There was nothing special to say about worshipping the Moon Lineage ancestors. Xu Jianwei just pulled Zhang Lexuan to kneel before a pile of ancestral tablets, chanted a lot of words, and then had Zhang Lexuan kowtow four times, and it was over.
At this point, Zhu Ziyang and the others had completed their mission, because Xu Jianwei was not only the Silver Moon Priestess and the actual controller of the Yin Clan, but also the current Head of the Moon Lineage.
Zhang Lexuan's identity being recognized by her meant it was a foregone conclusion. Even if Zhang Lexuan wasn't truly of the direct Moon Lineage bloodline, she was now. Moreover, Zhang Lexuan genuinely was of the direct Moon Lineage bloodline!
The rest was simple. After Old Song and Zhang Lexuan, representing Shrek, and Xu Jianwei and Yin Zhengqi, representing the Moon Lineage, discussed cooperation and transferred resources, the "Empress's Advent" plan could enter its second phase.
Xu Jianwei and Yin Zhengqi went to gather the Silver Moon Priestess and the high-ranking members of the Yin Clan. Zhu Ziyang, Zhang Lexuan, and Old Song left the Marquis Estate to rendezvous with Old Zhu and Jiang Nannan. Both parties agreed to meet at the Yue Nan Marquis Estate tomorrow afternoon.
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly!" Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but exclaim after leaving the Yue Nan Marquis Estate.
"Well," Zhu Ziyang said thoughtfully, "this can actually be considered a blessing from heaven. Who would have thought that a former dynasty princess was hidden in the Yue Nan Marquis Estate? Compared to the Yin Clan, who are entangled in Benefit, the former dynasty princess, a victim of the coup, undoubtedly has a stronger desire for revenge. That's why we were able to persuade them so smoothly.
Of course, Sister Lexuan's Spirit was the key factor."
"Exactly!" Old Song also sighed with emotion, saying, "This is the unpredictability of life! When Ziyang and Old Mu first proposed this plan, I was full of doubt, wondering how Le Xuan's Moon Spirit could possibly deceive everyone. Now it seems I was short-sighted. The Sun Moon Empire's faith in the Sun and Moon is truly not just talk!"
"Ziyang, we still have a moon emperor jade seal. Should we bring it out?" Zhang Lexuan asked.
"That depends on your own thoughts," Zhu Ziyang waved his hand and said, "Whether you want to bring it out or keep it as a trump card is entirely up to you. I cannot offer advice."
"I see, I understand!" Zhang Lexuan nodded upon hearing this, saying, "Then let's keep it for now. It won't be too late to bring it out after I've completely taken control of the Moon Lineage and the Yin Clan's forces."
"That's a good idea. Keeping a trump card in hand means that if unexpected complications arise in the future, you won't be at a loss," Old Song agreed.
The three returned to the hotel, where Old Zhu and Jiang Nannan's group had been waiting for a long time. The two parties immediately exchanged their experiences and gains.
"I never thought there was still a princess of a fallen kingdom!" Old Zhu exclaimed.
"According to the information you gathered, the Yue Nan Marquis can currently only control January Island, April Island, and May Island? And is beyond reach of the four more distant islands?" Old Song disregarded Old Zhu's exclamation and pondered the information Old Zhu and the others had uncovered. She said, "Where are the Moon Lineage Remnants taken in by the Yin Clan? Will they pose a threat to Le Xuan's position?"
"The Yin Clan's current strength is very weak, so January, February, June, and July Islands are all outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant towards the Yue Nan Marquis. They seem to have the support of mainland forces, especially January Island, which is the garrison for the Sun Moon Empire's Southern Sea Fleet," Old Zhu said. "As for the Moon Lineage people taken in by the Yin Clan, there are currently seven of them, all living on May Island. Four of them are elders over sixty years old, and although the other three are young people in their thirties or forties, their Spirits are not the Moon, and they don't even possess the Moon bloodline."
"I see!" Old Song nodded upon hearing this, saying, "Since that's the case, everyone should rest first. We'll make plans tomorrow."
"Alright!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
---
The next afternoon, Yue Nan Marquis Estate.
Five people from Shrek Academy arrived: Zhang Lexuan, Old Song, Old Zhu, Zhu Ziyang, and Jiang Nannan. However, more than ten people came from the Silver Moon Priestess and the Yin Clan.
The Silver Moon Grand Priestess introduced these individuals to Zhang Lexuan. These people, all over forty years old, were the current high-level combatants of the Yin Clan: one Spirit Douluo, three Spirit Saints, and nine Spirit Emperors. If Yin Zhengqi was included, then this once formidable Yin Clan only had fourteen mid-to-high-tier Spirit Masters. These individuals, in a way, were Zhang Lexuan's distant cousins, uncles, and aunts.
No wonder they couldn't even control the Yue Nan Islands, Zhu Ziyang and the others realized in their hearts.
The Silver Moon Priestess's side only had the Grand Priestess Xu Jianwei.
It was ironic. The Yin Clan, as the family on the Sun Moon Continent that held the right to worship the Moon, had reached the pinnacle of their clan before Xu Zihuang unified the Sun and Moon. What enabled them to achieve such a position was their Moon Spirit, which they should have been proud of. However, to this day, there wasn't a single member of the Yin Clan who possessed the Moon Spirit, and the position of Silver Moon Priestess was even held by an outsider. This was truly too ironic.
Indeed, if not for Zhang Lexuan's appearance, the Silver Moon Priestess's legacy would probably have been completely broken. In that case, one wonders if the Silver Moon Empress, who had died over ten thousand years ago, would regret her decision to merge the entire clan into the imperial family.
However, this couldn't be blamed on the Yin Clan members. Because after the Yin Clan chose to integrate into the imperial family, in order to ensure the imperial family's uniqueness and supremacy, all members of the Yin Clan who possessed the Moon Spirit, except for one per generation who inherited the position of Silver Moon Priestess, all others had to integrate into the imperial Moon Lineage through marriage.
This also led to the decreasing probability of the Yin Clan giving birth to a Moon Spirit as time went on, eventually forcing them to even borrow offspring from the imperial family to preserve the Silver Moon Priestess's legacy.
After Xu Jianwei finished introducing the Yin Clan members to Zhang Lexuan, she began to introduce Zhang Lexuan's identity to the Yin Clan members.
All the Yin Clan members looked at Zhang Lexuan with curious and scrutinizing gazes. Xu Jianwei had not revealed any information to them, only asking them to gather, so all of them were currently in a state of confused bewilderment.
"Child, come!" Xu Jianwei beckoned to Zhang Lexuan, pulling her in front of her, and said, "Show them your identity!"
Zhang Lexuan heard this and did not hesitate, immediately releasing her Spirit. The appearance of the Moon Spirit and eight spirit rings shocked these Yin Clan members, which then turned into ecstasy and excitement. Anyone with a bit of sense knew what these two things meant. At the very least, they no longer had to worry about the Silver Moon Priestess's legacy ending in their generation.
"This child, named Xu Tianxuan, is a descendant of my Imperial Uncle Xu Yidong. As you can see, she possesses a pure Moon Spirit and the strength of a Spirit Douluo. More importantly, Xuanxuan is only twenty-seven years old this year!" Xu Jianwei said.
The Xu Yidong she mentioned was indeed her Imperial Uncle, and also her father's youngest brother. When the Shi Yue Palace Coup occurred, he died in the palace. However, Xu Yidong's five sons all escaped the Sun Moon Empire. Zhang Lexuan's family very likely originated from one of these five. Therefore, in the absence of a traceable origin, Xu Jianwei had no choice but to place Zhang Lexuan into the Xu Yidong lineage.
She naturally wanted to place Zhang Lexuan into her own lineage, but she had remained unmarried her entire life, and her two elder brothers and several nephews had all died cleanly in the coup. Even if she had the will, she was powerless. So, she could only benefit her uncle's lineage. After all, this was the most direct branch of the Moon Lineage apart from her own family.
Xu Tianxuan was the new name Xu Jianwei gave Zhang Lexuan based on seniority. If Zhang Lexuan's parents or grandfather were still alive, they would surely be very satisfied with this name.
The Yin Clan members instantly understood Xu Jianwei's purpose in summoning them upon hearing her words. Their hearts immediately burned with fervor, and then they all knelt on one knee, shouting to Zhang Lexuan, "Greetings, Princess Xuanxuan!"
This bow, no matter how many people were sincere, meant that Zhang Lexuan had initially obtained the Moon Lineage's proclamation and general title. From now on, she was Princess Xuanxuan of the Moon Lineage of the Sun Moon Empire!
"All elders, please rise!" Zhang Lexuan said with a slight smile, raising her hands in a gesture.
Everyone stood up, their expressions a kaleidoscope of emotions, too numerous to fully take in, but no one cared.
Xu Jianwei then proceeded to introduce Old Song and Old Zhu, saying, "These two seniors are elders of Xuanxuan's lineage. Old Song and Old Zhu are both Titled Douluo level powerhouses."
Regarding the true identities of Old Song and Old Zhu, after discussions with Old Song and the others, they decided to temporarily conceal the fact that Zhang Lexuan came from Shrek Academy. After all, secrecy is the primary principle for grand undertakings, and the Yin Clan members were not a unified front.
Before the integration of the Yin Clan's forces was complete, the identities of the Shrek Academy members were all as members of Zhang Lexuan's family.