I Have 10 Equipment Slots-Chapter 148 - 109: Dragon Struggle

The Demon Fiend invasion was a collision of worlds. Even if Gu Zheng found it unacceptable, he couldn’t stop it. His only choice was to fight back.

But for fellow humans to treat people like ants, turning hundreds of thousands into Demon Fiends...

It was something Gu Zheng simply could not comprehend.

He would have found it more acceptable if they had simply been slaughtered, rather than turned into Demon Fiends.

"Well..."

For the first time, an embarrassed look appeared on Su Zhenyun’s fair complexion.

"Gu, it would be better for you to ask the higher-ups in the Demon Slayer Bureau about this."

Liangqiu Changkong interjected with a light cough, "Apologies, but that’s a difficult question for us noble youth to answer."

"...I was being presumptuous."

Gu Zheng regained his composure and cupped his hands in apology. "I was just speaking my mind. I’ve put Miss Su in a difficult position. My apologies for the offense."

"Not at all, not at all."

Su Zhenyun shook her head. After a moment’s thought, she decided to reveal a little. "The question you’re asking, Gu, including the Demon Fiend invasion... it can all be summarized as a single affair: the ’Dragon Struggle’!"

"The Dragon Struggle?" Gu Zheng asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the Dragon Struggle!"

Su Zhenyun said solemnly, "When you consult the Demon Slayer Bureau’s higher-ups, you can ask them directly about the ’Dragon Struggle’!"

"Thank you." Gu Zheng cupped his fist.

For Su Zhenyun to be willing to reveal those two words, "Dragon Struggle," was generous enough.

’A question that noble youth found difficult to answer?’

’Something I had to ask the Demon Slayer Bureau’s higher-ups about?’

’It didn’t have to be that complicated!’

’Gu Zheng happened to have two noble youth under his command.’

’Mo Jiateng and Zhang Meiyuan!’

’Zhang Meiyuan probably wouldn’t know much about the ’Dragon Struggle.’ After all, the Zhang Family had been in decline for centuries, and now he was the only one left.’

’But Mo Jiateng would definitely know!’

Mo Jiateng had not left.

After the Domain had altered the passage, on Gu Zheng’s orders, he had been lying in wait on the outskirts of Old Ox Mountain, mopping up and exterminating the Scattered Demons that had fled from the nearby peaks.

Before Gu Zheng had repelled the tens of thousands of Beast Demons, Mo Jiateng had been just as busy.

Even now, Mo Jiateng was still in the outskirts of Old Ox Mountain, hunting for Scattered Demons.

After Liangqiu Changkong and Su Zhenyun took their leave, Gu Zheng immediately summoned Mo Jiateng.

The two found a remote corner. Gu Zheng took out a Crystal Ball that blocked sound and auras, and after activating it, he asked his question directly.

"Do you know about the ’Dragon Struggle’?"

"Master, I know a little," Mo Jiateng replied respectfully. "But before I can explain the ’Dragon Struggle,’ I must first tell you about the Great Zhou. From what I know, Emperor Zhou is on the verge of death, and all the descendants of the Wu Clan have long since been wiped out."

"With no successor, once Emperor Zhou dies..."

"Once Emperor Zhou dies, the Eight Great Vassal Kings will rise up and fight to seize the throne?" Gu Zheng couldn’t help but interject.

The largest dynasty in this world was the Great Zhou.

Or rather, throughout history, there had only ever been a single, unified dynasty. The current one was the Great Zhou Dynasty, founded by the Wu Clan.

States like Jing Country and Kang Country were fiefdoms ruled by Dukes.

Their rulers could only be called kings, not emperors!

This was because King Jing, King Kang, and the other Dukes and Kings were all enfeoffed by Emperor Zhou.

There were eight in total.

Each of the Dukes and Kings was granted a territory known as a "Dao."

The seventeen prefectures of Fengzhou covered a vast area.

And yet, there were six other states of a similar size to Fengzhou.

In other words, Jing Country comprised the Land of Seven States.

This Land of Seven States also had another name: the Southern Mountain Dao!

Kang Country, to the north of Jing Country, ruled over eight states, which were known as the Northern Mountain Dao!

In total, the Great Zhou had ten such Daos.

This was equivalent to Emperor Zhou having granted away four-fifths of his territory.

The Wu Clan’s imperial family retained only the central Ten Thousand Dragons Dao and Central Celestial Dao.

...

"’Dragon Struggle’ refers to the Eight Great Vassal Kings fighting for the throne. So, does that mean the people lurking within Jing Country’s borders, colluding with Demon Fiends, and spreading destruction and chaos everywhere... are actually Spies from neighboring countries?"

Gu Zheng took a deep breath. "Could they be from Kang Country, or Yue Country? Or maybe even Shang Country?"

Yue Country was to the south of Jing Country, and Shang Country was to the west.

"No."

Mo Jiateng shook his head and said solemnly, "The ’Dragon Struggle’ is more than just the eight great Noble Families fighting for the throne. It also involves the dynasty’s fortune."

"The Demon Realm’s invasion of our world can, in fact, be resisted by Human Dao Fortune."

"When the Human Dao flourishes, the Demon Realm cannot invade."

"However, Human Dao Fortune is difficult to coalesce and unify, because the hearts of people are unpredictable, fickle, and complex. But a dynasty’s fortune can be unified!"

"As long as there is a single, unified dynasty, it can resist a limited invasion from the Demon Realm."

"It is ’limited’ because the hearts of the people still affect the dynasty. Emperor Zhou may be brilliant and powerful, but if the officials below him are corrupt, lazy, and ineffective, it will still lead to the decay of the dynasty’s fortune."

"Starting with the first Great Yu Dynasty, the fortune of every dynasty has taken roughly a thousand years to go from its zenith to its collapse."

"Therefore, the Demon Realm invades once every thousand years."

"Each invasion marks a period of great activity for the major Noble Families—a time when they might grow stronger, decline, or even be wiped out..."

"And what about the common people?" Gu Zheng interrupted again. "The great Noble Families fight to the death to seize opportunities, usurp the throne, and establish a new dynasty. Does anyone care about the common folk?"

"Some do, but not many."

Mo Jiateng replied calmly, "The Wu Family cared a great deal. Three hundred years ago, for the sake of the common people, Emperor Wu of the Great Zhou dispatched descendants of the Wu Clan down to the level of the County Magistrate’s Offices to oversee the various regions. At the same time, he enfeoffed the eight great Noble Families, giving each of them a Dao to rule as Dukes and Kings."

"By doing so, he extended the dynasty’s fortune and delayed the Demon Realm’s invasion."

’Right!’

Gu Zheng remembered.

According to the Great Zhou calendar, the current year was 1299.

"So Emperor Wu of Great Zhou enfeoffed the Eight Great Vassal Kings, thinking he could satisfy the ambitions of those eight Noble Families, correct?" Gu Zheng asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

Mo Jiateng nodded and replied calmly, "At first, the eight great Noble Families were indeed grateful and helped maintain the unity of the Great Zhou. But in less than a hundred years, their intentions began to change."