Speaker

"Huh?" Su Chiming froze when he heard Yaoguang's words, unable to react for a moment. Yet the very next second, as if something had suddenly dawned on him, his voice caught in his throat. "The Liao family?!" Yaoguang was already a Martial Saint! A family capable of being destroyed by his own hands, even if not at the level of an aristocratic family, would have to be just one tier below. Yet among the families nationwide ranked just below the aristocratic families, there was no prominent family surnamed Liao. Nor was there one among the Nine Great Families standing above them. The only one... That was the ancient presence ruling above all aristocratic families, the dynasty that had governed Dayu for four hundred years! Coupled with Yaoguang's statement that this matter was far weightier than seizing control of Tiannan... A terrifying yet astonishingly accurate conjecture was practically leaping to the forefront of his mind! "The royal Liao family?!" Su Chiming's voice spiked sharply. "Yes," Yaoguang replied. "Settle the accounts. Come quickly." On the other end of the line, Su Chiming was completely dazed. The royal Liao family?! Even though he had deduced this based on the clues at hand, still... No matter how wild his imagination ran, he would never have dared to suspect the royal family. The royal Liao family had ruled Dayu for a full four hundred years, hanging over everyone's hearts like an immovable mountain. Not to mention their Su family, even the Yue family of Tiannan paled considerably before them. And now... Just a month ago, the Su family had been scrambling for power within Buzhou Group, pulling every possible trick just to keep his seat as chairman, unable to secure even a brief audience with the head of the Yue family. Barely a month had passed, and Su Yaoguang was already calling to tell him that they had wiped out the royal Liao family, instructing him to bring people to take inventory and seize the royal family's assets? One month! Going from internal corporate warfare within a provincial conglomerate to annihilating the royal house and seizing the throne's assets? Even movies wouldn't dare script something so outrageous! "Yaoguang..." Su Chiming tried to ask more, but Yaoguang simply said, "You'll understand once you arrive." Then he hung up. On the other end of the line, Su Chiming listened to the dead tone buzzing from his phone, unable to gather his wits for quite some time. The royal Liao family was just... gone? At present, the Su family's maximum influence was comparable only to fourth-rank officials. Above them stood prominent clans on par with Vice Governors-General, provincial hegemons at the level of Governors-General and aristocratic families, and top aristocratic families like the Lü and Jiang families, who stood at the absolute apex even among the great families. Only beyond that did one reach royalty like the Liao family. Yet now... A royal house four full tiers above the Su family had been wiped out by Yaoguang just like that? The Su family had leaped four tiers in a single bound, jumping straight from a provincial power to the level of Dayu's royal family? His lifelong dream was merely to lead the Su family into becoming an aristocratic family. A scenario like the one before him... He wouldn't have dared dream of it even in his wildest fantasies. Was reality even more fantastical than dreams? As time passed, Su Chiming gradually regained his composure and reason. Immediately after, an unprecedented rush of joy surged in his chest, accompanied by an unspeakable dread. He feared the horrific repercussions that Yaoguang's destruction of the royal family might trigger—consequences that could plunge the Su family into utter ruin. At the same time, he was exhilarated that the Su family had been handed an opportunity to bypass ordinary aristocratic families entirely and become the preeminent household in Dayu. Torn between such staggering hope and fear, he could no longer keep still and shouted toward the door at once, "Quick! Summon Chixin, Huaigu, Huaiyue, and the others! Emergency mobilization!" *** Dawn gradually broke. The chaos that had raged through the night slowly subsided under the concerted efforts of Kong Fang and the experts from the Nine Great Families. Those who recognized the times were wise. While plenty of armed forces in the royal capital were loyal to the Liao family, far more had simply been working for them to earn a living; they were never going to throw their lives away for a fallen dynasty. With most of the Liao family's core dead, the remaining kingdom executives surrendered one after another when Kong Fang detained them in the name of the Supreme Procuratorate and let the Nine Great Families step in to persuade them with reason and interest. Consequently, though martial law remained in effect throughout the city, the sound of gunshots and explosions dwindled to near silence. Inside the royal palace. Yaoguang met once more with Jiang Sheng, Lü Jianfeng, and the others. Arriving alongside them were numerous newly summoned core personnel and armed forces belonging to the aristocratic families. During yesterday's meeting at the Xingyu Center in Tiannan, Yaoguang and the Nine Great Families had merely expressed their general intentions; after all, the royal family was still intact then, and the time to carve up the cake had not yet arrived. Now, however... It was time for each family to fight for its own share. "Lord Yaoguang, my foster father sent word half an hour ago. He has persuaded Zhang Jian. For the sake of Dayu's stability and peace, he will not launch any drastic military actions," Lü Jianfeng announced, delivering the good news immediately. Jiang Sheng chimed in, "We have already seized control of the commanders of the First and Sixth Legions. That military force under the Liao family's direct command will no longer have the chance to spark a military uprising." Hearing this, Li Cunyu, Xu Dengfeng, Yue Xingzhou, and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Good." Yaoguang gave a slight nod. "Let us proceed according to the established framework." He cast his eyes over the representatives of the nine families. "You nine families will form a Supreme Council. Dayu's future development will be deliberated and jointly determined by the nine of you." "Our nine families?" Jiang Sheng paused, slightly taken aback. "That is correct. The Su family has no intention of replacing the Liao family as Dayu's new royal house. Nor does the Su family possess the capability to serve as royalty," Yaoguang stated bluntly. At these words, Yue Xingzhou was quite surprised. Jiang Sheng, Lü Jianfeng, and the others were equally bewildered. Was there truly someone who didn't want to become the King of Dayu? "Did we not agree earlier that the royal capital and the three surrounding cities would be placed under your name, Lord Yaoguang...?" Lü Jianfeng asked. "Do you mean..." "The royal capital and the three surrounding cities will be integrated into a special administrative region granted full autonomy," Yaoguang said. "None of you wish to see an overarching faction standing above your heads, barking orders either, do you? Division of governance is for the best." The group immediately understood. They certainly did not want another so-called royal house dictating terms from above. However... Having no royal house also meant no one would shield them from pressure exerted by Chixing. Did Yaoguang mean for each party to fend for itself?! That would never do. Lü Jianfeng quickly urged, "Dayu is by no means a top power, and given today's global landscape, unity brings strength while division spells doom... If each family governs separately, wouldn't that effectively split Dayu into ten parts? If that happens, what standing or voice would Dayu retain on the international stage?" "Let us proceed according to precedent," Jiang Sheng added, clarifying his stance. "Among the ten families, one must take the lead. We are willing to recognize the Su family as the tenth aristocratic family and honor Lord Yaoguang as the new King of Dayu, so long as Lord Yaoguang grants us sufficient autonomy." "The Su family alone cannot hold Dayu together, and I will be devoting most of my future time and energy to cultivation in hopes of stepping into spirit intent, Hunyuan, and ultimately ascending to Heavenly Being..." Yaoguang explained. When he spoke the words "Heavenly Being," the core members present felt their hearts shudder. A Heavenly Being! That was a power truly capable of holding dominion over an entire realm. According to the ancient records of their families, once the Artifact Sect conquered a world, it would either keep the world for itself or bestow it as a fief upon a Great Cultivator, depending on the circumstances. That Great Cultivator would typically dispatch a core detachment led by a Heavenly Being to ensure absolute rule over that world. Hence, since ancient times, there had been the saying: *A Heavenly Being anchors the world.* And now... Yaoguang, who had only just become a Martial Saint, was already setting his sights on the Heavenly Being realm. It was simply astonishing. Yet considering he was only nineteen years old, and having just witnessed him dismantle two Martial Saints single-handedly... Reaching Heavenly Being was by no means an impossible fantasy. If Yaoguang truly became a Heavenly Being, Dayu's influence would inevitably spread across the Central and East Continents. If he could even apprentice under a Great Cultivator in the Artifact Sect, turning Dayu into a colossal power capable of standing alongside Xuelong and Chixing in a tripartite balance would hardly be difficult. At that point, what would this tiny plot of land known as Dayu matter? Every single one of the Nine Great Families would likely command territories and resources far exceeding all of Dayu today. With that thought, Jiang Sheng spoke up rapidly: "The Su family indeed cannot shoulder Dayu's burden alone at present, but our nine families are willing to do everything in our power to assist the Su family in governing Dayu's thirteen provinces." "Even if our nine families form a Supreme Council, going without a leader would still be improper," Lü Jianfeng agreed, nodding along. "I believe we should elect a Speaker to oversee the overall situation. Lord Yaoguang would be ideally suited for this position." Yue Xingzhou glanced at Yaoguang, understanding why he had said what he did earlier. Retreating in order to advance. He was reminding them of who the true pillar of their ten-faction alliance was. Yue Xingzhou looked back at Lü Jianfeng and Jiang Sheng; they had clearly deduced the same reason. Having initially hoped to claim more advantages, they had quickly adapted once Yaoguang laid his cards on the table. In truth, everyone understood the stakes perfectly. "I do not have the leisure to attend to the duties of a Speaker," Yaoguang stated plainly. "That poses no issue," Jiang Sheng said with a smile. "We know Lord Yaoguang must prioritize cultivation. Day-to-day affairs can simply be handled by a proxy of your choosing." The others nodded with matching smiles. "Very well, then." Yaoguang hoped Dayu would continue providing nourishment for his [Merchant] branch, but he was well aware that statecraft was not his forte. Since the families had gone this far, it was hard to refuse. He could only accept for now and find an opportunity to step down from the role of Speaker later. "We shall proceed this way for the time being. Leave liaisons behind in the royal capital, then return to your respective provinces as soon as possible to stabilize your territories so neighboring powers find no opportunity to exploit. In three months, once the situation settles, we will convene an expanded national assembly to formulate Dayu's subsequent national policies," Yaoguang said. "As Lord Yaoguang decrees." "We should address him as Speaker Yaoguang now." "Three months is plenty. Please rest assured, Speaker Yaoguang, we will certainly maintain local stability and give neighboring powers no chance to stir up trouble." Jiang Sheng, Lü Jianfeng, Li Cunyu, Xu Dengfeng, and the others voiced their agreement one after another. Yaoguang nodded. This brief exchange drew a definitive close to the swift, decisive coup that had shaken Dayu.