Wang Chen lowered his head, gazing at the fallen Wang Yan. Then he raised his head and swept his eyes over the surrounding elders.
"I will be the Patriarch. Who agrees? Who opposes?"
The Second Elder and the others looked at Wang Yan, who had been knocked down, then at Wang Chen, whose aura was now surging like a god or demon had descended. Their throats tightened, and they swallowed hard, faces full of disbelief.
The Patriarch, Wang Yan, a peak-level Soul Douluo, had actually been defeated by Wang Chen, a youth not even fifteen years old! If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they never would have believed it.
At this moment, the image of Patriarch Wang Yan in their minds completely collapsed. In its place rose the towering, unshakable figure of the new Patriarch, Wang Chen.
The Grand Elder and the others, seeing Wang Yan blown away by three strikes from Wang Chen, were so excited they waved their arms in joy and immediately shouted aloud:
"Paying respects to Patriarch Wang Chen!"
Wang Chen's gaze locked onto the Second Elder and the others. Carrying the crushing presence of the one who had just defeated Wang Yan, he took a step forward and said coldly:
"You oppose?"
Under Wang Chen's terrifying aura, the Second Elder and the rest trembled, even unconsciously taking a step back.
Even Patriarch Wang Yan, at the peak of Soul Douluo, had been shattered in three strikes. With their measly Soul Saint cultivation, how could they dare utter even a single word of defiance?
Moreover, compared to following the old Patriarch Wang Yan, who already had one foot in the coffin, it was obviously better to follow the young Patriarch Wang Chen, whose talent was unmatched, whose strength already surpassed Wang Yan, and whose future was boundless.
After all, whether it was Wang Yan or Wang Chen, they were all family. Following one or the other was still following their own bloodline. Since that was the case, why not follow the one with greater strength and brighter prospects?
At once, the Second Elder and the rest changed allegiance, kneeling to Wang Chen and saluting:
"Paying respects to Patriarch Wang Chen!"
The Grand Elder, seeing the Second Elder—his long-time rival—kneeling before Wang Chen, could not help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
With all twelve elders submitting, the Wang Family was now completely in Wang Chen's grasp.
The Wang Clan was a great family bound together by bloodline. Each of the twelve elders had many descendants and branches under them.
These twelve elders were like twelve main lines, each connecting countless subsidiary lines. And the Patriarch was the arrowhead of those lines, leading the family forward.
Wang Chen looked around at the twelve elders and spoke:
"As for the matter of my becoming Patriarch, do not announce it yet. For now, only you twelve are to know."
The twelve elders had lived long lives and naturally understood his meaning.
The talent of the new Patriarch Wang Chen was simply too astonishing, and on top of that, he was far too young. If this news were to spread, it would surely attract unnecessary trouble.
That trouble might be good—or it might be disastrous. He could catch the eye of a top powerhouse who wished to take him as a disciple, or he could become a target of suppression.
Rather than exposing himself now just to show off, it would be far better to wait. A few years down the road, when Wang Chen's strength was great enough to sway the entire Sun and Moon Empire, that would be the time for the Wang Clan's true rise.
Thinking of the Wang Clan standing at the very peak of the Sun and Moon Empire, the twelve elders trembled with excitement.
At once, they said:
"We shall obey the Patriarch's command!"
Wang Chen nodded, then lowered his eyes to look at the gravely injured and unconscious former Patriarch Wang Yan. After a brief moment of thought, he made his decision.
In the future, Wang Yan would be tasked with dealing with the Second Prince, while Wang Chen focused solely on cultivation.
Unfortunately, his strength was not yet enough. If he currently had the power of a Super Douluo, then he wouldn't need to care about princes or factions. If he had the power of an Ultimate Douluo, then even the Emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire himself would be beneath notice.
At that realm, the so-called "political situation" was irrelevant—because a true powerhouse was the situation.
But Wang Chen wasn't there yet. Even using the Ring Detonation Secret Technique, he could at most protect his life against a Titled Douluo.
So he still needed Wang Yan to maintain ties with the Second Prince. If they suddenly withdrew from the struggle for the throne, disentangling themselves would bring immense trouble.
Not only would other factions attack them, but even the Second Prince would never let "traitors" go free. Did they really think leaving the struggle for the throne was something one could do on a whim? That was a joke.
If they tried, the complications would be endless and exhausting.
That was exactly what Wang Chen did not want. For him, the most important thing was to cultivate and increase his strength.
Only those without a future wasted their energy scheming and maneuvering, like Wang Yan.
But Wang Chen, with limitless potential, would never waste his time in such games.
Thus, Wang Yan still had his value.
Another year of growth, and Wang Chen estimated his soul power would break through to Soul Sage. Once he possessed his Martial Soul True Body, his strength would leap forward again.
That would be the time when he could truly soar freely.
As for whether Wang Yan might betray him, there was no need to worry. Wang Chen's existence only benefited Wang Yan. The stronger Wang Chen became, the more Wang Yan could bask in reflected glory. Compared to that benefit, today's humiliation of being defeated was nothing at all.
Having decided, Wang Chen turned to the Grand Elder and said:
"Take the former Patriarch Wang Yan down for treatment. When he wakes, inform me."
The Grand Elder nodded:
"Yes, Patriarch."
He then carried Wang Yan away for healing.
Wang Chen gave a few more instructions, and just as he was about to return to rest—
Figures clad in imperial-colored soul tool armor descended over the Wang estate.
Leading them was none other than Xu Tianyuan, commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
The Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion had always been responsible for the defense of Mingdu. Whenever a powerful fluctuation of soul power erupted within the city, the Legion would arrive to investigate.
If it turned out to be a soul tool experiment or normal sparring between experts without significant damage, they would leave it alone.
But if there was large-scale destruction, heavy casualties, or an enemy incursion, then the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion would strike without hesitation.
As one of the Sun and Moon Empire's Five Hands of National Defense, their power was overwhelming. Even Super Douluo would avoid confrontation.
Once they unleashed a linked soul tool formation attack, they could even erase a small city from existence.
Other than an Ultimate Douluo who commanded the power of space itself, no soul master of any level could face them head-on—except to die.
Xu Tianyuan hovered in the air, looking down at the Wang Clan, and thought to himself:
"Just now, the fluctuations here reached the level of a Titled Douluo. Could it be that the old man Wang Yan has broken through? Or did a foreign powerhouse invade the Wang Clan and clash with them?"
Wang Chen looked at the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion above and said to the Third Elder:
"Third Elder, go handle them."
The Third Elder bowed:
"Yes, Patriarch. Leave it to me. As long as we say it was a sparring match, once they confirm no major casualties or destruction, the Legion will depart."
Wang Chen nodded, then turned and walked back toward his residence.