Chapter 19: The Rise of the Conqueror's Clan

Three years have passed since the game of the Golden Stele, and during these three years, the King of Mian, Haoqiong Guming, has visited Prince Beijing multiple times.

Originally isolated from the imperial court, Jingri Guming gradually grew involved in state affairs under Haoqiong Guming's frequent requests for counsel.

Under the guidance of Haoqiong Guming and the strategies of Jingri Guming, the political situation in Mian territory gradually took a turn for the better.

Moreover, the nearly halved military strength of Mian territory, caused by the chaos of Tianque Guming, had gradually recovered after years of replenishment.

In particular, the occasional appearance of young martial arts prodigies across the pugilistic world demonstrated that Mian territory possessed a promising new generation.

Many talented individuals had also emerged within the military; although they had not yet reached middle or upper management, with time and experience, they would eventually become capable of standing on their own.

Everything in Mian territory was developing in a positive direction, creating an atmosphere of rising prosperity.

Prince Canglang continued his studies at the Prince Beijing Manor while keeping a close eye on the Heaven Sect.

However, ever since Canglang arrived at the Prince Beijing Manor, the Heaven Sect seemed to have vanished into thin air, untraceable no matter how thoroughly one investigated.

Haoqiong Guming cast his gaze toward Prince Beijing countless times, only to look away just as often.

Suspicion had always lingered, but the King of Mian disguised it far too well. Every time he visited Prince Beijing's manor, the four members of the royal family appeared harmonious and joyful, presenting an image of unity, affection, brotherly humility, and respect to anyone who looked upon them.

The longer Canglang stayed at Prince Beijing's manor, the more informants Haoqiong Guming planted within it.

Yet, the more he interacted with Jingri Guming, the more Haoqiong Guming admired his wisdom, and the deeper his wariness of Jingri Guming grew.

Despite numerous invitations urging Prince Beijing to step out of seclusion and offer his assistance, Prince Beijing consistently declined to enter the court, using a frail constitution as an excuse.

Haoqiong Guming felt both a sense of regret and reassurance at this; a monarch's probes and tests occurred at every waking moment.

After tutoring Canglang for a year, Xuexue Guming finally reached his limit, left the Prince Beijing Manor once more, and ventured out into the martial arts world.

Yet, they were no longer the Three Heroes of Mian traveling together; Xuexue set out entirely alone.

People eventually had to walk their own paths when they grew up, especially once former close friends established their own households and spheres of influence.

Xuexue's close friend, Wenhuang, had founded the Pearl-Verdant Tower over the past two years and spent his days sequestered within it.

Luobi had married Yao Mingyue and had to shoulder the responsibilities of commanding the troops under his banner; he could no longer wander the pugilistic world with Xuexue Guming at a moment's notice.

Perhaps everyone simply had their own pressing matters to attend to, as the relationship among the Three Heroes of Mian had also undergone subtle changes.

Using the operations of the Pearl-Verdant Tower to test his strategic layouts, Wenhuang's tactical wisdom progressed at a blinding pace, yet his intentions gradually grew unfathomable.

Wenhuang, having eradicated the Witch Cult, was like a high-speed train hurtling down the tracks—no one could predict where it would ultimately lead!

Following the game of the Golden Stele, Mo Cangli vanished from Mian territory alongside the Physician of the Underworld. According to intelligence from the Heaven Sect, the two had headed toward the Kingdom of Wanying.

One presumed that the reputation of the strategist 'Ten-Thousand Armies Without a Soldier' Cetianfeng must be rising, though it remained uncertain just how far he had progressed!

Prince Beijing lay on a couch within his manor, reading a book, savoring the bizarre and winding turns of the story while occasionally watching young Canglang, who had grown taller, practice his martial arts.

Over the years, Zhan Bingwei had shouldered the responsibility of managing the Heaven Sect on his behalf. Jingri Guming had been dragged down by the dragon ball, leaving his body perpetually too frail.

Even if he wished to resume his cultivation, his physical condition fell short of the requirements. Now, he had finally endured until the end.

Night fell swiftly, and Jingri Guming lay submerged within the bath.

Under Jingri Guming's prior arrangements, Zhan Bingwei patrolled the outer perimeter, permitting no one to disturb Jingri Guming.

The dragon ball rose from within Jingri Guming's body, gradually hovering above his crown.

As a tri-colored halo swirled, an immeasurable, boundless reservoir of power circulated within it.

Then, as the tri-colored radiant halo rotated, it drew upon the vast spiritual energy of the surrounding environment, channeling it directly into Jingri Guming's body.

This was the dragon ball nourishing its master—a privilege that should have manifested the very day the dragon ball was successfully refined, finally arriving after a delay of three years.

Under the refinement of spiritual qi, his original bloodline and innate aptitude ascended to a higher level, and his depleted physical frame was progressively replenished.

At last, the tri-colored halo vanished, the spiritual radiance retracted inward, and the dragon ball slowly descended.

Mid-air, it transformed into another duplicate of Jingri Guming.

Jingri Guming rose from the murky bathwater, gazed at his other self, and nodded: As expected, I am remarkably handsome and extraordinarily intelligent.

"Please go ahead! The Heaven Sect is now in your hands!"

With a shift in form, the alternative Jingri Guming was draped in purple robes, his long hair dancing in the wind.

"Breaking free from confinement to enter the realm of heaven, fists, palms, fingers, and kicks suppress all directions; winds, clouds, frost, and lightning descend from the heavens, the Dragon Emperor's Ten Ultimates wield fist and authority!"

A rhyming couplet echoed in his ears, and the Jingri Guming manifested by the dragon ball gradually altered its visage, transforming into the original face of Ao Bing.

"The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud!"

A smile played on Jingri Guming's lips: Another player joins the board of chess-masters. Mo Cangli, are you surprised? Are you caught unawares?

The Armor of Ten Thousand Dragons settled over his physique, instantly transforming into white robes. Though currently devoid of martial arts, Jingri Guming felt not the slightest concern for his own safety.

The Armor of Ten Thousand Dragons was by no means inferior to the Demonic Armor; anyone who failed to reach a certain threshold of strength lacked even the qualification to scratch its surface.

The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud quietly slipped away from the Prince Beijing Manor, holding the token belonging to the master of the Heaven Sect, and appeared within the Heaven's First Tower.

Three years had passed, and the interior of the Heaven Sect was far more lively than before. It was no longer sparse with barely a hundred members; it had expanded to nearly a thousand people.

Fortunately, this place was self-sustaining; otherwise, the sheer scale of material consumption alone would have been enough to expose them.

The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud stood atop the Heaven's First Tower, yet not a single soul detected his arrival.

The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud pondered the structural arrangement of the Heaven Sect: "Zhan Bingwei normally holds the title of vice-master, while the chief steward is Xiong Da, who was the first to speak in the past. As for Xiong Er and Xiong San, the two assist Xiong Da in managing the various affairs of the Heaven Sect."

"As for the nine halls of the Heaven Sect, the four halls of Wind, Cloud, Frost, and Lightning will serve as our overt military presence, whereas the four halls of Commerce, Military, Spring, and Arts belong to the covert operations of service and revenue generation."

"As for the ninth hall..."

The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud lay flat upon the roof of the Heaven's First Tower, gazing up at the firmament, while the dragon ball instinctively inhaled and exhaled spiritual qi to strengthen itself.

The following morning, at the crack of dawn, the Heaven Sect buzzed with activity as someone finally discovered the Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud atop the Heaven's First Tower.

Once the eight hall masters assembled, the Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud produced the sect master's token.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

"Rise, all of you!"

The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud raised a hand: "Everyone, we have not met for three years, and the four halls of Wind, Cloud, Frost, and Lightning have remained dormant for three whole years!"

"Now, the day of our return has finally arrived! I, the master of the Heaven Sect, the Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud, await your stellar performances!"

The Dragon Emperor of Wind and Cloud formally declared his moniker to the world.

………

Soon, word spread throughout the pugilistic world that the Heaven Sect was making its comeback, though martial artists had long since grown unphased by such news.

"Will the Heaven Sect even stand a chance by returning at a time like this?"

"Indeed, would Wenhuang, the master of the Pearl-Verdant Tower, ever permit the Heaven Sect to exist?"

………

Upon receiving the intelligence, Wenhuang simply set the message aside without taking immediate action, choosing instead to wait and observe the probes sent by the King of Mian.

The King of Mian had long been monitoring the Heaven Sect and had even dispatched Prince Canglang to ascertain whether any connection existed between the Heaven Sect and Prince Beijing.