Chapter 196: Heavenly God Realm

“Clan Head, I don’t quite understand.”

After Jiang Die had been “corrected” into obedience, Jiang Yuan came to Jiang Dingtian’s side, respectfully but doubtfully opening his mouth.

“What is it you don’t understand?” Jiang Dingtian placed his teacup on the table across from him and gestured for Jiang Yuan to sit.

Jiang Yuan obediently took the seat opposite.

“Jiang Die... she already defeated Jiang Tianxin. And she did it with just third-layer Heaven’s Mandate cultivation, overpowering someone at the peak of the Heaven’s Mandate Realm. If she continues to grow, wouldn’t she still be a force to reckon with?” Jiang Yuan voiced his confusion.

Jiang Dingtian sipped his tea lightly.

“It’s true that back in the Second Heaven, Jiang Die was an absolutely top-tier powerhouse. If she’d ascended in that state, not only would the clan have mobilized all its resources for her—even if she wanted my position as Clan Head, I would’ve handed it to her.”

“But now... she’s finished.”

Jiang Yuan blinked in surprise.

“You mean... she suffered serious injuries?”

“Injuries? No—she didn’t just suffer injuries. She’s thrown away her strength entirely. Think about it. If you were Jiang Die, if you were once unimaginably powerful and could defeat opponents across realms like flipping your hand—”

“Then suddenly, that power was gone.”

“What’s the first thing you’d do?” Jiang Dingtian asked.

Jiang Yuan responded almost without thinking.

“I’d do whatever it takes to get it back.”

“Exactly. And has Jiang Die tried?”

Jiang Yuan frowned.

“She hasn’t.”

“Then there it is. If you lose something that important, your first instinct is to look for it. If you can’t find it yourself, you ask your friends, your connections—you do everything in your power to get it back.”

Jiang Yuan understood now.

“You’re saying her current behavior defies logic. She knows better than anyone that she can’t get it back.”

“That precious thing—has been utterly destroyed.”

Jiang Dingtian nodded.

“Yes... completely destroyed.”

“Right now, before Lu Ye ascends, we must extract every bit of value we can from Jiang Die. Once Lu Ye arrives, we’ll evaluate his strength and potential. If both prove formidable, we’ll hand Jiang Die over to him, along with some gifts—and erase this matter.”

“Huh? What about the Jiang Clan’s prestige?”

Jiang Dingtian scoffed.

“Prestige? What goddamn prestige? Prestige only exists because of strength. If the Jiang Clan is strong enough, even if we bow our heads to someone, the world will say we’re wise, fair, magnanimous. If the Jiang Clan grows weak, that’s when the real crisis begins. In this world, there aren’t just a few hundred—there are eight hundred million people who would love to see the Jiang Clan exterminated and its bloodline erased!”

“A clan’s first priority is survival. Second is strength.”

“So, just wait.”

“The more obediently Jiang Die teaches divine techniques, the more it proves that her value is shrinking.”

“She already caused the downfall of the Second Heaven’s Jiang Clan. So many eyes are on me. Even as Clan Head, I still owe them an explanation.”

At that moment, Jiang Yuan downed the tea in his cup in one gulp.

He understood.

Jiang Yuan left.

Jiang Dingtian sat there silently, eyes resting on the light spilling through the doorway.

Jiang Die... what are you hiding?

Maybe, just maybe, he could # Nоvеlight # catch a hint of it from the divine techniques she would be forced to teach.

As Clan Head, of course he couldn’t be seen coveting the fortunes or opportunities of his own clanspeople.

But still...

...

Far away, Lu Ye had no idea Jiang Die was gradually sinking into deep and fiery waters.

Although—he could pretty much guess.

Traveling eighty thousand li, Lu Ye had three goals.

First: build momentum. Create an unstoppable presence. Fight Jiang Die directly. Her cultivation was too high, and she had methods Lu Ye didn’t yet understand.

Second: wipe out all enemies in one go. Force them all into the open and kill them together.

Lu Ye didn’t have any particular reason to linger in the Second Heaven.

Third: expose Jiang Die before the world. Reveal everything about her. Even if he couldn’t kill her personally, once everyone saw her for what she was, the world—full of schemers, monsters, and predators—would make her suffer just as much. Even if they couldn’t kill Jiang Die, they’d still be enough to peel her alive.

The scariest possibility now...

Was that Jiang Die really had lost the foundation of her invincibility.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye had too many resources. Some he could use, some he couldn’t.

The Human Emperor Banner was still unreliable. Lu Ye had begun refining it again, trying to resolve its constant issue—souls growling and howling uncontrollably. If it could be stabilized, he could store far more spirits inside. Organized spirits were better than chaos.

Still, there were too many.

Lu Ye hadn’t used the Human Emperor Banner much in his past life, so now he started simulating everything through the system.

In the end, the system produced a very effective method:

Squeeze the souls into liquid form.

Refine them into a Soul River.

That way, the Human Emperor Banner’s capacity for spirit storage would multiply dramatically.

Say no more—Lu Ye got to work immediately!

The most vicious souls were ignored for now.

He started with the lazy ones—the souls that lazed around every day, doing nothing.

They were treating the Human Emperor Banner like a damn inn.

Unacceptable.

Get moving!

You’re already dead souls—why are you still so sluggish?

If the souls don’t hustle, it’s the True Spirit that weeps.

As Lu Ye went to work, thunderous cheers echoed from inside the Human Emperor Banner.

“AAAAHHHHHH!!!”

The ear-splitting cheers burst forth from within.

Every single soul seemed to awaken with renewed energy.

As the Soul River gradually formed, the deep black color inside the banner started to change.

The black was so thick, it began to shift—toward purple.

Even the most ferocious souls were stunned by what they saw.

They watched as a perfectly intact soul was suddenly gripped by a giant hand—then squeezed, droplet by droplet, into liquid.

Countless hands appeared.

Some souls, stunned for a single moment, were instantly crushed into juice.

The rest, realizing what was happening, let out deafening shrieks.

Their faces twisted into horrifying, monstrous shapes—distorted beyond recognition.

Lu Ye paused slightly.

Huh?

He hadn’t realized there were this many vicious spirits inside the banner.

Suddenly, all of them had turned ferocious.

No matter.

With a wave of his hand, three Soul Banners flew over—only to shatter the next moment.

The spirits within were immediately absorbed by the Human Emperor Banner.

“Hold it in!” Lu Ye bellowed.

The Human Emperor Banner had been halfway through a belch—only to forcibly stifle it.

Its body now trembled with irregular pulses.

Banner after banner was refined and fused.

Purple mist began to coil inside—filled with dense soul fluid.

Finally, every single Soul Banner was absorbed.

The Human Emperor Banner had officially advanced into an Innate Dao-Treasure!

Lu Ye didn’t drag things out. His Earth Immortal Realm cultivation had reached its limit, and he began compressing it layer by layer.

Would it cause some kind of poison backlash this time?

Breakthrough!

In an instant, his true essence surged.

Lu Ye’s aura exploded.

He had reached the Heavenly God Realm!

Lu Ye’s nose twitched.

He smelled something fragrant.