Chapter 426: Unification of the Southern Wilderness

On the main peak of Wangyue Island, inside the Green Wood Pavilion.

Qin Ming's gaze swept lightly over the crowd.

Below the great hall.

Nalan Xi, Gu Qingzhao, Wei Wuya, and others who shared a close bond with Qin Ming all felt extremely complex emotions.

Those they had once associated with as fellow Daoists; after only a few years, they now had to address them as senior True Monarchs, bowing in ritual respect.

From this day forward, their respective identities would shift, with clear distinctions between noble and humble.

The chasm between a Jin Dan and a Nascent Soul was like that between a sparrow and a swan, a difference far greater than a mere trifle.

With Qin Ming achieving the Nascent Soul, he had thereby become a major figure in the Immortal Realm capable of summoning wind and rain; even placed anywhere in the Human Realm, no one would dare show disrespect.

"Are you two disciples of the Li Li Huogong? What business do you have coming to our Southern Wilderness?"

Qin Ming asked in a calm tone, pretending ignorance while knowing the truth.

During his Tribulation Crossing, he had naturally detected everything occurring on that cross-border spirit ship of the Li Li Huogong.

At the same time, he had anticipated that these two would not dare to flee.

Furthermore, Qin Ming had long heard rumors about the Li Li Huogong conscripting labor in the Southern Wilderness.

Upon hearing this, Jing Qing's heart trembled; both of them were already sweating profusely, with beads of sweat rolling down their backs.

To be directly singled out by this newly ascended Nascent Soul expert before the eyes of everyone was certainly not a pleasant experience.

It was not a wonderful thing at all.

Jing Qing, the Nascent Soul seed of the Li Li Huogong, could only steel himself, step forward, bow deeply once more, and say:

"Reporting to Qin Zhenjun Wangyue, this junior Jing Qing of the Li Li Huogong was ordered by my sect to come to the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm to select cultivators to join our sect."

"Along the way, we unexpectedly encountered a senior achieving the great completion of the Nascent Soul, so we specifically came to congratulate the senior on the joy of attaining the status of Qin Zhenjun."

Immediately, Jing Qing hurriedly presented several jade boxes containing treasures.

"Senior Qin, do not listen to this person's nonsense; the Li Li Huogong acts with extreme tyranny, and to conscript labor for war in Zhongzhou, they not only forcibly recruit disciples from the sects of the Four Kingdoms but will stop at nothing, having even abducted our sect's inheritance disciple of the Dao of Pills."

Xuan Yu of the Profound Stream Valley stood up boldly, speaking with an expression filled with righteous indignation.

They originally shared deep ties with the Li Li Huogong, but they never expected that following the ascension of Elder Qingxuan, the Li Li Huogong would act so ruthlessly as to forcibly take away even an inheritance disciple like Fang Han, who was crucial to the future rise and fall of the Profound Stream Valley.

Jing Qing possessed a cultivation at the peak of the Jin Dan realm, while Xuan Yu was only at the early stage of the Jin Dan; they could only watch helplessly as their true disciple was taken away by the Li Li Huogong, unable to do anything about it.

But now that a Nascent Soul Qin Zhenjun had emerged in the Southern Wilderness, everything was naturally different.

"Oh, is that so?"

Although Qin Ming's words were plain.

His eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze fell once again upon the two from the Li Li Huogong.

Suddenly.

Jing Qing and the gaunt Jin Dan cultivator instantly felt a terrifying Nascent Soul spiritual pressure descend upon them, causing their souls to tremble involuntarily.

Under this suffocating sense of oppression, the two of them, Jing Qing included, could not even stand upright and collapsed directly onto the ground, kneeling.

"A Nascent Soul great expert is truly terrifying!"

Shi Tian Shu stood outside the door, peeking inside; seeing that the Nascent Soul seed of the Li Li Huogong could not even stand steady before his master, he could not help but exclaim in surprise.

Jing Qing and his companion wore expressions of extreme difficulty; it felt as though Mount Tai were pressing down on their bodies, causing chest tightness unbearable to endure and a sensation of suffocation.

Yet the other Jin Dan cultivators within the Green Wood Pavilion showed no abnormal reaction whatsoever.

This level of precise control over spiritual pressure was such that even their own ancestor, the Li Fire Superior, could not hope to match it.

Only the two from the Li Li Huogong lay prostrate on the ground like dead dogs, faces filled with terror, unable to muster even the slightest resistance.

"Qin Zhenjun Senior, spare our lives!!"

"We were merely acting on the orders of our sect, absolutely without any intention to offend; previously, the Southern Wilderness was a vassal Immortal Realm of Great Jin, but now that it has the protection of a Qin Zhenjun, the Li Li Huogong naturally would not dare to harbor any presumptuous thoughts toward the Southern Wilderness."

Jing Qing, while still clinging to his last breath, clenched his teeth and begged for mercy.

"As for those two, they were merely discovered by chance by this junior; along the entire journey, we treated them well and did not cause them any grievance."

Boom! Upon hearing these words, the massive spiritual pressure receded like a tide.

The two from the Li Li Huogong on the ground, having escaped death by a hair's breadth, gasped heavily, kneeling tremblingly with heads bowed and eyes cast down, fearing punishment from the Nascent Soul Qin Zhenjun.

"Bring those two up," Qin Ming said casually, lounging lazily in his seat.

Jing Qing, as if granted a pardon from heaven, hastily instructed his junior brother to bring the two over.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced at having saved his own life: 'Sigh! Fortunately, I did not treat those two abducted individuals too harshly, providing them with good food and drink.'

'Otherwise, if the Qin Zhenjun flew into a rage, my junior brother and I would likely not have been able to walk out of Wangyue Island alive today.'

Half an incense stick later.

The gaunt Jin Dan cultivator of the Li Li Huogong respectfully led a man and a woman into the great hall.

They were none other than Qin Ming's old acquaintances: Qingxia Xianzi Mo Lingwei, and Fang Han, the beloved disciple of Grandmaster Gongsun Yang of the Profound Stream Valley.

While on the Li Li Huogong's spirit ship, the two had naturally witnessed with their own eyes Qin Ming's achievement of the Nascent Soul Qin Zhenjun realm.

While feeling utterly shocked, they also bowed with extreme respect, saying:

"This junior pays respects to Senior Qin Zhenjun Wangyue; congratulations to the senior on achieving the great completion of the Nascent Soul and eternal longevity on the Immortal Path!"

"Mm, rise. Fang Han, you and Xuan Yu may return to your sect."

"Fairy Mo, you withdraw first; this seat has questions to ask you shortly."

"Many thanks for the Qin Zhenjun's great kindness!" Fang Han, upon hearing this, performed a bow and respectfully took his place behind Ancestor Xuan Yu.

Ancestor Xuan Yu was also immensely grateful to Qin Ming, after all, this child Fang Han represented the future and hope of their Profound Stream Valley.

"This humble woman thanks the Qin Zhenjun for his great kindness and will strictly obey the Qin Zhenjun's command!" Mo Lingwei, dressed in a long black gauze skirt, wore an extremely complex expression.

She never expected that after so many years apart, the familiar man before her had not only remained unchanged but had leaped to become a Nascent Soul Qin Zhenjun. Just then, Shi Tian Shu ran in, waved his small hand at Mo Lingwei, and said, "Fairy Mo, this way... please follow me."

While Mo Lingwei felt torn between gain and loss, unsure of Qin Ming's deeper intentions in leaving her behind alone, she could only follow Shi Tian Shu out of the great hall.

Below, Nalan Xi and Gu Qingzhao, though their hearts stirred slightly, dared not speak a word. Just as the two from the Li Li Huogong—Fang Han and Mo Lingwei—were about to breathe a sigh of relief,

they only heard Qin Ming say indifferently:

"Daring to come cause trouble in the Southern Wilderness, the crime of death may be pardoned, but the crime of life cannot be escaped."

Immediately, without moving his body, he merely released a sharp qi intent that struck the two from the Li Li Huogong.

"Ah!"

Jing Qing and the gaunt cultivator both spat out essence blood from their mouths, flying backward a great distance before crashing onto the floor.

Both of them looked deathly pale, clearly having suffered severe injuries.

With just a casual gesture, Qin Ming had shattered the meridians of both; it was estimated that without ten or eight years, they would fundamentally be unable to recover.

Jing Qing, the Nascent Soul seed of the Li Li Huogong, directly fainted from spitting blood.

Then, his gaze fell upon the gaunt cultivator: "Go back and tell your Li Li Huogong's Yunxi Laozu to prepare to come personally to collect these people."

"Yes! I respectfully obey the True Person's command," the gaunt cultivator replied, clutching his chest with his soul still unsettled, before stumbling out of the main hall.

The cultivators present had not expected Qin Ming to be so domineering; he had truly vented a pent-up grievance for the Southern Wilderness.

Shi Tian Shu was also watching with boiling blood; seeing his master act so impressively, he wished he could take his place.

In an instant,

the atmosphere in the Green Wood Pavilion came to a standstill.

After a moment, Xuan Yu Laozu pondered briefly, then bowed and stepped forward to address Qin Ming:

"True Person Wangyue's great righteousness; the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm has always been a loose sheet of sand, at the mercy of others to slaughter."

"Now that you are here to preside over the situation, my Liang Kingdom's Xuan Creek Valley is willing to submit and pledge allegiance to Wangyue Island, obeying all orders and dispatches."

Once these words were spoken,

the several Old Ancestors from the remaining three kingdoms one after another echoed their agreement, following closely behind Xuan Yu Laozu.

Even Nalan Xi, the City Lord of Canghai Xiancheng in the Scattered Cultivator Sacred Land, expressed her attitude of submission.

Hearing this, Qin Ming found it within his expectations; after all, the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm had not produced a single Nascent Soul stage cultivator for several thousand years.

Even when other great Immortal Realms rode roughshod over them, they dared not harbor the slightest complaint.

At this moment, the crowd felt as though they had finally found a backbone.

Now that Qin Ming had achieved the Nascent Soul stage, he no longer needed to act with the same constraints as before.

Moreover, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, the cultivation resources he required were all rare treasures within the Immortal Realm.

Relying solely on himself to search for them, who knew what year or month he would obtain them?

After becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator, matters such as gathering resources naturally no longer required him to handle them personally.

He only needed to follow the routine of farming and brushing for attributes.

He was still more suited to being a hands-off Shopkeeper.

Qin Ming pondered slightly for a moment, then addressed the crowd:

"I am by nature leisurely and scattered; I only wish to be a scattered cultivator, with no intention of building my own faction or establishing a sect. However, the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm can indeed no longer continue in such chaotic disorder."

"Let it be this way: establish a Four Kingdoms Alliance in the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm; Wei Mengzhu, you shall serve as the Alliance Leader. As for the Jin Kingdom side, let Gu Qingzhao's Mirror Snow Pavilion manage it."

"Usually, each manages their own affairs; when major matters arise, the Alliance will jointly resolve and handle them."

With just a few words, he directly finalized the future landscape of the Southern Wilderness.

"Yes! We respectfully obey True Person Wangyue's decree!"

The crowd also understood clearly in their hearts; although Qin Ming had designated Wei Mengzhu to serve as the Alliance Leader of the Four Kingdoms Alliance, the actual greatest controller behind the scenes was still True Person Wangyue.

After all, in the Immortal Realm, strength is supreme.

Having settled these matters, Qin Ming dismissed the crowd.

Inside the Green Wood Pavilion, peace was restored.

Immediately, Qin Ming instructed Shi Tian Shu to summon Mo Lingwei inside.

Seeing that the legendary Nascent Soul True Person was summoning her alone, Mo Lingwei felt extremely uneasy and nervous in her heart.

If Qin Ming were to do something shameful to her, she, a mere weak woman, would be unable to offer any resistance; furthermore, with her intelligence, she had already vaguely guessed the reason Qin Ming had kept her behind.

Thinking of this, Mo Lingwei bit her Zhu Chun, then gracefully stepped forward and bowed: "Junior Mo Lingwei pays respects to the True Person."

"Mm, Daoist Mo need not be overly polite."

"You should be clear on the matter for which I have summoned you, correct?" Qin Ming asked indifferently.

Once these words were spoken, Shi Tian Shu, standing to the side, was also somewhat like a Monk two zhang tall trying to feel the Buddha's head—completely baffled.

It was extremely clear to it that its master usually kept himself pure, possessed a firm Dao heart, and stayed far from women.

He was truly a righteous gentleman rarely seen in a hundred years, worthy of being called a model.

Today, having greatly completed his Nascent Soul, could it be that he had taken a fancy to this Qingxia Xianzi of uncommon beauty before him? The next moment,

Mo Lingwei's face flushed red; hesitating slightly, she replied with a trembling voice:

"Could it be that Senior True Person Wangyue also knows about the special constitution of this concubine?"

Qin Ming's gaze was indifferent; looking at her calmly as still water, he said: "Naturally, I cannot save you for no reason; if you had fallen into the hands of the Li Fire Ascetic,

"you would most likely have been subjected to his dual cultivation plundering; once you lost your utility value... I presume you should also know what your fate would be."

"Is it true that you possess the Phoenix Chant Body?"

"Never mind; I shall personally inspect and verify it."

At these words, even Shi Tian Shu standing to the side turned its small face red.

(End of Chapter)