Chapter 1241: Ji Yuan!

Chapter 1241: Ji Yuan!

In the realm of the Strange Demon God.

Within the Imperial Palace.

On the Imperial Throne.

Zhou Zhou sat leisurely upon the throne, savoring the humble reverence of the countless Strange Demon Ministers below.

His expression was relaxed, clearly relishing every moment.

"This battle... was too easy."

"Too easy—far beyond what I expected."

Zhou Zhou felt a deep sense of reflection within his heart.

At the same time, he was profoundly relieved.

This is the consequence of their reckless carelessness.

Reliant solely on the fact that no one would come to trouble them, they had even abandoned military garrisons within their own territory, fixated only on sending armies abroad to wage war.

Now, what a splendid situation?

Their very homes have been lost!

See how long they dare to wander on.

No, perhaps from this point forward, they will never have the chance to wander again.

After all, even their lordship has vanished—within this multiversal realm where lordship reigns supreme, aside from their strength holding a modicum of value, everything else is utterly insignificant.

"Thankfully, I have always remained cautious, treating the Sun Empire as my most vital foundation, never taking all my troops abroad, always retaining a domestic defense force to guard our homeland—the ultimate safeguard."

"Otherwise, Kidoke's current state might very well become my own fate."

Zhou Zhou thought silently.

Though the Land Defense Legion appeared, on the surface, weaker than the main combat forces like the Jiaoyang Legion,

it was actually a matter of relative strength.

Benefiting from a myriad of Divine-Scale Defensive Array techniques, Divine-Scale Automata, Divine-Nation and Kingdom-Level Combat Professions, Divine-Scale Military Formations, master talents of Lords, Divine-Scale War Machinery, and the Supreme Guardian Walls, even if a Divine-Nation Level Lord force suddenly launched an assault, the Land Defense Legion could withstand them for a period of time—long enough to hold off until their main armies returned.

Thus, whenever Zhou Zhou went out, he always felt utterly secure in entrusting his rear lines to the Land Defense Legion.

And the consistent record of national security had proven his trust to be well-founded.

At that moment,

The Time God Dragon—Qioudou—descended, bowing respectfully,

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"Then, Lord Qioudou, speak plainly," said Zhou Zhou.

"Your Majesty, I just used the Mirror of Time to observe the state of Kido's army from afar."

"What do you think happened?"

Zhou Zhou: "..."

After a moment's thought, he didn't resort to divination or any mystical techniques, merely remarked casually, "Could it be that they've fallen into internal rebellion?"

"Your Majesty, you're absolutely right," Qiodu was startled, then chuckled, "After Kido lost its divine sovereign, the strange and demonic ministers within the Kido Empire immediately launched a rebellion. Kido was caught off guard and suffered a severe wound. Fortunately, the enemy had used the relic left behind by my father—the artifact that summoned the primary divine projection of the Demon Emperor Kido-Talai—and managed to kill several true god-level demonic deities before fleeing in panic."

"The remaining demonic army is now in complete disarray—some fighting, others fleeing. By now, they should have essentially broken down and scattered."

"..."

Zhou Zhou was speechless.

He had never encountered such a bizarre and chaotic demonic army.

After all, it was supposed to be a divine empire's army—how could it collapse like this?

Hmph.

Couldn't they be more deserving of their reputation as the aberrant demon race?

Lack of structure, chaos, a constant hunger for betrayal—these are etched into their very genes.

To expect such beings to abide by the orderly discipline of ordinary creatures is truly a futile endeavor.

"Do you know where Kido-kun is?"

Zhou Zhou asked.

"Yes."

"Then, by your grace, intervene and eliminate him. Better to remove the threat before it grows."

Zhou Zhou said.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Chioudou chuckled and readily agreed.

Though he now appeared on the surface as only a mid-level deity of the Time Dragon, Zhouzhou asked him to deal with a true god-level demon spirit wielding a master god's hidden power—something he would not hesitate to do.

Upon hearing this, Zhouzhou nodded.

This was a top-tier legendary dragon race.

Even though he seemed only a mid-level deity of the dragon god class, Zhouzhou would not underestimate him.

Anyone who underestimated him was simply foolish.

Chioudou departed.

Zhouzhou then summoned the acting commander of the Prajyak Corps.

"Ji Yuan, is that your name?"

Zhouzhou asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Ji Yuan spoke.

"Your Majesty, Lord Ji Yun, the ruler of the Knight Empire—what relation do you have to him?"

Zhou Zhou asked.

"My father, the Emperor."

Ji Yuan answered honestly.

Zhou Zhou's brow twitched slightly.

Then, he began to calculate within his mind.

After completing his calculation, he looked at Ji Yuan with a look that betrayed a subtle surprise.

According to his calculations, this Prince Ji Yuan had, from the very beginning, entered the Jiaoyang Empire under the alias 'Ji Yuan,' and then, through a normal and fair selection process, joined the Jiaoyang Army.

Later, the other one grew steadily, amassing military honors until reaching the true god level and serving as Deputy Commander of the Prairial Legion—only then did he reveal his true identity to Bai Yun, calling himself "Ji Yuan."

According to his own account, he had chosen this path precisely to shed all glories and accolades, to enter the ranks under Zhou Zhou's command on entirely fair and impartial terms.

"There is no attempt to climb the ranks through privilege or status."

"Moreover, from his recent performances, it's clear he possesses exceptional command of warfare and a keen ability to seize opportunities."

"Ji Yun, uncle, has a fine son indeed."

Zhou Zhou silently admired this.

He reviewed the divine heritage of the other, and found that he already carried within him a top-tier Golden Law divine inheritance from a true god of the upper echelon.

The Knight Empire simply did not possess such a heritage—this was most likely acquired through the military merit exchange system.

A quick glance at the legion's profile confirmed it.

He pondered for a moment, then flipped his right hand, and there, in his grasp, appeared a top-tier inheritance from a main god level.

Then, with a single thought, he appeared before Ji Yuan.

"This divine inheritance from the Supreme Deity of the Fallen Gun Master—I present it to you."

"The path of his divine law is 'Gold' and 'Gun,' aligning perfectly with your own."

"This is both a gift from me, as an elder, to you, a junior; and a divine inheritance befitting a commander of your rank."

"Study it well."

"Serve bravely in battle—never disgrace the proud sun empire or your father emperor's name."

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly.

Now, Ji Yuan held the position of Acting Commander of the Sun Legion. Even if Bai Yun returned, he would still serve as Deputy Commander. A subordinate of such rank had already earned the right to receive a top-tier divine inheritance—only requiring accumulated military merit to claim it.

To express his regard and appreciation for Ji Yuan's recent performance, and as a token of recognition, Zhou Zhou waived the requirement of merit accumulation altogether and bestowed the inheritance directly upon him.

"Thank you, Majesty, for this generous gift. I shall not fail the expectations of the Emperor or my father. I will serve with honor in the battles to come!"

Ji Yuan stared at the elite master god inheritance before him, his heart surging with excitement.

Previously, he had reviewed the military merit exchange list and clearly remembered that although there were many master god inheritances listed, there was none related to the Golden Rule among the elite master god inheritances. Instead, there was only a lower-tier master god inheritance involving the Golden Rule.

Ji Yuan, of course, did not mind such a lesser rank—so originally, he had planned to exchange for that lower-tier inheritance.

Unforeseen, however, a divine blessing had descended upon him, granting him directly this elite Golden Master God Inheritance!

What did this mean?!

It meant this was a gift chosen from the Emperor’s personal treasury—specifically, one carefully selected and presented to him!

In a certain sense, it also signified the Emperor’s deep regard and personal warmth toward him.

Faced with the Celestial Emperor’s renowned influence, resonating across the myriad realms and tribes, even though Ji Yuan was a prince of the Empire, his heart stirred with profound emotion.

He silently resolved within himself: he would do everything in his power to serve the Emperor loyally in the war, to expand the realm and open new territories—only then could he repay the Emperor’s trust and investment in him!

"Very well. Besides that, Ji Yuan, I’ve summoned you for a task."

"The army of monstrous demons from the Kido-ko Kingdom has fragmented since the fall of the kingdom. Now, these scattered legions roam the land in chaos and disorder."

"Now that this land is ours, we cannot allow them to act with unchecked brutality."

"You lead your Jiaoyang Legion and eradicate every last member of these broken demonic forces—none spared."

"Zero will assist you in locating all the fleeing demon soldiers."

"You have one hour to annihilate the entire army of the Kido-ko Kingdom's demons. Upon completion, return immediately—we have other objectives to conquer."

Zhou Zhou said.