Song Changsheng used an overwhelmingly crushing victory to tell everyone in the Dagan Cultivation World that this outsider was not some cringing worm, but a fierce dragon crossing the river.
He likewise used a clan meeting and a trial to tell everyone in the Great Qi Cultivation World what it meant for the Song Clan's dignity to be inviolable.
In a single day, one Golden Core Cultivator and twelve Purple Palace Cultivators were publicly executed.
Every cultivator secretly watching the trial felt a chill run down their spine.
Different people naturally had different interpretations of this display of force.
Yet one central point was shared by all: the edge Song Changsheng had revealed was growing ever sharper.
It seemed to be sending a signal to the outside world.
In the face of a possible great war in the future, the Great Qi Cultivation World needed a leader capable of commanding the confidence of all sides, coordinating their strength and unifying their actions.
During the previous two expeditions, everyone had tacitly acknowledged True Lord Jinyang, Su Ding, as their leader. It was not only because his cultivation was the highest, but also because he had long possessed the greatest prestige in the Great Qi Cultivation World, enough to command the confidence of the Lu Kingdom Cultivation World as well.
Now that Su Ding had passed away, Shi Potian and Chen Zhongfang were both at Golden Core Great Perfection. Neither could win universal support.
In cultivation, the two were evenly matched. Neither would yield, and neither respected the other.
In prestige, Song Changsheng had slain Demon Kings several times and taken first place in the Five Academies Grand Competition. He had long since surpassed them both.
This time, he had displayed his edge with such force that it seemed he intended to