At this moment, the human sovereigns had reached a consensus.
"Let's begin."
"Using the fortune of our human race as a guide, we shall connect with the Nine Cauldrons."
"Whoever has refined the Nine Cauldrons, once linked to them, will be revealed." Suiren Shi spoke slowly.
"Indeed."
The human sovereigns nodded in agreement.
Then
They each immersed themselves in deep concentration.
Using the fortune of the human race they carried, they attempted to connect with the Nine Cauldrons.
In the past
As sovereigns of the human race, they bore the fortune of their people.
Even in this era
Though the heavens had changed drastically, the saints had disappeared, and the rules of the Heavenly Dao had undergone significant transformations, one thing remained unchanged: humanity was still the dominant force in this world.
As long as the human race existed, these sovereigns, as their rulers, continued to share in their boundless fortune.
Gradually
A formless power of fortune emerged from each of the eight human sovereigns, linking them to the great river of human destiny. Through this ethereal connection, they reached out to the ancestral treasure of the human race the Nine Cauldrons. Their connection transcended the Firecloud Cave, piercing through the great formation at its entrance.
Dongsheng Divine Continent
Wu City
The ascension of the Great Qin into the Heavenly Court had finally settled.
"The Nine Cauldrons have been established."
"Our Great Qin's territory in the celestial realm is now under their protection."
"However, Feng'er,"
"Since our Great Qin has yet to declare itself in the celestial realm formally the Nine Cauldrons cannot be fully activated for isolation," Ying Zheng said to Zhao Feng with a solemn tone.
"Father, don't worry."
"I understand this well."
"The Nine Cauldrons guard our Great Qin's domain. Should any being above the Immortal Realm enter our territory, the Nine Cauldrons will immediately warn us."
"When the time comes, our Great Qin's mighty warriors will deal with the intruders."
"Apart from that, the Nine Cauldrons will remain hidden," Zhao Feng said with a smile.
Of course, he understood his father's concerns.
If they directly used the Nine Cauldrons to isolate Great Qin from Dongsheng Divine Continent, the Heavenly Court would soon take notice, which would inevitably lead to an all-out war.
Though the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had already erupted in the Southern Zhanbu Continent, compared to the threat posed by Great Qin and the devastation it had inflicted upon the Heavenly Court in the mortal realm, the Heavenly Court would undoubtedly prioritize dealing with Great Qin.
"Now that our Great Qin holds vast lands in the celestial realm, with a population exceeding that of the mortal realm"
"Our next step is to spread the path of martial cultivation, mobilizing all celestial citizens to strengthen Great Qin's power."
"Ministers, do you understand?" Ying Zheng's voice was firm and commanding.
"We understand!"
The ministers responded in unison.
"The celestial realm is unlike the mortal realm. I cannot promise you a long period of peace."
"In short implement this plan as quickly as possible," Ying Zheng urged again.
After the ministers departed
"Father,"
"Since you came personally this time, how is Mother?" Zhao Feng sat casually on the steps, smiling as he asked.
"Your mother worries about you deeply."
"She fully supported my decision to come here this time."
"With our father and son working together, we shall carve out a dominion in this celestial realm," Ying Zheng said with a laugh, his voice carrying a powerful determination.
Zhao Feng could feel it.
At this moment, Ying Zheng was reminiscent of his younger days as the ambitious King of Qin, preparing to conquer the Six Kingdoms.
However, compared to his past endeavors in the mortal realm, carving out a new dominion in the celestial realm was an even greater challenge.
Furthermore, unlike the mortal Great Qin, which had a much smaller population, the current Great Qin boasted tens of billions of citizens, hundreds of thousands of warriors with power comparable to immortals, and numerous cultivators.
Such power
In the mortal realm, even a single immortal could have effortlessly dominated an entire world.
Now, Ying Zheng's ambitions burned even brighter.
Though Great Qin had ascended to a Heavenly Court, it was only in its infancy.
To truly become a Supreme Celestial Court and claim the position of the ruler of heaven and earth.
They were far from ready.
Conquest, expansion, and seizing fortune was the path of Great Qin.
"Now that Great Qin has ascended to the Heavenly Court,"
"Father, with the power of national fortune, you should be strong enough to contend against an early-stage Grand Luo Golden Immortal," Zhao Feng said with a grin.
"Grand Luo Golden Immortal"
"A realm once beyond Great Qin's reach. And now, I have achieved it myself."
"The power of Grand Luo… it truly possesses the might to destroy the heavens and earth."
"Feng'er,"
"I now understand why this statement is no exaggeration."
"If I were to unleash my full strength upon the mortal realm, I could even shatter it entirely," Ying Zheng said with a deep sense of awe.
To think that
Great Qin had only been a cultivating empire for just over a hundred years.
In the mortal realm, the Path of Transmission had only existed for a century.
Yet in just a hundred years
A Grand Luo Golden Immortal had been born.
Even in the primeval eras of the Great Desolation, such a feat would have been unheard of.
And yet, Great Qin had achieved it in such a short time.
A sovereign of a fortune-driven empire
A Grand Luo Golden Immortal.
All of this was the power of a fortune-driven empire.
"Grand Luo is the boundary that separates the truly powerful from the lesser beings,"
"Now that we have reached this stage, Father, we can at least protect Great Qin," Zhao Feng said with a chuckle.
Hearing this
Ying Zheng laughed and asked, "Feng'er, does this mean your strength has already surpassed Grand Luo?"
"With my current power, I should be able to slay an early-stage Grand Luo."
"As for those beyond that level, it depends on my means," Zhao Feng replied with a slight smile.
"You relied on the Dao of Fortune that I granted you to forge your soul into a national destiny and gain the power of Grand Luo"
"But you, Feng'er, have achieved this strength through your abilities."
Ying Zheng's voice was filled with pride and satisfaction.
Seeing his son perform so outstandingly, Ying Zheng felt nothing but immense pride and satisfaction.
"The path of fate is truly profound."
"Now, we are a Celestial Court. In the future, when we ascend to become a Holy Court, an Eternal Holy Court..."
"Father, you will then possess the power of a Saint."
"At that moment, our Great Qin will truly govern this world." Zhao Feng said with a smile.
"To rule over a world…"
"I wonder what kind of scene that would be."
"Once the academy is established and the martial path inheritance begins..."
"What is the next step?" Ying Zheng asked with a smile.
Zhao Feng didn't waste words.
With a wave of his hand, light particles gathered in the void.
A massive map took shape before Ying Zheng's eyes. The map wasn't drawn in great detail, but the four great continents were displayed.
"As expected of the Immortal Realm."
"Even just looking at this map, it feels boundless."
"We are currently in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. I wonder how much territory we truly hold." Ying Zheng gazed at the map with amazement.
"Father."
"This is the territory our Great Qin currently controls within the Eastern Victory Divine Continent."
With a flicker of light, a section of the continent's eastern region was marked.
"It's still just such a small piece?"
"We have over ten billion people…"
"Just how many humans exist in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent?" Ying Zheng was astonished.
Originally, he had believed that with Great Qin's population exceeding ten billion, they must have occupied at least a third if not half of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent.
But looking at the map, their territory wasn't even a tenth of the whole.
"The Eastern Victory Divine Continent was the most prosperous land of the ancient Primordial Era. In this land alone, the human race numbers beyond one hundred billion, possibly even two to three hundred billion."
"And that is just one continent."
"The other continents also have considerable human populations." Zhao Feng said with a smile.
In this world, humanity was the protagonist, and population was the key to their dominance.
The other races combined still couldn't match humanity's numbers.
That was the true foundation of being the rulers of this world.
"The Immortal Realm is truly teeming with life." Ying Zheng marveled.
"Just now, Father, you asked what comes after establishing the martial inheritance."
"The answer is expansion."
Zhao Feng's expression became serious as he focused on the map.
With a single stroke, he drew a line across it.
"You're not planning to push further north, but instead expand westward toward the Southern Zhanbu Continent?"
Ying Zheng immediately understood Zhao Feng's intent.
"For now, our best approach is to fortify our position in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent."
"Advancing further north would undoubtedly alert the Celestial Court. However, expanding westward into the Southern Zhanbu Continent is different. That land is chaotic Immortals, Demons, Buddhas, and Gods are all tangled together."
"Compared to directly provoking the Celestial Court, conquering the West first is the wiser strategy."
"Of course."
"Once the Celestial Court inevitably discovers us, there will be no need for caution. At that point, we launch a full-scale invasion." Zhao Feng's eyes gleamed coldly.
"We'll proceed as you suggest."
"All of Great Qin's elite armies have already entered the Immortal Realm."
"We fear neither Immortals nor Gods." Ying Zheng declared boldly.
The current Great Qin's military forces were vastly different from before.
Every soldier in its main battle legions was an elite martial artist who had trained for years in pocket dimensions.
Within these elite troops, there was not a single cultivator below the Shattering Void Realm, and many had already stepped into the Martial Dao Unity Realm.
To reach such heights in only a hundred years only Great Qin, only by using the accelerated time flow of pocket worlds, could such a feat be accomplished.
Just as the father and son were discussing their next move
Zhao Feng's expression suddenly changed.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing this, Ying Zheng's face also grew serious.
"Someone is connecting with the Nine Cauldrons." Zhao Feng said in a deep voice.
"Connecting with the Nine Cauldrons?"
Ying Zheng's expression shifted. "The Nine Cauldrons are the sacred artifacts of our human race who could connect to them?"
"To connect with the Nine Cauldrons…"
"One must be of the human race."
"And those who qualify… those with an imprint on the Nine Cauldrons…"
Zhao Feng fell into deep thought, murmuring to himself.
Then, suddenly
His eyes lit up. "The former Human Sovereigns!"
"The Human Sovereigns?"
Ying Zheng's eyes widened in shock.
"Father."
"If it truly is the Human Sovereigns, then this is an incredible opportunity for us!" Zhao Feng said, his face full of excitement.
According to what Zhao Feng knew
In the vast primordial world, after fulfilling their merits, the Human Sovereigns were said to have retreated to the Fire Cloud Cave. However, while it was called "fulfilling their merits," in reality, they had been imprisoned there by the ancient Saints, never to leave for the rest of their lives.
Now, in this present world
The Celestial Court, Buddhism, demons, and monsters all treated the human race as livestock, using them as a source of blood and food.
As the rulers of the human race, how could the Human Sovereigns stand idly by and allow such atrocities to continue?
And now that Great Qin had entered the Immortal Realm, although their purpose was conquest, once they succeeded, they would be able to protect countless humans and reshape the order of this world.
This act would undoubtedly gain the support of the Human Sovereigns.
The Human Sovereigns each one of them was a Quasi-Saint at the peak of their power.
However, since they had been imprisoned within Fire Cloud Cave, they were unable to display their true strength.
But if one day, they managed to escape from Fire Cloud Cave, then humanity would gain countless powerful warriors, and the entire primordial world would be rewritten.
"It seems…"
"The Human Sovereigns must have sensed that the Nine Cauldrons have appeared in the Immortal Realm. So now, through their connection to the cauldrons, they are trying to find out who holds them." Zhao Feng speculated.
"It seems the Human Sovereigns are very alert to the Nine Cauldrons' reappearance. They just want to see who exactly has gained control over them."
After a moment of thought, Ying Zheng quickly grasped the key issue.
"Feng'er."
"Is there a way to directly establish contact with the Human Sovereigns?" Ying Zheng asked immediately.
"Yes."
"I have already refined the Nine Cauldrons. If the Human Sovereigns wish to communicate through them, it is entirely possible."
"I can immerse my divine sense into the Nine Cauldrons' space, and the Human Sovereigns will be able to enter as well." Zhao Feng explained.
"Then go ahead and try it. If it truly is the Human Sovereigns, this would be an incredible opportunity." Ying Zheng said with a smile.
Zhao Feng nodded, then closed his eyes and sent his divine sense into the Nine Cauldrons.
As their consciousness connected
Zhao Feng's divine sense entered the Nine Cauldrons' space.
Inside
Eight figures appeared within the cauldron's domain.
"He is one of our own, not an outsider."
"That is good."
"The fact that the Nine Cauldrons have not fallen into the hands of another race is a great fortune for our people."
"Indeed."
"Hmm? This young human does not practice the Immortal Dao?"
After a brief discussion, all the Human Sovereigns turned their gazes toward Zhao Feng's soul.
Although they had not descended in person, they could sense that Zhao Feng's divine sense was not the same as an immortal's, fundamentally different from Immortal Dao cultivation.
Seeing the eight figures before him, Zhao Feng immediately recognized their identities and origins.
They were the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of the human race
The ones who had led humanity through its most challenging eras, guiding them step by step until they became the dominant force in the world.
Each of them had made monumental contributions to human prosperity.
Each of them was a sage among sages.
Each of them was a pillar of the human race, worthy of the utmost reverence.
And naturally
Zhao Feng was no exception.
They were indeed worthy.
"Zhao Feng of the Ying clan greets the esteemed Human Sovereigns."
Hearing his name, the Human Sovereigns exchanged glances.
"Zhao Feng of the Ying clan?"
"A surname and a clan name? That is quite interesting."
"Hahaha."
"So long as you are a descendant of our human race, all is well."
"The Nine Cauldrons have not fallen into the hands of another race that alone is already a great relief."
"Originally, we sensed that the Nine Cauldrons had appeared in the Immortal Realm, and we feared they had been seized by outsiders."
"We even suspected that the mortal world had been forcibly merged back into the Immortal Realm."
"But now, seeing that this is not the case, we can be at ease."
One of the Human Sovereigns suddenly asked,
"Young one, what path do you cultivate? Why do you not have an immortal's divine sense, nor an immortal's soul?"
Hearing this, Zhao Feng respectfully replied,
"To the esteemed Human Sovereigns"
"I do not cultivate the Dao of the Immortals. Instead, I have created an entirely new path for the human race the Martial Dao."
"Martial Dao?"
"That name alone sounds extraordinary."
"And your divine sense… it is indeed powerful and distinct from the Immortal Dao."
"Wait"
"You have not cultivated the Immortal Dao. How did you enter the Immortal Realm?"
Another Human Sovereign asked, his expression serious.
The Flame Emperor spoke with a solemn tone,
"In ancient times, the Nine Cauldrons had already been placed in the mortal world, anchoring our race's fate and preventing immortals and gods from interfering with the human race."
"The Nine Cauldrons also provided a path for humanity's eventual transcendence."
"If the Nine Cauldrons remained in the mortal world, how did you, without practicing the Immortal Dao, enter the Immortal Realm?"
Zhao Feng smiled and replied,
"To the esteemed Human Sovereigns"
"I obtained a unique treasure that allows me to connect the mortal and immortal worlds."
"Using this treasure, I entered the Immortal Realm."
The Heavenly Sovereign Fuxi narrowed his eyes and asked,
"The power of the Nine Cauldrons can only be wielded by one with immense human fate energy."
"How is it that you can use the power of the Nine Cauldrons?"
"Their reactivation required an enormous surge of fate energy only then could we sense them again."
Zhao Feng answered without hesitation,
"To the esteemed Human Sovereigns"
"I am the Crown Prince of Qin. By transforming my fate into national fate, I was able to activate the power of the Nine Cauldrons."
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