For the people of the Southeast? Zhuang Yu felt a moment of blankness, his gaze shifting slightly. Tan Jing, too, curled the corners of his lips with a touch of self-satisfaction: "Under the crushing weight of this situation, that so-called Great Qian Immortal Dynasty established by Zong Shou will likely not withstand a single tile remaining intact. When the main beam collapses, even one piece of wood cannot hold it up. Even if Brother Zhuang dedicates his life and soul to this Great Qian Immortal Dynasty, he won't be able to hold out much longer. Why insist on struggling so hard? To let the southeast land be ravaged by war?"

He added calmly, "My good friend, Brother Hong, has always held Marshal Yu’s military genius in the highest regard! If Marshal Yu is willing to defect and pledge allegiance, Brother Hong Jiuchen will certainly recommend Marshal Yu to the Nine Capitals Immortal Court. If he can render sufficient merit to the Immortal Court in the future, perhaps one day he might even become the Lord of this Primordial Lotus Realm. What my friend Hong seeks is merely a place to reside, and it may not necessarily be this Primordial Lotus World—"

"The Lord of the Primordial Lotus Realm?"

Zhuang Yu's breath hitched, then he took a deep breath and firmly shook his head.

"Brother Tan, you can cease these words! My Liege treats me with utmost sincerity; Zhuang Yu would never betray him—"

His tone was heartfelt. Although Zong Shou both used and guarded against him, he was open-minded and truly willing to delegate power.

Entrusting him with an entire Primordial Lotus World. Every word he spoke was kept as a promise.

And at this moment, Great Qian was far from seeing its sun set.

With himself present, he was confident that the southeastern kingdoms would never defeat him on the battlefield.

"Unwilling?"

Tan Jing raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. Deep within his eyes, a flicker of almost imperceptible disgust and sarcasm passed, then vanished without a trace.

"Marshal Yu needn't be so resolute, leaving no room for retreat. It is best to consider this carefully. Even if there are conditions, they can be negotiated, and we will certainly satisfy Marshal Yu—"

His voice paused slightly. Tan Jing seemed to sense something, focusing his spiritual light in his eyes, glancing toward the outside of the tent, followed by a cold sneer.

"Someone is disturbing us. It seems the discussion cannot continue. I have said all I need to say. I ask Marshal Yu to ponder this further. I, Tan, shall take my leave now! Oh, and if Marshal Yu is still hoping for that Blood Sword Demon Lord to return—there is no need. This person is mortal enemies with the Daoist Sects of the Cloud Realm, and the Seven Saints Alliance will never let him off easily. Others are already waiting outside the Primordial Lotus Realm, ready to take his life! His life or death is unknown. If Marshal Yu truly intends to walk this path to the very end, then I, Tan, have nothing more to say!"

After speaking, he let out a sinister laugh, took a step, and walked into the void. In an instant, he vanished from sight.

And in the next moment, a beautiful and graceful figure appeared within the great tent.

Clad in dark crimson armor, her aura was faint, almost nonexistent. Killing intent swirled around her. Her gaze was piercing.

Glancing into the tent, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she went directly to Zhuang Yu, asking, "Was the visitor Tan Jing of the Tianfang Cultivation Society?"

Zhuang Yu had already put away his greatsword and made no concealment, nodding in affirmation.

He felt a significant headache regarding this woman. She was supposedly Zong Shou's senior sister, and one of his consorts. However, she now commanded the Secret Guards of the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty.

After a moment of thought, Zhuang Yu carefully chose his words: "Your Highness’s timely arrival to assist is deeply appreciated!"

"I should be the one apologizing for arriving late! Protecting your safety is also Weak Water’s duty!"

Ruo Shui shook her head, yet her grip tightened on the sword in her hand.

She had fought more than a dozen battles on her way here, to this military camp.

Even using all her strength, she was still a step too late.

Fortunately, Zhuang Yu was still safe. Otherwise, who knew how much worse the situation in the Primordial Lotus Realm would have deteriorated?

"Furthermore, what Tan Jing was concerned about was Marshal Yu's martial arts and swordsmanship. You don't actually need to thank me!"

After saying this, she made a slight gesture, intending to depart.

Since Tan Jing had left and Zhuang Yu was unharmed, there was no need for her to linger any longer.

But just as she was about to leap into the void, Zhuang Yu suddenly spoke again: "Does the Princess Consort not wish to ask what Tan Jing said to me?"

Ruo Shui's movement halted, then she smiled, "I can guess some of it. However, what Ruo Shui is currently responsible for is only the Secret Guards. The ultimate decision needs to be made by you yourselves. The Liege trusts you immensely, entrusting the entire situation to you. He must have his reasons for finding Marshal Yu trustworthy. If Marshal Yu truly disappoints his expectations, the Liege will not regret it. Moreover, Ruo Shui also has some faith in both the Liege and the Marshal—"

Zhuang Yu started, then as he came back to himself, he saw Zong Ruo Shui’s figure had already vanished from the tent.

He pondered for a long time, then gave a self-mocking smile.

Faith? He had genuinely felt tempted just now.

If things continued like this, he didn't know how long his conviction could last.

Unless that Great Qian Immortal Lord, his Liege, could rush back... With practiced ease, utilizing the power of the Shadow-Leaping Sculpture, she traversed the void in the outer regions.

In just half an hour, Ruo Shui’s figure appeared beside a massive Void Vessel.

The so-called Shadow-Leaping Sculpture was a subspecies of the ancient divine beast 'Shadow Leaper.' Its spatial-temporal divine abilities were nearly on par with the Instantaneous Void Dragon.

It could leap anywhere within the reach of her spiritual thought.

It must be mentioned that this spirit beast escort was also obtained for her by Zong Shou.

Although Ruo Shui hadn't meticulously nurtured it over the years, due to her inherent 'laziness,' the combat power of this subspecies divine beast had not grown much. However, its ability to traverse the void had become exceptionally skilled.

Before her now were a full seventeen Void Warships, arranged in a line.

When they first arrived in the Primordial Lotus World, they brought five ships from the Cloud Realm, followed by three more support vessels later. Combined with captures from successive battles, the number had increased to its current count.

However, none of them were in good condition at this moment. The surfaces of all the warships were pitted and scarred. Two of them were even heavily damaged, bearing clear marks of recent intense combat.

But it was thanks to this fleet operating outside, engaging in guerrilla warfare everywhere, that the Void Vessels of the Xuanling Cult, the Juexian Immortal Court, and other factions could not move freely to support the Primordial Lotus World.

If Zhuang Yu maintained the general balance of the southwestern battlefield in the Primordial Lotus Realm through sheer personal strength, then in this outer void, it was Shi Ruolan single-handedly upholding the overall situation.

Whenever there was a battle involving Void Vessels, even if she couldn't win, Shi Ruolan could maintain an undefeated standing!

Yet, looking at the current state of these vessels, a trace of worry still flickered in Ruo Shui's eyes.

Then, with another flash, she arrived inside Zong Shou's former flagship.

Reaching the central command chamber, she found a handsome young man sitting calmly to one side.

His body was covered in overlapping scars, a shocking sight, yet his aura was peaceful, as if he were recovering.

Meanwhile, Shi Ruolan was intently watching a map in her hands, completely absorbed.

It was a map detailing the structure of the outer void, meticulously drawn over the past two years.

Ordinary people could not understand it; only cultivators above the Spirit Realm who had traversed the outer void could grasp its intricacies.

Ruo Shui shook her head, then looked doubtfully at the elegant youth.

But before she could ask, she heard Shi Ruolan pouting: "He just fought someone out in the void and luckily didn't die. He fled to me here before he could be surrounded and killed. This fellow is truly remarkable. No wonder he is considered equal to Brother, ranked among the Six Peerless Swords. He actually managed to slay six Immortal-tier experts single-handedly and still retreat without sustaining fatal injuries—"

She didn't fear Feng Taiji hearing these words. Her voice was soft and carried a hint of schadenfreude: "But he overestimates himself too much! Knowing there were many people over there, and that ambushes were certain, he still foolishly charged in. Getting injured like this is exactly what he deserves."

Ruo Shui was caught between laughter and tears and seriously scrutinized Feng Taiji.

The injuries were not severe; the sword marks, though gruesome to look at, did not harm his core essence. It was clear that the battle had always been under Feng Taiji’s control.

This eased the tension in her heart. At this moment, Feng Taiji was also one of the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty’s pillars in the Primordial Lotus Realm.

When Ci Fang was in the Cloud Realm, he suppressed his cultivation to protect Buddhism.

Now, without reservations, he reached the Immortal Realm in just a few short years, but he lacked the fusion of Spirit and Martial arts, and his combat power was far inferior to this proud son of the Sword Sect.

If a critical situation arose, only he possessed the strength to turn the tide.

"I was reckless, not thinking things through properly, and foolishly charged in—I truly apologize. However, to receive such high praise from Miss Ruolan, Taiji is truly honored—"

Feng Taiji suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze radiating brilliance, as if he had never been injured at all. He only held a hint of helplessness: "But if I hadn't done so, allowing them a painful lesson, they would only become more unscrupulous! Therefore, even knowing it was a trap, Feng Taiji had to make that journey!"

His words were decisive and resolute.

Ruo Shui was momentarily stunned, sensing that the Feng Taiji before her was like a sword that had been honed to the sharpest possible edge—his aura was cold and sharp, making anyone who saw him wary.

The Feng Taiji from a year ago was not like this. The current Feng Taiji was the purest form of a swordsman.

Ruo Shui let out another wry laugh. It wasn't only Feng Taiji who had changed.

Hadn't she herself changed as well?

Losing Zong Shou, the great tree that shielded her from storms, allowed her to gradually grow and slowly become capable of supporting a sky of her own.

She then thought that if she had undergone this tempering earlier, perhaps she wouldn't have needed the aid of elixirs, and might have achieved the state of Spirit-Martial Unity before reaching the Immortal Realm.

At that time, she might have been able to assist Zong Shou much more.

This thought arose, then was suppressed. What was the use of thinking about this now?

Just as she was lost in thought, she saw Feng Taiji's expression suddenly become extremely solemn.

"Then, regarding Zhuang Yu, has he wavered? Do you think Tan Jing managed to persuade him?"

Ruo Shui's gaze sharpened as well.

"He did not! Marshal Yu still holds hope for the Liege. It seems he won't easily betray his loyalty, but if time drags on, and if Tan Jing threatens the lives of the hundreds of millions of civilians in the southwest, it might become difficult to say."

Zhuang Yu served Zong Shou not out of sincere devotion or true loyalty, but for the sake of his own conviction—his obsession with the Primordial Lotus Realm.

But if that collapsed, the outcome would truly be uncertain.

After hesitating for a moment longer, Ruo Shui hesitantly added, "Before my husband left, he said that if something unforeseen happened, in a situation of absolute last resort, your Buddhist and Sword Sects could withdraw. He said he would never blame you—"

Feng Taiji raised an eyebrow and smiled carelessly: "I have always been supremely confident in the Blood Sword Demon Lord who conquered the Cloud Realm! Why is it that you, someone close to him, lack confidence? Rest assured, it is far from that dire situation yet. We just need to wait!"