Chapter 013: Instant Breakthrough

“Alright, child, this is something I’ve thought about for a long time since you went missing. Of course, I’m not doing this to drive you out of the family. You must know that you are my son, and you belong to the Green family. You’re in the south while I’m in the north, and you’re so capable—having accomplished so much since going south. How should I put it? Child, you used to be the dearest thing in my heart. I only hoped you would live a peaceful and happy life.” Duke Green’s eyes also welled up with tears as he spoke.
“Father, I know this is done to protect me and the entire Green family. But Father, if Prince Fischer dares to attack us, I swear he will pay a heavy price,” Du Fan said abruptly.
“My child, I know you’re capable, and now you have the support of the elves as well. But Du Fan, the strength of the royal family far exceeds what we see now,” Duke Green said with a deep gaze.
“If you think the royal family’s strength lies in those court magicians and their armies, then Du Fan, you’re wrong,” Duke Green added.
“Could there be hidden strength within the royal family?” Du Fan asked in confusion.
“That’s right. As far as I know, the last resort for the royal family is the power of the gods! That power won’t be used unless the royal family is on the verge of destruction. So, Du Fan, we can negotiate with the emperor, but if we try to rebel, it’s likely impossible,” Duke Green explained.
What Duke Green said shocked Du Fan. It seemed the royal family wasn’t as simple as it appeared.
“But Father, if the emperor really wants to attack me, will we just let him do as he pleases?” Du Fan demanded. “Father, do you know? When negotiating with the Lani Empire, the emperor allied with the Lionheart family to scheme against me. Even inside Lani, Randy personally tried to kill me!” Du Fan said.
“Did they attack you openly in front of everyone?” Hearing this, Duke Green frowned and asked tightly.
“No, Father. It was an ambush—a trap set to kill me,” Du Fan replied.
“Hmm.” Hearing this, Duke Green’s frown relaxed. “It seems the emperor won’t attack us openly for now.”

“Yes, Father. For now, His Majesty doesn’t dare act openly. But since Randy dared to attack me, it shows that His Majesty already intends to get rid of me. From this alone, Father, we must be cautious!” Du Fan said firmly.
“But, Du Fan, we don’t have the strength to confront His Majesty and the Lionheart Family head-on,” Duke Green said, frowning again upon hearing Du Fan’s words.
It was clear that Duke Green meant that if Du Fan wanted to go against His Majesty, then the royal family would surely ally with the Lionheart Family.
“Father, I have not only the elves backing me but also the dwarves,” Du Fan said, deciding to reveal his secret.
“What! You also have the dwarves’ support?” Du Fan’s words shocked Duke Green.
“That’s right. The former dwarf king has entered the divine realm, and the new dwarf king is also a divine-level powerhouse. My second brother is the new dwarf king!” Du Fan said. “If that wasn’t enough, I’m confident I can gain their support too—the Beastlord who rules the magical beasts in the Dusk Mountains.” Seeing his father’s expression, Du Fan dropped another bombshell!
“The Beastlord? As legend has it, the Beastlord and the dwarf king are supposed to be enemies, right?” Duke Green asked, frowning.
“Haha, Father, that was back then. Those two deliberately created such a deception to hide their true relationship from the world. In my eyes, they are extremely close friends—so close that they even entered the divine realm together,” Du Fan said with a laugh.
“What? The Beastlord also entered the divine realm? Then who is the Beastlord you mentioned?” Duke Green asked in confusion.
“Father, after entering the divine realm, the Beastlord appointed his sworn brother to continue as the leader of the magical beasts. But this new leader is even more terrifying—his power is enough to elevate him to a mid-tier god!” Du Fan said.
“A mid-tier god! Du Fan, is this true?” Duke Green stared at him intently.
“That’s right. The new Beastlord is still a lower-tier god now, but he has already absorbed the divinity of a mid-tier god. Soon, he will definitely be upgraded to a mid-tier god,” Du Fan said.

At this point, Du Fan couldn’t help but feel sorry for Karu. If Karu could endure a few more years until his own divine essence was fully integrated, even the combined forces of the Great Commander and the Dwarf King would likely be easily defeated. Moreover, with Gelmu, Harochi, and Zhigulu becoming gods as well, it would be no trouble for Karu to unify the entire Dusk Mountains at that time!

“From what you’re saying, with so much strength backing you, it seems the Emperor wouldn’t dare attack us,” Duke Green suddenly felt relieved upon hearing Du Fan’s words.

“By the way, Father, let me tell you something. What I gave you, your eldest brother, and your second brother were actually divine essences. It’s a pity you gave the divine essence to Mother. Otherwise, given Father’s current level of cultivation, becoming a god should only take another two or three years,” Du Fan said with a sigh.

“What! Divine essences? Du Fan, are you saying the things you gave your eldest brother, your second brother, and me were divine essences? Didn’t you tell your eldest brother they were just natural gems?” Duke Green stared at Du Fan intently after hearing this.

“Mm,” Du Fan shrugged. “What else, besides divine essences, could cause someone’s cultivation to grow so rapidly?”

“Hahaha! Du Fan, good point. Besides divine essences, what else could boost someone’s cultivation so quickly? But why did you lie to your eldest brother, saying they were natural gems?” Duke Green was overjoyed and asked casually.

“Mm. I was afraid that your eldest brother and your second brother, being young and impetuous, might neglect their cultivation if they heard it was a divine essence. That would be very detrimental to them in the future,” Du Fan explained.

“Good, Du Fan, my son. Hearing you say that, even if wars break out among the various races in the future, I’ll be much more at ease,” Duke Green laughed loudly.

“Father, since you’ve had Mother absorb the divine essence, I can’t create another one for you to absorb for now,” Du Fan said regretfully.

“Silly child, if I had known it was a divine essence, I would have had no hesitation in letting your mother absorb it. Think about it—what’s the point of me becoming a god alone, without your mother by my side?” Duke Green said with a smile.

As soon as those words were spoken, the Duke of Green’s aura continued to surge rapidly, reaching a critical point in no time. A faint sound was heard, and in Du Fan’s eyes, the Duke of Green’s aura was completely different from before.
“Father, have you reached the Saintly realm?” Du Fan asked in confusion.
“That’s right. Actually, I should have reached the Saintly realm long ago. It’s just that I thought your mother was getting older day by day. If I reached that realm alone while still looking young, it would upset her. That’s why I never tried to break through the final barrier,” the Duke of Green said with a smile. “Since you had your mother merge with a divine essence, what’s left for me to hide?”
“Alright, child. You’ve returned in the middle of the night—you should rest soon. Hearing this, all my worries are gone. Haha, I never thought old Green would have such an outstanding son. Hahaha!” the old Duke of Green laughed loudly.
“Father, since you can predict everything that might happen in the future, you should also prepare in advance,” Du Fan said seriously.
“Yes! We must prepare early. By the way, Du Fan, your elder brother said that your Siluo Province is in great need of talent. Is there any good way to solve this?” the Duke of Green asked earnestly.
“I plan to publicly recruit talents from society and establish institutions in my own territory for further recruitment. Of course, Father, this will take some time. Also, could you help me select a group of talents from the northern territories first?” Du Fan asked his father.
“Good. Don’t worry about this. Go back and think carefully about what kind of talents you need, then make a list for me so I can handle it,” the Duke of Green said.
“Thank you, Father!” Hearing the Duke of Green’s agreement, Du Fan quickly thanked him.
In Du Fan’s territory, everything was abundant except for various mid-to-senior level talents!
“Silly child, what’s mine is yours. There’s no need to thank me,” the Duke of Green said affectionately as he looked at Du Fan.
Hearing these words, Du Fan’s heart warmed.
“Alright, child. Let your fiancée in. I have something to talk to her about,” the Duke of Green said with a smile.
Soon, Lady Green and Nai Xiu entered together.
Upon seeing Nai Xiu, a tender glow appeared in the Duke of Green’s eyes.

“Naixiu, I won’t call you Her Majesty then,” said Duke Green with a smile.
“Uncle, what are you saying? Calling me Her Majesty would truly embarrass me!” Naixiu said, blushing.
“Well, Naixiu, just like Du Fan, call me Father too,” Duke Green said with a smile.
These words made Naixiu’s face turn red again, but she felt happy inside. “Yes, Father,” she said softly, lowering her head.
“Good, my dear,” Duke Green said to Lady Green. “Could you bring me the item that’s on the bottom shelf?”
Seeing her husband’s actions, Lady Green laughed and said, “You’re so biased!” Then she went to the room to get it.
Soon, Lady Green brought out a deep blue pendant that resembled the ocean under a starry sky. Inside the pendant were countless star-like crystals, making it look just like the night sky reflected on the sea!
“Starry Sky! Father, how did you bring out such a precious treasure?” Du Fan exclaimed in surprise.
“Child,” Duke Green ignored Du Fan’s words entirely and spoke only to Naixiu, “You are the ruler of the elf race. Marrying that wretched boy from my family is truly unfair to you. This Starry Sky is a family heirloom of our Green family. I’m giving it to you today as a gift from my family to welcome you.”
Hearing that it was a family heirloom of Du Fan’s family, Naixiu was stunned and didn’t know whether to accept it.