Establishing the Mountain Gate, the Jia Ma Empire Trembles

The sound echoed for ten thousand miles. With just this single feat, Zhang Nian displayed the mastery over space unique to a Dou Sheng powerhouse. One must realize that transmitting a voice across such a distance is not something that can be achieved merely by wrapping it in Dou Qi.

Inside the barrier.

Zhang Nian looked around and frowned slightly. After all, this was a place others had lived in. He glanced at the prompt board in his mind; there were only ninety seconds remaining. He immediately raised both hands, and under the watchful eyes of his two disciples, a strange fluctuation manifested from the void. The ripples were faint, like water droplets falling into a lake, spreading continuously toward the surrounding buildings.

As the ripples penetrated the houses, one could vaguely see dust floating in the void along with the waves. Only then did the two understand that their master was cleaning up their new home.

"Boom!"

With a tremor in space, cracks of various sizes appeared all around, like a giant beast opening its maw, swallowing the buildings on both sides. Finally, under Zhang Nian's manipulation, only a few rows of wooden houses remained, along with two rows of meditation rooms at the higher peak; everything else was leveled to the ground.

At this moment, the Misty Cloud Sect had lost its grand and imposing appearance from a minute ago. After the renovation, it exuded an even more mysterious atmosphere.

"Not bad, it looks much more comfortable."

Zhang Nian nodded slightly, feeling genuine admiration for his own drastic reforms. He wouldn't have many disciples; the houses left on both sides of the plaza could serve as living quarters for future servants, while the meditation rooms and rest areas at the summit, originally belonging to the Sect Leader, were reserved for his disciples and himself.

Taking advantage of the remaining time, Zhang Nian flicked his sleeves, and a group of stones flew over from the nearby forest. With one hand, he controlled them, gently clenching his palm. The stones rotated continuously in the air, and in the blink of an eye, they became uniform diamond-shaped patterns. Following a fluctuation, hundreds of stones landed gently on the ground, arranged in neat rows.

Due to the restriction, those without strength surpassing a Dou Sheng, or the power of space, could not enter the barrier. These were the "keys" Zhang Nian had created.

"Alright, you two pick one each. From now on, if you want to leave the mountain, just take this with you."

He pointed to the pile of stones and instructed them. He was about to lose his Dou Sheng strength, but he believed Medusa and Zi Yan wouldn't notice; after all, they couldn't see through his cultivation level before anyway. Once he lost his cultivation, Zhang Nian would look like an ordinary person on the surface. But isn't that exactly what a Dou Sheng powerhouse is? If I want you to see clearly, you can; if I don't, you have no way of knowing.

The two had not yet recovered from the shock. Medusa had never seen such formidable means, while Zi Yan looked at the diamond-shaped stones on the ground with interest and said in a milky voice:

"Master, can you make a big lion for me to play with!"

-_-|| Sweat...

[Ding! Kind reminder, the Dou Sheng Experience Card time is about to end. Countdown 10... 9... 8...]

Zhang Nian did not hesitate. He released his focus and waved his sleeves. As his Dou Qi surged, the distant forest trembled. A small black dot in the sky was rapidly speeding toward them. The giant stone rotated continuously in the air, and countless fragments fell, causing the forest below to sway.

[5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Experience ended.]

"Boom~!"

Accompanied by a tremor on the plaza floor, a loud noise erupted. Zi Yan clapped her small hands excitedly, staring at the five-meter-tall stone lion in front of her.

Medusa, on the other hand, felt a wave of emotion inside and couldn't help but think: It seems I overthought things earlier. Judging by the master's actions, he really seems to dote on his disciples.

After losing his strength, Zhang Nian broke into a cold sweat. Good heavens, he would have been exposed if he had been a second slower. Fortunately, his movements were fast enough. Watching Zi Yan laughing while riding on the back of the stone lion, he felt a sense of healing, and the familiar prompt sounded in his ears again.

[Ding! Zi Yan's favorability +10, currently 60 (Loyal), return multiplier increased to 500.]

Yes.

Ever since he awakened the system, Zhang Nian had understood the rules: this panel only appeared when a disciple's favorability reached a certain level. This was the reason why Zhang Nian pampered his disciples so much. According to the system, when favorability reaches 100, the multiplier will increase to an astonishing ten thousand times.

Outside the barrier, Jia Xingtian, Yun Shan, and Hai Bodong looked at each other in dismay. Jia Xingtian felt a bit envious. One had to know that Yun Shan hadn't lost anything in this exchange, just a mountain peak. Although he hadn't brought anything out, the value of those three Grade 8 medicinal herbs was self-evident. They were Grade 8! To put it bluntly, if taken to a wealthier place, they might be exchanged for a Grade 7 Dou Zong Breaking Pill or even better things. How could he not be envious?

Hai Bodong pondered carefully. He had already lost the initiative, and if he wanted to overtake them now, he had to use unconventional methods.

Jia Xingtian also began to rack his brain on how to please this sudden Saint.

"Elder Hai!"

A dense crowd surged from the ground. It turned out that Miteer Tengshan had arrived at the scene immediately with gifts and a group of servants.

Hai Bodong's eyes lit up; the chance to overtake had arrived. A Saint is still a person who needs to eat and sleep and requires people to serve them. As for these gifts, they seemed less important, but better than nothing. As long as the people he offered could serve the Saint well, he believed the Miteer Family would surely rise in the future. Perhaps he could even select a few outstanding women from the clan. The two people the Saint brought were different in style, but neither looked like a partner, so perhaps...

Waving his Dou Qi wings behind him, Hai Bodong mocked those behind him: "Haha, it seems that fellow Miteer is the most insightful. I shall take my leave first."

Yun Shan was stunned. He looked at the dense crowd below, especially the young girl at the very front of the team, and immediately understood the Miteer Family's plan. They were going to start from daily life. However, he turned to look at his own direct disciple, Yun Yun, who was also a blooming young girl. Perhaps...

At this moment, Yun Shan suddenly felt that the vast Misty Cloud Sect wasn't so hard to manage, and he could easily hold on for a few more years. With Grade 8 medicinal herbs, it wasn't impossible to trade for something...

"No, if this continues, our Jia Ma Imperial Family will fall behind!" Jia Xingtian flapped his wings rapidly. Through micro-expressions, he had already seen what Yun Shan was thinking, and the Miteer Family had already begun to act. Without leaving a word, he turned and flew toward the direction of the Imperial Capital.

Below, Hai Bodong led the crowd to a hundred meters in front of the barrier and channeled his Dou Qi to shout loudly toward the looming mountain gate:

"Hai Bodong of the Jia Ma Empire, along with the Miteer Family, respectfully welcomes the Saint to this place. We specially offer over a hundred servants and various gifts~"