"Master's presence has vanished..."

Shen Yunji stood in mid-air, and with every sweep of his divine thought, his face grew more troubled.

Vanished, completely vanished. Shen Yunji could confirm that the Sword God's presence had utterly disappeared, leaving not a trace behind.

In the end, with reluctance still in his heart, Shen Yunji dashed into the secret realm of Sword God Lake, searching meticulously.

"Little Yuan, and Palace Master Qiu, what exactly happened in there?" Bai Xingkong only now had the leisure to inquire of Yuan Jianyi and Qiu Jiling, who had escaped the secret realm.

Thanks to Shen Yunji, the Demon Lord did not harm the two when he initially entered Sword God Lake, only notifying Lan Cang to leave as soon as possible.

"Before I came out, I only saw the Sword God completely break free and confront the Demon Lord and the supreme being above. As for the rest, I do not know." Qiu Jiling shook her head.

She and Yuan Jianyi left shortly after Lan Cang, so they might not know much more. Had they stayed a bit longer until those three supreme beings started battling, who knows if they could have even escaped.

"Deputy Hall Master, what should we do?" Shen Cangwu asked.

This journey to Sword God Lake led them all, like everyone else, to make a fatal mistake—not knowing that the Sword God was not yet dead. This fatal error left them almost empty-handed, with only Qing Yu gaining any reward.

Unlike others, Bai Xingkong and his group not only missed the opportunity to rise but also had to face the return of the Sword God, a peerless foe. In the coming days, they feared they could only wait for death.

"We still have a chance," Bai Xingkong stared intently at the Sword God Lake below, "There is still a supreme ancestor of Sword God Lake in the world, and this is our chance. We must bring this ancestor back to lead us and rebuild Sword God Lake."

"But this ancestor may not be willing." Shen Cangwu couldn't help but say.

Even during the chaos at Sword God Lake a hundred and fifty years ago, this ancestor did not appear, nor did he act when the three Buried Sword Peak Divine Communication masters died. Hoping for help from this ancestor seems...

Uncertain.

"We have no choice; even if we leave now, who knows if we would evade the Sword God's future retribution, and those two are unlikely to let us leave easily."

His gaze moved to the sky, where the two supreme beings previously besieging the Demon Lord were looking at each other, with no further intention to fight.

The unknown supreme being, shrouded in a blood-colored aura, was easily assumed to belong to the Blood Demon Sect. As is well known, the Blood Demon Sect and the Yin Demon Sect had cooperated before.

.......................................

Taking a few steps forward in black cloud boots embroidered with gold, Yin Tianxia gazed at the cross-shaped divine weapon within the blood-colored radiance and spoke slowly, "Should I call you Qing Yu, or something else?"

This cross-shaped divine weapon was almost the iconic hallmark of Qing Yu; nearly everyone familiar with Qing Yu knew to whom this weapon belonged.

"Yin Sect Master, it's been a while." Qing Yu slightly subdued the blood glow, allowing Yin Tianxia to see his face.

"Not that long, not over two years, right."

Yin Tianxia's cold hard face softened slightly; towards Qing Yu, a significant ally, she would not treat him as she treated other men.

Of course, this was also due to Qing Yu's strength now reaching the level of a supreme being.

"In less than two years, I never expected you to advance so much in this time, to now be my equal." Yin Tianxia spoke with a rare sigh.

This Taoist was unexpectedly to the extreme; no one who knew him thought he would so quickly become one of the top echelon in the world.

"Opportunities come with effort, ultimately leading to returns. I merely utilized my circumstances and gains to the fullest," Qing Yu replied without expression, as calm as ever.

He found nothing to be proud of, and nothing strange either. Having a system as a golden finger and still failing to reach such a level would indeed be a waste of such an advantage.

Of course, Qing Yu felt that reaching today's heights was not solely due to the system; his effort was crucial as well.

For today's achievement, he had moved forward incessantly, always cultivating. Moreover, to grow his mental state, Qing Yu self-created the "Heavenly Human Rebirth Technique," modifying his mind at the cost of severing his ties with his past self, almost as if he had killed his former self.

The gains and losses within this process were something only the person involved could understand.

Therefore, reaching today, Qing Yu felt it was only natural and nothing extraordinary.

"Indeed, opportunities and efforts brought each of us here. Who among us hasn't paid a price, who didn't seize an opportunity?"

Yin Tianxia laughed sardonically, seemingly mocking either herself or others.

But this expression lingered only briefly on her face; the next moment, she resumed her authoritative and stern demeanor as the Yin Demon Sect Master.

"Master Qingyu." For the first time, Yin Tianxia used a title, whereas she previously addressed Qing Yu by name.

"Surely, you're planning some action now. In my impression, you are never one to settle down peacefully."

"Indeed," Qing Yu laughed, "As my strength has broken through, some plans should also proceed further. Yin Sect Master, don't you find Northern Zhou a bit constricted now? With two states accommodating the Three Demonic Sects and the Sword Palace, this limited space is insufficient for our ambitions, is it not?"

"To be correct, it's four sects, as the Seven Absolute Manor still agrees to follow me. Today, the former Manor Master, Six Extremes Elder, has resumed control of Seven Absolute Manor and pledged allegiance to me." Yin Tianxia said.

"Then the territory needs even more expansion."

"You want to seize Hou Qian's lands, no, actually," Yin Tianxia shook her head in denial, "your target should be north of Northern Zhou, the grassland."

With the borderlands adjoining Northern Zhou, aside from Hou Qian, there are the grasslands. Now it is known to everyone that the establishment of Hou Qian was the handiwork of the Nine Heavens, and opposing Hou Qian means confronting the Nine Heavens. This target is impractical.

So Qing Yu's aim was clear, solely the grassland's Golden Wolf Han Court.

"Indeed, the grassland," Qing Yu nodded, "Now in Northern Zhou, there are too many factions, and crammed together, there will inevitably be some friction. The expansive space of the grassland can alleviate some of the minor frictions between us, can it not?"

Even in an alliance, friction is inevitable. The Righteous path has its own calculations, let alone those under Yin Tianxia's rule, who are all demonic people.

The two states of Northern Zhou are indeed a bit small now. After Qing Yu's Sword Palace begins recruiting sword disciples, it will further squeeze other forces' space.

Thus, whether for one's purpose or to ease conflicts, more expansive territory and a broader world are necessary.

Yin Tianxia also understood this, so she agreed without hesitation.

"Alright. Let us take the grassland."

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