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

After the fusion of heaven and earth, Zhongzhou became the spiritual center of the entire continent, where all spiritual energy tides eventually converged.

The original five-family structure of "three sects, two valleys, and one city" has been further complicated by newly emerging forces.

The Taichu Divine Sect still sits atop the main peak of the Tianxuan Mountains in the northern part of Zhongzhou.

As spiritual energy surged, the Primordial Daoist steadily progressed from the initial stage of Creation to the middle stage of Creation, and the number of Celestials in the Divine Sect exceeded two hundred.

But their attitude changed—before the fusion of heaven and earth, the Primordial Divine Sect regarded the Eastern Continent as a barbaric wasteland, but after the fusion of heaven and earth, they discovered that those forces from the "barbaric wasteland" actually had several figures at the Creation Realm.

Finally, at the beginning of the sixth month, the Taoist Master Taichu spoke: "It's time to open the gates of Zhongzhou. Let them in and have a seat."

Wanjie Valley remains hidden deep within Duanhun Ridge, but news of the True Martial Sect Leader leading thirty disciples into the valley has already spread throughout the entire Central Continent.

In the sixth month, the mouth of the Myriad Calamities Valley opened a crack for the first time, and the Lord of Calamity sent out a message from the depths of the abyss.

"The valley has collected three items from the Era of Gods and Demons. If any descendant of the Sealed Demon bloodline wishes to take them, they can come themselves."

This statement is half invitation and half challenge, but it at least indicates that Wan Jie Valley has officially made its debut.

The Wendao Academy remains detached from worldly affairs.

The Sage of Calligraphy spoke for the second time in the sixth month, and still only had four words:

"The stars have moved." None of the academy disciples could understand its meaning, but everyone looked up at the sky at the same time—the divine meteor that flew into the depths of the void half a year ago had moved far away from the Tianxuan Continent's sight, but in the direction where the meteor had disappeared, a new point of light was slowly lighting up, brighter than all the stars.

Yin-Yang Valley sits in the southwest of Central Plains. The Great Yin State is the first being to emerge from seclusion after the fusion of Heaven and Earth, using the chaotic power generated during the fusion to push the "Great Yin-Yang Transformation Method" to the middle stage of creation.

The first thing he did was to triple the sphere of influence of Yin Yang Valley, annexing seven medium-sized sects in the southwest of Zhongzhou.

The second thing was to send a letter to the Nine Nether Ancient Clan—the contents of which are unknown, but the next day the Nine Nether Ancient Clan dispatched four Celestials to the south to enter the valley.

Tianji City remained neutral. The Old Man of Tianji sat on the Star Gazing Platform for half a year before finally bowing his head.

He glanced down in the direction of Baidi City, then picked up his brush and ink and wrote a line on the railing of the observatory:

"Within six months, the third bone will emerge from the Northwest Desert. Whoever tries to take it will die." These words were scattered by the wind throughout the city and spread to all the major powers of the Tianxuan Continent within a day.

The Nine Nether Ancient Clan occupied the eastern coast of the New World, controlling a 3,000-mile stretch of sea along the East China Sea with the Haiyuan Ancient City as its center.

Clan Chief Youyuan broke through to the initial stage of Creation amidst a surge in spiritual energy, and the number of Celestial Beings in the clan increased to twenty-one.

The Nine Nether Ancient Clan secretly allied with Yin Yang Valley, while maintaining a tense standoff with the Underworld's Ten Thousand Snake Island—Pang Ban stood on Ten Thousand Snake Island, and You Yuan stood on the top of Haiyuan City. The two looked at each other across the sea for a whole month, neither of them making the first move.

Tianxu Pavilion is perched atop a deep abyss in the southern part of Zhongzhou.

In the sixth month, the Ancestor of the Void officially broke through to the initial stage of Creation. After mastering the Void Martial Arts, he could travel through physical objects. The entire Heavenly Void Pavilion could be hidden into a void rift at his will, and then return from it like a ghost.

He expanded southward by seven hundred miles, cutting off the first wave of Black Tide vanguard of the Southern Frontier Demon Clan heading north outside the Abyss Pass—the black-armored commander of the Demon Clan's Burial Sky Clan was dragged into a void rift by the Ancestor of Ruins, and when he reappeared, he was only half a mangled body. The Heavenly Ruins Pavilion thus became famous.

Starry Mountain Villa still floats high in the sky.

Xingyan remained as stable as a rock in the initial stage of creation, but in the sixth month, he suddenly announced something:

"The manor will no longer stand alone in the sky. Seven days later, Star Manor will descend into the northeast of Central Continent and establish 'Star Territory'." The floating palace slowly descended and finally landed on a newly formed plateau in the northeast of Central Continent, where a land city shining with starlight was built on the foundation of meteorite.

Xingchen Mountain Villa has transformed from a secluded retreat into a worldly one, becoming a new landmark in Northeast Central China.

The Taiyuan Dynasty occupied the far western desert. After Emperor Taiyuan broke through to the initial stage of creation, he quickly annexed the entire western desert with 200,000 Undying Guards, forming a dual power standoff with the Guangming Palace in the western continent.

After its eastward expansion was thwarted, the Dharma King Jingguang turned west and fought a great battle with the Taiyuan Dynasty in the heart of the desert—the armor of light against the armor of immortality, the sunstone against the bronze shield, and the battle lasted for three days and three nights without a clear victor.

Ultimately, the two sides agreed to a temporary truce, with each occupying half of the newly formed mountain range in the desert as the boundary.

Wanfo Temple reopened its doors in the sixth month. Zen Master Liaochen used the purplish-black fragment in the copper bell as a medium to push his cultivation from the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm to the peak of the Celestial Realm, with one foot already on the threshold of Creation.

When he left Wanfo Temple, the cultivation levels of all the monks in the entire Buddhist kingdom of Jinling simultaneously rose to a higher realm—that was the blessing from the fragments of the copper bell.

But the abbot of Leiyin Ancient Temple finally arrived. The old monk, who was in the late stage of the Celestial Realm, descended in front of the gate of Wanfo Temple with the Twelve Wrathful Venerables, and sat in meditation with Liaochen in the temple for seven days.

No one knows what the two discussed, but when Abbot Leiyin Temple departed seven days later, Liaochen escorted him three miles outside the temple gate. This indicates that the two Buddhist sects had at least reached some kind of understanding on the surface.

Within six months, the Zangtian clan had fully integrated the entire southern border region.

The Burial Emperor fully recovered from his injuries and reached the initial stage of Creation. He used demonic energy to completely open up the three passages in the Southern Frontier. The Black Tide Army was no longer scattered on three sides, but instead all converged in the due south direction of the Central Plains, forming a black army line that stretched for thousands of miles.

The decisive battle between the demon race and the human race is about to break out, but the Burial Emperor does not seem to be in a hurry - he is waiting for the day when the remains of gods and demons are gathered together.

End of the sixth month.

In the old courtyard of Baidi City.

The first general meeting of Tianxuan Mansion was held at dusk on a spring day.

There were more than twenty chairs in the courtyard, which were filled with Celestials, Half-Step Celestials, and Grandmasters from all over the East Continent, West Frontier, East Sea, North Border, and South Frontier.

Pang Ban stood in the east of the courtyard, Guan Yutian stood in the west of the courtyard, Xiong Ba sat on the wall, and Yan Kuangtu squatted on the roof—the four auras of creation intertwined and crisscrossed, yet all were contained within the courtyard, not leaking out in the slightest.

Bai Yujing and Li Chenzhou sat side by side at the front of the crowd.

Bai Yujing was already in the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm, and Li Chenzhou was at the peak of the Celestial Realm. The two of them managed the "Tianxuan Mansion," which was formed by the integration of the Azure Dragon Society and the Underworld, very well.

Guan Qi rushed back from the northern border. At the initial stage of the Celestial Realm, his horse snorted outside the courtyard before he even put down his saddle.

Dongfang Weiwo stood before the main house, dressed in a long black robe, his eyes flashing with a dark golden light. Behind him stood Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng, two swordsmen at the initial stage of the Celestial Realm, like two unsheathed swords on his left and right.

The moment he spoke, the entire courtyard fell silent.

"It's been half a year."

He gazed at the familiar faces before him, his voice calm and clear:

"The fusion of heaven and earth, the emergence of divine and demonic remains, the full emergence of hidden forces, and the gathering of opportunities from all sides. Our Tianxuan Palace has grown from the Azure Dragon Society and the Underworld in a corner of the Eastern Continent to what it is today—extending from the spiritual energy core in the west to the oasis of the Western Continent, reaching the border of the Nine Nether Ancient Clan at the Ten Thousand Snake Island in the East Sea in the east, guarding the White Wolf Plains in the north with a covenant with the Great Zhou Dynasty, and controlling the three passages of the Demon Clan in the south. We have four Creators, twenty-three Celestials, and countless Half-Step Celestials."

He paused.

"But that's not enough."

No one spoke in the courtyard.

"The Primordial Divine Sect has two hundred Celestial Beings, with the Sect Master at the mid-stage of Creation. The Tribulation Master of Myriad Tribulations Valley is at the mid-stage of Creation, Xingyan of Starry Mountain Villa is at the mid-stage of Creation, the Great Yin Division of Yin-Yang Valley is at the mid-stage of Creation, and the Calligraphy Sage of the Asking-the-Way Academy is at the peak of Creation."

The Taiyuan Emperor of the Taiyuan Dynasty was at the initial stage of the Creation Realm, but he had 200,000 Undying Guards. Wu Zetian alone, with a single sword, could kill a peak Celestial Realm cultivator.

The Southern Frontier Burial Emperor, at the initial stage of Creation, led an entire continent's demonic army. We four, at the Creation stage, have only just taken our seats on the new chessboard of the Tianxuan Continent.

He raised his right hand, and dark gold array patterns lit up in his palm.

"But once you're seated, you're entitled to make your move. Over the next six months, Tianxuan Palace will have three things to do:"

First, westward expansion. Xiong Ba continued to advance westward, extending the influence of the spiritual energy core to the point where it bordered the desert of the Taiyuan Dynasty.

Second, the southern defense. Pang Ban and Guan Yutian take turns guarding the southern front, intercepting the demonic black tide at the first sign of movement. Third—"

His gaze swept over everyone in the courtyard.

"Zhongzhou. The Taichu Daoist of the Taichu Divine Sect invited me to the Tianxuan Mountain Range. The Jie Master of Wanjie Valley said that there are three divine and demonic relics in the valley that I must retrieve personally. Xingyan of Xingchen Manor said that there are relics of my clansmen."

The prophecy of Tianji City foretells that a third piece of divine and demonic remains will emerge in the northwestern desert within six months. All these threads point in the same direction—the Central Plains are the center of this continent's chessboard.

He clenched his fist, and the golden light dissipated.

"Seven days later, I entered the heart of Zhongzhou. Yan Kuangtu accompanied me. Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng guarded Baidi City and provided support."

Pang Ban oversaw the overall situation, Guan Yutian led the western front, Xiong Ba continued to expand his territory, Li Chenzhou managed internal affairs, and Bai Yujing engaged in diplomatic alliances.

Guan Qi returned to the northern border to guard the frontier with the Great Zhou—although Wu Zetian is our ally, she is the Empress, and Tianxuan Prefecture must have its own northern frontier.

Everyone stood up at the same time and clasped their hands in a fist salute.

"Yes!"

The air in the courtyard surged like a tide. The auras of the four Creation Realms converged in the air, enveloping the entire courtyard in an invisible radiance.

The eyes of all the spies in Baidi City were simultaneously burned by the radiant light, and they all closed their eyes and retreated.

That night, Yan Kuangtu chased Dongfang Weiwo into the house.

"Young master,"

He squatted by the door, his sharp eyes holding an unusual seriousness. "I smell something. From the northwest, thousands of miles away, there's the smell of bone fragments. It's the same as the severed arm that flew away from Baidi City, but not the same piece."

Dongfang Weiwo was sitting at his desk reviewing the compilation of the Central Plains forces sent by Shi Zhixuan when he heard this, so he put down his pen.

"The third bone."

"Yes. That old man from Tianji City was right. But I'm not the only one who smelled this scent—at least three or four groups of people are also heading in that direction."

There was demonic energy, the aura of a great demon saint, and a scent I'd never smelled before, like it came from beyond the continent.

Dongfang Weiwo paused slightly in the hand holding the pen.

Outside the mainland.

The divine meteor that flew into the void half a year ago, carrying memories from millions of years ago, crossed the border of the Tianxuan Continent.

If it was intercepted by another world, then that "from outside the continent" smell would make sense.

"After I've visited the Primordial Divine Sect and the Valley of Ten Thousand Tribulations," he whispered, "I'll take you to dig up the third bone."

Yan Kuangtu grinned:

"Young master, I'm an expert at digging bones."

He paused as he got up and left the house, then turned back and said:

"Don't worry about the Marquis. I left a drop of Creation Essence Blood at the entrance of the secret passage on Ten Thousand Snake Island; nothing below the Creation level can break through it. Your mother and sister are perfectly safe. As for your father—"

Dongfang Weiwo looked up at him.

Yan Kuangtu laughed wildly:

"He survived falling off a cliff; he's incredibly resilient. Once he recovers, his cultivation will definitely reach the Heavenly Realm again. The Dongfang family—they're all tough as nails."

The door closed.

Dongfang Weiwo sat alone at the desk, raising his hand to look at the array diagram shrunken in flesh and blood in his palm.

Half a year has passed, and the dark gold patterns have quietly lain dormant deep within his meridians, maintaining a constant resonance with the ancient array that slumbers beneath the White Emperor City thousands of miles away.

The key seal in his dantian rotated slightly, releasing a wisp of extremely fine bloodline energy with each rotation.

The aura pierced through layers of soil and rocks, through thousands of miles of mountains, and through the entire network of ley lines of the Tianxuan Continent, finally touching something—the arm that flew away from Baidi City, the fragments in the stone gate of the Northern Border, and the third bone that was awakening deep in the Northwest Desert.

All the remains of gods and demons resonated with his blood.

What he needs to do next is to put the game in the middle of the board.

Under the night sky above Baidi City, countless stars silently rotate.

The winds of the New World blow from all directions into the heart of the Central Plains, carrying the dryness of the desert, the dampness of the ocean, the harshness of the north, and the stench of the south.

All the winds are blowing in the same direction.

And Dongfang Weiwo is about to face those winds and walk into the eye of the storm.