The Tactful Xia Emperor

As the smoke and fire dissipated, Wu Yun collected the spoils left behind by Muyuan. Some items were so durable that even a Marquis-level self-destruction could not destroy them; these were truly valuable treasures.

"I must create stronger techniques, otherwise earning military merits by killing Marquis-level immortals is too slow, and it easily attracts unwanted attention." Wu Yun had only earned two hundred billion military merits so far.

Killing a high-level Marquis-level immortal only yielded one hundred billion, while a peak Marquis-level immortal was worth one trillion.

Killing one or two occasionally was fine, but if Wu Yun were to slaughter Marquis-level immortals on a large scale, he would likely attract the attention of peak King-level or even extreme King-level experts.

Therefore, he set his sights on King-level experts.

Killing an entry-level King-level expert was worth ten trillion. Although the difficulty was high, it was achievable as long as his secret techniques, skills, and realm improved further.

Once his realm reached the 20th level of the Heavenly Bridge—the pinnacle below a Universe Venerable—and he created his own peak secret techniques, Wu Yun would have the chance to rival a peak King-level expert while still a World Lord.

As for the extreme and invincible King-level experts, that would require further opportunities.

Swish!

After several teleports, Wu Yun found a fragment of a continent with no living beings stationed on it. He needed to first perfect his secret techniques and cultivate his laws.

There was still plenty of time; Wu Yun could easily cultivate in the Outer Realm Battlefield for tens of thousands of years.

In the Desolate Era world.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Wu Yun's graduation arrived. Over the past hundred years, he had raised his true body's God-Demon Body Refining to the Void-Return level and mastered various divine abilities.

His strength was now worlds apart from before.

"Cultivate diligently. Once you possess strength like Donghua's, you may enter and leave the Dao Palace as you please." Daoist Three Pure Ones was quite satisfied with Wu Yun's progress.

Although Wu Yun had not yet comprehended a Great Dao, after a little guidance, he could combine several Daos exceptionally well. Having also cultivated the Eight-Nine Profound Art and other divine abilities, his combined strength could rival an ordinary True Immortal.

Progress was a good thing; many Celestial Immortals and True Immortals in the Three Realms had been stagnant for hundreds of millions of years.

"Yes," Wu Yun replied respectfully. "Thank you, Master."

He had arrived as an ordinary Celestial Immortal, but he left with a heaven-shaking transformation in his strength. Wu Yun could finally begin to lay his plans and compete for resources.

Among the opportunities in the Three Realms, the World Prison of Shaoyan Chou was paramount; obtaining it would provide the hope of cultivating the Nine-Horned Electric Snake divine ability, the Eighteen Taowu God-Demons, and so on.

Next was the Moonlit Pool, left behind by World God Beixiu. Inside, one could even obtain resources to improve a Golden Core, and clearing it offered top-tier cultivation methods.

The World God Kuji and Nine Origin Annihilation were key; the former was a method pointing directly to the World Realm, while the latter was a special divine ability.

The existing cultivation methods in the Three Realms were still lacking, and the Inner Observation Ancestral God Scroll could not compare to the World God Kuji.

Tearing through the void to return to his tribe, Wu Yun saw a black-robed emperor sitting in the main hall waiting for him, with Celestial Immortal Wushan keeping him company.

The absolute ruler of Great Xia, the Xia Emperor.

"Fellow Daoist Wu Yun, I sensed your return the moment you arrived, so I came specifically to pay a visit." The Xia Emperor laughed heartily. He was well-informed, and since Daoist Three Pure Ones was not as mysterious as Ancestor Bodhi, he had known decades ago who Wu Yun had apprenticed under.

That was Daoist Three Pure Ones, a supreme Dao Ancestor.

In an era where there were no Ancestral Gods on the surface of the Three Realms, the leaders of the Daoist Sect and Buddhist Sect were the strongest.

"Your Majesty," Wu Yun replied hurriedly. "I am still only a Celestial Immortal; how could I be worthy of being called 'Fellow Daoist' by you?"

Among the Heavenly Gods and True Immortals of the Three Realms, the Xia Emperor was the most adept at social graces. Since he had decided to befriend Wu Yun, he naturally did it well, immediately saying, "Why not? We are both disciples of Dao Ancestors. In terms of strength, I fear you are not inferior to an ordinary True Immortal, so 'Fellow Daoist' is appropriate. You may just call me Xiamang."

Celestial Immortal Wushan grew more shocked the more he heard. The Xia Emperor actually claimed Wu Yun was a disciple of a Dao Ancestor, but since they did not address each other as fellow disciples, it meant he was not under the Chiming Dao Ancestor.

The three sat in the hall exchanging pleasantries. Celestial Immortal Wushan only interjected occasionally, spending most of his time listening to the Xia Emperor tell interesting stories about the Three Realms.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Xia Emperor took out a scroll and handed it to Wu Yun.

The scroll depicted a brilliant bright moon, along with mountains and rivers.

The Bright Moon Landscape Painting? This is a Pure Yang treasure. Wu Yun thought to himself that the Xia Emperor was truly generous to be willing to use this treasure to befriend him.

The Xia Emperor was a very wealthy Pure Yang True Immortal who possessed several Innate Spirit Treasures, such as the Eight-Dragon Cloud City, the One-Thought Clear Heart Lamp, and the Flowing Light World-Crossing Boat.

The Xia Emperor certainly did not lack a Pure Yang treasure like the Bright Moon Landscape Painting that contained a world within it.

"Fellow Daoist Xiamang, how could I accept this?" Wu Yun waved his hands repeatedly in refusal. One does not receive rewards without merit; accepting a gift meant incurring karma.

When the Three Realms fell into chaos in the future, this karma would have to be repaid. The end of the God-Demon Era was not too far from that time—likely between several hundred million to a billion years away.

Wu Yun already possessed two Pure Yang treasures, gifted by his senior brothers. Since they were from the same sect, he felt no psychological burden in accepting those.

"Fellow Daoist Wu Yun, you are being too distant," the Xia Emperor said, feigning displeasure. "I have an excellent relationship with your senior brother Lu Dongbin, and your Wu Shan Clan is within my Great Xia. It is only natural for me to give you a congratulatory gift."

Wu Yun could not insist further and had to accept the Bright Moon Landscape Painting.

It was no wonder the Xia Emperor had such extensive connections in the Three Realms; even the Dao Ancestor Yinglong was his brother. In the Great Xia capital, the Tianmang Palace was even a cut above Yinglong Divine Mountain.

In terms of building relationships, the Xia Emperor was indeed formidable, though his level of Dao comprehension was merely average. He would likely reach the level of a third-rank Ancestral Immortal at best in the future.

After the Xia Emperor left, Wu Yun examined the Bright Moon Landscape Painting. The bright moon was modeled entirely after the Lunar Star, possessing a hint of its artistic conception, and the mountains and rivers were incredibly majestic.

As a Pure Yang treasure, the universe within the Bright Moon Landscape Painting could accelerate or decelerate time for lower-level cultivators.

It was also excellent for Qi Refining cultivators to use in battle; once the landscape painting was released, it was countless times heavier than a small world, enough to crush an ordinary Celestial Immortal to death.

He is certainly generous; this Bright Moon Landscape Painting is a top-grade Pure Yang treasure. Wu Yun's favor toward the Xia Emperor increased a little.

Even though he knew the other party was deliberately trying to win him over, it still made one feel comfortable.

External forces were secondary; Wu Yun's most important task was to break through his level. He planned to become a Pure Yang True Immortal first, then consider becoming a Heavenly God.

PS: The Pangu Chaos World gestated until the era of Ji Ning for nearly a Chaos Cycle (108 trillion years). During this period, there were internal conflicts within the Chaos World, the death of Ancestral Gods, and the reincarnation of True Gods like Three Pure Ones and Tathagata. Only after that did it collide with the Wujian Chaos World, leading to the great war that shattered the Three Realms.

After the Three Realms were shattered, the Xia Emperor came to Great Xia and fought throughout the God-Demon Era, eventually conquering the Great World. This should have been in the early stages of the God-Demon Era. The protagonist is in the late God-Demon Era. During this time, the Yellow-Haired Great Bear mentioned that refining Ju Hua's treasures took over 300 million years, so I estimate that several hundred million to a billion years is reasonable.