Saint Emperor Devourer of Heaven

The Eldest Brother Nan Jin, Third Sister Ling Yun, and Fourth Brother Han Ye were all puzzled as to why Junior Brother and Second Sister both felt that Prince Ning would not keep his promise.

Nan Jin thought for a moment and said, "This time, Prince Ning had the Princess personally come to discuss this matter, wanting our Qingyun Sect to accept this task. We, Qingyun, have no other choice but to agree. This task is very difficult, not only do we have to face the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast, but also the Lieshan Sect, the Rising Sun Sect, and the Yanhsia Cave Heaven. They definitely want to complete the task and curry favor with Prince Ning. So even if we can obtain the beast core and essence blood of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast, we will pay a great price, and may even lose many of our powerful experts…"

"Yes," Yi Ling nodded in agreement, saying, "In that case, our Qingyun Sect will suffer a loss of vitality. The loss of top experts would mean a significant reduction in the threat to Prince Ning's future plans. Coupled with his written promise, with his strength and status, there is no reason for him to target our Qingyun Sect again."

"According to this analysis, it sounds like that makes sense," Jun Wuxie did not refute this point, but suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Eldest Brother, Third Sister, have you ever thought about what it means that Prince Ning dares to openly stand against the Emperor?"

"It means that the strength controlled by Prince Ning is already no weaker than the strength controlled by the Emperor, so he is not afraid."

Eldest Brother Nan Jin replied.

"Exactly." Jun Wuxie sighed slightly, "Prince Ning's power is probably stronger than we think. After all, the current Emperor is his father. As a son, growing up by the side of the Emperor, do you think the Emperor has any accumulated authority in Prince Ning's heart?"

"This…"

Nan Jin and the others were stunned. They hadn't considered this point. After thinking about it, they said, "There should be. After all, the current Emperor is a very capable person who manages the dynasty very well and is decisive in killing."

Prince Ning grew up by the Emperor's side, so he must have been influenced."

Jun Wuxie's expression was solemn, and he said, "So here's the problem. Prince Ning has been secretly planning and developing for many years, and he has always been wary of his imperial father. Prince Ning has managed to develop his power to this extent while hiding it from his father, which is enough to show that this person is extremely scheming and capable of planning strategies. Such a person will inevitably act with meticulous planning and will never be negligent or careless, and will never do things without certainty."

"In other words, Prince Ning dares to fully emerge, unafraid of his father knowing that he wants to usurp the throne, which means that in Prince Ning's mind, his power can not only compete with the current Emperor, but should also have a certain advantage."

"Junior Brother's analysis makes sense. This is something we haven't thought about before. In this case, Prince Ning's power is probably stronger than the current Emperor."

After considering, Nan Jin, Yi Ling, and Han Ye all expressed their agreement.

Jun Wuxie looked at them and said, "Prince Ning's power is already stronger than the current Emperor, but he has been slow to raise an army. There may be many reasons for this, but I think the most important point is probably his concern for the hearts of the people and the stability of the dynasty."

"Our Qingyun Sect is one of the major pillar sects of the Great Gan Dynasty. Prince Ning has painstakingly forced our Qingyun Sect to submit, and a large part of the reason is probably to stabilize the hearts of the people in the future."

"Think about it, if he raises an army to rebel, and all four major sects express their support, without any sects opposing, then coupled with his propaganda using certain means, it will be easier for the dynasty's citizens to accept his actions. In this way, he can achieve stability of the country and prosperity of the dynasty after taking the throne, without falling into chaos or facing rebellious acts against him. Because with the four major sects watching, rebels have nowhere to hide and are difficult to conceal."

"Our Qingyun Sect is a strategic target for Prince Ning, so he cannot give up." Jun Wuxie couldn't help but sneer as he said this, "He knows that the world will think that he, with his status, will not break his word. Even if our Qingyun Sect still has concerns, we still have to fight and strive for that little bit of hope, so this is a blatant scheme."

"Firstly, whether it succeeds or not, it will weaken the strength of our Qingyun Sect; secondly, with our Qingyun Sect's strength weakened, our own confidence will be weakened, and our sense of crisis will deepen. At that time, when he exerts pressure again, the effect will be much better, and the hope of Qingyun's submission will be greater."

"What Prince Ning's promise, compared to his ambition and grand plans, is not worth mentioning. Therefore, in Junior Brother's opinion, this time our Qingyun Sect has no choice but to go, otherwise we will not be able to get past Prince Ning now. But even if we complete the task, the problem we have always faced will still exist, and the situation will be even more difficult because of the weakening of our strength."

"If that's the case… what should we do?"

"This is not a problem we should be considering." The silent Second Sister Yun Shu opened her mouth and said, "If the sect's higher-ups can't solve it, what can we do?"

"Yes." Eldest Brother Nan Jin sighed, saying, "Perhaps all we can do is cultivate the complete techniques well, try to increase our strength as much as possible, and as for other things, thinking so much won't change anything."

"There will always be a way forward. Things may not be as hopeless as we think. Until the very last moment, no one can predict the ending. Perhaps there will be variables. Senior brothers and sisters, I'm going to cultivate."

Jun Wuxie didn't say much. The current thing to do is to grow and become stronger.

The sect's predicament is something that will be faced in the future, and it hasn't reached that point yet.

In his speculation, before the sect's predicament, the first to face life and death should be their True Martial Peak lineage.

In the future, Prince Ning will continue to exert pressure, and the target will still be True Martial Peak, so he must become stronger, otherwise, when that day comes, he will not be able to cope with his own strength.

Unless he uses the opportunity given by the Demon Subduing Divine Sword, or uses the Ice Crystal Jade Pendant to summon Mu Ciyin.

But he doesn't want to use these. He wants to solve any difficulties with his own strength, and he is unwilling to borrow the power of others unless absolutely necessary.

Everyone needs to grow. He understands what kind of responsibilities and missions he will bear in the future. Although adversity gives him greater pressure and a sense of urgency, it can also better promote his growth.

At any time, one must not think about borrowing strength and slack off in one's own growth, because he is very clear that there will always be a day in the future when he will no longer be able to borrow strength. In the end, he will have to rely on himself. If he is not strong enough, everything will become a dream bubble, fleeting clouds.

"Wuxie."

Back at his residence, just as he was about to enter the bedroom to cultivate, Jingya called out to him.

"Aunt Jing, what's wrong?"

He saw that Jingya seemed to have something to say.

"Qingyun Sect is the first sect you joined in the Upper Realm, and it is also the first platform for your growth. The future predicament, the first to be threatened is True Martial Peak. Judging from the time, it should be very tight."

Jingya paused slightly as she said this, then continued, "Or, Aunt Jing can try to contact some scattered demon cultivators, and if necessary, let them help fight against Prince Ning?"

"Aunt Jing, I don't want you to interfere in this matter!" Jun Wuxie did not expect that Jingya would have such a plan because she wanted to help him, and immediately refused sternly, "Aunt Jing, just stay in True Martial Peak and leave everything to me. Don't even think about contacting scattered demons."

"But…"

"No buts!" Jun Wuxie's expression darkened slightly, and he said, "Aunt Jing, you know very well that doing so is likely to expose your identity. If this matter is spread to the demon race and known by the Teng lineage of the Holy Son, what will be the consequences?"

Jingya was silent.

How could she not know the consequences? She just thought that Jun Wuxie had only just arrived in the Upper Realm and had just found a relatively stable environment, but now he was facing such a predicament.

She was worried that Jun Wuxie would be too dangerous facing the powerful Prince Ning and would not be able to cope.

"Aunt Jing, didn't you say that you would listen to everything I say?"

Jun Wuxie stepped forward and held her hand, saying, "I will never allow this matter."

His voice was very calm, but his attitude was extremely firm.

Jingya looked up at him slightly and sighed quietly, "Okay, Aunt Jing will listen to you."

"Don't think about anything, just stay in True Martial Peak and wait for me to find healing items for you in the future. Don't worry about anything else. I know how to deal with it."

After he finished speaking, he entered the bedroom and set up a barrier.

He didn't know when Prince Ning would send a message to have the sect's experts go to the Flowing Cloud Forest, but before that, he hoped that he could improve his cultivation a bit more.

At that time, he would request to go along on the trip to the Flowing Cloud Forest.

"Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast, I wonder if that seriously injured Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast has any connection with the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast mother and child I encountered that day. According to Aunt Jing, Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beasts should only exist in the Transverse Mountain Range. It seems that something happened in the Transverse Mountain Range, causing the Flowing Cloud Lion-Dog Beast in the Great Sacred Extreme Heaven Realm to suffer irreversible heavy injuries…"

He speculated that the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast didn't want to die in the Transverse Mountain Range, where there were too many experts of its level, so it left and hid in the Flowing Cloud Forest.

But its injuries were too severe. As the injuries worsened, its own aura became increasingly unable to be suppressed, so it attracted a large number of ancient beasts and fierce birds from the Flowing Cloud Forest.

It can be imagined that the area near the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast's location is probably surrounded by ancient beasts and fierce birds of the Saint King Realm.

Anyone who wants to get close to the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast must face those ancient beasts and fierce birds, which will inevitably be a tragic scene, and many people will die.

"Prince Ning wants the beast core and essence blood of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast. Could it be that he wants to use it to break through to the Overlord Saint Realm?"

He couldn't help but think. Prince Ning was already at the peak of the Great Sacred Extreme Heaven Realm thousands of years ago. Over the millennia, he has mostly already reached the Half-Step Overlord Saint Realm.

If he obtains the beast core of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast this time, that would be terrible.

"Regardless of whether Prince Ning wants to use it to break through to the Overlord Saint Realm, I can't let him get the beast core."

Speaking of such an important thing, Prince Ning should have sent a Great Sacred Extreme Heaven Realm expert, but he didn't.

Firstly, the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast is very strong, and obtaining its beast core will inevitably come at a price.

His counterattack before death, whether it was a Great Saint or a Saint King, none could withstand.

Therefore, Prince Ning didn't want to take the risk, didn't want to lose his own strength, which might lead to an imbalance or disadvantage in the number of top experts in Prince Ning's mansion compared to the top experts around the current emperor, which is why he sent the people from the Four Sects to be cannon fodder.

The Saint King Realm experts from the Four Sects were numerous, and they could also contend with those ancient beasts and ferocious birds in the Saint King Realm.

“But with Prince Ning's personality, how could he do something without certainty? He might not openly send out a large number of Great Saint Realm experts, but he would definitely secretly send out one or two. When the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast dies and the Four Sects experts are fighting with the ancient beasts and ferocious birds, the hidden experts can seize the opportunity to obtain what they want.”

“He sent the Four Sects experts there, but it's just a facade, in reality, it's to let them be cannon fodder, thereby weakening the number of top experts in the Four Great Sects.”

Jun Wuxie hadn't told his senior brothers and sisters all of his speculations earlier, not wanting to give them too much psychological pressure.

He was very clear that Qingyun could not complete this mission, because Prince Ning would not give Qingyun a chance, and there would be no question of breaking his word.

And in fact, even if Qingyun completed the mission, the outcome would still not change.

The Lieshan Sect, the Xuri Sect, and the Yanxia Cave Heaven thought that by choosing Prince Ning, they would be able to rise to prominence in the future and forever prosper, but they didn't expect that Prince Ning had never truly trusted them. He preferred the feeling of having everything under control.

Prince Ning was naturally suspicious, extremely cunning, and very cautious in his actions.

Jun Wuxie could infer his personality and behavior from the recent events.

Prince Ning was thinking of subduing the Four Great Sects, but at the same time, he was trying to weaken their strength.

For Qingyun, Prince Ning's methods were to exert pressure from all sides.

Letting his daughter, Princess Anning, win over Qin Yi was one of the methods.

Qin Yi was the most outstanding disciple of the Qingyun Sect, and the sect's higher-ups had placed great expectations on him.

But now, Qin Yi was getting very close to Princess Anning, which would deepen the sense of crisis among the sect's higher-ups, and at the same time, it would plant a glimmer of hope in their hearts, that is, relying on Qin Yi's relationship with the princess, as long as Qingyun submits, they will be able to gain Prince Ning's favor in the future.

In this way, would the sect's higher-ups choose to abandon Qin Yi, the once-in-ten-thousand-years genius in their eyes, or would their will waver because of Qin Yi's choice and begin to tend towards submitting to Prince Ning?

This was digging at the foundation while using psychological tactics, alternating between tension and relaxation, putting pressure on Qingyun from different aspects, disintegrating Qingyun's psychological defenses, and shaking the will of Qingyun's higher-ups.

He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, took out the ten bottles of Saint Spirit Hundred Herb Liquid, and opened the bottle stoppers, a pure Saint Spirit Essence Qi permeated out.

Inside was a clear, emerald green liquid, exuding the fragrance of various herbs.

He successively consumed all ten bottles of Saint Spirit Hundred Herb Liquid.

The Saint Spirit Hundred Herb Liquid entered his throat, sweet and fragrant, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth, with a faint coolness.

The medicinal Qi dissolved in his body, quickly turning into a majestic Saint Spirit Essence Qi, surging along the meridians like a river, flowing to the limbs and bones.

He circulated the Primal Golden Body Technique, converting the Saint Spirit Essence Qi into life essence, tempering his physical body over and over again, and then converging it in the cave heaven, incorporating it into the golden starry sea.

The golden starry sea began to slowly grow, and at the same time, he was also absorbing the dark energy of the dark spirit experts, and after the grinding and purification of the Millstone of Annihilation, it was transformed into his own controllable dark energy, expanding the ink-colored starry sea.

The golden and black starry seas were cultivated simultaneously.

His realm continued to improve with the passage of time.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed, and his starry sea had expanded a lot. His current realm had also advanced to the late stage of the Saint Realm Minor Celestial Position.

The medicinal Qi of the Saint Spirit Hundred Herb Liquid had also been completely consumed by this point.

This kind of resource has a good effect for those below the Saint King, but here, ten bottles can only barely improve a small realm.

This was still on the basis that he had devoured several Saint Realm Yin Spirit experts in the middle stage of the Minor Celestial Position, otherwise, breaking through a small realm would have been difficult.

“Currently, there is still the True Martial Blood Pill, which is estimated to allow me to break through at least several small realms or more, and it is no problem to enter the Saint Realm Intermediate Celestial Position. It's just that the True Martial Blood Pill's energy is pure, and it would be too wasteful to use it at the current realm. It's best to wait until the realm is higher before using it…”

He thought about it this way, not wanting to waste it, but at the moment, he was eager to improve his realm.

He looked at the True Martial Blood Pill, and then put it away.

“Aunt Jing, what day is it today?”

He transmitted his divine sense out.

“It's the first day of April.”

Jun Wuxie removed the barrier, walked out of the bedroom, saw Jingya standing in front of the door looking at him, and said, “I almost forgot, the first day of every month is the day for the sect disciples to receive their resource stipend.”

“Is that so?” Jingya was stunned and said, “No wonder your senior brothers and sisters have left True Martial Peak. Why didn't they come and call you together?”

“Because they don't want to be with me. After receiving the resource stipend, they will come back to remind me.”

“Why?”

Jingya was a little surprised.

“I have to go to the Resource Hall too. Although the stipend is not much, I still have to go.”

Jun Wuxie didn't answer Jingya's doubts and left the courtyard.

He quickened his pace, wanting to arrive at the Resource Hall earlier.

The senior brothers and sisters didn't call him together, mostly because the eldest senior brother and second senior sister were always made things difficult for and targeted when they received their resource stipend.

They didn't want him to see this scene.

But for Jun Wuxie, this matter was intolerable. The Resource Hall was bullying people too much!