Chapter 557

The Yu Clan.

Ever since Lin Yuan left for the domain capital with Qingfen Marquis, the Yu Clan had been living quite comfortably.

How could they not?

A Great Sovereign like Qingfen personally taking Lin Yuan—such an honor, how many people in the entire Qingfen Domain could claim the same?

“The domain capital is too vast, full of schemes and politics… I wonder if Yan is adjusting well,” Wei Chi Ling sighed, worry etched across her face for her son.

“If he wants real achievements, he has to go to a bigger stage,” Yu Chao Long said beside him.

“If he stays in the Yu Clan, no matter how talented he is, he’ll be buried. At most, he’ll end up like our old ancestors.”

“But if he stays by Qingfen Marquis’s side in the domain capital, Yan might one day reach Dominance… maybe even…”

Yu Chao Long didn’t finish that last thought aloud—but in his heart, he wondered if there was the slimmest chance for Yu Yan to touch the realm of Great Sovereign.

After all, many of Qingfen Marquis’s disciples had reached Dominance, yet none had earned such special attention from the Great Sovereign himself.

“I just worry,” Wei Chi Ling added, “Worry that Yan might be bullied in the domain capital. His strength is still so weak.”

“Bullied?”

Yu Chao Long fell silent. With Qingfen Marquis’s open favor, no one would dare do anything overt. But in the shadows? Through subtler means?

A tall tree catches the wind.

Qingfen Marquis had shown such favor toward Yu Yan—how would the other disciples feel?

In the short term, maybe nothing. But over time? Without strength to back it up, favor alone could become a burden.

“Yeah…”

Yu Chao Long couldn’t help but feel concerned too.

Just then—

A wave of spatial fluctuations came from outside. A figure rushed into the Yu Clan grounds.

“Clan Leader! Something major’s happened in the domain capital!”

The figure was a Yu Clan expert, in charge of collecting outside intelligence.

“The capital? Something major?”

Yu Chao Long’s heart tensed. His son was there. Could it involve him?

Wei Chi Ling’s expression tightened as well—clearly thinking the same thing.

“What happened in the capital?”

Several Yu Clan Ancestors appeared, faces grave.

“Young Master Yan… Young Master Yan…” The intelligence officer seemed stunned, clearly still reeling from the news he’d just received.

“What happened to Yan?” Yu Chao Long frowned. Even if his son had caused some huge trouble, why was this man hesitating so much?

“Young Master Yan has become… a Great Sovereign.”

The clan expert steadied himself, his voice trembling.

The words landed—

And everyone present, including the Yu Clan’s ancestral elders, went completely still.

Great Sovereign?

Yu Yan?

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Yu Chao Long snapped to attention.

“Clan Leader, it’s true! Qingfen Marquis said it himself,” the intelligence officer quickly explained.

He’d thought it was false too at first. But after repeated confirmations—especially in light of the incident where Zimeng Domain tried to sabotage Qingfen City—he had no doubts.

“I’ll verify this myself.”

The Yu Clan Ancestors exchanged glances and immediately contacted their old friends to inquire about the situation in the capital.

Yu Chao Long did the same.

A short while later—

The Yu Clan Ancestors opened their eyes, emotions alight with excitement.

Truthfully, even if they hadn’t reached out, many forces would’ve come to them proactively with this news, seeking favor.

“A Great Sovereign… Yan really became a Great Sovereign.”

“According to Qingfen Marquis, he passed by the Yu Clan long ago and discovered Yan’s potential, accepting him as a disciple on the spot.”

“But it was kept secret. Not until Yan stepped into Great Sovereign did Qingfen Marquis personally come to bring him back.”

“Who would've thought—Yan actually reached Great Sovereign right here in our Yu Clan? Keeping his light hidden so deeply, and I as an elder had no idea?”

“And the Dongyang Clan? They even tried to kill Yan? Tried to assassinate a Great Sovereign? Hahaha! Lucky for them, Yan didn’t bother holding a grudge.”

The Yu Clan Ancestors were overwhelmed with excitement.

They had no doubts about Qingfen Marquis’s version—after all, how else could Lin Yuan have reached Great Sovereign without his secret guidance?

“My son… became a Great Sovereign?”

Yu Chao Long was in shock. He’d thought it would take countless years for Yu Yan to even brush against the threshold of that realm. And now—he was already there?

“Little Yan…” Wei Chi Ling was overjoyed. At least now, as a Great Sovereign, no one in the capital would dare to touch him.

“Many factions are already requesting to visit the Yu Clan,” one of the Ancestors said.

Of course, what they really wanted was an audience with the newly ascended Great Sovereign—Yu Yan.

“Ancestor, I think our top priority,” Yu Chao Long said, “should be to clean up our clan’s internal discipline.”

Ever since Lin Yuan was brought to the capital by Qingfen Marquis, the Yu Clan had risen to a first-class status. Yu Chao Long had already noticed members of the clan becoming arrogant and unruly.

He had been planning to address this soon.

But now that news of Yu Yan becoming a Great Sovereign had come out, he felt they couldn’t wait any longer.

If they didn’t act fast, who knew what kind of trouble these people would cause under Lin Yuan’s name?

Yu Chao Long knew his limits—he couldn’t help Lin Yuan much, but he absolutely wouldn’t let anyone drag him down.

“Agreed.”

The Ancestors nodded in unison.

Letting the clan act arrogantly could only lead to trouble.

Qingfen City.

Burning Heaven Courtyard.

Lin Yuan sat across from Qingfen Marquis.

“So that was Zimeng’s plan!”

Qingfen Marquis looked at the crystal in Lin Yuan’s hand—the Myriad Array Crystal—and felt a chill.

On the surface, Zimeng Marquis had spent part of her essence to trap him, while her puppets wreaked havoc.

But secretly, her subordinates were carrying the crystal to replicate the city’s many formations.

Even if Qingfen Marquis discovered something afterward, it would be too late. If that Myriad Array Core fell into her hands, the city’s defenses would be completely compromised.

The consequences were unimaginable.

With just a few Great Sovereigns, Zimeng Marquis could breach the city. The entire Qingfen Domain would fall.

“I got lucky,” Lin Yuan said.

Once he saw the violet-haired woman holding the crystal, he had roughly guessed their true aim.

“Thankfully, you were here.”

Qingfen Marquis’s voice was tinged with relief. Without Lin Yuan, those people could’ve escaped with the Myriad Array Crystal.

There’s no way he’d be sitting here calmly now.

In truth, he hadn’t been able to determine Zimeng Domain’s true objective—only guessed.

“This time, Zimeng suffered a major loss. I suspect that crystal was bestowed by the upper ranks of her Ancient Kingdom.”

“She’ll definitely be punished for losing it.”

“No wonder her face looked like that when I broke free from the dream.”

Qingfen Marquis couldn’t help but smile now.

In hindsight, Zimeng Marquis had lost both her plan and her people.

“I wonder how valuable this crystal is?” Lin Yuan asked, running his fingers over it.

While it had great strategic value for factions, it didn’t mean much to him personally.

As for the array knowledge inside—he had already comprehended all of it.

In other words, he could now recreate all those formations himself.

He

was

a living Myriad Array Crystal.

“You want to sell it?” Qingfen Marquis raised a brow.

“Yes.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

The resources he needed for cultivation were massive. He felt a bit bad relying solely on Qingfen Marquis, and besides, the Great Sovereign might not be able to sustain that for long.

Although his Blazing Sun Divine Body allowed him to absorb and burn almost anything as fuel for cultivation, doing so regularly would attract the attention of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s true powers.

“It’s highly valuable. Easy to sell.”

Qingfen Marquis thought for a moment.

“Leave it to me. I’ll find the right buyers.”

As a renowned peak Great Sovereign, he had plenty of connections.

With Qingfen Marquis handling it, the price would be optimal. If Lin Yuan sold it himself, he might get scammed.

Once they settled the details of the sale, their conversation turned back to Zimeng Domain.

“With such a detailed plan, I doubt Zimeng Marquis will give up so easily,” Lin Yuan said.

From distracting Qingfen Marquis to replicating the city’s arrays, each step was deliberate—Zimeng clearly had her sights set on the domain and the city.

Would she really back off after one failed attempt?

And it might not even have been her alone. That crystal was likely gifted by the higher-ups of her nation.

“Of course.”

Qingfen Marquis nodded. His mind worked quickly—he’d already deduced many possible angles.

“I’ll be off. A few of my contacts are already interested in that crystal.”

He stood and left.

Once he was gone, Burning Heaven Courtyard fell silent once more.

“Zimeng Domain…” Lin Yuan mulled it over, then let the thought go.

Qingfen Marquis knew far more about the enemy and how to deal with them.

His own task was simple—keep cultivating and getting stronger.

No matter the time or place, growing stronger was always the right move. Might makes right, in every world.

“I’ve already formed over 31,000 Seeds. Forming more is getting tougher.”

He reflected silently.

After hitting 30,000, the difficulty had increased tenfold.

At 31,000, it increased another tenfold.

“At this rate, forming 33,333 could take six to seven hundred years.”

He estimated.

Assuming each new seed would be harder than the last.

“Seems I’m still not on par with the core royals of the Ancient Kingdom…”

He increasingly felt the hardship of cultivation. He envied those core royals who formed seeds even in their sleep.

What he didn’t know was—even for the most potent bloodlines among the Liyang royals, forming seeds wasn’t easy.

After 20,000, it became incredibly difficult.

Their bloodline and the sun’s glow helped—but after 30,000, each new seed could take tens of thousands of years.

Forming them while asleep? Well, a single nap might last a hundred thousand or even a million years.

“One step at a time.”

“No rush.”

He calmed his thoughts. He wasn’t bound by time in this world—there was no need to push so hard. Progress could be steady.

“Besides Seeds, there’s my seventh body divine ability…”

He turned his senses inward, feeling a deep forging in his bloodline.

“This divine ability power I’m forming likely relates to the Liyang Ancestor… maybe a gift of that thirteenth-rank time being?”

He theorized.

In the Liyang Ancient Kingdom, any being able to form Seeds shared the Ancestor’s bloodline—even if faint.

And even the faintest trace, given time and cultivation, could be drawn out and refined.

Zimeng Domain.

In a majestic hall deep within the domain capital.

Zimeng Marquis stood silently, dressed in her signature purple.

One by one, figures arrived—clearly avatars, yet all clearly Great Sovereign-level.

“Zimeng, not only did your plan fail, but you lost the Myriad Array Crystal the prince bestowed?” a deep voice asked, all eyes turning to her.

“I’ll explain to the prince myself,” she said calmly.

She added, “But there was another Great Sovereign hidden in Qingfen City, a disciple secretly raised by Qingfen Marquis. I had no intel on that.”

If she’d known there was another Great Sovereign, her plan would’ve included one on her side too.

“Failed is failed. What’s the point of excuses?”

Another figure sneered coldly.

“Enough arguing.”

Another voice interrupted.

“The prince is arriving.”

The hall fell silent.

Soon after—

An immense presence descended, condensing into a tall figure.

“Your Highness,” everyone bowed slightly.

“Mm.”

The figure was Lingwei Wang—a titled king.

In the source world’s Ancient Kingdoms, there were two ways to earn a royal title:

One, become a Heavenly Sovereign and be formally knighted.

Two, be of the royal bloodline—close to core level—and reach Great Sovereign.

This second path was rare but valid. A Great Sovereign with near-core royal blood had the might to rival Heavenly Sovereign-level beings.

Lingwei Wang was one of them—his bloodline richly traced back to the nation’s founder.

“Now then, how do we take Qingfen Domain?”

His gaze swept the hall, pausing briefly on Zimeng Marquis before speaking lazily.

He already knew the whole story.

Zimeng Marquis had carefully investigated all nearby Great Sovereign movements. She just couldn’t predict Qingfen Marquis had hidden one in plain sight.

Hiding a Great Sovereign-level disciple for so long? Impressive patience.

“Your Highness, now that Qingfen Marquis is on alert, taking Qingfen City without significant losses will be difficult,” one avatar said quietly.

That was the truth.

If the plan had succeeded, they would’ve cracked the city’s arrays, then had their Great Sovereigns sneak in undetected and strike.

Qingfen Marquis might survive, but he wouldn’t hold the city or domain.

But now?

There was little chance of capturing it cheaply.

He would’ve already informed the Liyang Ancient Kingdom’s upper echelons. There might even be agents from the capital already hidden within the city.

Even if the gates were wide open—they wouldn’t dare step in.

“If we can’t take it easily, then we’ll take it by force.”

Lingwei Wang said flatly.

He had just been named a royal and needed war to solidify his position.

Among Ancient Kingdoms, royal blood held sway over lower levels.

But to Great Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns? Royalty was just luckier—more gifted.

Everyone had the founder’s blood. So what if yours was thicker? Without strength or prestige, why should others obey?

Heavenly Sovereigns especially didn’t care about royal status. They only accepted titles out of respect for the founding Ancestor.

“Take it by force?”

Zimeng Marquis and the others tensed slightly.

That meant war.

A limited one, yes—but war between two Ancient Kingdoms, spreading across several domains.

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