As for his third target, he had a few individuals in mind, but he wasn’t certain yet. He would set the matter aside for now and act once he had made a firm decision.
The current priority was to secure the first two targets.
It was a pity there were only three Spiritual Shackles. If there were thirty, that would be perfect—enough to capture all the targets he had his sights on.
Then, the vast Imperial Palace would essentially be his domain, and that would be truly satisfying.
He continued testing and experimenting with the Spiritual Shackles, preparing for the coming enslavements.
Xia Wuyang soon discovered that although a controlled person would obey his commands, they would still offer strong resistance if an order went too much against their nature. Furthermore, great distances would weaken his control and blur his perception of their thoughts.
It had other shortcomings, but even so, the Spiritual Shackles remained a terrifyingly powerful Companion Talent, far exceeding any method of control or enslavement Xia Wuyang knew.
As long as he exercised a bit of caution, he wouldn’t have to worry about them breaking free.
Xia Wuyang wouldn’t expose himself recklessly. At least, not until he possessed sufficient strength. He would use a disguise while enslaving and controlling others to avoid being discovered.
「The next night.」 Xia Wuyang slipped over the palace walls like a wisp of green smoke. He weaved through the shadows, expertly making his way into Wude Palace.
Wude Palace, which had been largely destroyed, was now almost completely rebuilt. The efficiency of the work was rather impressive.
Compared to before, security at Wude Palace was far stricter. Though many of its personnel had been killed or injured, the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, had immediately transferred a large batch of elite masters from the outside to protect it.
He expanded his Mental Force Field, bringing everything within a one-hundred-and-fifty-meter radius under his control. The entire layout of Wude Palace quickly became clear to him.
At that moment, the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, was cultivating in his practice room. As one of the princes most likely to be named heir to the Eastern Palace, Xia Wuchen’s diligence was common knowledge.
As Xia Wuchen’s strongest protector, Zhao Wuji, a First Grade Middle Stage Grandmaster, was stationed in the practice room next to the prince’s, remaining alert to any disturbances while comprehending a Secret Technique.
In addition, numerous Third Grade Martial Generals and Fourth Grade Martial Masters patrolled the area, leaving no corner unwatched. The grounds were also filled with a vast number of hidden mechanisms and traps, far more than before.
However, to Xia Wuyang, who possessed the Mental Force Field and had brought both his Dragon Storage Skill and Stealth Technique to the Perfection realm, these defenses were as good as useless.
He moved as if no one was there, silently approaching Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji was nearly two hundred years old, but for a First Grade Grandmaster with a three-hundred-year lifespan, he was still in his prime.
His Qi Blood surged powerfully, a clear sign his cultivation had reached a staggering level. He was just a step away from the First Grade Late Stage.
Hiding in the shadows, Xia Wuyang used his Mental Force Field to carefully observe the Grandmaster.
He felt no sense of threat from the man. Evidently, with his current strength, he had absolutely nothing to fear.
In terms of Body Refining Cultivation, Xia Wuyang might have been a full Grand Realm behind Zhao Wuji. He was merely a Second Grade Grandmaster, whereas Zhao Wuji was already a First Grade Grandmaster.
But in Refining God Cultivation, Xia Wuyang was already a Super Grade Celestial Human, while Zhao Wuji was merely lingering in the Lower Three Grades. By relying on his vastly superior Refining God Cultivation, it would be no difficult task for Xia Wuyang to subdue him.
After observing for a few moments, Xia Wuyang waited no longer. A Spiritual Chain shot out without a sound. Before Zhao Wuji even realized what was happening, he was bound tightly by it. No matter how he struggled, it was completely useless.
"Wh-what’s happening?"
Zhao Wuji perceived the chain that had abruptly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness. It felt as if his entire Sea of Consciousness had been seized. He had been completely unaware, his all-important Sea of Consciousness and Spiritual Power locked down with no chance to resist.
If something went wrong here, the lightest outcome would be idiocy; the worst would be his soul shattering completely. ’What is this?!’
Before Zhao Wuji could figure anything out, a cloaked and disguised Xia Wuyang calmly opened the stone door and walked in front of him. "Don’t struggle. You can’t break free from this."
As he spoke, he casually closed the stone door behind him and activated the Spiritual Chain.
"Aaargh!"
Zhao Wuji let out a pained scream. It felt as if his soul was being pierced by countless steel needles, a pain like death by a thousand cuts. It far surpassed any physical torment, and even with his self-control and willpower, he could not bear it.
He wanted to resist, but he found he couldn’t muster even a trace of Qi Blood, leaving him no means to fight back.
"Raise your hand!"
Xia Wuyang said dispassionately. As Zhao Wuji watched in horror, his own hand rose uncontrollably.
"Raise your foot!"
Zhao Wuji tried with all his might to refuse, yet his foot still lifted obediently.
"Slap yourself!"
"SLAP—"
The words had barely been spoken before Zhao Wuji slapped himself, not even having time to react.
He was fully conscious, yet completely unable to control his own body. The feeling was utterly despairing.
"Go kill your entire family!"
Xia Wuyang issued another command. Zhao Wuji’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he frantically tried to refuse, but his body began to move again.
"Come back!"
Just as Zhao Wuji was about to resist with all his might, Xia Wuyang issued the next command. Only then did he turn back, his entire body already soaked in sweat.
"Who... who in the world are you?" Zhao Wuji asked, staring at him in terror. In the space of a few breaths, he had been completely cowed, unable to muster any further thought of resistance.
Xia Wuyang smiled faintly. "From now on, I am your master. You may call me the Son of Heaven."
The term "Son of Heaven" did not yet exist in this world. The Emperor was just the Emperor, not some "True Dragon" or "Son of Heaven."
By calling himself the Son of Heaven, Xia Wuyang’s ambition was plain to see. He intended to become the Son of Heaven of the Great Xia Dynasty, to rule over its thirty-six million square kilometers of territory, and to use the land’s resources and wealth to support his own cultivation and advancement.
Zhao Wuji was stunned for a moment before he obediently prostrated himself. "This old slave... this old slave greets the Son of Heaven."
Having weathered more than a hundred years of storms, Zhao Wuji understood well the principle that a wise man submits to the circumstances. He was currently powerless to resist, his life and death held entirely in the hands of the mysterious expert before him.
He couldn’t even resist an order to kill his entire family, to say nothing of his own life, which hung on this person’s every whim.
He did not want to lose his own life, so how could he possibly be willing to kill his own friends and family? Faced with such a terrifying threat, and with no solution in sight, Zhao Wuji knew what he had to do.
As Zhao Wuji prostrated himself, it signified that Xia Wuyang now had complete control over him. His first Spiritual Servant was in place.
His cultivation had reached the First Grade Middle Stage, placing him within the Grandmaster Realm. He commanded the thirty-thousand-strong Silver Scale Army and managed most of the Northern Zhao Family’s assets and resources in White Jade County.
His power was immense, his wealth astonishing. Controlling him was equivalent to controlling more than half of the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen.

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