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Chapter 920: Chapter 919: The Former Skeleton King

This speed of expansion was terrifying! No other holy court emerging from a Small Thousand World had ever been this audacious.

This rapid expansion put every heavenly court in the northern Wheel Domain on edge.

In Changjing, within the Immortal Hall during a morning assembly.

Zhong Shan sat on the dragon throne, observing his ministers below.

"Holy King, our court should not continue warring across the world at this time," Xiao Wang stepped forward to report.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan raised an eyebrow.

"Our territory can still expand, but we are severely lacking in talent. We must solidify control over the vast lands we have conquered. If we cannot hold these territories, the hearts of the border troops and civilians will become restless. We need to consolidate central power and then resume expansion," Xiao Wang said confidently.

"I second this," Yi Yan added. "As General Xiao said, our territory has expanded too quickly. We need to strengthen central authority and enhance our military strength, selecting stronger soldiers. The army needs a period of rest, and so do the people. Moreover, if we press too hard on the remaining northern territories, they will unite against Da Xi. If we allow them some breathing room, their internal conflicts will escalate. Once we are rested, we can take the rest of the northern Wheel Domain with ease."

Tapping his finger on the dragon throne, Zhong Shan nodded, "Approved."

At the same time, in the southern Wheel Domain, within the Tian Ci Mansion.

The Third Prince, Nian Ben, Wang Jingwen, and several officials stood respectfully.

In front of them was an old eunuch, flanked by two men in purple robes.

The old eunuch had just delivered an imperial edict and handed over the decree.

"Third Prince, the Holy King is very displeased with you," the old eunuch said softly.

Nian Ben frowned but nodded.

"These two have been transferred from the Imperial Martial Hall. They are Ancient Immortals assigned to you. Although the Holy King is displeased, he still cares for you greatly. No other prince has ever been granted two Ancient Immortals at once. You are the first!" the eunuch said with a smile.

"Please thank the Holy King for me," Nian Ben\'s expression softened.

"Of course. I have delivered the decree, so I will take my leave and report back to the Holy King," the eunuch said.

"Let me see you off."

"No need!" The eunuch\'s figure blurred and disappeared from sight.

"Greetings, Third Prince!" The two men in purple robes bowed slightly to Nian Ben.

"Mm!"

"For now, rest here," Nian Ben instructed.

"At your command."

"Someone, escort these two to Tianzi Courtyard to rest!" Nian Ben ordered.

"Yes!"

Soon, the two Ancient Immortal experts were escorted away.

"Third Prince, I must also return to lead the army. There are four major battles today that require my orders," Wang Jingwen said.

"Go ahead," Nian Ben said kindly.

Wang Jingwen nodded and left.

As Wang Jingwen departed, the Third Prince\'s face darkened, clutching the imperial edict with a furrowed brow.

"Third Prince, the Sacred King repeatedly praises Wang Jingwen in the edict but often expresses dissatisfaction with you. It\'s very intriguing! I\'m worried..." the official said, frowning.

"Worried about what?" the Third Prince asked.

"I\'m worried the Sacred King might recall you to Wuxiang Territory and appoint Wang Jingwen as the regional governor," the official replied.

Nian Ben\'s pupils contracted as he shook his head, saying, "Impossible!"

Nian Ben knew it was impossible because no matter how strong Wang Jingwen was, he was merely an outsider, while Nian Ben was the Sacred King\'s bloodline descendant. However, this matter could not be ignored. Even if Wang Jingwen wasn\'t appointed, he could still be replaced by someone else. The Sacred Court of Wuxiang had no need for the useless. Performing poorly could result in losing his position as the crown prince.

"But, Third Prince..." the official began.

"Enough! No more on this topic!" Nian Ben interrupted.

"Yes, Your Highness," the officials reluctantly nodded.

Three days later, Wang Jingwen brought a batch of documents to Nian Ben.

"Third Prince, for this major exam at Tianci Prefecture, we gathered a large number of talents. I\'ve marked them with red lines. I think it\'s most prudent to use these marked individuals to manage the ten newly captured cities," Wang Jingwen suggested.

The Third Prince carefully examined the list on the jade slip.

Looking at the names, Nian Ben frowned slightly. Although these were talented individuals, they had all hosted banquets for Wang Jingwen after the exam, and Wang Jingwen had attended several of them. Were these Wang Jingwen\'s loyal followers?

Realizing this, Nian Ben\'s expression tightened. Was Wang Jingwen building his own power base? Absolutely not.

"Hmm, these people will be of great use to me later. Let\'s send the last thirty individuals on the list instead. They also performed well in the exam," Nian Ben said in a deep voice.

"Huh?" Wang Jingwen\'s expression changed.

As expected! Nian Ben smirked inwardly. So these people were indeed your loyal followers. It\'s a good thing I noticed.

"Understood," Wang Jingwen nodded. Although he said nothing more, a hint of disappointment flickered in his voice.

After seeing Wang Jingwen off, Nian Ben felt elated. Yes, build your loyal base. No matter how much credit you earn or how much territory you conquer, as long as my trusted people govern those lands, what can you do?

Leaving Nian Ben\'s glee aside, Wang Jingwen also wore a cold smile after departing from Tianci Prefecture.

"Loyal followers? The people you select will be the ones who eventually end you!" Wang Jingwen sneered, heading straight to the main command camp.

In terms of strategy, the Third Prince was clearly no match for Wang Jingwen.

Meanwhile, in the south, under Wang Jingwen\'s scheming, the expansion was relentless, with no sign of rest. It seemed like they were expanding territory for the Sacred Court of Wuxiang, but hidden within was an extremely insidious plan. Despite gaining vast lands, control was unstable, inevitably leading to future troubles.

In the northern part of the Zhuanlun Territory, in a remote holy land, the Manggu Holy Land.

Inside a grand hall of the Manggu Holy Land, five golden thrones surrounded the center.

If Zhong Shan were present, he would be surprised to find that these golden thrones resembled Wang Ku\'s bronze throne, except one was gold and the other bronze.

On the five golden thrones sat five figures in black robes, but the armrests of the golden thrones were not human hands—they were skeletal claws. These were five powerful members of the Skeleton Clan.

With the hall doors closed, the five Skeleton Clan members sat in silence.

After a long silence, one of the skeletons finally spoke.

"Alright, there\'s no one else here. What do you all think of this matter?" one skeleton asked.

"The Ninth Corps Commander of the Dazhen Sacred Court, Wang Ku? He also has a Skeleton Throne, clearly having emerged from the Skeleton Clan\'s main alliance," another skeleton replied.

"According to various intelligence sources, Wang Ku\'s soul fire is extremely advanced. This isn\'t determined by cultivation; it\'s a precious symbol of identity. Who exactly is he?" another skeleton asked.

"It\'s strange. Such a soul fire is only possessed by the descendants of our Skeleton Clan\'s king!" the first skeleton remarked again.

"A descendant of the king? No, I\'ve seen the descendants of the king, skeletons ignited by the king\'s soul fire. Even though their soul fire is diluted, I feel that their soul fire doesn\'t compare to Wang Ku\'s!" another skeleton added.

"Wang Ku? Daxian? Captured by Zhong Shan in the small world, his origins are extremely mysterious! But why is his soul fire so advanced?" the first skeleton asked again.

"Skeletons from the small world can\'t grow to that level. Only skeletons from the great world could, but when did the great world have such a skeleton? With such an advanced soul fire, he should have long been invited to the sect, maybe even become an elder of the main alliance! How could he fall to the point of serving others?" the skeletons fell silent again.

"Old Five, you haven\'t said anything. Among us, your knowledge is the most extensive. What do you think?" the first skeleton asked again.

All the skeletons looked towards the smallest black-robed skeleton in the south.

"I, well, I don\'t know how to put it!" Old Five hesitated.

"There\'s nothing you can\'t say. We\'ve all saved each other\'s lives; there\'s nothing to hide," the first skeleton said again.

"I have a theory, but even I find it hard to believe. Yet, aside from this theory, I can\'t think of anything else!" Old Five said, troubled.

"Go ahead! We\'ll listen. Your guesses have never been wrong," the skeletons urged.

"Do you remember the significant event that happened to the Skeleton Clan six hundred thousand years ago?" Old Five asked.

"Six hundred thousand years ago?" one skeleton seemed unsure.

"I think I remember. Back then, the king of the Skeleton Clan wasn\'t the current king; it was the previous king. But suddenly, the previous king perished, and the new king was born, who is now our king!" the first skeleton recalled.

"Old Five is right. The previous king\'s demise led to the birth of the new king. However, do you know that the new king actually overthrew the previous king to seize the throne?" Old Five revealed.

"The new king overthrew the previous king? So the current king took the throne by rebelling against the previous king?" the first skeleton was astonished.

"Yes, this has been a secret within the Skeleton Clan, and over the tens of thousands of years, it has always been a taboo for the king. No one dares to mention it. The previous king didn\'t perish but disappeared. For tens of thousands of years, the current king has been sending trusted skeletons to search for the previous king\'s whereabouts, until about a hundred thousand years ago when the search gradually eased," Old Five explained.

"Old Five, are you suggesting that Wang Ku is the previous king?" the first skeleton was shocked.

The other skeletons were also stunned.

"Wang Ku, Wang Skeleton, Skeleton King. Hasn\'t Wang Ku\'s name always hinted at his status?" Old Five said deeply.