In Yundale-by-the-Sea, endless waves lapped against the shore, and leaves rustled in the autumn wind, making the scenery even more unique and beautiful.
Yundale-by-the-Sea, also known as the State of Yun, seemed to grow larger by the day. Metal battleships filled the harbor and patrolled the surrounding sea, and all of the docks buzzed with activity. The entire city was like a well-oiled machine of war.
The recently founded state had been fully mobilized, with all its powers focused on the upcoming campaign to subjugate the Rich-Lush Continent.
In a certain study somewhere in the city, Yun Hailan was toying with the statue of a gate, which was none other than the Gate of the Great Void.
Also present was her father, Yun Zhonglong, as well as other important figures of the Yun Clan.
Nowadays, Yun Hailan was more important than her father, and acted every bit like an empress. Yun Zhonglong seemed to be in high spirits. His aura was different now; no longer was he a puny Master of Energy. He had finally reached the Lifeseizing level.
“Lan’er, another organization has sent gifts. The lord of Wavesand Isle has sent five thousand-year-old tiger-shark pearls, and five thousand kilos of ten-thousand-year-old cold steel from the seafloor. There are also a few other assorted treasures. The emissary is currently in the audience hall, do you want to go see him?”
“Lord Wavesand is a mere Tertiary Lifeseizer,” Yun Hailan said airily. “He would hardly count for anything back in the Demi-Immortal Institute. Wouldn’t it be a loss of face for me to deal with someone like him? Ever since the Crown Prince put Yang Qi in his place back in the Inter-Institutional Martial Arts Competition, people have been giving me gifts left and right. It would be far too exhausting to go accept them personally, wouldn’t you say? From now on, just record the names of the people who deliver gifts, and then send them on their way.”
“Yes, of course,” one of the men present said. “Cousin, your progress has been amazing. Soon, the Crown Prince will be the chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute, and you’ll be the madam chancellor.”
This man was Song Haiguo from the Song Clan, the older brother of Song Haishan. Yundale-by-the-Sea had two main clans: first the Yun Clan and second the Song Clan.
“Madam chancellor?” A look of ridicule appeared on Yun Hailan’s face. “There's no man in the world who can control me. Not even the Crown Prince. Don’t bring that matter up again, Song Haiguo. Otherwise you’ll end up like Song Haishan.”
“Y-yes, of course, Cousin!” Song Haiguo stammered, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. Dropping to his knees, he kowtowed over and over, all the time saying, “Please forgive me, Cousin. Please! I understand the error of my ways.”
“On your feet,” Yun Hailan said with the arrogant wave of a finger.
Next to speak was Song Zuting, the clan lord of the Song Clan. “Niece, what happened to my son? Have you uncovered the truth yet? Was he killed by some monster, or was it really Yang Qi?”
“I'm certain it was Yang Qi!” she replied, a cold smile playing out on her face. “He's really grown up. The Crown Prince is going to have to deal with him personally; if he doesn’t, then within four or five years, Yang Qi will probably outmatch him. Of course, I don’t have any hard evidence right now, but wait a few more days. When the Crown Prince gets back from fighting Young Master Shroud-Heaven, I’ll explain the whole thing. And he’ll definitely be able to drag the truth out of Jiang Fan and his friends. At that point, nobody in the Demi-Immortal Institute will be able to stop us from wiping Yanhaven off the map!”
With that, she slapped her hand down onto the table, and the map that lay there. Right under her palm was Yanhaven, making it seem almost like she had reduced the city to rubble.
“Cousin, your cultivation base is so profound, why don’t you just go to Yanhaven right now and put Yang Zhan in his place? Force Yang Qi to commit suicide, or at least enslave him, and destroy his home. You have the Gate of the Great Void, you’re definitely strong enough to take him on, right?” The next person to speak was another member of the Song Clan, Song Haitu.
Yun Hailan snorted coldly. “I could exterminate the Yang Clan as easily as turning over my hand, but now is not the time. That Yang Qi has acquired quite a bit of good fortune, and I'm not completely confident in being able to end him once and for all. Besides, he has a lot of sworn siblings, and if they came for revenge, it would be no small matter. The best thing to do is wait for the Crown Prince, and have him wipe them all out. For now, I'm going to focus on breaking through to the Legendary level. As all of you know, Yang Qi’s aunt Yang Susu awoke her Seven Apertures Sprite Body, and is now in the Minorcosm World of the Demi-Immortal Institute, an alternate dimension that will push her cultivation ahead much faster. She cannot be underestimated.”
“You've really thought things through thoroughly, as usual, Cousin,” Song Haiguo said, doing nothing to hide his obsequiousness. “I guess that old codger Yang Zhan is going to live for a bit longer. That said, he really has put Yanhaven in order. They have an educational establishment already, and all the clans have acknowledged him as king. Furthermore, they’re getting more and more Lifeseizers. Before long, they’ll have as many masters as the sky had clouds. Here in the State of Yun, you’ve managed to push our supreme leader into the Lifeseizing level, but we can’t match up to Yanhaven at the moment. Cousin, do you have any spirit medicines that could push our cultivation to a higher level?”
“The Crown Prince arranged for me to be given a huge batch of life force springwater that I had planned to use for that exact purpose. However, the experts from the Crown Prince Society who went to get it were ambushed by some top master, and had the life force springwater stolen. My guess is that they made the whole story up and kept the water for themselves. However, as my energy arts and cultivation base climb higher and higher, so does my level of power and authority in the Crown Prince Society. Eventually, I’ll purge the organization and get rid of anyone who isn't loyal to me.”
“The Crown Prince will allow that?” Yun Zhonglong said, sounding a bit worried.
“Don’t worry. He already explained that after he reaches the Great Sage level and becomes the chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute, he won’t need to stay in the Rich-Lush Continent anymore. He’ll find someone to succeed him, and leave as quickly as possible. According to the rules of the Demi-Immortal Institute, a chancellor has to find a replacement before leaving, and he intends that replacement to be me.” She chuckled coldly. “Unless something unexpected happens, you’re looking at the true future chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute!”
Shocked gasps could be heard in the room. After all, the position of chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute was the most powerful in all the lands.
“No wonder the Crown Prince is treating you so well,” Yun Zhonglong said, his face flushing with excitement. If his daughter was to be the most powerful person in the continent, then obviously, his clan would become mighty enough to shake the whole world.
All of a sudden, a soldier rushed into the room. “Young Lady,” he said, “a high-ranking member of the Crown Prince Society just arrived to discuss an urgent matter. His name is Xie Feng.”
“Send him in immediately,” Yun Hailan said. ‘Xie Feng is one of the top conclave students in the Crown Prince Society. He lost to Yang Qi, then indicated to me that he wished to have my support. Something really important must have happened for him to rush over and seek an audience like this.’
A moment later, Xie Feng was standing there in the study. Ignoring the shocked onlookers, he said, “Junior Sister Hailan. Something really bad just happened! The Crown Prince and Young Master Shroud-Heaven just fought a huge duel. That hellion Young Master Shroud-Heaven brought in the demon kings of the seventy-two grottos, as well as fiend-devil counts from an alternate dimension. They activated a huge spell formation in the Heavendawn Quarry that drew upon the power of an ancient Demon Sage to injure the Crown Prince. He’s hiding somewhere out in space-time, recovering. He just sent a message to the leaders of the Crown Prince Society, ordering us to come back for a big meeting. He’s going to be in seclusion for five years in that alternate dimension, with his first goal being to fully recover from his injuries, the second being to reach the Great Sage level. When he returns, he’ll unite the continent under his leadership, become the chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute, and achieve glory that Grand Emperor Rich-Lush only dreamed of. Junior Sister, you need to come back with me right away. The Crown Prince has ordered that, with him gone, you’re the provisional leader of the Crown Prince Society.”
“What?” Yun Hailan said, shooting to her feet. “Provisional leader? But without the Crown Prince around, the society is like a host of ambitious dragons. How am I supposed to maintain control?”
“Junior Sister, I'm afraid it’s probably a test from the Crown Prince. You need to become a Legendary as quickly as possible. After all, there are plenty of chief elders and conclave students in the society who are already Legendaries. Your cultivation base is definitely too low to keep them in check right now. But with the Gate of the Great Void that the Crown Prince gave you, you should be able to break through soon. Junior Sister, don’t tell me you're not confident…?”
Shaking her head, she said, “There’s something else I'm worried about, and that’s Yang Qi. How strong will he get if we let five years pass? If you don’t kill the tiger, you’ll get bitten sooner or later.”
“Yang Qi doesn’t matter. We’re basically in control of the Demi-Immortal Institute already, so he won't be able to do anything there for now. And in five years, when the Crown Prince is a Great Sage, nobody will be able to stand in his way. How far could Yang Qi possibly progress in that short a time? He’s only in Senary Lifeseizing, right? At the very most, he might become a Legendary in five years. And even that would be completely heaven-defying. Besides, the Crown Prince already passed down orders to make a move on Yang Qi. We just need a bit of time to prepare, then we’ll send a whole host of Legendaries against him and kill him in one fell swoop. The Crown Prince has recruited quite a few Legendaries from the outside, just for that purpose.”
Sounding more than a little excited, Yun Hailan said, “Alright, let’s head back. I need to meet with the leaders of the society and accept the mantle of authority! I’ll get the Crown Prince Society in order long before the Crown Prince returns. Gentlemen’s Society? Divine Ability Society? Five Lightnings Society? They’ll all be wiped out!”
Yun Hailan was under the impression that this was her moment to shine.
With that, she and Xie Feng flew into the air and vanished.
Meanwhile, a few thousand kilometers away from Yundale-by-the-Sea, experts were gathering in Yanhaven. It took about three days, but all of Yang Qi’s sworn siblings arrived to begin cultivating in the Grand Emperor's Pagoda.
1. Historically, forcing a defeated enemy to commit suicide was not uncommon. .