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

"How's it going on with the Great Zhou?" Dongfang Weiwo asked.

Bai Yujing put down the map, took out a gold-embossed invitation, and handed it over:

Wu Zetian officially ascended the throne three days ago, adopting the reign title "Wanxiang".

The nation's name is Great Zhou, and its capital was originally the old imperial city in the central part of Dongzhou—she moved the capital, directly relocating the administrative center of the four prefectures of Huaibei to the site of the former Dongzhou imperial palace. This invitation was sent urgently after the enthronement ceremony, inviting you to a banquet, ostensibly as a 'congratulatory gift from a friendly nation.'

Dongfang Weiwo opened the invitation and scanned it. The handwriting was strong and vigorous, the force seemingly penetrating the paper; it was Wu Zetian's own handwriting. The last line read:

"If anyone ever invades the mainland, my Great Zhou cavalry can be mobilized two hundred thousand each to the west, north, and south. But that favor you asked for—I'll keep it."

She saved her favor for last. Dongfang Weiwo closed the invitation, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Wu Zetian was a woman whose every word carried multiple meanings.

"Reply to the Great Zhou."

He placed the invitation on the table, saying, "I will personally attend to offer my congratulations. Also—send her a copy of the alliance treaty between Tianxuan Mansion and Great Zhou, framed in red silk, and tell her to add another clause to the alliance document."

The two sides' experts at the Creation Realm must not overstep their boundaries and interfere in each other's internal affairs, unless invaded by external enemies. This matter will be handled by Bai Yujing.

Bai Yujing accepted the order and left. Only Dongfang Weiwo and Xiang Yutian remained in the council hall.

The old evil emperor leaned back in his chair and watched the entire meeting, clicking his tongue in disapproval:

"You've got a lot of work to do as the head of the household. Deploying defenses, making alliances, replying to letters—is twelve hours a day enough?"

"I'm used to it."

Dongfang Weiwo leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Tell me about you two. You and Meng Chixing are under my command, but I know you're not people who can be easily bound. Tell me clearly what you want to do."

Xiang Yutian stopped laughing and remained silent for a moment:

I want to see the key mark in your dantian. Just once.

It's not for anything else—I've lived for hundreds of years, searching for a method that can completely transcend the Creation Realm. That thing on you is the core of the God-Demon Era; perhaps it holds the answer.

"Okay." Dongfang Weiwo nodded. "What about Meng Chixing?"

"He's simpler."

Xiang Yutian grinned. "He's not here to be your henchman—he's here to see how far you can go in the end. He's lived for hundreds of years, and there aren't many things left that can interest him."

Your seal, your remains, that world on the other side… He just wanted to get closer and see how this game would end.

Only I in the East truly understand.

Meng Chixing never expressed any loyalty from the moment he entered Baidi City, but he also didn't leave. For someone like him, not leaving is itself a statement.

"Then you should watch carefully."

Dongfang Weiwo stood up and walked to the window of the council hall. Outside the window, the lights of Baidi City formed a dark golden river in the night, and the light of the spiritual core floated in mid-air like a lighthouse.

He was going to the Great Zhou to offer congratulations three days later.

In six days, he will depart for Starry Sky Manor and the Primordial Divine Sect to confirm the location of the remaining remains. And the six Creation Realm experts of the Heavenly Profound Palace—such a lineup is enough for him to speak on equal footing with any power on the continent.

He gazed out the window, his eyes piercing through the night, as if he could see the distant horizon.

That "gaze" extending from the void was still watching him from somewhere—he was certain of that. But at least for now, the chessboard of the Tianxuan Continent was tilting in his favor.

When Dongfang Weiwo arrived at the former Eastern Continent Imperial City, the city looked so different that he could hardly recognize it.

Half a year ago, Qin Muzhi sacrificed the nation's fortune, causing the imperial city's spiritual energy to dry up and the city to become desolate. Now, the site of the old imperial palace has been demolished and rebuilt, and a giant palace made entirely of red copper has risen from the ruins.

Nine bronze dragons coiled on the roof of the palace, their heads holding pearls that faced all directions, the pearls radiating a spiritual light that never extinguished day or night. Every street and alley in the city was newly paved with spirit jade slabs, the pedestrians looked radiant and walked with ease, and the shops along the streets were reopened.

The Great Zhou Dynasty. The first year of Wanxiang.

As Bai Yujing accompanied Dongfang Weiwo into the city, he whispered an introduction:

"After Wu Zetian ascended the throne, she dug up and reconnected all the abandoned spiritual veins under the original imperial city, and also brought over three spiritual energy branches from Tianxuan Mansion. Now the concentration of spiritual energy in the city is 50% higher than when the Qin family was in power."

She was ruthless in her use of people—she kept 30% of the original nobles from the Eastern Continent who were obedient, and moved the rest to the outskirts of the four prefectures of Huaibei. The vacant positions were filled with her old subordinates whom she had brought back from the icy battlefields.

"Great courage."

Dongfang Weiwo uttered three words as he stepped into the main hall square.

The coronation ceremony of the Great Zhou Dynasty has ended, but the pomp and circumstance of the welcoming ceremony remains undiminished.

Two rows of civil and military officials knelt in the square in front of the palace. At the front were four veteran generals at the peak of the Celestial Realm. Dongfang Weiwo recognized two of them as the Iron-Blooded Marshals of the Northern Border Defense Line of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who are now the Zhenbei and Zhenxi Marquises of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When Wu Zetian walked out of the main hall, she had changed into an imperial black robe and wore a twelve-tassel flat crown. Her face was thinner than it had been half a year ago, but she was full of energy. The oppressive feeling in her eyes, which was described as "blood and qi like dragons and spirit and intent like knives", was even stronger. She had touched the edge of the threshold of creation from the peak of the realm of heaven and man, and was only one enlightenment away from crossing it.

"Lord Tianxuan has come from afar; I have failed to greet you properly."

Wu Zetian stood on the high steps in front of the palace, not descending to greet him, but her posture was already quite respectful.

Dongfang Weiwo clasped his hands in a fist salute: "The Great Zhou Dynasty has been newly established, and all things are renewed. Tianxuan Palace has come to offer our congratulations." He gestured for Bai Yujing to present a scroll of the alliance treaty mounted on red silk. "A new clause has been added to the original treaty. Please review it, Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian took the rubbing and unfolded it, her gaze lingering for a moment on the newly added clause—"Neither side's Creation Realm experts shall cross the boundary to interfere in each other's internal affairs, unless invaded by external forces." She raised an eyebrow slightly, looked up at Dongfang Weiwo, and gave him a meaningful glance.

She understood the underlying message: Dongfang Wei was telling her that there were so many Creation Realm cultivators in Tianxuan Mansion that she needed to take them seriously; at the same time, he was also telling her that the threat from the outer realms was real.

"I grant your permission."

Wu Zetian handed the rubbing to the attendant behind her and gestured for him to enter. "Your Highness, please enter the hall for the banquet. I have some private matters I wish to discuss with you privately."

The banquet was held in a side hall of the inner palace, with only Wu Zetian and Dongfang Weiwo sitting opposite each other.

The banquet was simple, but the wine was excellent. Wu Zetian personally poured a cup and pushed it towards Dongfang Weiwo, getting straight to the point: "Since you returned from the Northern Desert, the spiritual energy of the entire continent has changed—though very faintly, I can sense it. You are activating the seal."

Dongfang Weiwo picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "Hmm. I've already taken five of the nine pieces of remains."

"Four pieces left."

Wu Zetian poured herself a glass of wine, leaned back in her chair, and said, "My Great Zhou has a fragment of the Northern Border Stone Gate hidden within its territory, sealed in a copper bell by Liao Chen of Wanfo Temple. If you need it, I can step in and retrieve the copper bell from Liao Chen—Wanfo Temple's territory in the Northern Border is ultimately under the jurisdiction of my Great Zhou."

"You call the shots on Great Zhou's territory?"

"The Emperor decides." Wu Zetian raised her cup and drank it all in one gulp, her eyes sharp as knives. "Liao Chen is an old monk, worldly-wise. I'll give him a way out, and he'll accept it."

Dongfang Weiwo pondered for a moment:

"Alright. You are responsible for retrieving the Northern Fragment. If Wanfo Temple needs compensation, Tianxuan Mansion can afford it."

"What I want is not compensation."

Wu Zetian set down her wine cup, looking directly at Dongfang Weiwo. "I demand a promise from you—the moment you gather all the remains and the seal is completely broken, the Great Zhou Dynasty must be the first among all powers to know the truth. My empire has only just been established and cannot withstand the unknown storms."

"Okay." Dongfang Weiwo extended his hand. "It's a deal."

Wu Zetian reached out and gave him a high five. As their palms touched, a strange light flashed in Wu Zetian's eyes—she sensed the resonant power of the five remnants within Dongfang Weiwo's body. That vast and ancient aura made her clench her fist slightly, then loosen it.

"What level are you at now?" she asked.

"Mid-stage of the Creation Realm."

Wu Zetian was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly:

"Six months ago, we had just reached the peak of the Celestial Realm, but now you're a whole major realm higher than me. No wonder you were able to walk out of that gap alive."

"You're not far off either." Dongfang Weiwo put down his wine cup. "Your mental state is already sufficient; what you lack is the accumulation of spiritual energy. If the Great Zhou's spiritual veins operate at full capacity for half a year, you will surely enter the realm of creation."

Wu Zetian looked at the remaining wine in her cup and did not deny it.

After the banquet, Dongfang Weiwo stood on the city wall of the new palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, overlooking the entire imperial city.

The night breeze ruffled his robes, and Bai Yujing reported in a low voice from behind:

"Young master, we just received a message from the Central Plains' secret agents: the Heavenly Mystery Elder of Heavenly Mystery City sent a letter to White Emperor City, saying, 'The prophecy of the third bone has failed, and there will be a new prophecy another day.'"

Please, Lord Tianxuan, come to Tianji City for a chat when you have time. He also added, "After the stars moved, the star orbits of the Central Plains began to shift; someone is using the power of the stars to calculate the time when the seal will be fully broken."

The Starry Sky Manor was calculating. Dongfang Weiwo looked up at the night sky, and the stars in the direction of Zhongzhou were indeed dimmer than usual, as if some of their starlight had been taken away.

"Reply to the old man of heavenly secrets, and I will visit him within half a month."

Dongfang Weiwo withdrew his gaze, turned, and descended the city wall. "Also, inform Pang Ban—have the demons on the southern front shown any unusual activity recently?"

"Mr. Pang's message said that the Black Tide of the Burial Emperor has been unusually quiet for the past two weeks, making no advances or probes, as if it's waiting for something."

"He's waiting too."

Dongfang Weiwo stepped into the carriage, and before the curtain fell, he whispered, "Everyone is waiting. Waiting for the seal to loosen sufficiently."

As the carriage drove away from the Great Zhou Imperial City, the Great Zhou New Army soldiers on both sides of the city gate saluted in unison.

Dongfang Weiwo leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes to rest, the dark golden array patterns flowing faintly beneath his robes.

On the chessboard of Tianxuan Continent, more and more pieces are being placed.

But he could sense that the final stage was not far off.