’Having suffered and been forced into a marriage herself, she should, by all rights, understand how it feels. She shouldn’t let her disciple walk the same path.’ Nie Yun couldn’t fathom why she would be so indifferent to Luoqing City, allowing her to marry Zhao Xingpu, a man she didn’t even like.

"When I was forced into marriage back then, no one saved me. I had to rely on myself for everything," Baihua Xiu said lightly. "I don’t want my disciple to be a coward. If you want happiness, you have to pursue it yourself. Expecting me to arrange everything for you? That’s not a disciple of mine!"

"..." Nie Yun hadn’t expected her way of thinking to be so strange. He shook his head helplessly.

’Then again, it’s understandable. She was hunted by the Qianqing Sect and endured great suffering. After being hurt so badly, her psyche probably isn’t in the best shape.’

If Baihua Xiu knew what Nie Yun was thinking, she would probably cough up a mouthful of blood and die of pure rage. ’You’re the one who isn’t healthy! Your whole family isn’t healthy!’

"I left the Qianqing Sect, and the entire Sect now sees me as a traitor. *Sigh*... Forget it. There’s no point in saying so much. I’ll just have to take things one step at a time." Baihua Xiu shook her head.

"Don’t worry. With your current strength, you can definitely rank in the top three of the Celestial List," Nie Yun offered a casual reassurance, knowing she likely had more to say but not wanting to press her. "As long as the Secret Realm Powerhouses and those on the Potential List don’t make a move, no one should be able to harm you. There’s no need to worry."

"Thank you for the comfort. I’ll be heading back now." For some reason, Baihua Xiu sighed, then turned and walked toward the cave.

After Baihua Xiu returned to the cave, Nie Yun lingered in the valley for a little while longer before heading back himself.

Everyone focused on consolidating their newfound strength and recovering their stamina. The night passed peacefully.

The next morning, everyone was full of energy. Even Xiaofong’s aura had grown considerably stronger.

The Zi Qiong Mountain Range Treasure Vault had contained many elixirs for consolidating a Secret Realm cultivation. Nie Yun had given one to Xiaofong yesterday. After a single night, although his Mana hadn’t increased by much, his combat power had fully doubled!

The treasures in the vault had been innumerable, but the one thing that disappointed Nie Yun was that he hadn’t found any special item that could activate the Nameless Technique.

Without the Nameless Technique running, his Dantians would remain at ten, unable to increase any further.

Still, the Ten Great Dantians already made him terrifyingly powerful. In his previous life, this was something he wouldn’t have even dared to dream of!

After a night of meditation, Luoqing City had more or less consolidated her Ultimate Venerable Level. However, to wield her power with complete freedom, she still needed to experience all kinds of battles. Combat was the best catalyst for rapid improvement and soaring strength.

"Let’s go!"

Seeing that everyone was ready, Nie Yun gave the word and took the lead, flying into the air.

They weren’t too far from Guangming City now, so they no longer needed Baihua Xiu to lead the way.

After flying for less than half a day, they saw a massive city sprawling before them. Its jet-black, towering walls pierced the sky, covered in dense, countless arrays. Once activated, they would be exceptionally sturdy—so much so that even an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse would find them difficult to breach.

Within the city, tall buildings stood erect, and the din of voices was like a boiling cauldron—it was bustling beyond description.

If this place was called a city, then Divine Wind City was nothing more than a poor mountain village in some remote region. The two were completely incomparable!

Two rows of soldiers stood imposingly at the city gate. Every one of them had sharp eyes and bulging temples, clear signs that their Qi Sea cultivation had reached a significant level—at least the Gang Formation Realm!

For even the gate guards to have reached the Gang Formation Realm was a terrifying testament to the city’s power.

This was Guangming City, the Imperial Capital of the Divine Holy Empire—the only city that had never been invaded by the Demon Race in several thousand years!

Inside the walls were all sorts of quaint, ancient buildings, some of which had stood for millennia. The erosion of a thousand years of wind and frost had not caused them to crack; instead, it added to their antiquity, imbuing the entire city with a profound sense of history.

The group, aware of the rules established between cities, landed on the ground before reaching the entrance and proceeded toward the gate in an orderly fashion.

"Please halt. This is Guangming City. Please present your city residence cards. If this is your first time here, please register your names," a soldier said, blocking their path.

Guangming City’s entry rules were much stricter than Divine Wind City’s. To enter, one needed a residence card. Without one, you had to register your name and profession and pay a certain fee before being allowed inside.

Of course, this was for the convenience of city management. Guangming City had never suffered persecution from Demons, so it had naturally become a haven for humanity. If just anyone could enter, the entire city would have long been overcrowded and uncontrollable.

With these restrictions, Guangming City only accepted the elite and rejected the riffraff. Having adhered to this for thousands of years, its overall strength grew higher and higher, until it became a holy land on the Qi Sea Continent!

"The Emperor of Nie’s Empire, Nie Yun, is here by invitation to attend the Seven Empires conference. Are you not going to lead us to Di Lin Villa?"

Baihua Xiu stepped forward and huffed.

Di Lin Villa was where the Divine Holy Empire hosted the emperors of other empires and their most honored guests. It was one of His Majesty the Emperor’s personal villas, and visitors from other nations were always accommodated there.

"Nie’s Empire? You mean His Majesty of the former Divine Wind Empire? My apologies for the poor reception, please, come in!"

The soldier was startled. Upon hearing their identities and taking another look, he realized that every single person in the group had unfathomably deep strength.

News of Nie’s Empire had reached the Holy City some time ago. The story of a seventeen-year-old boy conquering an empire single-handedly had long since been spun into various legends. Though this soldier’s rank was low, even he had heard the tales of Nie Yun.

"Hmph." Seeing that the soldier was sensible, Baihua Xiu nodded, and the group filed in.

"Ye Xingkong, what’s going on? Who are these people? You let them pass without a proper inspection?" Just as the group passed through the city gate, a sardonic voice rang out, and a figure strode toward them.

This person looked to be in his twenties and had the strength of the Early-Stage Armor Realm. Judging by his uniform, he was the leader of these soldiers.

"Captain, this is His Majesty the Emperor of Nie’s Empire. He’s here to attend the Seven Empires conference!" the soldier named Ye Xingkong hurriedly whispered as he approached.

"Attending the Seven Empires conference? His Majesty the Emperor? Hmph, just because he says he’s the Emperor, that makes him the Emperor? I could say I’m the Sect Leader of Qianqing Sect!"

The captain snorted, took two steps to stand before the group, and gave them a disdainful, sidelong glance that finally landed on Nie Yun.

"You’re the Emperor of Nie’s Empire? What proof do you have? There are plenty of impostors trying to pass themselves off as someone important. If you can’t produce any proof, then get the hell out of here!"

"Heh, and what kind of proof would you like?"

Nie Yun wasn’t angry; he just laughed.

"What kind of proof?" the captain said. "Every Emperor attending the Seven Empires conference has a conference Jade Scroll issued by the Empire. If you can produce the Jade Scroll, I’ll acknowledge your identity!"

"Conference Jade Scroll?" Nie Yun was taken aback. When the Prince’s Law Enforcement Team had come for him, they hadn’t given him any so-called Jade Scroll.

"What? No Jade Scroll? Looks like you’re not an emperor at all, but a Demon who’s snuck in to cause trouble! Men, arrest them!"

At the captain’s command, several gleaming weapons were immediately raised and pointed at them.