To Be Emperor, You Need a Long Health Bar

With such a powerful brother-in-law as Chen Yi, what Shen Qingshan worried about was not the safety of his wife and daughter, but that they would lose the companionship of a husband and father.

However, judging by the results of the fifth simulation,

Shen Qingshan had ultimately fully replaced Patriarch Shen’s identity.

Patriarch Shen’s soul, having lost all strength, was left forever with only his books, staying in the Starforce Mystic Realm—the moment he left, the Underworld would take him away.

From this, it was evident that after a Twin-Soul Saint Body merged, it could indeed be separated.

“Brother-in-law, how about this: you come with me to Golden Beach first, and we’ll see if Old Shen has a better solution—one that allows him to contribute to this battle without you losing yourself forever.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

Chen Yi went even further.

He packed up his third sister, Shen Jia, and even the courtyard of Shen Qingshan’s home, and sent them all into the Cauldron Realm.

The family of three would stay there for now, while Chen Yi, the Great Demon, and Hua Wuyan continued on to Golden Beach.

“You’ve made me wait too long!”

When he saw Chen Yi again, the Great Demon roared in fury.

“Easy, easy, what’s with the rush?”

The three continued flying.

When they passed over the capital of Daqian, Chen Yi stopped again.

“Stop!”

The Great Demon howled.

“What now?!”

“There’s another ally here.”

Hua Wuyan caught on immediately.

“You want to recruit Li Wentian, don’t you?”

Chen Yi smiled.

“It would be a waste for that guy not to go to the Real Realm—he might even get reborn there.”

“But if Li Wentian leaves, the Li royal clan will no longer be as solid as iron.”

“Is the throne only for nobles and kings?”

Seeing the two of them fly downward, the Great Demon’s dark cloud crackled with lightning in sheer anger.

“Don’t you ask for my opinion?!”

When three Martial Gods appeared above the capital, the common folk saw only three flying “immortals,” each with a completely different style—at most, the Great Demon’s pitch-black mist seemed a bit frightening.

But for the Li royal clan inside and outside the city, it was as if an enemy was at the gates!

Any Martial Kings or Martial Saints within or near the capital immediately rose into the air and gathered around Chen Yi’s three.

Among them were Daqian’s Dragon Guardian Li Liushui, Li Xiaoyue’s third uncle Li Yang, and other Martial Saint experts.

“All three are Martial Gods? Are you kidding me? Have we Daqian violated the laws of heaven?”

“I didn’t know there were three Martial Gods in the human realm!”

“That cloud of thick black mist doesn’t look too righteous…”

The Li clan members buzzed with discussion.

Below, the capital’s commoners were also in an uproar, craning their necks to look up.

However, the moment they recognized Hua Wuyan, the panic in Li Yang’s group eased considerably.

It wasn’t common knowledge that Hua Wuyan was a Guardian, but anyone who had reached the Martial Saint level understood such basics.

“We pay our respects to the Honorable Guardian!”

Hearing this title, the Li clan’s Martial Kings felt much more at ease.

Guardians, after all, wouldn’t usurp the throne.

Hua Wuyan wore a gentle smile.

“Everyone, no need to be nervous. We’ve come to the capital to discuss some matters with the Li family.”

With that, Hua Wuyan turned to Chen Yi.

“Young Martial God, you take the floor.”

Chen Yi did not hold back.

“The Ascension Path has emerged. Will the Li family follow or not?”

Chen Yi had no choice but to spend more effort explaining the situation regarding the Ascension Path.

After hearing him out, the Li clan’s Martial Kings and Martial Saints all showed longing in their eyes.

Calling it “a road to the Real Realm” might not sound like much.

But what if you called it “ascension”?!

No matter how hard one trained in the Void Realm, the best they could achieve was being a Martial God.

But if they went to the Real Realm, there was a chance to become an immortal!

Wasn’t that a form of ascension?

It sounded like empty promises, perhaps.

But for those experts whose lifespans were running out, the chance to reach the Real Realm was a promise they would eagerly swallow.

Li Liushui immediately declared, “Elder Li Yang, I believe our Li family cannot miss this opportunity! The Shen family has already decided to march. If the Ascension Path falls under Shen family control, then anyone from our side who wants to use it in the future will have to beg for their permission!”

Chen Yi pointed at Li Liushui with a smile.

“Ah, Brother Liushui hits the nail on the head. Whether you want to be ‘founding shareholders’ of the Ascension Path is your choice—but I must remind you: investment carries risks, gains and losses are your own to bear.”

The Li family did not have a “patriarch” position; instead, they used a council of elders to make important decisions.

A group of elders dedicated to decision-making was called the Inner Council. Li Yang was one of them.

While they were deliberating, the Great Demon grew impatient.

“How much longer are we going to wait? I told you, I alone am enough! Why do we need these ants! They’re just wasting time! Let’s go!”

Chen Yi seized the moment.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you keep thinking it over, my demonic friend here will run out of patience.”

The Li family immediately decided to join.

Chen Yi then laid out the conditions for joining.

First, he needed some sacred soil from the royal mausoleum.

Second, Li Wentian’s power had to be awakened, and he had to join the battle.

In the simulation, obtaining that soil had required some negotiation, given his friendship with the emperor.

But now, the Li family agreed directly.

However, when it came to awakening Li Wentian’s power, they started making excuses.

“To awaken the Ancestral Dragon, we need to sacrifice millions of livestock—it’s not easy to gather them on short notice. And this demonic friend of yours seems to be in a hurry, right?”

Awakening Li Wentian did require some cost,

but sacrificing livestock was an annual ritual to maintain his power, not to actually awaken him—and it never required millions.

If Chen Yi hadn’t known the truth from the simulation, he would have been fooled.

“Elders, don’t try to play tricks on us. The enemies we face in this battle are no ordinary foes. If the Li family won’t commit a Martial God-level combatant, then don’t bother getting on board. We don’t need anyone just to paddle.”

In the simulation, Chen Yi’s wife was Li Xiaoyue, so no secret of the Li family could escape him.

Chen Yi became a master negotiator on the spot, pinning the Li family down completely.

Left with no choice, the Li family had to agree to awaken Li Wentian.

“Please give us a few days to prepare. This task is no small matter…”

Chen Yi turned to the Great Demon.

The Great Demon’s dark cloud burst like an explosion of hair.

“What’s so great about Li Wentian! We can fight for the Ascension Path without him! Let’s go, now!”

Chen Yi looked back at the Li family and shrugged.

The Li family could only sigh.

“Fine, we’ll do it right now.”

The price of awakening Li Wentian was letting the current emperor bleed.

If luck favored him, the emperor would live.

If not, too much blood would be drawn, and he would die on the spot.

This was a rule every emperor knew before taking the throne.

“He who wears the crown must bear its weight.”

In Daqian, he who wants to be emperor must have a healthy blood supply.

In the fifth simulation, Li Chengqian had awakened Li Wentian the first time with no issue.

But the second time, he was unlucky and died on the spot.

Chen Yi wasn’t asking them to awaken Li Wentian right now.

He needed the Li family to persuade the emperor to come along, and also to bring Li Wentian’s lump of flesh.

They would awaken him when the battle began.

Because every time Li Wentian was awakened, he could only stay that way for a short time.