Ye Chen, Just Wait, I Have a Powerful Backer Too

For a time, the crying in the entire grand hall shook the heavens. It sounded like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves, pushing the dramatic atmosphere to its absolute peak.

Just as Wang Hao was crying so hard his throat was about to smoke, secretly cursing these old geezers in his heart for not coming out yet, a cold shout akin to a sudden clap of thunder echoed from the depths of the hall.

"Enough! Stop howling!"

This voice was laced with an utterly terrifying martial arts pressure that directly caused the vital blood of the seven great eunuchs to churn, sending them tumbling and staggering. Only Wang Hao felt a gentle force lifting him up.

"You little brat, aren't you still alive? What are you crying for like someone died!" an elderly yet vigorous voice reverberated through the empty hall. "The amount of scheming tricks in your belly is far greater than that of your disappointing father!"

Before the voice faded, ripples like water waves appeared in the void at the back of the hall. Immediately after, nine figures appeared out of thin air like ghosts in front of the memorial tablets. Leading them was an old man with completely white hair and beard, yet possessing a burly physique like an iron tower. Standing beside him was a lean-faced old man who radiated an imposing aura without being angry.

Looking at these nine old monsters whose auras were as deep as the abyss and as vast as the sea, Wang Hao instantly feigned an expression of extreme shock and ecstasy on his face, shouting loudly, "Great-grandfather?! Grandfather?! And all the great-uncles... You, how come you have come out of seclusion? Didn't you say that unless the family was facing a moment of life and death, you would absolutely never break your death seclusion?"

In reality, Wang Hao's heart was already blooming with joy, so excited that he wished he could do a backflip right then and there.

"Success! I finally cried these disrespectful old things out!" Wang Hao laughed wildly in his heart. "Hmph, what kind of elders don't act as a backer for their juniors? Watching their junior fight to the death outside without helping, what kind of royal foundation is that? As for my father being a foolish ruler, what does that have to do with me? Blood is thicker than water, understand?"

With the old monsters out of their cage, Wang Hao's counterattack had officially begun.

The nine foundation-level ancestors of the Great Xia royal family appeared in unison, and the air in the entire ancestral temple hall seemed to freeze. That massive spiritual pressure made the seven great eunuchs on the periphery afraid to even lift their heads, leaving them no choice but to lie flat on the ground and play dead like quails.

Wang Hao rolled his eyes and, not giving the ancestors a chance to lecture him at all, let his Oscar-worthy acting skills continue to soar. Like a three-year-old child who had suffered a massive grievance, he practically crawled and stumbled as he threw himself at the lean-faced old man—his biological grandfather, the Martial Ancestor of Great Xia, Wang Jingyuan.

"Grandfather!" Wang Hao tightly hugged Wang Jingyuan's thigh, wiping all his snot and tears onto the old man's expensive ice silkworm robe, crying his heart out. "Grandfather, your grandson missed you to death! Your grandson was bullied so miserably outside, I almost didn't get to see you again!"

Wang Jingyuan was taken aback by this sudden leg pendant. He originally wanted to scold this brat for being improper, but looking down at Wang Hao's haggard and miserable appearance, his heart immediately softened.

Wang Jingyuan looked down at his grandson, already having his own assessments in his heart. Although they had been in seclusion underground these past few years and did not interfere with court politics, they could clearly feel the changes in the destiny and the rise and fall of the national fortune of the Great Zhou Empire.

Wang Jingyuan could not help but secretly sigh and compare in his heart: "That worthless son of mine is simply a useless piece of trash, an absolute foolish ruler. He favored treacherous sycophants, lived in extravagance and debauchery, and no matter how the history books try to whitewash him, they won't be able to. It must be that he inherited the blood of his vain and greedy mother, without inheriting a single bit of my wise and martial side..."

Wang Jingyuan's gaze gradually became incomparably affectionate and proud: But this grandson of mine is different! Ever since he ascended the throne, he has shown my demeanor from back in the day in every aspect, perhaps even surpassing me! Look at his methods, securing military power firmly in his own hands with just a few combination punches, playing those self-proclaimed brilliant civil officials and noble families in the court like fools. The most wonderful thing is his method of making money; he is simply a peerless genius!

As a former emperor, Wang Jingyuan knew all too well what the root cause of the Great Zhou's sluggish national momentum was—they had no money! But Wang Hao stubbornly relied on various ruthless and deceptive methods to stuff the inner treasury completely full. The more Wang Jingyuan looked at Wang Hao, the more pleasing he found him. How was this just a grandson? This was simply the Qilin child of the Great Xia royal family, rarely seen in a century!

"Good grandson, hurry up and get up, don't cry, don't cry." Wang Jingyuan stroked Wang Hao's head, an unnamed evil fire rushing straight to his forehead.

Damn it, the Qilin child of their Wang family, the hope for reviving the Great Zhou, was actually bullied by some grassroots martial artists outside? Have those old things who should have been buried in the dirt long ago lived comfortably for too long, forgetting how sharp the blade in the hands of the Great Zhou royal family is? To actually dare to lay a lethal hand on a young child!

"Preposterous!" Wang Jingyuan's hair stood on end in anger, and a terrifying true qi that shot straight up to the heavens suddenly erupted from his body. "Which suicidal old thief dared to touch the Emperor of my Great Zhou?"

Standing at the very front, the iron-tower-like old man—Wang Hao's great-grandfather and the strongest foundation of the Great Zhou royal family, Wang Wudi, looked at Wang Hao, who was still quietly wiping away tears while his eyes rolled around, occasionally flashing with a shrewd light, and the corner of his mouth could not help but twitch.

As an old monster who had lived for nearly two hundred years, how could a shrewd spirit like Wang Wudi not see that Wang Hao was acting? This little rascal had clearly run here on purpose to play the victim and cling to their thighs, intending to borrow a knife to kill someone.

However, seeing through it was one thing; Wang Wudi was not only unbothered but extremely appreciative. An emperor should be ruthless and thick-skinned, with a face thicker than a city wall! Those who suffered just to save face would have been usurped long ago.

Looking at the eldest, Wang Jingyuan, who looked like he could not suppress his anger and was about to go seek revenge, Wang Wudi knew he could not stop him. Moreover, the majesty of the Great Zhou royal family really did need to see some blood.

"Eldest." Wang Wudi stood with his hands behind his back, his voice calm yet containing an endless aura of slaughter. "Since others have bullied their way onto our Wang family's head, let's make a trip. You take the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth, and go. Let the martial arts sects of this world and those so-called ancestors know exactly whose world this is!"

As soon as these words came out, a terrifying sharp glint erupted simultaneously in the eyes of Wang Jingyuan and the other four ancestors.

"Yes, Father!" Wang Jingyuan nodded heavily. He turned around, helped Wang Hao up, and spoke with a tone full of protectiveness and domineering arrogance. "Good grandson, wait here for a moment. Grandfather is going to twist off the head of that old monster you mentioned and give it to you as a chamber pot to vent your anger!"

"Boom—"

The dome of the grand hall seemed to be overturned by this imposing aura. Wang Jingyuan took the four ancestors, and the five terrifying rainbows shot out like five cruise missiles, dragging along violent sonic boom clouds as they chased at extreme speed toward the vast mountain forest where Ye Chen and his master had disappeared.

Looking at the direction where the five ancestors disappeared, Wang Hao took a deep breath. The sorrow on his face vanished without a trace in an instant. He patted the dust off his knees, stood up straight, and curled his lips into a triumphant smile.

"Little rascal, stop pretending." Wang Wudi looked at Wang Hao, whose expression had instantly changed, and said with a half-smile, "You have already achieved your goal. With your imperial grandfather making a move, few in this world can stop him. Now that your purpose is fulfilled, it's time for you to go back."

Being exposed directly by his great-grandfather, Wang Hao didn't feel awkward at all. Instead, he grinned shamelessly and gave a respectful bow as a junior: "Great-grandfather's eyes are as bright as torches. My meager tricks naturally couldn't be hidden from you. In that case, your grandson will no longer disturb Great-grandfather's peaceful cultivation. There is still a pile of memorials waiting for me to review in the royal court."

After saying that, Wang Hao turned around and instantly reverted to that cold, ruthless, and aloof imperial posture. With a wave of his hand, he commanded: "Prepare the carriage, we are returning to the palace!"

The eunuchs wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, hastily stood up to bow, and followed Wang Hao as they grandly left the imperial mausoleum.

Deathly silence returned to the great hall, leaving only Wang Wudi, his second brother, and his third brother.

Wang Wudi watched Wang Hao's departing figure, stroked his snow-white beard, and a look of extreme satisfaction and anticipation flashed in his eyes.

"Big brother, this kid... his mind is way too deep. It's quite different from the straightforward temperaments of the past emperors of our Wang family," the second brother couldn't help but say.

Wang Wudi, however, burst into loud laughter: "What do you know? Our Wang family has always established the nation through martial prowess, and we are indeed not good at schemes and tricks. I never expected that in this generation, such a scheming, shameless little fox would appear! Heaven is truly blessing our Great Zhou!"

Wang Wudi restrained his smile, his eyes becoming incomparably profound, and muttered, "Calculating the time, the once-in-a-decade Kunlun Assembly is about to begin again. The major hidden sects and old monsters will all emerge from seclusion to compete for the destiny of the world. In the past, our Wang family suffered many unspoken losses at the hands of those hidden families full of wicked ideas. Now, with this kid holding down the fort in Great Zhou..."

"Second brother, third brother, just watch. With this kid's ruthless personality of plucking a feather from every passing goose and exploiting every single loophole, in future Kunlun Assemblies, our Wang family will definitely never suffer losses again!"

The second and third brothers looked at each other, recalling Wang Hao's masterful tear-jerking acting skills and his thick skin in changing faces instantly, and nodded wildly in deep agreement. Those self-proclaimed aloof hidden sects were probably going to suffer a terrible fate when they encountered this little tyrant.