The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Although Qū Wúbìng's War Immortal bloodline constitution was formidable—comparable to the most elite sacred bodies—he wasn't a child of destiny. His cultivation speed still lagged behind that of Fang Luo and the others.

At present, he had reached the Second Stage of the True Saint Realm.

While this cultivation level wasn't quite enough to govern a massive city like the Sacred City, his backing from the Fang family meant that even Grand Saints or Saint Kings wouldn't dare act recklessly here.

Thus, Qū Wúbìng could focus on cultivating and living peacefully, while the Fang family's administrative experts handled city affairs.

The vast majority of cultivators in the Sacred City, upon hearing that the Fang family had taken control, not only showed no dissatisfaction—they were actually pleased.

Due to tensions between the Three Great Holy Lands and the Fang family, the Drunken Immortal Pavillion and Myriad Treasures Pavilion had never been allowed to open branches in the Sacred City. Many local cultivators and factions had long considered this unfortunate.

They had to travel far to other cities just to enjoy the tavern's spirit wine or purchase high-grade alchemical pills and artifacts from the pavilion—a great inconvenience.

Now that the Fang family had taken over, both businesses opened local branches immediately.

This greatly benefited the city's residents—so of course, they were delighted.

And frankly, replacing the city's previous backers (the three holy lands) with the far more powerful Fang family was nothing but good news for the city's development.

You could say that the vast majority of cultivators and forces in the Sacred City fully welcomed the Fang family's control.

Only a very small number, those who had close ties to the three holy lands, were apprehensive—afraid that the Fang family might seek revenge.

Among them was a particularly notable "old acquaintance" of the Fang family, who was so terrified that he packed up and fled the city overnight:

Danqi Sect, the Pill and Tool Sect, who had once relocated from the Great Xia Empire.

This time, they didn't even bother holding an internal meeting. The elders, almost wordlessly and with complete mutual understanding, began packing immediately.

Those who understood the situation… understood.

Some of the newly recruited disciples, however, were baffled.

One of them, the sect master's youngest disciple, asked in confusion:

"Master, why are we leaving the Sacred City?"

"This city… is no longer suitable for Danqi Sect."

"But with the Fang family in charge, and Drunken Immortal Pavillion and Myriad Treasures Pavilion opening here, won't the city become more prosperous? Why wouldn't it be suitable?"

True, the pavilion's pills and weapons were far superior to theirs—but the market was vast. Danqi Sect could have competed through lower prices and reliable quality.

With their skills in alchemy and crafting, they could survive in any city.

For a moment, the sect master had no reply.

"This is the unanimous decision of the elders. You don't need to ask questions. Just pack your things."

Seeing his master's grim expression, the disciple swallowed his words and dared not press further.

Danqi Sect fled with more decisiveness than the two holy lands before them. Many of their assets were left unsold—they just ran.

After leaving the Sacred City, the elders looked at each other with weary, helpless expressions.

"Where to this time?"

Danqi Sect had originally been a second-rate force within the Great Qi Kingdom. But after offending the Fang family—who rose far faster than anyone expected—they had begun a long string of relocations.

They'd moved through the Great Qi Capital, the Black Feather Empire, the Martial Kingdom, Broken Mountain City, the Great Xia Empire, and finally, the Sacred City.

Now that the Sacred City had also fallen under Fang family control, it too had become unsafe.

How many more times must they flee before they were allowed to settle?

The sect master of Danqi Sect looked up at the sky and sighed:

"Is there truly no place in this vast Eastern Region for Danqi Sect to call home?"

One elder suggested:

"What about the other three regions?"

Another elder replied:

"The Southern Region has been absorbed by Great Qian. The Northern Region belongs to the demon clans, and humans are scarce there. Only the Western Region is viable."

The sect master fell into thought.

"We go west."

No one argued. They simply pressed forward in silence.

In their hearts, they all knew: they had to cultivate diligently. Once everyone broke through to the Dharma Phase Realm, they could cross through continental barriers to other parts of the Heaven Origin Realm.

Then—finally—they wouldn't have to live in fear of being tracked down by the Fang family.

Looking across all of Cangzhou:

The Eastern Region—largest in area and population—had lost almost all its hegemonic forces. The Three Holy Lands, the Duan Clan, and the Great Xia Empire were gone.

Only the Xiao Clan, Broken Mountain City, and the Nine Li Empire remained.

The Great Qian Empire now held the combined territories of Great Zhou and Great Xia—a powerhouse among empires.

The Southern Region had become Fang family territory. The Northern Region belonged to the demon clans, ruled by the Demon Emperor Little Grey.

Even the once-chaotic Sea of Stars, which lay between the Northern and Eastern Regions, had been subdued by the Fang family.

At this point, over 70% of Cangzhou was under Fang family control.

The Western Region's Buddhist lands were now the only place where Fang family influence hadn't taken root.

So now, it wasn't a matter of whether the Eastern Region was stable based on Fang family rule.

It was whether all of Cangzhou was stable—and the Fang family held the answer.

After spending nearly a year at home, Fang Luo, Fang Chen, and Fang Qiufeng were ready to set out once more—to explore the greater continents.

Cangzhou was now too small to contain their potential. To advance their cultivation, they needed to travel widely in search of great fortune.

Most Saint King Realm cultivators periodically left Cangzhou for this reason. Only those who had given up on further breakthroughs stayed behind.

Before leaving, Fang Luo gave the Hidden Dragon Guards several pieces of foreknowledge—future minor fortunes that would emerge over the next few years in his past life.

Finally, he paid a visit to Fang Ting.

"How long will you be gone this time?" Fang Ting asked casually.

"Around twenty years," Fang Luo replied.

[In his past life, twenty years from now, a living Buddha of the Western Region's Lingxu Monastery reached the Emperor Realm. The Western Buddhist sects sought to expand their influence across Cangzhou, using this as their opportunity.]

[At the time, he was the first Emperor Realm cultivator since the post-ancient era—even earlier than the Qiu Dragon King. No one dared oppose them. But in this life, Sixth Uncle has already achieved the Emperor Realm before him. The Buddhist sects don't know this yet.]

[Since the Great Qian Empire is now thriving, they'll likely target it first. A clash is inevitable. We'll have to return to help when the time comes.]

Fang Ting was slightly surprised.

He'd long heard of the formidable strength of the Western Region's Buddhist sects, and that one of their living Buddhas was already at the peak of the Saint King Realm, on par with Elder Wang—able to break through at any time.

He hadn't expected it to truly happen in the future.

Still, by the time that Buddha broke through, Fang Ting's own cultivation would have increased significantly.

If that monk dared cause trouble, Fang Ting could still deal with him effortlessly.

The Fang family would remain the strongest in Cangzhou.

After a brief chat, Fang Luo departed.

Several days later, Fang Luo, Fang Chen, and Fang Qiufeng once again left Cangzhou, setting off to explore the wider world in search of opportunity.

Back at home, the Great Qian Empire was still busy—having just absorbed the Great Xia and now integrating the twenty Southern kingdoms.

But the Fang family had no shortage of talent now. Fang Ting didn't need to lift a finger.

He continued to enjoy his relaxed, leisurely lifestyle.