Qin Imperial Palace.
"Sir, who do you think this Sage Realm figure is?"
Ying Zheng suppressed the shock on his face, took a deep breath, and asked in a deep voice.
"Is it the Lord of Heaven Palace? The Lord of Earth Mansion? The Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao? Or some other unknown God Demon Realm entity?"
The middle-aged scholar looked equally grim.
"The Ming Emperor is the least likely. Almost impossible, in fact."
"Unknown reclusive God Demon Realm figures aren't very probable either."
"The most likely candidates are the Lord of Heaven Palace or the Lord of Earth Mansion."
"The emergence of a Sage Realm figure is absolutely bad news for all dynasties."
"At the very least, if our Qin Dynasty wants to unify the Nine Provinces, this Sage Realm figure is a major obstacle."
"Any slight movement from him could completely ruin all our plans."
"We must find this Sage Realm cultivator and win his favor."
A trace of unwillingness flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes.
"What if this person is an enemy, not a friend of the Qin Dynasty?"
"Or worse, what if he suddenly decides all dynasties should bow to him?"
"Do we submit? Or resist?"
The middle-aged scholar froze.
He was a member of the Heaven Palace and had seen many God Demon Realm beings before.
He naturally knew how terrifying they were.
One could describe a God Demon Realm cultivator as capable of fighting an entire army alone, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Then what about someone above God Demon Realm?
Facing off against an entire nation might still be no problem.
Numbers alone could not stop such power.
Only cultivators of the same realm might be able to bring them down.
Only if the Qin Dynasty possessed its own Sage Realm cultivator would it have no fear of others in that realm.
Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The emergence of a Sage Realm cultivator loomed over Ying Zheng like a dark cloud.
He had to find a way to address the Sage Realm problem.
Otherwise, his ambition to unify the Nine Provinces would never succeed.
==========
Not only Ying Zheng of the Qin Dynasty, every Emperor aiming to unify the Nine Provinces felt the same frustration.
Tang Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
"Master Yuan, do you think we can win over this Sage Realm cultivator?"
"If he's willing to join the Tang Dynasty, I'm willing to grant him the title of "King Equal to the Emperor"."
"A status second only to me, above all others."
"How likely do you think that is?"
Li Shimin asked coldly, his face full of unwillingness.
"In my judgment, this person probably no longer cares about worldly fame or status."
"What he values most is likely pure power."
"With great power, he can obtain anything he wants."
The Bad Marshal shook his head, dismissing the possibility outright.
Impossible.
Even God Demon Realm cultivators cared little for such things.
As for those in the Mythical Realm, they only worked for dynasties due to specific reasons.
But the core of it all was their pursuit of martial cultivation.
Whether it was him, Yuwen Tuo of Sui Dynasty, Huang Shang of Song Dynasty, or Phagpa of Yuan Dynasty, they were all the same.
A mere title like "King Equal to the Emperor" might appeal to common people, but to a Sage Realm cultivator, it was worthless.
"No matter what, we must try!"
"Master Yuan, find this Sage Realm cultivator immediately. If he's willing, ask him what he wants!"
"As long as it's not beyond reason, I'll agree, what harm is there?"
Li Shimin showed great resolve.
Since avoiding this Sage Realm figure was impossible, he wouldn't mind paying a huge price to bring him onto his side.
To form a coalition of interests.
==========
Not just Ying Zheng and Li Shimin, other Emperors of the major nations had their own thoughts as well.
All quickly responded.
Their top priority was to identify this Sage Realm cultivator.
Only after knowing his identity could they formulate their next move.
Meanwhile.
Sword Tomb.
Murong Xisheng looked at the blooming nine-colored flowers in front of her, barely able to contain her joy.
It had finally succeeded!
Oh my god!
Above the God Demon Realm.
The Sage Realm.
He had finally achieved it.
What an incredible feat.
From now on, perhaps no one in all the Nine Provinces could stand against him.
Clang!
The door opened.
Zhu Houzhao's figure appeared in Murong Xisheng's view.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
After his breakthrough, Zhu Houzhao's life essence had undergone another great transformation.
His longevity and physique had evolved to an astonishing degree.
His presence was like that of an immortal descending from the heavens.
Radiant and otherworldly, unrestrained and carefree.
Murong Xisheng's eyes grew dazed at the sight.
Even though she wasn't someone who valued appearances, she couldn't help but be charmed by the aura Zhu Houzhao exuded.
"Hahaha!"
Zhu Houzhao burst into hearty laughter, stepped forward, and pulled Murong Xisheng into an embrace.
Then, ignoring her shyness, he carried her directly into the bedroom.
Soon, pleasant and melodious sounds began to drift from within.
The exotic flowers and grasses outside swayed as if dancing with the wind.
The entire Sword Tomb was enveloped in a peculiar and enchanting atmosphere.
Two hours later.
Zhu Houzhao stepped out with a refreshed expression.
Murong Xisheng looked at him, face flushed with embarrassment, eyes filled with both anger and grievance.
She wanted nothing more than to bite him.
Just now, he had truly exhausted her.
This brute had absolutely no sense of tenderness.
"By the way, here's an Immortal-Grade formation, Heaven Slaying Sword Formation. I'll set it up inside the Sword Tomb later."
"It'll add another layer of protection."
"Maybe it's safe now, but who knows what mysterious threats might appear in the future?"
"You can never be too careful."
"Better safe than sorry."
"Fine, everything you say makes sense. Do it your way."
Murong Xisheng rolled her eyes at him.
"Alright, I'll go cook. It's been a while since you tasted my cooking."
After so long apart.
Murong Xisheng wanted to treasure this rare time together.
She didn't know when he'd return again after this.
"I love everything you make!"
"It's a thousand times, ten thousand times, better than the Imperial Chefs in the palace!"
He said the sweet words effortlessly.
Murong Xisheng couldn't help but beam with joy.
While she cooked, Zhu Houzhao once again looked around the Sword Tomb.
Using the Formation Disk from the Heaven Dao Reward, he began setting up the Heaven Slaying Sword Formation.
He had to make sure absolutely nothing went wrong here.
More importantly, after this breakthrough.
He found not only his strength had multiplied.
His understanding of martial cultivation had also reached an incredible level.
Especially his speed.
If he wished, he could reach any place in the Nine Provinces in mere moments.
Snow Moon City.
Sword Control Manor.
Sword Tomb.
Even the territories of other nations.
He no longer had to worry about distance from Hundred Yue City.
He could visit any time.
He could see Eastern Monarch Yan Fei again.
Meet the daughter he had never seen, Su Yue.
Spend more time with Yan Lingji and the other women.
Even go overseas to "Thinking Yi Island" to see the woman he still felt guilty toward.
Just thinking about all this made him more excited than even becoming stronger.
==========
"Mmm, delicious! I love this dish!"
"If you love it, eat more!"
"It's nothing like the imperial meals in your palace!"
"What are you saying? Imperial meals can't compare at all!"
"They're not even in the same league as your cooking. That's a fact. I will never lie!"
"Eat your food!"
"You sure know how to say all the right things."
Murong Xisheng smiled as she piled more food onto Zhu Houzhao's plate.
Her heart overflowed with happiness.
"You've now reached the Sage Realm. What do you plan to do next?"
"Unify the Nine Provinces and become the sole Emperor?"
At this moment, Murong Xisheng put down her chopsticks and looked at Zhu Houzhao seriously.
"Dominate the Nine Provinces? It's still not the right time."
"Until I understand what's going on above us, I'll maintain the current situation."
"I'll continue strengthening the Ming Dynasty."
"Train more powerful cultivators for the nation."
When it came to serious matters, Zhu Houzhao rarely joked.
He still planned to lie low and keep receiving rewards from the system.
The Nine Provinces World was full of mysteries. Until he fully grasped how deep the waters ran, he would maintain the status quo.
He was still young. He had all the time in the world.
Hearing this, Murong Xisheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't say much more.
She felt that this world was not ordinary.
Even knowing the man she loved was invincible, she couldn't help but worry.
Things were better as they were now.
She silently made a decision, to cultivate even harder.
She too wanted to reach the Sage Realm.
Only then would she be qualified to stand by his side in the future.
As the mood at the table grew heavier.
Zhu Houzhao was about to tell a joke to lighten things up when.
At that moment.
The ranking in the sky suddenly trembled.
This time, it was because the ranking was about to be updated.
"The final Forbidden Land is about to be revealed."
"Yes, let's keep watching!"
Zhu Houzhao kept eating as he gazed at the ranking.
A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
[Forbidden Land Ranking – Rank 1]
[Star Pagoda]
[Danger Level: Six Stars]
[Description: Anyone below the God Demon Realm Land Immortal or even those at that level will be reduced to ashes upon entering. The most terrifying Forbidden Land in all of the Nine Provinces. There is no second. Even those in the Sage Realm have no chance of survival]
[Reward: One Saint-Grade Formation Disk, capable of deploying the All-Heavens Star Grand Formation]
Pfft!!
When Zhu Houzhao saw the name of the number one Forbidden Land, he couldn't hold it in.
The food in his mouth sprayed out.
What the heck?!
How did the Star Pagoda become the number one Forbidden Land?
Zhu Houzhao could hardly believe what he was seeing!