Heaven and Earth Defiled, the Bai Family

If not for the rash appearance of an unfamiliar Heavenly Being, which would draw far too much attention.

Once he appeared, the nations of the world and every top-tier power would turn their eyes toward him.

Then by now, he should have taken Yuan Tiangang to discuss making his father abdicate with the old ancestor. As for the imperial clan's rules?

Well, a Heavenly Being Realm expert was the rule. If he said you weren't allowed to date today, then you weren't allowed to date.

(The Commander said no one was allowed to date. The Commander himself hadn't dated, and you still dared to date?)(●ˇ∀ˇ●)

(Yeah, anyway, I'll listen to the Commander. No dating. ಥ_ಥ)

Besides, how could one reveal their trump card so casually? An unknown Yuan Tiangang plotting behind the scenes was far more useful than a Late Heavenly Being Realm expert standing openly in the light.

A Prince of Qin with the backing of a Heavenly Being would draw the attention of every top-tier power.

But who would care about a Chu Xuanao with only the Ascension Realm? He would only be fit to serve as a chess piece.

He would wait here at Diaoyutai and see which big fish took the bait.

Quietly. No shooting.

Chu Xuanao took out a token. "Zhu Wushi, this is my token. Later, take it to Weihu Mountain outside Tiandu City. From today onward, Weihu Mountain and the Seven Balefuls will be under your command."

"This subordinate obeys."

He had not spent all these years idling around. He had some people under his command, though not many.

The Three Tiger of Weihu Mountain and the Seven Balefuls were all in the Manifestation Realm. There were also two Ascension Realm guest retainers in the manor, one Early and one Mid Ascension Realm.

Do not say that a dignified prince only had this many people. Forget Heavenly Beings—he did not even have a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert.

In the world today, martial cultivation was paramount, and all kinds of cultivation paths emerged one after another. However, the main realms remained the same.

The Four Realms of Humanity began with Houtian: traversing the twelve principal meridians and circulating qi through the hundred channels.

Then came Xiantian: opening the Ren and Du Meridians and erecting the two bridges between Heaven and Earth.

In the Grandmaster Realm, one's qi became unified, qi force could leave the body, and protective qi could extend one zhang.

The Great Grandmaster Realm focused on will. My martial path, guided only by my heart and self.

The Three Realms of Earth began with the Transcendent Realm. As the name implied, one transcended the mundane. Breaking through this realm meant undergoing a mortal-shedding body cleansing, extending one's lifespan to two hundred years. In other words, before the age of one hundred and fifty, there was no need to worry about one's body declining.

Some prodigies could even comprehend an elemental power upon breaking through, such as Cheng Shifei's metal attribute and the Commander's pure yang attribute. If they then found a cultivation technique suited to their own attribute, the effect would be far more than one plus one equaling two.

The Manifestation Realm was the embodiment of a person's will, the solidification of their martial path.

As the saying went, appearance arose from the heart. That was true.

The path a person walked, their Dao, and their truest thoughts would all condense into their Manifestation.

Manifestations came in all kinds of strange forms. There had once been a flower thief whose Manifestation was a woman's undergarment—yes, a woman's bellyband. He had become quite famous in the Martial World because of it.

(May I ask what your fellow Daoists' Manifestations are? Appearance arises from the heart.)

Upon reaching the Ascension Realm, one developed divine consciousness. What mattered was the perfection of spirit and form, becoming wholly at ease with oneself.

The soul would undergo changes, and one's lifespan would increase to more than three hundred years.

Once every aspect of oneself had reached perfection, one could begin comprehending the Heavenly Dao.

The Two Realms of Heaven—the Celestial Phenomenon Realm and the Heavenly Being Realm—required one to comprehend the Heavenly Dao. Yet the laws of the Great Dao of this world were incomplete, so under normal circumstances, it was impossible to attain the Heavenly Realm here.

However, the Celestial Phenomenon Realm could still be reached with the aid of certain supreme heavenly treasures. But how many such treasures could there possibly be?

The Ascension Realm alone was enough to intimidate an entire province. The Bai Family, where his mother had come from, possessed five Ascension Realm experts. One of them was at Peak Ascension Realm, placing the family among Jiangzhou's four great clans.

Without exaggeration, with the people currently under his command, even if the Commander were excluded, he would have no problem competing with the Bai Family.

Heavenly Realm experts could be said to almost all come from top-tier powers.

Their backgrounds were comparable to the Dagan Imperial Clan itself. Why would they accept recruitment from a mere prince like him?

Even the few exceptions were not people he could invite.

Only after they had finished discussing matters did Chu Xuanao turn to Yuan Tiangang and ask that question.

"Yuan Tiangang, how greatly does the defilement of Heaven and Earth affect you?"

Heavenly Being Realm experts comprehended the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and condensed Heavenly Being bodies. The laws of the Great Dao in this world were incomplete, and if a Heavenly Being appeared in the world for too long, they would be affected by the defilement of Heaven and Earth. Generally speaking, the effect would not be too severe.

It was like someone staying in their room, where there were no mosquitoes, then going outside and getting bitten. It was not a major problem, but it itched and felt somewhat unpleasant.

The defilement of Heaven and Earth worked the same way. It entered the body and obstructed the operation of the Heavenly Being body. One only needed to return and enter seclusion to expel it.

But it was also possible that some people might suffer an allergic reaction or infection after being bitten by mosquitoes. In more serious cases, they would need medical treatment.

The Imperial Clan Secret Records recorded that there had once been a Heavenly Being ancestor who had been too severely affected by the defilement of Heaven and Earth. His Heavenly Being body had been contaminated, and his cultivation remained forever stuck at the Early Heavenly Being Realm, unable to advance another step.

This defilement of Heaven and Earth depended entirely on one's constitution.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. I possess the Tui Bei Tu, which can isolate all things. This so-called defilement of Heaven and Earth has no effect on me whatsoever."

The Tui Bei Tu. The Tui Bei Tu originally created by Yuan Tiangang had become a weapon here. It could divine Heaven's workings, shield against the Heavenly Dao, and isolate the defilement of Heaven and Earth.

Thus, it had no effect on Yuan Tiangang at all.

"Good. That will be all for now! Zhu Wushi, go and integrate the forces at Weihu Mountain first!"

When the door opened, Qiuyue and Shuangxue outside immediately froze! Their little heads were filled with huge question marks. Where had all these people come from?

When they had left, there had only been their prince! Now, including their prince, there were eight of them.

However, they had clearly received professional training and knew what they should ask and what they should not.

One lowered her head and stared at her toes, while the other could not see her toes.

Catching sight of Chu Xuanao, Qiuyue spoke. "Your Highness, Xiao Dezi just reported that Lord Bai and the others have arrived. They are waiting for you in the front hall."

"Good. Let us go see Maternal Grandfather, Maternal Uncle, and Maternal Aunt."

Entering the front hall, Chu Xuanao quickly stepped forward. "Greetings, Maternal Grandfather, Maternal Uncle, Maternal Aunt. Something happened in the manor, and I could not leave, so I was unable to welcome Maternal Grandfather and Maternal Aunt personally. I have kept you waiting for so long. I hope Maternal Grandfather and Maternal Aunt will forgive me."

His Maternal Grandfather, Bai Yi, was at Late Ascension Realm. He was second only to the Bai Family's Peak Ascension Realm expert, and was still quite young, only a little over a hundred years old.

As for his Maternal Uncle, Bai Feihong, there was no need to say much. They saw each other every day. He was the Left Vice Minister of War, a third-rank official with hopes of taking the position of Minister of War.

Then there was his Maternal Aunt, Bai Feiyu. Her cultivation was not high, only Late Manifestation Realm. Looking at this tiny potato of an aunt, whose aura resembled his mother's, Chu Xuanao somewhat wanted to laugh. Well, she was not even one and a half meters tall, yet she was extremely proud.

Looking at his Maternal Aunt, thinking of his mother, then looking at his Maternal Uncle.

Chu Xuanao was a little confused. Both his mother and Maternal Aunt possessed heroic bearing, like exceptional women among women.

Yet his Maternal Uncle... well, how should he put it? He was very quiet and refined.

Looking at Chu Xuanao and the group behind him, Bai Yi anxiously asked.

"Did something happen again?"

"Rest assured, Maternal Grandfather. It is only a minor matter. I can handle it."

Zhu Wushi spoke. "Your Highness, we will take our leave first."

He still needed to integrate the manpower and make the necessary arrangements.

"Good. Go ahead."

After saluting, Zhu Wushi and the others left.

"Maternal Grandfather, that man who just left was Zhu Wushi. He is at Mid Ascension Realm, and those behind him are his four disciples.

"These two are Ghost Servant and Unparalleled. They are both from my manor and can be trusted."

As for Yuan Tiangang, he was right beside him. But their cultivation was insufficient to see him, and trump cards were not meant to be revealed casually.

Hearing Chu Xuanao's words, Bai Yi said, "It seems you have already made preparations. What are your plans?"

Chu Xuanao's Maternal Uncle, Bai Feihong, also reminded him, "Your Highness, be careful of Shenying Marquis Manor!"

"My mother said the same. Why? Maternal Uncle, is there something more to this?"