...

Year 3523 of the Longchang Calendar, Spring.

Han Yue Continent.

Above the Immortal City, clouds drifted ethereally, and the spring sunlight was bright and beautiful.

A sleek and beautiful shuttle flying boat silently skimmed across the azure sky, spiraling down from above and landing directly within the Northern Territory Wang Mansion inside Han Yue Immortal City.

This flying boat bore a distinct style from the Shenwu Royal Dynasty period, with an ancient design and a silver-gray coating that appeared both understated and luxurious, exuding a sense of prestige.

This flying boat, named the "Heavenly Void Cloud Boat," was one of the greatest masterpieces of the Shenwu period. Not only could it navigate like an ordinary flying boat, but it could also traverse boundary rifts and even had preliminary void traversal capabilities.

It was unknown which generation of the Red Moon Demon Dynasty's True Demon Hall had discovered a Shenwu relic and acquired this "Heavenly Void Cloud Boat." Since then, it had become the vehicle of choice for successive Demon Lords.

After the Wang's Clan defeated the Demon Lord, this Heavenly Void Cloud Boat naturally fell into their hands.

As the main city of the Immortal Dynasty, Han Yue Immortal City prohibited large flying vehicles from entering directly. They could only dock at the airport in the suburbs. Within the city, even the height at which flying chariots and cultivators could fly was strictly regulated.

However, this Heavenly Void Cloud Boat had received authorization from the Immortal Emperor, allowing it to freely enter and exit the Immortal City.

At the south gate of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion.

The large square and the mansion's entrance had been newly renovated and painted, adorned with lanterns and other decorations, creating a festive atmosphere.

At this moment.

A young man, dressed in a brocade robe and wearing a jade crown, with a slightly youthful face yet full of vigor, stood solemnly at the entrance to greet the guests.

Behind him followed a group of similarly young men and women.

This young man was named Yun Anchao, only eighteen years old, the child of Heir Yun Lixuan and Lady Jiang Yiyi of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, born out of "idle boredom."

Although Yun Anchao's bloodline cultivation wasn't as exaggerated as Yun Mengyu's back then, he had reached the B-grade great prodigy level at a young age, making him a representative figure among the new generation of Yun's Clan.

As he grew older and his cultivation improved, he would likely enhance his bloodline aptitude to the Peerless Prodigy level with the help of elixirs.

Although the family's treasure book had already been inherited by his father, with such aptitude, he had a good chance of competing for a treasure book within Yun's Clan.

Barring any accidents, he might have a place among the mid-Void Realm powerhouses of the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty in the future.

Soon, the Heavenly Void Cloud Boat landed steadily on the expanded square.

The cabin door of the Heavenly Void Cloud Boat opened, and Wang Fugui helped Yun Mengyu, who was holding a baby, off the cloud boat.

Yun Anchao immediately led the crowd to greet them enthusiastically, affectionately calling out, "Sister, brother-in-law~ Welcome home."

The young people from the Wang Mansion behind him also followed suit, calling out sister and brother-in-law.

These were the outstanding members of the younger generation of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, each full of cleverness.

With so many descendants in the Wang Mansion, they had to fight tooth and nail for the privilege of being the first to welcome Yun Mengyu and Wang Fugui.

Joking aside, Brother-in-law Fugui was known as the "most noble young master under the heavens," and even a single hair from him was thicker than their thighs, so naturally, they had to curry favor.

Wang Fugui was generous with the younger generation, handing out the red envelopes he had prepared in advance.

Especially Yun Anchao's red envelope, which was particularly generous, containing ten top-grade spiritual stones. Even with extravagant cultivation methods, these would be enough to support his cultivation to the Purple Mansion Realm.

Each young person secretly peeked at their red envelope, and their expressions immediately turned joyful.

This brother-in-law was probably the most generous brother-in-law in the world.

After a lively greeting ceremony, the group escorted Wang Fugui and Yun Mengyu, who was holding the child, into the Wang Mansion.

Following Wang Fugui and Yun Mengyu were a group of elite maids trained by the Wang's Clan. Since Wang Baosheng was still young and needed care for his daily needs, it was natural for maids to accompany him when traveling.

Meanwhile.

Heir Yun Lixuan and Lady Jiang Yiyi of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion were also dressed in formal attire, ready to welcome the guests.

As Wang Fugui and his group left, Wang Ningyi and Wang Ningyao, along with their families Zhao Jingling and Zhao Jingyu, walked out of the cloud boat, followed closely by Princess Huari Wang Jidie.

Heir Yun Lixuan and Lady Jiang Yiyi also stepped out of the main gate of the Wang Mansion, heading towards the cloud boat to greet them.

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law."

Both sides wore smiles as they exchanged warm greetings.

One side resided in the capital of the Immortal Dynasty, while the other was in Great Gan's Changning. They only visited each other once every ten years or so, making their meetings particularly warm.

After the heir and lady finished greeting this wave of guests, it was the turn of the still vigorous Northern Territory Wang to personally step out and welcome Master Wang Shouzhe and Liu Ruolan, who had "coincidentally" disembarked from the flying boat.

"Master Wang Shouzhe, Lady Ruolan, who would have thought it's been over a hundred and fifty years since we last parted," the Northern Territory Wang greeted them with a beaming smile, "Welcome to the Northern Territory Wang Mansion."

By rights, with Ruolan's status and position, it should have been the Northern Territory Wang's wife who greeted her.

However, the Northern Territory Wang's wife had passed away over a thousand years ago. Although the Northern Territory Wang was still vigorous and had taken several concubines to care for him, bringing those women to greet Ruolan would undoubtedly be an insult. So, he had no choice but to come alone.

"Shouzhe pays respects to His Highness the Northern Territory Wang," Wang Shouzhe greeted with a restrained demeanor, his posture as graceful as jade.

With the improvement of his strength and bloodline, Wang Shouzhe's demeanor was even more impressive than before, truly graceful and unparalleled. Even just standing there casually, he made the Northern Territory Wang feel a subtle pressure.

Not to mention that beside him was the equally extraordinary Liu Ruolan, who also greeted him.

"Please, don't overwhelm this old man," the Northern Territory Wang hurriedly supported Wang Shouzhe's arm, smiling at the two of them, "Let's continue our conversation inside the mansion."

Although Wang Shouzhe was only a Duke enfeoffed by Eastern Gan, those who knew the inside story understood that his influence was astonishing.

Even the Demon Emperor and Immortal Emperor, among several True Immortals and True Demons, had to consider his opinion when making major decisions. If he firmly opposed something, it would never come to pass.

Though the Northern Territory Wang was a hereditary prince of the Immortal Dynasty's royal family, he often didn't dare utter a word in front of the Immortal Emperor Ancestor, highlighting the disparity in their statuses.

For this trip to the Immortal Dynasty, Wang Anye, Wang Ningxi, and other important members of the Wang's Clan also came along. Naturally, they were hosted by the important members of the Wang Mansion.

The Northern Territory Wang Mansion took this reception very seriously, having made thorough preparations in advance, ensuring a delightful experience for both host and guests.

The Northern Territory Wang Mansion even vacated several of its best courtyards for them, with all accommodations arranged according to the standards for hosting a prince. Wang Fugui and Yun Mengyu, however, already had their own courtyard in the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, so no additional arrangements were needed.

The reason Master Wang Shouzhe and his wife came to the Immortal Dynasty was twofold: firstly, to visit the Northern Territory Wang Mansion and the Immortal Emperor, as they were relatives after all. Secondly, they had been cooped up at home for too long and needed a change of scenery.

Wang Shouzhe had briefly visited the Immortal Palace of the Immortal Dynasty once, having seen some of the states and commanderies of the Immortal Dynasty in a whirlwind tour, while Liu Ruolan was visiting a foreign country for the first time, highlighting her reclusive nature.

In the following days, Wang Shouzhe and his wife disguised themselves as ordinary people and enjoyed a leisurely tour of the Immortal City, experiencing a different kind of life.

As for the trivial matters of the family, they were naturally handled by their children. In today's world, there weren't many things that required the couple to personally intervene.

Meanwhile.

Northern Territory Wang Mansion.

Spirit Bamboo Garden.

The courtyard that had been arranged for Wang Fugui to reside in all those years ago had not been given to anyone else, remaining reserved for him. Now that Wang Fugui had returned, it was naturally still for his use.

Of course, Wang Fugui would definitely stay in the adjacent courtyard of Yun Mengyu at night, not here. This Spirit Bamboo Garden was used as a place for receiving guests and conducting business. After all, he had official matters to attend to during this visit to the Immortal Dynasty, and with Wang Baosheng being so young, it wouldn't be good for the residence to be constantly bustling with people.

The Spirit Bamboo Garden remained as it was back then, with a pleasant climate, jade-like spirit bamboo standing tall in the forest, lush and verdant, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere.

A breeze blew through, causing countless spirit bamboo to sway with the wind, producing a rustling sound that seemed to calm one's mind unconsciously.

In the bamboo forest, there was a pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, Wang Ningxi and Wang Fugui sat opposite each other, drinking tea and casually chatting about some "trivial matters."

"I went to the Immortal Armament Division and inspected the Weiwu Armor. The core design concept of the talisman formation is quite good, indeed several levels stronger than our first-generation new black armor, but it's two levels inferior to our second-generation black armor, let alone compared to the third generation. Fugui, should we directly launch the second generation to suppress the Weiwu Armor?"

"Forty-seventh uncle, reasonable competition helps stimulate and enhance the enthusiasm of major clans to explore new fields and technologies, contributing to the overall strength of the Shenwu World," Wang Fugui said casually, sipping his tea, "If the Wei Clan is keen on developing black armor, abruptly suppressing them might stifle their enthusiasm at the outset. I also want to have a broader perspective. However, there's something a bit odd about this. The Wei Clan wasn't known for their talisman formations, yet they developed such a high-quality product in such a short time. The person behind this is probably not simple..."

The strong practitioners skilled in talisman formations within the Immortal Dynasty were few and well-known, and he had investigated beforehand but hadn't heard of any deep collaboration with the Wei Clan.

"Fugui, did something come to mind?" Wang Ningxi put down his teacup and looked at Wang Fugui seriously, "I would also like to meet that talisman formation expert. My master said that the repair of the Space Transfer Array Disk seems to have encountered some bottlenecks, and the Jade Talisman Immortal is still lacking in some aspects of the talisman formation."

"I remember when I was eleven, during my first visit to the Immortal Dynasty, my grandfather had a conflict with Wei Qingyun of the Wei Clan," Wang Fugui said slowly, "I then preemptively struck and dealt a heavy blow to the Wei Clan, and that's when the feud began. Originally, these could be considered normal commercial competition between clans... But there's one mystery I never solved~ Now it seems the key to this might be surfacing."

"Oh, are you referring to the matter with Baofu?" Wang Ningxi recalled and immediately caught on, "The talisman formation that controlled Baofu and the means to siphon his fortune were not simple at all~"

Although he hadn't personally participated in the matter, he had heard about it.

"Not only that, but Wei Qingyun also used a special jade talisman to summon a heavenly tribulation. Upon investigation, it was found to be a forbidden talisman from the Shenwu period, the Deceiving Heaven Lightning Summoning Talisman," Wang Fugui said calmly, "Over the years, the Wei Clan has kept a low profile and actively participated in resisting the outer demon realm, contributing significantly to the cause, seemingly on the right path and gradually making people forget the past."

"But given the feud between our Wang's Clan and the Wei Clan, and the possibility of some hidden secret, how could I not be cautious? Therefore, I later asked Aunt Mei to arrange some personnel to infiltrate the Wei Clan and lie in wait."

"You even have deep connections with Aunt Mei?" Wang Ningxi couldn't help but feel a bit dazed at the mention of that person, "The last time I saw her was at the Shenwu Army Training Academy. If not for Ancestor Grandfather arranging a spot for her... Wait, why can't I remember what she looks like at all?"

"Forty-seventh uncle..." Wang Fugui said helplessly, "Ancestor Grandfather is shirking his duties and has left the affairs of the Palace of Immortals to me."

"The Palace of Immortals?" Wang Ningxi gasped, "Isn't that the most mysterious, low-key, and pervasive intelligence organization of our Wang's Clan?"

As the most secretive intelligence organization of the Wang's Clan, the Palace of Immortals had grown stronger as the Wang's Clan became more powerful, but its operations had become increasingly low-key and secretive, rarely known to outsiders.

It was only at Wang Ningxi's level that he became aware of the Palace of Immortals. Most members of the Wang's Clan had no idea that the clan secretly cultivated such a top-secret intelligence organization.

"That's right, but Aunt Mei only recognizes me as the young master, and I'm just temporarily managing the Palace of Immortals. She secretly meets with Ancestor Grandfather once every ten years, often staying in the study for an entire day. The strangest thing is that every time she appears, her demeanor and appearance are completely different. Once, I even thought it was the Immortal Emperor sneaking into Ancestor Grandfather's study."

Even Wang Fugui couldn't help but speculate secretly.

Could Aunt Mei have been Ancestor Grandfather's concubine when she was young? Otherwise, why would she be like this?

Upon hearing this, Wang Ningxi also found it quite reasonable.

He sighed, "I never expected our Ancestor Grandfather to have such romantic stories in his youth. When I heard Baoguang vividly recounting Ancestor Grandfather's stories a few days ago, I was a bit skeptical..."

"Wait!" Wang Fugui suddenly realized, "Are we getting off-topic? Let's get back on track... This time, we must thoroughly investigate the Wei Clan. If they merely seek to enhance their family heritage, we can delay the launch of the second-generation black armor to avoid discouraging their enthusiasm for developing new products. But if they harbor malicious intentions, then they can't blame me, Wang Fugui, for being ruthless."

"In that case, I'll also go to the Treasure Pavilion to gather some information. Maybe I can indirectly gather some intelligence," Wang Ningxi nodded in agreement.

...

A few days later.

The Northern Territory Wang Mansion was about to welcome another "distinguished guest," the current Third Princess Jing'an.

Princess Jing'an had heard that Yun Mengyu had returned to her maiden home with her child for a visit, and she happened to be back in the Immortal City for business and rest, so it was only proper to pay a visit.

Above the square at the south gate of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, Princess Jing'an's flying chariot was slowly descending.

Inside the chariot, Princess Jing'an Yun Shaoguang sat in the main seat, her luxurious light blue and purple princess attire shimmering under the spirit lamps, making her skin appear as white as snow, adding a touch of majesty and mystery.

She looked at the advisor of the Princess Mansion, Wang Hanmo, sitting opposite her, and said, "Have you prepared the gifts for the fourth brother?"

Over the years, Princess Jing'an had undergone significant changes.

When Princess Suiyun was appointed as the Crown Princess, she was initially full of resentment, but under Wang Hanmo's persistent and straightforward words, the matter of Princess Suiyun's appointment as the Crown Princess seemed less difficult to accept.

Unknowingly, she adjusted her mindset, and her relationship with the other three princesses improved significantly.

Her cultivation had also advanced to the mid-Divine Realm a couple of years ago, and her years of experience on the outer region battlefield had tempered her, making her more composed and restrained, with a demeanor reminiscent of Princess Suiyun's past elegance.

Hearing Princess Jing'an's words, Wang Hanmo nodded, "As per your orders, the gifts have been prepared in double portions according to the appropriate specifications."

Over the past two centuries, Wang Hanmo had grown from an unappreciated advisor to become Princess Jing'an's right-hand man, maturing significantly in the process.

The only thing that hadn't changed was his "straightforwardness." After a brief hesitation, he said, "Third Princess, I still believe that matter needs thorough investigation. I'm afraid there's more to it than meets the eye."

Princess Jing'an raised an eyebrow, "Wang Hanmo, are you still going on about this? Didn't some demon captives escape from the prisoner-of-war camp? Qingyun indeed had some responsibility, and I've already warned and punished him. He also promised never to make such mistakes again. Let's leave it at that... We don't want to be ridiculed by outsiders."

"Shaoguang~" Wang Hanmo suddenly grabbed Princess Jing'an's hand, speaking earnestly, "I absolutely don't mean to undermine a competitor. Besides, we've already reached a point of no return, so why make things difficult for Wei Qingyun?"

"Who, who said we've reached a point of no return?" Princess Jing'an blushed and pulled her hand away in embarrassment and anger, "As long as I haven't secured the position of Mansion Master, you're not allowed to speak nonsense."

"Yes, yes, yes. I've roughly investigated the matter. Over the past century, demon captives have repeatedly gone missing from the prisoner-of-war camp managed by the Wei Clan," Wang Hanmo said with a frown, "Moreover, I've heard that two lords on the other side mysteriously disappeared, possibly killed. I have a feeling there's something very wrong here, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Hanmo, you're being overly suspicious. The demon realm has been in turmoil recently, with a prevalent atmosphere of the weak being preyed upon by the strong. Perhaps those two lords were killed by their own people," Princess Jing'an said, "And think about it, since that incident, the Wei Clan has turned over a new leaf, diligently following me to achieve success on the outer region battlefield. You mustn't act recklessly and risk alienating people."

Just as Wang Hanmo was about to say more, the flying chariot had already landed on the square at the south gate of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion. Wang Fugui and Yun Anchao had personally come to greet them, so Princess Jing'an and Wang Hanmo stopped their conversation and disembarked from the flying chariot.

After some pleasantries, Wang Fugui and Yun Anchao led the two to visit Yun Mengyu and Wang Baosheng.

...

Meanwhile, as the Evil Formation Immortal and the Wei Clan set their sights on the battlefield where the Mystic Spirit Saintess and the Eclipse Moon Demon Lord once fought.

In the void outside the demon realm.

Near the starry turbulence.

A massive flying palace was floating alone in the void, drifting aimlessly with the energy fluctuations caused by the starry turbulence.

Its shape resembled a large round cake with a bite taken out of it, or an imperfect crescent moon, with a tattered and pockmarked exterior, and a massive crack running through most of the palace, making it look like it was about to fall apart.

However, through the remaining outline and the partially preserved intricate demon patterns, one could still vaguely see its former strength and grandeur.

In its heyday, this flying palace must have been a force capable of stirring the void and striking fear into countless powerful beings.

This flying palace was the "Eclipse Moon Palace," the former vehicle of the Eclipse Moon Demon Lord.

The starry sky where the Eclipse Moon Palace was located was an extremely dangerous area.

In this region, there were countless star fragments. Under the influence of the chaotic "tidal" forces caused by the unstable space, the star fragments flew around wildly, occasionally colliding with each other and generating terrifying energy fluctuations, making this area even more perilous.

Yet, in such a dangerous starry area, three ferocious void races were entrenched.

For countless years, they had lived and multiplied in this place, possessing large populations and formidable strength, waging wars against each other for territory and resources necessary for survival.

But no matter how fiercely these void races fought, they dared not approach the "Eclipse Moon Palace," as if there was some deadly danger there, with fear deeply etched into their bloodline memories.

At the same time.

In the central part of the palace, within the massive crack that ran through most of the palace, a cute little girl, about ten years old, lay lazily on a fragment, peering over the edge to watch the "shooting stars" occasionally passing through the starry turbulence.

After watching for a while, as if she had grown bored, she turned over and looked up at the starry sky above.

She kept flipping back and forth, trying to entertain herself.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, drooping her head and sighing in boredom, "Sister Mystic Spirit~ When will you come back to pick up Bobo? Boohoo~ Bobo has been waiting here for so long, if you don't come soon, Bobo will die of boredom~~"

...