"Hear ye, from the Emperor Lord of the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, a decree to the minor King of Great Qian: Concerning all matters within the Yuanlian Realm, We are fully apprised! We know that Hong Jiuchen and the others bear no fault. Everything you have stated lacks concrete evidence. Are the words of the Shadow Demons, hated by all realms, to be trusted?"

"Even if there were faults, Hong Jiuchen is Our subject. How he is dealt with is for Us alone to decide; how dare you interject? This demand for his head is utterly preposterous!"

"We know that due to the struggle for the Yuanlian Realm, Hong Jiuchen and his company had some past friction with you. However, at this juncture, they are all inclined towards peace. You are a sovereign ruler; how can your magnanimity be so narrow-minded? To cling to petty grievances, even resorting to framing them?"

Upon reading this, Zong Shou could not help but let out a soft laugh.

Denial would have been one thing; was this an attempt to turn the tables?

In truth, by this point, the attitude of the Nine Heavens Sacred Court regarding this matter was already glaringly obvious.

Just as anticipated, war was now inevitable.

Yet, Zong Shou forcefully suppressed his impatience and continued reading the contents following this dispatch.

"—Insolent and insane! You actually demand that Our Nine Heavens Sacred Court cede territory, giving up five Minor Thousand Worlds. This declaration is truly the greatest farce under heaven! You, a nation of ants, with barely a million troops and a mere handful of Immortal Cultivators, dare to spout such arrogant words, compelling Our great Nine Heavens Superior Nation to surrender land? Truly, greed has clouded your judgment, making you an object of ridicule!"

"We ask you plainly, minor King Zong Shou of Great Qian, have you gone mad? Or do you tire of living? Or perhaps, as rumored, are you truly an imbecile?"

"The wren knows nothing of the vastness of heaven and earth; the frog in the well knows naught of the breadth of rivers and seas! It is beyond the comprehension of ants like you to know the strength of a Superior Nation in this domain. Since your nation insists on such provocation, We shall grant your wish. We will undoubtedly gather Our allies, dispatch the full might of Our armies, and conquer Yuanlian entirely! We shall not return until victorious!"

"Our final notice to you all: Within half a day, every person from your nation must withdraw from Yuanlian, and you are never to set foot in this realm again! Otherwise, regardless of who it is, execution without mercy will follow! This warning is given in advance; do not say We did not forewarn you—"

The decree concluded without a signature. Only a few terse words remained—'This edict is promulgated to all realms, let all take notice!'

The entire document was not particularly balanced or symmetrical in its structure. Yet, its language was brutally direct, utterly fierce, and undeniably domineering. It was practically an outright, open insult, designed to inflict maximum humiliation.

Although Zong Shou had long expected no pleasantries in this dispatch, even his eyes twitched as he finished reading it.

Even with his composure, maintaining calm was difficult now.

Insolent? Mad? An imbecile?

Zong Shou shook his head slightly, his mood settling once more.

In the eyes of outsiders, he, Zong Shou, likely did appear exactly as such.

Controlling merely tens of thousands of miles of territory, with just over a billion subjects... yet he dared to provoke the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, which commanded over a hundred worlds and possessed millions of Xuan and Huang-tier Dao soldiers?

This action was tantamount to courting death!

The sheer power the Nine Heavens Celestial Court could mobilize, while still less than a third of the influence wielded by a single Lord of the Fen Kong Lu Family, was still an absolute behemoth compared to Great Qian at this moment.

Furthermore, outside the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, he had simultaneously provoked three other major powers: the Xuanling Association, the Jiejue Celestial Court, and the Tianfang Society.

The words of the Emperor Lord of the Nine Heavens Celestial Court were, in fact, not entirely incorrect.

With a dry chuckle, Zong Shou rose and took a single stride, appearing above the Yuanjing Immortal Palace.

Inside the Immortal Palace now, a veritable uproar reigned. Everyone capable of flight had already taken to the air, staring at the talismanic decree. Their expressions varied, but none looked pleased.

Most were managing to maintain a semblance of calm. A portion, however, were incandescent with righteous indignation.

Beyond that, a faint undercurrent of worry and dread spread through the crowd, causing the atmosphere within the Immortal Palace to gradually turn somber.

Nearly everyone had noted the word 'fully' in the decree.

If the Nine Heavens Celestial Court were to launch an all-out offensive against Yuanlian, what spectacle would that unleash?

Even with Zong Shou constantly bolstering their confidence over the past month, lingering apprehension was unavoidable now.

Only the Source Sea cultivators and the Yiling Demon Slayers remained outwardly composed, their expressions unchanged.

The former were either not fully clear on the situation in the Yuanlian Realm or possessed a slight understanding of Zong Shou’s background, knowing what extraordinary foundations their Master possessed.

In the eyes of many, it was the master of the Nine Heavens Celestial Court who truly courted death.

As for the latter, most had their souls scoured and contained forbidden arts within their mental nexus; they knew only loyalty to their Master and paid little mind to their own life or death.

After the text fully manifested, it hung suspended in the void for another half-moment before the spiritual energy was entirely exhausted, and the entire talismanic decree began to fall.

Just as the scroll was about to descend, Zong Shou suddenly reached out a hand, summoning it remotely into his grasp.

The arrival of this decree meant that the Nine Heavens Celestial Court had also made all its preparations complete.

But Zong Shou’s face held no trace of a smile; instead, he appeared deep in thought.

At that precise moment, another spatial distortion rippled behind him. In a mere instant, a figure materialized directly behind him.

"Young Master!"

The voice was deep, steady, and cold. He addressed Zong Shou as Young Master rather than Lord—it was Ye Xuan, who had been hidden beyond several worlds.

"The Nine Heavens Celestial Court may strike at any moment. Brother Ao has already stealthily positioned himself outside the Boundary River, ready to reinforce us. Additionally, Senior Ao Yi just used the Mirroring the Myriad Worlds technique to observe; the Nine Heavens Celestial Court has sent at least six Saint Realm experts this time! Beyond that, there may be other contingency measures. Thus, Young Master must remain exceedingly cautious! In the battle to come, it is best that you do not stray too far from your subordinate!"

Zong Shou, however, did not seem to hear him, still lost in a daze. After a long pause, he murmured distractedly, "In this decree, he calls this isolated ruler insane, a wren, an imbecile—"

Ye Xuan paused, initially finding it amusing. Yet, he quickly realized something was amiss; given Zong Shou’s temperament, he wouldn't normally take such petty insults to heart.

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Xuan nodded slightly. "This man is seeking death!"

He had never directly confronted the Fen Kong Sacred Court; it was impossible to truly grasp the might of the Lu Family.

He vividly recalled the time when that State Lord merely sent a message, and it was enough to strike him, Ye Xuan, down from the clouds.

If Hong Jiuchen’s words suggested that merely forfeiting his head would suffice, then the words of this Emperor Lord demanded the utter destruction of a nation to wash away the shame and display the majesty of the Fen Kong Lu Family.

"The problem is, this Immortal Lord is completely unaware of the foolish deed he has committed!"

This voice sounded from the other side; it was Lu Wubing, who had arrived a step slower.

"If his intelligence were even slightly more current, he wouldn't be so clueless!"

Zong Shou cast a meaningful glance at Lu Wubing, then said no more.

He offered no comment on Lu Wubing’s words.

There was only one scenario in which the Emperor Lord of the Nine Heavens Celestial Court would use such extreme, reckless language: if he were entirely ignorant of the changes in the succession line of the Fen Kong Lu Family, if he hadn't heard even a whisper of the news. Only then could he act so without restraint.

Logically, even if the Lu Family exerted extreme control to suppress information flow, some rumors should have leaked out.

But nearly a hundred days had passed since the collapse of the Nine Absolutes Death Prison; why had this sovereign not heard a single rumor?

A flicker of worry crossed Zong Shou's eyes before it vanished.

Neither the Lord of Xuanhua State nor his maternal grandfather, nor even several Supreme Saint Venerables, could manage such absolute information control.

Unless several major powers joined forces, it would be impossible.

He began to dimly suspect that his mother's situation within the Fen Kong Celestial Court was not ideal.

The emergence of a pure-blooded Imperial Heir within the Lu Family, kept secret, was itself a piece of information.

For the Lord of Xuanhua State to be so utterly unaware!

Thinking of this, Zong Shou suddenly felt the urge to laugh bitterly. At this very moment, he wished he could cleave himself in two to manage his responsibilities.

Both the fate of the common populace in the Azure Sky Realm and his mother’s affairs weighed heavily on him.

However, he could not rush these matters now; he had to handle them one by one.

His mother was protected by the Saint Venerables Yan Yuan and Jue Yan; her immediate safety was not in critical danger.

It was the Azure Sky Realm that caused him the most concern.

Yet, due to the pact made with the Dao Sect that day, he was forbidden from entering the Cloud Realm or interfering in its affairs for twenty years.

Even if he went now, it might prove useless—

He mocked himself with a wry smile. With the current crisis unresolved, what use was worrying about these other matters?

Zong Shou looked again at the decree in his hand and let out a short laugh.

"But speaking of it, it is indeed rather infuriating!"

"You can still manage to laugh at a time like this?"

Accompanying Lu Wubing were Zhao Yanran, Feng Taiji, and a few others. Upon arrival, they all looked at Ye Xuan with surprise.

They had no idea where this man had come from or what his background was.

Zhao Yanran was also surprised, but she merely glanced over and dismissed him, focusing on the immediate crisis. With a cold laugh, she said, "Did you not see the phrase 'This edict is promulgated to all realms, let all take notice'? If you were to lose, or flee without a fight, you would surely become a laughingstock throughout the myriad realms! An utter disgrace. But if you fight, how will your Great Qian resist? I genuinely want to see what methods you, Zong Shou, possess—"

As she spoke these words, Feng Taiji and the others nearby were stirred and collectively focused their attention.

What Zhao Yanran voiced was exactly what they were thinking, the source of their anxiety.

Even Ruoshui, who spent every day with Zong Shou, was deeply concerned.

Zong Shou did not reply, instead turning his gaze to Lu Wubing.

"Wubing, what do you think? Should I wait longer, or should we strike now?"

"Since everything on that end is settled, there is no need to wait!"

Lu Wubing shook his head decisively, without hesitation. "With this Emperor Lord's decree in hand, all pretext is ready. There is no need to wait for them to make the first move. Half a day is too long; I have no patience to wait. I request that the Sovereign strike first!"

Zong Shou smiled; he too lacked the patience to wait. Settling this quickly would allow him peace of mind before heading to the Cloud Realm.

"Since that is the case—"

He raised his eyes and happened to see Zhuang Yu approaching through the air in the distance, holding several memorial reports, his eyes filled with worry.

Zong Shou casually glanced over and knew these were urgent military reports from the various borders. Without a doubt, the frontiers were strained, with approaching armies.

Ignoring them, Zong Shou directly asked, "All Yiling Demon Slayers, the Nine Thousand Profound Fox Iron Cavalry, and the Sixty Thousand Heavenly Star Crossbowmen—all under your command. Zhuang Yu, how long will it take you to shatter the twenty thousand Dao Soldiers of the Nine Heavens Celestial Court?"

Zhuang Yu’s thick brows shot up. He had come to report military intelligence and seek counsel, never expecting Zong Shou to say such a thing. Weren't the five hundred Yiling Demon Slayers supposed to be deployed in the outer domains?

He did not hesitate, immediately bowing: "One hour!"

Seven thousand Dao Soldiers facing three times their number had no guaranteed victory. But with the addition of the five hundred Yiling Demon Slayers, the situation became entirely different.