...
Meanwhile, in the Southern Divine Continent, Ancient Hill Province, at the ancestral land of the Ji Family.
The Southern Divine Continent, like the East Suspended Divine Continent, is one of the ancient Divine Lands!
As one of the Eight Great Saint King Families, the Ji Family occupies the majority of the fertile land here.
The Ji Family’s ancestral land is known as Tao City.
This Divine City stands at the center of thousands of Immortal Cities, grand and vast.
The cluster of cities sprawls over the earth, resembling a giant dragon soaring between heaven and earth, with Immortal Light flowing, surrounded by mighty Qi of guards, countless divinities.
Compared to Madam Yun’s decline, the Ji Family is at the peak of prosperity.
Having risen and fallen numerous times during great calamities, the Ji Family has maintained a long-lasting trend since the War of the Middle Ages.
In the ancient land, many strong individuals abound.
However, unlike other Saint King Families, the Ji Family has not focused its efforts on this Great Realm, instead shifting its focus to the Outer World.
As a result, their influence is not what it once was!
Dragon Riding Hall
At this moment, many elders of the Ji Family are discussing the matter of the Yun Family.
Ji Ning, the Celestial Immortal of the Ji Family who previously confronted the Qing Yuan Ancestor, is seated in the second position on the left.
At the main seat is Ji Canglan, the current patriarch of the Ji Family.
The first seat on the left is occupied by a tall elderly man dressed in a dull yellow robe, with a high crown and broad girdle, his gray-white long hair simply held by a radiant Ancient Pine Hairpin, exuding an aura as profound and grand as an abyss or prison.
Most of the elders from the Saint King Families present possess a majestic presence with flowing Emperor’s Qi, Dragon Qi, embodying the figure of an overlord, the appearance of an Emperor.
Yet he solely emanates an air of elegance and transcendence, akin to a celestial Immortal.
This is Ji Tianyun.
A powerful celestial Immortal from ancient times who attained enlightenment, his origins trace back to the era of the twelve Second Generation Ancestors of the Tongshan Dao Lineage.
At this moment, one of the Ji Family’s powerful figures couldn’t help but speak.
"That brat from the East Continent is too arrogant; the Yun Family after all is a descendant of the Saint Kings, successors of the Ancient Saints, yet he dares to extinguish the lineage of the Ancient Saint King. Such reckless brutality, if left unchecked, will not be a blessing to the common people of heaven and earth!"
Many Ji Family elders heard this and their eyes flickered. A young and proud emperor sitting at the third position on the right spoke lightly.
"Sixth Elder, you are related to the Yun Family by marriage, your feelings are understandable, but how can a Divine Dao Emperor be so easily toppled?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged emperor with a cold expression dressed in a purple robe spoke indifferently.
"What of a Divine Dao Emperor? If our Ji Family ancestors desired to descend to the Lower Realm, it would not be impossible to eliminate him...?"
Numerous Ji Family elders looked coldly at this scene, with strange expressions in their eyes.
What of a Divine Dao Emperor?
Such arrogance!
If a Divine Dao Emperor were easy to deal with, would they need to plan and respond so tensely!
Ancestors are ancestors, they are themselves!
Not to mention whether they can easily descend to the Lower Realm, that Divine Dao Emperor is not a rootless water or a friendless tree!
That Water Official Emperor is not easy to provoke, not to mention the Saint King Ancestor behind him.
Would he sit idly by while his genius is plotted against by the Ji Family?
That would likely incite a great power blood battle!
Ji Ning sat at the seat, expressionless, and spoke deeply at this moment.
"What is there to argue about, let’s set that aside for now, we should first find a way to redeem Ji Ke and the other five, the envoy of the Tongshan Dao Lineage is already on the way, and we need to unify our standpoint!"
Upon hearing this, numerous Ji Family cultivators turned their gaze towards Ji Lan, who had remained silent all along.
Ji Lan, meeting their eyes, spoke calmly.
"Since the Second Elder has confirmed that the Eastern Continent Emperor is indeed a Divine Dao Emperor, our Ji Family should prioritize negotiation first!
Enemies should be resolved rather than created, especially at this moment, besides our Ji Family is certainly not the Yun Family, threats won’t work on us!"
When he finished speaking, Ji Lan turned his gaze to Ji Tianyun, solemnly saying.
"Great Elder, what do you think of my idea?"
Ji Tianyun’s expression remained calm.
"Negotiations are usually between parties of equal strength or with certain apprehensions; how will parties of unequal strength negotiate?!"
His eyes fluctuated, with underlying implications in his words.
After a brief consideration, this Ji Family Great Elder still spoke.
"Nevertheless, initial contact is of no harm!"
As the words fell, his figure disappeared from the original spot.
On the main seat, a flicker appeared in Ji Lan’s eyes, and he realized that this Great Elder held little hope for negotiation and preferred to resort to force!
However, many of the Ji Family Elders present quite agreed with Ji Lan’s thinking.
After all, unless there is no choice, who would want to face the malice of a Divine Dao Emperor.
...
East Continent, Haojing City, Hanyuan Hall
After taking over the Yun Family, Zhang Jian did not rush to trouble the Ji Family but followed the suggestion of the Tongshan Dao Lineage.
After killing the chicken to scare the monkey, let the Tongshan Dao Lineage step forward to mediate first, negotiating to see if the Ji Family is willing to make compensation and compromise over this matter.
Civility before hostilities.
And taking advantage of the opportunity, the East Continent Zhang Family and a group of allies from the Demon-slaying Peak could completely drain the Yun Family.
Acquiring good things, the key is whether one can digest them.
Zhang Jian plans to refine the Divine Capital City of the Yun Family first.
The Divine Capital City is a fully-formed Tier Two Immortal Treasure, containing most of the Yun Family’s heritage and many secret spaces similar to the Original Ancestral Land, integrating defense and cultivation.
This Tier Two Immortal Treasure has been refined by the Yun Family for countless years, and its power is close to a Tier Three Immortal Treasure.
If the Zhang Family uses it well, it can become a trump card.
Zhang Jian plans to refine it into an Immortal City, becoming an auxiliary capital to Haojing City, and serving as a city for cultivators, providing residence for many High-Tier Cultivators of the Great Xia Dynasty, thus separating immortals from the mundane.
As he refines this Immortal City, Zhang Jian is also waiting for the final good news.
In the Southeastern States, negotiations between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Profound Extreme Sect are also underway.
Given the grand situation, many cultivators of the Profound Extreme Sect finally couldn’t withstand the pressure and actively dispatched Sect powerhouses to negotiate with the Great Xia Dynasty.
Since the Profound Extreme Sect has shown signs of submission, the Great Xia Dynasty is also delighted to see it happen.
War and danger inevitably lead to casualties and crises once conflict arises.
Being able to accept the last area of the Southeast Two Hundred Continents without a single soldier is naturally the most understandable situation.
Zhang Jian appointed Crown Prince Zhang Zhao as the special envoy, with the Dong Shen Ancestor as the deputy envoy in full charge of this matter.
Zhang Zhao and the Dong Shen Ancestor previously handled the matters concerning the acceptance of the Five Elements Immortal Sect and the Shangqing Sword Sect excellently, which made Zhang Jian rest assured about this matter.
As for Zhang Zhao, it need not be mentioned, but the Dong Shen Ancestor was exceptionally enthusiastic about this matter.
To some extent, the Dong Shen Temple was destroyed by the Five Elements Immortal Sect, the Shangqing Sword Sect, and the Profound Extreme Sect.
Now, as the deputy envoy of the Great Xia Dynasty, he formally enters the Profound Extreme Sect to preside over the reform of the three major Immortal Sects.
This is a different kind of revenge.
The Dong Shen Ancestor was quite pleased about this.
On another front, Zhang Jian also prepared to conduct another ancestral worship after all the Southeast Two Hundred Continents are integrated into the Great Xia Dynasty.
After the ancestral worship, he would then handle the dispute with the Ji Family.
...
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
The rapid expansion of the Great Xia Dynasty was evident to all the Immortal Sect Dao Lineages within and beyond the Southeast Two Hundred States.
The Great Xia Dynasty is gradually digesting the heritage within and beyond the Southeast Two Hundred Continents, transforming it into the foundation for the Dynasty’s expansion.
Nowadays, Immortal Cities are springing up inside and outside the Great Xia Dynasty, with more and more markets.
The nine-rank twelve-tiered sect system of the Great Xia Dynasty is also gradually becoming well-known.
What makes many cultivators even more awed is still the pervasiveness of the Nine Tripods Barrier and the speed of expansion.
Dragon Qi Prohibition is spreading across most of the Southeast region.
The Dragon Vein Qi of the Great Xia Dynasty is as heavy as a mountain, sealing heaven and earth, making it very difficult for any cultivator without an Imperial Decree to stir up trouble within it.
The grand Great Xia Capital City, Haojing City is becoming increasingly magnificent.
Its Dragon Qi is heavy, like that of the Ancestral Dragon in the depths of the Southeast Two Hundred Continents.
Especially a year ago, the descent of the auxiliary capital, the Divine Capital City, gradually turned it into a place of prosperity in the eyes of many cultivators from the Southeast Two Hundred Continents.
On this day, inside the Hanyuan Hall of Haojing City
Zhang Jian, busy handling state affairs, suddenly felt a shift in his heart, sensing that the resistance towards the westward expansion of the Dragon Qi Prohibition vanished in an instant, as the vast Dragon Qi surged into the remaining fifty continental boundaries like an invisible ripple storm. The grand Dragon Qi surrounded him, Emperor’s Qi expanded, and the divine light of the Emperor’s Authority behind him seemed to solidify.
He immediately understood that it must be that Zhang Zhao had finally completed the negotiations with the Profound Mystery Sect.
The Profound Extreme Sect had finally decided to submit to the Great Xia Dynasty.
"The good day for ancestral worship has come again!"