the sky, Xu Zhicheng had a lot of complicated feelings. He did not know that the young man whom he fought with would grow to such an extent one day.

Whether the orders were the young man’s own intention or the intention of Li Yao, Lei Chenghu, and other people behind him, they had at least brought new hope to the Imperium!

The only problem was, did they really have enough capabilities to carry out their reforms?

It was not only Xu Zhicheng’s question but also the question of the millions of Immortal Cultivators in the ceremony.

The new emperor had brought them more shock than any previous emperors did.

The pardon order, the abolition order, and the mobilization order would lead to paradigm-shifting reforms and painful changes to their lives.

All the Immortal Cultivators were hesitating and wavering, wondering what they should do.

Some of them were even secretly complaining. Is this little emperor crazy? Does he really think he is a powerful emperor when he’s actually a puppet? Reconciliation with Cultivators, abolition, and attacking the four families so eagerly? Why?

The Immortal Cultivators’ suspicion was understandable.

After all, the new emperor was barely heard of until then. Nobody knew anything about him except the information on the fliers and leaflets that Li Yao and Long Yangjun wrote.

However, in the next second, they all learned it!