Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 1077 - 1046: The Emperor's Three Thousand Imperial Guards

Jiang Ding had shifted his hiding place again.

Still in the Magical Stone Minor Realm, the habitat of a race named the Skeleton Blood Vine Monster.

The Skeleton Blood Vine Monster rank sixth among the slave races under the nine-level system of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan, permitted to possess Nascent Soul Peak Level strength, which is their General Peak Realm.

Indeed, cultivators from the Horned Demon Imperial Clan can freely advance, their strength determining their status, but not so for the slave races.

Any Slave Race Cultivator seeking to advance above the Foundation Establishment Realm must report to the territorial lord, obtain permission, register, and only then can they advance.

Otherwise, it is considered an illegal promotion.

Illegal promotions within the Horned Demon Imperial Clan are a capital offence. Any cultivator from the Horned Demon Imperial Clan or any Slave Race Cultivator may kill those who illegally promote and must do so; it is a mandatory duty and can be exchanged for merits.

Of course, for the same act, the merits awarded to cultivators from the Horned Demon Imperial Clan versus those from the Slave Race are worlds apart.

This is just a matter of course, not worth mentioning.

Jiang Ding hid within the Divine Soul of the Skeleton Blood Vine Monster Clan Leader, silently observing the development of events.

At this moment, the Nine Great Daoists had begun to hide themselves as well, taking on various identities of rulers, participating in the strife for the Imperial Crown, subtly altering the situation of war, to achieve the strategic objectives required by the Nine Spirits Realm.

As for their identities, Jiang Ding didn't ask; he didn't want to know.

The current Flame Stone Star Domain was a scene of turmoil, with numerous forces emerging onto the stage, many Great Emperors' gazes cast toward this place, coveting the Imperial Crown.

This was actually a tradition of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan.

Since ancient times, no matter which Great Emperor's Imperial Crown, it belonged to the entire Horned Demon Imperial Clan, and every imperial child was entitled to compete for it, and only the strongest would obtain the crown.

Of course, there were also imperial children too proud and arrogant, hoping to acquire the Ancient Imperial Son's Crown and therefore shunning the competition.

The Imperial Crown belongs to the entire race; this is public reason.

The Horned Demon Imperial Clan's past, their public reason.

It was in the days of the difficult rise of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan, in those far-off years, that things were indeed so.

As the Horned Demon Imperial Clan became the absolute ruler of the Horned Ming Realm, external enemies declined, no longer able to affect the hegemony of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan, and many things began to change.

Such as this Imperial Crown.

In name, it belonged to the entire Horned Demon Imperial Clan, any imperial child, or even those who were not, could contest for it, as long as they were of the Horned Demon race.

In reality, the right to contest for the Imperial Crown had long been restricted to the heirs in line of succession from the Great Emperors.

If the Great Emperor was more assertive, they could even designate the heir, ignoring any imperial clan tradition, and those who dared to offend would often quietly disappear.

Through the channels of the Nine Great Daoists, Jiang Ding gradually learned of the developments.

The Ancient Emperor Cangyan spoke out, restricting those beyond the Cangyan Star Sea from competing for the Imperial Crown, triggering dissatisfaction among many Great Emperors, yet they were helpless to do anything.

After a series of operations,

In the end, only the Cangkong Imperial Child and the two progeny of the Flame Stone Great Emperor possessed the qualifications to vie for the Imperial Crown.

Other heirs apparent, for various accidents, coincidences, and reasons, could not come, or gave up on the contest for the Imperial Crown.

Thus erupted the war of succession for the imperial children of the Flame Stone Star Domain.

The Cangkong Imperial Child and Yanliu Imperial Child, brother and sister, began recruiting soldiers and buying horses, attracting strong allies, and rigorously training the armies of the Imperial Clan and Slave Clan. As time passed, the entire star domain was shrouded in smoke of war, gradually affecting everyone.

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Both imperial heirs have their own advantages.

The siblings of Yanliu Imperial Child, needless to say, possess a home field advantage. This Star Domain is the place where Flame Stone Great Emperor achieved enlightenment, with countless strong warriors from the Slave Clan, an army of slaves naturally subservient to them, accustomed to heeding their commands, and not likely to rebel easily.

In fact, rebellion by the Slave Clan is taboo.

Even if the other imperial heir would accept them, it is inevitable to settle accounts and slaughter the entire treacherous Slave Clan after the battle. From the very beginning, the Slave Clans from all regions didn't have much of a choice but to follow their own masters into battle.

The foreign imperial heirs who wish to vie for the crown do not have the ability to bring along a large number of Slaves, because this matter involves the Earth's Qi of a region. Foreign beings do not naturally possess the local Earth's Qi and won't be recognized by the imperial crown.

However, that does not mean that the prospects for Cangkong Imperial Child are slim.

In fact, in the imperial heir struggles that took place in the Horned Ming Realm, the chances of victory for external imperial heirs are over seventy percent.

The reason is simple. If an external imperial heir is capable of suppressing the original Great Emperor with their forces, it naturally indicates great confidence in the matter; otherwise they wouldn't have instigated it.

Cangkong Imperial Child hails from the Cangyan Ancient Emperor Family.

This means that by his side there would be a powerful cadre of Imperial Clan Guards, and many kings from the Horned Demon Imperial Clan might be found within these guards.

The imperial crown is formed by the collection of both the Star Domain's destiny and that of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan's fate, which the cultivators of the outside Horned Demon Imperial Clan can participate in without being affected.

But among the Great Emperors, there's an unspoken agreement to limit the Imperial Clan Guards to three thousand.

This is rather common and seems fair, for every imperial heir, even those who have risen from commoners, must gather three thousand guards of their own clan to qualify for the title of the imperial heir.

Many secret techniques and martial skills of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan are related to their own Imperial Clan Guards; without the Imperial Son's Guard, there would be no imperial heir.

However, not all Imperial Clan Guards are equal – there's a vast difference between the guards of a Great Emperor's Family, those of an Ancient Emperor Family, and those gathered by a commoner imperial heir relying on their reputation.

It's quite possible that a single king among the guards of the Ancient Emperor Family could sweep through an entire commoner imperial heir and their three thousand guards.

This is the confidence of Cangkong Imperial Child.

On the ninth day of the ninth month of this year, Cangkong Imperial Child descended upon the Magic Vine Minor Realm to the east of the Flame Stone Star Domain with three thousand guards in tow, instantly crushing all the kings of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan there, including the kings of the Flame Stone Family, forcing them to bow their heads and submit, and then he executed all the kings of the Slave Clan, ascended the platform to worship the heavens, paying homage to the ancestors of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan and the Ancient God.

Cangkong Imperial Child issued an edict.

"…My name is Cangkong… The imperial crown has existed since ancient times, descending upon the worthy…"

"…Should anyone come to pledge allegiance, I shall not stint in rewarding them with noble ranks; united in life and death, sharing weal and woe…"

As Cangkong Imperial Child ascended the platform to worship the ancestors and Ancient God, this edict caused an invisible ripple to spread throughout the entire Cangyan Star Sea, utterance by utterance, reaching every intelligent creature in this Star Domain without exception.

Even here among the Skeleton Blood Vine Monster slaves of the Jiang family, that imposing voice was heard.

"…Should anyone come to pledge allegiance…"

Jiang Ding pondered.

This "come to pledge allegiance" naturally refers to the Horned Demon Imperial Clan Cultivators within the Flame Stone Star Domain; whoever wins over the hearts of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan Cultivators and their allegiance to form an Imperial Clan army will have greater advantage.

"Such a lofty stance."

Jiang Ding saw the disdain for the Slave Clan, including the Slave Clan kings, in the edict of Cangkong Imperial Child and frowned slightly.

The new influential powers that can affect the situation must emerge from among the myriad races, not from within the Horned Demon Imperial Clan, for they are known within their own ranks and it's unlikely that so many unfamiliar strong beings would suddenly emerge.

Cangkong Imperial Child does not seem to possess the magnanimity to accept kings from various races.

The edict of Emperor Yanliu is the same.

Unless one party is driven to utter desperation.

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