"Broke through!" Sun Xiaoshan exhaled a breath of turbid air. This breakthrough was mainly in cultivation, with the physical body's level still remaining at the peak of the Mahayana stage.
Counting meticulously, it had been nearly twenty-two years since he had entered this world, yet in the Ten Directions Universe, less than two minutes had passed. This was truly outrageous.
Sun Xiaoshan looked up at the sky of this world. According to the rules of the Ten Directions Universe, the Heavenly Venerate realm was already capable of soaring through the cosmos. However, the Heavenly Dao rules of this world were still evolving. The gravity here was more than ten times that of the Ten Directions Universe. Even if a Heavenly Venerate could escape the world's gravitational pull, their true essence would not be sufficient to support them in traversing the cosmos to another planet.
In more than half a year, the spiritual stones he had accumulated from his last harvest numbered over twelve thousand. Sun Xiaoshan had used one thousand of them to set up a colossal protective formation within a ten-kilometer radius of the Clear Moon Sect's main hall. Based on the level of this protective formation, it could withstand attacks from a peak Heavenly Venerate expert for half a day.
"Sect Master, you're out of seclusion." Upon arriving at the sect's main hall, many core disciples gathered there saw Sun Xiaoshan and immediately rushed forward to greet him.
"Mm, has there been any news from the border?" Wuming had formally relinquished power more than two months ago. Now, sect affairs were almost entirely handled by the core disciples in rotation, while the dozen or so elders had all entered long-term seclusion.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, the kingdom is currently at peace," an on-duty core disciple stepped forward.
"Are your sights only set on domestic matters? Do you not realize that our enemy is not just the Kui Mei clan, but all races in this world besides humanity!"
"The not-too-distant future will be a war between cultivators. If the flames of war reach our kingdom, imagine how many innocent people will perish. Effective immediately, dispatch scouts. We need to monitor every movement within a thousand-kilometer radius outside our border!"
Sun Xiaoshan stared at these core disciples with a grim expression. These individuals had always been held in high regard among humans. Moreover, as core disciples of the Clear Moon Sect, their future was bound to be limitless. However, this had also fostered an arrogance that looked down on others. Such arrogance was the most fatal in the world of cultivators.
"Yes! Sect Master, your subordinate will arrange it at once!"
By now, the number of core disciples had expanded to forty-eight. After the next promotion competition, the Clear Moon Sect would produce its first Saint Child or Saintess in history from among these core disciples. With fifty vying for one spot, their competition was equally fierce.
"Winter is approaching soon..."
Sun Xiaoshan sat in the seat designated for the Sect Master. From the sect's main hall, with its towering main doors, he could see the scenery dozens of li away.
In the northern region, snow began to fall around the beginning of November. In past years, the Clear Moon Sect would prepare to seal its mountains at this time, and the entire sect would confine its activities within its premises.
As for the secular kingdoms, they would also enter a period of truce, not only because of the heavy snow and extreme cold in the northern region after winter set in but also because the weather posed a significant impact, not just on ordinary people but even on low-level cultivators.
Seven to eight months had passed, yet the Holy Land had still not responded to the documents submitted by Dongfang Dao, which spoke volumes.
His ambition for the Celestial Empire to expand its territory had not only touched the interests of the First-Rank Sect, the Kui Mei clan, but also challenged the authority of the Holy Land. If the Holy Land did not act against humanity, the Kui Mei clan would undoubtedly make a move.
Whoosh...
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distant sky. Sun Xiaoshan's pupils contracted. Sun Dashan, his father. Logically speaking, he should be at the border, setting up camp and preparing the soldiers for winter. Why had he returned so suddenly?
"Sect Master! Great trouble has befallen us!"
"Great trouble has befallen us, Sect Master!"
Sun Dashan almost flew into the Sect Master's hall and then stumbled a few steps before falling to the ground, looking utterly disheveled.
The moment Sun Dashan saw his son, the tension he had held finally escaped him. He no longer cared about his tattered clothes, as he had exhausted his true essence by pushing himself to the limit for flight.
After not seeing each other for over four months, Sun Dashan's physique had become much sturdier, and with Sun Xiaoshan's support, his cultivation had reached the Dao Comprehension realm. He could be considered a significant figure in the entire Northern Region. How had he ended up in such a state?
"Father? What happened to you?" Sun Xiaoshan flashed over and helped Sun Dashan, who was about to collapse.
"A major event! The Kui Mei clan's Northern Region Empire has dispatched an elite army of thirty million to attack our Celestial Kingdom. They have already reached within a hundred li of our southern border!"
"Furthermore, on their side, it's not just thirty million elite forces from the secular world, but also the elite disciples from their seven Ninth-Rank, four Eighth-Rank, and two Seventh-Rank subordinate sects within the Northern Region's Beikui Sect."
Sun Xiaoshan could tell that his father was truly terrified this time. Even as he spoke, a trace of fear involuntarily surfaced.
The Celestial Kingdom was situated in a remote corner of the Northern Region. Compared to other places, it could be called a barren land. In terms of basic spiritual energy, the Celestial Kingdom was more than twenty percent inferior to several surrounding kingdoms.
Even so, the Beikui Sect had as many as six or seven Ninth-Rank branch sects around the Celestial Kingdom, and four other groups. All of these had been uprooted by Sun Xiaoshan, and their sect treasuries and libraries had been absorbed into the Clear Moon Sect's foundation.
"Approximately how many cultivators are there?" Sun Xiaoshan asked with a heavy expression.
"How would I know that? It's as if they stretch as far as the eye can see, easily over a million!"
Sun Dashan was a Dao Comprehension realm cultivator. With a single divine sense, he could estimate the approximate number of secular soldiers. However, for cultivators who possessed their own true essence protective barriers, he could not ascertain the exact number once they exceeded a certain quantity.
"Has the Beikui Sect gone mad? Deploying over thirty million soldiers and over a million cultivators! This is clearly an attempt to annihilate humanity!"
As Sun Dashan's words fell, over a dozen core disciples entered from outside. Upon hearing Sun Dashan's words, they all became indignant.