Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 161 My son Wang Cheng possesses the talent of a Rank 1 Deity!
At the juncture of the sky and sea, bathed in the first rays of dawn, the "Mountain and Sea Curse" manifests, resembling a Great Wall over the sea.

The incense-scented Great Wall stretches across the north and south, and even connects every maritime vassal state of the Great Zhao Dynasty through the long-standing tributary system.

The coastline of the East China Sea is completely blocked.

In addition to the twenty-four prefectures within the Great Zhao Kingdom, each vassal state could add a magnificent tower to this cursed Great Wall.

While enhancing its defense, it will also forcibly draw upon a portion of the incense offerings, dragon energy, and even ghost soldiers and generals within its vassal states to replenish its own resources.

On a section of the city wall, Prince Jing, Wang Zeng, clad in silver armor and wielding double maces, sat on his throne, facing the bizarre and wondrous world beyond the walls in the depths of the vast ocean.

His eyes seemed to see through the world, but in reality, they were wandering in a trance, lost in thought.

This is because the second-rank deity of this prince's lineage is temporarily unable to manifest in the human world and cannot do anything.

Last night, the one who truly led the temple's army of ghost soldiers on duty and was responsible for protecting all living beings in the land was another second-rank ghost deity—the chief steward of the Heavenly Princess, [Yan Gong]!
This Dragon King has two horns on his head, is half human and half dragon, and has a dragon-headed sword lying across his knee. He is indeed a majestic and imposing man.

A pair of vertical dragon eyes stared intently at the dark sea in front of him, occasionally unleashing a burst of thunder that blasted out bizarre and enormous corpses of immortal scum from the depths of the sea.

As the sun rose, the sea gradually returned to calm.

Lord Yan turned his head to look at Prince Jing beside him, who had volunteered to help him with the night watch but hadn't been of any help whatsoever, and frowned slightly.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, I've figured it out. You said you wanted to help me, but that's just a pretense. You really have something to say."

You've been waiting for me to keep watch for more than a day, haven't you? Now that today's tasks are done, just say what you need to say.

Wang Zeng felt a little embarrassed by Yan Gong's straightforward speech and subconsciously adopted a very humble posture.

"Ahem, Brother Yan, we've known each other for a long time. We've had many dealings before I took my place. Even the lice spirit, Dragon Tail, served both of our families."

I'll cut to the chase.

Look, you happen to have a daughter, and I happen to have a son.

These two are the only remaining first-generation heirs of our Water God faith lineage.

"A man should marry when he comes of age, and a woman should marry when she comes of age. How about our two families make it a union, strengthening family ties? What do you think?"

Lord Yan, however, showed him no respect whatsoever, and coldly snorted:
"I don't think it's very good?"
My goddess has followers all over the East China Sea and Southeast Asia, and she is very well-informed.

Do you think I don't know that your son didn't listen to you at all, and instead of staying obediently at the brothel in Yuegang where my daughter was stationed, he went back to Yingzhou and walked right into our trap?

Even Ah Xiao couldn't stop him.

Those who are of low rank and little power dare to constantly play tricks and schemes, which is a path to death. One mistake will lead to utter ruin.

Only by defeating the weak with strength, suppressing others with power, killing those below the third rank with the middle third rank, and crushing those above the third rank with the middle third rank, is this kind of killing beyond one's level the righteous path and the act of the strong!
He's taking such a risk; he might die someday, leaving only a trace of his spirit to serve as a divine official for you. Before his lifespan runs out, he'll at most enjoy a carefree hundred years.

"Wouldn't my precious daughter be forced to live a life of widowhood if she married him?"

Although Wang Zeng felt he had misjudged Wang Cheng because of the previous great victory of the "Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls" game, he felt guilty for misunderstanding Wang Cheng and impulsively moved the ancestral temple back to Pinghu Port.

But to be honest, he still had absolutely no confidence in his eldest son's return to Yingzhou.

He had quite a few followers, and after his death, he quickly combined information from both Yingzhou and Dazhao to gradually pinpoint his adopted son, Mao Haifeng.

No one knew better than him just how powerful Mao Haifeng, who had inherited his divine mantle, was, and how utterly despicable his actions were.

Who knew that Wang Cheng would slip away without a word, clearly indicating that he was about to do something big.

So Lao Wang was really anxious.

But before he could manifest his divine power, he had no means to interfere.

After much deliberation, he decided to continue down the old path and quickly find several princesses, concubines, and dozens of mistresses for his troublesome son to have a bunch of children to ensure his safety.

It would be even better if he could find a few powerful fathers-in-law to protect him.

That's why he set his sights on the "Lord Yan" of the Tianfei lineage, and after thinking it over, he decided that his daughter was the most suitable.

At this moment, he was displeased upon hearing what Yan Gong said.

"You think my Cheng'er's life is too short? I don't even mind that your daughter is more than ten generations older than my son."

A woman three years older than her husband is considered lucky; having more luck is never a bad thing.

Besides, although my son died young, he was handsome. He was only eighteen years old, fresh and young. Why don't you ask your daughter? Maybe she's into that kind of guy?

If Lord Yan hadn't lived long enough and possessed sufficient self-control, he would have been so enraged by this shameless old scoundrel that he laughed out loud.

"What use is a handsome man? Can he be eaten?"

How could my daughter be so shallow as to be swayed by your son's mere good looks?

And who was it that said during the New Year: "My son Wang Cheng may not have the talent of a ghost or god, but his filial piety is commendable"?

How could a dragon princess marry a dog's son?
Besides, if my Yunxiao marries into that family, what if your dutiful son also pulls out the "Rooster Crows at Dawn to Return the Soul" incense to 'show filial piety' to me, the old man?
"I'm too old for this."

"This"

Wang Zeng was speechless, his old face flushed slightly, but he still wanted to try again. But then he heard the old dragon continue:
"Oh, right, Ah Xiao's three hot-tempered brothers can't stand this either."

Wang Zeng immediately swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Yan Gong's reasoning was simply irrefutable.

The Duke of Zhou had eight sons, seven of whom were enfeoffed as rulers, and one remained by the emperor's side as a minister. Without them, there would be no such thing as "the Duke of Zhou spitting out his food to welcome guests and the world turning to him."

Perhaps the ending will be the same as that of another famous regent—the emperor, in a fit of rage, opens the coffin and mutilates the corpse. This old dragon's three sons are all incredibly capable fighters, which is the source of his confidence in securing his position as the Grand Eunuch of the Heavenly Consort, making everyone have to speak to him respectfully.

Wang Zeng really had no way to deal with him.

Just when the matchmaking attempt failed and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

clang!clang!clang!
A tremendous bell suddenly rang out in the void above their heads, followed by a violent tremor of the Cursed Great Wall beneath their feet.

The Jingwang Temple, which belonged to Wang Zeng, suddenly shone brightly, and in an instant, its scale was elevated from that of ordinary temples dedicated to other "princes," "princes," and "sea gods" to a higher level.

It has been transformed into a magnificent and imposing palace!

The single-eaved hip roof, only one level lower than the emperor's double-eaved hip roof, is majestic and imposing, with the roof ornaments holding the rising sun and the glazed tiles flowing with a cold, austere light like lapis lazuli.

The glaze forms layers upon layers of wave patterns, as if the waves of the East China Sea are forever locked on the eaves.

Sunlight shone on the golden armchair placed in the main hall, casting a brilliant golden glow, as if another sun was rising in the hall.

This is the genuine system of princes and vassal kings, not some fake system used to fool ghosts and gods in temples.

Along the entire Great Wall of Curses, beams of various colors of divine light lit up, transforming into majestic and awe-inspiring high-ranking ghosts and gods, who looked over in this direction with surprise and uncertainty.

"This is the sixty-fourth vassal state that appeared under the Twenty-Four Rhymes of the Great Zhao Dynasty?"
The sixty-fourth palace, which also serves as the sixty-fourth watchtower, was just built using the nation's destiny.

"How could the palace of this sixty-fourth vassal state be an expansion of Fellow Daoist Wang's temple?"

I've been embedded in this cursed Great Wall as a brick for hundreds of years; such a situation is unheard of.

"Look, everyone, look at Fellow Daoist Wang!"

The temple has changed a lot, but Wang Zeng, who looks completely bewildered, has changed even more.

As the "Heaven-sent throne" of the Prince of Jinghai was solidified under the effect of the talisman, he, the founding emperor of the Donghai Kingdom, naturally received a great reward.

His clothes subtly changed, becoming a crimson dragon robe with a dragon pattern representing a vassal king or ruler, one rank lower than the emperor's dragon robe, and he wore a nine-tasseled green jade bead on his head.

A phantom seal, the "Treasure of the King of Jinghai," also appeared in his hand, representing His divine authority over the East Sea.

From then on, under the rule of the Donghai Kingdom, the monarch belonged to Wang Cheng, and the spirits belonged to Wang Zeng!

"What happened?"

Old Wang stared incredulously at his clothes and the large seal.

Even though they realized what had happened, they couldn't believe it was real.

Last time, when the Nine Dragons Spit Pearls, Wang Cheng and Yan Yunxiao stole a large amount of dragon energy using a [Nine Provinces Order Talisman], and gave Wang Zeng 20% ​​of it.

Not only did it replenish the dragon energy it had absorbed from him, but it also allowed him to make a fortune, significantly advancing the time it would take to manifest his divine power in the mortal realm. At most, he could complete this step in two or three years.

Now that the Donghai Kingdom has gained recognition from the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms," ​​and has truly established an ancestral temple for the state, the time for the Great Ancestor King Zeng to enjoy state sacrifices can be brought forward considerably.

After manifesting his divine power, his strength was far beyond that of ordinary second-rank ghosts and gods.

According to the sacrificial rites, the emperor had seven ancestral temples and the feudal lords had five. Ancestors were moved in and out of the ancestral temples according to their proximity to the current monarch. Ancestors who were too distant would be moved out of the ancestral temple and into smaller ancestral temples.

The more widely known term is "兼祧".

This refers to a special inheritance method in which one son inherits the ancestral rites of two or more branches of the same family, also known as "one son with two lineages" or "one son with two lineages".

As the founding ancestor of the Donghai Kingdom, Wang Zeng enjoyed the privilege of "eternal ancestral worship," meaning he would never be removed from the ancestral temple and would be worshipped as long as the Donghai Kingdom existed.

Thus, he, the Prince of Jinghai, became the first "founding emperor" in Chinese history to be given a royal ship and have his temple upgraded.

Of course, calling him Taizu is somewhat presumptuous, but many vassal states basically call themselves emperors internally and kings to their suzerain states. This dual system is the norm, and nobody cares what they call themselves internally.

If Wang Cheng wished, he could also call himself Emperor Taizong of the Donghai Kingdom after his death.

Wang Zeng quickly understood the cause and effect through the power of people's wishes and realized what great achievements Wang Cheng had made during this period.

Overjoyed, he had long forgotten what he had told his fellow enthusiasts, and never mentioned again the idea of ​​listening to music in brothels or living a life of idleness and waiting to die.

"I take back what I said before, and I'll say it again now."

My son, Wang Cheng, possesses the talent of a god!
"If he can surpass his father in governing the country today, he will surely surpass his father, a mere second-rank official, in the realm of gods tomorrow, hahahaha."

Looking up, I saw ghosts and spirits peeking out from a small temple nearby, and I quickly greeted them:
"Fellow Daoist Jia Shi, how do you know that my son, Wang Quantian, is destined to rebuild the Eastern Sea Kingdom?"

After hearing his explanation, the Stone God realized what had happened.

"Oh? I didn't know, Prince Jing, congratulations!"

Having received the correct response, Wang Zeng beamed with joy and returned the greeting with clasped hands.
"Haha, congratulations to you too."

Then he called out to another ghost:
"Inspector Lin, how did you know my son was him? Yes, yes, congratulations!"

Having witnessed the whole thing, Yan Gong looked at his three silly sons who were peeking around and had no idea what was going on, and suddenly felt a tickle on his belt.

As he silently walked towards the three brothers, he recalled Old Wang's suggestion, and his eyes flickered involuntarily.

"Perhaps. Maybe."

(End of this chapter)