A Visit Home Before the Long Journey!

The sky stretches for thousands of miles, and the thunderclouds are as deep as an abyss.

A streak of purple-gold lightning tore through the void from the Barbarian Bone Sacred Mountain. Instead of heading directly east, it traveled tens of millions of miles westward and hovered high above the Divine Firmament Plain.

Shi Jian stood in the void, his white robe disappearing into the fierce wind.

The [Immortal Slayer Spear], which had just recognized its master within his body, was quietly resting in the Purple Heaven Thunder Sea of his dantian. The spearhead emitted faint, dark thunder, which quietly mingled with the bones and blood of his limbs and bones.

He lowered his eyes, gazing down at the vast, boundless territory beneath his feet.

After a century of absence, Divine Firmament Plain is no longer the Savage Wilderness place it was when it was first discovered.

The vast territory, spanning 60 million square miles, is now clearly divided into four main branches and twenty-four sub-territories.

On the Falling Lightning Great Plain, the demon army of the Six Frenzied Thunder Divisions was in disciplined training. Azure arcs of electricity leaped and intertwined between the skins of hundreds of giant bears, condensing into phantom images of hundred-foot-tall Lightning Beast.

Deep within the Black Water Death Swamp, the poisonous thunder of the Life-Extinguishing Tribe churned incessantly, its chilling murderous intent forming a natural barrier; on the Eastern Spirit Plain, the newly established Profound Lightning and Primal Lightning Tribes, though lacking manpower, had erected towering Thunder-Guiding Towers, hundreds of feet high, piercing the heavens like a giant forest.

At the Slave Sin Abyss the plains, in the Nuzui Abyss, and at the foot of Divine Firmament Peak, towering cities built of solid thunderstone rise from the ground.

The vast expanse of spiritual fields, gleaming with a purplish-gold luster, are where millions of living beings toil and labor.

Chaos vanished, and order was restored.

The entire territory resembled a massive, cold, and hard war machine, with each component tightly interlocked, methodically absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and spewing out the vitality of the tribe.

A hint of approval flashed in Shi Jian's eyes.

"That boy, Shi Pan, has truly established a good set of rules and regulations for the Lightning Bear Line; the Human Race's system is ineffective without rules."

"There are indeed some valid points, and they're quite accurate."

He took a step forward, the void rippled slightly, and his figure silently disappeared from the clouds of the nine heavens; he may have personally handled clan affairs in the past, but now he has long stood among the most prominent seekers of the Dao among the beings of the Nine Realms.

Only by reaching the pinnacle, only by attaining the Dao Venerable Dao Fruit, can one achieve enlightenment.

It became the sole goal for these outstanding individuals.

At the Divine Firmament Peak, in the Profound Lightning Grand Hall.

Shi Pan sat upright behind a large stone table, annotating a thick scroll of animal hide with a brush.

Years of hard work, coupled with the lingering effects of the Daoist injury to his heart meridian, have turned this robust old bear's temples gray.

But in his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes, the expression was more calm and fierce than ever before, and a great authority gradually enveloped him, giving him the air of someone who had long held a high position.

"Before joining the sect, the foreign lightning cultivators recruited by the Crimson Firmament Tribe must undergo three days of purification of their minds and spirits in the Lightning Pool. A death pact is inscribed into their sea of consciousness, absorbing their three souls, seven spirits, one soul, and two spirits. They are then given a sect token to control their lives. There can be no negligence in any of these matters..."

Shi Pan gave his orders in a deep voice, which resounded throughout the hall.

The Nascent Soul deacon kneeling below solemnly acknowledged the order and was about to withdraw when the void within the hall suddenly froze.

There was no violent pressure, nor any ear-piercing thunder and Lei Ming, but the dozens of main hall pillars that had been drawing thunder from the heavens all day long suddenly extinguished their electric flames at the same moment.

The entire hall fell into an indescribable, deathly silence.

"Who?!"

Shi Pan suddenly looked up, his earth-yellow Demon Essence surging violently. He subconsciously pressed his hand on the heavy sword beside him and drew it to strike.

However, in the next instant, his movements froze completely in mid-air.

Before the Thunder Lord's throne high above, a tall figure in white robes stood, seemingly out of nowhere; the man's white hair cascaded down his back, his hands clasped behind his back, his deep, abyss-like eyes calmly watching him.

"Ancestor... Ancestor?!"

Shi Pan blinked, then his whole body began to tremble violently.

He pushed aside the stone table, strode up the stone steps, knelt down on one knee, and bowed his head. The bone armor struck the ground, producing a series of crisp cracking sounds.

"Shi Pan pays respects to the Ancestor!"

The Nascent Soul deacon below him was ashen-faced, not daring to even lift his head, his entire bear pressed tightly to the ground.

Before this being, none of their various bear tribes dared to act recklessly.

"Get up, all of you."

Shi Jian raised his hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force of the void lifted the Shi Pan.

He turned around and slowly walked down the steps, his gaze sweeping over Shi Pan's entire body. He could tell a bit of the truth from the falsehood, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You've done an excellent job with the four branches and twenty-four divisions; without your leadership, Divine Firmament Plain wouldn't have reached this point."

Upon hearing this, Shi Pan's eyes suddenly reddened, and he grinned, saying, "Ancestor, you flatter me! I'm just a rough man, I've gone down the wrong path and can't become a Nascent Spirit Transformation. But if I can take good care of this family for you and keep the underlings in line, then my life won't have been in vain!"

Shi Jian shook his head.

With a flick of his wrist, a fist-sized jade box appeared in his palm.

Fang Yi the jade box appeared, a powerful and dense vitality, almost tangible, instantly filled the entire hall, even bringing spring back to life to the withered and scorched trees within a radius of dozens of miles, causing them to sprout new buds.

Sealed inside is a [Myriad Longevity Life-Transformation Crystal] extracted from the remains of a Dao Venerable of the Spirit Race. It has been tempered and cleansed of impurities by the Divine Firmament Righteous Yang Lightning, making it a rare and sacred medicine for prolonging life and healing injuries in this world.

"This substance can replenish life force and prolong life. Take it," Shi Jian said succinctly.

Shi Pan was taken aback, then quickly waved his hand. "Ancestor! This divine object is a great medicine for you to break through your cultivation level. For me, a cripple whose path has been ruined, to consume such a treasure would be a complete waste..."

"If I grant you permission, then you shall eat."

Shi Jian raised an eyebrow, his tone leaving no room for argument, "The Lightning Bear Line has only recently established itself, and the leaders of each division are all arrogant and ruthless individuals."

"If you were to die young, who would watch over this vast empire spanning sixty million miles? Who would protect and safeguard my bloodline?"

Upon hearing these words, Shi Pan's lips trembled, but he ultimately decided not to refuse.

He extended his large hand, respectfully accepted the jade box, and then swallowed it directly to show his attitude.

Boom!

An overwhelming surge of vitality exploded within him, like rain after a long drought, frantically washing over his parched and decaying internal organs and meridians.

The dark Dao wound on his chest, which had been entangled for hundreds of years, was visibly healing and fading under the cleansing force of this Life Dao force, emitting wisps of eerie white smoke.

The wrinkles on Shi Pan's face quickly smoothed out, and his gray fur regained its brownish luster. His previously depleted lifespan was forcibly restored to that of a normal bear king.

Once the foundation is damaged, it is ultimately difficult to repair.

They can live on, but it's difficult to continue their pursuit of higher truths...

"Thank you, Ancestor, for saving my life!"

"You deserve it."

Shi Jian remained calm and withdrew his gaze. "Go, summon Shi Fangting. I'd like to see what this Half-Demon descendant of mine is all about."

Shi Pan's spirits lifted, and he immediately understood. "Yes, I'll pass on the order right away!"