Although a vague sense was that this was somewhat unreliable, Zong Shou still summoned a few porcelain bottles possessing spatial abilities and sucked the entire pool of Origin Essence spring water dry, sorting it neatly into containers designated for Origin Essence Spring Water and Origin Essence Fine Spring, respectively.

Next, following Ye Feishuang's specific directions, he dug up all the dozens of stones glowing with spiritual light from beneath the pool. This was the very source of the Origin Essence Spring Water; if reburied in a location richer in spiritual energy, a Dragon Transformation Pond could be established again in a short time. However, to build it up to scale would require calculations spanning a century.

Then, he retraced his steps out of the small Dome Realm space. Before leaving, Zong Shou deliberately left behind a detectable marker. In the future, with the cultivation of a Spiritual or Immortal Realm, there was always the possibility of forcefully occupying this small Dome Realm.

Emerging from the vortex, Zong Shou again detonated high-tier spirit stones, releasing bursts of pure Heaven and Earth spiritual energy that forced all the formation patterns and restrictive inscriptions to fully reveal themselves. The group made it back to the wilderness area, escaping disaster narrowly. But at that very instant, Zong Shou suddenly frowned and gazed far eastward toward the center of the Dragon Palace.

He saw a vast burst of spiritual light explode over there. It then fractured into several hundred streams, scattering in all directions before plummeting down everywhere. "Someone must have reached the inheritance site!"

Ye Feishuang observed closely, a trace of sarcasm appearing at the corner of her lips. "It’s only the lowest grade, Rank Nine spirit artifacts! Most have likely already scattered. They must have used brute force, but thinking they could simply take the spiritual treasures of the inheritance site—it's never that easy?"

Zong Shou’s spiritual power had not yet recovered, and his head still throbbed, his consciousness flickering between clarity and oblivion. Yet, hearing this, he couldn't help but inwardly grumble. Rank Nine spirit artifacts? Only that? That was several hundred artifacts! This Dragon Palace truly was overflowing with wealth.

The inheritance site was also marked on the scroll map, yet Ye Feishuang clearly understood the location better than he did. Following her, they traveled through the air, and indeed, she treated the numerous spiritual formations and restrictions as if they were non-existent.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered one or two cultivators. However, upon spotting the Rank Nine silver-armored paper figures and the Rank Nine Ice Flood Dragon accompanying Zong Shou from afar, everyone immediately retreated without hesitation. They seemed to have gained considerable benefits and were clearly afraid that Zong Shou and his group might harbor ill intentions.

The so-called 'inheritance site' was a stone hall, but its scale was thousands of times vaster than the one they first entered. Behind it stood a large mountain, and according to the scroll map, the true core area lay within a cavern inside this mountain. This location was also the core of the entire Dragon Palace's spiritual formation. Forcibly breaking through the mountain exterior was not impossible, but unless one was a Divine Realm expert, it would be courting death. The spirit artifacts that exploded earlier and vanished likely originated from a side hall nearby.

When the group arrived, they discovered that quite a number of cultivators had already gathered within the hall. Over four hundred people, split clearly into seventeen distinct groups comprising both Orthodox and Demonic factions. The atmosphere was oppressive, and killing intent lingered faintly, as if an explosion was imminent. It wasn't just the numerically smaller Demonic Sect factions confronting the Orthodox sects; even among the various Orthodox sects themselves, mutual vigilance was palpable.

Zong Shou looked slightly puzzled, and before he could ask, he heard Li Ruoshuang explain, "Previously, twenty people could enter this inheritance site annually. Now that the spiritual formations are partially damaged, thirty people is probably the absolute maximum limit for entry."

Zong Shou realized with a start, 'Twenty people'? Twenty dragons, perhaps? But if there were only thirty slots, distributing them fairly would be genuinely difficult.

"Then, will you and Ruohan enter?" As they possessed dragon bloodlines, even if they weren't true dragons, the significance of the inheritance site for them would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

"No need! Feihan and I are only Rank Six; going in would be useless." Ye Feishuang shook her head. "What we need to enter is not this Third Dragon Hall—"

She did not specify which Dragon Hall they were aiming for. Zong Shou accepted this, asked no further questions, and then stood smiling, watching the hundreds of people in confrontation.

A moment later, Fang Ming stepped forward again and spoke, "Esteemed sirs! Time is running short, less than a day and a half remains. If we delay further, none of us will enter. Why don't we each concede a step, select representatives based on proportional numbers, and enter together?"

The assembled crowd fell into silence; no one spoke. Those with weaker cultivation tacitly agreed, but sensing the atmosphere grow even colder, they immediately shut their mouths.

Fang Ming seemed to find this troublesome as well, rubbing his temples. "If you trust me, then perhaps I, Fang Ming, can allocate the slots?"

The people present exchanged glances, showing slight indications of approval.

Seeing this, Fang Ming was not polite and laughed. "The Grand Spiritual Sect is the foremost sect in my Cloud Realm, they may enter with four slots. The second Holy Land, the Primordial Demon Sect, also commands respect throughout my Cloud Realm, they may also enter with four slots. The Two Realms' Bright and Clear Temple, the main seat of the Buddhist Huayan School, may enter with four slots. The fourth Holy Land, the Vast Profound Sect, may enter with three—"

Initially, the faces within the hall creased slightly in displeasure, but as his voice continued, the expressions of nearly half the assembly gradually smoothed out. Although the majority remained somewhat dissatisfied, when the disciples of the Grand Spiritual Sect and the Primordial Demon Sect cast cold glares their way, they swiftly fell silent.

Li Feishuang watched from afar, a hint of reverence in her eyes. "This Fang Ming truly lives up to his name. His actions are fair, capable of winning over the masses—"

Zong Shou smiled. Whether this man acted justly or not, he didn't know, but he knew the man was extremely intelligent. He first secured the allegiance of the Grand Spiritual Sect, the Primordial Demon Sect, and other powerful sects. As for the weaker sects, even if they were unhappy internally, they dared not resist. What was slightly strange was that of the Three Sects and Six Gates of the Azure Life Dao present, only he was participating in this Dragon Palace opening. Had they been occupied with other matters and unable to attend?

Fang Ming was halfway through his allocation when he turned his gaze toward Zong Shou, his eyes flickering slightly. "This must be the Demon King of the Firmament, Lord Zong Shou? You and your group of seven, can you take one slot?"

Zong Shou didn't ponder much and shook his head directly. "Two!"

The corner of Fang Ming’s lips immediately curled up coldly, his eyes filled with sarcasm. But as his gaze landed upon the Rank Nine silver-armored paper figure and the Ice Flood Dragon behind Zong Shou, his expression darkened, and he fell into deep thought, speaking no more.

Zong Shou inwardly praised this silence; it was perfectly timed. Whether Fang Ming was an upright gentleman or not, his cunning was undeniable. Indeed, the next moment, someone spoke coldly. "There are more than ten of us sharing a single slot. You total only seven people, yet you demand two—what is the logic behind that?"

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow. The speaker was an Eighth-Rank disciple of the Primordial Demon Sect. And in the hall, everyone else also looked over with cold eyes, harboring hidden anger.

Zong Shou smiled. The silver-armored paper figure behind him suddenly flashed, appearing directly in front of the Primordial Demon Sect disciple. A punch was thrown, resulting in a sudden 'Boom' of resonant sound. Gale-force winds surged, blasting that man and four helpers beside him violently backward! The speaking disciple of the Primordial Demon Sect coughed up blood, the force slamming him nearly a thousand zhang away. He hit a restrictive formation inscription, instantly enveloping him in flames and eliciting cries of agony. He barely managed to escape, left clinging to life.

The silver-armored paper figure, however, remained completely unscathed, standing rooted in place. Then, with another punch, it met head-on with another Rank Nine Spirit Martial Venerable. A 'Peng' explosion sounded. The ground remained solid, but the sheer pressure wave forced countless nearby cultivators to retreat. The silver-armored paper figure was thrown backward, but it stopped after only ten zhang. Opposite it, the Rank Nine expert from the Primordial Demon Sect, though holding a slight upper hand, appeared solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Everyone in the hall was stunned. They knew the Rank Nine silver-armored paper figure could contend with a Rank Nine expert, but it was ultimately inferior to a genuine Rank Nine master. It could knock back five Eighth-Rank experts with a single punch, and in a hasty exchange with a Rank Nine Spirit Martial Venerable, it suffered no damage. If it weren't verifiable that this was indeed summoned by a spirit talisman, they would almost believe a true Spirit Martial Venerable was hidden within the paper body!

"Fist Intent—"

"The pinnacle of Fist Intent! I forgot, this Lord is also a master of the Martial Dao peak. How could the Puppet Descending Spirit Talisman he manipulates be comparable to ordinary spirit masters?"

The cultivators of the Primordial Demon Sect’s expressions shifted repeatedly, and killing intent flared up. Then, the people from the Grand Spiritual Sect and the Two Realms' Bright and Clear Temple also had their expressions stiffen, appearing ready to intervene but hesitating.

But the next moment, Zong Shou took out another Puppet Descending Spirit Talisman. Unfolding it, another Rank Nine silver-armored paper figure materialized beside him. Subsequently, this paper figure gained an Eighth-Rank spirit sword. A burst of sword intent erupted, and dragon-shaped sword qi shot out, pressing down upon the entire hall. All four hundred-plus people fell silent.

This sword intent was the manifestation of Sword Intent Communicating with Spirits!

"Now, here, might makes right. Don't you agree, Brother Fang?"

Zong Shou smiled, which only deepened the chill in the hall. "My Zong Shou prefers to persuade with virtue, but if people refuse to reason with me, I don't mind flipping this table!"

Fang Ming’s expression remained unchanged, but he looked at Zong Shou with a complex expression. Without much hesitation, he nodded. "Agreed!" He then turned away, refusing to look at Zong Shou again. All the other people in the hall did not utter another word. Even the members of the Primordial Demon Sect, though their eyes held anger, forcibly suppressed it.

Ye Feishuang, who had remained silent beside him, frowned deeply only after everyone stopped paying attention to their side. "Do you know what you are doing? That is the Primordial Demon Sect! If they truly got serious, they could crush you with a single finger! Even if you have the Azure Life Dao supporting you, you must not forget you also have Mount Qiantian. Don't implicate us—"

Zong Shou shook his head and smiled faintly. How could he explain things to this woman? Mount Qiantian had already grown strong wings; even if the Seven Thousand Blood Cloud Riders were not yet fully assembled, they were already capable of confronting the Primordial Demon Sect of the Cloud Realm. Whether it was Zong Shou or Tan Qiu, within this realm, they could indeed act with impunity—