Chapter 549: Golden Scale, Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act

The Imperial Army suffered a crushing defeat in a single day, with only the battered remnants of its forces managing to escape. The Imperial Court’s reprimand arrived almost immediately.

Wu Rui was stripped of his post and placed under investigation. He was replaced by a new Commander-in-Chief, and several veteran generals were also implicated and forced to return, replaced by newcomers.

Among them, naturally, was An Qian, who had long wished to retire anyway.

After that, just when it seemed there might be a turning point, the Divine Martial Association’s rebel army acted with frenzied madness, attacking like rabid dogs without any regard for the lives of their own people.

In the end, those who weren’t killed were taken captive.

This time, the Divine Martial Association’s name finally shook the world, drawing everyone’s attention.

The Divine Martial Association rode this momentum to continuously expand its power, swelling at an incredible speed to occupy the entire northwestern territory of the Jade Dragon Dynasty.

Subsequently, interested parties began to intensify their investigations into the Divine Martial Association’s internal affairs, and what they found left them utterly dumbfounded.

‘With so much internal strife, both open and secret, how did you maintain your balance and still manage to grow???’

Upon further investigation, all the factions attributed the success to that mysterious and unfathomable leader of the Divine Martial Association. Although he never appeared in person, he was able to precisely maintain the balance within the organization.

Consequently, the various powers’ apprehension toward the Divine Martial Association grew even stronger.

This led to a barrage of schemes, conspiracies, and public opinion campaigns aimed at dismantling the entire Divine Martial Association.

After all, the Divine Martial Association had expanded so rapidly that it hadn’t fully consolidated its control over the northwestern territories, leaving openings to be exploited.

However, these tactics had little effect and did not impact the Divine Martial Association’s fundamental power base.

Some had also tried to investigate the leader of the Divine Martial Association, but they still came up empty. The man was too elusive, coming and going without a trace.

The reason for this was that Qi Suian was breaking through to the Fourth Realm.

“The Fourth Realm, Golden Scale. Its Divine Technique is called ‘Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act.'” A smile appeared on Qi Suian’s face.

The realm’s name came from the verse: “A golden-scaled fish is no mere pond-dweller; when it meets the wind and clouds, it undergoes Dragon Transformation.”

The Divine Technique’s name was also true to its meaning, a metaphor for when something is in its early stages of development. Though its momentum is good, it is still relatively weak, and therefore one should be cautious and not act rashly.

This was a perfect fit for his current situation. Once the three great Lineages became aware of his existence, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, the Divine Technique ‘Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act’ wasn’t for concealment or protection. Rather, it was a state of biding one’s time to build power, preparing for a single, shocking reveal.

Qi Suian’s originally high-profile aura reverted to an ordinary appearance.

This stage, a state of accumulation, granted him even greater explosive power.

At the same time, his prestige and reputation underwent another transformation, completely turning into a power known as the Grand Momentum.

If he were to exit this state of accumulation, drawing upon the power of his Grand Momentum on his own home turf, Qi Suian could even forcibly kill a Fifth Realm master from one of the Lineages.

It was equivalent to gaining the blessings of opportune timing and favorable terrain.

‘Then the Fifth Realm must be about completing the final element: human harmony.’

‘In the end, I still need to let the Divine Martial Association continue to grow.’

‘Reaping the rewards without doing the work is certainly comfortable.’

‘However, the people under me seem to be getting more and more restless. The expansion of our power has likely given them ambitions they shouldn’t have.’

‘If this continues, I’ll probably be forced to “die of a sudden illness” or “accidentally drown.”‘

After the Divine Martial Association’s power grew immense, the various ambitious individuals with their own agendas naturally began to see Qi Suian as an eyesore.

If he wasn’t dealt with soon, they worried that at this rate, they would be forced to place the imperial yellow robe on Qi Suian.

The Grand Momentum, formed from the checks and balances of all the different factions, was far beyond what they could resist.

They themselves were a part of that Grand Momentum; how could they possibly resist it?

“Leader, it is time for your coronation ceremony to begin,” Hu Shichan said from outside the door.

Qi Suian opened the door and walked out, saying coolly, “Let’s go.”

Hu Shichan looked at Qi Suian with a strange expression. ‘Why isn’t his oppressive aura as strong today as it usually is? Could something have happened to him?’

But he didn’t dare to ask, and could only follow behind Qi Suian to the ceremony.

The ceremony was not complicated, and the process was simplified, so it was over quickly.

What was truly important was proclaiming it to the world, spreading the news so everyone would know that from this day forward, the Divine Martial Association would be renamed the Xiliang Kingdom, and Qi Suian would be the King of Xiliang.

Initially, Qi Suian had planned to call it the Dashun Kingdom and style himself the King of the Western Regions, but this was rejected.

He was speechless about this. ‘The Xiliang Kingdom doesn’t sound nearly as good as my Dashun Kingdom. At least my name evoked good fortune.’

It was only because he didn’t care much about names and valued substance more that he didn’t dwell on it.

As for the argument that he should be keeping a low profile to match his Fourth Realm’s “Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act” technique, instead of attracting attention by declaring himself king… he certainly wanted to, but in reality, it was simply impossible.

Crushing the Court’s forces and occupying the northwest—these two achievements made it impossible for him to keep a low profile. On the contrary, declaring himself king would make the Grand Momentum surrounding him even more cohesive, allowing it to exert even greater power.

Besides, with “Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act,” his concealing effect was restored. As long as a Sixth Realm National Hero, Bodhisattva, or Celestial Master didn’t personally arrive, and as long as he didn’t leave his own territory, no one could detect anything unusual about him.

This made his future development heavily dependent on the size of his territory.

It was powerful, but the limitations were also significant.

Qi Suian estimated that he would have to wait until the Fifth Realm to alleviate these limitations. To remove them completely, he would likely need to reach the final Seventh Realm.

That was still a long way off. According to his calculations, the prerequisite for reaching the Seventh Realm was to overthrow the Jade Dragon Dynasty and unite the world.

This was all based on the assumption that his current path of progression continued. If any unexpected changes occurred, the conditions for breaking through would certainly change as well.

If nothing changed, the subsequent Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Realms would definitely require the gradual conquest of the world.

After the coronation ceremony, Qi Suian took advantage of the large gathering to put his subordinates in their place and ensure they would work for him diligently.

At the same time, he also needed to lay out the next strategic plan.

Now that they had occupied the northwest, they certainly wouldn’t stop there; they would continue to expand.

His endeavor now involved Qi Suian’s invasion of the Daoist World, so there was no way he would give up.

After stepping into the Fourth Realm, Golden Scale, and with the cover of his “survivor incarnation,” Qi Suian’s actions could become even more aggressive. He could even engage in a degree of direct intervention.

The extent of this intervention still wouldn’t be large, but for the “survivor incarnation,” it was already a massive help.

For example, he could drop a meteor from the sky and pretend to be his own Great Mage or something similar.

When surrounded by powerful enemies, this would look like a sign of destiny, especially since the meteor would have the effect of an instant kill.

And the higher his realm, the larger his territory, and the more profound his Grand Momentum became, the more Qi Suian could interfere.

Once he became the Taoist Lord of the Seventh Realm, it would be as if the Daoist World’s most valued aide was none other than Qi Suian, the invader. When he finally made his move and launched a sneak attack, it would surely catch them completely off guard.

He could even change his original plan of waiting until he had fully consolidated his power before making a move.

“Everyone, you all hold high positions now. However, the Jade Dragon Dynasty has not yet been overthrown, and the Xiliang Kingdom has only just been established.”

“Therefore…” As Qi Suian spoke, the Grand Momentum from his body began to radiate outward slowly.

Everyone in the meeting felt their hearts clench. This imposing presence was even heavier than before.

Hu Shichan, in particular, no longer had a shred of doubt in his heart.

In the meeting, every single one of them was submissive, showing none of the arrogance they displayed outside.

Outside, this group of men were all bosses in their own right. But here in the Xiliang Kingdom, all these bosses had to call Qi Suian “Boss.”

But being the boss of bosses wasn’t so easy. One wrong move and you could end up dead.

After all, you’d be getting in the big boss’s way.

“Hu Shichan, I want you to take the southwest within one month.”

“Jiang Peng, you are in charge of…”

“Are you confident?” Qi Suian asked bluntly. “During this time, you all have my permission to act as you see fit.”

One by one, Qi Suian announced personnel assignments and strategic plans.

Everyone was secretly delighted. They naturally wanted to continue expanding outward, as this was the way to increase their own power and influence.

Moreover, Qi Suian had generously granted them the authority to act as they saw fit, which meant that whatever they did in the process would be considered within their purview.

As long as they could accomplish the goals Qi Suian set, he wouldn’t refuse their requests for money or provisions.

Of course, acquiring these resources would require internal and external factional strife and exchanges of benefits. Qi Suian would approve the requests, but when the people below would actually deliver depended on their own efforts.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” came the chorus of replies.

Naturally, none of them had any reason to refuse.

—————–

High above the firmament, a powerful being with lowered eyelids slowly opened his eyes.

This was the immortal, the Taoist Lord of the Daoist Family. Upon opening his eyes, he spoke: “The Great Dao calculates forty-nine, but the one that escaped has reappeared.”

“The power of the Celestial Dao is not for us to fathom. But since that one escaped, it should not have returned.” Another powerful being with a scholarly aura also spoke. He was the Saint, the lord of the Confucian Lineage.

Besides the immortal and the Saint, the Buddha was naturally here as well.

The gazes of the three powerful Lineage Lords swept out, but they saw nothing.

‘Sheltered by the Celestial Dao?’ the Buddha wondered. ‘Strange, when was this done?’ Even the “escaped one” should have nowhere to hide from their sight.

But this time, they saw nothing at all.

“The Celestial Dao is unpredictable; it has its own laws,” the immortal said, retracting his gaze. “The contest between our Lineages can wait.”

“First, we eliminate this ‘one,’ then we can settle our own scores.”

The Saint nodded in agreement. “This person is most likely among those rebel armies who have raised their flags. By changing the dynasty, they can erase the influence of our Lineages.”

“In that case, the newly crowned Sovereign of Xiliang is the most suspicious.”

“Then let us first arrange for someone to probe him. If it is truly him, he must be eliminated.” The Buddha naturally had no objections, endorsing the Saint’s words.

But just as he finished speaking, the expressions of all three changed slightly. Turmoil was sweeping across the world, making the situation even harder for them to read.

“Grand Momentum… a Grand Momentum,” the Saint said, his tone filled with surprise.

They knew, of course, that their own Lineages were formed from a “lesser momentum,” and they had entertained the idea of transforming it into a Grand Momentum.

But their Lineages were already established, their foundations set. How could it be so easy to change?

“It seems it is not the Sovereign of Xiliang, after all,” the immortal said with a smile.

This change in the Grand Momentum was a classic case of a clumsy cover-up, meant to make them misjudge.