It seemed they were certain that the Vast Expanse would launch a large-scale invasion of the barbaric lands, and as far as war was concerned, the barbaric realm could only welcome it.

Chen Ping’an, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, glancing sideways at Fei Ran, Zhou Qinggao, and Shou Chen, who were seated in the center opposite him.

Zhou Qinggao seemed to sense the gaze of the young Hidden Official, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

It was as if he had waited many years and finally received some attention from the young Hidden Official. This close disciple of the astute and meticulous Zhou Qing, was quite happy.

However, the young Hidden Official quickly closed his eyes again and seemed to doze off, as if he didn’t care at all about the trends of the two realms.

The young emperor of the Xuánmì Dynasty tugged at the sleeve of the retired emperor Yu Panshui beside him and whispered, “Grandpa Yu, these beasts are getting a little bold. Why does it sound like they’re the ones who won a great victory?”

Yu Panshui’s eyes were full of approval. “A hero emerges in his youth indeed.” He lowered his head and smiled. “Your courage isn’t small either. Your words are like thunder, silent until they shock.”

The young emperor sighed inwardly, “Oh well, I spoke out of turn.” If the old fatty Yu started pounding his chest and wailing in grief, then he knew he had said the right thing. But if he smiled kindly, then he was doomed.

Yu Panshui waved his hand at the opposite side with a grin. “Children speak without thinking, children speak without thinking. Anyone who takes it to heart is a fool, anyone who cares has no…”

A Liang cursed in his mind, “Fat beauty, have some shame!”

Yu Panshui immediately replied, “Yes, yes, yes, good, good, good.”

Even Yu Panshui couldn’t handle the nickname “Fat Beauty.” Fortunately, it was only a private brotherly term for now and couldn’t be spread around. When the mountain and water gazette was launched, he definitely couldn’t end up like the Great Lackey Yan.

The Great Source Emperor coughed lightly.

The Celestial Yang Qingkong of the Chongxuan Bureau immediately used his magic to isolate a small world. Only then did the Great Source Emperor lower his voice and ask, “Grand Preceptor?”

Yang Qingkong still spoke in his mind, “We can lose the battle but not the war of words. If we don’t put on this pretense, how can we demand a high price? It’s unlikely that a real war will break out.”

Some things were not suitable to be said here, and that was that the hearts of the Vast Expanse were no longer united. Especially the ruins of the Fúyáo and Tóngyè continents, which were enough to satiate some people. In addition to the ferocity of the barbaric realm’s armies, the Aiaí and Liúxiá continents, as well as the lands beneath the mountains of the Central Earth Divine Continent, might have no impression at all, but the other continents would have a deep impression. So much so that for the next two or three generations, ordinary people would feel lingering fear whenever they talked about it. As for the mountain cultivators who had personally experienced the wars on various continents, there was no need to say more. In the future, as long as they occasionally thought about it, they would feel a pang of heartache. Most importantly, the barbaric realm could drive soldiers like pigs and dogs, forcibly conscripting them and sending them to the Sword Qi Great Wall battlefield at any cost. How many died on the way? Apart from the demon cultivators, how many millions died? Did it reach ten million? In any case, corpses piled up and wreckage was everywhere! According to intelligence from the ferry, the number of demon ghost cultivators had exploded in the last twenty years.

Could the Confucian Temple of the Vast Expanse do this? Once it failed to gather enough troops, what was the point of going to war in the barbaric realm? Was it a suicide mission? Taking a step back, even if progress was smooth, and they advanced all the way south, conquering tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of miles of land, how could they defend it? Who would defend it? Even if they defended it, what would be the point? Would it be worth the loss? Did everyone firmly believe that they could break through the entire barbaric realm? And then the Confucian Temple would reward them for their merits, and everyone could get a share?

After a great war, the mountain cultivators of the Vast Expanse were scarred, and there were certainly many who harbored hatred and were willing to fight bravely, but more of them just wanted to live well. After all, they were not like the demon cultivators in the barren lands of the barbaric realm, who were full of desire for a foreign land, drooling and eager to fight as soon as they heard about the prosperous Vast Expanse. And this subtle atmosphere of the barbaric realm was one of the results of Zhou Qing’s meticulous plan over thousands of years.

The Flower Master of Hundred Flowers Blessed Land quietly said, “Sister Qing Shen, the other side seems to be a bit of a reckless bunch.”

Madam Qing Shen Mountain smiled and nodded.

If one were to connect Zhou Qing’s disappearance on the Treasure Bottle Continent, with the Old Ancestor of Tūoyuè Mountain, who had fought with the Sage Master for many years, not hesitating to sacrifice his life to completely disrupt the weather of the Vast Expanse, while opening the entrance to the Guīxū to help the demon race of the barbaric realm return home, and that…