Outside Lingyun Palace, Chu Kuangren stood with his hands behind his back, suspended in the clouds, his eyes dimmed as he gazed at the stars in the sky.

That battle, which determined the survival of the Qian Kingdom and the rise and fall of the Six Sects, was naturally watched closely by all the various sects.

They dispatched the strong to monitor the situation of the *** War. Thus, as soon as the sixty thousand Purple Qilin Flame Spear Cavalry of the Dao Sect were completely annihilated, Lingyun Sect had already received the news.

"It's actually a Qilin escorting the carriage—a living Sage Monarch is among us—"

The astonishment in Yan Feibai's eyes had not yet faded. He turned to look behind him, his face etched with lingering relief.

Zong Shou had been designated the enemy of Confucianism by Zhu Zi, and held a deep, bloody feud with the Dao Sect; the whole world could rise up against him.

And just a few years ago, nearly half the disciples of Lingyun Sect had perished under the iron hooves of the Blood Cloud Cavalry. This hatred and grievance could not be forgotten.

At that time, almost all the sect elders saw an opportunity. They were preparing to mobilize the entire sect to counter-attack Donglin.

But they were forcefully suppressed by Zu Renkuang, who was acting as the sect master, who believed that Lingyun Sect had suffered too great a loss and needed time to recuperate and cultivate the younger generation, rather than rushing into vengeance and involving themselves in the world's conflicts.

Thus, public sentiment surged, and thousands of disciples gathered before the palace, denouncing the sect master's perceived failure. They viewed Zu Renkuang as a sinner of Lingyun Sect.

However, the disciples gathered before the palace now were scattered and sparse.

Facts proved that Zu Renkuang's decision to keep his distance from the chaos was correct. His steadfast insistence had saved the entire sect.

It was hard to imagine what would have happened if they had rashly participated, only to be besieged by the iron cavalry of Da Qian afterward.

"Uncle Master, why the worry? Our Lingyun Sect was able to withdraw from this whole affair entirely because of your decision. Though the elders may not say it aloud, they are grateful in their hearts, and the disciples below are equally relieved."

Zu Renkuang snapped back to his senses and handed a talisman decree to Yan Feibai.

"It is the Talisman Decree of Ancestor Xu, officially granting me full authority over the entire sect."

Yan Feibai raised an eyebrow slightly. This was good news. His Uncle Master had been reckless in the past, but since taking on the role of acting sect master, he had become increasingly composed. He was fair to his subordinates and handled sect affairs with proper discipline.

Many believed that Zu Renkuang was far superior to Long Ruo, who brought great disaster to Lingyun Sect due to his arrogance outwardly masking inner weakness.

Zu Renkuang then spoke in a distant tone, "In addition, Ancestor Xu ordered me to personally proceed to Donglin to pledge loyalty. Finally, I am permitted to establish a Dao Academy in Da Qian and participate in the conquest of the outer regions. He stated that the Sovereign is a Sage of this age, the only one in ten thousand years, and that Lingyun Sect must not become his enemy."

Yan Feibai froze. Did the intention of Ancestor Xu mean they were preparing to completely relinquish their hatred for Zong Shou?

Did this mean that the lives of those thousands of disciples had been lost in vain?

He then understood clearly: although Zu Renkuang prevented the sect from plunging into the abyss, he still harbored unwillingness in his heart.

Yan Feibai, however, felt no particular sentiment about it. At this point, Lingyun Sect had lost the qualification to seek revenge against Da Qian.

If they did not participate in the great undertaking of that Great Qian Sage Monarch, the sect would only weaken further, eventually unable even to protect Lingyun Palace.

"Ancestor is wise!"

Yan Feibai’s thoughts swept over the talisman decree. "But what about the two Dao Ancestors?"

This time, when the Dao Ancestors called upon vassal sects to provide Dao Soldiers, Lingyun Sect did not participate.

To align with Qiantian Mountain afterward would undoubtedly mean self-exile from the Dao Sect.

"Qing Xuan and Tai Huang Dao Ancestor? Naturally, they will be informed in the Lingqiong Realm of the Dao."

Zu Renkuang sneered, completely unconcerned. "I doubt they will object. Otherwise, how are the two hundred and seventy-four sects of our Daoist tradition in the Five Prefectures of Jiangnan to conduct themselves?"

Yan Feibai suddenly understood and then fell silent. Da Qian now dominated the world. The three thousand Daoist sects, stripped of the protection of their Dao Soldiers, were now trembling under Zong Shou's butcher's knife!

Especially those within Da Qian, they needed to rely on the Sage Monarch's whim.

Even with the power of the two Dao Ancestors, they could not command their subordinates to abandon their foundations and stand against Da Qian.

The tide of the world had drastically turned, making one feel heavy-hearted.

With the momentum of that one sweeping through the southeast, unifying the Cloud Realm in the future was not impossible.

On the other side, Ge Hanyun felt a sudden relaxation. Having the Talisman Decree of Wenxu meant that the feud between Lingyun Sect and Zong Shou would be completely resolved.

She no longer had to worry about being an enemy to that person. Even though the distance between her and him was growing wider with each passing event.

"Thinking about it now, if only I could have refuted my senior brother back then, said a few words, and persuaded the sect to keep him—how wonderful that would have been. Now, it's probably already—"

Zu Renkuang spoke with a look of melancholy, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. It was all in the past; what was the use of saying any of this now? At that time, his position was humble and his words carried little weight; even if he had spoken, he likely would not have been heeded.

It would have only stirred up sorrow!

At the same moment, three thousand two hundred li away, a young Daoist priest was also frowning deeply.

Behind him, twelve identical sword artifacts circled his body.

"The Sage King—he is actually the Sage King!"

The Sage King, the ruler of sages! One whose governance and conduct were flawless, aligning with the great path of heaven and earth!

"In other words, my fellow disciples and martial uncles—they all died in vain? Deemed killable by this very Heaven and Earth?"

The young Daoist laughed shrilly, his eyes brimming with frenzied malice.

"Even if you are truly the living Sage Monarch, I, Gong Yuan, must still strike you down first!"

With a single sword thrust, the floating island beneath him, suspended in the air, immediately fractured with countless cracks before disintegrating.

The young Daoist flicked his wide sleeve, sweeping up a stone tablet from within, and stepped into the void.

His face was filled with resolute determination. In three years at most, he was confident he could fight Zong Shou head-on!

In the Imperial Capital that evening, the atmosphere was suppressed and profoundly heavy. The entire city exuded a sense of impending dusk.

The once bustling brothels and taverns were now desolate, with barely a soul to be seen.

There were few pedestrians on the streets.

In front of the mansions of various aristocratic families and nobility, though dozens or hundreds of eerie, glassy death-lamps still hung, the scene looked unusually bleak and cold.

It was, however, in the studies of these various noble houses that the atmosphere was ardent.

Groups of three or five friends, or several relatives, gathered together, discussing the great trends of the world.

When it came to being well-informed, these aristocratic families and powerful officials in the Imperial Capital were in no way inferior to the various sects.

The entire capital city was in a state of chaos and trembling fear over the outcome of the Fallen God Plain. For the first time, they began to truly fear that eastern great nation and the person they viewed as a tyrant. "This world is finished! Completely finished! With the defeat at Fallen God Plain, the army of eighteen million will soon be annihilated. The destiny of Da Shang is at its absolute end!"

"How could that Zong Shou be a living Sage Monarch? Isn't the Qilin said to be born from consuming benevolent Qi?"

"Ridiculous! Ridiculous! Ridiculous that Zhu Zi would designate the Sage Monarch that the Confucian Sect has dreamt of for ten thousand years as the enemy of Confucianism! Restoring the glorious age of the Three Sovereigns of antiquity—could it be that Heaven itself now deems the current Da Qian worthy of comparison to the golden age of the ancient Cloud Wilderness?"

"Da Qian's elites are completely lost; will Da Qian pursue them and sweep through the Central Plains?"

"This is truly the great calamity for our Confucian Sect! Are our Confucian teachings wrong? Or is the Heavenly Dao wrong?"

"Inexcusable! It is because of our Li Sect that there have been several glorious ages over these seven thousand years! Every ruler has praised the governance of our Confucian Sect—"

"If we had known this, we shouldn't have participated! We have been utterly ruined by the first sage, Zhu Zi!"

"Was the Wine Pool Palace a trap? Yes! How could such a founding monarch commit such a foolish act?"

In the courtyards of numerous academies, flames raged fiercely. What burned were not wood or similar materials, but mostly the essays and books criticizing and insulting the ruler of Da Qian during this past month.

Since Zhu Zi proclaimed Zong Shou the enemy of Confucianism to the world, countless Confucian scholars across the land had written essays mocking him and circulated them among themselves. Any outstanding piece would be eagerly sought out.

Some even compiled excellent essays into books and sold them, creating a situation where demand for paper skyrocketed, trampling Zong Shou’s reputation—that of the foolish ruler—into the dirt. Countless infamous names, true or false, were heaped upon him.

But now, everyone was gripped by self-preservation. They avoided these books as if they were plague carriers.

If Zong Shou one day ascended to rule the world, the collected essays and books would serve as evidence of treason.

Furthermore, no matter how they slandered him, if he truly possessed the aura of a Sage Monarch, these words would be useless. The common people of the world could naturally discern the truth.

Instead, they only invited ridicule and solidified the notorious reputation of Confucian disciples for fabricating rumors and causing trouble.

Meanwhile, the situation in the various aristocratic estates was quite different, and their concerns were entirely distinct.

"How hateful! That incompetent ruler lost the entire army. My family's hard work resulted in not a single survivor among our twenty thousand Dao Soldiers!"

"We shouldn't have participated in the first place; that first sage Zhu Zi has harmed people deeply—"

"The world is in chaos; it seems we cannot remain in the Imperial Capital for long. We must consolidate our forces and prepare for war in our fiefdoms—"

"Is the Shi family rising up, Shi Yue?"

"Should we try to establish some contact with the Qian Kingdom? Our family is weak and cannot contend for the world; we can only choose to submit to the strong. That Zong Shou, the living Sage Monarch, is precisely the hero worth serving!"

"What about the so-called Divine Emperor? We still don't know where he is!"

In the prison cells of the Ministry of Justice, Jin Buhui, however, was languidly opening his eyes.

"So, Da Shang suffered a crushing defeat? Does this mean I, Jin Buhui, won't have to gouge out these eyes?"

As he spoke, he looked at those before him with mocking amusement.

Almost all the officials he had encountered at the city gate that day were present.

Their expressions were now full of fear and apprehension. Several who had spoken mockingly before were particularly embarrassed.

This even included the young master from the Yang family. "Don't worry, Da Qian won't reach the Imperial Capital for the time being!"

The young Yang smiled bitterly. He knew this, of course, but the problem was that the Yang family's fiefdoms and strongholds were mostly in Jiangnan, and those Five Prefectures were already destined to fall into Da Qian's hands.

If that Sovereign learned that his sworn brother had suffered such an indignity and was humiliated by him, and sought revenge deliberately, how would he be able to hold his own within his own clan?

It wasn't just him; several other officials here also had their family businesses situated in Jiangnan.

Jin Buhui continued to sneer, but his heart was already extremely dim, a coldness settling in his chest.

His sworn brother had ultimately won. And Da Shang had been defeated so miserably! A defeat with almost no chance of recovery.

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