175: Chapter 175 The World Unites

Emperor Shitian's decree was like a giant boulder crashing into a calm lake, sending ripples from the ruins of Starfall Pavilion across the entire Fighting Qi Continent. The notice, personally drafted by Hun Qian, was sent by the Hall of Souls' secret agents to the desks of all major factions. The wording was extremely concise: within six months, all factions and sects must either submit, join, or be annihilated. There was no fourth option. At the end of the notice was the seal of the Hun Clan, and below the seal were three bloody characters scorched by Hun Feng with the Heaven-Slaying Flame: "Emperor Shitian."

This notice was posted simultaneously at the gates of every major city in the Central Plains. In teahouses, taverns, sect halls, and mercenary camps, everyone was discussing the same name. Some said Xiao Yan's Emperor body had been pierced by a spear from Emperor Shitian, causing him to fall from the Emperor Realm to a Five-Star Dou Sheng, and he would never be able to recover in this lifetime. Others said Emperor Shitian could manipulate time and space, a divine ability that even the ancient Dou Emperors had never mastered. Still others said that the factions that had joined the Hun Clan early on were all raking in huge profits. The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan had transformed from one of the three overlords of the Magical Beast world into a staunch ally of the Hun Clan. Feng Tianyu's daughter, Feng Qing'er, was already at the peak of Four-Star Dou Sheng; it was said that Emperor Shitian had personally repaired her foundation. The Void Ancient Dragon's Dragon Emperor, Zi Yan, was Emperor Shitian's sworn sister, and Ancient Dragon Island stood with the Hun Clan. The Yan Clan and Lei Clan had exhausted half their elites on the battlefield of Duanhun Cliff, but both Yan Jin and Lei Ying said it was worth it—they had bet correctly.

Hun Feng thought a few short-sighted ones would stand up and resist. He had specifically asked Hun Qian to leave a six-month deadline at the end of the notice just to give those dissatisfied factions enough time to jump out. Three months passed, and not a single faction resisted. It wasn't that they didn't want to; it was that they dared not. After the deaths of Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Leizi, the Pill Tower was left without a leader. Several remaining elders took the Pill Tower's remaining Alchemists and personally visited to offer all their pill formulas and medicinal material stocks. After the fall of Fire Cloud Old Ancestor, the Burning Flame Valley was severely weakened. Valley Master Tang Zhen dismissed the disciples of the valley and, carrying the Burning Flame Valley's foundation fire alone, went to the Soul Realm to offer the fire to Hun Feng. After Soul Yuan Tian withdrew his troops, Jia Nan Academy reopened its gates. Great Elder Su Qian personally wrote a letter and sent it to the Soul Realm, with respectful and restrained wording, the gist of which was that Jia Nan Academy wished to remain neutral from now on and would not participate in any disputes on the continent.

In three months, all factions had either joined or submitted. For the first time since the ancient era, the Fighting Qi Continent was truly unified, quietly accomplished under the imperial might of Emperor Shitian.

In the main hall of the Soul Realm, Hun Feng leaned on the main seat, closing his eyes to rest. Hun Qian stood in the hall holding a thick stack of submission rosters, reciting them one by one. His voice went from initial excitement to later calm, and finally to hoarseness. He spent an entire afternoon reading the names of hundreds of sects. When he finished, he closed the roster, bowed, and said, "Young Master—no, Emperor, all existing factions on the Fighting Qi Continent have submitted." Hun Feng opened his eyes, and a blood-colored light flashed deep in his pupils. He corrected Hun Qian, saying that calling him Young Master as before was fine. Hun Qian's throat moved slightly, a faint layer of moisture appearing in his old eyes, and he bowed and replied, "Yes, Young Master."

Rewarding those factions that had taken a stand first was something Hun Feng had planned long ago. The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan was promoted from one of the three overlords of the Magical Beast world to the first tier under the Hun Clan. Feng Tianyu leaped from a vassal clan leader to become one of the core members of the Soul Clan Alliance, and Feng Qing'er was officially appointed as the resident inspection envoy of the Hun Clan in the Central Plains. The Void Ancient Dragon Clan was granted permission to establish a permanent base on the outskirts of the Soul Realm. Zi Yan personally selected dozens of young Void Ancient Dragons to enter the Soul Realm for cultivation, and the Dragon Emperor bloodline officially began deep exchanges with the Hun Clan's God-Grade Bloodline. The Yan Clan and Lei Clan had suffered the greatest losses on the battlefield of Duanhun Cliff. Hun Feng personally allocated resources from the Hun Clan's treasury sufficient to rebuild the entire elite force of both clans. Yan Jin and Lei Ying each returned to their clans with these generous gifts. Watching the mountains of pills and materials, the clansmen were all glad they had chosen the right side.

As the Hun Clan's earliest allied clan by marriage, Gu Xun'er personally made a trip back to the Ancient World, bringing a handwritten letter from Hun Feng and an Emperor-grade pill. After reading the letter, Gu Yuan handed the pill formula to Gu Dao beside him, and after a long silence, said, "Xun'er, you are stronger than your father. The man you chose is stronger than Xiao Xuan was back then." Gu Xun'er did not answer, only gently holding her father's hand.

Under the personal supervision of Medusa, the Snake-People Tribe moved from the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range to an oasis specially opened up on the outskirts of the Soul Realm. Looking at their brand-new home rich in spiritual energy, the elders of the tribe prostrated themselves on the ground, thanking the Queen and Emperor Shitian for their grace. With the promotion of Cao Ying, the Cao Family leaped from a remote, minor family that didn't even have a Dou Sheng to a top-tier faction in the Central Plains. Cao Yu personally brought the most outstanding disciples of the younger generation of the Cao Family to settle in the Soul Realm, telling everyone he met that his daughter was a concubine of Emperor Shitian and had given birth to Emperor Shitian's eldest daughter. Yao Yao had no maiden family—she was an orphan picked up from the battlefield by Hun Feng's father since she was young, but Hun Feng separated the purest blood-attribute Fighting Qi lineage of the Hun Clan for her, with Yao Yao serving as the first Chief Elder of that lineage. This position was second only to Hun Tiandi within the Hun Clan.

Yun Yun's Flower Sect had also suffered heavy losses on the battlefield of Duanhun Cliff, but Nalan Yanran had gritted her teeth and held on with the remaining disciples of the Flower Sect. Yun Yun personally returned to the Flower Sect and distributed the cultivation resources bestowed by Hun Feng to every disciple one by one. Xiao Yi Xian had no family; she just quietly expanded the flower garden Hun Feng had bestowed upon her by a circle and planted a few more stalks of calming grass. In the evening, when Hun Feng asked her what reward she wanted, she leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "It is enough that you came back safely."

Medusa remained the most stable pillar of the East Courtyard. When Hun Feng asked her what else the Snake-People Tribe needed, she put down the letter and said indifferently, "Come back earlier tonight, Mu Qing misses you." Hun Feng smiled and pulled her into his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Starfall Pavilion had disbanded on its own after Xiao Yan left. The remaining disciples scattered; some returned to the Jia Ma Empire, some went to the Black-Corner Region, and some chose to stay in the Central Plains as rogue cultivators. That main hall of Starfall Pavilion, which once stood on par with the Hall of Souls, was now nothing but broken walls and ruins. After Starfall Pavilion disbanded, Yao Chen disappeared without a trace. Hun Qian had once asked Hun Feng if he should send people to find him, but Hun Feng waved his hand and said to let him be; there was no need to kill an old man who only wanted to refine pills.

Yao Ling left a month later. That evening, Hun Feng personally sent her to the main gate of the Soul Realm. The two stood before the Void Ferry, and the night wind blew from the depths of the Soul Realm, causing Yao Ling's green robes to flutter loudly. Hun Feng took a storage ring from his sleeve and handed it to her, saying that it contained the lost pill formulas of the Medicine Clan and the rare medicinal materials he had collected over these years. He told her these were not compensation, but thanks—thanks for her combing his meridians, and thanks for her willingness to stay in the Soul Realm for so long. Yao Ling took the storage ring and was silent for a long time. She remembered when she first saw Hun Feng in the forbidden area of the Medicine Clan; the young man stood on the ruins of the Yao Emperor Platform and gave her two choices from a high position: either die with her clansmen or return to the Soul Realm with him. She chose the latter. She thought she would be an Alchemist in the Soul Realm for the rest of her life, exhausting her remaining years in the day-to-day grinding and dispensing of medicine. She did not expect that one day he would personally send her away and bring her all the capital to rebuild the Medicine Clan. She looked up and met Hun Feng's deep eyes; he was much more mature than back then, and much gentler too. She bowed and offered a salute, calling him "Young Master Hun." Hun Feng nodded slightly, telling her to go. Yao Xingji was still waiting for her, and whenever the Medicine Clan was rebuilt, the Hun Clan was always welcome to visit. She turned and stepped into the void rift without looking back.

Hun Feng stood at the edge of the ferry, watching the rift slowly close. Yao Yao walked up from behind, wrapped her arms around his waist, rested her chin on his shoulder, and asked him if he was reluctant to let her go. Hun Feng held the hands she had placed on his waist and gently squeezed her fingertips. "It is not that I am reluctant—it is just that everything seems to have ended, yet it also feels like it has only just begun."