Changsheng: My experience in patrolling the liver

Chapter 605 Abdication, Grandmaster Realm! (Two Chapters Combined)

“It’s time, sir.” Lü Yuchen straightened up, met Song Changming’s gaze, and smiled.

Song Changming's lips twitched, but he finally let out a long sigh, realizing that another old buddy was about to leave.

"We've worked together all these years, and you've never let me down. Thank you for your hard work, sir."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yucheng knew that Song Changming had agreed to his request to abdicate. He immediately straightened his official robes and solemnly knelt down in front of Song Changming.

"I have never felt it was hard work. My life following you, sir, has been incredibly fulfilling!"

"That's good," Song Changming said, helping his old subordinate up and patting him on the shoulder.

"Go back and get some rest. If the Lu family behaves itself, I guarantee its prosperity for a hundred years."

This is the promise made by Song Changming.

"Thank you, sir!" Lu Yuchen said, his voice slightly excited.

He knew very well that this was a sign of Song Changming's deep affection for him, and no one else could receive such a promise from Song Changming.

From then on, even if he died of old age, he would no longer have to worry about the affairs of the Lu family's descendants.

"No need to thank me, you deserve it," Song Changming said solemnly.

Although Lü Yuchen was a civilian official in the military, his achievements were no less than those of any of the generals who fought on the battlefield.

It was under his leadership that the military was able to continuously revitalize its strength, and its military power gradually increased without ever diminishing.

His hands were never stained with blood, but he was a true hero!
Watching Lü Yuchen leave, Song Changming looked at the spot beneath him and suddenly felt inexplicably listless.

"Having sat in this position for a hundred years, there's really no need to continue sitting here." Song Changming stretched, slowly got up, and muttered to himself as he walked out of the cabinet.

In the evening, at the palace.

"I have already spoken to the Lord about abdication, and he has agreed," Lü Yuchen said frankly to Wang Wenyu, who was standing beside him, taking a sip of warm wine.

Wang Wenyu paused in pouring the wine, then shook his head and said, "Yes, it's time to rest."

The two have been colleagues working together for many years and old friends who have spent most of their lives together. Wang Wenyu knew that Lü Yuchen had long harbored the intention to retire and had been preparing for his own departure, so he was not surprised.

"Brother Lü, let me toast you. There aren't many people I admire in my life, but you are definitely one of them," Wang Wenyu said sincerely.

Lu Yuchen drank the wine and exchanged a knowing smile with Wang Wenyu.

Both of them recalled the past, those two spirited young scholars, as if it were just yesterday.

Looking back, both of them had graying temples and were almost a lifetime in the making.

"Time flies," Lu Yucheng sighed, looking at his aged reflection in the wine in his glass.

"I have no regrets in this life, the only pity is that I will not live to see the day when humanity unifies the nine provinces."

Upon hearing this, Wang Wenyu couldn't help but laugh and scold Lü Yuchen a couple of times.

Who among their generation will ever see it?

Even though the rise of the human race is already clear, it will probably take at least several hundred years to truly unify the nine provinces.

"At least in the Battle of Leizhou, we also contributed our share. We are witnesses in the history books. The curtain of the rise of the human race was raised by our generation. That's enough, isn't it?" Wang Wenyu downed another glass of wine and laughed heartily.

"Some people will remember us. Don't forget we're still working under the Lord. How many people in the world would like to serve the King like we do? But they don't have that opportunity."

“That’s right, you’re right!” Lu Yucheng laughed along.

The Wang family had already left, and tonight no one could disturb the two of them as they enjoyed their drinks.

A few days later, Lü Yuchen stepped down, and a new person would take his place as the marshal's assistant.

Meanwhile, in the Prince's mansion.

“I think it’s time to hand over the position of marshal to Fan Yi,” Song Changming said to the Prince of Cui.

"Is Changming about to leave Cuibai Road?" Cui Wang asked upon hearing this.

"That's not it. It's just that I feel I've been in this position for too long, and it's time for me to move out. Didn't Hu Zhong voluntarily give up his marshal position to me back then?" Song Changming said with a slight smile.

“If I don’t leave, those young generals and marshals in the military will never have a chance to rise to the top. That won’t do.”

"Alright then," King Cui reluctantly agreed.

In fact, he couldn't refuse Song Changming's offer since he took the initiative.

Nominally, he was still Song Changming's king, but in reality, Song Changming's prestige and status in the entire human race had long surpassed his.

Their relationship had long transcended the ordinary relationship between ruler and subject.

King Cui was well aware that it was indeed inappropriate for Song Changming to continue serving as the military marshal of Cuibai Road.

After all, he knew that Song Changming was the number one candidate for the position of Thunder Emperor!
It's just that Song Changming himself didn't accept it, which led to the current Thunder Emperor.

What more could a man like him ask for than to remain in Cuibai Road under his rule?

After making the decision, Song Changming quickly stepped down from the front line, and Hu Fanyi, the original commander-in-chief, took office and succeeded him as the Grand Marshal of the Army.

When the news spread, it caused quite a stir along Tsui Pak Road.

Given Song Changming's current reputation, his every move is under the watchful eyes of many, including his recent resignation as marshal.

Many people speculated about Song Changming's intentions, and various related rumors immediately spread.

Now that Song Changming has lost his official position, it means that he no longer belongs to any official force and is just a commoner martial artist.

He had no power in his hands and no background behind him.

If this happened to an ordinary person, they would naturally feel that this person had lost power and fallen into complete ruin.

But this person is Song Changming. No one would think that the dignified Immortal King Song would be down on his luck. Everyone would only think that this great figure must have higher pursuits and goals and wants to leave the small place of Yunzhou for good.

Indeed, the remote Cuibai Road was just a small place in Yunzhou far from the center of power in everyone's eyes.

Given Song Changming's status, he should have been high above others, in the imperial palace, in the halls, not in some dusty corner.

Of course, no matter what opinions are circulating, they have no effect on Song Changming.

For him, stepping down from the position of marshal was just a trivial matter that he could easily handle.

When he first arrived in the Ancient Abyss Kingdom, he joined the military in order to gain a formal identity and a sense of security.

Now that he has enough power to protect himself, he naturally doesn't need any reliance on status or position.

Fengzhou Imperial City, Star Observatory.

Empress Fengzhou, dressed in a wide-sleeved imperial yellow robe, gazed at the bright moon in the sky, waiting quietly.

Not long after, Emperor Yun and Emperor Miao arrived one after the other.

"Xiaoyin, how have you been lately?" Emperor Miao smiled, his smile as comforting as a gentle breeze and fine rain.

"Everything is fine." The Empress bowed slightly and nodded.

"I've heard that the demon race of Yuanzhou has been having constant clashes with your Fengzhou recently," the Cloud Emperor said as he approached. "It's a small matter. Thanks to the fox clan in southern Yuanzhou, my people didn't suffer any losses. Of course, I also want to thank you for facilitating the alliance between Fox Mountain and our human race," the Empress said with a smile, her face as beautiful as a flower.

"Hehe, then you've thanked the wrong person. The alliance between Fox Mountain and the human race relies more on our human king," Emperor Yun added with a laugh.

"In that case, I will thank you in person when we meet next time. It was an absolutely correct decision that has solved a lot of troubles in Fengzhou," the Empress said earnestly.

"That seemingly insignificant move back then actually proved quite crucial. At least if we were to attack Yuanzhou now, the southern part, where Fox Mountain is located, would be the best landing site," Emperor Miao added.

"By the way, where is Senior Pei? Has he arrived yet?" Emperor Miao asked.

Just as the Empress was about to answer, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck, condensing into a figure on the Star Gazing Platform.

It was Pei Xinyuan, dressed in a purple robe.

This purple robe was not the imperial robe of Leizhou, but a casual garment.

This Thunder Emperor has never liked wearing imperial robes, and has never worn them except on necessary occasions.

"I apologize for being late," Pei Xinyuan said slowly.

"It's not late, Bei Sheng and I just arrived as well," Emperor Yun said, cupping his hands in greeting.

All four are human emperors, but aside from their imperial status, Pei Xinyuan is the eldest of the three emperors, a number one figure at the ancestral level, highly respected, and of the highest status.

This is the first time in the past sixty years that the four have gathered together.

Therefore, once everyone was present, all four of them wore serious expressions.

"It's time." The Empress was the youngest, but she was the first to speak.

"Fengzhou is ready and can send troops to attack Yuanzhou at any time!"

Upon hearing this, the remaining three emperors remained expressionless, clearly expecting it.

The purpose of this gathering of the four emperors is precisely this.

After sixty years of recuperation, war is about to break out again.

The process of the rise of the human race must continue. The return of Leizhou is only the first step, and the next target was set long ago: Yuanzhou!

As the state that borders Yuanzhou the most, it is of utmost importance for Fengzhou to be well-prepared.

Emperor Miao and Emperor Yun, who were standing to the side, then looked at the great senior Emperor Lei.

Leizhou has only been recovered for less than a century, and its foundation is still shallow. Therefore, whether Leizhou can fight a war is also crucial.

“We can send troops, but the number of strong individuals that Leizhou can gather is relatively limited,” Pei Xinyuan said.

"It's alright. Leizhou only needs to cooperate with our three armies to capture Yuanzhou," Emperor Miao nodded.

The main force this time is still the strong from the three states of Yun, Feng, and Miao. Although Leizhou can also form its own army, it is still difficult for it to stand alone. Therefore, they have positioned the Leizhou army to play a supporting role.

Overall, after sixty years of development and recuperation, the overall combat strength of the human race is definitely much stronger than it was sixty years ago.

Putting aside everything else, in the past sixty years alone, the number of newly promoted Grandmasters in the military has been quite large, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Take the Green Flag Army of Green Cypress Road as an example.

Of the thirty-six generals, several have now become grandmaster-level experts.

This was partly due to the joint efforts of Song Changming and Lü Yuchen in governing the country, but it was also an inevitable trend driven by the development of the times and the rise of the human race.

After thousands of years of darkness and decline, humanity is on the path to revival!

"In that case, Miaozhou can also send troops."

“We can also send troops from Yunzhou.”

Emperor Yun finally nodded, and this matter concerning the rise and fall of the human race was settled.

It is foreseeable that the main theme of the future in the land of Kyushu will return to blood and fire!

And this time, the main stage will be in Yuanzhou!
In early June, the sweltering heat of the year had not yet subsided.

The blazing fireball in the sky relentlessly baked the earth, making people restless and irritable.

In the southern part of Yuanzhou, within the territory of Fox Mountain, on a scenic little hillside.

Several fox cubs, not yet fully transformed, were chasing and playing among the flowers when, without warning, they all tumbled down the hillside.

A pair of combat boots approached the group of fox cubs.

The little fox looked up and saw Heya, exuding a tiger-like aura, staring at them silently with his tiger-like eyes.

"Ah!" The little fox froze, its fur standing on end. It was so frightened that it ran away and dared not play there any longer.

Heya's gaze was calm. After scanning the area with his senses and confirming that no other fox cubs had wandered into the vicinity of the hillside, he returned to the top of the hill.

At the top of the slope, Song Changming sat cross-legged, focusing intently on his cultivation with his eyes closed.

The spiritual energy within a radius of dozens of miles was disturbed by his cultivation and continuously converged on the small hill where he was located.

Within his body, in that martial arts purple mansion, ninety-nine stars emitted specks of blood-red light.

Even more terrifying energy fluctuations emanated from it, contracting, releasing, and contracting again, rhythmically repeating in this way.

This unstable energy is precisely the full power of a Grandmaster that Song Changming has cultivated.

The Grandmaster's power, which had been extremely stable most of the time, has become unusually restless today.

Having had ninety-nine previous experiences, Song Changming knew very well that this was a sign that his cultivation was about to break through.

This breakthrough is even more special and of extraordinary significance.

This breakthrough was achieved by refining a hundred drops of Grandmaster's essence blood, officially making him a Grandmaster at the peak of his cultivation.

This is what the martial arts world calls the ultimate martial arts path, the pinnacle of cultivation, the realm of the Grandmaster!
Boom!

Song Changming was completely focused, but his Purple Mansion was in turmoil, as if an earthquake had struck. Ninety-nine drops of Grandmaster's essence blood filled the entire Purple Mansion space, making it seem impossible to fit the last drop of Grandmaster's essence blood.

In fact, reaching the Grandmaster level is indeed quite difficult.

To break through this final stage of cultivation, one needs to surpass the theoretical limits of the Purple Mansion and accomplish what ordinary people cannot.

Throughout human history, countless martial arts masters have struggled to achieve ultimate perfection.

Taking this final step in martial arts is far more difficult than taking all ninety-nine steps combined.

It requires exceptional martial arts aptitude; this is of utmost importance, and even a slight deficiency will make it difficult to achieve perfection.

Secondly, one must have all the right timing, location, and people; lacking even one of these will inevitably lead to failure.

Previously, as his Grandmaster cultivation was getting closer and closer to the Perfect Realm, Song Changming had also taken the opportunity to ask Emperor Yun and several other human Grandmasters he had interacted with and who had already emerged into the world about the circumstances when they achieved the Perfect Grandmaster Realm.

The Cloud Emperor's reply was that it took him fifty years and nearly a hundred failures before he finally grasped that glimmer of inspiration and achieved the Grandmaster level.

What Emperor Yun said made Song Changming realize instantly that this matter would probably not be easy.

(End of this chapter)