The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

"The more frequently those cracks appear, the faster the seal will loosen, and the faster the seal loosens, the larger the beast tide will be. When the next beast tide truly arrives, the entire Eastern Region will fall into chaos. At that time, the pervasive death aura and resentment will be what I truly need."

His voice lowered slightly, as if he were talking to himself.

"A road to the imperial realm always needs sufficient nourishment to pave it."

The servants lay prostrate on the ground, afraid to move, even holding their breath.

The figure on the throne glanced at him, his tone returning to its usual calm and composed manner.

"Keep a close eye on the situation in the Eastern Region. Report any unusual changes immediately."

"Yes."

The servant quickly responded, but dared not get up immediately. Only when the gaze from the throne shifted away from him did he cautiously rise.

He lowered his head and backed out of the palace gate, gently closing the door behind him before quickly disappearing into the end of the corridor.

Silence returned to the main hall.

The figure on the throne slowly rose and walked to a huge floor-to-ceiling window on the side of the hall.

Outside the window are the rolling mountains of the holy land, the twilight coloring the distant mountains in varying shades of dark purple, spreading like ink to the horizon.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the vast and silent distance. His voice was soft, yet it carried an unwavering confidence.

"The path of destruction, the path to suppressing all the great emperors of the world... When I ascend to the Emperor Realm, none of the eight great emperors of this world will be my match."

"At that time, this land will have a new owner."

Several days passed quietly and peacefully.

No new cracks appeared in the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty. The men in black seemed to have vanished from the ground of the Eastern Region overnight, leaving no trace.

The reports from various places were largely the same: the rift still existed, and occasionally a few monsters would emerge from it, but they were not large in scale and could be easily handled by the monster-hunting teams in the Eastern Region.

In a courtyard, Wang Long sat on a stone bench under an old locust tree, holding an ancient book he had brought back from the Primordial Holy Palace, engrossed in reading it.

Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, falling onto the pages of the book, which sway gently in the breeze.

"My lord, are you so serious?"

Ye Niannu walked over with a plate of freshly cut spiritual fruit, sat down beside him, and casually offered him a piece of fruit to his mouth.

Wang Long opened his mouth to take it, chewed a couple of times, but his eyes remained glued to the pages.

"I've been really bored these past few days, just browsing around."

Ye Niannu did not disturb him, but sat quietly to the side, placed the plate on the stone table, and occasionally put a piece of fruit into his mouth.

Not long after, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard gate.

A messenger dressed in the standard armor of Tianque City strode in, stopped at the gate, bowed, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Mr. Wang, the City Lord requests your presence, saying he has something to discuss with you. If it is convenient for you, you may depart for Tianque City today."

Wang Long put down the ancient book, exchanged a glance with Ye Niannu, stood up, patted the torn leaves off his robe, and didn't linger.

Xiao Qiu transformed into a nine-sky bird, carrying the two of them towards the city lord's defense line.

There were still guards at the city gate checking identities, but after Wang Long showed the city lord's token, he was led to the city lord's mansion without any hindrance.

Today, Song Tiange changed into a gray-blue casual outfit, looking less imposing and more approachable than when they last met.

He personally greeted them at the entrance of the main hall and led them inside.

Two people were already seated in the hall.

Lin Changqing held a cup of tea in his hand, looking like an ordinary old man sunbathing on the street.

But as soon as Wang Long entered, he sensed that the aura emanating from him was as deep as an abyss, unassuming yet impossible to ignore.

Ji Yue held a closed folding fan in her hand and was leaning back in her chair, looking at Wang Long with great interest.

Song Tiange led Wang Long to sit down on the side of the main seat, and then gestured for Ye Niannu to sit next to him before introducing them.

"Mr. Wang, you must have heard of these two as well. Senior Lin Changqing and Senior Jiyue are both veteran Heavenly Sovereigns of the Eastern Region."

Wang Long stood up and bowed to the two men with clasped hands.

"Junior Wang Long greets the two seniors."

Lin Changqing put down his teacup, nodded slightly, and his gaze lingered on Wang Long for a moment, his tone carrying a hint of gentle approval.

"Lord Song mentioned you to us. It's not easy for a young person to achieve this. I heard that not long ago you single-handedly blocked the self-destruction of Kui Yuan, a half-step Emperor Realm cultivator from the Kui Ling Sect?"

"This junior dares not take credit."

Wang Long said casually with a smile.

"It was the concerted efforts of everyone in the Primordial Holy Palace that resolved the crisis. Without their direct restraint, I wouldn't have had a chance to intervene."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yue chuckled and lightly tapped the table with her folding fan, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"It's good for young people to be humble, but excessive humility is arrogance. There are only a handful of people in the entire Eastern Region who can withstand the self-destruction of a half-step Emperor Realm cultivator. You're quite something, kid."

Both of them wisely refrained from asking Wang Long about his secret method for enhancing his strength, but simply felt that his strength was unfathomable, and then continued chatting.

Wang Long smiled but didn't reply.

Ye Niannu sat beside him, not saying much from beginning to end, just listening quietly.

Occasionally, she would pick up her teacup and take a sip, her gaze falling on Wang Long with a gentleness that was immediately apparent to anyone else.

Song Tiange coughed lightly, bringing the topic back on track.

"Mr. Wang, I've invited you here today because I have two matters to discuss with you."

Wang Long looked at Song Tiange with a puzzled expression, quietly waiting for his explanation.

Song Tiange said calmly.

"The first thing is about the intelligence you brought. Since the incident in the North, the signs of artificially activating rifts have indeed decreased considerably."

"Patrol teams in various locations have reported that no similar traces have been found."

"This indicates that the other party has temporarily stopped, but it doesn't mean they've given up; they've just switched to a more covert method."

"Tianque City will continue to follow up on this matter, so you don't need to worry about it too much."

"You have made a great contribution to this matter, and Tianque City will give you a corresponding reward."

Wang Long nodded without asking any further questions.

He understood Song Tiange's meaning; as the central hub of the Eastern Region, Tianque City would naturally mobilize sufficient forces to deal with this matter.

Wang Long currently needs a large amount of spirit stones, but has little desire for other resources.

Song Tiange continued

"The second thing is about yourself. I heard you plan to participate in the competition a year and a half from now?"

"Yes."

Wang Long nodded calmly.

"I want to give it a try."

Song Tiange nodded slightly, as if she had expected him to answer like that.

"The competition for the entire selection is more intense than you think. You may have secret techniques, but that's not the key to success."

"True strength still depends on one's own foundation and level of attainment."

"You are now in the late stage of the Saint Realm. Reaching the Supreme Realm in a year and a half is not impossible for you, but the prerequisite is that you must find a sufficiently efficient cultivation method."