Although Pei Xuanjing, the protagonist of this incident, has already left, the ripples caused by the events that occurred here will not stop. Instead, they continue to spread as time goes on.
The impact of Pei Xuanjing's suppression of the Taixu Venerable, the most powerful being in the Nine Realms of Spirit, is many times, even a million times greater than the suppression of his previous incarnation.
Before this, the most powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit were seen as the strongest existences in Heaven and Earth, unchallengeable by anyone. Their authority deeply embedded in people's hearts, and even the rulers of the Divine Dynasty treated them with respect.
However, Pei Xuanjing broke this rule by launching a rebellion from the Spirit Realm Eightfold against the most powerful being in the Nine Realms of Spirit, and defeating them.
His action provoked countless cultivators of the Spirit Realm Eightfold to madness because they now understood that the chasm between the Spirit Realm Eightfold and the Nine Realms of Spirit's most powerful beings is not insurmountable.
Particularly after understanding many of Pei Xuanjing's techniques, many cultivators of the Spirit Realm Eightfold who have had difficulty elevating their realm for a while began to curious about the Heavenly Divine Position. They, too, wanted to know if they could become stronger if they received the enfeoffment of the Divine Position and the amplification of Heaven and Earth's Divine Position. They aspired not to defeat the most powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit like Pei Xuanjing did, but only to protect themselves when facing these powerful beings.
No one wants their life to be in the hands of others, as the feeling of having one's life and death controlled by others has never been pleasant.
In the past, they had no choice, but when suddenly someone broke this iron law, it undoubtedly stimulated the courage and ambition of the followers, who no longer tolerate the status quo, and began to find ways to strengthen themselves.
The Divine Position of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty is too difficult to obtain, but the Sky Wasteland once took away all the secrets of the Tang Dynasty era. Although they were not widely known and regular cultivators could not understand them, most of these secrets were unimportant to the cultivators who were only one step away from the peak of Heaven and Earth.
In an instant, many powerful beings began to rummage through the ancient books passed down in their sects, searching for methods to obtain the Heavenly Divine Position in order to elevate their power.
Besides the actions of these Spirit Realm Eightfold cultivators, there are numerous shifts in the world, such as the alliance and cooperation of various forces.
Both Canglang Palace and the Taixu Sect are among the most powerful forces in Heaven and Earth, and both have a common trait – they are domineering in their actions.
The Taixu Sect, as a newly risen top-level power, has a thirst for resources and profits that far exceeds those of other ancient top-level powers.
However, after thousands of years, the power structure of the Sky Wasteland has largely been formed. Their rise, besides some plundering from the Demon Race, has also inevitably occupied many benefits of the original powers.
Only because the Taixu Venerable, a mighty being of the Spirit Realm Ninefold, sat in town, those who were powerful had to hold their noses and accept it out of fear of his intervention.
But now that the Taixu Venerable has been suppressed by Pei Xuanjing, although he is not yet dead, many believe there is little chance of him escaping alive.
Therefore, without the protection of the mighty being of the Spirit Realm Ninefold, the Taixu Sect still has so much benefit, which seems a bit bad form, and they seem undeserving of their position.
Some even saw that Pei Xuanjing had suppressed the Taixu Venerable and realized that the two sides were irreconcilable. And although they didn't know why Pei Xuanjing hadn't acted against the Taixu Sect's forces yet, it didn't prevent some from wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to show goodwill to Pei Xuanjing and gain a favor.
As a result, various forces began to deliberately or unintentionally target the Taixu Sect, causing many of the Taixu Sect's ongoing plans to fail, and all their hard work to go down the drain.
Of course, the current leader of the Taixu Sect is not a fool. He understands the situation the Taixu Sect is facing. After these plans failed, he didn't dwell on the gains and losses, but instead immediately decided to give up many benefits and concentrated the power of the Taixu Sect together.
Therefore, although they lost the protection of the Taixu Venerable, only he went to confront Pei Xuanjing this time, and no other powerful beings followed. In the end, besides him, no other powerful beings of the Taixu Sect perished, which can be considered as a blessing in disguise.
By relying on the foundation built over the years and the remaining strong beings within the Taixu Sect, they temporarily abandoned the management of their ancestral land and gathered together to form a powerful force. Under such circumstances, the power of the Taixu Sect can't be easily challenged by some top-level powers.
With the benefits released by them, and even as a favor, no one would be foolish enough to try to confront the Taixu Sect directly. So, in the absence of top-level powers deliberately targeting them, they managed to calm down temporarily.
On the contrary, Canglang Palace was having a hard time for a while.
Ever since the news of Pei Xuanjing suppressing the Taixu Venerable and killing the master of Canglang Palace came, the entire Canglang Palace fell into great panic.
In the Canglang Palace, there were originally only five strong beings in the Spirit Realm Eightfold. Apart from the First Supreme Elder who once challenged the most powerful beings, the most powerful were the Palace Master and the Third Supreme Elder.
Now that the Palace Master and the Third Supreme have fallen, only the First Supreme Elder and the Fourth Supreme Elder, and the Seventh Supreme Elder of the Spirit Realm Eightfold are left in the Canglang Palace. It can be said that more than half of their strongest forces are lost.
This kind of loss instantly made Canglang Palace, once a dominant force among top-tier forces, slide to the lower ranks of top-tier forces, and this is still due to the existence of the First Supreme Elder.
In theory, the tiger's death still retains its might. Despite the loss of two powerful beings, with the reputation of the First Supreme Elder and the presence of other two Elders of Spirit Realm Eightfold, Canglang Palace could still endure this difficult time.
However, sometimes, you reap what you sow.
In the past, because the First Supreme Elder challenged the most powerful being in the Spirit Realm Ninefold undefeated and was seen as very likely to break through to the most powerful being in the Spirit Realm Ninefold, it was thought that he could propel the Canglang Palace to become a top-level power. This made the disciples of Canglang Palace domineering and overbearing, and today they received their retribution.
Also, precisely because of the reputation of the First Supreme Elder and the possibility of breaking through to the most powerful being in Spirit Realm Ninefold, it has become the biggest reason for the current crisis in Canglang Palace.
There are only so many things in Heaven and Earth. If you take more, I get less. Now, with the arrival of the Great World, everyone is scheming for the benefits of the ancestral land.
Canglang Palace was already considered the major contender by various factions, and many affiliations were absolutely not willing to see the Great Elder of Canglang Palace succeed in breaking through and promoting Canglang Palace to become a top-level power.
Because if that happened, they would be following in the footsteps of Taixu Sect, causing them to lose many of their interests once again. Thus, they didn't want to see such a situation arise.
Originally, Canglang Palace had five cultivators at the Eighth Level of the Spiritual Realm, and no top-ranked faction could confidently act alone. If all factions joined forces, then they would have to take into account the vague kindness the Taixu Venerable had towards the Great Elder, they wouldn't dare act rashly.
It can be said that after Pei Xuanjing killed the Master and the Third Supreme Elder of Canglang Palace, and suppressed the Taixu Venerable, this enemy of Canglang Palace, who was previously not given any attention by Pei Xuanjing, was no longer a concern. The factions could operate freely without any inhibitions against Canglang Palace.
Therefore, even after the Great Elder from Canglang Palace received the notification and wisely gave up many benefits, choosing to hunker down within the gates of the mountains, he was besieged by many powerful forces working together.
This supposed enemy, who was not even considered worth Pei Xuanjing's time, didn't even have a chance to clash with him. These powerful factions attacked Canglang Palace and broke its gates, massacring its disciples and causing the fall of two Eighth-Level Spiritual Realm elders, and numerous Seventh Level Spiritual Realm cultivators killed. Only the Great Elder managed to escape with a few men after killing two Eighth Level Spiritual Realm cultivators, but he was critically injured.
All of Canglang Palace's affairs were divided among the factions that attacked, with the Great Elder of Canglang Palace fleeing miserably with a few disciples, and still facing continuous pursuit and assassination.
The conflicts between the powers in Heaven and Earth are so brutal. Even before this golden era of revival fully unfolded, a Nine Realms of the Spiritual Realm cultivator was suppressed, many Eighth-Level Spiritual Realm cultivators fell, and a top-tier power that had lasted for thousands of years was destroyed.
This series of events sent chills down countless people's spines. They knew that regardless of whether the Immortal Realm appeared this time during the revitalization of Heaven and Earth, this Great World was bound to be extremely cruel, its brutality surpassing any time in the past.
When Pei Xuanjing learned of all this, he received a message from Wu Shijiu, who also told him that the Witch Deity Teaching wanted to pay him a visit.
…
Several months ago, just after Pei Xuanjing had suppressed Taixu Venerable, Wu Shijiu had just returned to Tiandu after witnessing this battle and found that the people from Witch Deity Teaching were present.
With no choice in the matter, Wu Shijiu, who had originated from the Witch Deity Teaching and later defected, was intimately familiar with their unique aura.
He originally planned to kill the cultivator from the Witch Deity Teaching but was caught off guard by a message the latter brought, which led him to call a temporary truce.
According to the message brought by this Seventh-Level Spiritual Realm cultivator from the Witch Deity Teaching, their leader understood Wu Shijiu's current situation and said that if Wu Shijiu agreed to their terms, they would cease their pursuit and assassination of him, and even allow him to return to the Witch Deity Teaching.
Wu Shijiu initially refused, of course. When he defected, he was chased by many powerhouses from the Witch Deity Teaching and barely escaped with his life. These humiliating experiences were engraved in Wu Shijiu's heart, and he fantasized about returning to the Witch Deity Teaching to reclaim everything that was rightfully his and to cleanse his disgrace. How could he easily agree to a reconciliation with the Witch Deity Teaching?
However, eventually, Wu Shijiu chose to agree. Despite his reluctancy, they offered him what he desired the most. All he ever wanted was what they promised him when he risked the defection.
So, for now, he chose to keep his enemies closer and agreed to their proposal. He would wait and see how the Leader of Witch Deity Teaching would respond.
"So you brought him to me?" Pei Xuanjing asked, an indescribable smile on his face as he looked at Wu Shijiu.
Being watched by Pei Xuanjing with such a smile, although Pei Xuanjing was not angry, Wu Shijiu dared not slack off in the slightest.
If he had once thought that he could treat Pei Xuanjing as an equal based on his position and power, that idea was shattered when Pei Xuanjing suppressed the Taixu Venerable.
His own power was similar to that of the head of the Canglang Palace, who couldn't last a few rounds against Pei Xuanjing at his peak. How many rounds could he last against Pei Xuanjing?
Does it make any difference whether there are a few more rounds or a few less?
"Your Excellency misunderstood. I wanted to ask for your help," Wu Shijiu hurriedly explained with a smile.
Given Pei Xuanjing's power and status, Wu Shijiu could no longer manipulate or scheme against him. If the Witch Deity Teaching intended to cooperate with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, Pei Xuanjing would be a crucial factor to their success.
If Pei Xuanjing did not agree or approve their plan, then everything they did would be meaningless and they wouldn't succeed in the end.
Wu Shijiu was very clear that the leader of the Witch Deity Teaching agreed to his terms because they wanted to win over Pei Xuanjing through him. After all, a Spiritual Realm Eightfold cultivator with the ability to suppress a Nine Realms of Spirit cultivator was very promising. Whether, in the present or the future, this would be immensely helpful to the Witch Deity Teaching.
"And what can I gain from it?" Pei Xuanjing asked directly.
At his level and status, he didn't need to beat around the bush for many things. He could express himself directly without considering what others would think.
Concerning this matter, although Pei Xuanjing only heard a general idea, he understood that the Great Ming Divine Dynasty had something that the Witch Deity Teaching wanted, and they had offered Wu Shijiu terms that he couldn't refuse.
For this cooperation, what Pei Xuanjing wanted to know was, since they all got what they wanted, what could he gain from this? This would determine whether he would agree to their cooperation.
Hearing Pei Xuanjing's question, Wu Shijiu exhaled in relief. Being at Pei Xuanjing's level, if he didn't wish to agree, no one could force him.
"Your Excellency, please rest assured. If you agree, the Witch God Sect Leader will personally send a message to discuss this matter with you," Wu Shijiu said candidly.
Although he was an advocate for this cooperation and worked hard to make it happen, he knew very well that the one who could truly make promises and responses to Pei Xuanjing was not himself, but the Witch God Sect Leader.
"If that's the case, please invite the person from Witch Deity Teaching in!" Pei Xuanjing said with a smile.
He understood Wu Shijiu's intention and knew that he needed to negotiate with the Witch God Sect Leader himself to make this matter truly possible, regardless of how much Wu Shijiu talked.
"Please wait a moment, National Master." Wu Shijiu nodded, then slowly left the courtyard.
Pei Xuanjing nodded without saying much.
To Pei Xuanjing, even though he had firmly established his authority by suppressing the Taixu Venerable, securing sufficient power of speech, he was also aware that in this world, there were always higher skies and stronger people. He himself did not dare to claim to be an invincible existence lightly.
Furthermore, even though the strongest cultivators in the Nine Realms of the Spirit Realm were not many, there were quite a few. He had used up a lot of energy to suppress the Taixu Venerable. Now the other party had been suppressed in the Small Thousand World that he had created. Although it provided for the Small Thousand World, it also restrained the power of the Small Thousand World and temporarily restricted his own strength.
He also understood that unless necessary, he should not deliberately make too many enemies. After all, his goal was the Immortal Path, not to unite Heaven and Earth.
Just like establishing the Great Ming Divine Dynasty before, as long as he could gain the benefits he needed and achieve his goal, he could completely give up some of the benefits and choose to cooperate with those people to create a win-win situation.
The same went for this time. After the revival of Heaven and Earth, Pei Xuanjing fully understood that the benefits in this world could not and would not be monopolized by him alone. So he was already prepared to share a part of it.
However, even though he was prepared to surrender his interests, how exactly they were surrendered was entirely different. Whether he actively gave up or others forced and plundered, the meanings were completely different.
Now that he had proven his strength and made those strong men recognize that he was qualified to protect everything, it would be a completely different result when Pei Xuanjing made a compromise again.
He didn't wait long. In just a moment, Wu Shijiu led a cultivator into the courtyard where Pei Xuanjing was.
This cultivator was the one who had received orders from the Witch God Sect Leader in Sky Wasteland.
After landing on the Ancestral Land, the cultivator was temporarily suppressed by the Ancestral Land and chose to close up at the Witch God Sect's residence in the Ancestral Land for a while. Then he entered Tiandu to look for Wu Shijiu to convey the instructions of the Witch God Sect Leader.
However, he never expected that in the short time while he was secluding himself, a great misfortune would befall the Ancestral Land. Pei Xuanjing once again displayed his mighty power, not only creating the Small Thousand World but also suppressing the Taixu Venerable, the strongest in the Nine Realms of the Spirit Realm.
This was almost unbelievable for this cultivator of the Witch Deity Teaching. They had a long lifetime. Many events in Sky Wasteland were counted in tens or hundreds of years.
But in such a short time, Pei Xuanjing once again did such a shocking thing that it was horrifying. Were it not for the Witch God Sect Leader descending his clone to personally instruct, he would not dare to believe it.
"You know what to say and how to behave when you meet the National Master, don't you?" Wu Shijiu said to the cultivator beside him.
Being from the Witch Deity Teaching, he knew the mind of these juniors too well. They all looked quiet and silent, but in reality, they were all incredibly proud deep down.
If the other party behaved too arrogantly in front of Pei Xuanjing, then not only would it be disadvantageous to him, but Wu Shijiu might get implicated as well.
"Shijiu, are you getting worried about this?" The young cultivator, with a hint of amusement, said to Wu Shijiu.
Whoosh!
Upon hearing this rusty sound, Wu Shijiu, who was initially calm, instantly stood on end. His eyes were filled with intense shock, staring at the cultivator, ready to attack at any time. He coldly said, "Sect Leader, when did you descend?"
That's right, the person speaking now was not the cultivator from before, but the Witch God Sect Leader who had descended his clone.
All the memories of the Witch God Sect Leader instantly surfaced in Wu Shijiu's mind. He instinctively took a defensive stand. Even though it was only the clone of the Witch God Sect Leader that had descended, he dared not be careless at all.
The methods of the Witch God Sect were extraordinarily unusual, and many of their divine abilities were more like the bizarre curses of the Ancient Era, impossible to remove once attached.
Exactly because of his deep understanding and familiarity with these things, Wu Shijiu was very shocked. Knowing that the Witch God Sect Leader's clone had descended, he would never allow him to be so close.
"Little Shijiu, don't be scared. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't wait until now." The face of the cultivator, or rather the clone of the Witch God Sect Leader, showed a smile. He said in a hoarse voice.
Wu Shijiu, a strong cultivator in the Spirit Realm Eightfold and one of the top-notch powers in heaven and earth, was just a junior in the mouth of the Witch God Sect Leader.
But it was indeed true. Since Wu Shijiu joined the Witch Deity Teaching, the Witch God Sect Leader had already been the sect leader for countless years. No one knew his actual age or how strong he was. All they knew was that he was an old antique, and even many of the others who stood at the top of Spirit Realm Ninefold were quite wary of this old monster.
His smile seemed to want to soothe Wu Shijiu, but it didn't work at all. Instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Rather than calming Wu Shijiu down, the sight of his rigid smile made Wu Shijiu instinctively back away. It seemed that only by doing so would he feel distanced from the danger.
"Sect Leader, your smile is quite unsightly." Even though Wu Shijiu was startled, he didn't show weakness. Instead, he mocked.
Even though he had managed to escape from the Witch Deity Teaching and narrowly escaped with his life while being chased by a top-notch powerhouse in the Ninefold Spirit Realm, which was indeed a great accomplishment to many cultivators, Wu Shijiu knew that it was purely by luck. That was because the one who was chasing him back then was not the Witch God Sect Leader, but another top-notch cultivator from the sect.
He was very wary of this Witch God Sect Leader. He knew very well that, even among those who stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth, there was a very clear hierarchy. Without a doubt, whether in strength or experience, the Witch God Sect Leader was a top-tier existence among the many top-notch cultivators in the Ninefold Spirit Realm.
"If the Sect Leader has descended, why not come in and have a chat?"
A gentle voice, like spring wind blowing over, dissipated the awkward atmosphere between the two and also somewhat calmed Wu Shijiu down.
He knew that since Pei Xuanjing had spoken up, it meant that the other party had noticed what was happening here and was willing to intervene to protect him.