The Great Zhou's Ancestral Land was located in a special independent space somewhere in the starry skies above the Great Zhou, and it was protected by the powerful arrays of the Great Zhou Imperial Family. Being far from the previous battlefield, this area remained untouched. This place was also the Great Zhou's foremost forbidden area, as it was the resting place of the Great Zhou's Imperial lineage. Only the core members of the Imperial Family were permitted to enter; outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering the Great Zhou's Ancestral Land.
When Zhou Fan and Ye Guan arrived, an old man with white hair and a beard came out to greet them. He bowed deeply to both of them and said, "Greetings, Your Highness, Young Master Ye."
Zhou Fan nodded slightly and led Ye Guan forward.
The old man quickly cast a spell, removing the barrier.
When they stepped into the Ancestral Land, they were met with a brilliant, multicolored starry sky.
The radiant stars up above created a magnificent scene.
A thousand meters ahead of them stood roughly over a hundred light pillars.
Zhou Fan bowed deeply toward the light pillars and said, "Honored ancestors, I apologize for the disturbance."
She then turned to Ye Guan and said, "Go ahead."
Ye Guan nodded slightly and said, "Alright."Ye Guan started walking toward the light pillars, but he suddenly stopped and turned to face Zhou Fan.
Ye Guan opened his palm, and a storage ring floated over toward Zhou Fan.
Zhou Fan was a little puzzled.
Ye Guan smiled and said, "The Great Zhou wasn't the only one that contributed to that battle. Many factions suffered significant losses, and that is my token of appreciation toward them. Please help me pass that on to them."
Zhou Fan glanced at the storage ring and nodded. "Alright."
Ye Guan nodded and continued walking toward the light pillars.
Rumble!
The light pillars quivered once he was close enough to them.
A voice echoed from one of the light pillars. "He is not from the Great Zhou."
"He's my husband," Zhou Fan exclaimed. She opened her palm, revealing three seals.
The surroundings were silent. The next moment, every single light pillar trembled violently, and they took to the sky, engulfing Ye Guan in an instant.
An Inheritance!
Every top-tier faction had a unique method of inheritance. As a Tier Four civilization, the Great Zhou was no exception. Their inheritance was the reason behind the fact that civilizations on their level never declined unless faced with an exceptionally powerful external threat.
Zhou Fan put away the three divine seals and looked into the distance with worried eyes.
Full divinity!
If it were someone else, she wouldn't be so worried. After all, achieving pure full divinity wasn't that easy.
However, Ye Guan was different; his talent was extraordinary. If he wholeheartedly pursued pure divinity, he had a chance of achieving it.
And once he had achieved it... Zhou Fan's worry deepened at the mere thought of it.
Just then, Awen suddenly appeared behind her. He bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, everyone has gathered in the Administrative Hall."
Zhou Fan stared at the light pillars for a long time before replying, "Uncle Awen, keep an eye on this place for me. Notify me immediately if anything happens."
Awen nodded. "Understood."
Zhou Fan turned around and left.
Zhou Fan sat at the head of the table inside a dilapidated hall, and she was surrounded by the core members of the Great Zhou.
She swept her gaze across everyone and said, "Please feel free to speak your mind."
Dao Jun immediately stepped forward, bowing slightly as he said, "Your Highness, although the Great Zhou has won this battle, the Evil Dao Alliance will not let us go so easily. We must be prepared for their next wave of attacks."
The Great Zhou Emperor had passed down a gag order, asking everyone to keep the lady in the plain skirt's existence a secret.
Dao Jun instantly understood the Great Zhou Emperor's goal. He wanted to annihilate the Evil Dao Alliance through the lady in a plain skirt.
It was understandable; they had almost annihilated the Great Zhou, and it was a grudge that couldn't be easily set aside.
Neither the Great Zhou nor the Evil Dao Alliance would let this matter ago. In other words, both two sides were now locked in a life-and-death struggle.
Zhou Fan said, "Zhou Mi."
"Present," a man in black said, appearing in the middle of the hall.
Zhou Mi was the head of the Great Zhou's intelligence network.
Zhou Fan asked, "Have you discovered anything?"
Zhou Mi nodded and replied, "The Evil Dao Alliance consists of ten halls. Those who attacked the Great Zhou were all from the Tenth Hall. The man in the black robe was the Hall Master of the Tenth Hall. We do not know his name; the only thing we know about him is that he has just returned from the Ascension World."
Zhou Fan frowned and asked, "The Ascension World?"
"Not sure what that place is exactly, but any Path Creation Realm cultivator who manages to return from that place is far more powerful than their peers," Zhou Mi explained.
Zhou Fan frowned in contemplation.
Zhou Mi added, "What we know now is that the Evil Dao Alliance has a total of ten halls. As for the strength of the other nine halls, we have no information and no way to investigate them."
Dao Jun interjected, "This isn't urgent; the entire Tenth Hall was annihilated. The Evil Dao Alliance will certainly not sit by and do nothing. We just have to wait; they will come to us."
Zhou Fan nodded and asked, "Then, in your opinion, should the Great Zhou Imperial City be rebuilt?"
"We don't need to do that for now," Dao Jun said. Rebuilding the Imperial City was easy for the Great Zhou, given the high cultivation levels of its people.
Ci Tian nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, we don't have to do that right now. If the Evil Dao Alliance attacks us again, a big battle will break out, and we'll get annihilated again."
Zhou Fan nodded and then looked at Zhou Mi, saying, "Send everyone out. Report anything."
Zhou Mi bowed deeply and disappeared.
An hour later, the meeting adjourned.
Zhou Fan said, "Prime Minister Yuan, Dao Jun, and Ci Tian, please stay behind."
The three of them exchanged glances.
After everyone else had left, Zhou Fan opened her palm, sending three Dao Fruits toward them.
The three were instantly moved upon seeing the Dao Fruits.
Zhou Fan said, "These are from Ye Guan. He said that he will never forget your assistance, and neither will the Great Zhou forget it."
Prime Minister Yuan solemnly muttered, "Your Highness, these fruits…"
"These fruits will greatly boost your cultivation base and overall strength; they will also transform your physique and bloodline. They're extremely valuable," Zhou Fan explained.
Prime Minister Yuan hesitated for a while before saying, "Your Highness, serving the Great Zhou is my duty as a minister. This…"
Meanwhile, Ci Tian snatched up his share of the Dao Fruit and put his hands together. "Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Young Master Ye."
Dao Jun also wanted to be modest, but he couldn't resist the enticing Dao Fruit at all. He accepted it and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, and Young Master Ye."
Integrity? Shame? What are those?
"The Great Zhou does not belong solely to the Imperial Family. It also belongs to all of you. We shall share both hardships and riches," said Zhou Fan with a smile. She then stood up and added, "I will lead the Great Zhou to a new era of glory, surpassing even the era of our founding ancestors."
The three of them exchanged glances again before bowing deeply in unison and saying, "We are willing to follow Your Highness!"
Zhou Fan looked up at the sky outside and closed her eyes.
She liked Ye Guan, but she'd never allow herself to become just a trophy. She wanted to build her own career, and her goal was to be the first empress in the Great Zhou's history!
***
The Tenth Hall of the Evil Dao Alliance had been empty and desolate since the demise of its hall master. There was no one in the vast hall except for an old lady, and she was none other than Evil Granny.
Evil Granny was stupefied to learn of the Tenth Hall Master and Master Yue's defeat, and then she was immediately hit by a wave of fear and trepidation. Defeat meant death, after all.
However, Evil Granny had no idea how they died.
With their cultivation bases, they could have easily escaped. No one could easily stop them from leaving, but they actually ended up dying?
Evil Granny found it unbelievable.
Rather than flee immediately, Evil Granny returned to the Tenth Hall, as there were many divine items and Ancestral Veins here.
The treasures in the Tenth Hall now belonged to her, as the others were dead. At first, she didn't want to go back, as this place had become quite dangerous, but she could not resist the temptation.
After putting away all the items, Evil Granny took one last look at the Tenth Hall before she turned around and walked outside.
Upon taking a step outside, she couldn't contain herself any longer and grinned. She had just obtained nearly a thousand Ancestral Veins, along with countless divine items. If she sold them all, she'd surely obtain at least three thousand Ancestral Veins. She had truly hit the jackpot! However, Evil Granny's smile quickly froze over.
A young man was walking toward her. The young man was wearing a loose black robe; he had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes; his long hair was tied up high.
He exuded an extraordinary aura, and there was a sword in his left hand. The sword was about two fingers wide and about three and a half feet long; it was pitch-black, with its blade emitting a mysterious gleam.
Evil Granny frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
The young man walked up to her.
Evil Granny's eyes narrowed, and she cautiously repeated. "Who are you?"
The young man looked at her without any emotion in his eyes.
"Everyone in the Tenth Hall is dead. Why are you still alive?"
Evil Granny's face changed drastically, and she quivered as she stammered, "Y-y-you are…"
The young man shook his head and said, "Deserters... must die."
Before Evil Granny could react, the young man had already unsheathed his sword.
Evil Granny was terrified. She was about to make a move when the spacetime in front of her quivered.
Schwing!
Evil Granny's throat was split open in an instant, and copious amounts of blood gushed out of the wound. Evil Granny's eyes widened in horror as she gasped, "T-the Time Great Dao…"
The young man ignored her and opened his palm. Evil Granny's storage rings flew into his hand. He put away the storage rings and proceeded into the distant hall.
Just then, twelve figures in black with sabers in hand appeared behind the young man from out of nowhere. They were all Path Creation Realm experts.
When the young man stepped into the hall, he discovered that a young woman dressed in a white dress had already been waiting for him inside.
The young woman appeared to be in her twenties, and she was wearing a dress. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she had her own unique charm.
The young woman bowed deeply and said, "Ninth Hall Master, we've located the whereabouts of the Great Zhou."
Ninth Hall Master? Evil Granny's mind went blank. That young man is the Hall Master of the Ninth Hall? But he's so young—
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