Originally, his Ringless Ground Purging Set was purely for the sake of energy and several other boosts to his abilities. However, this time he noticed that his Ringless Ground Purging Set had already become part of his Saint Energy, and it was completely attuned to his energy. He discovered that the starlights that were hidden in the midst of the dark golden color were like an armor on his body that had been fully condensed by his Nebula Saint Energy.
At the same time, he was also clear that once his cultivation base broke through to the Heavenly God Tier, the eleventh piece of the legendary armor set that had just been completed would go through its final fusion. It would allow him to fully own a brand-new legendary suit that could be considered as the best in all the lands.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Zhou Weiqing did not have the time to test the changes that the Ringless Ground Purging Set had gone through. It was all he could do to look at the Elven Queen as he nodded faintly at her. In the next moment, his body slumped backward as he fell and fainted into Long Shiya’s arms.
The consolidation through the past twenty days was just too enormous and exhausting for Zhou Weiqing. Be it his body, Saint Energy or his Divine Thought, they were all overloaded. Had it not been for the nourishment from the Elven Queen’s tremendous vitality that allowed his body to go through another evolution and complete the Dragon-Tiger Demon God Transformation, he would have most likely long collapsed from the pressure. It was not a stroll in the park to create a miracle using the Atmospheric Energy after all.
When the Elven Queen arrived, she did not believe that she could do the things that Zhou Weiqing had done. Moreover, her cultivation base was already at the Maximum Level of the Heavenly God Tier and not at the Maximum Level of the Heavenly Emperor Tier.
The Elven Queen glanced at Zhou Weiqing and was deep in thought but she did not say anything as she took a step forward in the air and vanished without a trace.
Although this time Zhou Weiqing had suffered quite some damage, the returns that he gained was equally enormous as well. Whether it was due to his confidence or the control of his Saint Energy, or even the elevation of his body the moment it overloaded, they were all beneficial to him in his next step of breaking through to the Heavenly God Tier.
Long Shiya held onto Zhou Weiqing’s body as he descended from the sky. The sealing of the Heavenly Bow City which lasted for nearly a month and all the peculiar spectacles finally had the curtains drawn down. Even after several decades had gone by, the miracles that took place during this month would continue to be the talk of the town for years to come.
Now that Zhou Weiqing had finally completed one of his important mission, the commotion in the Boundless Mainland had also died down and it became unusually peaceful.
Be it the Dandun Empire or the Bai Da Empire, they both actually retreated as if nothing had taken place at all. As for the three Shangguan sisters and Tian’er, they had also left the Heavenly Bow City quietly after Zhou Weiqing regained his consciousness from the coma. They returned to the Heaven’s Expanse Palance and Heavenly Snow Mountain respectively.
Those with discerning eyes could clearly see that the current tranquility in the mainland was only temporary. It was apparent that the Dandun Empire would not give up just like that. Apart from that, the Zhongtian Empire could not easily obtain news from the Dandun Empire any longer. Both the Dandun and Bai Da Empire had tightly sealed off their information from the outer world. All the major empires were in full swing, preparing and dispatching their armies. The commoners had no idea when the war would break out but every top official from all the nations knew about this very clearly. The most crucial thing lay in the upcoming Grand Tournament of Saint Lands that was about to take place.
In the earlier days, the Grand Tournament of Saint Lands was held once every five years. However, it had now been changed to being held once every decade. In the previous years, this tournament was a place for the Five Great Saint Lands to display their true power. The Saint Land with the highest rank would have a greater influence on the mainland.
Just take the previous Grand Tournament of Saint Lands for example, the moment the Heavenly Demon Sect came out last again in the tournament, coupled with the fact that most of its followers possessed the Evil Attribute, it was suppressed by the other four Great Saint Lands together. As a result, the influence of the sect had greatly decreased. At the same time, it was also rejected by all the other nations. Otherwise, it would not have fallen into such pitiful state in the first place. The Heavenly Demon Sect would mostly like be destroyed had it not been for Zhou Weiqing’s help.
This time, the Grand Tournament of Saint Lands would take place in the Heavenly Snow Mountain. Be it in brightness or darkness, a great number of people looked forward to the outcome of this tournament.
In the eyes of the people, it was clear that the Heavenly Demon Sect had long lost the qualifications to join the Grand Tournament. The Blood Red Hell’s uprising influence was bound to be crushed by the other three Great Saint Lands anyway. However, nobody was able to predict what the final outcome would be. If the Blood Red Hell was successfully suppressed by the other three Great Saint Lands, then the alliance between Dandun and Bai Da Empire would definitely be squashed as well. On the contrary, this might be the best time for another great empire to rise abruptly. It would be a mystery if Zhongtian Empire was able to block the Dandun and Bai Da Empire allied forces by then.
Of course, no one knew what was going on inside the Saint Lands at the moment. However, the atmosphere on the mainland was already unprecedentedly tensed. Every nation’s top officials had their eyes all focused on the Heavenly Snow Mountain as they quietly waited for the arrival of the final result.
…
Heavenly Jewel Island, Heaven’s Expanse Palace.
Shangguan Tianyang was lost in his thoughts as he sat on the master throne. Shangguan Tianyue stood beside him with a calm expression on his face.
“Have the three girls left?” Shangguan Tianyang asked nonchalantly.
Shangguan Tianyue nodded his head. A slightly dejected look could be seen on his face. “It’s hard to keep a daughter at home!”
A faint smile crept up on Shangguan Tianyang’s face as he shook his head, “Perhaps, this is the best outcome after all.”
“Huh?” Shangguan Tianyue stared at his brother in shock. In truth, he knew perfectly well that his brother was actually concerned about having all three Shangguan sisters married off to Zhou Weiqing, especially Shangguan Xue’er. After all, even if they did not take into consideration the fact that Shangguan Xue’er was his daughter, she was still the one who was groomed to become the next Heaven’s Expanse Palace successor. On top of that, she was also the most outstanding person among all the younger generation in the Heaven’s Expanse Palace.
Shangguan Tianyang continued dejectedly, “I heard that fellow has already completed the eleventh piece of his Ringless Ground Purging Set. Maybe we still have the ability to stop the rise of both Dandun Empire and Blood Red Hell. However, nobody will be able to stop him from leading the rise of the Heavenly Bow Empire anymore. Fortunately, this kid’s not greedy, and he’s not our enemy.”
The moment Shangguan Tianyue thought of that little brat, a faint smile appeared on his face as well, “Brother, if you’re given another chance to redo everything, how do you think you’ll deal with him?’
A cold gleam shimmered in Shangguan Tianyang’s eyes, “I’ll kill him without any hesitation. Or maybe, forcefully take him into the Heaven’s Expanse Palace.”
Shangguan Tianyue cracked a smile, “You’re right. If we have another chance to redo everything, I’ll marry Bing’er off to him immediately and assist him in rebuilding his nation. Then, he’ll truly become one of us Heaven’s Expanse Palace.”
Shangguan Tianyang cast a glance at him, “Unfortunately, there’s no ‘if’ in this world. Anyway, is everything ready?”
Shangguan Tianyue’s face instantly turned solemn as he said, “Everything’s ready. We’re ready to leave at any time.”
Shangguan Tianyang suddenly rose from his throne, and his eyes were brightly lit, “Alright, let me see how strong this Blood Red Hell actually is to the extent that they dare to provoke the entire mainland! Let us go to the Heavenly Snow Mountain!”
“Yes!”
…
Heavenly Snow Mountain.
Unlike the Wan Shou Empire’s weather that was pleasant all year round, a piercing cold wind blew on Heavenly Snow Mountain that was situated atop the mountains. Even a Heavenly Jewel Master that had a slightly weaker cultivation base would have a hard time standing still here.
At this moment, two people were standing, rooted to the spot. One man and one woman. The woman was leaning into the man’s embrace while he gently stroked her beautiful hair
“Silly, you’re going to become a mum soon, you know. Look at how spoiled you are.”
If anybody from the Wan Shou Empire happened to hear such kind words coming out of this man, their jaws would be opened so wide that it would most likely drop to the ground. This was because the man was none other than the Mountain Lord of the Heavenly Snow Mountain who was in charge of the lives of ten million people living in the Wan Shou Empire — the strongest man in the world. Or at least, he would remain the strongest man in the entire world until somebody appeared to defeat him.
“Father, when will I be able to see Mother again? Will she come back if Weiqing and I are formally married?” Tian’er muttered lightly as she leaned back into her father’s arms.
Xue Ao’tian’s eyes turned solemn instantly. Although he had countless maids and concubines, he only had one true wife. The only child that he had was Tian’er who was lying in his arms now. Could it be that he was infertile? Of course not. The reason he only had one child was because of his profound love towards her.
“I guess the only person who can make your mother come back and never leave is that little brat. It has never crossed my mind that he’ll be breaking through to the Heavenly God Tier so soon in just within these few years. Looks like your mother is more of a visionary than I am. Still, I really want to kick this boy’s ass at least once! You two are not even married yet, and he has already given me a grandson! Tell me, don’t you think he deserves a good beating?”
“Father…” Tian’er squirmed in her father’s embrace. Her delicate face was completely flushed.
Xue Ao’tian chuckled, “Just like the saying goes, ‘a married daughter is just like water that has been poured — she doesn’t belong to her parents anymore.’ Anyway, I’m not going to meddle in your other business but you have to get married here at the Heavenly Snow Mountain. I believe that the two fellows in the Heaven’s Expanse Palace will most likely have the same thoughts as I do. Zhou Weiqing is really a lucky bastard!”
Tian’er stared curiously at her father’s smile before she asked, “Father, you don’t seem like you’re worried about the upcoming Grand Tournament of Saint Lands at all? Weiqing told me that the Blood Red Hell is not a land that’s easy to deal with. Not only tha…”
Xue Ao’tian waved his hands, preventing her from continuing, “They’re just a couple of small clowns. The true enemy is the one pulling the strings behind the scene. I’ve already read the letter that Weiqing told you to bring me. This time, I’ll join him in this game. The mainland will not be chaotic. Don’t worry.”
“Alright,” Tian’er did not say anything more as she continued to snuggle against her father quietly. She knew that once she became Zhou Weiqing’s wife, she would not have a lot of time to spend with her father anymore. For this reason, she felt completely attached to her father.
Xue Ao’tian looked towards the far distance. Three days. Three more days before the Grand Tournament of Saint Lands. Xue Ao’tian’s heart that had not wavered in many years started to look forward to the upcoming tournament.
“Mountain Lord,” a respectful voice sounded from not far away.
Creases crept up in between Xue Ao’tian’s brows. It was obvious that he was dissatisfied that his sweet moment with his daughter was disrupted.
Just several dozen meters away, Gu Site, the strong and sturdy Lion King, was standing quietly with his disheveled and tousled hair. No, he was no longer the Lion King because his position had been stripped away by Xue Ao’tian due to the incident previously. The person who was currently in charge of the Leontrope was his son — Gu Yingbing.