The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

After that, Fang Ting made another trip—to the ancestral lands of the Qiu Dragon Clan.

With a mere wave of his hand, he wiped out the clan that had reigned supreme in the Northern Region since the ancient era.

No one could've foreseen this:

That a legendary lineage of ancient exotic beasts, surviving countless eons, would be erased so swiftly.

But scenes like this played out across the Heavenly Origin Realm every day—

A ruthless reminder: strength is everything.

The Qiu Dragon Clan, though possessing an unparalleled bloodline, had difficulty reproducing. Their population was sparse, and their numbers in the ancestral land were limited.

Fang Ting quickly dispatched them all—And gave every corpse to Fang Qiuefeng.

Surprisingly, Fang Qiuefeng wasn't overcome by his appetite.

He managed to suppress his urge to devour them whole.

After all, the Qiu Dragon bodies were filled with precious materials—ideal for forging, alchemy, and even brewing.

Devouring them in one gulp would be a waste.

So Qiufeng planned to return and consult Fang Chu, have him extract the useful parts—then eat the rest.

Soon after, Fang Ting sent a few demon experts to escort Bai Qingxue to the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan's territory, to rescue the still-imprisoned clansmen.

The Nine-Tailed Foxes had long since lost hope.

None of them had imagined they would actually be rescued—and clearly not as part of any compromise with the Qiu Dragon King.

"Qingxue… what's going on?" asked the patriarch of the Nine-Tailed Foxes, Bai Qingxue's grandfather, in disbelief.

To his knowledge, the Qiu Dragon King had already subdued the seven other imperial clans, destroyed the Duan Clan and Great Xia Empire, and stood on the verge of unifying the demon race.

Who could possibly stop him?

Even he had begun considering surrender.

Bai Qingxue replied:

"I escaped… and met the Fang Clan Patriarch. He saved me, and he was the one who killed the Qiu Dragon King and rescued both the Heavenfire Blazebeast Clan and our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan."

Had it not been for Fang Ting, the Heavenfire Blazebeasts would have been annihilated, and the Nine-Tailed Foxes—despite their vows—would eventually have been forced to submit.

Her grandfather's eyes widened.

"What? Fang Ting killed the Qiu Dragon King?!"

Every powerful demon in the Northern Region knew the Qiu Dragon King had already stepped halfway into the Emperor Realm.

His bloodline was peerless. Even if he hadn't broken through yet, almost no one could stand against him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, visibly shaken.

"I saw it with my own eyes," Bai Qingxue affirmed.

That scene had etched itself into her memory—especially Fang Ting's peerless figure, who stood unmoved as all enemies fell before him.

"Could it be… he's already an Emperor?" the old patriarch murmured.

Bai Qingxue nodded, "He should be."

"Hiss…!"

The patriarch gasped.

So the first post-ancient Emperor-level cultivator wasn't the Qiu Dragon King…

But Fang Ting!

She continued:

"The Fang family has a spirit beast—an ancient Suanni—who serves as the Fang Patriarch's companion. Fang Ting appointed him to replace the Qiu Dragon King as the new Demon Sovereign of the Northern Region."

The patriarch was speechless.

At first, it sounded absurd.

A human choosing the Demon Sovereign?

But upon deeper thought, with Fang Ting as a living Emperor, it made perfect sense.

In fact, given how prosperous the Fang family had become, this arrangement was likely even beneficial for the demon race.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"We obey Patriarch Fang's instructions," Bai Qingxue said firmly.

"Good, good. We'll follow your lead," the old man nodded repeatedly.

With everything settled, Bai Qingxue brought her grandfather to personally thank Fang Ting—pledging the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan's full support of Little Grey as Demon Sovereign.

Among the ten imperial clans, the Nine-Tailed Foxes were known for their intelligence.

Now, after Fang Ting had saved Bai Qingxue multiple times and liberated their entire clan, they were second only to the Heavenfire Blazebeasts in loyalty to him.

Out of gratitude, ambition, and political wisdom, they swore allegiance—not just to Fang Ting, but to Little Grey.

Fang Ting responded by assigning Bai Qingxue to remain at Little Grey's side to assist him in managing Northern Region affairs.

The Saint-level experts of the Fox Clan became Little Grey's first honor guard.

Beyond the ten imperial clans, the Northern Region was still swarming with powerful demon tribes, many with bloodlines just slightly inferior. Combined, they formed a significant force.

As Demon Sovereign, Little Grey couldn't rely solely on the Heavenfire Blazebeasts.

But with the Foxes too, things were finally stabilizing.

Luckily, the region had already been unified under the Qiu Dragon King—so Little Grey merely had to inherit the mantle.

If dissent arose, Fang Ting had already made arrangements:

Let the traitors like Niu Nao handle it.

If they failed—they'd be handled next.

Realistically, the Golden-Winged Tigers and Great Strength Bull Demons should have been executed long ago.

But Fang Ting had spared them for now—only because he needed manpower for Little Grey's rule.

And just in case, before leaving, Fang Ting had extracted a wisp of soul essence from every Saint-level expert of the seven other imperial clans.

Their lives now depended on his will.

Little Grey had officially taken over the Northern Region—but growing into a true Demon Sovereign would take time.

This was his trial—his chance to grow.

—

As Fang Ting prepared to depart with Fang Luo, Fang Chen, and Fang Qiuefeng, Little Grey stood off to the side, eyes filled with sorrow—looking exactly like a puppy abandoned by its master.

He'd spent most of his younger years with Fang Luo, and later followed Fang Ting closely.

Now being separated like this felt unnatural and painful.

Fang Ting gently patted his head.

"Once you've truly grown into your role, and the Northern Region is under firm control—

You'll be free to go wherever you like."

Little Grey's eyes lit up, his massive head nodding earnestly.

"Go wherever I like? I only want to go home to the Fang family…"

Fang Ting smiled faintly and left with the three young men.

Beside Little Grey, Bai Qingxue watched Fang Ting's retreating figure with longing in her eyes.

Even after he disappeared from view, her gaze remained fixed in that direction.

The fact that he hadn't looked back didn't bother her.

In her heart, she thought:

"I'm still too far from him...

But I'll keep working.

I'll cultivate harder.

I'll serve the Demon Sovereign well—so I can stand by his side one day."