As soon as the pill of the Original Spirit Realm entered his mouth and began to dissolve, Chu Yuan felt as if he were bathing in a warm hot spring. He felt extremely comfortable, his whole person was relaxed, especially his soul, which felt like basking in the sun during winter.
Without the slightest pain, Chu Yuan's realm advanced to that of the Original Spirit Realm.
"This is the Original Spirit Realm!"
Sitting cross-legged, a translucent and vague miniature figure flew out from atop his head, curiously observing his own body.
"The release of the Original Spirit is the Original Spirit itself!"
The most prominent feature of the breakthrough to the Original Spirit Realm is the ability for the spirit to leave the physical body and roam miles away.
Even if the physical body is shattered, one won't immediately die. However, the physical body is the foundation, and if it is shattered and no suitable body is found, death will ensue.
The Original Spirit Realm is divided into ten stages.
Each stage will make one's Original Spirit more consolidated. Upon reaching the tenth stage, it even becomes substantial, and upon comprehending the profound meanings of Divine Abilities, one's mana becomes incredibly powerful.
"Excellent, as expected of a pill produced by the system."
Chu Yuan knew that even within the royal family, there is no such heaven-defying pill.
His soul once again looked around and saw countless broken faces. When he looked at Jiang Ying's corpse, the face of a confused man appeared. It was Jiang Ying's Original Spirit and it hadn't yet completely dissipated.
Not only him, but those who hadn't reached the Original Spirit Realm all had shattered spiritual remnants floating above their bodies.
"The Great Devouring Technique!"
Upon Chu Yuan's thought.
A vortex formed around him, spanning several feet, exerting a strong suction around him. The shattered faces rushed into his body one after another, and in the end, even Jiang Ying's Original Spirit was drawn in.
His realm finally solidified in the first stage of the Original Spirit Realm.
Normally, just after breaking through, it would take at least a month to stabilize his realm, but now it only took a few breaths.
"The Great Devouring Technique can absorb all sources, the biggest use of this technique among the 3000 great Dao is not to fight the enemy, but to cultivate!"
Chu Yuan returned to his body, his eyes flashed, and he realized, "The soul is also a source, and it is a very pure source. If I can devour a large number of sources, wouldn't my realm be able to advance rapidly? The four countries of the Great Potential Confederation are eyeing Dawu covetously. Once war begins, wouldn't there be countless souls for me to devour, for me to absorb?"
For Chu Yuan, the forthcoming war was an opportunity for him to rapidly consume souls.
The Great Devouring Technique seemed to exist naturally for war.
"Upgrade my realm." Chu Yuan said.
"After the Original Spirit Realm, every level up requires a thousand Destiny Points. Do you confirm?" the system asked.
Chu Yuan decided without hesitation.
Once Destiny Points run out, they can be replenished by making choices and completing events. However, the upgrade in his realm was tangible.
"Original Spirit Stage Two!"
With the consumption of a thousand Destiny Points, Chu Yuan's realm has broken through to the second stage of the Original Spirit Realm.
"Even those in the second stage of the Divine Realm are not my match." Chu Yuan proudly stated.
"It's time to go back."
The rebels within Southern Mountain had been dealt with by Chu Yuan, and staying longer wouldn't trigger any choices. Returning to the Royal Palace could trigger new events. The thing he was in most need of right now was Destiny Points. If possible, he'd like to level up to the Divine Realm directly.
Wielding the Sword of the Human Emperor, if his realm reaches the Divine Realm, even those who peek into the Divine Realm would be reduced to ashes.
Chu Yuan's laughter echoed through the somber Southern Mountain.
"Your Majesty, this is the memorial sent from the six departments."
Just after returning to the Royal Palace, Chu Yuan entered the Imperial Study. Eunuch Wei presented him with a heap of reports piled into a small mountain atop the desk.
"This report is from the Ministry of Household Affairs. It concerns the aftermath of the Original Spirit soldiers." Eunuch Wei explained, "Although each one of these soldiers has been given ample compensation, there are some who seek to take advantage of them, using various methods to confiscate it, especially those who are old or weak."
"Eunuch Wei, on my behalf, issue a decree stating that the Divine Soldiers are under my direct command. All of their benefits, including their properties, should they be exchanged, need to be recorded with me. Otherwise, they will all be nullified."
Chu Yuan declared, "The Divine Army is the foundation of Dawu. We cannot allow those who remain alive to lose heart."
"Your servant understands." Eunuch Wei nodded. "Your Majesty, please examine these reports."
Chu Yuan's brows furrowed as he randomly opened a few more: "I just resolved the Southern Mountain issue, yet again, there are so many bandits emerging in Huayin County, Wei Yang County, Ninggui County, and other seven counties. What are the county governors doing? Do they expect me to solve everything?"
"Your Majesty, there are bandits and rebels in twenty-five prefectures and seven counties in Dawu. Many soldiers from these counties have been dispatched to the borders, leaving the home front undermanned and unstable, causing everywhere to be plagued by them. These bandits may not be significant in numbers, but if left unchecked, that is not a good thing either."
Eunuch Wei carefully added.
Dawu has twenty-seven counties with a hundred prefectures, and now that seven of these counties have encountered bandits, one can imagine how severe the situation is. If this continues, it is sure to spread.
"Eunuch Wei, do you have any idea who it is that appeared in the Southern Mountain?" Chu Yuan questioned.
"Aren't they just bandits, seeking to take advantage of the current chaos in the world, to gain some benefits or even to dominate and become self-proclaimed kings, just like the former dynasty, acting like feudal lords." Eunuch Wei replied.
"If it is really like that, I would be relieved." Chu Yuan said coldly, "They are the soldiers of Wei Wu King, stationed around three thousand soldiers, and there was even a master of the Divine Realm."
Eunuch Wei's color drained from his face.
During the world's chaos under the former dynasty, when the late Emperor was waging war all over, Wei Wu King had millions of soldiers under his command and later pledged allegiance to the late Emperor.
Although the late Emperor also intended to weaken his power, if he acted against him without just cause, it could potentially cause instability within the Imperial Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, the late Emperor passed away first.
"Those three thousand soldiers?"
"All were annihilated by me, including that Divine Realm master. Haven't you realized, I am now in the Original Spirit Realm?"
Boom! An overpowering aura from the Original Spirit Realm burst forth. Although Eunuch Wei was also in the Original Spirit Realm, he was nowhere near Chu Yuan. His legs gave out, dropping him to his knees.
"Your Majesty's breakthrough to the Original Spirit Realm, I'm truly overjoyed for the good fortunes of Dawu!"
Eunuch Wei knew very well why peace was disrupted in the empire. It was due to the late Emperor's death. The feudal lords believed that the second emperor was not spiritually strong enough to control the overall situation; thus, each of them wanted to exploit this opportune moment for their own advantage.
He didn't dare to ask why Chu Yuan's cultivation improved so rapidly.
"Those bandits around various counties and prefectures are nothing more than a puppet show performed by the feudal lords. Each of them wants to mobilize soldiers, but they fear the court might find out. So, they have been secretly plotting, for instance, Wei Wu King even stationed his soldiers right next to my capital city."
Chu Yuan sneered continuously. He was blessed with three years of foresight and knew the maneuvers of those feudal lords.
"But Your Majesty, if you ignore this, it will damage the prestige of the court. If this continues and people's hearts are lost, that's precisely what they want to see."
Eunuch Wei could see that many people within the court were already planning their escape routes, even secretly pledging allegiance to powerful forces behind the scenes.
"Indeed, although I have a million-strong army, some of the Forbidden Army only obey the command of the General. I fear they might act against my orders. The Imperial Guard, though powerful, is too few in number. They have to guard the Imperial City, and the rest - the county and prefecture soldiers - are even weaker and hard to depend on. The Southern Mountain incident is a perfect example."
Chu Yuan mused, "I currently lack an invincible army that could conquer all."
"What does Your Majesty plan to do?" Eunuch Wei asked.
[Option One: Let the bandits run rampant, solidify the defense of the Imperial City, and ignore the issue. As long as it doesn't threaten your position, gain one hundred Destiny Points.]
[Option Two: Issue an imperial edict to Official Qing Yun, and have him dispatch the Forbidden Army to eliminate the bandits, gain one hundred Destiny Points.]
[Option Three: Reorganize the Divine Army, hold the power of a large force, and never worry about anything, gain one hundred Destiny Points.]
"Right, since the thirty thousand Divine Soldiers under the late Emperor have been reduced to dust, I can build a new Divine Army to bring glory back to the Divine Warriors!"