Translator: Sparrow Translations  Editor: Sparrow Translations

The Celestial Sect of Wonders" vigorous development and expansion was well within Lin Feng"s expectations. Ever since the War of the Two Worlds, the sect had reached a new level of influence within the Divine Lands and the cohesiveness within the sect had also reached a new high. Inner and outer forces propelled the sect forward, and the new generations of disciples along with the older generation were all high in morale.

The entire Celestial Sect of Wonders could be said to be in their fastest developmental period and their motivation to rise even higher was endless.

However, it was in this kind of moments when they should be the most careful. They would have to pay attention to the details while ensuring they were going in the right direction, so that the sect wouldn"t be embarking on an erroneous path.

Soaring into the clouds at breakneck speed and a swift plummet to the bottom of the abyss – an a.s.sortment of unprecedented problems could arise within a short period of time.

Strict and vigorous testing and choosing limited the number of successors and ensured that the Celestial Sect of Wonders didn"t lower their average quality even though they were in a period of expansion. They avoided those opportunists so that they could prevent an intermingling of good and bad people, which could lead to trouble in the future.

Whether or not the disciples that were already in the sect would have a change in mentality was also hard to control and required serious attention.

Human hearts were quick to change, and it wasn"t so simple either.

It probably wouldn"t be because of excessive pride and satisfaction from accomplis.h.i.+ng their goals. Rather, when the environment around them changed, people"s hearts and mentality would start to subconsciously change along with it.

The simplest example was that the Celestial Sect of Wonders" disciples were vastly different from one another, some were a lot stronger than others.

Under Lin Feng, Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and the others" control and guidance, the atmosphere within the sect was pretty much on the right track. The relatively stronger ones didn"t prey on the weak, and the weaker ones weren"t jealous and envious of others. People that came before protected those that came after, and those that came after attempted to emulate their predecessors and perceived them as exemplary role models.

However, following the Celestial Sect of Wonders" expansion, some weaker disciples decided to roam the world outside. They quickly discovered that they were average within their own sect and some were even below average, but when they were inside the Divine Lands and when they compared themselves to the other powers and disciples from the other sects, they were a lot more outstanding than outsiders.

They knew that their sect and their lineage was powerful and formidable, but this understanding would be deepest only when they had personal experience of the fact.

The world outside began to fawn on them. The world began to praise, envy and follow them and those who were hardly in the spotlight in their typical lives suddenly became the center of attention in the outside world, and everybody would be circling them.

Yet, all this glory and all the praises vanished into the distance once they returned to their mountain gate.

Some of those who were falling behind could start trying harder to improve themselves, but some could become lost and they"d start longing for a life outside and not silently cultivating within the Celestial Sect of Wonders.

Following the Celestial Sect of Wonders" expansion and their plunder from the War of the Two Worlds, the estates they owned in the outside world began to increase as well, and they had to be looked after by the disciples.

It probably wasn"t toadying for personal gain, but disciples could still develop dissenting opinions.

Some people would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. This wasn"t wrong, and preferences and choices simply varied from person to person. However, if they wallowed in the idea and comfort of becoming a local tyrant and they submerged themselves under the sect"s protection, yet their honor and glory weren"t masked by superior individuals or if they sought after their own radiance and went after their own accomplishments, all these wouldn"t be beneficial at all in their path of cultivation.

These were things that were bound to happen once a power developed until a certain level.

The world of mortals and world affairs would constantly and subconsciously rinse a person"s soul. To remain confident and motivated to improve while soaking in the sights and experiences, to remain unwavering in one"s path of cultivation was easier said than done and required regular introspection and reflection.

Lin Feng and his personal disciples, Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and the others had vastly distinct personalities, but their hearts for cultivation were solid. Under their control and their guidance from the top down, the younger disciples" mentalities were still stable and in good shape.

The second generation of disciples, Tang Jun, Han Yang, Yang Tie, Li Xingfei, Zhao Huan and the other relatively more powerful individuals, and all the way down to the third generation of disciples who were slowly gaining reputation, shared a common trend and idea. The main tree trunk was straight and unified even though there were many branches and leaves extending from it, and they maintained at a normal and orderly state.

The affairs of the mortal world were like knives, but they were more of a kind of training and experience to the disciples from the Celestial Sect of Wonders and helped them better themselves.

Lin Feng"s personal reputation and his sect"s influence both reached new highs, and both forces had invisible but far-reaching impact within the sect while they had even greater and implicating impacts on the outside world.

This was especially so after the Great Zhou Empire saga. Everybody had a deeper understanding of the Celestial Sect of Wonders" true power.

It wasn"t just Lin Feng himself who reigned supreme over the entire world. His disciples had also converted potential into formidable power and real battle prowess.

Lin Feng"s wing was full of talents, but now it could be said that his sect was full of legendary prodigies.

The Ying Sea was now completely under his control, and this consolidated the Celestial Sect of Wonders" powers and position to the point where they were almost una.s.sailable.

After they removed Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu, both Lin Feng and the Celestial Sect of Wonders returned to a state of tranquility and maintained a low profile. They didn"t interfere in the Great Zhou Empire"s internal politics and neither did they interfere anymore in the power struggle between the Great Zhou and the Great Qin Empire. They didn"t intrude in what the other powers within the Divine Lands were doing and where they were heading towards.

The Great Zhou Empire managed to recover much of their resources and the Crouching Dragon Stele. They were instantly able to hold their own against the Great Qin Empire"s pressure.

Even though they still had to return what they owed when Liang Pan played the underhanded move during the War of the Two Worlds, the new Great Zhou Emperor, Liang Gan and Prince Youyun, Liang Jingchen and the others were still able to control the negotiations within an acceptable range, while preventing the Royal House of the Northern Tribes from doing anything hasty or taking any action at the same time.

However, there was a piece of news going around that sent ripples across the entire Divine Lands, and all powers in the Divine Lands had no choice but to pay attention.

This was especially so for the Great Zhou Empire, the Great Qin Empire and the Royal House of the Northern Tribes.

This piece of news was: The descendants of Emperor Gu that had been residing in the Ancient Longevity World for a long time were entering official discussions with the Celestial Sect of Wonders, and they intended to return to the Greater World.

Compared to the Hades Tribe"s return to the Greater World, Emperor Gu"s lineage would cause much less disturbance and it was of a different nature altogether.

Still, the various powers within the Divine Lands" world of cultivation were still shaken by this. Sects were not so affected, and they just had to monitor the situation closely while watching the subsequent developments. However, it was completely different for the Great Zhou, the Great Qin Empire and the Royal House of the Northern Tribes. Their society was completely integrated with the world of cultivation, and Emperor Gu"s lineage meant something completely different.

This was the lineage of an ancient human emperor from the Antiquity Age, just like them. They were an ent.i.ty that combined mortal society with the world of cultivation, and the return of Emperor Gu"s lineage to the Great World would probably be accompanied with demands for territory and land.

The Great Zhou Empire and the Great Qin Empire were the wariest and the most vigilant, and the reason was because of their Energy of Draconic Origin.

The Draconic Energy of all life had a very substantial and important existence for their endeavors in monarchy and human emperors.

However, what made the Great Zhou, the Great Qin and the Northern Tribes a little awkward was that they were not the ones that decided to let the Emperor Gu"s lineage back into the Greater World.

There was another important piece of news that accompanied the rumors of the Ancients returning to the Greater World, and this other piece of information caused even the Great Void Sect and the Mount Shu Sword Sect, who had both sealed themselves within their respective mountains, to turn their gazes towards the Ancient Longevity World. (Translator"s Note: The Ancients is a human tribe, and also refers to Emperor Gu"s lineage. Emperor Gu is also the same thing as Emperor of the Ancients)

In the final stages of the War of the Two Worlds, the Emperor of the Dead was heinously injured by Lin Feng"s sword and he had to run away into the ends of the world. Back then, Liang Pan and the Ancients" tribe leader, Gu Jun, were closely in pursuit. Even though the Emperor of the Dead managed to escape in the end, but his Destiny-level magic treasure, the Life and Death Book, was heavily damaged once again.

Liang Pan managed to obtain several pages and Gu Jun had their own plunder as well. The Ancients" supreme treasure, the Longevity Lotus Seat, had long been unable to reach the Destiny level but their plunders from the war helped them to accomplish this feat.

On that day, the Ancient Longevity World released large volumes of light and white lotus flowers permeated the entire world. They went through the inter-world pa.s.sageway and into the Greater World, and these flowers transformed into streaks of white light that descended upon the Divine Lands" Southern Wilderness. The Southern Wilderness, which was barren and disorganized, was instantly lit up as if it was a neighborhood town with no burdens and a paradise of longevity.

The Great Qin Empire suffered heavy losses during the War of the Two Worlds, and they also lost the Immortal Dragon City.

The Great Zhou Empire"s situation was equally pessimistic. Liang Pan was murdered, and Zhu Hongwu was captured, while the Imperial Palace and the Great Heavenly Wheels were both confiscated.

The Royal House of the Northern Tribes" strength were swiftly rising, and they finally had enough power to challenge the Great Zhou and the Great Qin Empire. However, the consolidation of their finances and their influence were still lacking.

Even before the Longevity Lotus Seat finally reached the Destiny level, Gu Jun was already in the Cardinal Tribulations Beginning Stage and the Great Zhou, the Great Qin Empire and the Northern Tribes could only defend themselves in their respective regions. If they left the protection of their foundations, all three parties would be no match for Emperor Gu"s lineage even if they teamed up.

Now that the Longevity Lotus Seat was a Destiny-level magic treasure, the pressure heaped on the Great Zhou, the Great Qin and the Northern Tribes became more intense even though they were already pa.s.sive and defensive.

If Gu Jun reached the Vipralopa Stage one day while the other three parties didn"t have much improvements, then they would even find it difficult to protect themselves within their city walls.

The Great Void Sect and the Mount Shu Sword Sect had sealed themselves inside the mountain, and the only party that could decide whether Emperor Gu"s lineage could return to the Divine Lands was the Celestial Sect of Wonders.

However, what distressed and worried s.h.i.+ Zongtang, Liang Gan and the Royal House Lord was that the relations.h.i.+p between Emperor Gu"s lineage and the Celestial Sect of Wonders wasn"t bad at all.

If Emperor Gu"s lineage had yet to make their decision before the War of the Two Worlds, then their decisions during the war when they accepted Lin Feng"s arrangements to reinforce Xiling City and to go after the Emperor of the Dead were enough to display their att.i.tude.

Now, the lineage of Emperor Gu wanted to return to the Divine Lands and the first people they went to for discussions was the Celestial Sect of Wonders – this made their position even clearer.

In addition to the relations.h.i.+p between Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhener, there was nothing that s.h.i.+ Zongtang and the others could do but watch.

The Celestial Sect of Wonders didn"t have to pressure or intimidate the Great Zhou, the Great Qin or the Northern Tribes. All they had to do was remain neutral, and the return of Emperor Gu"s lineage into the Greater World would be unstoppable.

According to how Lin Feng and the Celestial Sect of Wonders typically reacted to such situations, as long as the lineage of Emperor Gu didn"t do anything wrong, Lin Feng and his sect wouldn"t force anything, and neither would they interfere.

This was a typical contest, and all parties would have to rely on their own abilities. Everybody had their plans and their calculations, so may the best man win.

However, more accurate intelligence was quickly pa.s.sed around and s.h.i.+ Zongtang, Liang Gan and the others were even more astonished.

The location that the new Emperor of the Ancients, Gu Jun, had chosen for the Ancients in the entire Divine Lands was the Southern Wilderness.

The Southern Wilderness had an inter-world pa.s.sage into the Barren Expanses, and demons frequently invaded the region. It was a place of perennial conflict, and the environment was egregious and deplorable. Hardly anybody lived there, and both the Great Qin and the Great Zhou Empire didn"t think much of this patch of land. If not for the several unique resources that were produced in this region, this patch of land would be entirely worthless.

The party with the strongest influence within the Southern Wilderness over the recent years was the Samsara Sect. However, the Samsara Sect kept withdrawing themselves over the years and besides several designated territories, they didn"t a.s.sert their dominance over the Southern Wilderness.

Such a giant patch of land was almost entirely uncontrolled by any party.

The Ancients chose this place, and even though they would be able to get some resources, the inhabitants that resided within were highly limited and the environment was heinous and atrocious.

Of course, once the Ancients settled down and when they had enough power, they would be able to expand outwards so long as the Celestial Sect of Wonders and the Great Void Sect didn"t interfere.

Still, Gu Jun was also displaying a certain position with their choice of a patch of land without a ruler – for now.