The changes in the Shangqing Sword Sect were just a microcosm of the turbulent changes in the Immortal Sect Dao Lineages across the Southeast Two Hundred Continents.
In the year that followed, the situation across the Southeast Two Hundred Continents gradually became clearer.
After the Great Xia Dynasty officially dispatched an imperial envoy to Lingzhou Red Mountain, the Shangqing Sword Sect’s stance became evident, preparing to align itself completely with the Great Xia Dynasty.
Prior to this, the Five Elements Immortal Sect had already publicly stated its position, accepting the entry of the Great Xia Dynasty, completely changing flags to become a vassal sect under the Great Xia’s rule.
After the Five Elements Immortal Sect declared its stance, numerous regions in the Southeast and Northern Domain consecutively announced their integration into the Great Xia’s territory. Many mundane dynasties within, as well as medium and small sects, became dukes under the rule of the Great Xia Dynasty.
The Five Elements Immortal Sect possessed a degree of high autonomy and enjoyed various privileges.
It was akin to the Lord of the Dukes of various provinces.
Six months after the Five Elements Immortal Sect declared its stance, talks between the Shangqing Sword Sect and a delegation from the Great Xia Dynasty finally concluded. The Shangqing Sword Sect also declared its willingness to merge into the Great Xia Dynasty’s territory, becoming a vassal sect in the Southeast under the Great Xia Dynasty, accepting supervision by envoys, paying tribute, and periodically remitting taxes to the Great Xia Dynasty.
After the Shangqing Sword Sect submitted, the more than fifty continents it controlled simultaneously declared allegiance to the Great Xia Dynasty, with sects large and small willing to accept the nine-tier, twelve-level sect system established by the Great Xia Dynasty.
They also submitted the sect’s degrees to the Great Xia Dynasty and entrusted part of their sect’s inheritance to the Sheji Daoist Palace, retaining only a core part of their legacy.
This rapid submission evidently caused the Great Xia Dragon Vein to expand.
Above Haojing City, the grand Dragon Qi continually gathered and expanded, with the Great Xia Red Dragon exceptionally active amidst this accumulation of Dragon Qi.
Even the lesser gods and low-tier cultivators could sense the terror of the roaring Red Dragon’s Dragon Soul.
The Dragon Qi Prohibition, starting from the East Continent, began a round of expansion, spilling over into the Southeast Two Hundred Continents, suppressing the powers of demons and evil gods.
Many powerhouses from the Immortal Sect Dao Lineages could feel the resurgence of the Dragon Qi Prohibition.
This was a major event that hadn’t occurred for many years.
However, those with officially issued Dudie by the Great Xia Dynasty didn’t have to worry about their cultivation being disturbed, as long as the disciples’ names were on the sect’s Dudie.
On the contrary, with the protection of the Dragon Qi Prohibition, the risk of being eroded by outer demons and evil gods could be greatly reduced.
But for those heterodox sects and Zuo Dao without identity Dudie, it was a different story.
Without the identity Dudie, they would be regarded as external enemies by the Red Dragon’s Dragon Soul and the Nine Tripods Barrier, naturally suppressed, unable to exert even fifty to sixty percent of their Dao practice.
The closer they were to the East Continent, the more severely they were suppressed.
...
Haojing City, Hanyuan Hall
Zhang Jian’s brow furrowed deeply, his Emperor’s Qi and Dragon Qi flowing. With the Human Emperor’s Fate and Sheji Emperor’s Fate, a position radiated dazzling brilliance, like two Great Suns floating in his Primordial Spirit Sea of Consciousness. Zhang Jian seized the opportunity to channel the Sheji Divine Dao Authority into the earth, wielding the power of the Authority of the Earth’s two hundred continents in the southeast, and integrating it thoroughly into the Map of Mountains and Rivers.
Hereafter, any Immortal Gods stepping into these realms would, in effect, be entering the Divine Realm of another Sheji Emperor.
In the Divine Realm, a divine powerhouse was almost akin to the Creator Lord.
An overlord like himself sitting in the Divine Realm would only be stronger.
Zhang Jian’s eyes flickered; within his body, a treasure continued to absorb the Dragon Qi and Emperor’s Qi from the world to nourish itself.
That was his Lifebound Spiritual Treasure, the Dragon Roar Sword. The Sword Soul within this Dragon Roar Sword seemed to be completely formed, its spirituality turning into a dragon shape. The sword body was covered with blazing Emperor’s Qi and Dragon Qi, faintly exuding the radiance of the Immortal Dao Law.
It was gradually morphing into an Immortal Treasure.
Unlike ordinary Immortal Treasures.
It was refined using the "Holy Virtue Sword Cleansing Technique," containing a Saintly Virtue Dao Law Divine Essence, truly a Sword of Imperial Dao.
Zhang Jian, with his vast Primordial Spirit Divine Sense, sensed the Dragon Qi circulating across more than a hundred continents. The expansion of the Great Xia Dragon Vein brought a trace of a smile to his eyes.
With the Great Xia Dynasty’s size, assimilating two hundred continents was somewhat strenuous.
But with his Sheji Emperor’s Authority to incorporate two hundred continents, covering them with the Nine Tripods Barrier’s power was a breeze.
The Nine Tripods Barrier covered these continents first; no matter if the ’dukes’ therein were willing or unwilling, they would ultimately have to gradually submit to the rule of the Great Xia Dynasty.
"It’s just a pity that the number of powerhouses cultivated by the Great Xia Dynasty hasn’t caught up yet, so we have to use the ancient feudal system to enfeoff the dukes!"
Zhang Jian’s smile on his face slowly faded.
Reviving the ancient enfeoffment system was a reluctant move.
He could only stabilize the situation first and later deal with these enfeoffed dukes, weakening their authority.
Zhang Jian gazed at the map formed by condensed magical power in front of him.
Currently, in the two hundred continents, with the three overlords - Five Elements Immortal Sect and Shangqing Sword Sect - sequentially submitting to the Great Xia Dynasty, only the last stubborn Profound Extreme Sect and some neutral sect-occupied continents remained.
But after the Five Elements Immortal Sect and Shangqing Sword Sect submitted to the Great Xia Dynasty, the Profound Extreme Sect could not hold up alone and would not last long.
Once the Profound Extreme Sect submits, other neutral sects naturally cannot remain ’neutral.’
Zhang Jian did not continue to personally handle this matter but handed it over to Zhang Zhao, commanding Dongxiao Ancestor, Taiyin Fairy, and De Yang Ancestor to assist.