I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 679 That Li Chen will definitely give me some face! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Ivan was truly enraged and wanted to transfer all the elite troops guarding the Holy Capital, and even the dynasty's last trump card, to besiege the Witch Ancestor!
This is practically a desperate gamble, a gamble that will drain the entire wealth of the Great Luo Dynasty!

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! You absolutely mustn't!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This action is tantamount to destroying our own homeland!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! The Southern Heavenly Strategy Army and the internal rebels are eyeing us covetously. If the capital is left vulnerable, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The courtiers were terrified and fell to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly as they pleaded with the officials to stop them.

"Get out! All of you, get out of my way! Anyone who dares to try to persuade me will be executed on the spot!" Ivan had completely lost his mind and kicked the nearest kneeling old minister away.

The old minister screamed in agony, coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, the other ministers fell silent, and none dared to step forward.

Ivan knew perfectly well that if he truly followed the instructions in the document and knelt before the ancestral witch, he might be able to temporarily gain the other party's support and resolve the immediate crisis.

But if he did that, his imperial authority would be completely destroyed, and wouldn't he become a dog under the feet of the shaman?

He would rather perish with the nation than suffer such a humiliating disgrace!
Seeing that they could not persuade the enraged emperor, the courtiers were extremely anxious and had no choice but to secretly go and invite the Empress Dowager, who lived deep in the inner palace.

The Empress Dowager knew her son's stubborn nature all too well; once he made a decision, nothing could sway him. But given the current situation, if Ivan were allowed to act recklessly, the Great Luo Dynasty might truly perish!
After much deliberation, she concluded that perhaps only one person in the entire world could calm Ivan down.

That was Ivan's grandfather, the pillar of the Great Luo Dynasty, a legendary expert who had been in seclusion in the Imperial Mausoleum Secret Realm, striving to reach a higher realm, and an ancestor who had long since retired from worldly affairs!

Outside the forbidden area of ​​the royal family of the Great Luo Dynasty, dozens of core ministers, led by the prime minister, knelt on the ground in plain clothes. Before them was a memorial written in blood by hundreds of officials, each word filled with tears and blood, pleading with the reclusive ancestor to come out of seclusion and save the dynasty from collapse.

This matter is of utmost importance, as it has touched upon the very foundation of the dynasty's survival.

The Tian Ce Dynasty in the south has made it clear that it has no intention of ceasing hostilities or seeking peace. It is determined to take down the tough nut of Da Luo. Even though progress is slow, it is constantly encroaching on the territory. This has become a situation of no return.

The internal Sergei rebels, under the banner of "purging the emperor's corrupt advisors and saving the country from crisis," have been manipulating public opinion and are gaining a fierce momentum.

What puzzled and disheartened the court officials most was that the Tian Ce army seemed to have formed some kind of unspoken understanding with Sergei.

The main force consistently avoided the areas where Sergei operated, focusing instead on attacking other lines of the empire's defenses, which allowed Sergei to grow so rampantly.

If it weren't for the fact that Sergei's background was clear and that he had no connection with Tian Ce, almost everyone would suspect that the two were secretly colluding!

The fluctuations deep within the forbidden area finally alerted the ancient being who had been sleeping.

It concerns the continuation of the nation's destiny, and he can no longer remain uninvolved.

A few days later, an old man dressed in simple linen clothes, with white hair and beard but a ruddy complexion and eyes as deep as the starry sky, quietly appeared in Ivan's study.

He was the pillar of the Great Luo Dynasty, Ivan's grandfather, and the ancestor named Romanov. His aura was restrained, yet he gave people a feeling of unfathomable depth, like the vast starry sky.

“Ivan,” Romanov’s voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, “I know about the commotion outside. Tell me, what are your thoughts now?”

Although he was the ancestor and a former emperor, he did not wish to interfere too much now that he had passed the throne down.

The main purpose of this trip out of the pass was to calm Ivan down, who was blinded by anger, and prevent him from doing something foolish that would destroy everything.

Facing the ancestor, Ivan dared not be presumptuous. He forcibly suppressed his anger and revealed the humiliating document from the ancestor and his intention to launch a full-scale attack.

After listening quietly for a long time, Ancestor Alexander slowly spoke: "I understand your anger. That shaman's words were indeed arrogant and his intentions were despicable. This person has the power to summon the shamans of the North and his own strength is unfathomable. Given time, he will surely become a major threat to our royal family and must be eliminated."

He then changed the subject: "However, the timing is not right. Sergei's rebellion has already gained momentum. He has no way to turn back now and will never surrender just because you stop attacking Wuzu. In the current situation, we are hampered by three forces. Our dynasty is dealing with Tian Ce, the rebels, and Wuzu at the same time. We have no chance of winning."

Ivan asked anxiously, "Ancestor, what should we do? Are we just going to let that witch ancestor humiliate me and my family?"

Ancestor Alexander's gaze was profound: "The most urgent task is to break this stalemate. If the Tian Ce, the rebels, and the Witch Ancestor can stabilize one side and concentrate their forces to deal with the other two, then there will be a turning point."
Sergei couldn't dissuade them. The Witch Ancestor hadn't truly made a move yet, and his strength was unknown; it wasn't wise to provoke him. The only one who might be able to temporarily stabilize the situation, or even find a moment to catch their breath, was actually the seemingly least likely candidate: Tian Ce.

"Tian Ce?" Ivan was taken aback, then smiled bitterly. "Ancestor, Tian Ce's wolfish ambitions are obvious. Why should they stop fighting with us? Li Chen would be happy if we were in more chaos!"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Alexander the Elder's eyes: "With my old face, I'll personally go to the capital of Tian Ce! I've met the former Emperor of Tian Ce a few times, so I'm sure the current Emperor, Li Chen, will give me some face."

Even if we cannot force them to retreat, if we can secure a period of truce so that our dynasty can concentrate its forces to quell the internal rebellion before pursuing the northern frontier, that would be a victory.”

Although Ivan was unwilling, he knew that this was the most rational choice at present, so he could only nod dejectedly: "Alright, everything is up to the Ancestor to decide. It's just that the Ancestor has to go through this."

Romanov waved his hand: "For the sake of the family's empire, this little bit of trouble is nothing. You just stay in the Holy Capital and stabilize the situation. As for the Witch Ancestor, be patient for now. We'll discuss everything after I return from Tian Ce."

The two men, ruler and minister, grandfather and grandson, were plotting here, but they never imagined that the Northern Witch Ancestor, whom they regarded as a major threat and needed to be treated with caution, and the Emperor Tian Ce, whom they hated to the bone and wanted to get rid of as soon as possible, were actually the same person, Li Chen!
At the same time, the news that the Witch Ancestor had completely fallen out with the Great Luo Royal Family spread like wildfire.

The first to keenly grasp this enormous opportunity was the rebel leader Sergei!
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend! And such a powerful friend at that!" Sergei paced excitedly in his command tent. "That fool Ivan actually pushed away such a powerful ally as the Witch Ancestor. It's like the heavens are helping us!"

His advisor suggested, "General, should we immediately send an envoy with generous gifts to the north to befriend the Witch Ancestor?"

Sergei's eyes gleamed with ambition as he resolutely declared, "No! For such a momentous matter, an envoy of insufficient stature would make us appear insincere! I, the commander, will go personally! To achieve imperial power, we must obtain the support of the Witch Ancestor! What do a little face matter?"

Unlike Ivan, who viewed kneeling as a great disgrace, the ambitious Sergei saw bowing to the strong as a necessary investment and means to gain sufficient benefits.

After a long and arduous journey, Sergei, carrying carefully selected precious gifts, finally arrived at the core sacred site of the Northern Ancestor.

He was extremely respectful, announcing and waiting with the highest courtesy, without the slightest impatience.

When he was allowed to enter the magnificent ancestral temple and saw the figure seated high on the throne of stars, he knelt down without hesitation, as if overturning a mountain of gold and a jade pillar, his voice loud and devout:
"Junior Sergei, having long admired the divine might of the Ancestor Witch, has come to pay my respects! May the Ancestor Witch..."

(End of this chapter)