After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Ding!

[The host set up a sacrifice at the grassland royal court, sealing the wolf's lair, the only one of its kind in the continent.]

[Rewards Announced]

Reward 1: The host's cultivation level will no longer be limited to the capital city; the strongest boost can be achieved throughout the entire Great Xia territory.

Reward Two: The host will be rewarded with a national destiny-exclusive halo, a domineering halo that grants the host invulnerability to all laws and has a mind-shaking effect.

Reward 3: Characters summoned by the system will receive a boost to the nation's fortune, increasing by 30% within the dynasty based on their cultivation level.

The first two rewards are easy to understand, but the third reward provides a huge boost to the main force summoned by the system.

In other words, within the Great Xia territory, everyone summoned by the system, even a soldier of the White-Spear Army, can have their cultivation level increased by 30%.

For powerful figures like Qin Liangyu and Dian Wei, a 30% increase is an extremely exaggerated amount.

Dian Wei, in particular, possesses the strength of a Saint King. If he was able to hold off the Great Sage before by relying on the special properties of the Fetal Earth, he can now fight the Great Sage.

Qin Liangyu and the others are powerful enough that even a Martial Venerable could easily kill someone at the Cloud-Piercing Realm, unless the opponent is someone like Lian Ni Chang at the peak of the Cloud-Piercing Realm.

No, Lian Ni Chang is now a martial arts saint.

Chen Futu stared in astonishment at the white-haired witch standing behind Qin Liangyu, his heart filled with shock. It was the fluctuation of the laws of the Ruthless Path, gloomy and cold. She had truly stepped into the realm of the Saint Path in this months-long battle!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the current strength of the Great Xia Dynasty is enough to intimidate the entire Li Continent.

Several days later, the army returned to Longcheng in a grand procession, and the people lined the streets to welcome them, with cheers ringing out continuously.

In a dark corner of the grassland, Zhang Shouren, covered in dust and looking like a stray dog, said, "Chen Futu, I never thought you could get this far, but I won't lose. We'll see."

He stumbled and staggered toward the far north, and in his panic, he headed in the very direction where the Ice Clan lived.

The city of Longcheng is filled with songs and dances, a scene of peace and prosperity.

Returning after unifying the Central Plains brings a completely different feeling.

Zhang Liang immediately submitted a memorial outlining plans for the resettlement of the grassland people. He suggested that all the men on the grasslands be registered as slaves and then reassigned to various places: some to cultivate land, some to mine, and some to repair river embankments.

Chen Futu thought of Xu Xiake. These days, Xu Xiake had led people to explore many places and had indeed discovered some mines. The grassland slaves had come in handy.

Chen Futu summoned Xu Xiake and asked him about the situation. Xu Xiake replied, "A shallow gold mine has recently been discovered, and the gold content is quite good."

"I have specially established a state-owned mining company for you, and you will be in charge. You can transfer a batch of slaves there, and I will also allocate troops from Longcheng to supervise them for you."

"Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission."

Xu Xiake received the order and left.

As for the people on the grasslands, Zhang Liang suggested that married women could be enrolled in workshops and registered as official servants, with their working hours offsetting their status as slaves.

Young women could be dispersed to local areas and handed over to the garrison, or sent by various prefectures to marry in the local areas, with appropriate resettlement allowances to make up for the population loss in the Central Plains caused by the war.

As for the elderly, they can be released back to the grasslands to graze their livestock. With so many animals, the Central Plains cannot digest them all in a short time.

Finally, there were the children on the grassland. Zhang Liang didn't say how to arrange things for them, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Chen Futu was also having a headache. Everything else was easy to arrange, but these children were the only problem. They couldn't be killed now, and keeping them alive might cause hidden dangers. The only solution was to sell them in various places.

Qin Liangyu came to the study and asked about the matter. She said, "Forcing the mother and children to separate would be detrimental to His Majesty's reputation. In my opinion, they can stay with their mother and the orphans can be sent to various places for disposal."

"Alright, we'll follow the Empress's arrangements."

Chen Futu was willing to give the grassland people a chance to accept the Central Plains' education. As long as he completely controlled the grassland, those children would have no chance even if they had rebellious intentions when they grew up. The premise was that Huang Yueying would develop the steam locomotive. Once they had a means of transportation, they could allocate resources to develop the grassland.

It seems that the grasslands are still worth developing. As the conditions in Daxia improve, some tourism projects can be developed, or some industries exclusive to the grasslands can be established to attract merchants to set up workshops. Given enough time, cities will naturally be built.

A few days later, Chen Futu made a decision: to send fierce generals to guard the grassland royal court on a rotating basis, and to rename the royal court as Tianbei City. Resources were transported, and slaves were sent to nearby towns to facilitate the resettlement and monitoring of the elderly herders.

Chen Futu then used the Holy Path Summoning Card.

[Successfully activated. Randomly summoning a powerful individual with the cultivation level of an ancient saint. Selection in progress, please wait—]

[Random character: Yaoyue, the Grand Master of Yihua Palace, with a cultivation level of Saint King and mastery of the Nine Heavens of Mingyu Technique]

"It's actually her."

Chen Futu never expected that he would randomly draw an ice queen.

As the system voice faded, a woman in flowing robes gracefully arrived. Her hair was styled in a misty, wind-swept style, her eyes were like autumn water, and she had a slender waist and a shapely bottom. She was a truly elegant and charming older sister.

"Yaoyue from Yihua Palace pays respects to His Majesty the Holy Emperor."

"No need for formalities. I wish to establish the Flower Palace on Goddess Mountain in your grasslands, inviting people from all over the world, regardless of gender, to enter. Are you willing?"

"willing."

Yaoyue nodded, her expression showing no displeasure.

Chen Futu did this for the sake of the bigger picture. In the era when the Great Sage did not appear, the Holy Path King was already invincible in Lizhou. It would be good for her to open a mountain on Goddess Mountain, take in disciples, and then establish a small town nearby to do business and gradually develop.

Of course, before that, the reputation must be established. The Holy King needs to establish his authority and spread the fame of the Grand Master of the Flower Palace.

Chen Futu gave Yaoyue a task: to personally go to the Southern Frontier. Wasn't the Dongzhu in the Southern Frontier a tough nut to crack? Then let's pick on the Saints and beat up all the Martial Saints first!

With her Mingyu Gong at the ninth level, she could easily retreat even if she encountered the Great Sage.

"Hehe, that's interesting. I've been wanting to test the abilities of the martial arts experts here."

Yaoyue looked up with an alluring face, extremely aloof, just like Dongfang Bubai.

"I will make arrangements so that your avatar and Yan Xiaoxiao can accompany you on this journey."

Chen Futu was about to send his avatar out of Lizhou, first to the Southern Frontier, then to the Western Regions to obtain the puppet-making technique, and finally out of Lizhou to see the vast world.

A few days later, Yaoyue arrived in the capital. Huashen, having received the news, readily agreed and, along with Yan Xiaoxiao, the group headed towards the southern border.

If Yan Xiaoxiao knew that the beautiful Yaoyue was there to beat up the saint of Southern Xinjiang, she probably wouldn't have taken Yaoyue there even if she were beaten to death.

This time, chaos is inevitable.

After a two-week rest period, Chen Futu appointed Yue Fei to guard Tianbei City, rotating the position annually. He then led his army south back to the capital. Zhang Liang, however, had to oversee subsequent matters concerning the grassland people and could not leave Longcheng for the time being.

Chen Futu arranged for someone to deliver the agreed-upon resources to the Ice Clan. He still has two Rejuvenation Pills in his possession, one of which he intends to give to the Old Madam, and the other to Zhang Sanfeng.

As for Bai Wuyai, if the ancestral sacrifice comes in the future, he may be able to bring back two or three Ice Soul Cold Branches, and we can refine one for him then.