At this moment, Lotus Princess and Princess Hua Shao changed clothes and walked out. Lotus Princess approached Wang Xiaoqiang and whispered, "Little Qiang, a group of dragons cannot be headless, and a nation cannot be without a ruler. You should declare yourself and ascend the throne as the Emperor!"

"No, I cannot be the Emperor. First, without legitimate reason and public approval, the people of the nation will not accept it. Secondly, I am not interested in managing state affairs."

Wang Xiaoqiang's words left Lotus Princess astonished. "If you don't sit, then who will?"

"Let Long Yin sit. He is a Prince, so it's legitimate and appropriate," Wang Xiaoqiang replied.

"Long Yin, that talentless, cowardly, and useless fool. How can he be Emperor? Even if the late Emperor were alive, he would never pass the throne to him. No, absolutely not," Lotus Princess shook her head and said.

"Deprive him of real power and treat him as a figurehead," Wang Xiaoqiang smiled.

"You mean to make him a Puppet Emperor?"

"Correct."

"Then who will handle the state affairs?"

"You will. With your status, you can govern behind the scenes."

"And what about you?"

"As I said, I have no time to concern myself with state affairs. I'll continue as the Grand Marshal, ensuring the safety of the nation's territories."

"You're pushing the heavy responsibility onto me!" Lotus Princess gave Wang Xiaoqiang a playful glare.

"If you're unwilling, let Hua Shao do it. If it really doesn't work, let Hua Shao become an Empress of a generation!" Wang Xiaoqiang suggested, recalling Wuu Meiniang from Earth.

Princess Hua Shao rolled her eyes at Wang Xiaoqiang, "You're talking nonsense. Since when does a woman become an Emperor?! That doesn't conform to the Empire's rules."

Wang Xiaoqiang laughed, "Aren't rules made by people? Besides, rules can be changed."

Lotus Princess said, "Hua Shao is still too young to worry about state affairs. If you truly don't want to handle them, I'll take over."

Seeing Lotus Princess agree, Wang Xiaoqiang chuckled, "Now that's settled."

At present.

Lotus Princess, in her capacity as Empress Dowager, announced the elevation of Long Yin to Emperor, to ascend after the late Emperor's burial.

At first, Long Yin thought Wang Xiaoqiang was just coaxing him, but he never expected to actually become Emperor, nearly going mad with joy. However, he did not realize he was to be a Puppet Emperor.

On this day.

It was the day of Long Yin's enthronement.

Inside Yellow Dragon Hall.

Long Yin sat on the Dragon Throne, brimming with pride and pleasure.

On one side of the Dragon Throne, behind beaded curtains, sat Lotus Princess and Princess Hua Shao.

The civil and military officials filed in from outside the hall, kneeling one by one, paying homage to Long Yin as subjects.

The last to enter was Wang Xiaoqiang, wearing a martial official robe, striding boldly.

As soon as Wang Xiaoqiang stepped in, the ministers on both sides of the hall couldn't help but kneel, making the scene a bit awkward.

Long Yin, with a peculiar expression, said, "Beloved ministers, Wang Xiaoqiang is just your colleague. You don't need to kneel before him. In the future, you only need to kneel before me."

Upon hearing this, none of the ministers dared to stand up. Instead, they gave Long Yin a cold and contemptuous glance while murmuring to themselves, "Idiot, do you really see yourself as an Emperor? You're just a Puppet Emperor. To put it bluntly, you're merely a dog by Wang Xiaoqiang's side. If you continue like this, you'll end up finished..."

Wang Xiaoqiang raised his hand and said, "Rise, His Majesty is right. In the future, when you see me, there's no need to kneel..."

Only then did the ministers rise, but they all ignored Long Yin and nervously looked towards Wang Xiaoqiang.

Wang Xiaoqiang walked like a dragon or tiger, reaching the chief martial official's position, turned around to face the ministers, and directly ignored Long Yin, saying, "Whether I'm here or not, there must be a morning court every day. The morning court concerns the nation's lifeline and people's measures for living, even one day cannot be neglected..."

"Yes!" the ministers all nodded in agreement.

Wang Xiaoqiang added, "Although Long Yin has ascended the throne as Emperor, he is too young, indecisive, and timid, which could disrupt governance. Henceforth, Lotus Empress Dowager will listen to government affairs behind the curtains. If you have any issues, report them as you would..."

Upon hearing this, Long Yin was filled with shame and anger, wishing to escape immediately but not daring to move. Truly agonizing.

Now he fully understood that he was just a Puppet Emperor.

The ministers once again nodded in agreement.

Wang Xiaoqiang continued, "Today, I have an important announcement. From this day forward, declare to the world that the barriers between orthodox cultivators and loose cultivators will be broken, uniting them as one. Henceforth, no more feuds or killings between the two, otherwise, it will be considered a violation of the law, and the offenders shall face the death penalty..."

Before Wang Xiaoqiang finished speaking, the ministers began to debate fervently. Qiu Ji wanted to express his opinion but hesitated, afraid to speak, looking as though he wanted to say something but stopped.

Wang Xiaoqiang said, "Qiu Ji, if you have something to say, go ahead. I won't hold it against you."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Ji dispelled his fears and saluted, "Grand Marshal, achieving great unity is a blessing for the people and a boon for consolidating power. However, it requires both parties' consent. If it's just one-sided enthusiasm, I fear it could be challenging..."

"How is it one-sided enthusiasm? I've already convinced the loose cultivators' side; there should be no problem. Even if they change their mind, I'll lead the troops to fight until they agree..." Wang Xiaoqiang declared boldly.

"The Grand Marshal is mighty!" the assembly of ministers saluted in praise.

"Alright, this is settled." Wang Xiaoqiang said, "From now on, and going forward, Lotus Princess will preside over state affairs."

With that, Wang Xiaoqiang walked out of Yellow Dragon Hall.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang becoming a hands-off ruler, the ministers couldn't help but smile wryly, yet none dared to stop him. Those with memorials could only present them to Lotus Princess.

As Wang Xiaoqiang exited Yellow Dragon Hall, he flew straight up to the eaves of the hall, standing next to the Yellow Dragon statue.

Upon sensing someone approaching, the Yellow Dragon transformed from a bas-relief into a living being, roaring angrily at Wang Xiaoqiang.

In the past, Wang Xiaoqiang might have feared this Divine Beast, but now, possessing the courage to confront it, he was unafraid, releasing the Holy Path of Courage from within.

The word "Courage" floated outside, hovering above the Yellow Dragon, radiating golden light that engulfed the creature.

The Yellow Dragon roared in anger, half in fear and half reverence towards the Holy Path of Courage, not attacking Wang Xiaoqiang.

Wang Xiaoqiang questioned, "Yellow Dragon, when Huang Ce faced the Heavenly Tribulation, why didn't you save him?"

Yellow Dragon opened its mouth, speaking in human words with a resonating voice like that of an ancient old man, "Cultivation is an act against the heavens, facing Heavenly Tribulation is inevitable. The Tribulation is the Heaven and Earth Laws; if one overcomes it, it's fate; if not, it's destiny. I am powerless in this..."

"Why was someone able to help me when I faced my Heavenly Tribulation?" Wang Xiaoqiang thought of the time when he reached the True Immortal Realm Third Stage and encountered the Tribulation above the Immortal River, saved by the Heavenly Demoness.

"Hmph, if someone risked their life to save you, that's your fortune, but the one who saved you surely doesn't fare well and will suffer Heaven's Retribution," Yellow Dragon snorted coldly.

"What nonsense are you spouting? My friend is doing well..." Wang Xiaoqiang was about to retort when Yellow Dragon interrupted him. "Stop deceiving yourself. Helping someone through the Heavenly Tribulation is opposing Destiny, inevitably bringing Heaven's Retribution. Otherwise, as the guardian of the Yellow Dragon Empire, how could I not save Huang Ce..."

Wang Xiaoqiang's heart sank as he recalled the Heavenly Demoness. Though he had no news of her, Huang Dragon's words let him know she must not be doing well,

Silently contemplating for a moment, Wang Xiaoqiang questioned again, "Since you're the guardian of the Yellow Dragon Empire, when the nine Princes fought over the throne in Yellow Dragon Hall, humiliating the Empress, why didn't you intervene..."

"Internal struggles have nothing to do with me; I only guard the Imperial Palace against foreign invasion," Yellow Dragon replied, a bit impatiently.

Seeing he couldn't get any answers, Wang Xiaoqiang coldly laughed, "Fine, keep sleeping then."

"Without much effort, you unified the realm and controlled the feudal lords through the Son of Heaven. Wang Xiaoqiang, you're formidable, clever, and, your cultivation base is too defiant, which isn't a good thing; it might attract the Upper Realm's attention..." Yellow Dragon said, yawning lazily like a human, then resumed its sleeping posture, becoming a bas-relief once more.

Reflecting on Yellow Dragon's words, Wang Xiaoqiang stood dazed for a moment, then retracted the Holy Path of Courage and leapt down from Yellow Dragon Hall. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you're welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.