The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Sacred City.

"City Lord of Duanshan City has arrived—presenting a stalk of Shadowmoon Purple Lotus!"

"The Demon Emperor of the Northern Region has arrived—presenting a Dragon Pearl!"

The vast courtyard was filled with esteemed guests here to offer their congratulations. Everyone seated here was a figure of great status or a formidable cultivator.

Another powerful figure arrived—one with tremendous prestige.

No one was surprised by the earlier arrivals. But when the name "Demon Emperor of the Northern Region" was announced, the entire venue froze.

That title—"Demon Emperor"—felt both familiar and distant. People had heard of it, but it had been ages since anyone had spoken it seriously.

Previously, the Qiu Dragon King had intended to declare himself Demon Emperor after breaking through to the Emperor Realm. But before he could, he was eliminated by Fang Ting.

As for Little Grey, he had ascended the throne quietly, intending to wait until his strength and influence had fully matured before revealing himself.

So news that the Northern Region now had a new Demon Emperor was known only to the nine great royal demon clans. Not even the weaker demon tribes in the Northern Region were aware, let alone those from other domains.

"What?! The Northern Region has a new Demon Emperor?"

"Who united the ten great royal demon clans?"

"Could it be the Qiu Dragon King?"

Speculation buzzed through the crowd, and many stood up to crane their necks toward the entrance.

Soon, three figures appeared.

The young man in the center had delicate features and radiant eyes. Though clearly young, he carried a natural air of authority, with a faint regal aura radiating from him.

To his left was a burly man with blazing red hair. On his right, a stunningly beautiful woman walked gracefully.

It was none other than Little Grey, accompanied by Shi Hao, a proud genius of the Heavenfire Beast Clan, and Bai Qingxue.

Qu Wubing and Yao Zitong stepped forward.

Little Grey smiled. "Brother Wubing, congratulations."

Qu Wubing gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Come in. Have a seat."

Their casual, familiar exchange left the onlookers stunned. No one had expected Qu Wubing to have such a connection.

Then, to everyone's further shock, Little Grey made his way to the frontmost table. After greeting those seated there one by one, he took a seat directly beside Fang Ting.

Shi Hao and Bai Qingxue went to sit at other tables.

Now the entire courtyard was dumbstruck.

That table was reserved for the Fang Clan's top geniuses—Fang Luo, Fang Chen, and others. On Fang Ting's other side sat the Fang Matriarch, Su Xinyan.

People couldn't understand it—what sort of relationship did this Demon Emperor have with Fang Ting that he could sit beside him, ahead of even Fang Ting's sons?

What they didn't know was: Fang Yundao, Fang Kong, and even the eldest daughter Fang Ying were all raised by Little Grey. He was their caretaker from childhood. Sitting beside Fang Ting was only natural.

The identity of the Demon Emperor and his relationship with the Fang Clan became the hot topic of whispered discussion.

"The Demon Emperor looks so young… Could he be the Qiu Dragon King's son?"

"You're out of the loop. I heard the entire Qiu Dragon lineage is gone—probably wiped out by this young man. That's how he claimed the title of Demon Emperor."

"What?! The Qiu Dragon Clan was that powerful—and now they're just gone?"

"Wait! I remember now—on the day Ascension City opened, Patriarch Fang rode an ancient beast… a Suanni! Could that young man be that Suanni?!"

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense!"

"Hiss... If it's true, then the Fang Clan is terrifying. They've silently taken control of the Northern Region without anyone noticing. What a deep cover!"

"That means, the only domain left untouched by the Fang Clan… is the Western Domain."

What was supposed to be a grand wedding had now become yet another moment for the world to marvel at the Fang Clan's terrifying reach—they had even placed their guardian beast on the Demon Emperor's throne. Truly, they held dominion over all.

Upon learning this, even the Yao Clan—bride Yao Zitong's family—breathed a sigh of relief and felt immensely fortunate.

It was a good thing they hadn't remained stubborn. If they had resisted, the Fang Clan or Great Qian wouldn't even need to act. A single word to the Demon Emperor, and a few strong demon beasts could have turned the Jiuli Dynasty upside down.

Now, the entire Yao Clan was sincerely grateful to Yao Zitong. If not for her, who knew what fate would have befallen them?

They also regarded Qu Wubing, their new son-in-law, with the highest respect. From now on, if Qu Wubing told them to go east, they wouldn't dare go west.

They knew a thigh when they saw one—and this one had to be held tightly.

Fang Luo and his group hadn't returned home specifically for Qu Wubing's wedding. He had already planned to return during this time.

It had been over twenty years since Fang Luo last left the Fang Clan.

Over those decades, Fang Luo, Fang Chen, and Fang Qiufeng had all made notable progress.

Their cultivation had risen from Second Stage Great Saint Realm to Fifth Stage.

Once at the Great Saint level, progress became much slower without significant fortuitous encounters.

But upon returning home, they each consumed demonic tree fruits given to them by Fang Hao and made another breakthrough—reaching Sixth Stage Great Saint.

Even Fang Mu Ge and Fang Ying, who were far away in the Illusory Immortal Palace and the Xuantian Sacred Sect, had received this benefit during a visit from Fang Ting.

Now, Fang Mu Ge and Fang Ying were both at Peak Great Saint Realm, only a step away from becoming Saint Kings.

Fang Hao spent most of his time cultivating in the Immortal Realm, returning only occasionally. He had given most of the demonic tree fruits to his family, keeping just a portion for himself—yet even that was enough.

Fang Hao's current cultivation: First Stage Great Saint Realm.

As for Fang Chu—he was still the same.

If not for the demonic tree fruit Fang Hao had given him, he'd still be at First Stage Combined Body Realm.

But then again, Fang Chu was an Eternal One—he had unlimited lifespan. Slow cultivation didn't matter.

Plus, as the Fang Clan's All-Purpose King, he had contributed so much to the family that even Fang Ting felt bad pressuring him to cultivate. So long as he was happy, that was enough.

Normally, progress at the Emperor Realm was painstakingly slow. But Fang Ting—a walking cheat code—was an exception.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Fang Clan's young elites, the laid-back Fang Ting had reached Third Stage Quasi-Emperor Realm.

His Flawless Immortal Body meant that even at the Emperor level, he would encounter no bottlenecks.

The only issue was that Emperor Realm breakthroughs required immense cultivation power. The feedback Fang Ting received from even peak Saint-level "Chosen Children" like Fang Mu Ge was no longer enough.

This meant that although they had made great strides, Fang Ting himself had only advanced two stages.

Still, that wasn't a real concern. Once they reached Emperor Realm themselves, the returns would improve dramatically.

And besides—in just twenty years, Fang Ting had advanced two stages.

Such speed would turn even the Emperor-level cultivators of the Immortal Realm green with envy.