Xuanyu City.
This floating city standing in the void resounded with wails piercing into the heavens.
The sinister and horrifying sound sent shivers down one’s spine.
Within the Heavenly Master’s Dojo stood eight towering five-colored ritual altars.
Tianhe stood at the center, muttering incantations under his breath.
Essence ford from blood flew outward, attaching itself to the Ghost King and rging into its body.
Greenish soul energy erged, manifesting eerie, fearso Ghost Soldiers.
"Not enough, more... I need more."
Tianhe’s eyes brimd with killing intent as he glanced at his subordinates carrying out his orders.
"Yes, Heavenly Master!"
Having experienced countless betrayals from his followers, Tianhe had completely lost faith in this group of people.
Now that all the Thunder Tribulation masters were dead, what remained were nurous Fire Tribulation and Wind Tribulation cultivators, including Chuu Yuying, who had been refined into a Ghost King—making a total of ten.
But even combined, these individuals weren’t worth a single finger of Song Lin’s strength.
Thinking of this, Tianhe summoned two Grandmasters skilled in ghost refining and array formations. These two were at the Fire Tribulation level of cultivation, along with the Deputy City Lord and a Taiji Left Minister.
Added to them were five elderly cultivators who had been in secluded ditation in preparation for crossing tribulation.
Three hours later.
"Greetings, Heavenly Master!"
Nine Tribulation Crossing cultivators knelt before him in reverence.
"Rise. Many events in recent years have left nurous vacancies unfilled."
As Tianhe spoke, his gaze swept over the five elderly n standing at the rear, their hair white as snow.
These old fellows had escaped several Heavenly Tribulations over the years, but evading the Tribulations repeatedly had only caused each subsequent one to grow increasingly potent. The next one would likely be inescapable, and their remaining lifespans amounted to only a few decades at best.
The other four accepted their situation with resignation.
The five old n, however, hesitated, about to refuse. But before they could speak, Tianhe interjected coldly: "No rush—you’ll be of use, even as waste!"
"What?"
Everyone’s hearts trembled in dismay.
Boom!
A colossal golden palm descended, radiating endless golden light.
Monts later, Tianhe tossed the half-dead nine individuals into the blood pool, preparing to refine them into Ghost Kings.
These people were far too weak; refining them into Ghost Kings would rapidly enhance their strength to the Thunder Tribulation level.
In doing so, Tianhe would have under his command eight Primordial Spirit Ghost Kings along with ten Thunder Tribulation Ghost Kings.
Even if Zhonghuang Zi managed to break through, what difference would it make?
Besides, in a decade or so, he would face Song Lin in a duel. These Ghost Kings were part of his supernatural powers—they didn’t count as an unfair ganging up.
Once Song Lin was dead, he could slowly deal with these pawns later.
"I’ll gladly accept all of this power you’ve bestowed upon ," Tianhe said with a faint smile.
Just as he had replaced Holy Might’s physical body in the past, Song Lin’s Taoist lineage and everything else would soon belong to him.
However, refining these nine Ghost Kings would likely require more blood sacrifices.
After pondering for a mont, Tianhe called in his subordinates and commanded, "You have six months. Within that ti, I want three million people!"
"Yes!"
After his subordinates withdrew, Tianhe gazed into the void, and a flicker of frenzied demonic intent flashed in his otherwise serene eyes.
The Holy Might Taoist School still controlled a prosperous region with a population nearing sixty million.
If so fled and so died, it was insignificant. While three million people were demanded, it was possible that seven or eight million might ultimately perish.
For cultivators pursuing longevity, mortals were no different from weeds.
Take the Holy Might Taoist School, for instance; combined with the Donghua Alliance, the population across these three million square kiloters amounted to nearly ninety million souls.
Under normal circumstances, a region’s population could easily double in just one Jiazi (sixty years).
How long is a Jiazi?
For mid- to high-level cultivators, it was akin to three to five years in a mortal’s lifespan.
From the perspective of these longevity-seeking cultivators, human lives—harvested every three to five years like crops of chives—evoked no pity.
The upper ranks secretly used human lives to refine Spells and even traded with demons for more ti to survive. This was par for the course.
Donghua Jungle, at the summit of Yin Mountain.
Song Lin stood at the edge of a cliff, the mountain wind howling around him, his thoughts drifting far away.
His gaze was profound, as he looked out to where blood energy surged into the heavens, and clouds of resentnt festered.
A faint wailing of suffering souls reached his ears.
Although Song Lin wasn’t known for strong empathy, even he knew he couldn’t save the entire world.
Still, he sincerely wished for the Human Clan to unite, to refrain from killing each other, so they could break free of the demons’ oppression.
Unfortunately...
"If that’s the case, then I’ll start by killing you!"
Zhonghuang Zi and others charged forth, spells blazing amidst flashes of blood-red light.
anwhile, King Ying and others were tasked with migrating commoners to the Eight Sceneries World.
Food shortages were becoming apparent, but this was handled by a specialized Dharma Priest.
The entire Alliance coordinated around this cause, orderly and thodical, with clearly defined responsibilities.
This was the strength of strict discipline and unity—completely opposite to the weak and fractured power struggles of other Taoist sects.
As the contest for succession approached, infighting among Taoist sects continued unabated, for this determined the rightful heir to the Dragon Head Master’s position.
Tribulation Crossing Experts frequently fell in these battles, while certain young prodigies rose to fa in singular duels—for instance, Song Lin’s defeated rival Xuan Hee had recently bested twelve Tribulation Crossing cultivators from the Black Heaven Law Realm, earning unmatched prestige.
By comparison, the Holy Might Taoist School’s dealings with mortals seed rather unremarkable.
The prosperity of the Donghua Alliance increasingly unsettled other Taoist factions, stirring looming undercurrents.
Three months passed, during which demon extermination efforts reached an uneasy equilibrium with Tianhe’s faction, and so-called "demons" rarely appeared.
anwhile, over five million people had migrated to the Eight Sceneries World.
Boom!
That night, deep into the evening.
The Prince Ying’s residence blazed with light and was heavily guarded.
Taoist Soldiers patrolled everywhere, palace maids bustled about.
The entire county was under curfew, and no unauthorized individuals were allowed outside.
In the residence’s inner chambers, Wu Yi paced anxiously outside a tightly shut door. Normally unflinching in the face of major events, he now appeared especially uneasy.
"Your Highness the Princess, push hard! Breathe deeply!"
From within the room ca the steady voice of the midwife.
It turned out the Princess was in labor.
Suddenly, with the sharp cry of a newborn.
The entire chamber was lit with a crimson glow.
Golden light shot straight toward Ziwei.
The Divine Embryo was born, and the world stirred!
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