Ten Years Gone in a Flash, the State of Affairs on All Sides!

Time flies, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

White Cloud Immortal City was originally a market town at the foot of the Cloud Sword Mountain Range. In the past ten years, with the establishment of the Ming Province Northern Protectorate has changed dramatically.

This place has undergone five expansions and now houses thousands of monks.

In the city, at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

The lobby was bustling with noise, filled with the aromas of tea and wine.

On the central platform, a one-eyed old man dressed in a blue robe was slamming his gavel, spitting as he spoke.

"Smack!"

The gavel struck, and the entire hall fell silent.

The old man looked around, his single eye gleaming with a sharp light:

"Gentlemen, as the saying goes, there is no time in the path of immortality, yet a thousand years have passed in the mortal world."

"Our Profound Spirit Continent has undergone earth-shattering changes since that national war ten years ago; the world has been turned upside down!"

"Today, I will not speak of those romantic and sentimental matters, but will instead give you all a rundown of the major Wind and Cloud that have unfolded in the world over the past decade!"

Immediately, cheers erupted from the audience.

A burly man with a thick beard took a swig of strong liquor and shouted in a loud voice, "Old Man Bao, stop beating around the bush! Just tell me what's going on, start by telling me about our northern region!"

"Have those bastards from the North Sea actually retreated or not?"

"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to go to the North Sea to hunt monsters!"

Old Man Bao laughed loudly, picked up the gavel, and snapped it open, saying, "Good!"

"Since some readers have asked, then this old man will explain it to you properly!"

"The calamity of the North Sea has long since subsided, but things are far from peaceful now. I've heard that the Profound Purity Sect suffered heavy losses in this battle, and the people under its jurisdiction have been displaced. It's a constant stream of natural disasters!"

"For the past ten years, the northern sea monsters have been nothing short of a purgatory for our Human Race."

"It is said that in this battle, the Demon Race of the North Sea unleashed a massive tsunami, flooding over 30,000 li of the northern part of our Profound Spirit Continent!"

"They slaughtered millions of my people, destroyed the Immortal Clan, and annihilated the Immortal City."

"To defend their line of defense, the Profound Purity Sect even deployed their most treasured ' Profound Heaven Sword Formation.' That battle was so fierce that the heavens and earth trembled, and the sun and moon Lightless."

"It was a truly earth-shattering, awe-inspiring act, a single line stretching for thousands of miles, protecting all living beings!"

"Ten Nascent Soul elders of the Profound Purity Sect joined forces to suppress the demonic calamity in the North Sea, causing chaos and upheaval. However, two Nascent Soul experts also perished in the battle."

"One of them was even forced to self-destruct his nascent Nascent Soul, dragging a Shapeshifting Demon King down with him!"

"That scene was incredible!"

"The vast expanse of land was as bright as day, and millions of sea beasts vanished in an instant!"

Inside the hall, everyone gasped upon hearing the news.

The self-destruction of Nascent Soul —what a horrific sight that would be.

Old Man Bao picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and continued, "The Profound Purity Sect also paid a heavy price, but not long ago they finally drove the North Sea Demon Race back to the deep sea and reclaimed the lost territory of our Human Race."

"But now, the Profound Purity Sect only has eight Nascent Soul left, its vitality severely damaged, and it is no longer the formidable sect it once was, the number one sect in the Wei Kingdom."

"What a pity."

A scholar-like cultivator in the audience frowned and asked, "The Profound Purity Sect has suffered such a heavy blow, didn't the Grand Purity Sect take advantage of their misfortune?"

"Adding insult to injury?"

Old Man Bao scoffed, "The Grand Purity Sect has no time to deal with the Profound Purity Sect right now. Those two are practically allies!"

These words caused an uproar among the audience.

The Profound Purity Sect and the Grand Purity Sect have been locked in a fierce struggle for the legitimacy of the Wei Kingdom for thousands of years. How could they possibly form an alliance?

"Don't forget, everyone, above us is the Clear Blue Kingdom!" Old Man Bao pointed upwards and lowered his voice.

"Now, it's no longer the same harmonious unity of the Three Purity Sect sects; instead, it's the Clear Azure Kingdom, which has divided its territory and unified six provinces!"

"Look at the size of our nation; we've already left the Profound Purity and Grand Purity sects far behind."

"How can I allow someone else to snore beside my bed?"

"The powerful figures of the Profound Purity Sect and the Grand Purity Sect are naturally not stupid. In order to prevent the Supreme Purity Sect from becoming too powerful, they will not stab each other in the back!"

"Therefore, these two factions have secretly sworn a blood oath and stationed troops on the border. Ostensibly, it's to guard against the Demon Race and the demonic path, but in reality, it's to guard against our Clear Blue Kingdom!"

The patrons exchanged glances, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Everyone knows that with this level of defense, if a conflict were to break out, it would be an earth-shattering war that would engulf the entire continent.

What about the Liang Kingdom?

Someone changed the subject, saying, "I've heard that things have been quite peaceful in the Liang Kingdom these past few years."

Old Man Bao nodded and then began to tell everyone about the four factions of the Liang Kingdom:

"That's a good question, sir!"

"That Liang Kingdom is truly making a fortune in silence."

"More than a decade ago, the Four Righteous Dao Sects of the Liang Kingdom fought fiercely with the Grand Profound Sect, but as soon as things fell into chaos in the Wei Kingdom, the Nascent Soul experts of the Liang Kingdom immediately sensed that something was wrong."

"They decisively ceased hostilities, demarcated territory, and each licked their wounds."

"For the past ten years, Liang Kingdom has been at peace, allowing the four factions to recuperate and recruit more disciples. It is said that through joint development, the four factions of the Liang Kingdom have experienced a surge in their strength."

"In terms of overall strength, the Liang Kingdom today is probably no less powerful than the remnants of the Wei Kingdom."

There was a great deal of discussion in the lobby.

The overall situation of the world is like a grand game of chess.

All forces are lying low and accumulating strength.

For these Rogue Cultivator cultivators, this is a great period of peace. If war breaks out again, it will be them who suffer.

White Cloud Immortal City, City Lord's Mansion.

This mansion is built on Spirit Vein node in the center of the immortal city, where the Spiritual Qi is so dense that it forms a mist.

Inside the council chamber.

Sun Mao sat to one side, holding a thick stack of account books, reporting to Master True Person Yun Du, who was in the main seat.

Ten years have left some marks on Sun Mao's face, but his aura has become more and more steady and profound, and his cultivation has just reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

True Person Yun Du wore a white robe, his hair and beard were all white, but his face was ruddy and his eyes held a restrained divine light.

Sun Mao closed the ledger, his voice steady. "Master, over the past ten years, the sixty-two Foundation Establishment Lineage in the eighteen counties under the jurisdiction of the Northern Protectorate have all been brought under control."

"All counties paid their taxes on time, with none in arrears."

"At the former site of Fenghe Commandery, the newly cultivated spirit fields have already yielded their third harvest. The half of the territory transferred from Ancient Spirit Commandery has also had its former spies completely eradicated and is now entirely in our hands."

"Currently, the annual income of our White Cloud Temple, converted into low-grade Spirit Stone, has stabilized at around one million."

True Person Yun Du nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

An annual income of one million Spirit Stone.

Ten years ago, this would have been a number he wouldn't have dared to even dream of.

"I have always trusted my nephew Sun with what he does."

True Person Yun Du picked up his teacup and brushed away the floating leaves on the water. "However, the more stable things are, the less we can afford to be careless. Have you been paying attention to the situation outside?"

"My subordinates have been keeping an eye on the intelligence from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion." Sun Mao's expression turned serious.

"Tell me, has there been any movement from the Jin Kingdom recently?"

A strange smile tugged at the corner of Sun Mao's mouth.

"The Jin Kingdom... has become a joke."

True Person Yun Du an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Half a month ago, an elder from the Blood Bone Devil Sect went to the Heavenly Sha Sect with generous gifts, hoping to borrow a group of disciples to jointly defend the border patrols of the Clear Blue Kingdom."

Sun Mao's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"As a result, when the elder arrived at the Heavenly Sha Sect's mountain gate, he found that although the sect's protective formation was activated, the area inside was deathly still."

He forced his way into the formation, only to find that the entire Heavenly Sha Sect was deserted!

"Real?"

True Person Yun Du paused in his movements, nearly spilling the tea.

"Absolutely true."

Sun Mao nodded, "The two Heavenly Sha Sect Nascent Soul elders of the Heavenly Fiend Sect who claimed to be in seclusion actually fled the Profound Spirit Continent in batches seven or eight years ago, taking all the core disciples, Cultivation Method techniques, and treasure resources with them through a hidden underground teleportation array."

Where did you go?

"According to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's speculation, they have likely fled to the depths of the Boundless Sea to search for those islands where Rogue Cultivator overseas."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, True Person Yun Du couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! What a Heavenly Sha Sect! What a wicked act!"

"When disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives, abandoning even their ancestral heritage. They're certainly quick to run away!"

After laughing, a glint of shrewdness flashed in True Person Yun Du's eyes.

"With the Heavenly Sha Sect gone, the Jin Kingdom's demonic path is left with only six Nascent Soul. The Blood Bone Devil Sect is too weak to stand alone, and the remnants of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and the Hehuan Valley are even less of a threat."

"The Jin Kingdom is utterly destroyed."

Sun Mao nodded in agreement. "That's true. The Jin Kingdom today is merely clinging to life, guarding its last bit of barren land. The Clear Blue Kingdom could swallow it whole at any time."

"Can't swallow it."

True Person Yun Du shook his head, his gaze deep.

"A secret order has arrived from the prefectural capital. The Profound Purity Sect and the Grand Purity Sect are making frequent moves on the border, and the Liang Kingdom has also begun to reinforce its troops on the eastern front."

"Clear Blue Kingdom is now besieged on all sides. True Lord Fang Yi has sent a message instructing our Northern Protectorate to strengthen its defenses and be ready to respond to any potential conflict."

"The world enjoyed ten years of peace."

"But in the world of cultivation, there has never been true peace."

"All parties are conserving their energy and waiting for the right opportunity."

"Once the balance is broken, the next war will inevitably engulf the entire Profound Spirit Continent. When Nascent Soul are defeated, no one will be able to escape unscathed."

We still need to prepare more.