Protect Our Patriarch

...

The reason Wang Shouzhe traveled so far to advance was out of necessity. Advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm at over 130 years old was indeed quite an exaggerated feat.

If he could keep a low profile, it was naturally better to do so.

Of course, if he couldn't keep a low profile, Wang Shouzhe didn't particularly care. After all, the Wang's Clan now was vastly different from before, with both its overt and hidden strengths combined being astonishing even to Wang Shouzhe himself.

Moreover, the Wang's Clan had contributed greatly to the Great Qian, had marital ties with the royal family, and deep connections with the Lingyun Holy Land. The Saintess of the semi-autonomous Southern Border was also his sister.

Within the Great Qian, their power was already deeply rooted.

Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to trouble the Wang's Clan.

Meanwhile.

A few hundred miles away from the small island, a massive ironclad ship was anchored. The golden emblem representing the Wang's Clan glistened under the sunlight on the ship's hull.

At this moment, on the deck of the ironclad ship stood several figures, either dignified or ethereal.

These people were naturally led by Wang Long Yan and Liu Ruolan, members of the Wang's Clan.

Due to the significance of the clan leader's advancement to the Purple Mansion Realm, this time, except for Ancestor Xiaohan who was ordered by Ancestor Long Yan to stay behind, all other important figures of the Wang's Clan who could come, came.

Even Wang Zong'an, who was busy digging the canal, made time to rush back from afar.

Although many people stood on the deck, almost no one spoke. Everyone's attention was focused on the small island ahead, silently waiting.

Waiting for that moment to arrive.

It was unclear how long they had waited.

Finally, as Wang Shouzhe was diligently honing his profound energy and solidifying his foundation, he felt a movement in his heart, sensing that his profound energy and spirit had reached a harmonious and satisfactory state.

A little less would be shallow, a little more would overflow.

He understood that the time had come.

Wang Shouzhe decisively began to break through the bottleneck of the Purple Mansion Realm.

Ordinary prodigies needed the aid of elixirs when advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm due to their insufficient understanding of the laws.

As a peerless prodigy at the peak of the Celestial Realm, Wang Shouzhe did not need the Tongling Baodan to assist his breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm. He only needed the right timing and opportunity to naturally advance.

This was because he had already gained a relatively deep understanding of the laws of the Heavenly Dao during the Celestial Realm, not only mastering minor divine abilities but also developing various applications for them, and even grasping some extended laws beyond minor divine abilities.

If it weren't for the short time since Wang Shouzhe's bloodline transformation, his understanding of divine abilities would be even greater, possibly even touching the threshold of true divine abilities.

With a comprehension of laws far beyond his current realm, advancing naturally became a matter of course.

In less than half an hour, Wang Shouzhe successfully broke through the bottleneck and opened the Purple Mansion Divine Aperture. The process was unbelievably smooth, almost without any ripples.

If those prodigies who struggled immensely to break through the Purple Mansion Realm, even risking their lives, knew about this, they would probably be insanely jealous.

And at the moment Wang Shouzhe broke through.

"Buzz!"

In the unseen, the heavens and earth suddenly responded.

In an instant, beams of law light descended, enveloping his body. Countless spiritual energies madly converged toward him, pouring into his body, refining and transforming it.

Wang Shouzhe felt his physique strengthening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The profound energy flowing through his meridians became more condensed and powerful under this refining force, gradually transforming toward a more powerful state.

His strength was increasing at a terrifying speed.

At the same time.

The weather changed dramatically, and thick clouds began to gather. Soon, they formed a massive tribulation cloud.

Moments later, thunder tribulation began to brew within the tribulation cloud.

Purple Mansion Thunder Tribulation!

When a Basalt cultivator breaks through, the Lingtai Realm is the simplest, with almost no phenomena. When breaking through to the Celestial Realm, phenomena appear, along with three thunder tribulations. When breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm, the thunder tribulations become six, with their power increasing geometrically.

"Hiss~ Is this the Purple Mansion Realm's thunder tribulation? It's too strong!!" On the ironclad ship, Captain Wang Shihai couldn't help but gasp.

"If you came home more often, you wouldn't be so surprised, acting like you've never seen the world." Wang Zong'an glanced at him with a hint of displeasure.

"Father, I'm also helping the clan open up sea routes," Wang Shihai shrank his neck, feeling a bit aggrieved. "There are many islands between the Great Qian and the Tianji Continent, with complex ocean currents. Sometimes, we even encounter inexplicable energy tides, making it hard to predict situations. Missing Ancestor Long Yan and Grandma's advancement to the Purple Mansion was also an accident, I didn't do it on purpose."

"Alright~ quiet down." Wang Zong'an was too lazy to argue with him.

Didn't he know what kind of character his second son had?

This kid had been clamoring to go on sea adventures since he was little. If it weren't for his father holding him back, he would have run off long ago.

Later, after his son's son An Rui got married and had children, his father finally allowed him to go to sea. As a result, he eagerly organized a team and went to sea with Long Wuji, never to be stopped again, sometimes not returning home for years, even ten years when unlucky.

His father had said countless times to leave more backup plans to handle unexpected situations. But this kid seemed to have listened with a dog's stomach, purely asking for trouble, making Wang Zong'an want to break his legs.

As they spoke, the sky grew darker.

In the tribulation cloud, lightning gathered, and the rolling thunder grew stronger and stronger.

A terrifying pressure filled the sky, as if the entire sky was pressing down, ready to crush the people on the ground into pulp.

The people on the ironclad ship couldn't help but feel tense, and no one was in the mood to speak.

Suddenly.

A flash of light appeared in the tribulation cloud, and the brewing thunder tribulation broke through the sky, striking down.

The light was intense.

Like a blade cutting through the darkness, sharp and unstoppable, carrying a terrifying destructive force that seemed capable of tearing space apart.

However, Wang Shouzhe seemed completely unaware of the thunder tribulation, not even lifting an eyelid, entrusting everything to Wang Lixian.

And Wang Lixian did not disappoint him.

That seemingly invincible and unparalleled thunder tribulation struck her energy shield fiercely, but the shield only trembled slightly before stabilizing again.

The terrifying power of the thunder spread like a snake across the surface of the energy shield, creating a dazzling display of light and sound, yet it still couldn't shake the shield.

It was only then that the air was filled with the rumbling sound of thunder, unsettling everyone's hearts.

The Wang's Clan members watched this scene from afar, letting out a sigh of relief while also marveling.

The Life Tree truly lived up to its reputation as a celestial plant, its strength indeed formidable. Ordinary seventh-grade exotic plants might withstand the Purple Mansion thunder tribulation, but not as effortlessly.

As everyone marveled, the second thunder tribulation had already brewed and struck down, followed by the third, fourth...

It wasn't until the sixth thunder tribulation that the brewing speed suddenly slowed.

This was the last thunder tribulation of the Purple Mansion, and also the most powerful one.

Back then, the Fire Fox Ancestor almost couldn't withstand this last thunder tribulation. If it weren't for Wang Shouzhe's life profound energy protection, she might have perished under the thunder tribulation.

But for Wang Shouzhe, even this last thunder tribulation didn't cause much trouble.

Back then, after Wang Lixian absorbed the celestial spirit energy stored in [Ancestor Panpan's Protection], she ignored Prince An's request to return it... saying she had already returned it once during the experiment, so why should she return it a second time?

Prince An argued that during the experiment, she absorbed it once and returned it once. Then during the actual battle, she absorbed it again, so she should return it twice.

But Lixian insisted she had already returned the celestial spirit energy once during the experiment. Asking her to return it a second time was like asking for her life.

Unable to argue, Prince An accepted his fate, planning to have the treasury fund a trip to the Celestial Dynasty to find a True Immortal to recharge. Although the Emperor was reluctant to humble himself before a True Immortal, what could he do when his recognized granddaughter was such a poor student?

After Wang Lixian painstakingly digested that celestial spirit energy, she also gained considerable benefits.

Not only did her strength grow to the mid-late seventh stage, but more importantly, the refinement level of her internal energy and the total amount of energy her body could hold increased, enhancing her energy shield's defense and combat endurance.

At this moment, the benefits of these enhancements were fully displayed.

When the last thunder tribulation fell, the green energy shield Wang Lixian had erected was violently shaken, its surface almost entirely covered by the raging thunder, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

The terrifying power was enough to make cultivators with insufficient cultivation feel weak all over.

But in the end, the energy shield held firm without breaking.

Throughout the entire Purple Mansion thunder tribulation, from start to finish, Wang Shouzhe did nothing, comfortably lying under Wang Lixian's protection.

If those who struggled immensely to barely withstand the Purple Mansion thunder tribulation knew this, they would probably be insanely jealous.

After the thunder tribulation, the feedback from the Heavenly Dao quickly descended.

Wang Shouzhe felt an inexplicable power flowing into his bloodline, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his bloodline boiling, and his momentum continuously rising.

Fortunately, during his advancement, his body had been baptized and refined by the massive spiritual energy that had gathered, allowing him to withstand the pressure of his bloodline power surging in a short time.

In a matter of moments, his bloodline level awakened to the seventh level—Great Saint Body.

It's worth noting that prodigies with the potential to achieve the Purple Mansion Realm had only two bloodline levels in the Qi Refining Realm, and even upon reaching the Purple Mansion Realm, they only had the fifth level Dao Body.

At this moment, Wang Shouzhe's bloodline level was two levels higher than an ordinary Purple Mansion Realm.

If he were to fight, he alone could probably match a mid-late Purple Mansion Realm expert. If he teamed up with Wang Lixian, although they couldn't defeat a Divine Realm cultivator yet, they could certainly hold their own and protect themselves.

If given more time to capitalize on the advantages of the Great Saint Body and enhance his divine abilities, he might not even fear the Divine Realm. After all, except for a few exceptional Divine Realm cultivators like Prince and Saint-level, most Divine Realm cultivators had a bloodline level of Great Saint Body, the same as Wang Shouzhe.

With such a foundation, Wang Shouzhe felt much more at ease.

"Shouzhe, congratulations."

Seeing that Wang Shouzhe had completed his tribulation, the ironclad ship quickly approached. Ancestor Long Yan couldn't wait for the ship to dock and flew directly over, like a snowy streak across the sea, gracefully landing on the island.

Behind Ancestor Long Yan, Liu Ruolan also floated over like a shimmering wave, landing in front of Wang Shouzhe with a charming smile, "Husband, congratulations."

"Hahaha~"

Wang Shouzhe was also very happy.

Over the years, not only had his own strength steadily increased, but the population and overall strength of the Wang's Clan had also been growing at an unimaginable speed.

Now, including himself, the Changning Wang's Clan had nine Purple Mansion Realm combat units.

It was about time to prepare for the promotion to a fifth-grade family.

Moreover, after so many years of preparation, the dowries from the Prince's household and Commandery Prince Rong's household were almost ready, and Anye's marriage should be officially put on the agenda.

In addition to finding officers for the Shenwu Army Academy, developing special combat plants for the Purple Mansion Realm, and a series of development plans currently in Wang's hands, there was still a lot to do, and he would be busy for a while.

...

With Wang Shouzhe's advancement to the Purple Mansion Realm, five years passed.

The time came to the 3,265th year of Longchang.

Longzuo Commandery.

From the Longzuo Commandery City, a winding road led south, crossing a mountain range called the "Dongshan Mountains."

Tracing its origins, "Dongshan" was a lateral branch of the Tianlong Mountain Range, one of the main mountain ranges within the Great Qian, extending eastward until it reached the East Sea, isolating the southern six guards of Longzuo from most other regions of the commandery.

The ancestors carved a corridor through the weak points of the Dongshan Mountains, named the "Dongshan Corridor," with a majestic pass called Dongshan Pass built at its steepest point.

On either side of the corridor were two garrison towns, Langyou and Langzuo.

Passing through Dongshan Pass and reaching Langzuo Guard, one would enter the territory of the southern six guards of Longzuo.

Of course, all these passes and garrison towns were not built overnight; they witnessed the gradual expansion of Longzuo Commandery from small to large, from nothing to something.

Each city and guard, each pass and town.

Every garrison town had experienced the transition from "frontier to heartland," representing the continuous outward expansion of human habitation.

Just like the "Zhouxuan Pass" and "Shouzhe Pass" once built by the Wang's Clan, they too had gradually become heartland passes, following the same principle.

In the past, the southern six guards of Longzuo were considered remote and backward by the families in Longzuo Commandery City, with stereotypes of "fierce beasts rampant" and "poverty and backwardness." If a child of a major family was sent to guard industries in the southern six guards, it was called "exile."

But now.

The southern six guards had become synonymous with "prosperity," with families large and small gradually escaping poverty and hardship, living better lives.

This was all due to the rise of one family, the Changning Wang's Clan.

Often, the rise of a family is accompanied by suppression, annexation, and exploitation, leading to the decline and demise of many families, with only a difference in the degree of violence or gentleness.

But the Changning Wang's Clan was different.

The Changning Wang's Clan never rejected cooperation with other families. As they rose, they enriched one marriage alliance and partner after another.

As long as a family was willing to cooperate, the Changning Wang's Clan could take them along to prosper and soar.

This core expansion philosophy made the Changning Wang's Clan's reputation in the southern six guards reach its zenith, almost achieving "covering the sky with one hand," with influence penetrating all aspects of daily life.

In the words of Emperor Longchang, sourly, within the southern six guards of Longzuo, Wang Shouzhe's words were more effective than his, and he often "recklessly criticized," calling Wang Shouzhe the "local emperor" of the southern six guards.

If the "Dongshan Pass" were closed, he could shut the door and proclaim himself "Emperor."

Regarding Emperor Longchang's sour grape remarks, Wang Shouzhe couldn't be bothered to respond, choosing to turn a deaf ear.

Recently.

The number of carriage teams passing through Dongshan Pass into the southern six guards had noticeably increased compared to previous years.

Among them, one carriage team was particularly large, consisting of over two hundred heavy carriages, each pulled by four northern heavy draft horses.

From the flags on many of the carriages, they belonged to several different families from Monan Commandery.

The leading carriage bore a flag adorned with a blue dragon, indicating a royal convoy. Judging by the details of the banner, it should belong to the lineage of Commandery Prince Wu Chengze of Monan Commandery.

Other banners represented powerful families, including the fifth-grade Huangfu's Clan of Monan, the fifth-grade Wang's Clan of Monan, the sixth-grade Mo's Clan, and other sixth and even seventh-grade families.

The leading carriage was made entirely of lightweight spiritual sandalwood, with wheels wrapped in a layer of durable spiritual cypress resin and spiritual beast skin tires. The chassis was equipped with a shock-absorbing device produced by the Wang's Refining Headquarters, maximizing travel comfort.

The interior of the carriage was luxurious and comfortable, with lighting, heating, cooling, and independent bathing facilities, resembling a mobile mini-palace.

This was the "Palace Carriage" produced by the Wang's Refining Headquarters, a luxury product born from the Wang's "people-oriented" refining philosophy.

Due to the Wang's Refining Headquarters' current technological limitations compared to the Gongye's refining workshop, they had been following a "civilian, mass-produced, modular" product route.

Although long-distance travel was mostly done by flying carriages, the "Palace Carriage" still had a significant market.

The Wang's Clan produced such luxury items because, firstly, after developing various new technologies, many technological by-products emerged, and it would be a waste not to utilize them. Secondly, the Wang's Clan had a natural advantage in raw material production.

With Wang Shouzhe's bloodline talent continuously strengthening, his ability to catalyze and cultivate various plants, including spiritual plants, had reached an astonishing level.

Through his efforts, many practical economic plants were cultivated, some of which were unimaginable in the past.

Among them was the spiritual cypress, capable of producing large quantities of high-quality resin, which could replace most functions of rubber with superior performance.

There was also the optimized fast-growing spiritual sandalwood.

Under the influence of the Wang's Gathering Spirit Array and Wang Lixian, fast-growing spiritual sandalwood could mature in just a few years.

The wood produced from fast-growing spiritual sandalwood, while not as heavy and solid as some spiritual woods, was extremely lightweight, insect-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and far more durable than ordinary wood, emitting a pleasant sandalwood fragrance.

In the current market, it was the most cost-effective material for making flying carriages. The surplus materials were used to create "Palace Carriages," generating additional revenue. After all, the market for Palace Carriages was vast, far exceeding that of flying carriages.

With low material costs and the Wang's expertise in modular design and assembly line production, these advantages allowed the Wang's Clan to quickly capture the market.

The price of Palace Carriages varied from ten thousand to hundreds of thousands of Top Gold, depending on the materials and luxury level, not including the spiritual horses or beasts pulling the carriage.

As of now, the total sales of Palace Carriages in the Great Qian had reached over a thousand, and the future market was promising, at least a multi-billion unit market.

With the Wang's Clan developing so well, the number of outstanding bloodline members in the family increased, leading to growing financial pressure. Only by continuously expanding financial sources could they cope with the increasing financial demands.

This "Palace Carriage" was a luxury version, with two third-stage spiritual horses pulling it, valued almost equivalent to a spirit bird flying carriage, owned by the Little Commandery Prince Wu Jinghao of Monan Commandery.

At this moment, Wu Jinghao was comfortably lying in the carriage, with two beautiful maids attending to him.

Opposite him sat the former "Little Overlord of Monan," Wang Shihai.

Now, Monan's Wang Shihai was no longer the young rascal he once was. Dressed in luxurious Basalt combat attire, with a small mustache and deep, steady eyes, he was clearly a mature and stable young man.

With his impressive prodigy qualifications and the long-term cultivation of the Monan Wang's Clan, Wang Shihai, now in his early 130s, had reached the third level of the Celestial Realm.

Even in a talent-rich fifth-grade family, such cultivation was considered a core member.

Of course, Wang Shihai couldn't compare to the Top Ten Outstanding Youths in Shangjing City, let alone the monstrous talents of the Wang's Clan. But compared to most people in the world, he was already far superior.

Compared to most people, he was already far superior, with a high probability of achieving the Purple Mansion Realm in the future, making him a person of high status.

Normally, escorting gifts was a task for any Celestial Realm elder in the family.

But Little Commandery Prince Wu Jinghao insisted on showing off his newly purchased "Palace Carriage" and insisted on taking Wang Shihai along, volunteering to escort the wedding gifts. As a result, they had been on the road for several months.

"Wow, this road... is really flat. The main road can accommodate four carriages side by side. How much did this cost?" Wu Jinghao, visiting the southern six guards of Longzuo for the first time, found everything new and exciting.

"This is called a two-way four-lane road. See those two yellow lines in the middle? We have to stay on the right side, can't cross the yellow line. In Changning Garrison's main roads, there are even two-way six-lane roads." Wang Shihai replied listlessly, having visited Changning Garrison many times, unlike Wu Jinghao, who hadn't seen the world.

As they approached Changning Garrison, the number of vehicles on the road gradually increased, with flying carriages occasionally passing overhead.

The convoy reached Changning Ferry, where the so-called two-way six-lane road was actually congested!

There were carriages everywhere, of all kinds, with flags and emblems indicating they belonged to different families.

Not only that, but the ships in the An River were also bustling with activity.

"Shihai, didn't we come half a year early?" Little Commandery Prince Wu Jinghao felt overwhelmed, "The Wang's Clan's reputation is too grand. It's just the wedding of a direct grandson, yet so many people came early to present gifts, far grander than my wedding a few years ago."

In truth, Wu Jinghao was just complaining. He knew that the Wang's Clan was now vastly different, and Wang Anye was marrying a royal great prodigy, and not just one, but two.

Such good fortune truly made the young men of Longzuo Commandery envious.

This time, Wu Jinghao came to offer his congratulations, also wanting to see what kind of person Wang Anye was, to have such abilities.