Chapter 109: Chu State Contention Emperor Chu's Lineage

Di Chu Yu said, “After becoming a guest elder of my Di Chu lineage, you will be given a guest elder token, a residence, and ten retainers. This residence is also located within Chu Capital City, making it quite valuable.”

Luo Feng nodded. As the core of the Di Chu lineage, Chu Capital City is one of the most prosperous cities in the entire Origin Continent, with only a handful surpassing it.

The price of a large residence here is likely more expensive than the entire Chaos A-District of Huyang City combined.

“I know you don’t care about these material things!” Di Chu Yu said with a smile. “What you care about are inheritances and resources!”

“That’s precisely what casual cultivators like me lack: inheritances and resources!” Luo Feng replied.

Di Chu Yu said, “Brother Luo He, having cultivated to the peak of the Chaos Realm, you must already possess a God-King level inheritance suitable for you! However, in my Blazing Wind Ancient Kingdom, we have the best inheritances in the Origin Continent, including those perfectly suited for you! I believe that with a more fitting inheritance, Brother Luo He's strength can advance even further.”

Di Chu Yu’s heart also burned with anticipation.

If Brother Luo He could advance further—not necessarily to the God King level, but just to the Transcendent Chaos Realm—it would be an immense help to him!

“I am also quite eager,” Luo Feng said.

The outside world believed he was at the peak of the Chaos Realm and should possess a suitable God-King level inheritance. In reality, he was poorer than anyone imagined; he didn't have a single suitable God-King level inheritance. While "Array Elemental Art" could be considered beyond the God-King level, it wasn't an inheritance for cultivating the 'Great Dao' but rather a secret technique for willpower. What he needed now was an inheritance for cultivating the origin Great Dao.

He was severely lacking in both the Great Dao of Life and the Great Dao of Destruction.

“As soon as we return to the Marquis Estate, I will immediately take Brother Luo He to choose inheritance resources!”

Di Chu Yu said, “Every guest elder receives a free allocation of one hundred thousand merit points for exchange! This is also a gift from the Di Chu lineage to its guest elders. As for more inheritances and resources, guest elders must earn merit. The greater the merit, the more resources can be exchanged! Even our Di Chu lineage’s most core and top-tier inheritances can be exchanged for, provided there is enough merit. The Blazing Wind Ancestor is also very benevolent towards guest elders!” Di Chu Yu stated.

Luo Feng had long understood this point.

All other forces in the entire Origin Continent would integrate into the major factions of the Blazing Wind Ancient Kingdom and the Thunder Ancient Kingdom. It was also because “these major factions indeed opened up their most precious inheritances, but the merit required would be very high.”

“Don't worry, I will arrange some easy-to-earn merit tasks for Brother Luo He!” Di Chu Yu said with a smile. “Most of the task arrangements within the Di Chu lineage are decided by the First-Class Marquises!”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Chu Yu!” Luo Feng replied.

Di Chu Yu was still in good spirits. The First-Class Marquises faced fierce competition, and the number of advantageous tasks they could allocate was limited. They typically focused all their efforts on cultivating one Chaos Realm guest elder. If the chosen guest elder turned out to be an ingrate, it would be a major headache! Di Chu Yu had observed Luo Feng for a long time during his time in Huyang City, confirming Luo Feng’s temperament before deciding to invest heavily.

“Boom!”

A fleet of guard ships escorted Marquis Chu Yu’s large vessel towards the Marquis Estate. At this moment, on the top floor of a majestic building within Chu Capital City, two figures sat opposite each other. One man, leaning casually against the railing with a wine gourd in hand, glanced into the distance. His gaze pierced through spatial barriers, observing Marquis Chu Yu’s large ship. “The newly promoted Marquis Chu Yu has returned to Chu Capital.”

“Marquis Chu Yu,” a refined man with three eyes, also looked towards the same direction from afar. “Marquis Chu Yu, who possesses an infinite divine body, became a First-Class Marquis as soon as he broke through to the Chaos Realm! And he’s another one with an infinite divine body!!”

The uninhibited man shook his head and said, “Out of the seven First-Class Marquises, five possess infinite divine bodies! But I do not!”

“Brother Chu Feng, it’s even more remarkable that you, with an ordinary divine body, have reached the peak of the Chaos Realm!” the refined three-eyed man replied.

The uninhibited man was Marquis Chu Feng, one of the seven First-Class Marquises of the Di Chu lineage. Marquis Chu Feng sighed as he drank, “After cultivating for countless years, it’s difficult to make further progress. Both the Transcendent Chaos Realm and the God King Realm feel extremely distant to me! The resources provided by our Ancestor are limited. Previously, six First-Class Marquises competed for them! Now there are seven First-Class Marquises!”

“Marquis Chu Yu has just broken through, and his foundation of strength is average. In the early stages, he shouldn’t be able to compete with you, Brother Chu Feng!” the refined three-eyed man said. “He has a helper named Luo He, who is at the peak of the Chaos Realm!”

“Even in the early stages,” Marquis Chu Feng narrowed his eyes, “he will still compete with me.”

“As newly appointed marquises, they are not required to undertake any tasks for the first thirty epochs!” The refined three-eyed man hesitated. “This is a form of protection from the Emperor for newly appointed marquises; there’s nothing we can do.”

Marquis Chu Feng set down his wine gourd and said, “Let’s not talk about him anymore! By the way, when will Manor Lord Yuan Xiu arrive in Chu Capital?”

“Senior Brother Yuan Xiu said he would come to Chu Capital to visit the God King, but no one knows exactly when he will arrive!” the refined three-eyed man replied. “Once you know he’s here, inform me immediately!” Marquis Chu Feng urged.

The refined three-eyed man nodded.

Including the Imperial Family’s Chaos Realm experts, the Emperor’s disciples, Chaos Realm guest elders, and other unaligned Chaos Realm practitioners, there were only 11 individuals in the Di Chu lineage who had reached the Transcendent Chaos Realm. Their status was comparable to newly ascended God Kings!

Manor Lord Yuan Xiu was one such Transcendent Chaos Realm existence. He had cultivated a prison within his divine body called the “Dark Abode”! With a single thought, he could imprison the boundless expanse of the surrounding world within this internal prison.

Naturally, he could also trap enemies within this prison!

Even ancient God Kings, once trapped in his internal prison, would take some time to escape. Because of this ability, even newly ascended God Kings were quite wary of him!

As a First-Class Marquis Estate, Marquis Chu Yu's manor stretched for approximately a billion kilometers in length and width. Many of Marquis Chu Yu’s lineage members, along with his personal guard and numerous servants, had moved in.

The Di Chu lineage had proliferated for countless ages, their numbers already immense. Many imperial family members even struggled to make a living! Only the high-ranking members of the imperial family could truly live in luxury with abundant resources!

“Many within the Chu Yu clan wish to meet you!” a dignified woman whispered. “Should you grant them an audience?”

“Let’s host a banquet for them this evening,” Di Chu Yu said. “Brother Luo He and I have important matters to attend to.” With that, Di Chu Yu led Luo Feng away. Luo Feng could only offer an apologetic smile.

“Mother!” The eldest son watched his father and Grand Sage Luo He depart. He then couldn’t help but exclaim, “Father just returned, and so many elders from our imperial family and the Fengye clan came to see him, yet he treats them so dismissively!!!”

“Silence,” the dignified woman said, giving her eldest son a cold look. “You fool, your father’s business with Grand Sage Luo He is the most important matter for our Marquis Estate.”

“Oh!” the eldest son mumbled in response. The second and third sons remained silent nearby. This was mainly because their mother doted on the eldest, who was sometimes more unrestrained, while the second and third sons were much more cautious.

“The first guest elder our Marquis Estate chose is Grand Sage Luo He, whose origins are unknown!” The dignified woman slightly frowned. “My father is at the peak of the Chaos Realm and is the city lord of Fengye City, yet he didn’t invite my father.” She had been secretly annoyed when she saw the black-clad man, ‘Grand Sage Luo He,’ standing beside her husband during the welcoming ceremony outside the city.

In her view, it would have been ideal for her husband to join forces with her father, the City Lord of Fengye.

However, her husband had already made his choice without consulting her, so she was powerless.

“Moluosha and Qingyan, you two rest here for now. Brother Chu Yu and I are going out for a bit,” Luo Feng instructed. Moluosha and Moyu Qingyan immediately complied, settling into a separate courtyard within the Marquis Estate.

Marquis Chu Yu took Luo Feng. The two, accompanied by a team of personal guards, quietly left the Marquis Estate aboard a seemingly ordinary flying vessel.

“The inheritance resources chosen by guest elders are all within the Emperor’s palace,” Marquis Chu Yu explained. “In truth, the inheritances available to any of our thirteen imperial lineages are identical, all left by the Blazing Wind Ancestor. However, the resources available for selection differ. The resources that the Di Chu lineage can choose are generally those bestowed by our Di Chu Ancestor.”

Luo Feng also felt a surge of anticipation.

Among the thirteen Emperors of the Blazing Wind Ancient Kingdom, the most renowned was 'Di Qing'.

Di Qing’s power was the most formidable. According to all records in the Origin Continent, Di Qing had never encountered an opponent when he took action.

Di Qing had a total of fifteen direct disciples, among whom were six God Kings, eight Transcendent Chaos Realm experts, and one peak Chaos Realm expert! The Di Qing lineage was also the strongest among the thirteen imperial lineages.

The other twelve lineages were not significantly different from each other.

Luo Feng was already quite satisfied to be able to join the ‘Di Chu lineage’.

“We’ve arrived at Di Chu Palace,” Marquis Chu Yu said, looking ahead.

Luo Feng had noticed nothing before, but upon nearing it, he suddenly realized.

A vast palace, seemingly merged with the primordial darkness, stood there. From the outside, it appeared to be roughly the size of Huyang City. However, Luo Feng could sense that space-time was being folded, and its actual internal space was much larger.

“Di Chu Palace is where most of our Di Chu imperial lineage resides,” Marquis Chu Yu said as he led Luo Feng inside. There were no obstructions along the way, nor did Luo Feng see any guards.

“Most of our lineage?” Luo Feng looked around the empty palace, unable to see a single servant.

“Our Ancestor established many miniature universes within Di Chu Palace,” Marquis Chu Yu explained. “Many of the 'wasteful' imperial family members are thrown into these miniature universes. They cultivate and procreate within them. The environment in these miniature universes is harsh, and creatures born there are extremely weak. Many of these lineage members never achieve True God status in their entire lives.”

Luo Feng was astonished.

He knew that, like his master Zuo Shan Ke’s Jin World, some powerful Chaos Realm experts would also purchase miniature universes created by God Kings specifically for cultivating their subordinates.

Who would have thought that the Di Chu lineage’s Ancestor used them to punish 'wasteful' imperial family members? If they were deemed too useless, they would be confined to living in a miniature universe for their entire lives.

“Lineage members thrown into miniature universes, including their descendants, are only qualified to leave if they cultivate to become Eternal True Gods,” Marquis Chu Yu sighed. “Those who manage to become Eternal True Gods in such harsh environments will be greatly valued upon their return.”

Luo Feng could only lament how ruthless this Ancestor was towards his imperial descendants.

“These youngsters, how would they know how terrifying the resource consumption of countless descendants is?” Any movement within Di Chu Palace could not escape the notice of the ancient being deep within the palace. At this moment, he opened his eyes and looked at Di Chu Yu and Luo Feng.

“The best way is to throw ninety-nine percent of the lineage members into miniature universes,” Di Chu thought to himself. This was first implemented by ‘Di Xuan’, one of the thirteen Emperors of the Blazing Wind Ancient Kingdom, and the other twelve Emperors quickly followed suit.

Throwing them into miniature universes could, firstly, save a vast amount of resources and alleviate the Emperors’ burden. Secondly, it could put sufficient pressure on the imperial family members, preventing them from becoming complacent.

The ancient Emperor merely glanced at Di Chu Yu and Luo Feng, then closed his eyes, no longer paying them any mind.

Di Chu Palace was vast and mysterious, like a labyrinth of space and time. Luo Feng only reached a grand hall with Di Chu Yu leading the way.

“Next time, you can just follow the same route to this Inheritance Hall,” Di Chu Yu said. “Don't venture into other areas; if you get lost, you might stumble into some forbidden zones.”

“I understand.” Luo Feng had no interest in the secrets within Di Chu Palace; he only cared about inheritances and resources.

Luo Feng looked at the grand hall before him. The hall was ancient and simple, with two statues guarding its entrance.

“Go in. I’ll wait for you here,” Di Chu Yu said.

Luo Feng nodded and immediately walked over.

As he approached the hall entrance, the two statue guards subtly turned their heads, their eyes fixed on Luo Feng. Luo Feng felt a great sense of terrifying death engulf him.

“The strength of these statue guards far surpasses mine,” Luo Feng thought, secretly alarmed. “Even with my five transformation techniques, I feel like I couldn't stop them.”

After their gaze, the two statue guards returned to their original positions, silently looking straight ahead.

Only then did Luo Feng fully step into the Inheritance Hall.