Chapter 98

In the fiefdom, the castle had been built for half a month. During this time, Guchen Sha practiced every day, organized internal affairs, and made the fiefdom run smoothly.

With Long Yuyun's help, the fiefdom was well-organized. She brought a large number of servants from the pass, about three thousand people, and combined with his own three thousand warriors, the total population of the fiefdom reached seven thousand, which directly enriched the population of the fiefdom.

Moreover, these were people who had been used by her for generations, so there was no problem with their loyalty.

Guchen Sha was not concerned about these matters. After all, the fiefdom was now under his control, and Long Yuyun still needed his help to rescue her family. She had to work hard. Besides, he knew that improving his strength was key. With strong power, he could suppress any unrest in the fiefdom, just like the Heavenly Talisman Emperor, who did not care about any plots or tricks.

During these ten days of cultivation, he spent most of his time in the bedroom, using his blood to draw talismans to activate the Sun and Moon Refinement to incubate the Xuanwu divine beast's egg. Unexpectedly, his cultivation did not decline due to the loss of essence and blood; instead, it became purer. Feeding the masses with his own blood aligned with the way of the Son of Heaven.

Not only that, each time the blood he used to draw the talisman was absorbed by the Xuanwu egg, the egg would return a powerful and enduring essence, which permeated his entire body, increasing his strength and making his body more resilient. Although it was not as tough as copper skin and iron bones, it was impervious to blades and bullets.

His strength far exceeded that of nine oxen and two tigers, but he had not yet broken through to the second transformation of the Dao realm.

The second transformation of the Dao realm, though called "nine oxen and two tigers," is actually a metaphor. It truly requires the cultivation of spirit energy, which spreads to the limbs and bones, gradually transforming the flesh and blood, and generating immense power.

For those who practice ordinary cultivation methods, their strength reaches that of nine oxen and two tigers after the spirit energy spreads throughout their body and is integrated into their flesh and blood. However, those who practice advanced cultivation methods must surpass this limit.

The Son of Heaven's Divine Sealing Technique practiced by Guchen Sha was even more powerful. Almost as soon as he entered the Dao realm, he broke through the limit of nine oxen and two tigers. Once he completed the process of thoroughly integrating the spirit energy with his flesh and blood and entered the second transformation of the Dao realm, his strength would likely be several times that of nine oxen and two tigers.

More importantly, as the Xuanwu egg gradually awakened and suppressed the array eye, the entire castle, which was designed to mirror the Xuanwu emerging from the sea, came to life. Anyone living inside would unconsciously be influenced by the Xuanwu's aura, becoming stronger and more resilient, and their lifespan would be extended.

The Xuanwu itself is characterized by its thickness, depth, and longevity. Among the ancient divine beasts, few could match the Xuanwu in strength, and even fewer in lifespan.

Historical records state that plants near a dragon's nest, influenced by the dragon's aura, would become immortal herbs, which, when consumed, could grant eternal life. The Xuanwu, being a divine beast of equal status to the dragon, would also imbue those living near it with divine power.

Moreover, since Guchen Sha was feeding the Xuanwu with his blood, their auras were communicating, and the life essence within the Xuanwu egg was being activated, naturally infusing him with some of its power.

Crack!

Guchen Sha was testing his strength. He grabbed a piece of black steel and gently exerted force, and the steel shattered like an egg. Then he casually kneaded it, and the black steel transformed into various shapes in his hands like clay.

"Your Highness, I led a patrol in the mountains and discovered barbarian spies. We captured all of them. Should we kill them or enslave them? The barbarian spies are highly skilled, with the leader being a Martial Ancestor and ten Martial Masters. If we don't kill them, they will be difficult to manage and could rebel at any time."

In the castle, Zhou Bu was reporting to Guchen Sha.

Guchen Sha, while kneading the black steel, replied, "Take me to see them."

Zhou Bu was amazed to see the black steel in the prince's hands instantly shaped into a lifelike dragon, done with ease and grace, and he was extremely impressed.

Black steel is extremely hard, not ordinary steel, but refined from steel through countless processes to create black steel.

"Your Highness's strength and physical prowess must be comparable to that of a third transformation of the Dao realm, right?" Zhou Bu speculated. He had also entered the Dao realm and was recently practicing diligently, studying, and listening to lectures by Yu Ming. The effects of the Seven Holy Heart Cultivation Pills were also taking effect, making him wiser and more perceptive. He was becoming more adept at handling affairs and was extremely loyal.

In the castle's prison, they indeed saw a barbarian general and ten barbarian commanders, all imprisoned but not shackled.

The prison was entirely made of black steel, and unless one had reached the third transformation of the Dao realm with copper skin and iron bones, it would be difficult to break out. Moreover, the prison was equipped with many traps and hidden weapons. Any movement by the prisoners would trigger the traps, killing them.

This was a unique design by the Heavenly Engineering Academy.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. I have sealed their meridians with sword qi. If they exert too much force, they will experience intense pain and will be no different from ordinary people," Zhou Bu explained.

"Which tribe are you from, and why are you here to spy?" Guchen Sha asked in the barbarian language.

The barbarian general did not speak, only staring at him cruelly and muttering, seemingly praying to an evil god.

"Killing a Martial Ancestor would be a waste. Call Yiming and see if he can persuade this Martial Ancestor. If not, we will have to kill him," Guchen Sha instructed. He did not have the idea of killing the barbarian shaman to obtain heavenly dew.

The barbarians, once captured and losing their ability to resist, seemed inauspicious to kill. Moreover, the fiefdom needed the barbarian slaves for cultivation, logging, planting, and breeding. There were nearly ten thousand barbarian slaves in the fiefdom, and managing them was a significant issue. Killing them all would be bad, but not killing them meant they could rebel at any time, which was also problematic.

This was a troublesome issue for rulers throughout history.

Guchen Sha believed that transforming these barbarians was the best approach.

However, the barbarians' wild and bloody nature had been ingrained in their bones for generations, making transformation extremely difficult.

"Master, do you want me to subdue these barbarians?" Yiming came over, understanding Guchen Sha's intention. "If I still believed in the Maha God and used divine power, I could indeed subdue them and make them do anything. But now that I no longer believe in the Maha God, it is difficult to control them."

"Then, can you create a new god and a religion to make them worship me?" Guchen Sha asked. "The barbarians have never been civilized, so using civilized methods to educate them won't work. Only by using ghosts and gods can we make them submit."

"No," Yiming shook his head. "To make these barbarians submit, they must be able to gain power through sacrifices. Now, even if I create a new god, they will worship the god behind me, but the sacrifices will not provide them with any benefits. The barbarians are not foolish; if they do not gain any benefits, they will feel deceived and rebel even more fiercely."

"Indeed, there is no way to grant them power," Guchen Sha thought. The reason gods are gods is that after being worshiped, sacrifices can grant power and heal. For example, in the past, there was a medicine god. If someone had a headache or fever, sacrificing a chicken to the god would immediately cure the illness.

Now, the Heavenly Talisman Emperor has abolished this god, and all sick people must see a doctor, with medical clinics established in various places.

"Anyone who is sick and does not seek medical treatment but sacrifices to a god will be punished." This was the imperial decree.

"Lock them up for now, and give them rice three times a day. I will think of a way to subdue the barbarians later." Guchen Sha waved his hand and left the prison, realizing that civilizing the barbarians would be a long and arduous task.

As he left the prison, he saw Long Yuyun running over, "I need to talk to you."

"Yiming, think of a way to subdue the barbarians. This is a top priority," Guchen Sha instructed. "There are nearly ten thousand barbarian slaves here, and if they rebel, it will be a serious problem."

"Yes, Master," Yiming bowed.

"Come, let's go to my study." Guchen Sha grabbed Long Yuyun, activated the Great Dragon Armor, and flew up to the highest tower, entering his study and bedroom.

"The Crown Prince has sent a message, asking me to lead my troops to kneel and beg for forgiveness, or he will kill my brother. My brother is a prodigy and was the hope of our Dragon Sword Island, but unfortunately, he was captured," Long Yuyun explained.

"What do you think?" Guchen Sha asked.

"I can only ask you to rescue him," Long Yuyun said.

"Have you considered submitting to the Crown Prince?" Guchen Sha asked again.

"That's impossible. Even if I am the only one left, I will fight to the death. If I submit, my entire family will be killed. As long as I am alive, there is a chance for revenge," Long Yuyun's face showed determination.

"Very well. I will set out immediately to rescue him," Guchen Sha sipped his tea. "But the fiefdom needs to be built, and if I am not here, problems may arise."

"I can handle these issues," Long Yuyun gritted her teeth. "I have already convinced Yu Hanlu, and she has brought her troops to join you. The opponents have left, and Yu Ba has completely broken ties with her. She is now gathering a trade group to support your fiefdom and has gifted you three hundred pieces of high-quality jade."

"Good," Guchen Sha looked around. "I also want to rescue your family as soon as possible so that you can fully cooperate with me. The barbarians have already sent scouts to investigate, and a large army may attack soon. We need to prepare for battle."

"I will do my best and bring Yu Hanlu on board," Long Yuyun was determined.

"Very well, I will set out immediately." Guchen Sha grabbed the Xuanwu egg and put it in his bag, and the castle instantly lost its aura. The spirit energy in the bedroom became much thinner.

He activated his mind, and the Great Dragon Armor enveloped him, completely hiding him. There was no aura, no wind, and no fluctuations, more mysterious than an invisibility talisman.

Recently, the Great Dragon Armor had become even more mysterious, as it had digested a spirit crystal and was occasionally refined by Guchen Sha using the Sun and Moon Refinement and his blood.

Although Guchen Sha's current cultivation was strong, it was only comparable to the third transformation of the Dao realm with copper skin and iron bones. The reason he could cut off Yu Ba's finger in one move was mainly due to the Great Dragon Armor blocking the opponent's innate qi, the evolution of the Demon-Slaying Blade making it incredibly sharp, and Yu Ba being unprepared.

Without the Great Dragon Armor and the Demon-Slaying Blade, he would likely have been killed in one move.

Now, he was still very focused on weapons and armor, not out of dependence, but because the situation forced him to rely on external forces.