Just shortly after Ninelotus reached Serpentwing Lake, in the distant Crimson Dragon Mountains of Stillwater Commandery, arge group of people were gathered around the tall,rge teleportation array.


    All of them had powerful auras. Clearly, none of them were ordinary.


    Northmont Fox was standing behind a tall, skinny man. He sent to him, “Father, who did you pull me over here to meet? You didn’t even permit me to ask about this while we were in Stillwater City; you insisted on bringing me to the Raindragon Guard branch before telling me.”


    The tall, skinny man was dressed in a ck uniform. He wore a crown on his forehead, and his eyes were sunken and deep. However, his pupils seemed to carry a cold light that would bring fear to many.


    This man was Northmont Fox’s father... Northmont Yin!


    The two most likely candidates to be the next Marquis of Stillwater were Northmont cktiger and Northmont Yin. They hadpletely different temperaments. Northmont cktiger was like an enormous, primordial beast who was born with a dominating aura; anyone who looked at him would feel terror. In acting, he was iparably dominating as well, and so he had many followers.


    As for Northmont Yin, he was a truly ambitious and ruthless figure who was particrly skilled at biding his time. Nobody could see through Yin’s thoughts; he was a mystery to all.


    “If I told you in Stillwater City, given your temperament, you might have leaked this information, which would be disastrous.” Yin shook his head. “This matter is extremely important, and very few know of it. Look at Immortal Eastrock of the local Raindragon Guard branch; he’s waiting, just like us. Although he’s brought a group of subordinates, I imagine that only he himself knows exactly who it is that we are waiting for.”


    Fox instantly felt an itchy feeling in his heart. Someone capable of making even Immortal Eastrock and Yine in person to wait for him, and to act so secretively as for Yin to not even tell Fox, his own son, who it was?


    “Who is it?” Fox was extremely anxious to know.


    “This person is Youngme Nong, of the Youngme lineage,” Yin sent mentally.


    Fox’s face instantly changed. He revealed a look of shock and amazement as he yelped back mentally, “Young master Youngme Nong? One of the Four Dukelings of the imperial capital? Why has hee to Stillwater Commandery? This, this... how can this be?”


    “Now do you understand why I didn’t tell you?” Northmont Yin cast his son a nce.


    Northmont Fox hurriedly nodded. He understood. Of course he understood.


    Although the Northmont n of Stillwater held a marquisdom and was iparably ancient andrge, if they werepared to the rest of the Grand Xia Dynasty... there were still powers that were even mightier than the Northmont n. For example, the almighty imperial n of the Grand Xia Dynasty, the Xiamang n, or some of the most powerful ns that had helped the Xiamang n unify the world.


    The Youngme n was one of the faithful ministers that served the imperial n of the Grand Xia Dynasty!


    Supposedly, during the Fiendgod era, the Youngme n was a n that was as old and as powerful as the Xiamang n. In fact, their history stretched to the most ancient of eras of this major world.


    In the end, the Youngme n had submitted to the Xiamang lineage! They had followed the Xiamang n in conquering the world, and had been one of the most powerful ns under the Xiamang n’s control. As for the the Northmont n and the other ns, they had all slowly begun to join the Xiamang nter on, and in terms of power, they were vastly inferior to the Youngme n.


    And nowadays...


    The Youngme n’s leader had the revered title of the ‘Godplume Duke’, and the n itself held three marquisdoms! The threemanderies it ruled over were all extremely vast ones, farrger than Stillwater Commandery. After all, the 3600manderies of the Grand Xia Dynasty were all different in size; Stillwater Commandery could only be described as an ordinary one. Some extremelyrgemanderies wereparable in size to dozens of Stillwater Commanderies.


    As for this Youngme Nong who was about to arrive, he was one of the leaders of the younger generation of Youngme nobles. Unless something went amiss, the next n leader of the Youngme n, the ‘Godplume Duke’, would be this Youngme Nong!


    But of course, the Youngme n’s next leader had not been 100% set in stone; the selectees would still be tested and tried. Generally, however, the trials would be easily passed. It could be said that Youngme Nong’s status in the Youngme n wasparable to Ji Ning’s status, when he had been a child, in the West Prefecture City of the Ji n!


    Internally, it had all but been decided that he would be the next Godplume Duke.


    He would be a powerful figure, capable of influencing the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. The arrival of someone like him... it now made perfect sense as to why Northmont Yin and Immortal Eastrock hade in person and been so secretive about it, not letting anyone else know what was happening.


    ......


    “Coming.”


    “He’sing.”


    Their eyes all lit up. The teleportation array once more began to glow, and then a group of people appeared within it.


    The leader was dressed in azure robes. He seemed quite inly dressed, but upon a close examination... one would discover that the threads of his azure robe were actually the draconic whiskers of the ‘divine dragons of the East Sea’. The man’s face had a calm smile on it, but the weers could all sense the natural, noble aura emanating from him!


    It was a true, noble aura which only someone like him, who an ancient n like the Youngme n had trained to be their next leader, would possess!


    Youngme Nong’s status was such that even in the imperial capital of the Grand Xia Dynasty, he was called one of the ‘Four Dukelings’. Even imperial scions of the Xiamang n had to have enough status within their n to be able to treat with them on an equal footing. There were some members of the n who borrowed the Xiamang n’s prestige but had no real status within it; these people weren’t even qualified to be friends with Youngme Nong.


    “Young master Youngme,” Northmont Yinughed and saluted with sped hands.


    “Young master Youngme.” Immortal Eastrock also sped his hands.


    Youngme Nong looked at the two of them, then nodded. “Northmont Yin, Eastrock. I saw the two of youst time at the imperial capital. So much time has passed, as though in the blink of an eye. I have to trouble the two of you on this trip of mine to Stillwater City; I truly am guilty for doing so.”


    “It is our honor to be able to assist you, young master Youngme,” Immortal Eastrock and Northmont Yin both spoke out together.


    The two of them couldn’t help but nce at the person slightly behind Youngme Nong. There was a tall, skinny, narrow-eyed, middle-aged man standing there, his skin pitch-ck. The aura this man was emanating caused even Northmont Yin and Immortal Eastrock to feel secretly astonished.


    “Fiendgod.”


    “A Fiendgod.”


    Both of them quickly came to this realization.


    However, for an ancient n like the Youngme n, raising Fiendgods wasn’t too difficult. After all, these ancient ns had been flourishing since shortly after the major world was created. They had long ago captured countless Fiendgods. Although Fiendgods were arrogant, in the face of certain death, many would still be willing to submit.


    “Young master Youngme.” Immortal Eastrock pointed at the group of people behind him. “I’ve already given them their instructions. They are absolutely reliable. There are two peak Wanxiang Adepts and a hundred Zifu Disciples. Young master Youngme, if there is anything you need, just give them their instructions. Oh, and both of the Wanxiang Adepts are two-wed Raindragon Guards.”


    “Two-wed Raindragon Guards?” Youngme Nong nodded after hearing this. Someone capable of bing a two-wed Raindragon Guard had to at least beparable to Primal Daoists; they could be considered useful. As for the hundred Zifu Disciples? They’d be nothing more than cannon fodder.


    “Bu You pays his respects to you, young master Youngme,” a messy-haired youth said respectfully.


    “Xue Hongyi pays his respects to you, young master Youngme,” a red-robed youth saluted respectfully.


    Youngme Nong nodded lightly. “I’ll have to trouble the two of you this time.”


    “It is our honor to be able to toil in your service, young master Youngme,” Xue Hongyi and Adept Bu You both responded with modesty.


    Northmont Yin, on the other side, spoke out as well. “I’ve also arranged for ten Wanxiang Adepts and a hundred Zifu Disciples. They are all Deathsworn andpletely loyal. Perhaps the ten Wanxiang Adepts are notparable to Xue Hongyi and Bu You, but if they join forces... generally speaking, even Primal Daoists would have to give them a wide berth.”


    “Deathsworn?” Youngme Nong’s eyes instantly lit up and he revealed a smile. Generally speaking, it was extremely hard to make an Immortal cultivator be a suicide soldier, a Deathsworn; generally speaking, one would first train a normal person into bing a Deathsworn, and then teach them cultivation! However, given the mindset of a Deathsworn, it would be very hard for them to advance very far on the path of Immortal cultivation... and thus, for Northmont Yin to be able to deliver ten Wanxiang-level Deathsworn was a major gift.


    After all, although Immortal Eastrock had arranged for Xue Hongyi and Bu You to assist, they were clearly there to assist him, not to be suicide soldiers.


    “This is my son, Northmont Fox. He’s never met you, young master Youngme, but he’s long heard of your great fame. This time, he repeatedly begged me to let hime and let him see you in person, young master Youngme,” Northmont Yin said with a smile.


    “My respects to you, young master Youngme.” Northmont Fox was iparably excited and he quickly spoke his respects.


    Youngme Nong nodded gently. “Northmont Fox. Mm. I’ll remember your name.”


    A simple phrase, but it caused Fox to feel iparably excited.


    “This trip of mine to Stillwater Commandery is part of a small test the n has arranged for me.” Youngme Nong looked towards Immortal Eastrock and Northmont Yin. “Thus, it isn’t appropriate for me to cause too much of a stir here. With these helpers you two have given me, my chances of sess are now increased. I can’t be too ck in addressing this trial; thus, I won’t stay here any longer. There’s no need for the rest of you to send me off.”


    “Then we will wait to congratte you on your triumphant return, young master Youngme, and then celebrate with you.” Northmont Yin and Immortal Eastrock both watched as Youngme Nong’s group departed.


    Only Northmont Yin, Northmont Fox, and Immortal Eastrock were left by this teleportation array.


    Of course, those old servants who were in charge of maintaining the teleport array were present as well. However, when they were chatting, Immortal Eastrock had naturally used elemental energy to block out all sound, and so the old servants had no idea who had arrived.


    “Father, we gifted him with Deathsworn... he’s just going to leave like that?” Fox gave his father a nce.


    Yin nced back at his son. “Consider yourself lucky that he epted them. He is currently in the middle of his trials and just so happens to need helpers, and so he’ll ept them. In the future, when he bes the next Godplume Duke, he’ll be a person capable of easily impacting the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. By then, he’d view our gift with contempt. Gifting him with a group of Deathsworn now is worth more than sending a hundred groups or a thousand groups in the future!


    Fox seemed to understand.


    “Let’s go back,” Yin instructed.


    An enormous,pletely dark-red warship. It seemed ancient and in, and it soared through the skies.


    Within the warship, there were a total of six hundred Zifu Disciples and ten-plus Wanxiang Adepts. Youngme Nong and the skinny, ck-skinned man next to him both stood at the railing of the warship, staring at the vast world before them.


    “Xue Hongyi, Bu You,” Youngme Nong asked, “Who are some of the formidable figures in Stillwater Commandery? Aside from Primal Daoists and Immortals.”


    “Aside from Immortals and Primal Daoists...” Xue Hongyi said, “In our Stillwater Commandery, the most powerful of the Wanxiang Adepts would definitely include the most powerful geniuses that are gathered at the ck-White College. Of course the Skysplitter Sword Sect, the Bluewood tribe, and the Dragonhunter n also have their own elites. I am afraid that being able to convince these true core members of these forces to risk their lives would be quite hard.”


    Youngme Nong nodded lightly.


    Xue Hongyi was one of the most talented younger members of Snowdragon Mountain. However, because Snowdragon Mountain, in the grand scheme of things, was a small sect, Xue Hongyi was willing to serve as a servant in front of noble carriage.


    Those even more talented geniuses, however, wouldn’t necessarily be able to do so.


    “Oh?” The nearby Adept Bu You’s eyes lit up. “It seems we’ve reached Swallow Mountain. There is a peerless genius in Swallow Mountain, one of the truly top-tier Wanxiang members of the ck-White College. He is Adept Darknorth, Ji Ning.”


    Hearing Ji Ning’s name, Xue Hongyi frowned.


    “Ji Ning?” Youngme Nong revealed a look of curiosity as well.