Cultivation starts from devouring the Dao fruits

"Xuanyun True Master, please die!"

Fairy Thousand Moon smiled charmingly and suddenly launched a Flying Knife Magical Treasure at Xuanyun True Master.

The other three Nascent Soul Cultivators remained silent, displaying powerful Divine Skills to besiege Xuanyun True Master.

The five Nascent Soul Cultivators engaged in a fierce battle within that black curtain.

An hour later, a large hole was blasted in the black curtain formed by the Spirit Net Magical Treasure, and Xuanyun True Master's presence had vanished.

The four Nascent Soul Cultivators also rapidly fled the area using their Escape Techniques.

For those four Nascent Soul Cultivators, venturing deep into enemy territory to hunt opposing Nascent Soul Cultivators was extremely risky—a slight mishap could result in them facing the siege and pursuit of numerous Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Days later, the news of Xuanyun True Master's demise spread throughout the Great Qian Empire, causing a massive stir.

The situation at the front lines escalated further, with cultivators from both nations fiercely battling, and countless cultivators died.

Inside the cave mansion of the Mountain Sect.

"Red Emperor has also reached the bottleneck for advancement; swallowing the corpse of this Venomous Demon Toad, along with its inner core, will surely enable it to evolve into a Fourth Order Demon Beast!"

A glint of fervor crossed Zhao Yu's eyes as he let Red Emperor swallow the corpse of the Venomous Demon Toad and then activated the power of the Dao Fruit of Devouring.

A stream of cool and unrivaled energy flowed from Zhao Yu's body into Red Emperor's body, causing it to shudder. Its scales began to fall off, regrowing new ones, and its claws and teeth fell out, replaced by even sharper ones.

The spiritual energy above the Mountain Sect swirled tumultuously, with a considerable amount of spiritual energy gathering to form clouds of spiritual energy, and a terrifying aura of a Fourth-Order Great Demon of Transformation emanated from the mountaintop.

Li Xianjiao looked towards the mountaintop with curiosity, "Could it be that uncle has already advanced to Nascent Soul?"

Wu Zixin thought with anticipation, "Nascent Soul! If my lord husband can advance to Nascent Soul, we will be able to establish a solid foothold in the Great Qian Empire and secure this Fifth-Order Spirit Vein!"

Tuoba Xue's eyes also flashed with fervor, "Nascent Soul! If my lord husband advances to Nascent Soul, I will truly become a Nascent Soul lady! This would be absolutely wonderful!"

Fang Shitou thought secretly, "I hope Master successfully advances to Nascent Soul!"

If Zhao Yu could advance to Nascent Soul, then his claim over the Mountain Sect ruins would be well-founded, as after all, Nascent Soul Cultivators have a lifespan of over 1600 years and are considered true ageless beings of the world, living far longer than Golden Core Cultivators.

Inside the Quiet Room of the cave mansion.

"The advancement was successful!"

Zhao Yu looked at Red Emperor, now larger than before, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly into a smile.

"Red Emperor."

"Bloodline Type: Dragon-Related."

"Bloodline Quality: High-grade (0/100000)." Stay updated via empire

"Cultivation Level: Fourth Order Low-Grade (0/3000)."

Zhao Yu said, "Red Emperor, a Fourth Order Demon Beast should be able to transform into a human, can you transform?"

"Yes, Master!"

A deep voice came from Red Emperor's mouth, his body flickered, and he transformed into a tall, burly young cultivator with dog ears, long red hair, and a tail, boasting handsome features.

Zhao Yu thought to himself, "After transforming, the dragon-related demon indeed becomes handsome! This way, my subordinates are no longer just those ghostly monsters with fierce faces who look like bad news."

The power of the White Ghost Emperor and the Nine Extremes Corpse Emperor was not to be underestimated, but they also were terrifying and fierce in appearance, one just as much as the other.

Zhao Yu said, "Chihuang, you go with Fang Shitou to the northern wilderness and bring Lingxiu and the others over!"

The Fifth-Order Spirit Vein of the Mountain Sect, if well developed, could generate an annual income much higher than the entire northern wilderness's Spirit Stone income.

"Yes, Master!"

Chihuang responded and stretched his body before flying out.

Chihuang barged directly into the cave mansion where Fang Shitou resided and unabashedly said, "Fang Shitou, the master has ordered me to go back with you to bring a few madams back!"

Fang Shitou was slightly stunned and said, "Senior, may I know who you are?"

Chihuang unabashedly said, "I am master's magical beast servant, Chihuang! I have just successfully transformed!"

Fang Shitou happily said, "So it is Senior Chihuang, congratulations on your successful transformation! Let's go immediately!"

The two of them then transformed into a ray of Escape Light and flew towards the northern wilderness.

Zhao Yu thought to himself, "With Chihuang and Shitou in the northern wilderness, nothing can go wrong! The urgent task now is to enhance my cultivation level! Only by advancing to the Nascent Soul can I establish a firm foothold in this chaotic world!"

Although Zhao Yu had cultivated three great Fourth-Order monsters—the White Ghost Emperor, the Nine Extremes Corpse Emperor, and Chihuang—he himself only possessed the cultivation level of the Golden Elixir Seventh Layer. He was the greatest weakness; if he were killed, the White Ghost Emperor, the Nine Extremes Corpse Emperor, and Chihuang would also suffer severe damage or even perish.

"However, Chihuang's progression to Fourth-Order is indeed a sign of the success of my cultivation. Time to celebrate!"

Zhao Yu walked out from the Quiet Room, found Wu Zixin and Tuoba Xue in the garden, and together they strolled around the lake.

Days later, a ray of Escape Light flew from afar, stopped above the Mountain Sect, and revealed a tall figure wearing a blue-gray Taoist robe, with a handsome, scholarly appearance, standing on a cloud in the sky.

The middle-aged scholar called out, "Holy Cloud Sect's Fifth-Cloud True Lord requests an audience with Daoist Zhao Yu!"

A dark cloud flew out from the Mountain Sect, and Zhao Yu, riding the dark cloud, appeared in the sky protected by the White Ghost Emperor and the Nine Extremes Corpse Emperor.

Zhao Yu bowed and said, "I am Zhao Yu, greeting Fifth-Cloud True Lord! Please, come into my mansion for a talk!"

"Sorry to intrude!"

The Fifth-Cloud True Lord entered the cave mansion.

Zhao Yu said, "May I ask what brings the Fifth-Cloud True Lord here today?"

"Daoist Zhao, surely you must be aware that the Hanlong Empire has invaded the Great Qian Empire, turning living beings into dust. Not long ago, the True Lord Xuan Yun of Yunluo Immortal City also fell in the siege led by the four great demons of the Demon Sect."

"Our Great Qian Empire's two sects, two factions, and one city have already formed an alliance to jointly resist the Hanlong Empire. I am here to invite you to join the alliance."

"If you join our alliance, we will share intelligence with you and recognize your rule over this Spirit Vein. If you are not willing to join, then events that nobody wants to see might occur. Our alliance cannot fight the four great demons on one side while watching for threats in our rear," the Fifth-Cloud True Lord said solemnly.

Zhao Yu asked, "Do all Nascent Soul Loose Cultivators in the Great Qian Empire have to join the alliance?"

The Fifth-Cloud True Lord said, "Yes! Unless they are willing to abandon their foundation and leave the Great Qian Empire, they can only choose to join the alliance, or they will be considered enemies of the alliance!"

The two sects, two factions, and one city were the five greatest Nascent Soul Level Powers of the Great Qian Empire, and together they were an unstoppable force within the Empire.