The instant Qin Yu stepped into the restriction—buzz!! The surrounding space trembled violently. More than ten powerful auras rose simultaneously from all directions.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! One after another, figures sped through the air and arrived. In just a few breaths, more than a dozen Holy Clan cultivators were already standing around Qin Yu and his companions.
These were all powerful members of their clans guarding the core territory, their positions impenetrable, sealing off all escape routes the moment they appeared. The leader's sharp gaze swept over Qin Yu, Yuan Zhanxiao, and Yuan Xuangu, and he shouted in a deep voice, "Who are you three?!" "Retreat at once! This is the territory of my Holy Clan."
His voice was heavy and forceful. "Trespasser—die!"
Yuan Zhanxiao frowned slightly, and Yuan Xuangu also looked up and stared. However, both of them remained still. Since Qin Yu had not spoken, they would never overstep their bounds and make decisions on their own.
... At the same moment, deep within the heart of the Holy Clan's territory, in the magnificent hall atop the highest holy mountain, all was utterly silent.
At the highest point of the main hall, on the patriarch's throne, sat a figure. Ye Ting, three years had passed, and he had truly taken charge of the Holy Clan, firmly establishing himself as patriarch. At this moment, Ye Ting's eyes were closed, his aura was calm and focused, and he was meditating to comprehend the Dao.
But the instant Qin Yu stepped into the core restriction of the Holy Clan, Ye Ting 'Fate Soul suddenly trembled deep within, and with a whoosh, his eyes snapped open. Ye Ting abruptly stood up from his seat.
That familiar, unmistakable bond of Fate Soul caused his eyes to suddenly blaze with intense light. "Master?!" Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Ting's presence caused the space in front of him to ripple gently, and he vanished from the hall in an instant.
Outside the Holy Clan's perimeter, a dozen guards still blocked Qin Yu and his companions. Just as the leading cultivator was about to order them to leave again, the space in front of them suddenly trembled.
With a whoosh, a figure appeared without warning. The dozen or so Holy Clan guards, recognizing the newcomer, all changed their expressions drastically and immediately concealed their auras. "Clan Leader!" "Greetings, Clan Leader!"
Ye Ting completely ignored everyone else, his gaze fixed on Qin Yu the moment he appeared. It truly was his master! And—a tremendous shock flashed across Ye Ting's eyes. The Eternal Silence Realm · Supreme!
Three years ago, when Qin Yu entered the Chi Lineage's Life Source Pool for seclusion, his cultivation level was far below this. This time, upon their reunion, he has already reached the Eternal Silence Realm · Supreme.
Ye Ting's mind was in turmoil. Almost without thinking, his body instinctively took a step forward, his knees about to kneel down.
Qin Yu slightly raised his eyes and gently lifted his hand. The movement was subtle, but Ye Ting understood instantly. There were still more than a dozen Holy Clan guards here, and Qin Yu did not want to reveal the subordinate relationship between the two at this moment. At the same time, he also had to give Ye Ting enough face and not lose his dignity.
Before his knees even touched the ground, Ye Ting forcefully steadied himself. The next instant, he turned around abruptly, all the excitement on his face vanishing, replaced by a chilling rage.
"Insolence!" The shout suddenly rose in volume, causing the hearts of the dozen or so guards to tighten simultaneously. Ye Ting's gaze swept over them: "This is none of your business!" "Return to your posts!" "No lingering here!"
The dozen or so people were filled with doubt, but no one dared to ask a single question. "Yes, sir!" Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One by one, the figures quickly retreated, and in the blink of an eye, only Qin Yu, Yuan Zhanxiao, Yuan Xuangu, and Ye Ting remained on the spot.
Once the last trace of the guard's presence had completely faded, Ye Ting had no more reservations. Thump! His knees slammed heavily onto the ground. He bowed his head, all the majesty of the Holy Clan leader vanishing. "Your subordinate Ye Ting— " "Welcome, Master!"
Yuan Zhanxiao and Yuan Xuangu stood behind Qin Yu. Even though they had already anticipated this, seeing the dignified patriarch of the Holy Clan kneel before Qin Yu and address him as "master" still stirred something within them. Indeed, the Holy Clan had also come under the master's command.
Qin Yu looked calmly at Ye Ting kneeling before him. "Alright." He raised his hand in a gesture of support. "Get up. We can talk inside the main hall." "Yes!" Ye Ting responded and rose, then stepped to the side, bowing slightly and raising his hand in respect. "Master, please."
Without hesitation, Qin Yu took a step forward and headed straight for the central hall deep within the Holy Clan.
Just as Ye Ting was about to follow, his peripheral vision finally fell on Yuan Zhanxiao and Yuan Xuangu behind Qin Yu. He had been so focused on Qin Yu that he hadn't paid much attention to the other two.
Upon closer inspection, Ye Ting abruptly stopped in his tracks. He recognized these two people: Yuan Zhanxiao, the patriarch of the Ancient God Clan, and Yuan Xuangu, the Supreme Elder of the Ancient God Clan.
Ye Ting's pupils contracted slightly. Although the Ancient God Clan had been re-established as the Annihilation God Clan, he was well aware of the identities of the two. What shocked him even more was their position. Like himself, they were both behind Qin Yu. Just now, when facing the Holy Clan guards, these two had not uttered a single word from beginning to end.
A thought suddenly arose in Ye Ting's mind. "Could it be..." Ye Ting's eyes trembled, "They also..." He didn't continue thinking.
Just then Yuan Zhanxiao looked up at Ye Ting, and their eyes met. Yuan Zhanxiao's expression was calm, and he nodded slightly to him. Yuan Xuangu also nodded in acknowledgment. There was no hostility, nor any scrutiny from the other clan's higher-ups; this gesture already revealed a great deal of information.
Ye Ting's last doubts vanished, and he nodded in return to the two. Ahead, Qin Yu had already walked far away.
Without further delay, Ye Ting quickened his pace, with Yuan Zhanxiao and Yuan Xuangu following closely behind. The four figures sped towards the depths along the magnificent Heavenly Dao that ran through the central territory of the Holy Clan.
The sea of clouds slowly spread out on both sides, and one after another silver-white holy towers pierced the sky. The patriarch's hall, located at the highest point of the Holy Clan, was already close at hand.
At the summit of the central sacred mountain of the Holy Clan, in the Ye Ting Chief's Hall, Qin Yu, personally led by Ye Ting, slowly stepped into the hall, followed closely by Yuan Zhanxiao and Yuan Xuangu. The heavy hall doors slowly closed behind the four of them, shutting out the vast sea of clouds and the hustle and bustle of the clan city, and the world became quiet for a moment. Qin Yu slowed his pace slightly and raised his eyes to survey the surrounding hall.
The interior layout of the entire hall is far more magnificent and expansive than its exterior appearance. Towering silver pillars rise from the ground, supporting the towering sky, with intricate gold patterns flowing across their surfaces.
The palace ceiling, hundreds of feet high, is adorned with a holy radiance emanating from countless ancient Dao traces, clear and vast. The central avenue in the palace stretches straight and deep, leading from the palace entrance to the patriarch's seat at the deepest part; on both sides of the avenue are neatly arranged ancient-style seats used by the high-ranking members of the Holy Clan for their meetings.
Every hundred feet along the ground, a deep blue Dao pattern runs east to west, Return to One each layer converging into the massive and heavy ancient seal of the Holy Clan beneath the main seat, orderly and perfectly integrated.
Qin Yu's gaze slowly swept across the four corners of the hall, and a deep sense of satisfaction gradually spread across his eyes.
Previously, based solely on the vast territory of the clan that had been laid out before him, he already knew that Ye Ting had devoted himself wholeheartedly and made outstanding achievements over the past three years. Now, having personally stepped into the core of the Holy Clan's power, what he saw and felt was even more profound than when he first met him.
Most newly emerging powerful clans suffer from chaotic structures and loose systems, but here, every Dao pattern, every layer of restriction, and every Dao vein connecting to the outer realms is stable, orderly, and functioning smoothly. It is evident that Ye Ting has already thoroughly sorted out, refined, and perfected the entire order system of the Holy Clan.
Ye Ting had been silently observing Qin Yu's changing expression. Seeing the approval in his eyes, the tension that had gripped him for three years finally eased slightly. Three years ago, Qin Yu had given him only one instruction: to ascend to the position of patriarch of the Holy Clan within three years, and he had done it.
But Ye Ting was clear-headed; simply securing the position of clan leader was far from enough. In the past three years, he had poured his heart and soul into cultivating not just an empty title, but the eternal foundation of the entire Holy Clan.
With his mind settled, Ye Ting's expression returned to solemnity, concealing his clan leader's sharpness within his heart. He raised his hand and took out a communication jade tablet. "Quickly retrieve the Holy Clan's genealogy." His Fate Soul's thoughts sank into the jade tablet, and the command was instantly transmitted.
A moment later, light footsteps sounded outside the hall. A Holy Clan cultivator bowed as he entered the hall, holding a thick, ancient family genealogy book in both hands, and steadily walked to Ye Ting's side.
"Clan leader." "You may step down." "Yes." The monk bowed and took his leave, and the hall returned to silence.
Ye Ting solemnly held up the family genealogy with both hands, moved in front of Qin Yu, and said in a deep voice, "Master, following your previous arrangements, after securing my position as the patriarch of the Holy Clan, I began to fully reorganize the foundation of the clan."
Over the past three years, my subordinates have thoroughly investigated the clan's inherent territory, external allied forces, cultivation realms, resource territories, and the entire clan's personnel system. Now, the Holy Clan is stable both internally and externally, and its system is complete.
He held the genealogy book aloft with both hands and respectfully presented it. "This book records the Holy Clan's current territory, clan structure, personnel details, and resource reserves in detail. Please take a look, Master."
Qin Yu nodded slightly. "Alright." Ye Ting slowly took half a step back, his palm relaxed. The incredibly heavy family genealogy book floated in the air, steadily hovering in the center of the hall, with a hum—
He rapidly formed hand seals, one after another ancient and profound incantation landing on the family genealogy. The dormant sacred runes on the page lit up one by one, the first layer of seal slowly dissipated, and the second and third layers of restrictions faded in succession, until the last natal mark exclusive to the clan leader was completely removed.
Whoosh—the heavy genealogy book flipped open on its own, one page, ten pages, a hundred pages, a thousand pages... countless pages flipped rapidly in mid-air, and a dazzling holy light rose from the paper, neither overflowing nor dissipating, slowly covering the entire dome of the hall.
Qin Yu looked up and, in an instant, a vast map encompassing the entire territory of the Holy Clan completely covered the sky above the palace.
At the very center of the scene is the core of the Holy Clan's ancestral land. Beyond the ancestral land, layers of territory extend in all directions, with a clear outline and distinct levels. The central holy city, the outer main cities, the mountain and river territories, the floating palace complex, the sacred mountain of cultivation, the resource-rich areas, the border defense cities, the important trading towns, the forbidden areas of the clan... none are omitted, all are fully manifested.
This is not a simple two-dimensional map, but a three-dimensional representation of the vast territory based on the real terrain and its varying levels. At the bottom level is the boundless and vast land, with hundreds of giant cities arranged along mountains, rivers, lakes, and marshes, and outside the cities are cultivation territories directly under the jurisdiction of the Holy Clan;
The middle layer consists of palaces and cultivation realms suspended above the sea of clouds, with thousands of long bridges piercing through the clouds and crossing the sea, connecting various secret realms; deeper inside are independent and isolated hidden territories, part of which seals the millennia-old heritage of the clan, and part of which is reserved for high-ranking clansmen to cultivate in seclusion and solidify their foundation.
Ye Ting raised his hand and pointed, and the central ancestral map suddenly lit up, gleaming with divine light.
"Master, please look. The Holy Clan now has the Central Ancestral Land as its absolute core. Within the ancestral land, it possesses one Central Holy City, eight Inner Domain Main Cities, and thirty-two Core Cities, layer upon layer protecting the central hub, as stable as a rock."
As he spoke, the corresponding areas of the sky above lit up one by one, their patterns becoming clear.
"Radiating outwards, there are a total of 108 directly subordinate major cities. These cities are by no means vassal forces; they are all directly under the jurisdiction of the Holy Clan. The city lords, resident elders, cultivation disciples, and deacons are all recorded in the Holy Clan's orthodox genealogy, subject to clan rules and enjoying clan resources."
Ye Ting swept his finger outwards, and an even more vast territory unfolded, displaying a magnificent and ever-changing landscape.
"In addition, the clan currently controls 360 large-scale cultivation grounds, 72 core cultivation holy sites, and 24 large-scale secluded cultivation territories, which is sufficient to support the tiered cultivation and iterative advancement of all clan disciples."
"In terms of resource reserves, they control ninety-six core resource territories, twelve of which are designated as top-tier strongholds of the clan, guarded year-round by elite troops personally led by clan elders. These territories are exclusively centrally located and not allocated to other areas."
Yuan Zhanxiao, who had been calm at first, subtly changed his expression upon hearing the data. Yuan Xuangu also stared intently at the map of the territory on the dome, his gaze lingering for a long time.
The Annihilation God Clan's rise in just three years has been nothing short of astonishing, enough to intimidate a region. However, compared to the Holy Clan before them, they are inferior in every aspect, whether in terms of the breadth of their territory, the completeness of their system, or the size of their population.