If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1314 You think you're qualified to compete with me for land rights?
Master Guan looked enlightened and said, "If we want to integrate with the earth's veins, these twelve golden figures surrounded by the power of the earth's evil spirits are indeed more suitable than the Nine Cauldrons, which are pure in aura and full of fortune."

The late emperor intended to use them as pillars of heaven for the blessed land of the human emperor!

If we could integrate into the land of Kyushu and make the land more stable, what would be the benefits?

The Kyushu region has incredibly rich and deep geological veins, and has almost never experienced any earthquakes or landslides.

Not only is the power of the earth's veins abundant in Kyushu, but also the underground realms of "Emperor-level" and "Heavenly King-level" Netherworld God Palaces can be found everywhere.

These emperors and heavenly kings are the "living nodes" of the earth's veins.

The Divine Palace is a steel skeleton sandwiched in the earth.

Take, for example, Wang E, the young Taoist disciple of Grand Master Yu.

He was merely a "barbarian god" among the southern natives, yet he possessed the title of "King." His Guangfu King's divine realm was built in the Netherworld of Xiangyin, and his divine power radiated over a radius of a thousand miles. Wang E learned of this as soon as Grand Tutor Yu arrived in Xiangyin.

If the force that caused the earthquake at Guaizi Mountain in Western Sichuan were directly applied to Xiangyin, it would not be able to penetrate the earth at all.

Without Wang E even lifting a finger, his Guangfu King Divine Palace absorbed all the impact. Thanks to the palace's inherent strength, it remained completely unharmed.

Xiao Yu said, "The Twelve Divine Fiend Foundations are not only for reinforcing the earth's veins."

Mountains are within the earth's veins, and water veins are also within the earth.

The earth is the foundation.

With the twelve divine spirits' foundation piles driven deep into the land, the difficulty of future earthquakes will be more than ten times higher than before.

The mountains in the earth will also become more solid and powerful.

The watercourses will also be more stable. Blockages in the watercourses caused by land activity and human-induced river diversions will be less likely to occur.

To put it simply, the strengthening of the land by the Twelve Divine Fiends Foundation is like the enhancement of a martial artist's physical essence.

The body is the foundation of all power.

The enhancement of the earth is only the basic function of the Twelve Divine Demons Foundation.

They can also absorb and digest the chaotic energy in the earth veins, and remove impurities and strange forces from the earth veins, thereby purifying the earth veins and water veins.

In this way, earthquakes in China will be greatly reduced.

The number of monsters and evil spirits born from the evil veins of the earth has greatly decreased.

The land of the entire Central Plains will become more fertile, and the rivers, lakes, and seas will become clearer and more vibrant.

There are so many benefits.

Tens of thousands of years from now, these twelve golden figures might very well transform into sacred artifacts of humanity.

Master Guan was both surprised and delighted, but also somewhat puzzled. He said, "At this time, the twelve golden men do not have the various functions that the Grand Tutor mentioned, such as absorbing and digesting the power of chaotic evil."

"Does the Grand Tutor intend to refine them all over again?"

“They definitely need to be reforged. All I need are their materials and the Emperor's power that Ying Zheng left inside,” Xiao Yu said.

After taking the twelve bronze statues out of the underground palace's "foundation," they did not linger and immediately left the underground palace.

The underground palace was left to continue "drifting" in the dark earth veins.

Guan Zhenren carried the Netherworld Lamp to search for the "Heaven and Earth Hook" that he had broken free from when Ying Zheng pulled him in the underground palace.

Grand Tutor Yu did not return to the Imperial Observatory; instead, he took Wang E directly to the Central Plains.

Originally, there were still large tracts of land in the Baiyue region that had not yet been cleared and reconstructed. Xiaoyu should go to the south and meet with Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo, the leaders of the Baiyue army, in order to bring the Baiyue army back under the control of the imperial court.

That was her plan before.

After a month or two of struggling in Xianyang, the situation in the Central Plains had changed drastically, and she needed to go there first to "seize territory."

At this time, China could be roughly divided into six parts: Guanzhong, south of Shandong, north of Shandong, the Huai-Han region, Bashu, and the southern wilderness (including Yuzhang and Fujian).

The places that Grand Tutor Yu visited before were parts of the area south of Shandong, the Huai-Han region, and central Fujian.

To the south of central Fujian lies the Baiyue people, and to the north of Shandong, several prefectures of "Southern Chu" are still missing to complete the area.

The State of Chu was divided into Southern Chu, Western Chu, and Eastern Chu, collectively known as the "Land of the Three Chu." Western Chu, centered around Pengcheng on the Si River, is another place Xiaoyu has already visited. Eastern Chu, encompassing the Wu and Yue regions, was also visited.

The only remaining issue is that the territory of Southern Chu has not yet been fully controlled.

Grand Tutor Yu's current plan is to deal with Southern Chu before the New Year, then return to Xianyang to celebrate the New Year, and after the New Year, deal with "north of Shandong".

"Fortunately, I had the foresight to arrange for Jiang Lü to be the Prince of Nanyang here in advance."

Several days later, the old woman of Qiushan emerged from the ground outside Shangcai City, leaning on her cane with her left hand and leading a mechanical dog transformed from a golden man with her right.

She had already completed the dredging and reconstruction of the earth's veins in Nanyang County, and the process went very smoothly.

Jiang Lü governed Nanyang County very well.

This year, many disasters have struck the Central Plains, but the Nanyang royal territory of Jianglu has enjoyed a bumper harvest unlike any seen in decades.

It's not that Nanyang Prefecture has had such favorable weather this year, far exceeding what it has done in previous decades.

This year's harvest was not the best, but the government's exploitation was the least.

Instead of drawing manpower from the people, the imperial court sent the original laborers back to their hometowns.

In response to the "Central Government's call," Prince Jianglu of Nanyang personally organized a large-scale production effort. Not only were previously barren fields planted with crops, but millions of acres of new land were also newly reclaimed by the military.

With the people's hearts won over, land rights are naturally acquired easily.

Grand Tutor Yu even traveled all the way to Shangcai before stopping, which was more than 300 li deep into Chen County.

That's right, it's the same Chen County where Chen Sheng had already declared the establishment of the "Zhang Chu Kingdom".

Shangcai is only about 800 li away from Chen County, the capital of Chen Commandery, which was also the capital of Chen Sheng.

She extended her land rights to Chen County, and she clearly felt stagnation and rejection from the land.

Upon arriving in Shangcai County, Grand Tutor Yu came to a complete halt.

At this very moment, Ying Wuji, the second son of Jiang Lü, was leading 5,000 troops to garrison Shangcai, facing off against Chen Sheng's Chu army across the Ru River.

Old Mother Qiushan, leading her mechanical dog, stood on a mound by the Ru River, activated her magic eye, and observed the situation of the Qin army in Shangcai County and the Zhang Chu army on the opposite bank of the river.

Her expression turned somewhat strange. She lightly stomped the ground twice with her hibiscus wood cane and shouted towards the earth, "Is it Senior Li Futu in person?"

"I am currently outside Shangcai City. Since we have met on the Ru River, why don't you come in for a chat, senior?"

She shouted loudly, but even the dark-faced Taoist boy Wang E, who was standing nearby, couldn't hear a single word.

However, the ground beneath their feet rippled outwards like the surface of water as the sound waves were introduced.

The ripples were visible to the naked eye when they were beneath them. As the ripples spread outwards, they became less and less noticeable, eventually disappearing completely.

Old Mother Qiushan called out, then smiled and continued to watch Zhang Chu's army camp, silently calculating in her heart.

After about half an incense stick's time, a beam of yellow light suddenly shot out from the hillside in front of her. When the light dissipated, it revealed a middle-aged Taoist priest holding a whisk.

The Taoist glanced at the robot dog beside Grand Tutor Yu with a surprised look, then said expressionlessly, "Shangcai is already within the territory of Chu. The land of Chu does not welcome Grand Tutor Yu of Qin."

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu smiled and asked, "Senior Li, are you the Grand Preceptor of the Chu Kingdom?"

Li Futu said calmly, "Regardless of whether I am the Grand Preceptor of Chu, I have already cleared all the earth veins and water veins of Chu. You don't need to come over."

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu said, "Senior is not the national teacher of Chu, but only a 'free spirit' who dredges the earth's veins and water veins."

Because you have a psychological burden.

You looked down on Chen Sheng and despised the position of "National Preceptor of Zhang Chu," unwilling to get too involved with him, and thus became tainted by karma and cause and effect.

But with you being so hesitant and indecisive, how can you compete with me, who is completely willing to risk everything, for the right to control the ley lines?

"Forget about controlling the 'Zhang Chu Kingdom's territory,' you've even disrupted the previously harmonious geological structure beneath Chen County, unknowingly incurring great karmic consequences. Your predecessor will soon face retribution."

Li Futu sneered, "You call yourself 'senior' but refer to yourself as 'junior,' which seems polite, but you are actually extremely arrogant and conceited."

"Am I, a dignified Golden Immortal, less knowledgeable about earth veins and water veins than you?"

"It's hard to say." Qiu Shan Xiaoyu shook her head slightly and said, "There is no order of precedence in learning; those who are accomplished come first."

The senior colleague tried to imitate me, but only managed to grasp the superficial aspects!

Li Futu was furious, "Junior, tell me, where did I learn from you? Where is there a problem with the earth veins and water veins I cleared?"

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu laughed and said, "You certainly don't need to learn my techniques, but you can't deny that you want to learn how to dredge the earth's veins and gain control of the land."

Upon hearing this, Li Futu was no longer angry.

Everyone says you're shrewd, but I think you're just a fool. Why would I want to control the land?
What use are land rights to me?
All I need to do is prevent you from gaining control of the land by reconstructing the earth's veins.

"You can't control the land, especially the entire land of China, which is already a victory for me," he mocked.

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu sighed, "Senior, you must know how to observe qi. Why don't you open your spiritual eye and take a look at Zhang Chujun on the other side of the Ru River?"

Li Futu glanced to the side and saw that the army's morale was low and there were signs of defeat. He frowned slightly and said, "Chen Sheng's main force will either head north or east."

The Nanyang Commandery in the west had limited strategic value and was not considered a primary target by the Great Chu.

General Song Liu, on the other side of the Ru River, was merely a subordinate general of Zhang Chu, leading an army of 18,000. Even if he suffered a minor defeat, it would be of little consequence.

The person Grand Tutor Yu should really be concerned about is General Zhou Shi, who is leading the Northern Expedition to Xingyang.

He broke through the Qin army's defenses at the Honggou Canal, entered Wei territory, and declared the restoration of the Wei state in Linji, with King Jiu of Wei already on the throne.

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu smiled slightly, "Half a month ago, I heard that Zhou Shi had captured Linji and was about to rebuild the Wei Kingdom. Why is King Jiu of Wei only ascending the throne today?"

Before Li Futu could answer, she suddenly realized, "Oh, I remember now. Previously, the heroes of the Central Plains formed the 'Anti-Qin Alliance,' and Ningling Jun Wei Jiu, Qi Gongzi Tian Shi, and others were stranded in Chen County."

King Chen Sheng is too hospitable; he won't let them go? Hahaha!

At the beginning of the anti-Qin alliance, the heroes of the Central Plains swore an oath of blood, vowing to help each other and work together to fight against the Qin Dynasty.

When Chen Sheng declared himself king, Wei Jiu and Tian Shi fled to Chen County, requesting that King Chen Sheng send troops to help them restore their kingdom.

Chen Sheng, however, detained them.

Zhou Shi had long ago captured more than a dozen cities of the former Wei Kingdom, and all that was missing was a member of the Wei royal family to take charge and completely restore the Wei Kingdom.

But Chen Sheng was unwilling to release them.

Zhou Shi was his subordinate, and his subordinates had captured more than a dozen cities in Wei, so it should have been his territory!

Are we just going to give it away to our so-called "allies" for nothing?
They were even allowed to become kings, to sit on equal footing with him, and then vie for control of the Central Plains.

Isn't this brain-damaging wind?

Chen Sheng believed that Wei Jiu and Tian Shi should obey the will of Heaven and submit to the true Son of Heaven, the master of the southeastern imperial aura, who was none other than him, the "King of Chu".

Wei Jiu could return to Linji, but not as the King of Wei, but as Chen Sheng's "military marquis".

Wei Jiu was the "Lord Ningling"! Like Lord Xinling, he was a former lord of the Great Wei Kingdom, a true old nobleman.

Was he willing to serve as a "military commander" for the peasant Chen Sheng?
What was he after in rebelling against the Qin Dynasty? If he really wanted to be a military commander, he might as well have been a military commander under the Second Emperor of Qin.

This back-and-forth wrangling went on for over half a month. With Grand Tutor Yu having come to the Central Plains to dredge the earth's veins, Wei Jiu was finally released by Chen Sheng.

Just two days ago, the Great Wei Kingdom had successfully restored itself.

However, before being released, Wei Jiu was forced to agree to two conditions from Chen Sheng: first, to honor Chen Sheng as the leader of the alliance; and second, for Chen Sheng to appoint the prime minister and general of Wei.

At this time, Zhou Shi, one of Chen Sheng's generals, also served as the prime minister of the State of Wei.

“The Wei people traveled back and forth to Chen County five times.” Qiu Shan Xiaoyu raised a hand and waved it. “They came and went five times before Chen Sheng finally released Wei Jiu.”

Hehe, the Tian brothers were so frightened that they scaled the city wall overnight and fled Chen County, returning to Qi. They no longer dared to expect 'King Chen Sheng' to lend a helping hand, hahaha~~~"

Li Futu said calmly, "Now that King Jiu of Wei has returned to the throne and the State of Wei has been restored, the next two will definitely be the States of Qi and Zhao."

Regardless of how tortuous the process may be, it is a fact that the Qin Dynasty is now losing control of the Central Plains.

Faced with such a situation, the Grand Tutor could still laugh; what magnanimity and composure he possessed!

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu suppressed her smile and said, "We've gone too far off topic. Let's just talk about the Chu army on the Ru River now."

They are already showing signs of defeat; does the senior know the reason?

“I said, whether Song Liubu wins or loses is irrelevant to the overall situation,” Li Futu said.

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu sighed, "But I'm not talking to you about the overall situation in the Central Plains! We're talking about the impact of clearing the earth's veins on ourselves."

If Song Liu is defeated, the senior will be in big trouble.

Does the senior know the reason?

Li Futu's expression was indifferent; his eyes held nothing but calmness and confidence.

She glanced at him and said, "Judging from your calm and collected demeanor, you probably really don't know."

If they knew the reason, even someone of their seniority would be filled with worry and anxiety.

Li Futu remained calm and composed, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

She smiled slightly, a hint of mockery appearing in her calm gaze. "Let me remind you, senior."

I was able to acquire land rights because I controlled the ancestral dragon and practiced the 'benevolent way of a stepmother'.

You have also heard some of the 'Zulong stepmother theory' and know that Zulong should be as loving as a stepmother.

Do you understand the specific techniques of the Celestial Masters sect for 'loving one's children'?

Can you comfort and protect the 'children of the earth'?

Li Futu fell into deep thought.

Qiu Shan Xiaoyu said quietly, "Let me give you a simple example. If a disaster occurs somewhere and the sky collapses, a cultivator will rush there immediately to mend the sky."

Even if he fails, he still deserves credit for his hard work and contributions.

If, after the cataclysmic collapse, that cultivator seizes the Heaven-Mending Stone and, disregarding his own limited abilities, forcibly attempts to mend the sky, only to fail, will he still accumulate merit?

Li Futu suddenly had a bad feeling.

"What is the relationship between Song Liu and land rights?" he asked with a serious expression.

—Go ahead and continue to be arrogant and look at me with disdain!

Grand Tutor Yu scoffed inwardly, but immediately explained aloud, "The defeat of Song Liu was an omen!"

He was defeated because his troops were demoralized, and the reason for the demoralization was that problems arose in Chen County.

In short, a hidden dragon is about to die.

When a hidden dragon dies, the dragon vein is destroyed. It's such a simple principle that everyone understands.

But does the senior know that if I were to reconstruct the earth veins, even if the dragon veins were destroyed, not a single trace of the earth's essence would leak out?
Dragon veins are the crystallization of the earth's essence; it is no exaggeration to say they are children of the earth.

To be a good stepmother, protecting these children is a basic requirement.

My predecessor cleared the ley lines of the 'Zhang Chu Kingdom' before I could, and even destroyed the ley lines I had set up in Sishui County and Dang County.

Have you ever considered what consequences would occur if the dragon veins of these places died?

(End of this chapter)