Qing Yanjing told her husband she had to leave.
At first, Mu Feng didn't agree, but in the end, his wife persuaded him.
After her father, the head of the Qing Branch, died following his failed attempt to reach Saint Grade, the Qing Branch lost its pillar of support. That was what had allowed the clan to force an arranged marriage on her, and the branch had shown signs of decline ever since.
If Qing Yanjing didn't return, the Qing Branch would inevitably come under further pressure. She couldn't let her clansmen down.
Second, the Buddha Ancient Clan had given birth to her and raised her, providing her with the resources she needed to cultivate. It had never treated her unfairly.
Back then, she had fled from her arranged marriage and refused to marry the ruler of the Mohe God Clan, causing the Ancient Clan to lose face throughout the Great Thousand World and to face the wrath of the foremost of the Five Great God Clans.
She had to give the clan an explanation. Qing Yanjing was no ingrate.
Third, as their child grew older, she feared that if she waited any longer, she wouldn't be able to bear leaving.
Her return to the clan would also draw attention away from their child.
Fourth, as a mid-level Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays, her next step would be to become a high-level Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays, a realm on par with a Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign.
Thus, a high-level Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays was also known as a Saint Grade Grandmaster.
Qing Yanjing wanted to break through to the Saint Grade Grandmaster realm. There was no more suitable or safer place than the Buddha Realm, her mother clan's home, where a Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign stood guard.
With the protective Spirit Array and the Clan Ancestral Tower in place, even an ordinary Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign couldn't set foot in the Buddha Ancient Clan's realm!
Qing Yanjing hadn't made the decision in a moment of passion. She had given it deep consideration.
Once she succeeded in reaching Saint Grade, who would hold sway over the Buddha Ancient Clan would be an open question.
Though she felt she owed the clan something, that didn't mean she would let it dictate her life and turn her into a puppet. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fled her arranged marriage in the first place.
Mu Feng was persuaded by his wife.
He couldn't let Qing Yanjing become someone who was disloyal, unrighteous, and unfilial.
--
"A-Jing, go without worry. I'll take good care of Chen'er."
Mu Feng looked anguished, his brows drawn tight and his lips pressed firmly together.
Their child had only just been born and wasn't even a month old. They should have been enjoying the bliss of family life together, yet now they faced the pain of being separated, of a wife leaving her husband and a child losing a parent. It was a tragedy worthy of the world's deepest sorrow.
He was a husband, and a father. He could only bear all of this in silence.
"What are you thinking? I'm not leaving right away."
"Besides, you and I have a child. We'll surely be reunited someday. For now, we still need to lie low. Brother Feng, give me some time. Trust me."
Qing Yanjing chuckled, breaking through the heavy gloom that had settled over them.
"Hm?"
Mu Feng, his eyes reddened, raised his head in astonishment.
He'd gotten himself all worked up and was ready to have a quiet cry, only for her to say this?
Seeing her husband's bewildered expression, the gentle beauty patiently explained, "I was born into a great clan. From birth, I wore gold and purple, rode with phoenixes and luan birds, and came from a family of jade leaves and golden branches."
"To call me a goddess of heaven would hardly be an exaggeration."
"How could I return to my clan alone and leave my husband and child to suffer out here?"
"Especially my child. He has dragon's blood and phoenix marrow. He was born to stand at the pinnacle of the Sovereign realm."
"Before returning to the Buddha Realm, I want to carve out an immortal foundation for you and our child—to claim land and a noble title, to rule as lord and sovereign, to feast amid bells and cauldrons, and command endless mountains and rivers."
Qing Yanjing's words sounded rather high-flown, but they meant just one thing.
She had been born to enjoy the finer things in life, a goddess of a great clan.
So her child, Chen'er, couldn't be born to suffer either. He had to be dressed in fine silks and surrounded by wealth and glory. That was why she would carve out a territory for Mu Feng before she left.
She hoped he would protect that foundation, take good care of their child, and raise him into a proper adult.
Mu Feng was deeply moved by her words. He silently turned away.
He felt a little wounded inside, thinking that the foundation he had already built wasn't bad.
After all, he was the Domain Lord of Mu Domain, one of the nine great domains in the Northern Spiritual Realm, with more than a thousand soldiers under his command. Even if he couldn't give Chen'er endless luxury, he could at least ensure he wanted for nothing.
And yet A-Jing still thought their family fortune was too small.
When he first founded Mu Domain, she had praised him as bold, resolute, and a hero without equal.
Before we married, she called me her sweetheart. After we married, she called me old cow. How true to life.
Ptooey! Women really were all like pickled chicken feet!
"Brother Feng, come with me."
Before Mu Feng could recover from the blow, Qing Yanjing clapped a hand on his shoulder and controlled their bodies as they plunged into the depths of space. They tore through the void and vanished without a trace.
In the Great Thousand World, an Eighth Grade Sovereign could begin to control space.
A Heavenly Sovereign was a being of boundless power, capable of crossing the starry sky in the flesh.
With Qing Yanjing's terrifying cultivation, if someone crushed a Spirit Seal she had prepared in advance billions of miles away, she could even cross continents and arrive in person.
--
Hundred Spirit Heaven, Hundred Spirit City.
As the capital of Hundred Spirit Continent, Hundred Spirit City was the continent's most prosperous and wealthy city.
Whether in population, the number of powerful beings, or cultivation resources, it far surpassed the continent's hundreds or thousands of other cities. It was the natural center of power.
With the King's Tribute Festival due to be held soon, the city had become even livelier.
Factions from every corner had gathered there. They would enter the palace, pay homage to the new king, present tribute, and declare their allegiance. It was only proper.
Hundred Spirit Continent had been ruled for centuries by the Northern Profound Sect, a superpower and western Great Thousand World colossus. Its foundations were secure, and the people had long since rallied to its cause.
As the old saying went, a county magistrate could ruin a family, and a prefect could wipe out a clan.
And now the overlord had sent its heir to serve as the new king. What faction would be foolish enough to defy him and court disaster?
So the factions had come streaming to the capital with their families in tow, eager to make themselves known.
Inside the towering, magnificent palace hall, every surface gleamed with splendor, from the carved railings to the jade-inlaid pillars.
The leaders of every faction of any renown on the continent had appeared. They sat obediently on their knees in their assigned places, quietly watching the court dancers and musicians.
Beautiful maids carried jade flasks, weaving nimbly through the hall like butterflies among flowers.
Mu Domain certainly wasn't qualified to receive an invitation.
If Mu Feng could defeat the other eight domains and unite the Northern Spiritual Realm, he might just qualify—but even then, he'd probably only get a seat near the door.
Looking closely, the scene was one of peace and celebration, with song and dance.
"His Majesty arrives!"
Suddenly, a sharp, hurried announcement rang out, and the atmosphere changed at once.
A young man in a dark gold robe, with narrow eyes, emerged from a side hall surrounded by attendants. He strode forward with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, mounted the throne, and sat down.
He had a handsome face, but his air was somewhat effeminate.
His pale complexion, unsteady steps, and the lewd glints that flashed in his eyes made it clear he was given over to women, spoiling his overall appearance.
Yet as his arms moved, a powerful surge of spiritual energy rippled around him.
He was an Earth Sovereign!
"We pay our respects to the King of Hundred Spirits!"
The faction leaders rose to greet him, their expressions solemn as they held their breath.
Even the court dancers busy beneath the jade steps hastily stopped their graceful movements and pressed a hand to their chests to welcome the arrival of the ruler of Hundred Spirit.
The music and dancing came to an abrupt halt. Silence filled the hall.
Seeing this, one of the King of Hundred Spirits' favored eunuchs proved quick-witted. Counting on his master's favor, he stepped forward, waved his hand, and cried in a shrill voice:
"Fools! Did His Majesty tell you to stop? Keep playing! Keep dancing!"
Before you continue