US: Chapter 402 (Patreon)

‘Very funny Bob, now change it back.’

‘Attempting request… request denied.’

‘The hell? Why can’t you change it back?’

‘User’s true identity is an integral part of the system, the user’s name can’t be changed after it has been updated to the true one.’

‘For the love of…’

Zhang Dong wanted to punch the person that designed this system even more now. It seemed that this was some kind of scripted event that was left for him. He had been the original system holder when he came here and probably due to this there had been no change in the grand scheme.

He was unsure about how Wang Long came into this. While spending many years in this realm he did read up on old cultivators that had ascended to other realms. They were all shrouded in mystery but were all probably players like him.

From what he could tell none of these players existed at the same time as the other. Only when one vanished for one reason or another would they be summoned. Here on the other hand there were two of them with two different backgrounds.

Wang Long was a member of the Soaring Dragon Sect so he was already born to power. Maybe due to this, he would not get a boost from the Azure Emperor. Zhang Dong on the other hand started off at a different level.

This could be something to level the playing fields implemented for when the war started. If he was really related to the Long Clan it could be on purpose. The system was giving him a chance to become the leader of the Empire.

Maybe in the original scenario, the Azure Emperor was supposed to die and he was to replace him. They also could have just become allies in the coming war and his true identity was there to help him get through it.

Being part of the Long Clan would allow him to partake in their resources and also gained him the protection of their strongest cultivators. It was probably a safety net that he could go back to if he ever needed to run.

He had thought about his past when he entered this world. He had rushed to the defense of the Zhang Clan which at that time was somewhat stupid. If he thought about everything in the grand scheme he would have been better off as a renegade cultivator.

With the help of this system, he could slay the clans that took his own apart and slowly grow stronger. Probably after he took care of them a sect would be waiting for him to conquer. There were other special locations with strong beasts and treasures that he could farm along the way as he got stronger.

The Zhang Clan that he had saved wasn’t anything special. It actually got him killed as he was forced by the Dark Palm sect to take part in that strange testing grounds. That place was created by someone that realized that the system was something else. Without that cube he found there he would have probably truly been dead.

This also caused Wang Long’s arrival. Probably because he hadn’t even been in this world for a year at that point in time, the administrators of these worlds didn’t see any reason to wait.

His mark on the world was small and he didn’t get any of the resources, it was as close to a new game as it could be. He wouldn’t find it strange that the email that Wang Long received only lacked the option that he had taken as the thirty-year-old cultivator.

His opponent clearly went with the easiest option that also made him younger. The last option was of an old powerful master of the nascent soul level. Probably all three of these options had unique circumstances that somehow led up to the war that was now in the making.

This cross empire war seemed like it would be the ending phase of this scenario. It was still happening a bit too soon in his opinion as not really that much time had passed since he entered this world.

If he counted the five years that he lost due to the time difference in the other world it would have been close to ten years. This didn’t seem like enough time to get ready for something like a whole enemy empire of cultivators.

But perhaps the initial rush wouldn’t really cause much harm to them and it would be a more contained battle. There could also be a reason for the scenario to be hastened and the words that the Azure Emperor mentioned alluded to it.

“Long Dong, I’m glad that you are with us, and judging by how you handled the nirvana fruit you will be an indispensable asset in this coming war! You could have not come any sooner, the bridges have become unstable without reason.”

“Unstable?”

“Yes, normally we should have had more time to prepare, we didn’t really have time to alert the citizens and other sects yet. I wanted to bring it up with the Heavenly Crane Sect and the Soaring Dragon Sect but then that Wang Long fellow went crazy!”

Long Qing gave out a sigh while Long Chunhua patted his back softly. It seemed that these two had a good relationship with each other. It also showed that the Azure Emperor was just a regular person that had trouble with handling the future of his nation.

As someone that had a large sect to maneuver he could relate. But this didn’t mean that he was fine with how this was turning out. While he could use this to his advantage he still wasn’t sure how much leverage this Azure Emperor would give him.

“I think our new friend is confused, we should give him some time, don’t you think so dear?”
“Is that so?”

Zhang Dong looked at the necklace that pointed him to be part of the Long clan. Before he could answer the question that the emperor posed, the light in this room went on.

“Young Lord, why didn’t you tell the council that you were bringing someone into this secret chamber?”

He looked to the side where he saw a trio of old cultivators. Two men and a woman of advanced age was standing there. Their robes were quite regal and at the same level as this Azure Emperor’s. It was clear that they were people in a high position just by the fact that they spoke up without the need of asking for permission.

“Ah, it’s just you Yingjie, don’t worry about the small things!”

The Emperor smiled widely and showed the old man a thumbs up. It was not something Zhang Dong expected to see from someone that was called the Azure Emperor. This man seemed too relaxed and laid back for someone in such a position.

‘Huo Qiang would probably like this guy… but those elders don’t look that happy about it.’

The old man that was at the front of this trio wasn’t amused. His beard was braided with a golden ring at the tip that looked like it cost a fortune to make. Even without his system, he could tell that it was worth a lot.

“Please my lord, listen to the Prime Chancellor Yingjie, this information isn’t to be taken lightly, we should place this man in solitary confinement and discuss this situation with the elder council!”

The old woman that was next to the Yingjie character spoke out while looking over to Zhang Dong. He didn’t like the sound of that, if they threw him into a prison cell he could be stuck for years without being able to leave. The cultivators were famously slow when it came to bureaucracy, it could take years before they come to some kind of conclusion.

“You wish to imprison my brother Dong? Can’t you see what he is holding in his hand?”

“His hand my lord?”

The three looked at the necklace and their eyes instantly went wide. It was already clear to him that no one that was of a different linage could hold this thing. After the blue flame surrounded his body and did nothing it was clear that he was part of the Long clan.

How this was possible was still a mystery to him. Could his grandfather be the responsible one, could he have managed to conquer a high noble lady from the Long Clan that then left a child there?

‘This is probably what happened… I wouldn't be surprised by that old fart's track record…’

“As you can see, he is one of us. I want Long Dong’s name to be written into our history books as he is my closest relative! He possesses royal blood just like me!”

The Azure Emperor raised his nose up into the air while pointing at Zhang Dong. The moment he heard the new name he wanted to slap his past self for being so immature.

“How could it be… he can hold the ancestral treasure? How could someone like him exist outside of the Clan?”

“What does it matter? With his help, we will be able to move the Azure Goliath! Now we do stand a chance against the other Empires!”

“The Azure Goliath?”

He perked up at the name, it was strange that this Azure Emperor was this happy to see him. With this name, he got the gist of why he was so ecstatic to meet him.

“T-the Ancestors Weapon?... Could we really activate it?”

All three of the old farts looked at Zhang Dong with question marks above their heads. It didn’t seem that they were buying whatever Long Qing was selling. He wasn’t sure about it either, how did they even know that he was part of their plan, to begin with.

Was there some kind of bloodline scan when he teleported in? It seemed that they were already aware of this before he arrived as he was invited to some strange pleasure resort with the Emperor already being here.

This was somewhat fishy and he could only attribute this to the scenario playing out from the background. There could have been some kind of event that triggered this that he was not aware of and it should not be Wang Long as he was the dark horse of this operation.

While the Long Clan would help protect him and his sect, that didn’t mean that Wang Long was an easy opponent. He had vanished for now and with the war being close, he would also be able to sneak into one of the other Empires to harvest spirit points. Before he became too powerful Zhang Dong needed to find him.

“We still need to discuss this with the other elders! The ancestral treasures aren’t toys to be played with, my Lord.”

“Bah, you’re no fun, let us throw a party for my blood brother, we will call it the Long Dong Festival and hold it every year!”

“Please don’t…”

Zhang Dong muttered while placing the necklace on the table. It seemed that he needed to gather some more information before going back home. The war and the role that he would play in it was something that he needed more intel on.