In the depths of the Mist province that was forever verdant and wrapped in mist, a great burst of laughter suddenly rang out from the King of Yue’s Estate within the Mist capital. The hearty and delightful laughter rang across the entire city, startling countless birds in the forests that circled over the place.

  “That’s his majesty’s laughter!”


  The cultivators all noticed that and were shocked. They wondered what had made the King of Southern Yue so happy.

  “Mister Ram, prepare a banquet right now. I want to invite the guests to go on an expedition against Chu!”


  The King of Souther Yue whose facial features were delicate like a young man’s suddenly pushed aside the chess board before him, ordering the head caretaker.

  “Yes, your majesty!”


  Mister Ram backed away with his back bent, also smiling away. Normally, just being called “mister Ram” by the King of Southern Yue would bring him great joy, but he was still shocked by the news he had received earlier. He could not help but think of the tall, straight, composed, and dauntless figure.

  “He’s actually already so, so…”


  He was simply unable to find the appropriate word to describe him.

  “Oh also, send Liangmu to the Green province. I want to give him a great gift. What a King of Savages!”


  The King of Southern Yue added before pacing around excitedly under the apricot tree. The news he had received was only a short message, but when he imagined the battle on Great Buddha mountain, he could not help himself as his blood boiled.

  The great cultivators and grandmasters of the Green province had all gathered together. Even the Fierce King of Chu was amongst them, but they actually stood no chance against him alone. He butchered great cultivators like they were dogs. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga could not restrain him, the Sword Collection palace could not hold him off, and even the King of Chu’s Seal was shattered. Just how mighty was that?

  Following the battle, the cultivation community of the Green province had taken a great hit to their strength. Among the three major sects, two were heavily wounded, and all that remained was the Umbral Yin sect that had no loyalty to speak off. The grandmasters of the hundred schools had almost been annihilated.

  For the first time in several thousand years, the Kingdom of Chu was significantly weaker than the Kingdom of Yue. Letting Li Qingshan return to the Green province was basically the greatest decision he had made in his life.

  The locust plague was still ongoing in the Green province, but the demon plague in the Mist province had already been suppressed by the combined efforts of the Great Banyan Tree King and the King of Southern Yue. All of the demon caverns had been sealed up, and they no longer had to worry anymore.

  Now was the best time to eliminate them.

  The King of Southern Yue became more excited the more he thought about that. He already began thinking about the glory he would have before his ancestors after destroying the Kingdom of Chu. From the corner of his eye, he saw the tiny banyan bonsai in front of the chessboard wielding its thick, stocky branches to reassemble the board.

  “Fellow, why aren’t you saying anything?” the King of Southern Yue asked.

  “You’re in such fine spirits, your majesty. My words will only spoil the mood, so it’s best if I stay silent.” The Great Banyan Tree King’s laughter was vast and fleeting,

  “If I have been negligent in any of my considerations, please give me advice, tree god!” The King of Southern Yue bowed deeply.

  “Xiao An is princess Xuanyue, the Fierce King of Chu’s daughter, as well as his only daughter now,” said the Great Banyan Tree King.

  “Haven’t they already fallen out? I heard she’s already been deemed as a buddha nemesis, and she even attacked the Fierce King of Chu, which is very much like something a descendant of my Kingdom of Yue would do,” said the King of Southern Yue.

  “They’re still connected by blood after all, which isn’t something that can be severed so easily. On top of that, she’s already become the only direct successor of the Fierce King of Chu now,” said the Great Banyan Tree King.

  “Just how can she alone stop my army?” the King of Southern Yue said.

  “That’s what the Fierce King of Chu thought as well, which was why he was defeated on Great Buddha mountain. If princess Xuanyue wants to stop you, do you think Daemon King Northmoon will just stand by? And you seem to have underestimated her strength too much. I just received a piece of news as well, but I don’t know if it’s good news to you or not.”


  “What news?”


  “The Umbral Yin sect has been destroyed. Even among the Xuanming elders, only elder Ming managed to escape,” said the Great Banyan Tree King.

  “Who did that?” The King of Southern Yue shivered inside. The Umbral Yin sect was deeply rooted, and they had a Gate of Hungry Ghosts under their control. To think they would actually be destroyed.

  “She did, alone,” said the Great Banyan Tree King.

  “This…”


  The King of Southern Yue became speechless. His expression changed a few times before he suddenly made up his mind. “No matter what, we’re going forward with the expedition to Chu!”


  The temptation was far too great. He would do it even if there was only a thirty percent chance at success.

  “If I still refuse to take a gamble like this when the odds are in my favour, am I still a man? Fellow, don’t you want to extend your branches to the Green province? I can help you obtain the Green Province cauldron!”


  “Don’t even think about dragging me into this, and someone has already said that to me before, except he promised me the nine cauldrons.” The Great Banyan Tree King smiled.

  “Li Qingshan?” The King of Southern Yue was stunned.

  “Who else could it be?” the Great Banyan Tree King said.

  “Now that is what a word that carries the weight of nine cauldrons means!”


  Note: A word that carries the weight of nine cauldrons basically means that someone has issued a promise that they will never take back. It bears so much weight that they will be a man of their word. The idiom is a reference to the nine cauldrons cast in ancient China, which represent dominion over China. You can read about it here. If you scroll to the bottom, you can find an explanation of this idiom and how it connects to the nine cauldrons.

  The King of Southern Yue sighed. If someone gave a promise like that, he would probably laugh at the Great Banyan Tree King’s foolishness. The eight other cauldrons were not a problem, but even if the eight provinces poured their strength together, they would struggle to obtain the Dragon Province cauldron.

  However, if that person was Li Qingshan, then he could only be envious of the Great Banyan Tree King’s good fortune.

  When he thought of that, he suddenly found this to be quite funny. In the past, when Li Qingshan claimed he was a fellow of the Great Banyan Tree King, everyone thought he was merely an ignorant brat trying to place himself under the patronage of the Great Banyan Tree King. Who would have thought that the situation would completely reverse before long? Instead, the Great Banyan Tree King was relying on him to succeed with his great cause.

  Perhaps before long, he would stand at the apex of the nine provinces!

  “If he really tries to stop me, I’ll have a good talk with him,” the King of Southern Yue said to the Great Banyan Tree King right when he left the courtyard.

  “A clever decision.”


  ……


  In the Shadow Palace, the Shadow Queen Ye Weiyang sat on the obsidian throne and sighed with a smile. “Sigh, what a great man. He’s enough for me to have his child. A pity, a pity. Liusu, when is Liubo’s child going to be born?”


  “Because it’s not a pure night roamer, it’s very difficult to estimate the pregnancy. However, the child’s vitality is extremely vigorous, much more than normal. According to Liubo, it’ll definitely be a daughter.”


  Ye Liusu recalled Ye Liubo’s expression of happiness and also felt extremely delighted, as well as a tinge of pity.

  “Very good. I like daughters. Send her to my palace. I’ll personally take care of her from now onwards. Just like how an outstanding father does not have mediocre children, I’ll test her potential once she’s born. Who knows, she might become the sweetheart of the Shadow palace!”


  “Yes.” Before Ye Liusu could finish what she was saying, Ye Weiyang suddenly appeared in her face. She held her cheeks with both hands before sliding down slowly, going from her neck to her shoulders, then her chest and waist. “What a pretty face. What an enchanting figure. Even the laziest of men become willing to work hard when they see you. You’re welcome to pay a visit to the Green province too. We can never have enough sweethearts. Don’t you have to experience that feeling too?”


  “I won’t, master!” Ye Liusu reddened and took a step back.

  “Am I supposed to set off in person?” Ye Weiyang touched her chin as if she was seriously considering that question.

  “If there’s nothing else, I’m taking my leave.” Ye Liusu backed out of the hall, and Ye Weiyang’s unrestrained laughter rang out from behind, making her shake her head helplessly. She remained where she was and contemplated a little more. I better tell this news to Liubo quickly!

  She would tell her that her child was already basking in her father’s glory before she had even been born.

  At the same time, the Frost province, the Cloud province, the Lightning province, the Harmony province, the Cool province, the Scarlet province, as well as the Dragon province all heard about the Daemon King Northmoon’s name. The battle of Great Buddha mountain had shaken up the world, stunning the nine provinces.