Just as Teng Qingshan was in low spirits, a figure approached from the distance along the mountain path. Teng Qingshan recognized him instantly: it was Li Jun’s 'Eldest Martial Brother,' Wan Tianyang.

"Brother Huhe, what is the matter?" Wan Tianyang called out from afar.

"Divine Envoy!" The patrolling guards immediately saluted.

Wan Tianyang nodded. The leader of the guards stepped forward and explained, "Divine Envoy, this guest wishes to leave the vicinity of the Goddess Palace and look around elsewhere. According to the rules of our Heavenly God Mountain, outsiders are not permitted to wander around Tian Shen Shan alone. So we stopped him."

"Oh, Brother Huhe," Wan Tianyang said, smiling warmly at Teng Qingshan. "Our Tian Shen Shan does have such rules! However, if Brother Huhe wishes to look around, I can accompany you!"

Teng Qingshan glanced at the smiling face of Wan Tianyang.

'This Wan Tianyang probably has ulterior motives, like a weasel paying respects to the chickens! He has no good intentions!' Teng Qingshan looked at him, shook his head, and replied, "No need!"

With that, Teng Qingshan turned and walked toward his residence.

Wan Tianyang watched Teng Qingshan’s retreating figure, stroked his chin, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: 'Judging by Junior Sister’s demeanor, and the intimacy between her and this Huhe, it clearly surpasses what she shows me! No matter what... this 'Huhe' had better be eliminated! If not eliminated, he must be driven away! He cannot be allowed to spend every day with Junior Sister here on Tian Shen Shan. A man and a woman, living so close... and getting along so well... something will happen eventually.' The thought of it sent a surge of maddening jealousy through Wan Tianyang, intensifying his murderous intent toward Teng Qingshan!

...

Teng Qingshan was demonstrating the simple Three Stance Form in the open space before the pavilion. Wan Tianyang glanced over, then quickly departed.

'A mere jumping clown, not worth worrying about!' Teng Qingshan had never taken Wan Tianyang seriously.

Not long after, the beautiful, slender figure in a white robe swiftly ran up from below the mountain. The exertion of climbing and running caused a slight flush on Li Jun's face as she rushed towards him excitedly. Teng Qingshan immediately stopped practicing.

"Brother Huhe, what kind of boxing method is this? It looks so simple, perhaps even worse than the village crop-tending stances," Li Jun asked with a smile.

Teng Qingshan merely smiled.

The Three Stance Form, as the origin of Xing Yi, how could it be so easily seen through?

On the land of the Nine Provinces, the only experts who could truly discern the profound intent contained within the Three Stance Form were likely the Void Realm powerhouses.

"Xiao Jun," Teng Qingshan countered, "I am staying here now, unable to go down the mountain or ascend further. The rules of your Tian Shen Shan are quite stringent."

Li Jun immediately understood. "Were you stopped by those guard patrols just now, Brother Huhe? Ah, I forgot to mention earlier. Tian Shen Shan does have many important secret locations." Li Jun glanced around, seeing the serving maids were far away, and lowered her voice: "Even some important treasures of my sect are kept here on Tian Shen Shan. So, Brother Teng, do not wander around without my guidance. Otherwise, trespassing into a restricted area would be disastrous."

A thought stirred in Teng Qingshan's heart.

Earlier, Wan Tianyang had enthusiastically invited him to show him around.

"What are the consequences of intruding into a restricted area?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

"For some critical dangerous areas, the sect has strict orders! Trespassing results in a death penalty. Restricted areas are stratified; some, like those accessible to a core member such as myself, are fine to enter. But if you enter them, it would be disastrous," Li Jun said solemnly. Li Jun’s high status meant only the 'Heavenly God' outranked her on Tian Shen Shan.

Indeed, she could enter most restricted areas.

Teng Qingshan began to understand the true objective behind Wan Tianyang's earlier enthusiasm to guide him.

Luring him into a forbidden area using his ignorance of Tian Shen Shan. At that point, with the Eight Great Divine Generals of Tian Shen Shan, especially the aloof 'Heavenly God,' killing him would be as easy as turning a hand.

"Xiao Jun, what about the information I asked you to gather?" Teng Qingshan asked quietly.

Li Jun also lowered her voice: "Brother Teng, Tian Shen Shan does have an outpost in Jiangning County City of Yangzhou, but I only sent the order yesterday. They are likely collecting it now, and after the information is gathered and organized, it will need to be transmitted to Tian Shen Shan! By my estimate, the earliest it will arrive is tomorrow evening, perhaps even the morning after next."

Teng Qingshan nodded.

Yangzhou is in the southernmost part of the Nine Provinces, while the Northern Grasslands are at the far north of the Great Grassland. The distance between them was vast. Transmission alone required considerable time. Coupled with intelligence gathering, two or three days was quite fast.

'Father, Mother! Xiao Yu...' Teng Qingshan genuinely worried about his family far away in Yangzhou. * On Tian Shen Shan, Li Jun often sought out Teng Qingshan, never leaving for long. Teng Qingshan spent most of his time practicing his martial arts inside his room.

The next morning.

At the summit of Tian Shen Shan stood a towering red pagoda—this was the residence and cultivation ground of the most revered figure on the mountain, the 'Heavenly God'—the Heavenly God Pagoda!

One's status on Tian Shen Shan could be judged by the location of their residence; the higher the status, the closer to the mountain peak. The Heavenly God naturally resided at the summit!

Inside the Heavenly God Pagoda, on the third floor, dim light filtered in through the windows. The vast third floor was empty, devoid of tables or chairs, containing only two simple meditation cushions. Two cultivators, both clad in yellow robes, sat cross-legged. The one on the left appeared to be fifty or sixty years old by his features.

His face was square, his expression resolute, with thick brows and large ears, and his eyes resembled those of a tiger. Only the streaks of white at his temples betrayed his true age.

The elder on the right, however, had hair and eyebrows that were entirely black. His long, disheveled hair draped down to his chest, and his two black eyebrows hung below his chin. His face was round and ruddy, like that of an infant, always bearing a gentle smile that involuntarily brought joy to anyone who looked at him. His eyes were small, yet seemed to contain the profound mysteries of heaven and earth.

Sun Feng, dressed entirely in black, bowed respectfully: "Heavenly God, First Divine General!"

The two seated figures were none other than the First Divine General and the founder of Tian Shen Shan, the 'Heavenly God'!

"It is Feng'er!" The Heavenly God still smiled faintly, looking at Sun Feng as if gazing down upon the mortal realm. "It has been a long time since I saw your Master. Why did your Master send you this time?" As the Heavenly God spoke, the resolute, white-templed man beside him remained utterly silent.

Sun Feng respectfully replied, "Heavenly God, this time it was not my Master who sent me, but the Palace Mistress!"

"The Palace Mistress?" The Heavenly God, who had been smiling, had a divine light flash in his eyes as he looked at Sun Feng.

The First Divine General beside him gasped in surprise!

The Palace Mistress sent an order?

"Heavenly God, this is a letter the Palace Mistress asked me to deliver to you," Sun Feng respectfully withdrew a letter from his robes and handed it to the Heavenly God.

The Heavenly God beckoned, and the letter floated to him.

Opening and reading the letter swiftly, the Heavenly God’s genial smile grew even brighter. He glanced at the First Divine General beside him: "Bo Ri Lei Mu, it seems our Tian Shen Shan can finally spread its wings!" Saying this, the Heavenly God passed the letter to the First Divine General.

The First Divine General, 'Bo Ri Lei Mu,' was the Heavenly God's most trusted subordinate.

Upon reading it, Bo Ri Lei Mu also revealed a smile: "Master! After being dormant for so many years, the Palace Mistress has finally decided to make a move! Hmm... Master, how do you plan to proceed?"

The Heavenly God rose, walked slowly to the pagoda window, and gazed out at the boundless sea of clouds.

"North of the North Sea, there is a Tian Shi Island! It was jointly excavated by our Tian Shen Shan and the Snow Eagle Sect, but the Snow Eagle Sect claimed a full sixty percent. Since action is being taken... we will first eliminate all the Snow Eagle Sect forces on Tian Shi Island! Within a year, the Northern Grasslands and the islands upon the North Sea must be completely controlled by our Tian Shen Shan," the Heavenly God spoke slowly, with a smile, yet the killing intent contained within made one's heart tremble!

Tian Shen Shan had always concealed its true strength, allowing the Snow Eagle Sect to occupy considerable territory in the Great Grassland and on some North Sea islands.

...

In the spacious main hall on the first floor of the Heavenly God Pagoda, the other seven Divine Generals were gathered. Upon learning that the Heavenly God was coming out of seclusion, these generals had naturally assembled to greet him.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The sound of footsteps echoed from the wooden staircase. The seven Divine Generals, who had been murmuring quietly, immediately stood at attention with solemn expressions.

A round-faced elder in simple yellow robes walked down with a smile. Following behind him were the First Divine General and Sun Feng. The previously solemn hall seemed to fill with a joyous aura upon the Heavenly God's arrival. All seven Divine Generals felt an inexplicable pleasure surge within their hearts!

"Master remains as unfathomable as ever!" The Fifth Divine General, 'E Ri Qi Er,' glanced at the Heavenly God, then lowered his head in respectful waiting, sighing inwardly.

To be able to so easily influence the spirit of a Xiantian expert—one could imagine the extent of the Heavenly God's attainment in the realm of the 'Divine.'

"Hmm, Bo Ri Lei Mu, go and have a good chat with your junior martial brothers," the Heavenly God said with a smile, then walked away through a side door beside him.

Instantly, the previously silent hall erupted in discussion.

"Eldest Martial Brother! Have you reached the Void Entry Realm?" Many surrounded the resolute-faced First Divine General.

This time, the Heavenly God himself had helped; there should be hope.

The First Divine General looked at the other generals and shook his head with regret: "Not yet! That critical step to entering the Void Realm is too difficult! Even with Master using his divine sense to guide my comprehension of heaven and earth, I only felt faint stirrings, still no breakthrough whatsoever."

Hearing this, the others looked disheartened!

To have the Heavenly God use his own 'Divine' sense to guide the 'Divine' sense of his disciples to comprehend the Heavenly Dao—this was already an astonishing level! It could be said that the threshold to the Void Realm was significantly lowered because of this.

Yet, achieving a breakthrough remained incredibly difficult.

"E Ri Qi Er!" The First Divine General’s eyes lit up when he saw the Fifth Divine General. "While I was in seclusion, and you, Junior Martial Brother, were also focusing on cultivation, with your comprehension, you must have made a breakthrough! Junior Martial Brother, how about you and I spar a bit, exchange pointers?" The First Divine General’s eyes shone brightly.

Among the Divine Generals, only the Fifth Divine General could barely contend with the First Divine General.

"Eldest Martial Brother, please don't pick me," the Fifth Divine General exclaimed as if startled, quickly adding, "I haven't broken through yet; I still need to train diligently."