Chapter 164 – Each Has Their Own Concerns
Jiang Zhe's eyes widened, almost thinking he was dreaming.
All he needed to do was "sacrifice" himself a bit, and the Earth would be managed by Earthlings?
Was there really such a good deal?
His mind turned quickly, and he hurried to complain to the Lord of Darkness:
"Master, I don't even have a single king-level subordinate under me. How am I supposed to govern Earth properly?
And besides, those outsiders coming to live on Earth won't respect me just because I'm the disciple of a Universe Lord. Deep down, they'll definitely look down on me. Some might even try to assassinate me."
"You brat, you see things quite clearly."
The Lord of Darkness couldn't help but laugh.
Assassinate Jiang Zhe?
He didn't deny that there were certainly some brainless fools who might try.
Within the Virtual Universe Company, of course no one would dare. But among the other four major forces, who could say? There were always some arrogant wastrels who overestimated themselves.
As a master of illusion and mind, he understood people thoroughly and had naturally prepared for such scenarios.
"Alright then…" said the Lord of Darkness. "If your descendants can inherit the [Conqueror] innate secret technique, then your Ninth Senior Sister will step down as Universe Country Lord and take up permanent residence on Earth to help you manage its affairs—until you can rely on your own strength to protect it.
But if your descendants only reach a life gene level of 3x, then there's no need to trouble your Senior Sister. Instead, Holy Spirit King will leave the Original Universe and permanently station on Earth to help oversee things."
Jiang Zhe's face didn't show much surprise.
He asked, "Master, isn't this unfair to Senior Sister and Holy Spirit King?"
"If you think it's unfair to them," the Lord of Darkness replied, "then hurry up and break through to become a Universe Venerable yourself. Station one of your clones on Earth, and you won't need to trouble anyone else."
Then he offered a bit of comfort.
"Don't overthink it. Both of them have hit bottlenecks in their cultivation that can't be overcome by just sitting around in meditation. If, in the future, you can find the complete Thunder Beast God inheritance, that'll count as repaying their help."
Jiang Zhe silently took note and breathed a sigh of relief.
This was far better than in the original story, where the five major forces jointly sent five king-level beings to co-rule Earth.
At the very least, Senior Sister and Holy Spirit King wouldn't target the Jiang family, and they certainly wouldn't oppress Earthlings.
It was a small price to pay—having a few children—to let everyone on Earth live comfortably. Truly, all the benefits seemed to land on his lap.
It was also worth mentioning that Earth hadn't been monopolized by the Jiang or Luo families.
Their leaders—Luo Hua, Xu Xin, and Jiang Wen—weren't greedy or power-hungry. They had always treated their fellow Earthlings kindly, especially those from Hanxia.
For instance, after the Jiang family moved to the North American continent, they didn't treat it like their private backyard.
Even though North America now had over two billion people, Jiang family members living there numbered less than one-twentieth of one percent.
The Jiang family also owned a life planet in the core area of the Qianwu Universe Country.
Most of their members lived there.
Only the first to sixth generations counted as the core, with Jiang Zhe being third generation. This meant only his great-grandchildren would have permanent residence rights on Earth.
Other descendants, unless they made great contributions or had exceptional cultivation, could only obtain short-term residence rights measured in years.
Or, if some family member especially valued their children, they could apply to have them stay briefly on Earth to bear descendants, with a unified follow-up cultivation program…
All of this was a strict system set up back when Orianna's avatar was still on Earth.
It was rigorous, leaving no loopholes.
Even now, Orianna monitored everything in the Jiang family by connecting her consciousness to the "Kai Ming Beast."
So situations like those with Luo Feng's parents and offspring would never occur in the Jiang family.
"Alright, I've said all that needs to be said. Now I'll send you three contracts—you must choose one," said the Lord of Darkness.
"Master, just send me the third contract," Jiang Zhe replied immediately.
"You can skip the first, but you must still read the second and third carefully. Once you've seen them, you'll understand."
A moment later, Orianna reminded Jiang Zhe that an email had arrived.
A screen popped up in front of him, showing two contracts waiting to be opened.
Jiang Zhe first clicked on the one marked "Three" and read through it line by line.
It stated:
Upon signing, the contract takes immediate effect.
He was required to ensure his bloodline continued stably within a thousand years of leaving the Primordial Secret Realm.
As a reward, he would truly gain Earth's sovereignty and management rights.
A thousand years later, the Virtual Universe Company would build a floating city above the Pacific and Indian Oceans, allowing the human race to temporarily migrate there to improve the genetic potential of future generations.
The trading rights for residence spots in this floating city would be held by the human race, but personnel management would be in Jiang Zhe's hands.
Meanwhile, humanity promised to spend vast resources nurturing Earthlings.
At the end, it clearly stated that if he failed to pass on his lineage within a thousand years, the second contract would be enforced instead.
Jiang Zhe then skimmed the second contract, which wasn't much different from the one Luo Feng signed in the original.
Except this time, the compensation payment was enormous.
Of course, even by signing the third contract, there was still a hefty payout.
—The "leased territories" over the Pacific and Indian Oceans exchanged for 200 billion Hunyuan units!
Because of Jiang Zhe's negotiation position, the treatment he secured was naturally better. For the Virtual Universe Company, Hunyuan units were just trivial numbers.
But for Jiang Zhe, this was already the best he could fight for on Earth's behalf.
In the original story, even Luo Feng, with Universe Lord-level power, needed Giant Axe's backing to force the other Universe Lords to reluctantly release Earth's sovereignty.
At this stage, it was simply impossible for Earth to achieve total independence.
After reading both contracts, Jiang Zhe said,
"Master, I'd like to add one more clause to these two contracts."
"What would that be? Tell me," the Lord of Darkness asked.
"I hope that in the future, I can exchange either the head of a Universe Lord from a rival race, or a supreme treasure, to reclaim all of Earth's sovereignty—that is, to dismantle the floating cities."
The Lord of Darkness gave him a strange look.
"You sure you don't want to set it at when you become a Universe Lord yourself?"
Jiang Zhe shook his head.
"No. Just one head from a Universe Lord of the Insect, Demon, or Machine clans—or a supreme treasure."
The Lord of Darkness burst out laughing.
How could he not hear the hidden meaning in Jiang Zhe's words?
"Haha, ambitious! I look forward to hearing news that you've crossed ranks to slay a Universe Lord. When that day comes, I, your Martial Uncle, and Giant Axe will all support you at the race council to reclaim Earth's sovereignty and drive out outsiders."
After amending the contract, Jiang Zhe took it with him to find Luo Feng for signatures.
Earth's sovereignty belonged jointly to the two of them.
In the Dark Divine Hall
Once Jiang Zhe left, two figures emerged from the chaotic currents deep within the hall.
Giant Axe Founder!
Chaos City Lord!
They had been listening the entire time. It was a small test to see Jiang Zhe's temperament.
Given the caution caused by the case of Cao Benqi from the Yan God Race, the Earth lineage's image was naturally imperfect in their eyes.
"Such an extraordinary physical talent is rare even among special lifeforms. A powerful will, gifted at cultivating mind strength… If he doesn't die prematurely, he'll at least become a top-tier Universe Overlord. His chances of reaching Universe Lord are the highest in our entire race," Giant Axe said with admiration, roughly tidying his messy hair. "Sitting Mountain Guest is truly amazing!"
But Chaos City Lord had a different view.
"Giant Axe, do you really think Jiang Zhe's situation is the work of Sitting Mountain Guest?"
"Isn't it? He's very similar to the Yan God Race."
Chaos City Lord shook his head.
"No. Jiang Zhe's core is the granted innate secret technique [Conqueror], which is unlike the Yan God Race's evolutionary path. It's obvious his physical talent is likely the handiwork of the Original Universe's Source Will."
The Lord of Darkness nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. The Original Universe's Source Will has paid close attention to Jiang Zhe ever since he was born. That's why I told you all about it just now."
"It has its own independent consciousness? Not just a set program?" Giant Axe scratched his head, astonished.
"Hard to believe, but probably so," Chaos City Lord said.
The Lord of Darkness added, "The three Ancestor Gods can communicate with it. It even grants rewards. It definitely has self-awareness."
"Then why don't we… negotiate with it to release your two teachers?" Giant Axe suggested.
"…"
"…"
Somehow, the topic had drifted.
Compared to Jiang Zhe, the Original Universe's Source Will was far more fascinating to the three of them.
"So after all this… what does it actually want?" Giant Axe muttered.
They exchanged looks, all puzzled.
The hall fell silent.
Unable to figure it out, they decided to watch quietly and see how things developed.
Back to Earth's Lineage
"From what Jiang Zhe said, there are two other excellent prospects from the Earth lineage, both with outstanding mindsets. I just checked—they're currently cultivating in the Qianwu Secret Realm. Let's arrange tests for them and decide on their future training based on results," Chaos City Lord said, glancing at Giant Axe.
"Chaos, no need to draw lines between us. You arrange it," Giant Axe replied.
"Alright. And even if they fail, we can still guide them as standard core members. We won't neglect any seedlings with potential."
"If you two come up with a better plan for them, just do it. I don't mind."
Chaos City Lord nodded.
The Lord of Darkness then sent Jiang Zhe an email.
Virtual Universe – Jiang Family's Courtyard Pavilion on Heilongshan Island
Soon, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God arrived one after another.
Jiang Zhe told them everything about Earth's situation and let them read the two contracts.
Though there was a sense of helplessness, this was something they had to accept.
At last, Earth's hidden crisis had been resolved.
All three felt as if a great weight had lifted from their hearts—so much so that their state-of-mind cultivation even improved slightly.
From the moment Jiang Zhe told them Earth's secret, they had worried about the planet's future for more than two hundred years…
Now, it wasn't a bad outcome—actually, it was quite good.
The Virtual Universe Company's promised resources would allow the Earth lineage to grow rapidly.
Thunder God, ever cheerful, rubbed his bald head and laughed.
"Ha! Look at the bright side. In the future, Earth might have an invincible king or even a Universe Overlord protecting it. Then we'll never have to worry about our home again."
He winked at Jiang Zhe, joking,
"So the strength of Earth's defenses depends on your efforts—have lots of kids! Lots and lots!"
"Anyway, the clan will cover all the costs of raising your descendants. You won't have a single burden."
Jiang Zhe's cheek twitched, giving a stiff smile.
"Come on, smile happier than that. You'll soon be going back to Earth to pick brides. My daughter's still waiting for you—be sure to give her a chance."
Thunder God hooked his arm around Jiang Zhe's shoulder, pulling him close, wearing a sly grin.
"No worries, we'll keep things clear—when the time comes, I'll call you my dear son-in-law bro, you'll call me brother-in-law father. Settled!"
"Oh right, I'll have a word with old Jiang about this later, heh heh heh…"
Jiang Zhe: ???
He leaned his body back, giving Thunder God a look that said "old man reading strange things on the subway."
Luo Feng and Hong burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Alright, enough joking—seriously now," Jiang Zhe said, steering the conversation back.
"The 200 billion Hunyuan units will be split evenly among the four of us. I've already cleared it with the Virtual Universe Company. As we advance—Domain Lord, Sector Lord, Undying—they'll transfer payments to each of us."
"Domain Lord: 5 million Hunyuan units.
Sector Lord: 50 million Hunyuan units.
Undying: 49.945 billion Hunyuan units."
The windfall changed the expressions of Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God.
Before they could refuse, Jiang Zhe raised a hand to stop them.
"That's final. Besides, Hong, Thunder God—you two also have another opportunity. Whether you seize it or not will depend on your own efforts."
"Just now, the Virtual Universe system gave you both a one-time transfer to the 'Illusion Sea.' Go challenge it. Your results will determine your cultivation program and whether you're absorbed into the Virtual Universe Company's core."
(Note: The chapter was actually written last year, but the blessing was penned this year.
Brothers, wishing you all a smooth 2024—happiness, health, and prosperous fortunes!)
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