Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

At the moment the fragments of the Tianxuan Continent merged, no one could accurately describe what happened.

The four fragments—Eastern Continent, Western Continent, Southern Frontier, and Northern Desert—collided simultaneously with the same central point, causing the entire world to tremble violently.

Hundreds of millions of spiritual veins reconnected deep underground, like broken bones suddenly healing. Continuous rumbling echoed from the earth's core to the surface, reaching every mountain, every river, and the feet of everyone who was cultivating or sleeping.

The spiritual energy didn't just increase, it poured in. It was like being smashed into the very bones by the entire ocean; within three hours, the concentration of spiritual energy in the world increased thirtyfold.

The already loosened bottleneck of heaven and earth was completely washed away by this torrent, and countless martial artists who had been trapped in the bottleneck for many years coughed up blood, roared, and then broke through the realm at the same moment.

Some people broke through three levels on the spot, while others were knocked unconscious by the surge of spiritual energy and woke up to find the world had changed.

The entire Tianxuan Continent felt as if it had been gripped tightly by a giant hand, then released.

The headquarters of the Azure Dragon Society in the thirteen prefectures of the western part of the Eastern Continent was originally separated from the Blood Moon Demon Sect of the Western Continent by a vast ocean of three thousand miles.

Now the sea is gone, replaced by a vast wasteland stretching for thousands of miles, beyond which lies the dark red gate of the Blood Moon Demon Sect.

The two forces faced each other, no more than a thousand miles apart. Standing atop the city wall, one could strain their eyes to see the blood-red banner planted on the opposite cliff.

The northern barbarian camp and the White Bone Demon City of the Northern Desert are separated only by a dry river.

On this side of the river is the Golden Wolf Banner of the Heavenly Khan, and on the other side is the White Bone Banner of the Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

When the scouts from both armies met by the river, they were both stunned for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—they had fought for three generations and had never been this close before.

The demonic passages in southern Xinjiang were fully opened, and demonic soldiers poured out from all twelve passages simultaneously.

However, after the fusion of Tianxuan, the Southern Frontier was squeezed to the west, and it ended up in the canyon area between the Western Continent and the Central Continent.

As soon as the demons showed themselves, they were directly opposite the mountain gate of Taixu Palace, the number one sect in the Western Continent.

An old ancestor in the late stage of the Celestial Realm was dozing on the mountaintop when he was awakened by demonic energy. He opened one eye and with that one glance, the 30,000 demon soldiers in front of him were reduced to ashes.

Everyone panicked. They were stunned. Then, at the same moment, they realized one thing:

In the past, we could fight slowly across the sea, but that's no longer possible. Now everyone lives in the same courtyard; if you sneeze, your neighbor can hear you.

Dongfang Weiwo stood atop the highest point of the Wangjiang Tower in Yangzhou City. His figure, clad in black, appeared even more composed than it had been six months ago, like a blade that was still being tempered after being sheathed.

He didn't go to Zhongzhou after the sword competition in Yangzhou six months ago.

He chose to stay. He stayed at the Azure Dragon Society headquarters, traveling back and forth between various locations, all for this day.

During those six months, he said "ceasefire," and everyone thought he was trying to preserve the strength of all sides.

Only he himself knew that what he really needed to do was to prevent the various forces in the Eastern Continent from killing each other the moment the world merged.

The fusion is now complete. Spiritual energy surges. Bottlenecks shatter. Countless ancient beings awaken from seclusion, and countless prodigies break through to higher realms on the same day.

And so do his people.

Messengers poured into the hall from all directions, and every face bore the same word: they were moving.

"Young Master—" The first guard knelt on one knee, his clothes soaked with sweat, "Urgent report from the western front! The Blood Moon Demon Sect has dispatched 70,000 demon troops, pressing towards the Azure Dragon Society's territory along the newly emerged spiritual vein mountain range after the confluence! The vanguard has already crossed the middle of the wasteland and is less than 300 li from the Luoshui defense line!"

"Young Master—" The second guard practically tumbled in, "The northern front! The barbarian Khan is personally leading 200,000 cavalry south, with Chi Le as the vanguard. They'll cross the White Wolf Plain within two days! Hall Master Guan Qi has already deployed defenses in the north, but he says—the enemy's forces are more than double what they were six months ago!"

"Young Master!" The third guard's voice trembled. "The southern front! The demons of the Southern Frontier have opened all twelve passages, and twelve black-armored legions are surging towards the Eastern Continent, Western Continent, Northern Desert, and Central Continent! The demon army in the Eastern Continent has been blocked outside Jiangnan by Zen Master Liaochen of Wanfo Temple, but Liaochen has sent word that he can't hold them off for long, and he wants you to send someone to take over the defense immediately!"

"Young Master—" the fourth guard gasped for breath, his face pale, "Something terrible has happened on the eastern front."

The demon race of the North Sea has mobilized in full force. Three demon armies have landed on the Northern Desert from the sea, and the Northern Desert forces are retreating towards our Eastern Continent. The fleeing troops have already poured into the territory of Duke Zhenbei, Wu Lie! The Wu family is currently engaged in battle with the demon race. Wu Zetian alone has slain seven demon generals in Lianyun Ridge, but it is said that the demon emperor of the demon race has not yet been dispatched…

The hall fell silent instantly. Only the sound of panting and the crisp cracking of the jade slip shattering could be heard.

Dongfang Weiwo stood by the window with his back to everyone.

Outside the window, the night sky had just been restored, and the stars were exceptionally bright.

Three thick beams of light shot straight into the sky in the distance; these were the spontaneous glows of the spiritual energy core area, reaching its peak concentration. The entire continent was illuminated by this glow as if it were daytime, and countless powerful individuals were rushing towards those directions.

"Young master."

Bai Yujing's voice rang out at the entrance of the hall.

He walked in, his aura as steady as a deep abyss, befitting a peak half-step Celestial Realm cultivator, but there was a fresh wound on his left shoulder, the blood still wet. He had just returned from the Luoshui defense line, and his body was still covered in the dust and sand of the wasteland.

"The vanguard of the Blood Moon Demon Sect on the western front has retreated."

"Bai Yujing said, 'Li Chenzhou personally intervened, single-handedly holding off three of the enemy's half-step Celestial Realm experts. The demon army retreated thirty miles to set up camp, temporarily holding their ground.'"

A low gasp escaped someone in the hall. One person had stopped three half-step Celestials—Li Chenzhou had broken through his cultivation realm.

Dongfang Weiwo turned around. His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally landing on Bai Yujing's face.

The latter nodded slightly and continued:

"At the main altar, all twelve hall masters have broken through to the next level. Shangguan Jin Hong is a Grandmaster at the fifth level, Chai Yu Guan is a Grandmaster at the eighth level, Xiaoyao Hou is a Grandmaster at the eighth level, and Gongzi Yu is a Grandmaster at the ninth level. The rest of the hall masters are at least Grandmasters at the sixth level."

"The underworld?"

"Pang Ban sent a message. The Eastern Ghost Emperor has entered the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm. The spiritual energy in the entire region from Ten Thousand Snake Island to the East Sea has surged, and all the disciples on the island have advanced by at least one major realm."

After returning from Zhongzhou, King Shi Zhixuan of the Wheel of Reincarnation has completely consolidated his position at the peak of the half-step Celestial Realm and may step into the Celestial Realm at any time.

King Taishan, Song Que, and King Chujiang, Tie Zhongtang, both reached the half-step Celestial Realm. King Wuguan, Jue Wushen, also reached the half-step Celestial Realm. The remaining five kings all broke through to the seventh level of the Grandmaster Realm or higher.

The hall was completely silent.

In half a year, the overall strength of the Azure Dragon Society and the Underworld more than doubled. But there were many others who improved even faster than them.

"Spiritual energy has surged thirtyfold, and everyone's bottlenecks are loosening."

Dongfang Weiwo's voice wasn't loud, but every word clearly rang in everyone's ears: "The forces of all sides in Dongzhou are rising together. Zen Master Liaochen of Wanfo Temple is already in the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm, and his disciple Monk Wang broke through two realms in three days and is now at the peak of the Grandmaster Realm."

The True Martial Daoist master Guiyuan entered the half-step Celestial Realm overnight, while the Withered Glory Elder directly crossed the threshold of Celestial Realm. Wu Zetian slew seven demon generals in succession at Lianyun Ridge, her blood and qi condensing into a dragon-shaped phantom—she had entered the Celestial Realm.

He paused.

"The four sword masters of the Four Extremes Sword Sect joined forces to break the formation, each reaching the half-step Celestial Realm. Ye Xingchen, a powerful being, fully awakened his remnant soul and also stepped into the half-step Celestial Realm. Qin Lin'an, the ninth prince of the royal family—it is said that he has persuaded fourteen of the seventeen separatist forces to form a 'Loyal Alliance,' commanding an army of 300,000 and proclaiming himself Regent."

Some people gasped in shock.

"There's something even more troublesome."

Dongfang Weiwo spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him, "Those reclusive sects and aristocratic families in Zhongzhou used to be too far away to bother with us."

Now that Tianxuan has merged, Zhongzhou is right in the center, with the densest spiritual energy and the most abundant natural treasures. They want to expand, and they have neighbors on all sides.

He walked to the feng shui map in the hall. The map was newly drawn; it couldn't have been drawn to its full extent six months ago.

At this moment, the four fragments merged into one, and the mountain and river veins were connected as one.

Dongfang Weiwo's finger landed on three locations on the picture—

The three points are distributed in a triangle, located at the center where the three fragments of East Continent, West Continent, and South Xinjiang meet.

Six months ago, that place was still the sea, but now three landmasses stretching for thousands of miles have emerged, with a spiritual energy concentration more than five times that of the surrounding area.

"These three spiritual energy cores emerged newly after the fusion of heaven and earth."

He said, "Seven armies are setting off simultaneously, all vying for these three areas. Whoever secures them will see their cultivation speed increase by at least three to five times within the next year. Whoever loses them will be left behind."

He looked up, a dark golden light swirling in his eyes.

"The Blood Moon Demon Sect is vying for the western side, which is closest to them. The barbarians and demons are vying for the northern side."

The Southern Frontier Demon Clan and the Western Continent's Taixu Palace are vying for control of the southern side. On the Eastern Continent side—the Wanfo Temple, the Zhenwu Dao Sect, the Loyal Alliance, the Four Extremes Sword Sect, and the Wu Family—are all observing.

But we cannot stand by and watch.

"Dongfang Weishuo said, 'The spiritual core west of the Luoshui defense line is only separated from us by a wasteland.'"

"If we don't seize it, the Blood Moon Demon Sect's first move will be to attack. Their mountain gate is just beyond the wasteland; once the spiritual core falls into their hands, they can nurture five Celestial Beings within three years."

No one responded.

"So," he pointed to the core of spiritual energy, his voice deepening, "I'm taking this land."

He turned to look out the window, where the moonlight, a blend of heaven and earth, fell on his shoulders, and his shadow cloak fluttered without wind.

"The three dragon heads will be stationed at the main altar, while the two dragon heads will accompany me westward. Order Guan Qi to continue guarding the northern border and hold off the barbarians."

Orders were sent from the Underworld: Pang Ban would lead three kings north to cooperate with Guan Qi and keep the demon race outside the Eastern Continent. Shi Zhixuan would lead the remaining four kings south to relieve Wanfo Temple of its southern border defenses. Instruct Pang Ban and Shi Zhixuan—"

He paused for a moment.

"If we can win, we fight; if we can't, we stall. We stall until I capture the western spiritual energy core, then everyone returns to defend. Whichever direction they attack from, we'll fight back from that direction."

Everyone in the hall clasped their hands in acceptance of the order.

Bai Yujing walked to his side, and they looked side by side at the pillar of spiritual energy that pierced the sky outside the window.

After a moment of silence, he spoke: "The Blood Moon Demon Sect's patriarch is said to be a late-stage Celestial Being, who has been in seclusion for a hundred years. This recent surge in spiritual energy likely means he has broken through the late-stage bottleneck and entered the peak of the Celestial Being realm."

"I know."

"Then why are you still going?"

Dongfang Weiwo glanced at him sideways, her lips twitching slightly.

"The Demon-Sealing Bloodline helped me cross the threshold of the Half-Step Celestial Realm six months ago, thanks to that thirty-fold increase in spiritual energy. You might as well guess what realm I'm in now."

Bai Yujing was stunned for a moment, then a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He carefully examined the young man in front of him—his figure in black robes had not changed much compared to half a year ago, but the deep, abyss-like aura in the depths of his Qi Sea was well concealed, so well that even he, a half-step Celestial Peak cultivator, could not see through him at a glance.

Then Bai Yujing smiled.

"Then I won't ask any further," he said. "Let's go, young master."

Dongfang Weiwo turned and stepped out of the hall, his shadow cloak fluttering in the night wind. The lights of Yangzhou City gradually faded into the distance, and ahead lay the wasteland, the seven forces, and formidable enemies at the peak of the Celestial Realm.

But he walked very steadily.

The six-month ceasefire wasn't about waiting to die. It was about sharpening the sword.

The sword was now drawn.