Come On, Son! You Got to Breakthrough Now!

When Nangong Zhu's news came again, Nangong Chuan sighed quietly, but his heart was inexplicably relieved.

Regarding this outcome.

Nangong Chuan was not surprised.

After all, in his view, the Taixuan Dynasty no longer had the qualification to fight the Divine Martial Dynasty to the end.

If they really fought to the end, then the only thing awaiting the Taixuan Dynasty would be destruction.

Even if they surrendered now, the Taixuan Dynasty would still be destroyed, but at least the Nangong Clan's bloodline inheritance could be preserved.

The next day.

Nangong Chuan returned to the Imperial Palace.

This time.

Upon seeing Gu Yang, he directly got straight to the point.

"The Emperor has sent a message, the Taixuan Dynasty will submit, but the Divine Martial Dynasty must not harm the Nangong Clan, and must ensure the inheritance of the Nangong Clan. If Emperor Gu can promise this, then the Taixuan Dynasty can surrender!"

"No problem!"

Gu Yang nodded immediately.

"The Nangong Clan can be ennobled as a King of a different surname, receiving the court's stipend but without military power. As long as the Nangong Clan does not rebel or threaten the foundation of the Divine Martial, I can ensure the Nangong Clan's eternal existence!"

With these words.

Gu Yang personally drafted a Holy Decree, solemnly stamped it with the Emperor Seal, and handed it to Nangong Chuan.

"With the Holy Decree as proof, once the South Star State comes under the control of the Divine Martial Dynasty, I will grant the Nangong Clan a fief!"

"Thank you, Emperor Gu!"

Hearing this, Nangong Chuan finally showed a relieved smile. He then accepted the Holy Decree with both hands, carefully looked at the contents, and the heavy stone in his heart settled down.

With this Holy Decree.

It is equivalent to a death exemption card for the Nangong Clan.

As long as the Nangong Clan does not rebel, the Divine Martial Dynasty cannot annihilate the Nangong Clan.

Moreover, being ennobled as a King of a different surname, and having their own fief, though they cannot control military power, it still ensures the extraordinary status of the Nangong Clan.

Of course.

Compared to being a ruler of a dynasty, a mere King of a different surname cannot be compared.

But in any case.

This outcome is still good.

If the Taixuan Dynasty were to be defeated in battle, they wouldn't possibly receive such treatment.

Not to mention being a King of a different surname, surviving would be a question.

Therefore.

Nangong Chuan readily agreed, then took the Holy Decree and left the Ancestor State. After several days, he returned to the South Star State and relayed Gu Yang's words exactly as they were, while also handing the Holy Decree to Nangong Zhu.

The latter, looking at the Holy Decree in his hands, also breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"King Chuan has worked hard for this!"

"The Emperor overpraises, it was all for the Nangong Clan!"

Nangong Chuan shook his head slightly.

Nangong Zhu gave a wry smile: "From today on, King Chuan need not call me the Emperor; after today, I, Nangong Zhu, am just the patriarch of the Nangong Clan and am no longer the Taixuan Emperor!

To think the Taixuan Dynasty, continuing from ancient times to the present, ultimately breaks in my hands.

Someday, when I enter the Yellow Springs to face the ancestors of the Nangong Clan, I am also culpable!"

"Such is the trend of the world; there has never been an eternal dynasty. Even the mighty Taiyi Divine Dynasty eventually fractured.

Though the Taixuan Dynasty has been passed down from ancient times, it must also come to an end.

The Emperor has secured a chance for survival for the Nangong Clan, allowing its bloodline to continue. I believe the ancestors in the underworld of the Nangong Clan will feel comforted!"

Nangong Chuan spoke in consolation, and his words made Nangong Zhu's face look much better.

...

The next day.

Nangong Zhu held a court assembly and directly announced the surrender of the Taixuan Dynasty.

Upon hearing this news.

The entire South Star State was in shock.

Many forces never expected the Taixuan Dynasty to surrender so straightforwardly.

After all, this dynasty has a heritage of millions of years, and the war between the two dynasties has only erupted for merely a year or two now.

Originally, everyone thought that the two forces would have to battle for at least ten years or more to gradually determine the victor.

Yet unexpectedly.

The Taixuan Dynasty surrendered so quickly.

By the time the news spread, Nangong Zhu, representing the Taixuan Dynasty, had already personally gone to the Ancestor State to meet with Gu Yang.

In the presence of all the ministers, Gu Yang officially ennobled Nangong Zhu as the Southern King and granted a portion of One Prefecture in the South Star State as the Nangong Clan's fief.

To this end.

Nangong Zhu bowed and thanked.

And with Nangong Zhu's submission, the Qi Fortune of the Taixuan Dynasty instantly fragmented, with a large amount of it surging towards the Divine Martial Dynasty like a torrent, causing the Divine Martial Dynasty's Qi Fortune to grow gradually, and the initial shape of the Tenth Grade Green Lotus was becoming increasingly evident.

The remaining small portion of Qi Fortune directly dissipated into the world.

Regarding this situation.

Gu Yang was not surprised.

Even if a power submits and surrenders, it is impossible to completely absorb all the Qi Fortune; ultimately, some will dissipate.

Especially for an ancient dynasty like the Taixuan Dynasty, it is even more so.

Essentially.

The Taixuan Dynasty's territory was too vast.

Even if the latter submits, not all the Qi Fortune can belong to the Divine Martial. However, even so, most of the Qi Fortune being absorbed by the Divine Martial Dynasty still saved the Divine Martial Dynasty a lot of time.

"It truly is an ancient dynasty; even when facing a major crisis and with its strength considerably reduced, the Qi Fortune it contains is comparable to more than half of the Divine Martial Dynasty's!"

"If it were the Taixuan Dynasty at its peak, its Qi Fortune would definitely not be inferior to the current Divine Martial Dynasty!"

Gu Yang, sensing the changes in Qi Fortune, was secretly astonished at the Taixuan Dynasty's heritage.

It's important to know.

The Divine Martial Dynasty previously controlled the territories of several states, with its domain being several times larger than the Taixuan Dynasty.

But even so.

The heritage of the Taixuan Dynasty at its peak was not inferior to that of the Divine Martial Dynasty.

It shows that.

The strength of a dynasty's Qi Fortune is not solely based on the size of its domain but also on the accumulation of its heritage.

However.

Now these things all belong to the Divine Martial Dynasty.

Following that.

Gu Yang sent people to take over the entire South Star State, replacing all the officials originally affiliated with the Taixuan Dynasty with his own.

This action.

Was inevitable.

After all, these officials served the Taixuan Dynasty, and even though the latter has already surrendered, there could still be some hidden dangers. Gu Yang's task was to eliminate all these hidden dangers to prevent future problems.

But by doing so.

A clear disadvantage also emerged.

That is, the lack of talent.

Yes!

The lack of talent!

The Divine Martial Dynasty expanded too quickly, and even though Gu Yang heavily recruited talent, spreading them out still left a huge gap.

To address this.

Gu Yang decided to hold imperial examinations, selecting talents from the various states.

This imperial examination proceeded swiftly and also concluded quickly; within just three months, the examination across six states selected ten thousand talents for Gu Yang.

Gu Yang personally met with them, then selected them one by one, distributing them among the six states.

However.

The primary place these people were dispatched to was the South Star State.

After all, the South Star State had just fallen under the control of the Divine Martial Dynasty and was in a state of rebuilding; injecting ten thousand talents would be enough to keep the entire South Star State operational.

Six months later.

The entire South Star State had fully come under the control of the Divine Martial Dynasty.

In the meantime, Gu Yang could clearly sense that the entire Divine Martial Dynasty's Qi Fortune was gradually increasing. Compared to half a year ago when the Taixuan Dynasty had just surrendered, the growth was noticeable.

"Now it's up to Cloud Sea State and North Star State!"

"As long as the two states come under the control of the Divine Martial Dynasty, I believe that even if it doesn't achieve the Tenth Grade Green Lotus, it won't be far off!"

Gu Yang thought to himself about the situation.

As it stands now, taking over the two states won't take too long.

Because with the fall of the South Star State, the power of the Divine Martial Dynasty has grown significantly, and even the officials that were once under the Taixuan Dynasty are now under the command of the Divine Martial Dynasty.

With this development, the strength of the Divine Martial Dynasty has greatly increased.

As it stands, for the two states, it is inevitable that they won't be able to withstand such pressure for long.

In Gu Yang's view, in three to five years at most, one to two years at the least, the two states are bound to fall.