The gazes of several people, including Tan Jing of the Tianfang Society, fell heavy with awkward silence upon hearing that. The two who had struck first moments ago were undoubtedly both cultivators beyond the Immortal Tier.

Zong Shou merely sneered, his gaze piercing straight into the heart: “Enough! There’s no need for explanations from you lot.

I probably understand such matters. Inside or outside the Cloud Realm, it’s all the same; only when fists cease to be effective will people resort to reasoning.” If it weren't for Long Ying stepping directly into the Zenith Realm, would the Daoists have conceded to him?

And in today's fight, if he hadn't used these few Immortal Realm cultivators to establish his dominance, they likely wouldn't have shown themselves at all. Upon hearing this, Tan Jing nodded slightly: “We shall not deny this.

Tell me, does an eagle bother with fairness or righteousness when addressing an ant? How absurd!

Since Daoist friend displayed his strength to us today, naturally, such rules are no longer necessary.” The others remained silent, clearly acquiescing to Tan Jing’s words. Zong Shou sank into thought, taking a full moment before finally nodding: “These rules are quite fine!

However, I am not some Immortal Realm cultivator. Furthermore, in my eyes, you are no different from the unfortunate soul who just perished.

An eagle doesn't reason with ants, but what difference is there between you and ants?” At these words, the expressions of nearly every cultivator present shifted, leaving them speechless. After a long pause, it was Tan Jing who spoke first: “Though Tan Jing may not be Daoist friend’s match, surely the Tianfang Society possesses the standing to converse with Daoist friend?

Such jesting language is best kept to a minimum. Moreover, Daoist friend’s cultivation may indeed only be Spirit Realm, yet here and now, no one dares to view Daoist friend through the lens of the Spirit Realm!” “You are certainly sharp-tongued!” Zong Shou let out a soft snort; jesting words?

He wasn’t so sure! Offering no confirmation, he simply asked flatly: “Where resides the Hermit Jiujing?

And how much territory does he command within this Primordial Lotus Realm?” He had instantly discerned that the unlucky Immortal cultivator killed by his flying dagger, regardless of status or power, was on par with these individuals. Within the Primordial Lotus Realm, that person must have been a regional overlord.

This individual was likely a world ruler, though Zong Shou needn’t dwell on the world he originally governed. With Jiujing dead, someone would surely step into his position immediately, invariably aligning themselves under some major power bloc.

However, the lands controlled by this individual within the Primordial Lotus Realm, Zong Shou intended to bring under his own grasp. The group opposite exchanged glances, and one finally spoke with resignation: “In the southwest of the Primordial Lotus Realm, this person governed this area alone.

He established an Immortal Dynasty. His subordinates include three Immortal Cultivators, twenty Spirit Cultivators, and approximately ten thousand other cultivators.

He governed seven nations across ten thousand leagues of territory, occupying an Immortal Abode called the Primordial Serenity Palace—” Tan Qiu also chimed in: “This Hermit Jiujing has an extraordinary background; he is one of the External Branch Deacons of the Seven Sages Alliance. It is not entirely out of the question for Daoist friend to take his territory.

However, you must exercise extreme caution from now on. The Seven Sages Alliance is one of the major powers in this region, and they have never lacked for less than seven Saint Realm experts.

Although their core base isn't here, their strength is considerable!” These words served both as a warning and a subtle offering—a gesture of goodwill that cost them nothing, while simultaneously informing Zong Shou that he had already courted significant trouble and perhaps shouldn't seek further conflict. Zong Shou appeared contemplative.

The so-called Immortal Dynasty was a form of cultivator power structure. It shared similarities with secular dynasties but also possessed differences.

The systems of governance and administration were much the same, yet beneath an Immortal Dynasty, there were no ordinary citizens, only cultivators of high strength. In the Cloud Realm, the most famous example of such an entity was the Lu family.

They used the Burning Sky Immortal Dynasty to govern eight hundred worlds, supporting various forms of kingdoms in the mortal sphere to rule the populace on their behalf. In this manner, using the secular states as buffers could maximally reduce the intrusion of Kingly Power.

Yet, even so, it wasn't enough. They further enfeoffed, dividing the eight hundred worlds into a dozen or more sections, granting rule to numerous sovereigns.

This, in turn, became the root of the Lu family’s internal strife. Even the later Divine Emperor, after unifying the Cloud Realm, personally dismantled it, establishing the Immortal Dynasty Divine Court, parceling out all the previously held territories into fractured kingdoms.

If he were to contend with the Lu family in the future and seek the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, he might also have to tread this path. However, at this juncture, the so-called ‘Kingly Aura’ had not yet tainted his core essence.

He hadn't considered it deeply, nor had he paid it much heed. It was only when Tan Jing mentioned it now that he remembered he needed to contemplate his next course of action.

As for the Seven Sages Alliance, he had never heard of them. At least seven Saint Realm experts sounded decent, but if they lacked a Saint Sovereign figure, they were merely dregs in this domain—perhaps slightly larger dregs.

They were beyond his reach for now, so there was no need to worry about them. “Thank you for the reminder!” He nodded, and Zong Shou added: “As for these rules, I still need to consider them further!” With that, he ceased speaking further, transforming into a streak of light that re-entered his flagship.

Whether to abide by this agreement still required observation: could Ruolan, Feng Taiji, and the others hold their ground in the Primordial Lotus Realm relying solely on their own strength? If their power proved insufficient, or if they were collectively suppressed by various factions, wouldn't Zong Shou binding his own hands by agreeing?

That was not the action of the wise— The six voidships proceeded onward, encountering no further obstruction this time. The cultivators scattered in the void hesitated momentarily before retreating one after another.

Even the several Immortal Realm cultivators who had appeared vanished within moments. Upon reaching the spatial barrier, the six voidships exerted their power simultaneously, shattering it with a roar.

The next instant, they dispersed like bubbles, merging into a world. As soon as they entered, Feng Taiji, now back on the flagship, raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a hint of pleasant surprise.

“This place is excellent; the abundance of spiritual energy actually surpasses that of our Cloud Realm by a measure!” Ci Fang, standing nearby, nodded slightly upon hearing this. The spiritual energy density here was indeed stronger than in the Cloud Realm.

He then extended his spiritual sense, and moments later, spoke again: “This world spans approximately fifty thousand leagues! Not far from here is a city whose inhabitants are no different from us.

And although the population is less dense than the Cloud Realm, within this two-hundred-league radius, there are over four hundred thousand inhabitants!” The more people, the more potential future followers there would be for Buddhism. The world Zong Shou had chosen was indeed quite good.

Among the Middle Thousand Worlds, it could be considered one of the best. The division between Great Thousand, Middle Thousand, and Lesser Thousand Worlds was exceedingly complex.

In the eyes of cultivators, it was first a matter of spiritual energy, then territory. Some worlds spanned hundreds of millions of leagues, but the life within was sparse and the spiritual energy thin, classifying them only as Lesser Thousand Worlds.

The Cloud Realm, tens of thousands of years ago, spanned a million leagues, possessed incredibly rich spiritual energy, and could undoubtedly accommodate Zenith Realm beings—it was unquestionably a Great Thousand World. Its very designation as the Immortal World indicated as much.

And this Primordial Lotus Realm was only slightly short of crossing the threshold into the Great Thousand World category. However, there was a subtle trace of worry mixed in Ci Fang’s words.

The better the environment and the richer the resources of this world, the more covetous eyes it attracted, and consequently, the more perilous the resulting conflicts would be. Though they had come with Zong Shou, including representatives from the three major sects of the Cloud Realm—any one of which could suppress the so-called Seven Sages Alliance—the Cloud Realm itself was on the brink of chaos and could not afford to divert too much attention.

Moreover, one could not entirely rule out the shadow of Zenith Realm cultivators among these rivals, given the external Saint Sovereigns’ long-standing pressure against the Cloud Realm and Buddhism. Zong Shou, however, paid it no mind.

After discerning the bearings, he set a course toward the southwest. Although those individuals had not specified the exact location of the Primordial Serenity Palace, for Zong Shou, locating this Immortal Abode was hardly difficult.

The six ships dispersed, and the spiritual senses of more than a dozen Spirit Realm experts swept across the four directions simultaneously. In just a moment, Zong Shou had a target.

He left his flagship and, in a flash, arrived above a stretch of clouds. The so-called Primordial Serenity Palace Immortal Abode floated amidst the clouds.

Blocks of incredibly sturdy yet feather-light Primordial Cloud Stone formed the foundation of the palace. Stretching one hundred thousand zhang from north to south, its scale was immense and magnificent.

Many sections remained incomplete; seventy percent of the structures were unfinished. Yet, as Zong Shou gazed upon it, he still gasped sharply.

Compared to this palace, the Hanyan Palace left to him by his father seemed like a rustic thatched hut. Every building exuded grandeur and majesty, while the courtyards and pavilions were exquisitely beautiful, displaying the air of true immortals.

The First Dragon Hall and Third Dragon Hall were stronger than this, but they were built by the Dragon Clan, whose aesthetic sense differed from that of humans. For instance, Ye Feihan was still preoccupied with his lack of ‘horns.’ “Only today do I realize the wealth of the Outer Domain!” By rights, the territory he currently governed amounted to nearly half the Primordial Lotus Realm, yet it lacked this grandeur.

This Hermit Jiujing, merely a mid-stage Immortal Cultivator, had managed to overshadow him. “It is because they plundered too ruthlessly!” Feng Taiji followed shortly after, looking unconcerned.

“I observed the people of this world just now; not only are cultivators scarce, but the populace suffers greatly. Many areas lack food, and the famine is rampant.

It is vastly different from the Great Qian under Your Majesty’s rule. This world has potent spiritual energy, spans fifty thousand leagues, yet the population is at most a little over two billion.

I truly don't know how these people were driven to such a state—” In the Cloud Realm, even the most notoriously tyrannical rulers in history never allowed their nations to descend into such misery. It was at this moment that he suddenly understood why the ancient Cloud Realm had so fiercely resisted the foreign races.

Those Saint Sovereigns, whose whereabouts had been unknown since the Desolate Cloud Era, had all fought a life-and-death battle against these alien races without hesitation upon achieving the Zenith Realm! It was likely not solely because of that Heaven-Opening Artifact.

“Brother Feng flatters me!” Normally, Zong Shou would relish Feng Taiji’s praise. But now, he had no inclination to entertain it; his heart was bleeding.

With the Hermit Jiujing dead, his so-called Immortal Dynasty was naturally dissolved. All his subordinates scattered like birds and beasts, but not before they looted every single treasure and exotic artifact within the Primordial Serenity Palace before leaving.

Zong Shou could barely accept this, but under his spiritual sense, he detected several reckless individuals nearby attempting to break the seals and enter a treasury-like location.—(To be continued)RQ

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