With Saint Realm Venerables like Ao Kun and Ao Yi activating the Demon-Bane Shuttle, Zong Shou reached the Cloud Realm in just a few days. If the Saint Realm Venerables wished, and disregarding the consumption of Primal Force, they could traverse hundreds or even thousands of worlds in a single day.

Even Zong Shou’s own flight speed was extraordinary at this moment. Without the Demon-Bane Shuttle, he could cross more than ten worlds in a day.

Furthermore, if his cultivation took just one more step, he would possess the ability to truly cross the planar barrier, independent of the Boundary Rivers. Upon reaching the periphery of the Cloud Realm, the first thing Zong Shou sensed was a dragon roar emanating from the direction of Mount Qiantiān.

“En? Could that be the Sacred Yin Dragon from Mount Qiantiān, the Guardian Beast of the Nation?” As if welcoming his return, the roar shook the universe!

Its might was awe-inspiring. A look of surprise flashed in Zong Shou’s eyes as this dragon might pressed in.

It clearly possessed strength comparable to that of the Saint Realm! Considering it closely, it was not entirely unexpected.

According to Kong Rui, this Yin Dragon was born intrinsically linked to the destiny of the Great Qian Nation. If Great Qian flourished, it grew stronger, nourishing its essence.

If Great Qian declined, it weakened, tainting its Primal Spirit. Given that his Great Qian Immortal Dynasty now controlled seventy-seven worlds, expanding its territory tenfold, it was not surprising that the Yin Dragon’s power had surged dramatically.

Especially now that the Tianfang World served as a relay point, initially unifying the influence of the Qiantiān domain. Although Zong Shou himself did not feel the full extent of that vast dragon might, the mere fact that Ao Yi, Ao Kun, and Ao Yi reacted with solemnity was enough to indicate that this Yin Dragon, even among Saint Realm entities, was not weak.

Having an additional Saint Realm support beyond his calculations was truly an unexpected joy. The second thing he sensed was the Abyssal Throne.

The artifact spirit of this divine object was already wildly excited upon sensing Zong Shou’s return. In that instant, Zong Shou connected with the flow of energy channeled by the Abyssal Throne.

Immediately, a wave of incomparably formidable and magnificent power was bestowed upon him. He felt as if, at that moment, he was omnipotent!

To uproot mountains and drain rivers, to have a spirit that overwhelms the world—it could be no more than this— This illusion lasted only a moment. Zong Shou’s expression immediately turned pale again.

It was the Aura of Kingship, but the sheer volume was excessive. The area around the Yuanlian World was newly occupied territory.

While principalities had been enfeoffed, it had not yet been truly designated as the capital, and the hearts of the people had not fully converged, so the effect was limited. But here, in the Cloud Realm, the Kingly Aura surged into his soul and mind like a deluge.

Especially for his second Primal Spirit, even with the Abyssal Throne acting as a conduit, and with the Illusory Heart Mirror and the Nine-Layered Golden Pagoda suppressing his soul essence internally, that Yuan Yi Soul Sword began to transform spontaneously. The sword turned a magnificent golden color, radiating an imposing dignity.

Faintly, the characters ‘Heavenly Emperor’ appeared on its blade. It took Zong Shou nearly an hour to forcefully suppress the constantly surging ‘Kingly Aura’ using the Emperor’s Resolve Art, preventing it from spreading further into his true Primal Spirit source.

“It seems that after this matter is concluded, the urgent priority will not be the Lu Family’s Blazing Sky Sacred Court, but first finding another supreme treasure capable of suppressing the Kingly Aura!” Instinctively, he thought of Tan Jing again. After the battle in the Tianfang Realm, Zong Shou had handed this person over to the Buddhist and Sword Sects.

He wondered what state they were in now. The ascension of the Yuanlian World to a Great Thousand World benefited all those factions, aligning their interests.

Zong Shou had pressing matters at hand, and the powerful figures of the Buddhist and Sword Sects were idle anyway. Zong Shou had initially felt comfortable entrusting the affairs of Yuanlian World’s ascension to these two great sects.

But now, he vaguely sensed that perhaps this arrangement was flawed. He felt that once the Yuanlian World truly completed its ascension, the accumulation of the Kingly Aura would undergo a qualitative change.

Though it wouldn’t strike his core essence, it would certainly affect his Dao path. “This is practically weaving my own cage; this time it’s truly troublesome—” A sense of intense urgency spontaneously arose from within his heart.

Supreme treasures were hard to find, matters of chance. His first need was to relocate the capital, move the Abyssal Throne to suppress the Yuanlian World.

Even more crucial was completely connecting the dozens of worlds under his control, allowing his sphere of influence to be integrated without any gaps. Only then could the Abyssal Throne truly harmonize the Kingly Aura throughout the entire Immortal Court domain.

Zong Shou’s mind was filled with a flurry of thoughts until Ao Kun and Ao Yi bid him farewell. “Within the Cloud Realm, several Saint Venerables are gathered.

Reflecting the Greater Thousand, they can discern any change. It is inconvenient for me to approach closely now; the great battle has not yet begun, so I can lie low outside temporarily.

You must conceal your identity and return to the Vast Expanse Dome Realm as Tan Qiu. It is best that you do not return to Mount Qiantiān either.” Before leaving, Ao Kun casually explained and reminded Zong Shou, then his eyes flashed with a strange light: “It is said that the whereabouts of the Universal Creation Scroll are still unconfirmed.

Many Saint Realms are still competing for it outside. Yi’er and I also intend to take a hand.

Perhaps we can get a glimpse of this Universe Book!” The Universal Creation Scroll was rumored to contain not only methods of spatial manipulation but also the Dao of Creation itself. Zong Shou knew in his heart that regardless of whether the news about the Universal Creation Scroll was true or just a smokescreen released by Wei Xu, Ao Kun would not easily let it go, determined to trace it to the end.

Because his own existence was subject to methods of annihilation, he absolutely needed to perfect his understanding of the Dao of Creation. Riding the Demon-Bane Shuttle alone, Zong Shou continued forward, starting to experiment with manipulating the surging Kingly Qi currents that arrived.

“Going all out, I should possess strength equivalent to the Half-Step Saint Realm. This is merely the ‘Savage’ borderland in the southeastern part of the Cloud Realm.

The power of one nation in the Yuanlian Realm can only lend me less than one-tenth of its potential here. A supreme Great Thousand World is indeed incomparable to ordinary Small or Middle Thousand Worlds!

However—” Zong Shou’s entire aura suddenly shifted again. He stopped using the Emperor’s Resolve Art, and the surging, powerful momentum abruptly retracted.

He needed to obscure his true capabilities, so people wouldn't realize he was using Kingly Martial Arts. Under this constraint, his usable cultivation could only be less than seventy percent, barely maintained at the peak Divine Realm.

To advance further and temporarily possess Saint Realm combat strength would require resorting to secret techniques and forbidden arts—just as he had anticipated— The closer he got to the Cloud Realm, the more Zong Shou missed Xuanyuan Yiren and Kong Yao. Yet, he knew Ao Kun’s words were golden advice.

However, he could not return to the Cloud Realm, but the people of the Cloud Realm could come to see him. Both Xuanyuan Yiren and Kong Yao had excessively high profiles; every movement they made drew attention.

The same was true for great generals and ministers like Ren Bo, Zhang Huai, Zong Yuan, and Ren Tianxing. Therefore, a day later, Zong Shou met Hu Zhongyuan at the Boundary River, five worlds away from the Cloud Realm.

Only this fellow drew less attention. And in these few short years, this guy had actually broken through to the Spirit Realm.

“This is thanks to the Sovereign’s Instantaneous Void Dragon Palace; this subject has truly benefited greatly! Not just me, but all the veterans from Mount Qiantiān under the Sovereign have made considerable progress in cultivation.

However, only I, Hu Zhongyuan, reached the Spirit Realm first—” Hu Zhongyuan explained with a slight grin, tinged with pride. Having passed the tribulation of the Spirit Realm meant he could be counted among the Immortals, and his lifespan would extend to over three thousand years, so his pride was understandable.

However, he finally remembered the main business and grew solemn: “This time, it seems the storm is truly significant. The Three Sects and Six Gates of the Vast Expanse Dao have recalled their disciples from all over the Cloud Realm and are tightly guarding their gates.

And three days ago, someone observed the Imperial City’s Confucian Temple shimmering with continuous light for an entire half-day. Rumor has it that several Supreme Realm Saint Venerables have returned to the Cloud Realm.

Confirmed reports include seven: Xiu Guan and the unattached Daoist Yuan Jing of the Vast Expanse Dao, the Clear Profound Dao Lord and the Great Yellow Dao Lord of the Daoist Sect, and it is said that the Sage Zhu of the Confucian School has also returned. In the Demonic Sect, the World-Treading Celestial Lord and the Supreme Primordial Demon have recently manifested avatars in the world.

As for others, they are beyond what our Great Qian can ascertain. There is also news that the Three Great Grotto Heavens have all been opened by now.” As Hu Zhongyuan spoke, his expression was extremely grim.

This was the first time he had encountered such a perilous situation. Seven Supreme Realms gathered in the Cloud Realm—a spectacle only seen in the ancient Cloud Desolation Era.

Any single one of them possessed the power to overturn worlds, or even sink the Cloud Continent. If a battle broke out, even being swept by the edge of the storm would be unbearable for ordinary cultivators.

In the past, they yearned for the era of prosperous spiritual energy in ancient times; now that the spirit tide had truly arrived, it filled people with dread and unease. “The situation in the Cloud Realm is currently on a knife’s edge.

Grand Councilor Qiu and Marshal Kong are deeply concerned about the overall picture and have halted military operations in the southeast of the Cloud Realm. However, they have concentrated more forces on the borders, confronting the Great Shang to contain its army.” Saying this, Hu Zhongyuan gave a wry smile: “We hope to help the Vast Expanse Dao, but in my view, we can at most only tie down some of Great Qian’s military strength.” Zong Shou listened quietly, his eyes narrowed.

He now had a general picture of the current situation in the Cloud Realm. “The World-Treading Celestial Lord, the Supreme Primordial Demon, eh?” These two Supreme Realm Venerables of the Demonic Path did not originate from the Cloud Realm but came from outer regions during the ancient Cloud Desolation period.

Unlike those extraterritorial barbarians who plundered the Cloud Realm’s resources, these two spread their doctrines, selecting natives of the Cloud Realm as disciples. Consequently, after all the extraterritorial barbarians were expelled towards the end of the Cloud Desolation Era, the lineage of the Demonic Sect passed down by these two survived stubbornly.

They had caused great disasters before, narrowly opening connections between the realm and those Chaos Worlds several times. Even now, beneath the Five Great Cloud Continents and the Cloud Sea, residual Chaos Gates remained.

The demonic taint had corrupted many spirit beasts, intensifying their ferocity. If these two Demon Ancestors descended now, it certainly wasn't to help the Vast Expanse Dao overcome its crisis.

And then there was Sage Zhu, the Supreme Realm Venerable of the Confucian School, who was actually preeminent in the Cloud Realm. Even now, with two other Saint Venerables present, since Sage Zhu had returned, the other one must have arrived as well.

Thinking of this, Zong Shou felt a chill run through him, breaking out in a cold sweat. Furthermore, there were still an unknown number of Saint Venerables watching the Vast Expanse Dao with ill intent, harboring greedy desires.

“Zhang Huai said this is an overt scheme, using pressure to scatter the hearts within the Vast Expanse Dao, allowing the Daoist, Confucian, and Demonic sects to work from within, forcing the Vast Expanse Dao to exert its full strength. This method is identical to how you pressured the Tianfang Cultivation Association a few days ago.

I heard that many spirit veins within the Vast Expanse Dao have already fallen into the hands of the Daoist and Demonic sects, and many influential families have recalled their disciples from the Vast Expanse Dao. Oh, right—” Hu Zhongyuan suddenly remembered something and took out a jade talisman.