Zong Shou let out a long sigh, surveying the mess scattered across the floor. Of all the chairs, only the one previously occupied by Kong Yao remained intact; all the others had been reduced to dust.

These were top-grade Red Profound Wood! Ten jin of it was worth as much as a fourth-tier spirit weapon! It was rumored that constant contact could prolong life. Furthermore, these wooden chairs were master craftsmanship, costing him no less than a thousand fourth-tier Beast Cores to acquire.

And now, they were all utterly destroyed.

It wasn't just the chairs; four massive wooden beams inside the hall were also damaged, not to mention the "gold bricks" paving the floor—which were genuine gold.

Seeing the side hall in its current state, Zong Shou knew it would require massive repairs, which meant yet another drain on his Beast Cores.

The Old Ritualist Zong Ling, meanwhile, sat with his eyes closed, pretending to recuperate from his injuries. He paid no mind to the Sovereign’s drawn-out misery next to him.

Zong Ling chuckled inwardly. He knew Zong Shou was both fond of luxurious indulgence and pathologically attached to money.

This time, the Sovereign must be truly heartbroken.

"From now on, whenever I receive envoys, everything valued at more than one low-tier Beast Core must be moved away! The things we use must be as cheap as possible!"

Having reached this conclusion, Zong Shou’s expression finally returned to normal. He let out an 'Mm' sound, then had a sudden realization: "No wonder the meeting places of previous monarchs receiving their vassals were always characterized by solemn simplicity. There’s logic to it, profound logic! Not only does it save money, but it also earns a good reputation; even if it gets smashed up, it doesn't hurt the heart. Why not do it?"

Zong Ling raised an eyebrow, caught between a laugh and a cry. He finally opened his eyes. "Your Majesty, I observed that the envoys from Blazing Flame Cloud and Scarred Cities carried immense auras. I fear they have already prepared for a major battle against our Mount Qiantian. If they leave in anger, their armies will surely invade Qiantian territory in no more than three months!"

Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed slightly, then curved into a smile. Their judgments aligned perfectly; he had reached the same conclusion. In three months, given Mount Qiantian's current production rate of Martial Sovereign realm experts, they could add another two thousand cultivators, at least half of whom could join the Blood Cloud Cavalry.

Four thousand Blood Cloud Iron Cavalry—he truly doubted any sect, save the top three Holy Lands, could possibly withstand the military might of Mount Qiantian City.

Every day that passed now made Mount Qiantian stronger.

"I understand your meaning, Ritualist. I will issue an edict to the Chancellor later. To prevent being caught unprepared, the spirit weapons and artifacts in the armories can be secretly distributed to the armies—"

Before the words even finished, Zong Shou’s gaze flashed as he looked toward one side of the hall. "How did things go over there?"

The shadow in that direction had been empty. But as Zong Shou spoke, the figure of a girl suddenly materialized.

Her expression was languid, as if she were perpetually sleep-deprived, tinged with a noticeable weariness.

"I only managed to slay the two Heaven-rank Martial Sovereigns and one Sun-roaming Spirit Master accompanying him. He escaped using a Sky Evasion Talisman; Ruoshui couldn't catch up."

"A Sky Evasion Talisman? That person is truly wealthy!"

Uttering the same sigh of longing as Ruoshui had previously, Zong Shou was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

This Yang Fan possessed treasures that were 'crystal'-rare: whether it was the Puppet Spirit Descent Talisman, the Nine Yin Mother-Child Thunder, or that Sky Evasion Talisman. Only Immortal Realm experts could even craft them.

Zong Shou himself possessed three Sky Evasion Talismans, accumulated through meritorious deeds over the past year.

The Azure Life Dao Palace held many fine things. In this year and a half, Zong Shou had not only found suitable cultivation methods and secret arts for the Ruoshui Sect's disciples but had also pilfered numerous treasures that could be used to defeat enemies at critical moments or save lives.

The Sky Evasion Talisman was such an item, rumored to allow one to flee ten thousand li in a single breath, untraceable even within the Immortal Realm.

However, Zong Shou had never been willing to use his own; truthfully, he hadn't had the opportunity.

"Forget it! To make him suffer a heavy loss even before the war begins is not a bad outcome!"

Recalling the look Yang Fan had given him back in the Council Hall, Zong Shou felt intensely displeased.

As they were speaking, the entire mountain body shuddered slightly. Zong Shou paused, then moved like the wind to the edge of the high cliff atop the peak.

Looking down, he saw dust soaring into the sky. On the cliff face eight hundred zhang below, a massive hole had been punched through.

Zong Yuan and Kong Yao were locked in fierce combat in mid-air, spiraling downward until they crashed into the base of the mountain.

Zong Shou recognized the spot at a glance: it was a storeroom for low-tier medicinal pills.

Probing with his spiritual sense, a pain so acute it was soul-piercing struck him; he nearly pounded his chest and stamped his feet.

He discovered the area was filled with dust and debris, and most of the wooden racks that held the medicine vials had been overturned.

There were over twenty more such storerooms on the second and third levels. These were used by the alchemists Mount Qiantian had recently been cultivating in batches to practice their skills; they weren't inherently that valuable.

But if sold, they could still fetch sixty thousand fourth-tier Beast Cores! Now, due to the fight between Zong Yuan and Kong Yao, that room had been reduced to powder.

That fellow was truly a spendthrift—selling off the family lands without a second thought!

"Damn it!"

His face ashen with rage, Zong Shou let out a furious snort. He probed again carefully with his spiritual sense, then finally relaxed slightly.

This storeroom had Spirit Array enhancements. Zong Yuan had likely controlled his strength when attacking. Most of the medicine vials were intact; only a few porcelain bottles had shattered, but the spirit pills inside were still good. They were simply mixed in with the dirt and gravel now.

He would order someone to pick them out and wash them later; they would still be usable. As for who might swallow them... Zong Shou decided he wouldn't bother investigating. His three million soldiers and generals would just have to fend for themselves.

Just then, a heavy boom sounded from below. Then, Zong Yuan appeared, flying toward the summit of Mount Qiantian, holding the still-unconscious Kong Yao.

He casually tossed the silver-armored maiden aside, then cupped his hands toward Zong Shou, signaling his report.

Zong Shou gave Zong Yuan no pleasantries. "I told you to wait there and 'invite' her to stay on Mount Qiantian for a few more months. I didn't tell you to fight in the medicinal pill storeroom!"

Zong Yuan heard this, his expression unchanged, calmly explaining, "This woman possesses a secret art; Spirit Array restrictions are useless against her. I was unable to detect it until after she had scouted dozens of storerooms. I intended to handle her as Your Highness commanded, but I discovered her intent to destroy Qiantian's reserves, forcing me to fight her—"

Zong Shou choked, then waved his hand irritably. "Forget it. I can’t be bothered arguing with you."

He then looked down at the silver-armored maiden on the ground. If one were to speak of the most tragic figures of the God-Emperor Era, besides Shi Ruolan, this final War God of the Great Shang Dynasty would undoubtedly be among them.

She was victorious on every battlefield, conquering all opposition, maintaining the final glory of the Great Shang Dynasty. Yet, she ultimately failed to prevent the collapse of that central imperial dynasty, which boasted a history of two thousand four hundred years.

She finally died at the hands of that future 'God-Emperor,' fighting ten times her number with thirty-seven thousand remnant troops. She broke through scores of formations, only to exhaust her strength and perish at the very moment victory seemed within reach.

Legend held that her corpse, propped up by her spear, stood on the battlefield amidst a million slain, unfallen for a hundred days.

When she died, the heavens and earth turned blood-red, as if weeping for her. None of the future God-Emperor's subordinates dared to approach.

The end was tragic, yet profoundly moving. The only reason this woman led a lone army, trapped in an encirclement, was because the Great Shang Emperor, who had fled the capital, sought to seize the military authority she commanded over three provinces.

Victorious in every battle, never defeated, she was ultimately struck down by a backstab from the very person she served.

The irony was that only ten days after Kong Yao's death, the Prince of Liao, who was once hailed as a future wise ruler, also died in battle.

Betrayed by his closest confidants, the Tai Ling Sect, which he relied upon as a Great Wall, abandoned him like refuse.

And at that time, less than twenty-seven years remained until this woman's death—

Zong Ling, unaware of this woman's distant 'future,' felt no sentimentality. Instead, he frowned, feeling a prickle of trouble. "Your Majesty, this woman knows far too much today. We must keep her confined for several months to avoid alarming the Eastern Lin Sects. However, Mount Qiantian currently only has cultivators up to the sixth rank. Your aging servant is powerless; I fear if Your Majesty leaves, there will be no one to restrain her!"

This woman was, after all, an envoy of the Great Shang. The tactic of silencing witnesses would not work.

Knowing that Zong Shou would only stay for a few days upon his return, this situation was genuinely vexing.

The central dynasty probably wouldn't sit idly by while this woman was captured.

Zong Shou also felt a headache coming on, but then, in the corner of his vision, he saw someone approaching rapidly from a thousand zhang away. He immediately smiled. "With Ancestor Zong presiding, what are you afraid of?"

Zong Ling looked up blankly. An old man with white hair and beard descended through the air—it was Zong Zheng, the former Ancestor of the Zong clan of Mount Qiantian.

Looking at Kong Yao, Zong Zheng’s white eyebrows furrowed slightly. Then, with a casual wave of his sleeve, Kong Yao vanished from sight.

"I can exert myself to suppress this woman on Your Majesty’s behalf for several months. However, the commotion today was too great; we will need a plausible excuse to calm the suspicions of others—"

He then said indifferently, "I, Zong Zheng, have rushed back solely to assist our Zong clan in achieving hegemony over the Eastern Lin region! Once accomplished, I will depart again. Mount Qiantian has far too few high-level cultivators. At that time, Your Majesty will need to invite more rogue cultivators to serve as retainers."

His eyes held a profound complexity as he stared steadily at Zong Shou, contemplating that perhaps he had made a mistake in the past.

Who could have imagined that under the hands of this 'waste' from the collateral line, whom he had once dismissed, Mount Qiantian City would flourish so vigorously?

In just two years, it had gained the strength to challenge the various sects and sweep across the Eastern Lin.

The Seven-Tailed Zong Clan not only held the highest authority in the Eastern Lin now but also saw a surge of powerful cultivators from dependent clans emerging one after another.

"An excuse? Just say that I, the Sovereign, took a liking to this Kong Yao and intend to forcibly take her as a concubine—"

Zong Shou grinned wickedly, then began to muse over which rogue cultivators in the Cloud Realm were worth his efforts to win over.

Gradually, his thoughts drifted, recalling Xuanyuan Yiren, who was still at the Pill Spring Sect, and his expression gradually grew solemn.