Chapter 710: Hidden in the Land of Thunder Strikes

The moment King Wu died, the fate of Great Wu was sealed.

Zhou Yuan's announcement of King Wu's demise instantly shook the entire Great Wu Dynasty, causing cities and armies that had originally intended to resist fiercely to lose all morale.

Thus, in just a few days, the Great Zhou army, with an unstoppable momentum, broke into Great Wu. Every city they passed saw the Wu banners on their walls replaced with Zhou banners.

By the fifth day, the elite army led by Zhou Qing had arrived outside the capital of Great Wu.

Outside the capital.

Zhou Qing gazed at the grand city before him, its gates wide open, for a long time, his expression incredibly complex.

Behind him, veteran generals like Wei Canglan had reddened eyes filled with excitement, remembering how years ago, they had suffered a complete defeat from this very place, ultimately being driven by King Wu to the remote north.

At that time, they fled like stray dogs.

Although they had always supported Zhou Qing, deep down, they likely held little hope for restoring their kingdom, as the disparity in power between Great Wu and Great Zhou was simply too vast.

Therefore, when they appeared outside the Great Wu capital once more, their hearts were filled with disbelief.

Their counterattack had been unbelievably smooth, like a dream.

“I’ve returned…”

Gazing at the city, once so familiar, even Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel his eyes redden, with an urge to weep.

He too had once thought he would never be able to return to this city.

Meanwhile, from the Great Zhou army behind them, deafening cheers erupted.

The sound shook the capital, and countless awestruck gazes from within the city were cast towards them. Everyone clearly knew that King Zhou, who had been driven away by King Wu over a decade ago, had returned.

Zhou Yuan's figure appeared on the city wall. Then, amidst the countless reverent and fervent gazes of the army, he gracefully descended towards Zhou Qing.

“Father,” Zhou Yuan said with a smile, looking at Zhou Qing, “King Wu is dead. From now on, there will be no Great Wu on the Vast Continent.”

Zhou Qing gazed at Zhou Yuan for a long moment. Then he took a deep breath, dismounted, and solemnly thumped his chest with his left hand, proclaiming in a low voice, “All troops, salute!”

Behind them, countless Great Zhou soldiers, with fervent eyes, heavily pounded their chests, emitting a thunderous roar that shook the heavens.

Wei Canglan, Wei Qingqing, and many other generals also saluted respectfully.

They all understood the significance of Zhou Qing's gesture, as this time, Zhou Yuan had almost single-handedly saved Great Zhou from imminent destruction.

If not for him, King Wu would surely have destroyed Great Zhou, staining the dynasty red with a bloody massacre.

When King Wu's army arrived at their gates, everyone, including Zhou Qing, was likely in deep despair. At that moment, their only option was to fight to the death.

But no one expected that in their moment of despair, their Great Zhou Highness would arrive, walking across the river, becoming the last hope for countless Great Zhou citizens.

No one could imagine the overwhelming excitement they felt when they saw Zhou Yuan walking on the river.

Zhou Yuan was momentarily stunned to see Zhou Qing leading the army in saluting him. He then said with a resigned smile, “Father, there’s no need for this. As the Great Zhou Highness, it is naturally my responsibility to protect our people.”

Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Yuan, his eyes full of gratification and pride, and said, “You saved countless Great Zhou citizens; you deserve this salute.”

“With your current prestige, becoming the King of Great Zhou would be more than enough.”

Zhou Yuan let out a dry laugh upon hearing this.

Zhou Qing sighed, “I know your aspirations have grown, and you probably don't even consider the minor position of King of Great Zhou worth your time.”

He also understood that Great Zhou was too small, and even the Vast Continent itself was too small. With Zhou Yuan's current talent and strength, it was simply impossible for him to remain in Great Zhou as a king.

“Father is still in his prime,” Zhou Yuan said with a smile. “There’s no need to think about abdicating.” Remaining in Great Zhou was not the path he sought.

Having resolved the issue with Great Wu this time, he was now completely free of worries. In the future, aside from occasional visits, he would likely spend most of his time at the Cangxuan Sect.

Only in broader realms could he continuously grow stronger.

Zhou Qing nodded. He naturally supported his son's pursuit of higher aspirations.

Zhou Qing patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder, then gazed at the magnificent capital before them. He took a deep breath and said, “Let’s enter the city. From today onward, the entire Vast Continent will know that the Great Zhou of yesteryear... has returned.”

With Zhou Qing taking control of the Great Wu capital, the Great Wu Dynasty was completely overthrown.

In the following days, Zhou Qing issued a series of orders, beginning the process of taking over and clearing out Great Wu remnants. Although there was some resistance, Great Wu's momentum had vanished, and these acts of defiance had little effect.

Meanwhile, the dynasties surrounding Great Wu remained exceptionally quiet.

Normally, when a dynasty falls, neighboring ones would inevitably stir, seizing the opportunity to invade and annex territory. However, this time, the dynasties around Great Wu were exceptionally well-behaved.

Clearly, this was because they knew that the current Great Zhou possessed a Highness capable of defeating someone in the mid-stage Divine Dwelling realm.

Even King Wu had been defeated by him. Such power was rarely matched on the Vast Continent. Furthermore, this Great Zhou Highness was also the chief Saint Son of the Cangxuan Sect.

With such a formidable backing, no one dared to provoke Great Zhou now.

Zhou Yuan did not leave immediately during these days, knowing that Great Zhou still needed him to oversee things. Only after everything was stable could he return to the Cangxuan Sect.

Therefore, Zhou Qing brought Qin Yu to the Great Wu capital. Zhou Yuan, who had been away from home for many years, naturally stayed by her side constantly.

While Zhou Yuan was enjoying a brief period of peaceful life, he was unaware of the immense turmoil that had erupted in Cangxuan Heaven during this time, unsettling all the major top-tier forces.

Many powerful beings who usually remained in secluded cultivation also emerged from their retreats at this moment.

The reason for all this was that Palace Master Sheng Yuan had peered into heavenly secrets, causing unusual phenomena that were naturally detected by these powerful entities.

Palace Master Sheng Yuan's ambition was to obtain the Cangxuan Saint Seal!

This undoubtedly shocked all the major sects.

Back then, Ancestor Cangxuan was the Heaven Master of Cangxuan Heaven and controlled the Cangxuan Saint Seal. However, after the Ancestor's demise, the Cangxuan Saint Seal vanished without a trace. No matter how it was sought, no clues could be found, clearly hidden by Ancestor Cangxuan using a powerful method.

Now, by disturbing heavenly secrets, Palace Master Sheng Yuan had detected the whereabouts of the Cangxuan Saint Seal. This undoubtedly revealed his ambition: he wished to obtain the Cangxuan Saint Seal and, by doing so, become the new Heaven Master of Cangxuan Heaven!

Such ambition was undoubtedly like a thunderclap to the other major sects.

After all, they all knew that once Palace Master Sheng Yuan became the Heaven Master of Cangxuan Heaven, the Sacred Palace would truly dominate Cangxuan Heaven, and other sects would be subjugated under its rule.

This was clearly not a scenario the other major sects wished to see.

Therefore, some perceptive individuals vaguely sensed that the atmosphere within Cangxuan Heaven was gradually becoming tense.

However, this tension did not last long before Cangxuan Heaven was ignited by a piece of news that spread.

“The Cangxuan Saint Seal is hidden in the Land of Lightning Strikes...”