After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

"Where's my birthday present?"

Jiang Yan took out a photographic stone from his pocket.

It is pure white with very faint golden patterns flowing across its surface.

"This is a birthday gift I prepared." He placed the photo stone into Ruoshui's palm. "But you can't open it for now."

Ruoshui looked at him suspiciously.

"Why are you being so mysterious?"

"You'll know when it's open."

Ruoshui turned the photo stone over and over again to look at it, and then held it up to the moonlight, but couldn't figure out what it was.

She tucked the photo stone into her pocket and raised her chin: "Alright then, I'll do as you say."

Jiang Yan reached out and gently rubbed her fox ears. Ruoshui squinted and rubbed against his palm, her fox tail swaying behind her.

"However..." she opened one eye to look at him, "if the gift isn't surprising enough, I'll hold you accountable."

"OK."

The two talked for a while longer before walking out of the pavilion hand in hand.

The moonlight cast long shadows of the two of them, and Ruoshui's fox ears occasionally brushed against his shoulder.

……

Vast Domain, Ink Pool City, Heavenly Chapter Academy.

At the top of the Wenbi Pagoda, two figures sat facing each other.

Yu Sheng's expression was somewhat gloomy.

He had already confirmed that the sealing formation was decaying faster than he had predicted. At this rate, it would probably collapse completely in just a few years.

Su Lian picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. His expression was calm, but the fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly.

"How was it?" Yu Sheng leaned back in his chair, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. "Brother Su should have verified what I mentioned himself, right?"

Su Lian put down his teacup without replying.

Silence itself is the answer.

The Vast Domain is located near the East Sea, and the Dragon Court's main camp is right next to it.

Once the seal is broken, the Dragon Court will be reborn with true dragons, at least two of them. If there are any disturbances, the Vast Domain will be the first to be affected.

The great war between humans and demons ten thousand years ago was extremely brutal.

The Vast Domain was the first to bear the brunt, directly facing the Dragon Clan's might, and suffered the most severe losses.

This is also the root cause of the huge reaction that followed when Lin Chu helped Cang Yao cross the river in the Haoran Domain.

The fact that the three founders of the religion joined forces to seal the Dragon Clan's Great Dao was itself the greatest fear of the Dragon Clan.

As the domain lord, Su Lian understood the weight of this apprehension better than anyone else.

"There are only two ways to deal with this now," Yu Sheng said, holding up two fingers in a calm and unhurried tone.

"First, just kill Ao Tianxin and Cang Yao. That's the simplest way."

Su Lian silently raised her eyelids and glanced at him.

After Yu Sheng finished speaking, he shook his head and chuckled.

Once they reach the level of Cang Yao and Ao Tianxin, they are determined to escape, and even if all four domain lords were summoned, they couldn't be stopped.

If the person doesn't die, they will become a major threat that will never be forgotten.

"Second," Yu Sheng said seriously, his smile fading, "to remove the fuel supply from under the cauldron."

"While it's still under control, before the formation completely weakens, lure them into the sealing area on their own, and then detonate the remaining heavenly punishment power in the formation all at once, forcing them into the tribulation state."

"With the formation in place, their chances of survival during their tribulation are slim."

"If they give up, it is equivalent to failure. A hidden dragon can only undergo the tribulation of becoming a true dragon once in its life. The path to becoming a dragon will be completely blocked, and they will forever lose the opportunity to transform into a true dragon."

Yu Sheng leaned back in his chair and tapped the armrest lightly with his long, slender fingers.

Su Lian lowered her eyes.

He wasn't hesitating about whether or not to deal with Long Ting; it seemed he had no other choice in this matter.

He was considering Yu Sheng as a person, and who would make the move and who would bear the consequences once the game began.

Yu Sheng clearly wanted to use the Hao Ran Domain to take the lead.

But Su Lian found that she didn't have a better option at the moment.

The seal's collapse is irreversible; time is not on his side.

The two talked for an entire day.

As night fell, Yu Sheng flew out of Mo Chi City, his huge golden wings leaving two long trails of golden flames in the night sky.

Su Lian stood alone atop the Wenbi Tower, watching the golden streak of light disappear into the northern horizon.

After a long time, he picked up his pen and wrote a letter, summoning the dean of Tianzhang Academy.

……

A few days later, in Chang'an.

A series of hurried footsteps interrupted Jiang Yan's rhythm of reviewing official documents.

A messenger from the Tushan Dynasty strode out of the teleportation array, bowed to Jiang Yan, and then turned to Ruoshui.

"Your Majesty, an envoy from the Vast Domain has arrived and is requesting an audience in the capital."

Ruoshui put down the pastry in her hand and blinked.

Vast Realm.

Over the years, she had heard Cang Yao talk a lot about the Haoran Domain. Moreover, the Tushan Dynasty was one of the few countries in the Ten Thousand Demon Domain that had friendly relations with the Haoran Domain.

So I didn't think too much about it, stood up and patted the pastry crumbs off my skirt.

"Then I'll go back and take a look first."

Just as Jiang Yan was about to say something, Ruoshui bent down and leaned close to him, her fox ears swaying gently: "I'll be back soon. Remember to wait for me when it's time to eat."

Jiang Yan smiled slightly and nodded.

Tushan Royal Palace.

The teleportation array lit up, and a figure stepped out from it.

Ruoshui was dressed in a red palace gown, her fox ears peeking out from her hair and swaying gently as she walked lightly.

A female cultivator, at the Mahayana stage, sat in the side hall. She wore a simple, moon-white robe, had a gentle face, and behaved with refined manners.

Upon seeing Ruoshui enter, the female cultivator stood up and bowed, saying, "It is truly an honor to have Your Majesty visit in person."

Ruoshui smiled and waved her hand, then sat down opposite her.

After the maid served the tea, she withdrew, leaving only the two people in the side hall.

The female cultivator first stated her name—Qingxiao.

Then he expressed his greetings to the Lord of the Vast Domain, using appropriate wording and a respectful attitude.

But soon, Ruoshui realized something was wrong.

She scanned the entire palace with her divine sense, but could not detect the aura of any of the offerings.

Ruoshui's back was covered in cold sweat, but she kept a good expression on her face.

She stood up and casually indicated that she needed to leave for a moment and asked the messenger to wait.

Qingxiao looked at her, then sighed.

"Your Majesty need not trouble yourself," she said with a hint of helplessness. "The teleportation array is temporarily disabled, and I have placed a shielding array around it."

The smile on Ruoshui's face vanished completely.

Without a second thought, the power of her ancestral spirit erupted within her, and nine ghostly blue fox tail phantoms shot into the sky.

With the blessing of the ancestral spirit, his cultivation at the peak of the Void Refinement stage rose steadily, and he broke through to the Integration stage in the blink of an eye.

The dome of the side hall was blown off by the spreading demonic power, and rubble flew in mid-air.

Qingxiao did not make a move.

She stood still, a faint barrier of righteous energy emanating from her, which deflected the flying pebbles that crashed into her.

"We do not wish to harm His Majesty," Qingxiao's voice remained calm. "The Tushan Dynasty and the Haoran Domain have always been on good terms. If there were no other choice, the Domain Lord would not have issued this order."

"Please come with me, Your Majesty. Don't worry, we won't harm you."

Ruoshui ignored it and slashed down with all nine fox tails at the same time. The demonic power of the Fusion Stage, wrapped in a dark blue flame, slammed into Qingxiao's head.

Qingxiao raised his right hand, and a rich aura of righteousness condensed into an ancient shield.

The fox tail collided with the shield shadow, creating a visible shockwave.

The walls of the side hall were riddled with cracks from the shockwave, but Qingxiao remained completely still.

The gap between the combined body and the Mahayana is too great.

Qingxiao sighed and took a step forward.

With that step, the air in the entire side hall was locked in place by an invisible force.

Later Mahayana period.

Ruoshui felt her spiritual energy flow sluggish, and the nine fox tail phantoms were pressed down, making it difficult for them to move, as if they were filled with lead.

She gritted her teeth and desperately tried to unleash the power of her ancestral spirit, but the oppressive force still pressed down on her like a mountain, making it impossible for her to break free.

"Excuse me." Qingxiao raised his hand, his fingertips drawing an ancient rune in the air.

A golden halo appeared beneath Ruoshui's feet, and a light curtain rose from all directions, trapping her within it.

Then he appeared beside her and gently touched the back of her neck with his hand.

A warm white light entered Ruoshui's body, and the nine fox tail phantoms behind her quickly dissipated as if their foundation had been removed.

My body went limp, and I slowly closed my eyes.

Then Qingxiao left a communication talisman on the spot.

They disappeared into the hall with Ruoshui's figure.