The peach blossoms of Divine Firmament City, like those of the Xuan Capital Temple, are renowned throughout the world.

It was here that Dong Huafu built his hermitage and practiced his swordsmanship, oblivious to the seasons beyond the city walls.

His eight fellow swordsmen from his hometown had begun to practice the dozen or so sword techniques uniquely taught within Divine Firmament City. Even ordinary Jade Pivot City Daoist officials, sword cultivators though they may be, could only acquire such superior sword arts through diligent cultivation and the accumulation of merit.

But Dong Huafu merely committed the sword arts to memory, never once practicing these techniques that money could not buy.

Furthermore, Dong Huafu was the only one of the nine who had yet to receive the Daoist patent from Jade Pivot City. While there was some internal debate within Jade Pivot City regarding this matter, it was all suppressed by Wang Qing, one of the two deputy city lords of Divine Firmament City. Wang Qing was a middle-aged Daoist with a gentle demeanor, easily approachable, who frequently visited Dong Huafu’s hermitage for idle conversation.

The position of city lord of Divine Firmament City remained vacant, and there was much speculation as to who would ultimately wield the authority.

The two deputy city lords, Wang Qing, and the swordswoman Xiao Feibai, whose Daoist name was “Compass,” were both Immortals. However, Xiao Feibai’s exceptional swordsmanship made her the more favored candidate to succeed as city lord. Interestingly, Xiao Feibai and Wang Qing were Daoist partners, so regardless of who took the helm of Divine Firmament City, the power would remain within the family.

However, the fact remained that both Daoist partners were merely Immortals, making them appear somewhat “ordinary” for the role of city lord.

Recently, a variable had emerged with the arrival of a stranger in Divine Firmament City: the sword cultivator Hao Su.

Although this Correctional Officer was little known in Sword Qi Great Wall, not even among the Ten Peak Swordsmen on the city walls, he had gained renown beyond the walls. In the Vast Expanse, he had slain the Ascended cultivator Nan Guangzhao. In the Savage Lands, he had slain the Ascended Great Demon Xuanpu, who was also the city lord of Immortal Hairpin City, known as the tallest city in the mortal realm.

Thus, Daoist officials from the Five Cities and Twelve Towers, including those in Divine Firmament City, speculated whether Hao Su might directly be appointed as the city lord of Divine Firmament City.

A guest arrived at the hermitage. As was customary, the host was poor, and the guest was expected to bring his own wine. This was called robbing the rich to aid the poor.

Dong Huafu raised his white bowl and took a sip of the peach nectar, which always tasted delectable. He curiously asked, “Correctional Officer, I hear you’re about to become a great official again?”

According to the second shopkeeper, drinking with a cup instead of a bowl diminished the flavor by at least half.

His eight fellow townsmen, who had become Daoists in Divine Firmament City, were all doing quite well, often visiting to share gossip from the various cities and towers of White Jade Capital.

These eight young swordsmen occasionally sought Hao Su’s guidance on cultivation bottlenecks. Initially, Hao Su would explain everything in detail, but before long, he established a rule: one question per realm. Each swordsman could only ask Hao Su one question within a given realm; the next question could only be asked after breaking through to the next level.

This sword cultivator, considered one of “our own,” had a remarkable talent for officialdom, seemingly able to become an official wherever he went. It was truly enviable.

Hao Su shook his head and laughed, “It’s all hearsay. Before I came, I agreed with Lu Chen to serve only as a guest elder of Divine Firmament City.”

Dong Huafu asked, “Is that because you know you can’t become the city lord, so you’re playing it humble? Or is it that you could become the city lord, but you simply refuse?”

Hao Su replied, “If I wanted to be the city lord, I could be. But there’s no need. Too many mundane matters would only hinder my sword practice.”

Dong Huafu raised his wine bowl, suspending it in the air. “Is that why the Correctional Officer never drew his sword on Sword Qi Great Wall?”

Hao Su’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. “There were some difficulties, I dared not die. But the fact remains that I never killed a demon, which is a betrayal of the Great Sword Immortal’s trust.”

On the battlefield of Sword Qi Great Wall, enticing each sword immortal to battle outside the city, and the actions of each savage great demon, whether arrogant or seemingly reckless, were often part of far-reaching and insidious schemes. The savage realms would stop at nothing to achieve the victory of killing a sword immortal, using both the tactic of surrounding and not killing certain young sword cultivators of Sword Qi Great Wall, and the practice of savage demons being forced by great demons to serve as bait. At the dinner tables of Sword Qi Great Wall, there was a saying that supposedly originated from the Summer Palace: every sword immortal who rose to prominence was responsible for the deaths of at least five “future” sword immortals.

Dong Huafu nodded and grinned. “To be such a high-ranking official, with such a high level of cultivation, and still willing to speak such humble words to a junior like myself, the Correctional Officer still has some conscience. Every family has its own troubles. Let’s not dwell on it. To the bottom!”

This was also why Hao Su frequently brought wine to “beg for scolding”: here, he could at least hear a few sincere words, regardless of status, on the mortal wine table, they were equals.

Dong Huafu asked, “With the Correctional Officer’s level of cultivation, why not seek a higher position in another city?”

An Ascended sword cultivator was a prized commodity everywhere.

The position of Divine Firmament City among the Five Cities and Twelve Towers of White Jade Capital was neither high nor low.

Hao Su said, “I still hold the title of former Correctional Officer, which allows me to provide some assistance to you all.”

In the world of Five Colors, Qi Shou was the new Correctional Officer of Ascension City, while Ning Yao only served as the Acting Hidden Official. Therefore, Hao Su was indeed a former Correctional Officer.

Dong Huafu looked up at the distant, towering city, shrouded in ethereal mist.

Spirit Treasure City was the place where the Second Patriarch, Yu Dou, attained enlightenment. Southern Splendor City was the Daoist retreat of the Third Patriarch, Lu Chen.

Jade Emperor City, also known as Verdant City, was once the place where the Great Patriarch, Kou Ming, preached. It was the first city built by White Jade Capital, and only the Violet Qi Pavilion, personally built by the Dao Ancestor, was of the same “age.”

The Cloudwater Tower and the Jeweled Cascade Tower of the Twelve Towers were both Daoist lineages passed down by the Great Patriarch.

For some reason, Jiang Yunsheng, who had only recently become the city lord of Verdant City, quickly entered seclusion.

Outsiders speculated that Jiang Yunsheng had received a great fortune, enabling him to achieve the feat of breaking through two realms within a few years and attaining Ascension.

In truth, this speculation was both right and wrong.

Within the sleeve of the Daoist robe that Lu Patriarch had named “Beating Every Clever Place in the World,” he had concealed an extraterrestrial demon captured from beyond the heavens, and secretly implanted it into the Daoist heart of Jiang Yunsheng, who was striving for “promotion and fortune.” This ensured the Daoist adage that “as the Dao rises, so does the demon,” which meant the position of city lord of Verdant City would not be easy to hold. If Jiang Yunsheng could not overcome his inner demons, he would likely face an untimely demise and reincarnation.

The vice-tower masters of the Twelve Towers were limited to two, and they had to be Immortal Daoist officials to be qualified.

However, the number of vice-city lords in the Five Cities was not fixed, ranging from one to three, depending solely on the city lord’s personal preferences.

The height of the Five Cities and Twelve Towers varied based on the accumulation of merit every sixty years.

Dong Huafu curiously asked, “Correctional Officer, do you know where the Great Patriarch has gone?”

Hao Su laughed, “How would an outsider like me know such top-secret information of White Jade Capital? Next time Lu Chen visits, you can ask him yourself.”

It had to be admitted that Lu Chen was a remarkable man.

The celestial peaches of Divine Firmament City and the jade emperor plums of Verdant City were recognized throughout the world as celestial delicacies.

Verdant City was located at the northernmost point of White Jade Capital.

A single city possessed one of the Ten Great Grotto Heavens, Jade Emperor Grotto Heaven, and two of the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto Heavens, “Spirit Turtle Grotto Heaven” and “Axe Handle Grotto Heaven,” and simultaneously occupied three of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

This was unique in all of White Jade Capital, and could not be found anywhere else in the countless worlds.

The Azure Depths World possessed the most mountain fortunes.

Heaven was divided into yin and yang, heaven and earth opened, and purity and turbidity began to separate. On earth, they merged into seas, rivers, and streams, and above, they corresponded to the sun, moon, and stars. Spiritual energy formed the mountain ranges, and beneath them lay grotto heavens and blessed lands.

Within the Fourteen Prefectures, no kingdom had the concept of “Five Sacred Mountains,” but each prefecture had a famous mountain bearing the title of “Guardian.” Four of the great prefectures, including You Prefecture, could also receive the title of “Peak,” somewhat akin to a minister in the mortal court concurrently holding the title of Grand Tutor or Grand Preceptor. The remaining ten guardians, who did not receive the title of Peak, were simply Guardians. Therefore, in the mortal world, they were commonly referred to as the Four Peak Guardians and the Ten Guardians. In each “Peak Guardian” mountain, the mountain god would build a quiet chamber as their seat of government. The other ten mountain gods, who held lower positions.

Today, the two vice-city lords who were supposed to attend the Jade Purity Palace council had unexpectedly visited the hermitage together.

Hao Su could see that they had sent their astral projections. For the sake of Divine Firmament City’s future and the continuation of its legacy, this couple had truly put in great effort.

As expected, Wang Qing directly addressed Hao Su by name and got straight to the point. “Hao Su, before the Jade Purity Palace discusses your assignment, my wife and I are willing to recommend you as the city lord of Divine Firmament City. If you agree, we’ll have the confidence to speak on this matter with the two patriarchs at the Jade Purity Palace.”

The Divine Firmament City Ancestral Hall had already made a decision, feeling that appointing Hao Su as city lord was feasible.

Hao Su didn’t hesitate, shaking his head. “Such a hot potato is best left uneaten.”

To a sword cultivator, everything else was ephemeral; only cultivation level was real.

Hao Su aspired to become a pure sword cultivator at the fourteenth realm, nothing else mattered.

Hao Su frankly said, “Divine Firmament City’s foundation is limited. If it were Verdant City, I might consider it.”

Becoming the city lord of Verdant City would naturally allow him to occupy one of the grotto heavens and develop it as his cultivation retreat, making sword practice twice as effective.

In Divine Firmament City, which only had one blessed land, Hao Su didn’t see any practical benefits to being the city lord. A mere title was not worth spending his years consumed with secular affairs.

Xiao Feibai smiled wryly, glancing at her husband. You guessed correctly; he truly looks down on Divine Firmament City, where “a clever housewife can hardly cook without rice.”

The five cities of White Jade Capital were Verdant City, Spirit Treasure City, Southern Splendor City, Jade Pivot City, and Divine Firmament City.

Previously, due to the addition of nine sword cultivators, Divine Firmament City, whose status had been declining, finally rose by a hundred zhang. A hundred zhang was insignificant in the towering White Jade Capital.

But Divine Firmament City had at least halted its decline, which was more important than anything else.

Although Verdant City had been declining since the Great Patriarch stepped down as city lord, having “landed” the most of all the five cities, it had a strong foundation. “The Jeweled Towers of White Jade Capital majestically lean against Verdant,” was not merely flattering words. Compared to Verdant City, Divine Firmament City was like someone with only a few pennies, while Verdant City held a fortune. Therefore, when it came to spending a little money, who was more wasteful? The answer was obvious.

Currently, Divine Firmament City’s height was the lowest since it was surpassed by Jade Pivot City. The problem was that, not only was it at the bottom of the Five Cities, it had been surpassed by two of the Twelve Towers in the past five hundred years. If this continued, Divine Firmament City would truly become unworthy of its name. As some cynical tongues in other prefectures quipped, it would be better to rename it “Divine Firmament Tower,” which would sound much better.

The old city lord, Yao Kejiu, whose Daoist name was “Imitating the Ancients,” had perished on Sword Qi Great Wall.

The old Daoist was also the master of Wang Qing and Xiao Feibai.

There were over six thousand Daoist officials in the city, and there was a lack of talent.

In the past thousand years, there had not been a single Daoist official with the talent to say that they would definitely attain Ascension.

Wang Qing and Xiao Feibai both recognized that they had no hope of reaching the Ascended realm in this lifetime. Therefore, the next city lord of Divine Firmament City had to have a high enough level of cultivation to bear the burden, continue the legacy of Divine Firmament City, and revitalize the Daoist lineage.

Hao Su clasped his fist and said, “I am truly sorry to have disappointed you.”

Wang Qing sighed, inevitably disappointed, but still smiled and said, “We wouldn’t force anyone to do what they don’t want. It’s already a great honor for you to serve as a guest elder of Divine Firmament City.”

After the two vice-city lord Daoist officials took their leave, Hao Su laughed, “Dong Charcoal, do you really think so highly of the Hidden Official?”

Dong Huafu nodded. “I’m too lazy to think for myself. He’s thoughtful, and Chen Ping An has a feeling about him that I can’t describe, it’s not something you see every day.”

Hao Su asked, “Explain it.”

In fact, this Correctional Officer had only known Chen Ping An for a short time, and they hadn’t even exchanged many words.

Dong Huafu hesitated for a moment, “It’s just a feeling. For example, when I’m walking down the street, even if I don’t know you, I can sense your ‘aura.’ Vice City Lord Xiao Feibai even more so, you can tell at a glance that you’re not to be trifled with. Even those few fellow townsmen, younger than me and with lower cultivation levels, I can clearly sense their ‘aura,’ getting stronger every day. Daoist aura, immortal aura, heroic aura, wealthy aura, official aura, literary aura, the arrogance that keeps people at arm’s length, the smugness of a petty person… there’s a lot of them. Anyway, they’re all vague feelings. Wang Qing might be an exception, so he’s a bit like Chen Ping An.”

Hao Su was silent for a moment, then said a single word, “Even.”

Dong Huafu took a sip of wine and nodded. “That’s the feeling. Walking, talking, complexion, eyes, sitting down to drink, Wang Qing gives me the feeling that he’s very plain, and it doesn’t make you feel like he’s aloof, nor is it the detached aura that comes from being without desires. On the contrary, he’s full of humanity, but whatever his identity, he deserves it. You might not click with this kind of person, but it’s hard to dislike them.”

The highest point in White Jade Capital had no formal name and was commonly known as the Upper Purity Pavilion.

The Dao Ancestor occasionally preached here. According to custom, only the three patriarchs and the young Daoist “Shan Qing” were allowed to set foot here.

The Ancestral Hall of White Jade Capital was named the Great Purity Hall, which displayed portraits of Daoist officials of all generations of those ascended, save the Dao Ancestor and the three patriarchs.

However, the “Ancestral Hall” of White Jade Capital held its discussions in a celestial palace known as the Jade Purity Palace, a hidden realm of mountains and rivers, not located in any city or tower.

Today, the Jade Purity Palace was holding a grand council.

Those qualified to participate in the council included the city lords and tower masters from the Five Cities and Twelve Towers, as well as specially invited celestial Daoist officials who were “free from official duties,” people of great age and long experience. Some of the highly respected old celestial lords had even served as city lords and tower masters for many years.

The Jade Purity Palace hung in the middle of the void.

Azure clouds swirled as Daoist officials stood or sat.

Behind closed doors, one item on the agenda was Lu Patriarch’s suggestion that the sword cultivator Hao Su, who was serving as a guest elder of Divine Firmament City, have half of his merit for moving the Bright Moon Essence to Azure Depths deducted in advance. If Hao Su killed an Ascended cultivator in Azure Depths, White Jade Capital would not hold him accountable. As for outside of White Jade Capital, it would be handled accordingly. White Jade Capital would not interfere with Hao Su seeking revenge.

According to the rules of the Jade Purity Palace, the Daoist officials at the council could reject any edict from the three patriarchs. However, today, seeing that Patriarch Yu hadn’t said anything, they went along with Lu Patriarch’s proposal.

But when Lu Chen added another sentence, the council hall was no longer silent, and some Daoists even sneered.

It turned out that Lu Patriarch was starting to act recklessly again, proposing that Hao Su be allowed to fight with any Daoist official within White Jade Capital, with the remaining half of his merit deducted, with no repercussions.

Seeing that the situation was turning sour, Lu Patriarch became anxious.

He had actually contacted a few close friends, brothers, and seniors beforehand, and they had all agreed. Lu Patriarch had personally visited them to smooth things over.

Take Tower Master Wang Dongzhi of Jeweled Cascade Tower, for example. Before coming to the Jade Purity Palace council, he had just treated Lu Patriarch to a cup of tea.

Lu Patriarch had explained at length that he had gone through countless hardships,险象环生,命悬一线, and barely managed to obtain the coral pen holder from Jade Tablet City in the Savage Lands… Today, whatever I say, Wang Dongzhi, you have to nod your head and support your brother, right?

It seemed that he couldn’t rely on these disloyal fellows.

No matter, I still have my senior brother!

Yu Dou, looking at his junior brother “with the talisman face,” finally spoke.

During Lu Chen’s hundred years of managing White Jade Capital, if the guest elder Hao Su of Divine Firmament City fought with anyone, the remaining half of the merit for moving the moon would be deducted from Lu Chen.

“Lu Chen” immediately clarified, “Everyone, we’ve agreed, it’s only deducting the merit from Southern Splendor City. The culprit must be held responsible. If anyone wants revenge in the future, they still have to find Hao Su. Don’t come looking for me!”

Madam Wei smiled and said, “Let me correct that. City Lord Lu just misspoke. It’s deducting the merit from ‘Patriarch Lu Chen,’ not from our Southern Splendor City. We must keep public and private matters separate.”

The other two vice-city lords of Southern Splendor City openly agreed with Madam Wei, not giving their city lord any face.

Lu Patriarch had become a city lord to this extent, it was truly speechless. This was called winning the hearts of the people.

Lu Chen looked at Wang Qing, who shook his head.

Lu Chen felt some regret. It would be very suitable for Hao Su to serve as the city lord of Divine Firmament City.

But there was no way around it; Divine Firmament City couldn’t give Hao Su the private cultivation retreat he wanted. As for Verdant City, Hao Su would definitely not be suitable to lead it. If Lu Chen dared to open his mouth, the Jade Purity Palace could drown him with spittle. Furthermore, the number of vice-city lords was already full, or rather, it had always been fixed. The Great Senior Brother wasn’t in White Jade Capital, and even if Lu Chen had some ideas, Yu Senior Brother wouldn’t agree. Otherwise, it would be nice for Hao Su to transfer to Verdant City as a vice-city lord.

Xiao Feibai signaled Lu Patriarch with her eyes to say a fair word. No matter what Hao Su thought, they could cook the rice and say that it was the decision of the Jade Purity Palace, forcing Hao Su onto the shelf.

Lu Patriarch yawned repeatedly and began to close his eyes and rest.

Today, the oldest Daoist officials in the Jade Purity Palace were, of course, Huang Jieshou and Pang Ding, some of the old-timers of White Jade Capital.

However, there were also two of the youngest juniors, who had been invited to participate in the council by exception. They were young to an extreme degree, and being in the Jade Purity Palace was like young cranes standing on azure clouds.

Recently, several major events had occurred in White Jade Capital.

First, nine sword cultivators from Sword Qi Great Wall had entered Divine Firmament City to practice swordsmanship. It was said that one of the young sword cultivators, surnamed Dong, had excellent talent, and he was also a descendant of Dong Sangeng.

Next, Patriarch Yu, who had not accepted disciples in a long time, had finally accepted a personal disciple from the Vast Expanse after six hundred years.

Then, the Correctional Officer Hao Su of Sword Qi Great Wall had ridden his sword from the Bright Moon Essence to Divine Firmament City and had settled down here. It was said that White Jade Capital might be offering him a city lord position.

Jiang Yunsheng, the “acolyte” who used to guard the gate of Upside-Down Mountain, had just become an Immortal and had been exceptionally promoted to city lord of Verdant City.

What was called “exceptional” was not only that Jiang Yunsheng had become one of the few non-Ascended city lords or tower masters in White Jade Capital’s long history, but also that this matter had directly bypassed the Jade Purity Palace council. It was a decision made privately by Patriarchs Yu Dou and Lu Chen, and it was evident that the Dao Ancestor had acquiesced to it, so it did not cause any waves in White Jade Capital.

Finally, Zhang Fenghai of Jade Pivot City had rebelled against White Jade Capital on the day he left the Smoke and Clouds Grotto of the Guardian Palace. He chose to establish his own faction and found Xin Ku on Intercalary Peak, announcing that he was formally establishing a sect. Zhang Fenghai served as the first sect master, and the vice-sect master was an unknown qi cultivator named Lu Tai.

The sudden appearance of this brand-new sect, with only six members, was enough to attract attention from the Fourteen Prefectures of Azure Depths.

This was because, among the recorded cultivators, there was Xin Ku, one of the new Ten Under Heaven martial artists, and the Loose Immortal Lü Bixia, who was one of the candidates.

There was also the female founder of the Cane Sect of Yong Prefecture, Daoist name “Grasping Clouds,” Shi Xingyuan, who was rumored to have passed away long ago.

Yuan Ying, once one of the young candidates for the Ten Under Heaven, had two mentors, Liu Qi and Cao Zu of Poem Remnant Blessed Land.

Therefore, it was strange that Lu Tai served as the vice-sect master and also held the position of chief consecrator.

Outsider Daoist officials rarely caused such heated discussions in White Jade Capital. Zhang Fenghai was one of the few exceptions.

Whenever Zhang Fenghai was mentioned, Daoist officials in White Jade Capital, regardless of their level or Daoist lineage, felt great pity. After all, with Zhang Fenghai’s cultivation talent, there was no problem with him becoming a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor.

The fact that he had both entered and left White Jade Capital meant that White Jade Capital had “lost” two Zhang Fenghai.

Pang Ding, the city lord of Spirit Treasure City, Daoist name “Empty Heart,” asked, “Who in the world is that Lu Tai? How did he get mixed up with the traitor Zhang Fenghai?”

The old Daoist emphasized the word “Lu” with a heavy tone.

Lu Chen began to look inward, indifferent, his mind wandering for thousands of miles.

Could it be that everyone named Lu in the world is related to me?

The two vice-city lords of Jade Pivot City, Guo Jie and Shao Xiang, snorted coldly, and directly countered: “May I ask City Lord Pang, how is my junior brother Zhang Fenghai a traitor?”

Pang Ding squinted and smiled. “Junior brother? Did I remember incorrectly? Zhang Fenghai only left the Daoist register of White Jade Capital, but he still retains his Jade Pivot City Daoist warrant, correct?”

Xu Zujing, an old Daoist priest who had just drunk a jar of ten thousand-year-old wine in the Bright Moon, held a whisk in his hand. This generally recognized soft-hearted, easy-going Jade Pivot City Daoist enforcer said coldly: “Whether Zhang Fenghai has a Jade Pivot City Daoist warrant or not is none of your Spirit Treasure City’s business.”

The closed disciple of their master, the junior brother Zhang Fenghai, was the greatest concern for this group of senior brothers, without exception.

Huang Jieshou, the old Daoist priest of Daoist name “Weighing,” the former tower master of Azure Cloud Tower, had recently even resigned as the master of the Guardian Palace, so the old man no longer carried his signature bunch of keys on his waist.

Huang Jieshou said: “To be fair, Zhang Fenghai cannot be considered a traitor. The Dao Ancestor personally sent him out of the Smoke and Clouds Grotto.”

Pang Ding was speechless.

He had accidentally bumped into a hard nail.

Lu Chen lightly clapped his hands silently.

That’s what you get for trying to find trouble with me.

There was an empty azure cloud next to Lu Patriarch.

It was for the Daoist Shan Qing, also a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, but was unable to attend the council because he was far away in the Five Colors World.

In fact, White Jade Capital had a low opinion of this closed disciple of the Dao Ancestor privately.

He had actually been challenged by Ning Yao and had lost miserably, losing face.

Even if the opponent was the strongest person in the Five Colors World, even if it was that Ning Yao, they didn’t expect Shan Qing to win, but they should have at least put up a good fight, but it turned out that he was completely powerless.

As a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, how could he be so useless? Could he really become the future fourth patriarch of White Jade Capital?

In addition, Jiang Yunsheng, the new city lord of Azure Verdant City, was also absent today.

Then, within the Jade Purity Palace, the high-ranking Daoist officials posed a series of questions to the two patriarchs.

An old woman, the vice-tower master of the Violet Qi Tower, was the first to ask: “Should we interrupt the Grand Universal Offering of the Fish Talisman Dynasty in Yong Prefecture, or should we block the divination result afterward?”

Although Yong Prefecture was the smallest of the Fourteen Prefectures, there was a “mountain peak” at the bottom of a great river on the border, where a Lotus God Shrine was built. Outside the shrine was a ten thousand-year-old camphor tree.

If the dynasty occupying this submerged mountain god shrine built the highest-standard Grand Offering altar, they could determine the fortune of the Four Prefectures by chopping off branches of the camphor tree.

The camphor tree naturally branched out in four directions, exactly pointing to Yong Prefecture, Pei Prefecture, and two other prefectures, each branch governing the rise and fall of a prefecture’s fortune. This was not mere superstition, but a universally recognized conclusion.

Within the Lotus God Shrine was a national treasure of the Fish Talisman Dynasty, a spear named “Break Formation.”

The reason why the Fish Talisman Dynasty had been able to stand for so long in Yong Prefecture was largely due to this magical weapon recorded by White Jade Capital, because it was a token of love given by Us Prefecture to the founding emperor of the Fish Talisman Zhu clan.

So, who would dare covet this treasure?

If Lu Chen were in charge of White Jade Capital, he would “persuade” the young empress not to act so impulsively, whether it was through tantrums or unreasonable means.

But the problem was that Yu Senior Brother was now in charge of world affairs.

Therefore, Lu Chen could only persuade and not interfere with the internal affairs of the Fish Talisman Dynasty. This was why he had made a personal trip to the Lotus God Shrine last time, but had to return without success.

Furthermore, there was a great secret hidden within the Lotus God Shrine, which White Jade Capital naturally knew, as it came from the Dao Ancestor himself.

The reason why a mountain god shrine was built underwater, with the river’s currents surging and constantly washing away the temple, was to suppress the martial luck with the water currents.

This was because, in addition to enshrining the spear “Break Formation,” the Lotus God Shrine was also suppressing one of the “Common Kill” weapons of the past.

For ten thousand years, the connections remained, and the shrine bound this unruly magical weapon in place as if a giant were holding it.

Patriarch Yu Dou said calmly: “It is in accordance with the rules for the Zhu Clan of Fish Talisman to hold a Grand Universal Offering. White Jade Capital should not interfere.”

Since the patriarch had spoken, there was no disagreement among the Daoist officials.

The second question at the Jade Purity Palace council was: “Since that Dao friend ‘Greater Yin’s’ unity lies in a magical weapon, an ancient relic, can the Azure Cloud Tower present her with that armor that has been sealed for many years? By doing so, can we recruit her as the chief guest elder of the Azure Cloud Tower? That way, the Divine Firmament City has the Ascended sword cultivator Hao Su as their guest elder, and the Azure Cloud Tower also has Fourteenth Realm Us Prefecture serving as the chief guest elder…”

Before that seasoned Daoist official could finish speaking, Yu Dou had already said: “Us Prefecture had previously proposed using this Azure Cloud Tower armor as a trade to serve as the Azure Cloud Tower’s vice-tower master, I already rejected her. There is no need to discuss this further.”

The Jade Purity Palace was silent.

Lu Chen sighed softly. He knew it.

The female Daoist Us Prefecture could not be described as just a genius among geniuses. Her existence caused all the Daoist officials of her era to pale in comparison.

Talent, aptitude, opportunity, disposition, achievements… Us Prefecture was unmatched in the world at the time.

She came from a small Daoist temple. Relying on a few ordinary Daoist books and a few mentor’s secret methods, she was already in the Jade Bloom Realm as a young woman. During one experience, she had obtained part of the legacy of “The Forger,” one of the twelve high-ranking ancient gods. After that, Us Prefecture advanced by leaps and bounds on the path of cultivation. Thanks to her divine ability, she was able to cultivate both artifact-crafting and realm-breaking with equal ease, and ultimately became the number one artificer in many realms.

Within six hundred years, she had personally crafted semi-celestial weapons, treasures. There were sixteen such creations that had been gifted, sold cheaply, or casually placed somewhere – all registered in the Jade Records – and deemed by her to be mere “defective products”.

White Jade Capital would not interfere with the affairs of the Fish Talisman Dynasty, nor would it recruit Us Prefecture, whose old dojo was located in Yong Prefecture, implying that Zhu Xuan’s divination with the camphor tree about the fortunes of the Four Prefectures was a foregone conclusion.

The atmosphere in the Jade Purity Palace became heavy.

Lu Chen said: “Let us continue with the council.”

“How should we handle that Intercalary Peak?”

“Has Sun Huaizhong of the Xuan Capital Temple, Gao Gu of the Earth Lungs Mountain, or Yao Qing of the Azure God Dynasty attained the Fourteenth Realm?”

“Is it in accordance with the rules for the Great Tide Sect and the Two Capitals Mountain to build the Grand Enclosure Purple Star Array in Yin Prefecture without permission, altering the environment of the prefecture?”

“The results of this selection of the Ten Under Heaven and the candidates were extremely suspicious. Was Long Xinpu, who had passed away in the military, stirring the waters? Did the Hongnong Yang Clan of You Prefecture participate?”

“Did someone from the Hongnong Yang Clan raise a banner on a mountain in You Prefecture at the end of last year, claiming that they would eliminate a demon from the world? Who is this demon?”

“Why does Gao Ping of the Year-End Palace not hesitate to join forces with Bai Luo, the watchman who destroyed his country and killed him in his previous life? Is that not the strangest thing in the world? And with the addition of that person in the Year-End Palace who goes by the Daoist name ‘Wu Yang’ and the alias ‘Huan Jing,’ is it not adding wings to a tiger? It is now clear to everyone what Wu Shuangjiang is thinking and plotting! White Jade Capital should not be raising a tiger as a threat. It should solve this hidden danger as soon as possible, not let it grow stronger.”

“The monk Jiang Xiu has extremely high swordsmanship. He is now in You Prefecture and must not be allowed to cause trouble in the borders of the two prefectures. Should we invite him to White Jade Capital as a guest?”

“May I ask Patriarch Lu, what is Chen Ping An’s current level? When will he reach the first layer of the Divine Will Realm? Can he become an Ascended sword cultivator? Will he challenge White Jade Capital in the future?”