Xuanzhou Prefecture, the Sacred Dragon Divine Dynasty.
In the Golden Palace, Emperor Zhou Xuanqing, dressed in Black Dragon Robe, sat high on the Dragon Throne, his eyes lowered as he reviewed memorials.
"Your Majesty, since the Heavenly Dao was sealed, our dynasty has waged war across the land, and eight kingdoms and Thirteen Sects kingdoms from all directions have submitted and paid tribute. Now our dynasty has occupied a quarter of the Earth Province, and its power shakes all corners of the world."
A general in purple robes knelt on one knee, his voice booming, his tone tinged with arrogance.
"Oh?"
Zhou Xuanqing raised his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable, and asked with great interest:
"Now that we've already taken a quarter, the rest... must be the tough nuts to crack?"
Your Majesty is wise.
The purple-robed general's expression turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice:
"The Li Family in the west controls eighteen kingdoms under their command, guards the Sky Pass, and sets up Grand Formation to block our army's advance."
Our army launched three strong attacks, but each time suffered heavy losses and returned empty-handed.
"The Sea Dragon Clan have recently been stirring up trouble, repeatedly invading our borders, massacring cities and towns, and plundering our food."
Their clan is led by Heavenly Immortal- level dragon, and they fight in the sea, giving them a unique advantage and making them extremely difficult to deal with.
"The Northern Jinglun Academy is a branch of Confucianism. It has a great Confucianism master in charge, and its disciples are all over the Northern Border. It educates the people and wins their hearts."
"Once our Soldiers get close, they will be suppressed by the Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi, and their Combat Power will be greatly reduced."
"To the west... Recently, a Great Chu suddenly emerged, whose ruler calls himself the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, and he commands Million Battle Souls."
Our army has clashed with them three times, suffering major defeats each time, losing 300,000 elite troops, and we still haven't been able to ascertain their true strength.
After the purple-robed general finished his report, he stood with his head bowed, awaiting Zhou Xuanqing's decision.
"The Li Family...?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuanqing's lips curled into a disdainful smile. His voice was indifferent, yet carried an air of domineering arrogance.
"If that Dao Ancestor Li were still alive back then, I might have been more wary of him."
But now, the Li Family is nothing more than Li Yuansheng, a Mid Heavenly Immortal, struggling to survive and clinging to life with the incomplete Grand Formation left by their ancestors—nothing to worry about.
"As for the Sea Dragon Clan... they are indeed a bit troublesome."
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly said:
"The Dragon Clan has a profound foundation and fights at sea, giving them a significant advantage in terrain."
By imperial decree, the border troops in the Eastern Border are to temporarily avoid direct confrontation, hold their positions, and refrain from launching any offensives.
Once I have some free time, I'll settle accounts with these slugs properly.
"Your Majesty Sagacity!"
The purple-robed general bowed and accepted the order, but then hesitated and said:
"And what about the Jinglun Academy and the Great Chu...?"
Jinglun Academy...
Zhou Xuanqing's gaze turned slightly cold as he lightly tapped the armrest of the Dragon Throne with his fingertips, producing a dull "thump, thump" sound that seemed to strike the heart.
"Confucianism education places the greatest emphasis on winning the hearts and minds of the people."
Order the Dark Dragon Guards to infiltrate the Northern Border, spread rumors, incite unrest, and divide its foundations.
Once their internal strife erupts, I will personally lead a large army to crush them in one fell swoop.
"Yes."
As for the Great Chu...
A hint of solemnity flashed in Zhou Xuanqing's eyes. He slowly rose, walked to the front of the hall, looked westward, and spoke in a low voice:
"Million Battle Souls, this is no ordinary method."
By imperial decree, the Imperial Preceptor is ordered to personally travel to the Western Border to investigate the true strength of the Great Chu, especially the origins of that Chu Hegemon-King!
"My lord, I obey the order!"
The purple-robed general kowtowed deeply, accepted the order, and withdrew.
Inside the Great Hall, only Zhou Xuanqing remained alone.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sea of clouds outside the palace. A cold, Killing Intent flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself:
"With the Heavenly Dao locked away and the world in chaos, this is the perfect opportunity for our Sacred Dragon Divine Dynasty to unify the Earth Province and ascend to Supreme!"
"The Li Family, the Dragon Clan, the Confucianism, the Great Chu... and those Old Monsters lurking in the shadows..."
"Those who block my path—will be executed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his aura exploded, and a terrifying pressure that surpassed even the Heavenly Immortals and faintly touched upon the Supreme Realm instantly filled the entire Great Hall.
It even caused the sea of clouds outside the palace to surge and churn!
Suddenly, a figure in black appeared in the Great Hall like a ghost, kneeling on one knee, his voice low and urgent:
"Your Majesty, important news has arrived from the Soul Refining Sect in Earth Province."
"Soul Refining Sect?"
Zhou Xuanqing frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes:
"How could a mere second-rate force, without even Heavenly Immortal, possibly have any important information?"
He is currently planning to unify the Earth Province, surrounded by powerful enemies from all sides. How could he have the mind to pay attention to a second-rate sect that doesn't even have a Heavenly Immortal?
"Your Majesty calm your anger!"
Sensing Zhou Xuanqing's displeasure, the man in black quickly bowed and reported urgently:
"A scout reports that a Mysterious Maiden of fifteen or sixteen years old has appeared within the Soul Refining Sect. She possesses Heaven Defying Power and can directly help people break through their Cultivation."
Recently, he even publicly intervened, directly elevating a cultivator at the Feathered Realm to the Early Heavenly Immortal!
"Um?"
Zhou Xuanqing's gaze suddenly sharpened, and the displeasure in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a rare solemnity.
The Early Heavenly Immortal realm was nothing in his eyes.
The ability to directly "create" Heavenly Immortal —that would be a completely different story!
"To be directly promoted to the Early Heavenly Immortal... Such a heaven-defying feat is definitely not something that can be accomplished by ordinary means."
He slowly rose, paced back and forth, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, before stating firmly:
"Able to ignore bottlenecks, tribulations, and even the comprehension of Principle, directly creating Heavenly Immortals —only the Heavenly Dao Will possesses such power in this world!"
As a supreme being who has cultivated to the pinnacle of Heavenly Immortal and Half-step Supreme, he has a certain perception of the Principle governing the operation of the Heavenly Dao, and even vaguely knows of the existence of the "Heavenly Dao Will".
A glint flashed in Zhou Xuanqing's eyes, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips:
"It seems that the Confucianism Unparalleled was restrained by something, causing the trapped Heavenly Dao Will to take the opportunity to escape."
"I wonder... how much power this Heavenly Dao's Incarnation can still unleash now."
"If I can capture and refine it, using its Heavenly Dao Origin as a foundation to complete my Dao principles, it will surely help me break through to the Supreme Realm in Supreme."
At this thought, his Killing Intent and greed surged simultaneously!
But the next moment, his brows furrowed, and a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.
"However, the Soul Refining Sect is located in the Earth Province, and is not within the sphere of influence of my Sacred Dragon Divine Dynasty."
If I were to go alone, without the blessing of the Divine Dynasty's fortune, I could only exert my peak Celestial Immortal cultivation, and might not be able to defeat that Heavenly Dao Incarnation..."
Although he was confident that his strength was unparalleled in the entire Earth Province, the Heavenly Dao Incarnation was no ordinary being. Even with its incomplete Origin, it was still far beyond what ordinary Heavenly Immortals could contend with.
Moreover, the fact that the Soul Refining Sect could summon the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao Incarnation suggests there might be other hidden secrets.
"Convey my imperial decree—"
Zhou Xuanqing's eyes turned cold, and he gave the order in a deep voice:
"Order the Dark Dragon Guard Shadow Kill, Shadow Assassin, to lead Twelve Shadow Guards to the Soul Refining Sect immediately to investigate their true strength."
"Yes!"
The figure in black accepted the order, and vanished in a flash.
Meanwhile, the first- and second-rate forces around the Soul Refining Sect, which had Heavenly Immortals in charge, had also heard the news and were making their moves.
Unlike Zhou Xuanqing, who possessed Half-step Supreme Cultivation and keen intuition, they naturally couldn't guess that Tiantian was Heavenly Dao Incarnation.
They assumed this was some kind of unprecedented, Heaven-Defying Opportunity, or that the Soul Refining Sect had obtained some High Antiquity treasure capable of mass-producing Heavenly Immortals.
Either one of them is enough to drive them crazy!
As a result, within just a few days, the area within a radius of 100,000 li of the Soul Refining Sect welcomed countless uninvited guests.