Chapter 229

Cloud Province's earth veins shifted, spiritual opportunities converged.

Such a heavenly phenomenon of this scale cannot be hidden from the ancient monsters of Sanqian Zhou who have lived for millions of years.

Sea Province, Azure Wave Pavilion.

Pavilion Master Hai Wuya sat upon the ten‑thousand‑year Profound Ice Jade Seat, tapping his fingers on the armrest.

More than ten elders stood below, each silent as a cold cicada.

"That old fox Yunshan, usually so steady, why has he overturned Cloud Province's earth veins today?" Hai Wuya's voice echoed in the vast hall.

No one answered.

Dragon Province, Heavenly Dragon Ridge.

The Old Dragon Lord lay coiled at the volcano's crater, nostrils spewing two scorching streams.

His pair of murky vertical pupils stared fixedly toward Cloud Province.

"Send someone to check." The Old Dragon Lord transmitted to his dragon sons behind him, "Cloud Province's spiritual aura is flowing backward; a great treasure must be born. If Yunshan dares to swallow it alone, I will overturn his Yun Family's ancestral grounds."

Sword Province, remnants of Buried Sword Mountain. Li Hentian closed his doors to heal his wounds; the Sword Sect was leaderless.

Li Hentian was in seclusion healing his wounds; the Sword Sect had no head.

Several vice sect masters gathered, gazing at the spiritual light shooting up from Cloud Province, exchanging glances.

"The sect leader's order: strictly monitor any movement in Sanqian Zhou. Cloud Province's great commotion—could it be aimed at my Sword Sect?" one vice sect master proposed, "Send out the Shadow Sword Guard to scout."

All major top traditions of Sanqian Zhou stirred.

These people usually lofty, calling themselves sovereigns of the lower realm.

Faced with unknown changes, their first reaction is often to probe, to take a share.

Frankly, Old Ancestor Yunshan ranks low among the Sanqian Zhou sect leader circle; Hai Wuya, the Old Dragon Lord, and others are confident they can suppress him.

Several groups, each with their own motives, set out toward Cloud Province.

Outside the Yun Family's ancestral land, ten‑thousand‑li plain.

Previously, spiritual herbs carpeted the ground; Yun Family disciples wandered, gathering medicinal materials.

Now, this place has been taken over by the Gu Family army.

Hai Bo Ke is the chief dark scout of Azure Wave Pavilion, his cultivation at half‑step Sect Leader, adept at water‑escape concealment.

He transformed into a drop of morning dew, clinging to a broad spirit leaf, drifting with the wind into Yun Family territory.

The scout from Heavenly Dragon Ridge is a mutant void‑rending falcon, hidden among the nine‑heaven gale winds, overlooking the earth.

The Sword Sect's Shadow Sword Guard, practicing the Traceless Sword Manual, merges with tree shadows, silently approaching the Yun Family main hall.

Hai Bo Ke slid along the leaf vein, seeping into the soil. He planned to first capture a Yun Family outer‑gate disciple and search his soul for information.

……

Footsteps came from ahead.

Hai Bo Ke held his breath, focusing, observing through a crack in the soil.

The comer was a youth in gray coarse garb, holding a big broom, slowly sweeping fallen leaves.

"When did the Yun Family let sweepers wear clothes of this material?" Hai Bo Ke muttered inwardly.

That gray garb, with flowing light, was clearly a robe mixed with Nine Heaven Ice Silkworm Silk.

The youth swept his broom, raising a gentle breeze on flat ground.

This breeze seemed ordinary, but to Hai Bo Ke's eyes it felt like heavenly might descending.

The wind mingled with tiny Law Fragments, each weighing over a thousand jin.

The soil where Hai Bo Ke hid was instantly compressed into a crystal harder than fine steel.

"Cough." The sweeping youth stopped, his gaze turning to Hai Bo Ke's hiding spot, "Come out, don't force me to act."

Hai Bo Ke was startled. His water‑escape technique could not be seen through even by a Sect Leader‑level expert.

How did this sweeping youth discover him?

Flee!

Hai Bo Ke activated his origin, trying to turn into water mist and scatter.

The sweeping youth shook his head, extended a finger, and pointed in the air.

Space froze.

Hai Bo Ke, half‑way into mist, was forcibly pulled from the ground and slammed onto the blue stone slab.

The pressure of a 17th‑Realm Supreme Saint was released without reservation.

Hai Bo Ke felt five thunderclaps crush his head, his soul trembling.

His proud half‑step Sect Leader cultivation amounted to nothing before this pressure.

"What… what realm are you?" Hai Bo Ke's teeth chattered, his words slurred.

The sweeping youth scratched his head, tone flat: "I am a miscellaneous worker of the Gu Family outer court, just broke into the 17th Realm. Your stealth is too crude; even I, a mere worker, can't be fooled, and you dare to spy on the Gu Family's foundations?"

Miscellaneous worker? 17th Realm?

What realm is that?

He only knew.

That he, a half‑step Sect Leader, could not withstand two moves in his hands…

Was probably far beyond him.

Hai Bo Ke's eyes rolled up, he fainted dead away.

In the high sky, the void‑rending falcon witnessed the whole process.

It was so frightened its feathers exploded, its wings flared, ready to tear space and flee.

"That bird is plump enough, perfect for stewing soup for the young master."

A large hand reached out from the void and grabbed the neck of the Split‑Sky Falcon.

The one who made the move was Gu Zhan.

He had been worrying about having no side dishes for his drink, and this wild game delivered to his door—how could he let it pass?

The Split‑Sky Falcon didn't even utter a cry before its life was pinched off and it was tossed into a storage bag.

In the tree shadows, the Shadow Sword Guard broke out in a cold sweat.

His pride‑filled concealment technique, before these monsters, was riddled with flaws.

He dared not move, and even his breathing halted.

"Well hidden."

A gentle voice sounded in the Shadow Sword Guard's ear.

Gu Linjiang had appeared behind him at some point, holding a cup of tea, and even leisurely blew on the tea leaves.

The aura of a true immortal was merely a faint ripple.

The Shadow Sword Guard's Dao heart collapsed outright; his whole body went limp on the ground, feces and urine flowing together.

The three scouting parties were completely wiped out.

With no word returning, Hai Wuya, Old Dragon Lord, and the others waited three days and three nights, hearing nothing.

…

"Something's off."

Hai Wuya sat on the jade throne, his fingers ceasing their tapping.

The scouts lost contact; there was only one possibility—the waters of Yunzhou were far deeper than they had imagined.

The Old Dragon Lord paced anxiously at the volcano's mouth.

The Split‑Sky Falcon shared a thread of bloodline with him, and that thread was severed cleanly, leaving no room for resistance.

"That old fogey Yunshan, just what powerful dragon has he latched onto?"

The sect masters of Sanqian Zhou finally put aside their contempt.

They dared not send anyone else to die, so they could only hunker down in their own territories and watch developments.

…

Hall of the Yun Clan Chief

Gu Yuan listened to Gu Linjiang's report and waved his hand.

"A bunch of chickens and dogs—pay them no mind. Tell the subordinates not to kill these scouts; keep them alive, they're still useful. Once we pack up and take Sanqian Zhou, these sect masters and scouts will be prime labor; the ancient immortal realm's spirit mines there are short of hands for mining."

Gu Linjiang bowed in assent, withdrew to make arrangements.

Gu Yuan lifted his teacup and took a sip.

The spirit tea refined by the Myriad Medicies Divine Lord was superb in flavor; as it went down it turned into pure spirit energy, nourishing the limbs and bones.

"Young master, the formation setup has run into a snag." Gu Xuan Ce strode into the hall holding a compass.

His hair was disheveled, his eye sockets dark—due to several nights of staying up to deduce the formation.

"Speak." Gu Yuan set down his teacup.

"The core region of Sanqian Zhou lies in Zhongzhou. There stands an ancient altar that is the linchpin keeping the great world's laws running. I need to drive the world‑binding immortal stake into the altar's base to fully anchor Sanqian Zhou's origin."

Gu Xuan Ce pointed to a red dot on the formation diagram.

"Just go and do it. Short‑handed, let Uncle Zhan accompany you." Gu Yuan did not understand.

Gu Xuan Ce gave a bitter smile:

"Manpower isn't the issue. The problem is, once the world‑binding immortal stake is driven in, the world's origin will inevitably produce rejection."

"Although Sanqian Zhou is a lower realm, its origin will is not weak; forcibly anchoring it will trigger heavenly upheavals and scramble the laws. By then the commotion will be too great, and the immortal realm will surely notice."

Gu Yuan lightly tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

That's a thorny problem.

Li Hentian is injured, but the immortal realm has more than one immortal king.

If another idle immortal king sweeps the area with his divine sense and discovers someone stealing his home, the trouble would be far greater.

Gu Cangsheng sauntered out from the rear hall, still rolling a walnut in his hand.

"This is easy to handle. I'll make a trip around the periphery of the Boundary Wall, unfurl my immortal king's domain, and cover Sanqian Zhou. Those blind fools in the immortal realm won't see a thing."

Gu Xuan Ce's eyes lit up: "If the old ancestor can shield the heavenly secrets, that would naturally be best. However…"

"What however? Damn it all." Gu Cangsheng glared at him.

"The agitation of the world's origin cannot be quelled by external shielding alone; internal disorder would crack the earth's veins and bring suffering to all beings. Hauling back a wasteland would be a loss. We need someone inside to forcibly pacify the world's will, so it meekly accepts the anchoring of the world‑binding immortal stake." Gu Xuan Ce stated the difficulty.

Pacify the world's will?

Gu Cangsheng rubbed his chin.

He's good at shattering worlds, but this delicate work of pacifying is not his forte.

Moreover, he must shield against immortal‑king detection to buy time for the formation, making it hard for him to act.

Gu Lin Tian also furrowed his brow.

Although he is a true immortal, placed here… well, it's just that.

As they all worried, and if it really couldn't be done they'd have to trouble the old ancestor to take on multiple roles, Gu Yuan rose, patting the wrinkles from his clothes.

"I'll take this job."