The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

The place Fang Chu chose to build his own residence wasn't quite as vast as Fang Ting's mountaintop courtyard, but it came close.

Mainly, Fang Chu had too many interests and was skilled in a wide variety of fields. He needed specialized areas for alchemy, crafting, puppet-making, tea-growing, brewing, beast-taming, talisman inscription, and so on.

Most notably, Fang Chu's residence had even stronger security than Fang Ting's.

No one knew who he thought might try to harm him in the Fang Clan's private world, but he was extremely cautious—so much so that no one except Fang Ting could really understand it.

As for Fang Hao, his requirements were simple: a residence no one could peek into, and no interruptions.

On the surface, he was supposedly cultivating inside his cave-dwelling most of the time—but in truth, he had already returned to Zhentian City, the capital of the Bright Moon Immortal Dynasty in the Immortal Realm.

Meanwhile, 99% of the clan members from the overcrowded Fang family estate had now been relocated to the small world.

Even members from the Great Qian Kingdom who were willing to come had been brought in.

The Fang Clan now had ample living space and abundant cultivation resources.

The Tongtian Black Turtle, which spent its time either sleeping or sunbathing, had grown much larger with its cultivation progress. The lake in the Fang family's former estate could no longer contain it.

Now, it had been given a massive water region in the small world, one as vast as the entire Eastern Region of Cangzhou.

Before, just taking a few steps in the old lake would cause it to overflow. But now, in this vast aquatic territory, it could finally swim freely.

They could even build a house on its back, using it like a moving fortress.

With everyone settled in, and more resources distributed, the Fang Clan entered another period of rapid growth.

One day, when the clan was strong enough to stand on its own, they would reveal their strength to the world.

When that time came, the Hidden Dragon Guard would truly become dragons.

Some time later, Wang Lao—one of the three Grand Governors of the Divine Tower Manor—returned to Cangzhou after many years.

Upon arriving, he visited his sect first and was greatly impressed by the rapid growth and immense talent of the Fang family's younger generation.

Then, he made his way to the Fang Clan.

The first time Fang Ting had met Wang Lao, he had only thought of him as a kind and wise old man. At the time, Fang Ting's cultivation was too low to perceive his strength.

But now, as a Saint King Realm cultivator, Fang Ting could feel it clearly:

Behind Wang Lao's calm and ancient eyes was the aura of a dormant ancient beast—overwhelming and terrifying.

Wang Lao was still in the Saint King Realm, but he was already very close to the Quasi-Emperor Realm. Fang Ting could even faintly detect a trace of imperial pressure from him.

It was precisely Wang Lao's strength that had protected the Fang Clan in the past—forcing those hegemonic powers to only suppress them, never daring to storm their gates.

Even when more than ten such powers allied to confront Wang Lao at the gates of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, they only managed to force him to leave—none dared to try to hold him there.

That was how deeply they feared and respected him.

Fang Ting received Wang Lao in his old courtyard. Wang Lao could easily sense that many clan members were no longer present—and the Tongtian Black Turtle was missing as well.

He could guess that the Fang Clan had moved somewhere else, likely to a secret realm or small world.

Still, he said nothing.

Fang Ting and Wang Lao sat opposite each other, sipping tea and playing Go—just as they had done during their last meeting.

"Wang Lao," Fang Ting said calmly, "I want to understand the current power structure of Cangzhou's hegemonic forces—especially the Three Sacred Grounds and the Five Great Demon Sects."

These were all old enemies, and enough grudges and debts had built up. It was time to pay a visit, just like they had once done with the Shadowkill base.

Cultivators in the Sacred Cities relied on Myriad Treasures Pavilion and Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and the people of the Southern Region needed to be liberated.

If all went well, Fang Ting intended to wipe out the Five Demon Sects and unify the Southern Region, merging its dynasties into the Great Qian Empire—forming a greater, stronger dynasty.

Wang Lao, having lived a long life and being one of Cangzhou's most powerful cultivators, was undoubtedly the right person to ask.

Wang Lao looked at him quietly for a moment before speaking.

"Among Cangzhou's four regions, whether in terms of individual strength or collective power, the Western Region's Buddhist Sect is the strongest. Who do you think comes next?"

"The Eastern Region?" Fang Ting guessed.

Wang Lao shook his head.

"The Northern Region's demon clans were already formidable in the ancient era, battling the entire human race on equal footing. Although that war greatly weakened them, they've now spent more than 100,000 years in seclusion, and their strength has started to recover."

"Among the ten royal clans of the demon race, just a few uniting would be extremely terrifying."

"And lately, they've been… restless. I suspect they're planning something big."

Fang Ting took careful mental note. Several of those ten royal demon clans had past grudges with the Fang Clan. While they'd kept a low profile due to the Fang family's rapid rise, that didn't mean they'd forgotten their enmity.

"The Three Sacred Grounds you mentioned are about equal in overall power," Wang Lao continued. "Each had four Saint Kings. One of them was slain by the Eldest Princess outside the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, so now each has three remaining. Among them, the strongest one is in secluded cultivation and won't emerge unless the sky is falling."

"What level is the strongest?" Fang Ting asked.

"Around the eighth level of the Saint King Realm," Wang Lao answered.

Fang Ting furrowed his brow. If that was the case, he'd have to wait a while longer.

Like with the Shadowkill purge, he didn't want to borrow Wang Lao's power for revenge. All he had to do was wait until he could handle them on his own.

When the time came, he would personally visit each of them, one by one.

"What about the Five Demon Sects?" Fang Ting asked again.

Wang Lao put down his teacup and replied slowly:

"Each of the Five Demon Sects has strength on par with the Sacred Grounds."

Given the speed at which demon cultivators advanced, if it weren't for the constant suppression by the Western Buddhist Sect, the Southern Region might already be the strongest of the four.

After a short pause, Wang Lao added:

"Whether it's the Three Sacred Grounds or the Five Demon Sects, they all stand united outwardly. If you move against one, you'd better be ready for all of them."

In other words, pull one thread and the whole web moves.

"I understand," Fang Ting replied solemnly.

Wang Lao said nothing more. They turned their attention to the Go board.

Once the spiritual tea was finished and the game ended, Wang Lao quietly departed from the Fang Clan.