The massive doors of the Council Hall finally reopened near the hour of Zi, late into the night. Hundreds of figures emerged in a steady stream—some expectant, some thrilled, others worried—most bearing the weary marks of a long day.

The dozen or so proposals had cast out were mostly passed, but as the day wore on, the attendees grew increasingly cautious, scrutinizing and deliberating each point until perfect clarity was achieved before giving their assent. Thus, the debate had stretched across a full day.

Strangely, the moment stepped out of the Council Hall, his demonic physique stirred. A single thought commanded the fox-tail and fox-ears to retract entirely into his body, drawing a deep breath of relief from ; his greatest fear had been that the demonic form would refuse to recede.

“My Lord!”

A figure materialized beside as if summoned by a phantom. Turning, recognized Ren Bo. The Grand Minister, who had recently cost him millions in Beast Crystal revenue, now stood with his brow deeply furrowed.

“Your Minister fails to comprehend, My Lord. Why construct this Council Hall and voluntarily restrict your own authority?”

“Ah, this. It is said that in the ancient times, the Golden Age revered by the Confucian school, the Three Sovereigns ruled thus: the chiefs and elders of all tribes convened to deliberate together. Ancient kings were merely leaders among the tribes, governing with effortless simplicity, holding no absolute power of life and death over their subordinates. Prime Minister Ren, having a Confucian background, must have heard of this. is unworthy, but by emulating the actions of the ancient Sages, surely I cannot be wrong.”

Seeing Ren Bo’s visible shock and dawning admiration, then let out a sudden, hearty laugh. “But does the Prime Minister truly believe that? Such noble rhetoric is, in truth, just fabrication. The reality is that ’s focus lies elsewhere; I have no patience for tedious political administration, nor do I wish to remain confined to Mount Qiantian day in and day out.”

Ren Bo was momentarily speechless, then offered a wry, bitter smile. “So that is the case! However, My Lord, might you reconsider? Your Heavenly Talent and Brilliance mean that if Mount Qiantian were governed by your direct hand, national strength would swell within a few short years. Unifying the Cloud Continent would then be no distant dream—”

Yet, deep within, felt hollow. He knew his grasp of statecraft was rudimentary, grasping only six of the seven openings to comprehension; he understood much of it imperfectly. The meager skills he possessed were nearly exhausted. If he were truly to manage the governance himself, Mount Qiantian might very well be churned into a muddy mess.

However, refusing to show self-deprecation, he maintained the demeanor of a wise sovereign and simply shook his head. “No matter how strong Mount Qiantian becomes, can it grant me the freedom to roam the world, allow me to perceive the ultimate truths of Heaven and Earth, or help me reach the apex of the Martial Path? Furthermore, if I desire to innovate or undertake some startling new venture, what would the Prime Minister propose then?”

This question stumped Ren Bo. pressed on with apparent magnanimity: “In short, Prime Minister, I entrust all matters of Mount Qiantian to you. Besides, I am not entirely relinquishing control right now—”

Hearing this, Ren Bo grew genuinely apprehensive. Given ’s nature, he might very well undertake another impulsive, outrageous act—like closing down the Lilac Courtesan District, or something else along the lines of this Council Hall construction. If that happened, he would have a monumental headache. The thought made Ren Bo wish intensely that would simply behave himself henceforth, ignore everything, and quickly leave.

This young Lord excelled at twisting right into wrong. He behaved with limitless extravagance, yet could spin a narrative so grand that he successfully branded himself as acting in the best interest of Mount Qiantian. While undoubtedly sharp, his actions were far too erratic. A few more such displays, and his own heart might not endure it.

It seemed his tenure as Prime Minister, in ’s estimation, was limited to five years. To secure a reappointment, he would need ’s nomination, followed by approval from half the assembly in the Council Hall. Yet, during these five years, he would be unconstrained by the Monarch, free to deploy his decades of accumulated knowledge across Mount Qiantian.

“The Monarch serves as the foundation for the subjects; no matter how wildly the Lord acts, if we ministers cannot advise against it, we have no choice but to obey. Why must the Lord insist on this path?”

After offering a few moments of hollow, insincere entreaty to stay, Ren Bo’s tone shifted. “The Ministry of War is the bedrock of the Lord’s authority; I trust you would not lightly yield it to another. However, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Punishments, while powerful, do not relate to the core foundation. I implore the Lord to return jurisdiction over them to the Grand Cabinet; otherwise, matters will become exceedingly inconvenient…”

’s expression instantly became complexly strange. Ren Bo truly was a devious minister. He had adapted to his role alarmingly fast, attempting to wrest authority right out of ’s grasp. How utterly shameless!

※※※※

After a period of contention, ultimately resisted Ren Bo’s pestering, yielding only some power within the Ministry of Personnel before dismissing him.

Descending from Mount Zhengan Peak, did not return to his palace. Instead, he disguised himself and left Mount Qiantian with minimal escort. He brought no other guards, only Zong Yuan and Hu Zhongyuan, who accompanied the carriage leaving the mountain.

Hu Zhongyuan was unaware of their destination. He silently grumbled the whole way: although called it ‘disguise,’ his Lord’s characteristic love for opulence remained unchanged.

It was a brand-new Cloud-Flipping Carriage, its small interior, spanning over ten zhang, densely embedded with a dozen spiritual formations. The exterior decoration of the carriage was also excessively lavish. The few escorts were all Martial Ancestor level experts, riding beasts of the fourth rank, and their armor and attire were exquisitely refined.

With such a flamboyantly conspicuous entourage, who could be fooled? The spies likely knew the moment they exited the city gates—it was sheer self-deception.

Their first stop was south, twelve hundred li from Mount Qiantian, at a location that had recently been a vassal city under Mount Qiantian’s dominion, but was now reduced to ruins. Hu Zhongyuan felt a small surge of pride; he had personally destroyed this place. Its City Lord had been unlucky enough to join that short-lived ghost, Yue Guanyun, during the Cloud Sea Hunt, naturally placing him in the category of those needed to cull as a warning.

Since it was the depth of winter, the surrounding plains were covered in frost and snow, desolate in every direction. Yet, upon the abandoned city grounds, countless figures were laboring diligently. From a distance, they were all tall, silver-haired figures.

alighted from the carriage, searching around. Soon, his brow slightly tightened as he focused on one spot.

There, a beautiful young girl was silently straining, dragging a stone nearly twice her height, weighing several thousand jin, up the ruined city wall.

’s brow furrowed. He strode over and scooped the girl into his arms. In the next instant, his eyes flared with incandescent rage. The little girl’s body was a tapestry of bruises and contusions, crisscrossed by dozens of whip marks.

“Ruolan?”

Chu Xue gasped in shock, snatching the girl, Shi Ruolan, from him with heartbroken tenderness, clutching her close. Then, as if remembering something vital, she hurriedly pulled a bottle of medicinal salve from her pouch and began applying it to Shi Ruolan. Even Ruoshui frowned slightly, showing a hint of gentle displeasure.

Moments later, dozens of robust figures strode toward them, led by Shi Fatian.

’s eyebrow arched. He waited until Shi Fatian approached and bowed before letting out a light chuckle. “Clan Leader Shi Fatian, are you satisfied with this parcel of land?”

“Extremely satisfied, and endlessly grateful!” Shi Fatian bowed with sincere emotion. “The soil here is fertile, far superior to that beneath the Cloud Sea. Shi Fatian thanks My Lord for allowing my Snow Lion Clan to see the dawn again and secure a foothold on the Eastern Cloud Continent!”

nodded slightly, discerning the Snow Lion Clan Leader’s inclination to submit. In truth, within the territory of Mount Qiantian, the man had little choice.

“Then, in the eyes of Clan Leader Shi, is a man who keeps his word?”

Seeing the other man nod in stunned affirmation, sneered coldly. “Then why did Clan Leader Shi break faith with me? I entrusted Ruolan to you because you are her closest kin; it would have been improper to arbitrarily snatch her away. I asked you to treat her well—is this how you treat her?” With a sudden flick of his hand, he ripped open the garments on Shi Ruolan’s back, instantly revealing the shocking network of angry welts.

Shi Fatian had initially been baffled, but upon hearing the latter part, his face turned the color of liver, utterly at a loss. In his mind, ’s prior interest in his daughter had been a momentary whim, a fleeting fondness. Returning her meant he had lost interest. He had never imagined that held this young girl in such high regard.

He struggled for words, but from behind Shi Fatian, a tall, silver-haired youth around twenty years old spoke up with clear fury: “These are the rules of our Snow Lion Clan! She is merely a low-born concubine, useless since she cannot awaken her bloodline. She should obey orders! Look at the other members of our clan here; aren’t they all the same? Striking her so many times was because she courted punishment—merely moving twenty five-thousand-jin bluestones daily…”

Shi Fatian knew this was bad. He saw ’s eyes narrow slightly, then he replied with a chilling smile instead of anger: “What are you, to presume to speak to Me? Why is it that in My eyes, the lowest person here is you?”

Before the words finished, Zong Yuan flashed forward. A spark of electricity flickered mid-air as he instantly appeared before the youth and delivered an expressionless kick!

In the next moment, with a heavy peng sound, the youth was violently blasted nearly a hundred zhang away, his body gouging a deep impression into a distant wall.

Shi Fatian was simultaneously shocked and enraged, his heart aching for his son. This youth was his fourth son, whom he usually cherished. Now, the boy was unconscious, blood leaking from his lips, and the severity of his injuries unknown.

was still not appeased, letting out a cold, hollow laugh. “Twenty five-thousand-jin bluestones a day? Very well. This little girl is not yet ten years old, is she? Her cultivation hasn't even reached the Fourth Meridian of the Body Wheel. How about this: send this person to Mount Qiantian three days from now. I will not treat him harshly. I will simply make him move twenty five-thousand-jin bluestones every day for a distance of half a li, and in addition, receive sixty lashes. I will treat him exactly as you treated Ruolan—”

Shi Fatian was startled. His fourth son had only just reached the Ninth Meridian of the Body Wheel, possessing barely ten thousand jin of strength. His anger could no longer be suppressed. “My Lord! My fourth son merely failed to observe propriety and spoke disrespectfully. Why such harshness? Ruolan is my daughter; how I raise and treat her is a matter of internal affairs for the Snow Lion Clan. Shi Fatian understands the rules of the Cloud Continent: My Lord has no authority to interfere in the domestic affairs of a vassal clan!” (To be continued)