The people accompanying the Sword Sect, Zongshou had guessed it was Su Chen.

He had also considered whether Lei Dong had been summoned back from the outer domain.

Or perhaps, it was simply another Elder from the Sword Sect.

He had never once expected it would be Feng Taiji.

"Regarding this matter of pioneering the outer domain, my Sword Sect places extreme importance upon it.

If Senior Brother Ruo Tao has already been confirmed by my Sword Sect as the next Lord of the Outer Sword Qiong Realm Mountain, he cannot attend.

This time, my junior brother must suffice in my stead," Feng Taiji said mildly, having long anticipated Zongshou's confusion.

Two matters were mentioned in his words, both highly valued by the Sword Sect!

Feng Taiji’s standing within the Sword Sect remained quite high, and he was still conveying the seriousness of the affair.

However, there was no other emotion, merely a calm narration.

"As for this Golden-Scaled Fire Lion, we encountered it purely by chance two months ago.

We endured immense hardship just to escape here.

Yet, this Golden-Scaled Fire Lion relentlessly pursued us, intent on breaking through our hiding place.

So, a day ago, Ruolan laid out a trap.

She first severely wounded this monstrous beast, and then spent half a day slaying it right here." Zongshou felt a flush of guilt upon hearing this.

Over two months ago, that must have been precisely when he was hiding in the Vast Sea, evading the pursuit of the Spatial Dragon Clan.

It was fortunate that nothing untoward happened, or he would truly regret it for the rest of his life.

He also felt that dividing his attention had become too strenuous; managing everything by himself was becoming increasingly difficult.

Thankfully, Senior Sister Ruolan had persevered.

He gently stroked Senior Sister Ruolan's head again.

This young girl had no intention of flaunting her achievements before Zongshou.

Yet, she particularly adored his affectionate gestures.

Beyond the hall doors, a gentle, aged voice sounded once more: "Indeed!

Miss Ruolan commands the warship as if it were her own arm.

Whether it was strategizing beforehand or directing the battle, her skill was nothing short of astonishing, utterly perfect.

Such military talent is something this old monk has never witnessed in my life!

Your Majesty has a sharp eye for talent; I feel significantly more confident about this expedition into the outer domain now!" Zongshou turned to look at the source of the voice.

The newcomer was none other than Cifang from the Myriad Buddhas Qiong Realm.

He couldn't help but muse inwardly that the arrangements for the trio of Li Fengfei might go awry in one aspect.

His gaze shifted, and Zongshou saw, as expected, Jingyin.

And naturally, Zhao Yanran and Xuan Yunlan arrived right after.

These two had been confirmed as Zongshou's companions from the Cang Sheng Dao long ago, so Zongshou felt no surprise at all.

The next instant, he heard Cifang speak with a complex expression: "To speak of it, several days ago, Cifang received news transmitted back from the Cloud Realm.

Your Majesty has truly brought back something extraordinary this time, something quite troubling.

This old monk fears that once we board Your Majesty's vessel, getting off will be nigh impossible." Hearing this, Zongshou instantly knew that the trio of Li Fengfei had already returned to the Cloud Realm.

That Vast Sea was inherently quite close to the Cloud Realm.

And he had spent time traveling, receiving guidance from Shen Yuexuan in the Heaven's Square Realm to grasp the rudiments of sword formations, which also consumed some time.

With his whereabouts uncertain, he hadn't received news from the Cloud Realm.

Instead, it was Cifang who had learned of it ahead of time.

At this point, however, he smiled dismissively: "If the Buddhist Sect is unwilling, you need not participate.

I will never force you; I only ask that you do not leak the information." "Your Majesty jests!

This matter—we truly cannot afford not to be involved!" Cifang chuckled and shook his head while speaking, his expression exceedingly peculiar.

"If it were merely about accelerating time, perhaps just having some subtle mysteries of the Spatial Race's divine abilities would suffice!

But this object possesses the power to postpone Calamity Epochs.

Even within our Buddhist Sect, such wondrous treasures are rare.

Your Majesty's conditions are so generous; if our Buddhist Sect continued to refuse, we would be fools.

I presume the Sword Sect and Cang Sheng Dao feel the same?

Your Majesty can rest assured, this artifact concerns the rise and fall of great religions; the Buddhist Sect will certainly not betray a single word—" Zongshou was initially unconcerned, but hearing the second sentence made his heart sink.

Postpone the Calamity Epoch?

He had never known that the Zhouguang Hall possessed such profound power!

A sudden, wrenching pain shot through his heart; this deal was truly a loss.

Had he known, he should have demanded much greater benefits!

Now that the dust had settled and the die was cast, regret was useless.

He couldn't help but force a grim smile: "Is that so?

That would be best—" Feng Taiji completely ignored his obvious distress and spoke again, cutting directly to the chase: "Now that everyone has arrived and all is prepared, what does Your Majesty plan to tackle first?

Of the hundred thousand worlds in this domain, aside from the desolate borderlands with little yield, most are already claimed.

For us to find unclaimed territory will be extremely difficult.

This time, whether it is Your Majesty or the Three Teachings, success is the only option, failure is unacceptable.

I implore Your Majesty to be cautious, most cautious!" Zongshou took a deep breath, his expression hardening.

Although Feng Taiji's words were somewhat harsh and cold, the logic was undeniable: this expansion could only end in victory, never defeat.

In his memory, the single best outer domain world was the small thousand world that Shi Yue had initially occupied.

Not only was its output several dozen times superior to the Heaven's Square Realm, but it also lacked significant resistance.

However, that world was likely already in Shi Yue's grasp.

His battle with Shi Yue a few months prior had revealed the strength of that kingdom.

But that was precisely when he was at his weakest, unable to stop it.

Aside from that, there were few worlds around the Cloud Realm suitable for pioneering.

Either they already had masters and were difficult to dislodge, or the cost to acquire them was too immense, or they were simply barren to the extreme.

Zongshou did recall one place with extremely abundant resources, a middle thousand world whose collective mineral veins were nearly ten times that of the entire Cloud Realm before the Spiritual Tide.

The native races within hadn't been exterminated, but the powerful figures of the realm had been swept clean.

However, various forces were currently vying for control