Protect Our Patriarch
Book 5: Chapter 146: My great-grandson Shou Zhe can inherit the great legacy!

---

Red Moon Demon Dynasty.

This was a remote island, surrounded by complex ocean currents and scattered with reefs, making it rare for ships to approach. Because of this, it maintained a certain tranquility.

At this moment, the night was deep.

The moonlight washed over everything.

The dark waves continued to crash against the shore's rocks, the splashing water creating a fierce symphony that echoed through the night.

A thick, fishy sea mist, cold and mysterious, with a hint of madness, rose from the sea, covering the entire island with a black demonic aura.

A magical plant with slender vines and dark green leaves stretched its branches in the night, basking in the cold moonlight while absorbing the demonic aura and moisture that permeated the night.

This was a common third-tier Silver Thread Demon Vine, known for its tenacious vitality.

During the day, the vine appeared hideous and ugly, but under the night, it glowed with a faint green fluorescence, emitting a tempting sweet fragrance, hoping to lure the few insects on the island for a feast.

Suddenly.

Two streaks of light, one green and one blue, whistled across the night sky.

The surging energy waves were like a galaxy crossing the sky, vast and awe-inspiring, enough to make one's heart tremble.

The demon vine was startled, immediately curling its vines in alarm, even the faint fluorescence and sweet scent vanished in an instant.

It was as if it had never appeared.

In a blink, the streaks of light landed on the island.

Four figures appeared on the island.

These four were naturally Wang Long Yan, the Qinghuang Demon Emperor, the third prince Shentu Jingming, and the old attendant in purple beside him.

After compensating for the damage to Yuhuang Tower, the four left together.

In a hurry to travel, they didn't restrain their aura, and no one dared to approach them. In just over a month, they reached this island.

"Are you sure there's a relic left by the Demon Plant Venerable here?" The Qinghuang Demon Emperor surveyed the surroundings with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

It wasn't that she didn't trust the third prince, but the island was rugged with rocks, dense with demonic aura, yet the soil was extremely barren, not even a blade of grass in sight. She had also used her divine sense to probe but found no special spatial fluctuations or traces of formations.

It really didn't seem like a place with relics.

"This relic is extremely well-hidden, otherwise it wouldn't have remained undiscovered for so many years." The third prince Shentu Jingming explained unhurriedly, then took out a jade pendant and gave a look to the old attendant beside him, "Zhuo Lao, if you please."

"Yes, third young master."

Zhuo Lao took the jade pendant and began to infuse it with his surging profound energy.

As the profound energy was infused, the surface of the jade pendant gradually emitted a soft dark green glow. The glow was lustrous, exuding a rich wood elemental aura, yet intertwined with strands of demonic aura, giving the life-representing wood aura a tinge of coldness and wickedness.

The Qinghuang Demon Emperor and Wang Long Yan instinctively looked over.

However, after a full half-hour, the jade pendant only emitted light, with no other phenomena occurring.

"To activate this relic, at least two types of profound energy attributes need to be infused, and the demand for profound energy is quite high." The third prince coughed lightly and explained, "It requires roughly the entire profound energy of a Lingxu Realm early-stage demon cultivator. I only stumbled upon the relic by accident back then."

Hearing this, Wang Long Yan couldn't help but glance sideways.

With such requirements, how bored must someone have been to "accidentally" activate the relic?

The Qinghuang Demon Emperor was also quite speechless: "Third prince, your hobbies are quite unique."

"Hahaha~ Pardon me, pardon me." The third prince was a bit embarrassed himself, laughing it off.

By this time, Zhuo Lao had infused more than half of the profound energy into the jade pendant.

The third prince was about to take the jade pendant and continue infusing it with profound energy when the Qinghuang Demon Emperor spoke up: "Enough, give it to me."

"Thank you, senior." The third prince unexpectedly expressed his gratitude.

"No need. Since we're exploring the relic together, it makes no sense for only your side to exert effort." The Qinghuang Demon Emperor's attitude was indifferent as she casually took the jade pendant and began infusing it with energy.

The demon essence within a fierce beast and profound energy, though named differently, are essentially refined spiritual energy of heaven and earth, with limited differences.

With the infusion of demon essence, in just a moment, the glow from the jade pendant became extremely bright, almost overshadowing the moonlight.

At the same time.

A rumbling sound came from beneath the island.

Moments later.

A spatial portal suddenly appeared before the four.

Under the moonlight, the portal, constructed of spatial power, rippled like water, appearing and disappearing in the moonlight.

Wang Long Yan and the Qinghuang Demon Emperor exchanged glances, both with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

Both were well-traveled and knowledgeable, naturally aware that such a stable spatial portal was not something a Lingxu Realm expert could construct, likely the work of a True Immortal, and one skilled in spatial techniques or with considerable strength.

No wonder Shentu Jingming was adamant it was a True Immortal relic.

Noticing the surprise in Wang Long Yan's eyes, Shentu Jingming felt a sense of pride, tidying his attire with a smug and flattering smile: "Let's go, Miss Ruobing, let's head in."

With that, he took the lead and stepped into the spatial portal.

In an instant, his figure disappeared within, vanishing without a trace.

Zhuo Lao followed immediately.

Wang Long Yan and the Qinghuang Demon Emperor exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

As the Qinghuang Demon Emperor holding the jade pendant stepped into the portal, it gradually dissipated like water waves into the night, as if it had never appeared.

Simultaneously.

Wang Long Yan and the Qinghuang Demon Emperor found themselves in a room.

The room wasn't large, filled with spiritual wood furniture, enough to accommodate about ten people for casual sitting, resting, and tea tasting.

The walls of the room had embedded shelves, displaying items resembling medals or trophies, with accompanying text descriptions. From the content, it could be deduced that this relic indeed belonged to the Demon Plant Venerable, and it was an important research base, possibly even having external trade relations, but no more information was available.

These items were clearly reinforced with restrictions, and given their extraordinary materials, they remained uncorroded despite the passage of countless years, still as pristine as new.

This room looked less like a relic and more like a reception room.

"Honored guests, please rest for a moment. The Spirit Artifact [Lanshan] has notified you. Shortly, researchers from the [Green Demon Research Institute] will come to receive you."

As Wang Long Yan and the others were observing, a small box at the room's entrance lit up with a green light, and a pleasant female voice came from it.

"When I came in last time, it was the same. They said someone would come to receive us, but in reality, no one came." Shentu Jingming enthusiastically explained to Wang Long Yan, "There's a corridor outside this room. There are other rooms, but those rooms are inaccessible. At the end of the corridor, there's a door. I suspect that entering that door leads to the real relic. Last time, I was stuck at that door, trying everything but unable to enter."

As he spoke, he led Wang Long Yan around the accessible areas, looking more like a tour guide than someone trying to unlock a relic.

Wang Long Yan was speechless, but she roughly understood.

This relic clearly wasn't one meant to find an heir.

The jade pendant was likely meant for guests or friends, hence the entrance being a reception room. To enter the real relic, the owner probably needed to lead the way.

This posed a bit of a problem.

"This relic is well-preserved, with no signs of damage to the formations. I tried earlier, but spatial tearing techniques don't work here. With my strength, forcing it open seems impossible." The Qinghuang Demon Emperor also realized the issue, frowning slightly.

"Any other findings?" Wang Long Yan glanced at Shentu Jingming.

"No, nothing else." Shentu Jingming was helpless.

Though he was pleased the goddess was willing to speak to him, he really had nothing more to introduce.

Wang Long Yan pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea, looking up at the small box at the room's entrance: "Spirit Artifact, does the Venerable take disciples?"

After a moment of silence, just as Wang Long Yan thought it wouldn't respond, a hesitant female voice came from the box: "With wood-type bloodlines of your aptitude, it's not out of the question..."

It can communicate!

Wang Long Yan was delighted, but upon hearing the Spirit Artifact's words, she couldn't help but frown slightly: "Does it have to be someone like me? What about a wood-type Peerless Prodigy?"

"No, no!" The Spirit Artifact's voice was full of disdain, "Our Venerable is a prodigy of the heavens, how could an ordinary Peerless Prodigy qualify to enter her tutelage? Even a Peerless Prodigy must at least be of Peerless Grade C, no, Grade B! Yes, at least Peerless Grade B might have a chance!"

Peerless Grade B?

Wang Long Yan's eyes lit up, a hint of joy in her expression.

Isn't Shouzhe of Peerless Grade B aptitude?

She was merely testing the Spirit Artifact, not expecting it to be so naive and take the bait. From its reaction, it's clear the relic likely contains the Demon Plant Venerable's legacy, otherwise, it wouldn't be concerned with aptitude but would have outright refused.

It seems Shouzhe's inheritance has hope.

I just wonder if this relic contains a treasure or an Immortal Scripture?

"Spirit Artifact, I have a friend who might be worth a try."

"A friend?" The Spirit Artifact pondered for a moment, then arrogantly said, "Bring him over and let him try. But don't say I didn't warn you, our Venerable has high standards. Poor aptitude won't do, unattractive looks won't do, poor temperament won't do, and lack of intelligence won't do."

Wang Long Yan chuckled, her tone filled with pride: "Rest assured, if he doesn't meet the requirements, then no one in this world does."

"A friend?" The third prince glanced at Wang Long Yan, his tone inexplicably sour, "Miss Ruobing's friend, is he male or female?"

---

At the same time.

Han Yue Immortal City, Immortal Armament Division.

The Immortal Armament Division is a specialized institution for training, managing, and deploying various forging professions, wielding significant power. Whether the departments under the Immortal Armament Division can complete their forging tasks on time and with quality is closely tied to the division's allocation.

At this moment, within the Immortal Armament Division, the head, Liu Zhangling, was sternly handling affairs, with several middle-aged men standing below. They were all supervisors within the division, each responsible for a project, wielding considerable authority.

"Lord Zhangling." A supervisor respectfully said, "The frontline of the outer region battlefield has returned with tens of thousands of weapons and equipment needing repair. The Repair Division reports a severe shortage of trial equipment makers, requesting another thousand personnel."

Liu Zhangling's face turned cold: "Ridiculous! Didn't we already allocate a thousand trial equipment makers for reinforcement? Do they think our division's trial equipment makers grow like spiritual chives in the field? Harvest one batch and the next is ready?"

"Rejected!"

"Tell the head of the Repair Division, there are no additional personnel. If they want to speed up, let the existing equipment makers reduce their rest time and work two more hours daily. You oversee this matter, and any mistakes will be on you."

"Yes, Lord Zhangling." The supervisor quickly complied and retreated.

"Lord Zhangling, recently over two hundred trial equipment makers have collectively applied for resignation." Another supervisor reported, "In the past two to three years, six to seven hundred trial equipment makers have gradually left the division. If this trend continues, it will surely cause unrest."

"Are they planning to go to East Qian again?" Upon hearing this, Liu Zhangling's face turned cold, "That traitor Pei Xin'an, how dare he indulge his subordinates in poaching from our division! Is he mad, leaving himself no way out?"

"Reporting to Lord Zhangling." The supervisor said with a sweaty face, "Mainly, the letters sent back by those people are too inflammatory and provocative, and the wages offered by East Qian are indeed extremely high, often three to five times ours. There's also a rumor that Pei Xin'an has made a lot of money in East Qian over the years, sending several large sums back to his family."

"Sir, perhaps we should also raise wages and benefits, or else we'll lose all our talent."

Liu Zhangling's face grew darker, sneering: "This is just a ploy by that Wang's Clan in East Qian. They're relying on their connections with Princess of Chunnan and King of the South, having made a fortune through extortion and securing the black armor order."

"Now, with their abundant funds, they're aggressively poaching talent with ruthless tactics. If we follow suit and raise wages, doubling or tripling them, not to mention whether we can bear the cost, even if we can, wouldn't it just benefit those craftsmen?"

"But Lord Zhangling, are we just going to watch the situation worsen?" The supervisor's face was filled with worry.

"The reason they dare to raise prices is because the gross profit on this batch of black armor is extremely high." Liu Zhangling took a sip of spiritual tea, calming his emotions, "If this black armor order fails, their scheme to arbitrarily raise wages will be exposed."

"And those craftsmen who left the division due to wage issues will surely regret it deeply, begging to return to the division. Haha, I want to see if that arrogant Pei Xin'an will kneel before me for his family's sake, begging for forgiveness."

"Lord Zhangling's plan is brilliant." The supervisor's eyes lit up, unable to resist clapping his hands in excitement, but then he worried, "I participated in the previous inspection of the black armor samples. I must admit, the quality of East Qian's black armor samples is extremely high."

"Of course, those samples are of high quality." Liu Zhangling said calmly, "Otherwise, even if given several guts, His Highness King of the South wouldn't dare entrust such an important order to East Qian."

"But as we both know, samples are just samples. With the first batch of black armor from East Qian arriving, it's the perfect time to strike. First, focus on the quality of the black armor. Any that don't match the sample quality should be marked."

"Second, focus on the quantity of the black armor. East Qian, in their ignorance, promised a ten-year completion period for this order. Producing three hundred thousand sets of black armor in ten years would be tight even for all our division's trial equipment makers. How can that small East Qian Kingdom, with what virtue and capability, produce three hundred thousand sets of high-quality black armor in ten short years?"

"Now, in the fifth year, if they can't deliver even a hundred thousand sets this time, and the quality doesn't meet expectations, I'll immediately report to Princess of Suiyun, asking her to cancel the order and cut losses. At that point, even His Highness King of the South will be in trouble."

"Lord Zhangling is wise." The supervisor breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you hadn't been dealing with this for years because you feared King of the South and had to cooperate reluctantly, but you were waiting for this."

"King of the South is ultimately straightforward, easily deceived by villains." Liu Zhangling sipped his spiritual tea leisurely, "I'm just reminding him not to rush things. Gather a group of trustworthy trial equipment makers and prepare for inspection."

"Yes, Lord Zhangling." The supervisor responded, but then his face showed some difficulty, "Sir, there's another tricky matter that requires your decision."

"What is it?"

"It's about our commission to Hundred Refinements True Monarch to repair the [Heavenly Melody Dao Sword] and [Neon Dress Dao Garment] for Princess of Suiyun. Hundred Refinements True Monarch has been delaying with various excuses, often citing a lack of special materials or severe damage requiring extended time." The supervisor looked troubled, clearly having been worried about this for some time, "We've done our best to cooperate with Hundred Refinements True Monarch as you instructed, but he still continues to obstruct us."

"It's obvious he's still holding a grudge over Pei Xin'an's matter."

"That old man Hundred Refinements has some nerve." Liu Zhangling's face turned serious, "I respected him as a senior and overlooked his antics in minor matters, but repairing Princess of Suiyun's Dao artifacts is of great importance, and he dares to act so arrogantly, utterly ignorant of the gravity!"

"Tell him, there's less than half a year before Princess of Suiyun's rest ends. If he dares to delay her expedition, I'll immediately report to the Immortal Emperor, have him arrested and held accountable!"

"Yes, Lord Zhangling." The supervisor took his leave.

After the people left, Liu Zhangling pondered for a moment, then said, "Someone, prepare the flying carriage. I must personally visit Princess of Suiyun."

For this inspection, it's best to have the Princess herself oversee it, ensuring nothing goes wrong.

---

Meanwhile.

In the suburbs of Han Yue Immortal City.

Here lies a vast and enormous logistics center, where goods from various countries and states undergo inspection and enter the cargo transfer process before entering the Immortal City.

The airport built by Yao's Air Transport is the jewel of this logistics area.

As the largest main city of the Immortal Dynasty, the volume of goods entering and exiting the Immortal City is immense, with a Yun Yao flying boat landing at the airport every one or two days.

"This logistics port..."

Wang Ningxi, visiting the Immortal Dynasty for the first time, was shocked by its sheer scale as he looked down from the sky.

Though Wang's Clan was strong and well-established in the Changning region, it was still far behind the main city of the Immortal Dynasty in all aspects. Especially in terms of scale, the difference was even more pronounced. The scope of Han Yue's main city alone was larger than the entire Longzuo Commandery combined.

This was hardly surprising. The main city of Han Yue was home to many noble families and clans, with some royal residences and first-class families having main residences that rivaled the entire Changning Garrison in size.

If the main city weren't large enough, how could it accommodate so many large and small families and the vast system of the Immortal Court?

This is the Immortal City~

The eight-year-old little Lolita Wang Jidie leaned against the glazed window, her eyes shining with excitement as she looked at the vast, majestic city that stretched beyond sight: "What a sight, what a sight~~ This is much bigger than our capital, Guilong City."

For a moment, the tediousness of traveling and doing homework along the way vanished.

"Your Highness." Yao Chengchao chimed in, "Of course, if Han Yue Immortal City is compared to a giant dragon, then Guilong City is just a small snake."

"Hmph!" Wang Jidie glared at him fiercely, full of pride, "You're the small snake, your whole family is small snakes. Our Guilong City just hasn't had enough time to develop. With my great-grandfather and Ancestor Grandfather working together, we'll eventually build a city grander than Han Yue Immortal City."

No matter how bad one's hometown is, only oneself can criticize it. As a princess of the Great Qian, how could Wang Jidie tolerate others' criticism?

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is right." Yao Chengchao realized his slip and quickly tried to make amends, "Once we arrive in the Immortal City, I'll treat you to a meal at the [Lici Three-Star] restaurant."

"Lici Three-Star?" Wang Jidie looked puzzled, "What kind of restaurant is that?"

"Your Highness may not know." Yao Chengchao eagerly explained, "That's a restaurant Miss Lici of Wang's Clan rated during her travels in the Immortal Dynasty. Based on quality, taste, and service, she rated excellent restaurants she visited, with the lowest being one star and the highest three stars."

"Even the lowest [Lici One-Star] restaurant is very good and worth trying. As for Lici Three-Star, there are only eight in the entire Immortal Dynasty, with three located in Han Yue Immortal City."

"So it's a restaurant Ancestor Lici dined at." Wang Jidie became interested, "Though I've never met Ancestor Lici, I've heard she's very particular about food. I should try it, and if it's good, I'll forgive you."

"Rest assured, Your Highness, the Lici Star-rated restaurants are famous for their precision and fairness." Yao Chengchao said, "Miss Lici is now a well-known figure, having apprenticed under the renowned Yuan Yuan True Monarch of the Immortal Palace. Those restaurants were personally tasted by True Monarch Yuan Yuan, who praised Miss Lici as the [Immortal Dynasty's Best Palate]."

"So my Ancestor Lici is that amazing." Wang Jidie excitedly grabbed the little green dragon ancestor, "Little Green, Little Green, after we meet my brother, let's visit Ancestor Lici at the Immortal Palace."

The little green dragon ancestor, who had been listlessly doing homework, was startled into full alertness.

Your Highness, you must be joking, right? I don't want to meet that Great Demon King Wang Lici!

That one eats everything when hungry, too terrifying~!

"Alright, alright." Wang Ningxi gave her a playful flick on the forehead, "Stop thinking about restaurants and food all the time. While the Yun Yao flying boat hasn't landed yet, and we'll have to move cargo once it does, use this time to finish these test papers and consolidate the knowledge you've worked hard to learn."

"Ah! Forty-seventh Uncle, just kill me~" Princess Huari Wang Jidie's big eyes welled up with tears.

On this journey to the Immortal Dynasty, she hadn't even properly admired the scenery a few times. Every day she woke up to study and make up for classes, and when she closed her eyes, her mind was still filled with test papers.

This life was even more miserable than being in the Clan School.

At least there, she could skip classes or threaten a good classmate to let her copy homework. But on the Yun Yao flying boat, with such a small space, there was nowhere to hide.

"I wouldn't dare harm our little Princess Huari." Wang Ningxi tempted, "If you pass these test papers and correct them, I'll give you a three-day break to enjoy the Immortal City. Otherwise, you'll stay in the hotel and keep working!"

Her fate too tragic, Wang Jidie began her merciless test paper life with tears in her eyes.

"And you, little green dragon. Are you proud to be an uneducated dragon? These test papers are for you, designed specifically for your weak points." Wang Ningxi had experience tutoring Wang Lixian and Wang Lici, so he was well-versed in tutoring.

"Awooo~"

The little green dragon ancestor also shed tears of deep regret.

He and Princess Huari had gone through so much to escape, only to end up in hell mode.

Wuwuwu~ He missed the Clan School! He missed those kind and gentle Clan School teachers.

---

As the Yun Yao flying boat gradually descended.

At the same time.

Immortal Armament Division.

Hundred Refinements Hall.

Nominally under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Armament Division, Hundred Refinements Hall held an extraordinary status within the division. The reason being its owner, Hundred Refinements True Monarch, a grandmaster of trial equipment making in the Lingxu Realm.

As one of the rare grandmasters of trial equipment making, and a Lingxu Realm expert, Hundred Refinements True Monarch naturally had the capital to be capricious.

As the work area of a grandmaster of trial equipment making, Hundred Refinements Hall housed the most complete set of trial equipment tools in the entire Immortal Dynasty. The shelves along the walls displayed numerous precious trial equipment materials, including rare eleventh and twelfth-tier fierce beast materials and seventh and eighth-grade spiritual materials, all neatly stored, dazzling to the eye.

At this moment, in the most top-tier trial equipment workshop of the Immortal Dynasty, the white-haired yet robust Hundred Refinements True Monarch was waving his hand to shoo his disciples away: "Get out! I won't see anyone! Those two broken Dao artifacts can be repaired by whoever wants to."

"Master~" One middle-aged disciple clung to the door, pleading, "Those are the Dao artifacts of Her Highness the Princess. Liu Zhangling said if you can't repair them in time, you'll be dealt with under military law."

"Bah!" Hundred Refinements True Monarch's face was full of anger and disdain, "Who does that Liu think he is, daring to put on airs in front of this True Monarch? Isn't he just relying on the Princess's backing to act so arrogantly?"

"You useless lot, easily intimidated, you're not even as good as that dog Pei Xin'an! At least that dog has a backbone, refusing to bow to that Liu even when exiled to the frontier, not disgracing me too much."

Before this, Hundred Refinements True Monarch didn't particularly think highly of Pei Xin'an, often berating him. But he was still his disciple, and being bullied by Liu Zhangling like that, how could he, as the master, let it go?

So, over the years, he often found ways to make things difficult for Liu Zhangling.

"Master~" Two disciples' faces changed, "But we ultimately belong to the Immortal Armament Division as trial equipment makers. We can ignore Liu Zhangling's face, but you can't disregard Her Highness the Princess, can you?""Princess, so what if she's a princess?" Hundred Refinements True Monarch said defiantly, "Does she think she can file a complaint to His Majesty just because I won't give her a cultivation tool? Hmph, I'm called Hundred Refinements True Monarch, not Hundred Coward True Monarch."

The disciples were helpless against their master's stubbornness.

How could they persuade him? If the Princess really held a grudge, even though their master was the Void True Lord, it wouldn't be a small problem.

"Enough, enough, you spineless lot, get out of Hundred Refinements Hall," Hundred Refinements True Monarch said impatiently, waving them away. "If that Suiyun girl really has any tricks, let her come at me directly."

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking.

A gentle yet firm female voice came from the sky outside Hundred Refinements Hall: "Senior Hundred Refinements, what exactly did Suiyun do to offend you, to make you so angry?"

"P-Princess."

The disciples of Hundred Refinements True Monarch were so frightened their legs went weak.

Even Hundred Refinements True Monarch himself was momentarily stunned, his face full of shock.

He hadn't expected the Princess of Suiyun to actually come knocking on his door.

He quickly wiped away his angry expression, replacing it with a friendly and amiable smile, and hurriedly went out to greet her: "Your Highness, the Princess, I apologize for not welcoming you from afar. Please forgive me."

The speed of his change in demeanor was faster than the speed of his hammer during refining.

The disciples were all dumbfounded.

Master, is this what you call having a backbone?

...