Ten Years Later

Lin Ye and his teacher saw the three Mount Mao Dao off outside Two-Qi Peak. After watching them disappear into the distance, Lin Ye hesitated for a long time before asking, "Teacher, did you give the 'Ancestor Sa Iron Jar' to the Mount Mao Dao for Ye'er's sake?"

If the three Daoist priests of Mount Mao could see it, Lin Ye was certainly no fool either.

Thinking of the 'Ancestor Sa Iron Jar', Lin Ye felt both moved and heartbroken.

"It's just Iron Jar, what's there to be upset about?"

Lu Qingfeng looked at Lin Ye and, seeing the expression on his face, immediately smiled. "This 'Ancestor Sa Iron Jar' is Immortal Artifact forged using the Secret Method of the Divine Empyrean Sect. It can only be activated with the Secret Method Mnemonic of the Divine Empyrean Sect. If the Mount Mao Dao obtains the Ancestor Sa Iron Jar, they either have to find a way to refine it and activate the Mnemonic, or they have to use it to exchange for other Immortal Artifact. It's extremely troublesome."

Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye's eyes widened immediately. "That's an invincible immortal Immortal Artifact, something Earth Immortal would covet. Teacher just gave it away because he thought it was too much trouble?!"

Lin Ye isn't stupid.

In this world, probably no one would find Immortal Artifact too hot to handle.

"It's not entirely because it's troublesome."

Lu Qingfeng smiled.

With the technique of 'Evolving Method Analysis' in hand, he can master the methods of refining and activating any kind of Immortal Artifact or Spirit Treasure, as if it were his own arm. No matter what the original owner of the Law Treasure is, they can forget about taking it back.

But--

"Immortal Artifact are easy to forge, but the karmic consequences are difficult to resolve."

Lu Qingfeng said to Lin Ye, "You are about to break through to the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit. It will be good for your cultivation to settle these karmic ties as soon as possible."

"..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Ye's eyes reddened, and she showed signs of bursting into tears again.

Lu Qingfeng's expression changed slightly, and he quickly changed the subject, saying, "The Divine Empyrean Sect said they would release your third junior brother, but they probably don't have the guts to lie. However, Wen Guang has suffered a lot these years, so you should go and pick him up on my behalf."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye finally stopped crying and responded softly.

Lu Qingfeng breathed a sigh of relief, then handed the Green Bamboo Staff to Lin Ye for protection before letting Lin Ye set off.

Two-Qi Peak.

Without Lu Qingfeng and Lin Ye's permission, the cultivators of Seven Treasures Mountain dared not step inside.

The peak was desolate and deserted. Lu Qingfeng walked out of the Polarity Hall and looked up at the northern sky. The fortune was like smoke and the dragons were like pillars. Among them, the two Golden Dragons were the most powerful. They coiled in the void and their swallowing and spitting out were infinitely mysterious and powerful.

There are also dragons and other creatures in the surrounding area, but they cower in a corner and dare not provoke them.

"Hao Kingdom."

"Meng Kingdom".

The Golden Dragon is a manifestation of the fortunes of both countries.

Lu Qingfeng gazed at the location of the Meng Kingdom, pondering in his heart. "Meng Kingdom is at the height of its power. It is unrealistic to try to eliminate Divine Empyrean Sect by force."

The Divine Empyrean Sect nearly interrupted Lin Ye's Dao Path and subjected Wen Guang to extreme torture. How could Lu Qingfeng let them go?

Only.

During the prosperous Meng Kingdom, the Divine Empyrean Sect flourished and its roots were deep. Furthermore, like a cunning rabbit with multiple burrows, it had its lineage extended to many smaller kingdoms. Even as the Meng Kingdom Wang Chao faced its end, unless the Divine Empyrean Sect was effectively eradicated within the Meng Kingdom, a change of the Divine Empyrean Sect Wang Chao hardly cause it to disappear completely.

Over the years, even Wang Chao like the Meng Kingdom have changed hands countless times.

Despite the changing dynasties and the shifting of Wang Chao, the Divine Empyrean Sect has always stood firm.

Destroying the Divine Empyrean Dao is no easy task.

"If I were to storm into the Meng Kingdom, not only would it be difficult to gain an advantage in the Divine Empyrean Sect's home turf, but such an action would also cause quite a stir, and even if I had a righteous cause on my side, it would likely attract a lot of attention."

"If the situation gets out of control, it won't be good."

Lu Qingfeng had already made up his mind when he released Daoist Zhengqing.

Now that things have calmed down, thoughts raced through his mind, his hands kept calculating, and he leaped into the air, standing on a cloud, his eyes shining with Radiance as he looked down at the human world.

Keep thinking about it.

Gradually, this idea was developed into a complete and feasible strategy.

Time flows on.

In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed since the Battle of Seven Treasures Mountain.

After that battle, everyone thought that Seven Treasures Mountain was about to rise to prominence and become an undeniable force between the Hao Kingdom and the Savage Wilderness. Even cultivators from Fangxian Path flocked there, wanting to attach themselves to it.

To everyone's surprise, Seven Treasures Mountain was already deserted.

The stunningly beautiful and invincible Pure Great Sage Qingjing rescued his disciples from the Divine Empyrean Sect, and then disappeared overnight with two disciples, including the Seven Treasures Immortal Aunt, as well as three True Immortal: Qi Zhou, Cui Fengnian, and Zhongli Hu.

Not long after they disappeared.

The sudden deaths of Yun Qing and Yun De, two sixth-level Earth Immortal from the Divine Empyrean Sect, caused a huge uproar. The Divine Empyrean Sect was both shocked and furious, and searched everywhere for the cause.

Many people speculate that this might be the last act of revenge by the man from Seven Treasures Mountain before he left.

The Divine Empyrean Sect also guessed it.

After several years of high-profile investigation, they could only venture deep into the Savage Wilderness and fight a few sixth-tier demons to barely save face before the matter was dropped.

As for Seven Treasures Mountain—

Some say that the Seven Treasures Immortal Aunt and others followed the Pure Great Sage to the Immortal Realm.

Some say they went to the Four Sages Immortal Domain Immortal Dao flourishes.

Some say they have retreated to the Northern Frost Snow Domain.

Opinions vary.

As time went by, fewer and fewer people mentioned it anymore.

Sui Kingdom.

It is located in the northwest of the Meng Kingdom.

More than 1,500 years ago, the Northern Marquis Tu Clan of the Meng Kingdom Dynasty, dissatisfied with the Meng Kingdom ruler's nepotism and policy of weakening the power of the vassal states, raised the banner of rebellion, gathered eighteen vassal lords, and forced the Capital of the Meng Kingdom Dynasty to surrender.

It created quite a stir for a while.

Unfortunately, the fate of the Meng Kingdom Dynasty was not yet exhausted, the people's hearts were not scattered, and the counties and prefectures were strong and well-equipped.

All eighteen warlords were defeated.

To escape the Meng Kingdom army, Marquis Mubei and the other surviving lords of the six routes led hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians across mountains and valleys to leave their homeland and settle in the northwest of the Meng Kingdom.

After decades of conquest, its forces, like a fierce tiger, conquered thirty-three small kingdoms in succession, gaining control of a vast territory. Although not as extensive as the seventy-two commanderies of the Meng Kingdom, it still encompassed nine commanderies.

They established their state, named it 'Xu'. They appointed Mu Beihou Tu Zhan as their ruler, and all the six vassal lords were enfeoffed as kings, each with their own fiefdom and hereditary succession.

For the next two hundred years, it did quite well, and although there were frequent rebellions by rebels who intended to restore the country, it was generally thriving.

The Great Xu Dynasty lasted for 241 years.

The ruler of the Xu Kingdom Tu Che, was incompetent and tyrannical, causing widespread suffering among the people. Furthermore, Tu Che was arrogant and resentful of the six kings. Heeding the Prime Minister's Zhu Yan, he summoned the six kings to the capital, intending to strip them of their military power and relinquish their fiefdoms. This aroused the six kings' suspicion, and they refused to comply.

The Xu Kingdom was thrown into chaos.

They were engulfed in war.

For 1,300 years, the original nine commanderies of the Xu Kingdom had been repeatedly divided and reunited, constantly annexing surrounding smaller states. Twenty-seven years ago, the unified Sui Great Sui, after nine generations, had thirteen commanderies.

Its territory is unprecedentedly vast.

It's a pity.

Still trapped in a dead end.

The ruler of Great Sui was fond of drinking and women, leading to turmoil in the kingdom. Coupled with frequent natural disasters and rampant corruption, rebellions broke out across the land. Not only were there various rebel groups, but even the Great Sui and generals who governed the regions gradually slipped out of control, harboring ambitions to carve out their own territories.

The territory of Great Sui fell into chaos.

Those with foresight all predicted this—

It seems the Great Sui Empire is doomed.

As a result, scholars, warriors, Daoist priests, and monks all placed their bets on finding a wise ruler to assist them in establishing a new dynasty.

The former desires to be remembered for eternity.

The latter, however, wanted to use the Wang Chao's fortune to aid their own cultivation and attain the path to Changsheng.

As a result, the Great Sui became increasingly chaotic, with constant fighting among various factions.

Southeast of Great Sui lies Lingnan Commandery. Lingnan Commandery stretches along the eastern side of the Great Azure Dragon Ridge, encompassing twenty-one counties running north to south, with a population of six million.

The region is long and narrow.

Furthermore, due to the separation caused by the Great Azure Dragon Ridge and long roads, the area was extremely chaotic.

Before the Great Sui chaos that ensued, Lingnan Commandery was the first commandery to descend into chaos.

Refugees were everywhere, and countless people turned to banditry.

The rebels ran rampant, capturing the county seat and proclaiming themselves kings.

The situation is showing signs of spiraling out of control.

Fortunately, Commandant Zhao Jian was a brilliant strategist who led 8,000 troops to suppress bandits and pacify the people. After the prefect died in office, Zhao Jian took over civil affairs and held great power.

Eight years ago.

Zhao Jian recovered the nine most important counties in Lingnan Commandery and took office as the governor of Lingnan Commandery.

However, the prefectural government was short of soldiers and generals, and lacked talented individuals, resulting in sluggish military and political operations.

Lu Changqing, the abbot of Changqing Temple on Rosy Radiance Mountain, was well-versed in classics and history, as well as astronomy, geography, calendar, the Five Elements, and apocryphal texts. He was also proficient in Daoist magic and possessed Divine Ability to slay evil spirits and capture demons.

Not long ago, the abbot of Changqing Temple traveled to Jinzhang County and encountered a young man named Shen Lang, who was the transformed spirit of a dragon and a sea monster. Shenlang had caused floods that harmed hundreds of thousands of people along the river. So Shenlang took up his sword and led his disciples to kill Shenlang, thus eliminating the flood threat to Jinzhang.

From then on, Lu Changqing's Daoist skills became widely known, and many sought to become his disciples. Among his disciples, the "Seven Changqing Disciples" were the most renowned and were accepted as Registered Disciple by Lu Changqing. There was also a lay disciple named Wu Guang, who practiced various martial arts, including fist fighting and weaponry, and was skilled in military strategy and tactics, making him a valiant general.

Zhao Jian had initially pacified nine counties, but twelve more remained unrecovered, and he was eager to recruit talented individuals.

Upon hearing of Lu Changqing's abilities, he was overjoyed and personally went to Rosy Radiance Mountain to appoint Lu Changqing as the Lingnan Commandery and his disciple Wu Guang as the Commandant of the Mountain.

Lu Changqing was indeed capable.

For eight years, he had managed the affairs of Lingnan Commandery with remarkable efficiency, and amidst the chaos, a trend of peace and prosperity was emerging. He was also skilled in strategy, devising plans to help Zhao Jian recover twelve counties in one fell swoop, bringing the entire twenty-one counties and six million people of Lingnan Commandery under his control.

The dragon's aura is beginning to take shape.

As a result, Lu Changqing was highly valued by Zhao Jian, who regarded him as his most trusted confidant and had both of his sons become Lu Changqing disciples, receiving his full instruction.

In Lingnan Commandery, he was second only to the emperor and held a highly respected position.

This day.

Inside the prefect's residence.

Zhao Jian invited Lu Changqing, the prefectural magistrate, to discuss matters.

The prefect of Southern Ridge had a square face and a broad back, exuding an air of authority. He was about forty or fifty years old, with a mustache that added a touch of gentleness to his appearance.

He is truly a rare and virtuous gentleman.

"Ye County was also captured by General Wen Guang not long ago. With this, all twenty-one counties of Lingnan Commandery have been recovered, and we can finally maintain peace in this region." Zhao Jian, who had been practicing martial arts since childhood, spoke in a loud and clear voice.

The recapture of the entire Southern Ridge region filled Zhao Jian with high spirits, and his face was flushed with pride.

Lu Qingfeng looked at Zhao Jian and saw that beneath the prefect's rosy complexion, there was an unusual flush. "With the blessing of good fortune, Zhao Jian's destiny is gradually becoming insufficient to bear it. In recent years, he has neglected martial arts training, and his internal ailments are gradually becoming chronic. I'm afraid his days are numbered."

Thinking to myself.

Lu Qingfeng remained silent, but congratulated Zhao Jian, saying, "Brother Jingzhi, your protection of the territory and the people over the years is evident to all the soldiers, civilians and officials in Lingnan Commandery."