As soon as he finished speaking, a surge of literary energy emerged. A large character, "定" (ding), appeared out of thin air. It swayed in the wind, growing larger and larger, and at the same time, it moved towards Lin Yang with an irresistible will.
In an instant, Lin Yang felt an irresistible, immense force heading towards him. He estimated he only had a fleeting moment to react. A moment later, he would face this attack.
But what can you do in a split second?
Therefore, in Wang Liang's eyes, Lin Yang would definitely be easily subdued. It all came down to money. Ten million taels of spirit stones and rare treasures—these were things that could be converted into cash anytime, anywhere. No one ever complained about having too much, and this time he finally had it.
However, at that very moment, the character "定" (ding, meaning fixed/stabilized) vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, an even more powerful aura surged skyward.
"Hehe, this trump card, which isn't really a trump card, was used for the first time and it was able to bring down the head of the Wang family of Bingzhou. It can be said that it was used to its fullest potential." Lin Yang said with a smile, looking at the jade seal in his hand.
This jade seal bears three large characters: Duke of Wu. Above it is a dragon, and below is a square shape. It is a celestial jade, meticulously carved by numerous immortal masters. The seal itself is a low-grade fourth-tier magic weapon.
This seal is no ordinary object. If you simply think it's a seal used for inheritance, you'd be mistaken.
Just like a county magistrate, who, at crucial moments, can wield the county's seal to directly mobilize the county's fortune, thus greatly increasing his power and suppressing all dissent, so too can a prefecture governor. As long as their authority is legitimate, they can mobilize the prefecture's fortune to empower themselves.
Although Lin Yang is now merely a figurehead duke, he is still the Duke of Wu, officially appointed by Emperor Ling, acknowledged by officials, and recognized by the people. Therefore, at crucial moments, Lin Yang can use this seal to directly mobilize the fortunes of the entire Han Dynasty.
If this were in the Central Plains, this nominal duke would probably only grant Lin Yang temporary fourth-tier strength. In fact, if he were in his own fiefdom, a desolate and uninhabited place, he probably wouldn't be able to mobilize even a trace of fortune.
However, this is Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty. It is the place with the most prosperous fortune in the entire Han Dynasty. In the shadows, Lin Yang actually possessed strength comparable to the fifth rank.
"Wang Liang, a fourth-rank official and Vice Minister of War. Now that you've met me, why don't you bow?"
Why not worship?
"Not going to worship?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Liang was immediately filled with a large amount of dragon energy. Even his original literary energy was directly dispersed. At this moment, what difference was there between him and an ordinary old man?
Then, Wang Liang bowed down without any resistance. He bowed deeply, almost kneeling.
“Wang Liang, today you have failed to properly discipline your son, who has offended the Duke. Later, you even directly confronted the Duke’s family. Are you plotting a rebellion? Kneel down now!” Lin Yang continued.
After that outburst, upon hearing the word "treason," Wang Liang was startled and became completely stunned. He then involuntarily knelt down before Lin Yang.
With that one kneel, this person's fortune plummeted from the fourth tier of azure fortune to the third tier, then to the second tier, and finally, to the first tier. His misfortune was extreme, even if only temporarily.
Seeing this, Lin Yang was even more delighted. The Han Dynasty at its peak was indeed extraordinary. He, a mere figurehead duke, was able to temporarily borrow so much fortune; it was truly remarkable.
However, there are both good and bad things. The greater the fortune, the shorter the time it can be controlled. Therefore, there's no time to continue showing off; there's no choice but to take direct action and eliminate this person.
"Since that's the case, then let me teach you properly and make you understand the proper order of superiors and inferiors."
"Draw a circle on the ground and imprison yourself!" The words had barely left his lips when Lin Yang drew a circle ten feet in size. Wang Liang was positioned precisely in the center of this circle. The circle immediately began frantically absorbing the small amount of literary energy that Wang Liang had painstakingly recovered.
This circle, centered on Wang Liang's literary talent, continuously strengthens it. Just as a person can never lift themselves up without external help, Wang Liang, being within this circle, can never escape.
Then, Lin Yang picked up a branch from a nearby tree. Looking at Wang Liang inside the circle, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Establish an official position by setting up a tree branch."
As soon as the words were spoken, the tree branch transformed into a human figure. It had hands and feet, and a large, round head. However, the head was empty, completely bare, which looked rather frightening.
At the same time, another tree branch transformed into a wooden sword, which the little tree-man held in his hand, keeping a constant eye on Wang Liang. He wasn't given any chance to escape.
"Golden words? Words become law! You, how come you are so skilled at manipulating your destiny? And why do you possess the supernatural ability to draw a circle on the ground and establish a tree as an official?" Wang Liang pointed at Lin Yang, saying incredulously.
You see, having an official seal only means you have the potential to manipulate fortune. It just means you've been granted permission, but there's still a learning curve involved. You can't learn it all on your own, can you? Wang Liang's understanding of this is that it's all thanks to Lin Yang's unseen master.
To this, Lin Yang could only say that if he hadn't already fully integrated with Li Shimin's True Dragon Destiny, and with countless blessings and merits to supplement it, his destiny would have transformed into a genuine fourth-tier Flood Dragon Destiny. How could things have gone so smoothly today?
With a scream, Wang Yu's dantian was finally destroyed. At the same time, Wang Yu's destiny level dropped directly from the fourth rank to the third rank. Other Taoists could at most use spells to reduce luck, but Lin Yang directly reduced his destiny level.
However, at this point, it was all over. From this day forward, Lin Yang's name would be renowned throughout the capital. Then, he could proceed with the next move.
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Chapter Twenty-One: The Heavenly Jade Pendant Arrives as Promised
In the blink of an eye, the one-month deadline arrived again. Since Lin Yang drew a circle on the ground and set up a wooden pole to imprison Wang Liang, the head of the Wang family in Bingzhou, for three days more than half a month ago, Lin Yang has become famous.
Soon, from birth to the present, from ancestors for eight generations to relatives within the entire nine clans, almost everything was thoroughly investigated by the big shots.
If before this incident they thought Lin Yang was just a lucky young man with no connections, then after this, no one dared to underestimate him anymore.
The most direct consequence was that the major families sent another gift. This time, no one tried to fool Lin Yang, and the gifts were not gold but silver, showing their sincerity.
"Qing'er, remember to bring these magical artifacts with you. Be careful when you arrive," Lin Yang instructed.
“Yes, young master, you too.” Su Qing’er said with a smile.
At this moment, Lin Yang was truly a wealthy man. He possessed almost every kind of magical treasure. Although most of them were only fourth-tier, with almost none being of high grade, it was enough for his current needs.
However, their strength was too weak to use those magical artifacts. Nevertheless, the custom-made sets of magical weapons had already been prepared.
At this moment, he was truly fully armed. His teeth, clothes, shoes, hairpins, and other items were all magical artifacts with different effects. Unfortunately, Lin Yang had not yet cultivated the Dao and was unable to unleash the power of these artifacts.
With a burst of light, Lin Yang began his reincarnation once again.
Main Quest: Suppress the Martial World
Mission Description: In this world, martial artists are rampant, causing the emperor great concern. This has been a constant worry for him since his ascension to the throne. Later, the emperor unintentionally obtained a rare treasure—the Heavenly Jade Pendant. Following rumors, he intends to use the jade pendant to summon visitors from another world to help him rectify the martial arts world.
Mission Reward: Heavenly Jade Pendant (Fragment). The holder of this fragment can return to this world more than a hundred years later to compete for ownership of the world.
Task duration: one year.
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