“Exploring new waters…”
Wu Ming stared at the mission released by the New Frontier Port Authority and was completely speechless.
The location marked there was unmistakably in the direction of his own Sear Continent!
“Should I say it’s worthy of the Empire?”
He shook his head, harboring no illusions.
The agreement with the Watchful Eye Seraph could only restrict the Western nations. Now, the Great Chang Empire had clearly developed an interest in those waters too.
“Just from a racial standpoint, the Sear Kingdom won’t be accepted by the Great Chang Empire…”
“It seems I must accelerate the process of joining the Western system!”
To survive in this world as a human nation, naturally one must join one of the two major factions—East or West.
Yet there remained a complication.
With his current cultivation at the Seventh Heaven Golden Immortal level, although he would be considered a high-level combatant in either faction, he had not yet reached the level of decisive power.
In this brutal world teeming with countless races, only a Da Luo could serve as the ultimate force to stabilize a race’s fortune!
Wu Ming had a clear understanding of his position. Fundamentally, he did not belong to either the Eastern or Western nations of this world and thus felt no sense of belonging.
To this world, the entire Sear Continent represented a foreign force, so naturally Wu Ming had to prioritize the interests of his own people.
“Just a little more, and the ascension of the cosmos, the fusion of the continent will be complete! Then I can achieve full merit and gain the opportunity to ascend to Da Luo!”
Flames seemed to blaze in Wu Ming’s eyes: “I must seize it!”
Cultivating to the Da Luo level required not only resources but also rare opportunities and that subtle, mysterious spark of fate.
Moreover, the process was extremely dangerous, for all incarnations would be recalled, everything condensed into one, leaving no room for escape through soul division.
“In terms of accumulation, among Golden Immortals, few can rival me…”
Wu Ming was confident in himself: “And with the aid of the Master Temple, my chances of success are definitely higher than most Golden Immortals!”
As he was silently thinking thus, his brows suddenly furrowed, his gaze shifting toward the entrance of the Federation.
There, a squad of black-armored soldiers suddenly poured in, and at their head stood Zhuo Tie!
“Truly…”
Wu Ming shook his head in exasperation: “Just used the jade pendant once, and it’s already left a trace?”
There’s an old saying: once you enter the bureaucratic system, it’s like plunging into a sea with no return. And once you’ve taken something, naturally you can’t expect to shake off the entanglement.
They wouldn’t be foolish enough to tamper with the jade pendant itself, but the moment he used it, it would inevitably leave a trace of his location, forming a net around him.
It was like being tracked at all times, ready to be followed up on when necessary—just like now.
“Trouble has arrived!”
Wu Ming’s first thought upon seeing them was precisely that.
He had always preferred to keep his distance from trouble, so as Zhuo Tie raised his head and charged straight toward the archives, Wu Ming’s figure flickered and vanished directly from the Federation.
“Hmm? There seems to be another high official nearby. Judging by his aura and appearance, he must be at least a regional lord—could it be that Fu Feng Duhu has arrived?”
After leaving the Federation, with just a casual glance, Wu Ming’s celestial eye caught sight of a rather auspicious omen.
At the center of a group of more than a dozen black dragons standing outside, a middle-aged man stood out under the glow of his imperial fortune.
Although the Federation inside had already become chaotic, several elite bodyguards and attendants still did not leave his side for a moment.
“Young sir, please stay a moment!”
Fu Feng Duhu turned his eyes, seeing a graceful youth, dressed in long robes with wide sleeves, stepping out of the Federation with an ethereal air that naturally inspired admiration, and immediately called out.
“Be off! Be off!”
Wu Ming shook his head and strode away.
Actually, if it weren’t for the mission matter, he had planned to explore deeper into the Great Chang heartland and spend some time playing with this Fu Feng Duhu to pass the time.
But now, naturally, securing the safety of his base came first.
“Shortening the earth to cross a thousand miles?”
Watching Wu Ming take just a few steps and vanish instantly, Fu Feng Duhu exclaimed in astonishment, then bitterly lamented: “His Dao is truly divine! This person must have already reached the level of a Grandmaster, surpassing even Yin Xiansheng! What a pity he refuses to serve the court…”
Cultivators often lived like free clouds and wild cranes, a fact long suspected, but still, seeing it firsthand brought a wave of admiration and sighs.
“Lord Duhu, what should we do next?”
One of the guards immediately asked.
“This man defies the royal law, truly despicable! Should we go after him and mobilize more forces to teach him a lesson?”
The personal attendants, seeing their lord so sincerely trying to recruit but being rejected, were furious.
“Enough! After all, he is a foreigner, and the duty of national righteousness does not bind them…”
Fu Feng Duhu gave a bitter smile: “Then let’s proceed with our original plan and visit the Tao Zhu Gong and Shen Nong temples first…”
An organization suspected of having a dark god’s support, to confront it with just the power of the Fu Feng Duhu mansion would be sheer recklessness.
In such a situation, Fu Feng Duhu’s natural reaction was to seek powerful backing.
Although among the True Gods there were also differences in strength, Tao Zhu Gong and Shen Nong, while not specialized in combat, were still among the top ranks of the Great Chang pantheon.
…
Just as unseen currents stirred within New Frontier Port, Wu Ming had already arrived at the outskirts, soaring directly into the sky, heading toward the Sear Continent.
Its location was precisely between the Great Chang Empire and the Western nations, far from the main shipping routes.
Moreover, due to the previous continental plate docking, the surrounding waters had experienced violent storms and tsunamis, and even now had not fully calmed.
It could be said that, aside from high-level cultivators or those as fortunate as Zhang Fan, breaking through these natural barriers to reach the Sear Continent was a true test of one’s fortune and luck.
“Heavenly winds and clouds, heed my command—swiftly!”
Sitting atop a cloud, gazing at the turbulent sea below, Wu Ming suddenly chanted an incantation.
Whoosh!
Heavy rain poured down, fierce winds and storms surged forth, and faintly, several whirlpools formed.
“With my current Golden Immortal-level cultivation, I can barely maintain this storm for a little longer. If I wanted to completely isolate the entire continent, I would at least need to reach the Da Luo level!”
Seeing this, Wu Ming ceased his actions and directly returned to the capital of Sear.
“Your Majesty, you have finally returned!”
As the supreme ruler with absolute authority, his brief disappearance was the best encouragement for any ambitious schemer.
Of course, this time was very short, and Wu Ming’s previous measures had firmly secured his power, so for now, the kingdom remained stable.
Still, one of his court jesters had nearly been scared out of his wits, and upon seeing Wu Ming’s return, rushed forward in a panic, constantly muttering prayers to the gods.
“During my absence, were there any major events in the kingdom?”
Wu Ming, now in the guise of Conqueror King William, asked directly.
“Nothing serious, just that the daughters of several great nobles have married the sons of other noble houses…”
The jester, smiling like a clown, replied: “Also… Lady Beatrice and Lady Karitan both came to pay their respects, as did the Pope…”
“The Pope?”
Wu Ming was genuinely surprised this time.
The current Pope of the Sear Church was naturally not the old man from before, but a new face.
An ordinary person, even one possessing supernatural powers as the Pope, could not escape the natural cycle of birth, aging, and death.
“Have him come see me!”
Wu Ming pondered for a moment and made his decision.
Not long after, dressed in formal attire and adorned with medals on his chest, Wu Ming received the current Pope of the Church in the drawing room.
Since the time of the Great Sage, the Church’s power had continuously grown, now deeply rooted in the Feng Ying Plains.
In fact, Wu Ming knew that the Pope possessed a secret technique that could imprint certain knowledge and customs directly into the consciousness of his successor, ensuring the continuity of the tradition.
Therefore, even though the person had changed, the Pope before Wu Ming still felt very similar to the old man from before.
Although aside from the Pope’s crown, long robe, and staff, the two shared little in common, Wu Ming always looked at the essence within, not the superficial trappings.
“Ruler of the Sear Continent, heir to the Blue Blood, King of all nobles and citizens, the Blue Dragon, the Undead William Wallace!”
At the lower end of the throne, the current Pope bowed respectfully: “Hunze greets Your Majesty!”
“Rise, my Lord Pope!”
Wu Ming gestured with his hand: “Why have you come in person?”
“The interpretation of the Book of Sages has advanced further, and from it we have gained more information…”
Hunze spoke respectfully: “The end of all things is also the beginning of all things. At the time of the world’s merging, the serpent shall appear, bringing disaster… The clergy have had this premonition. The time is already very near!”
“The legend of the World-Destroying Serpent?”
Wu Ming could sense that the complete fusion of the Sear universe was now just one step away.
If what they said was true, the World-Destroying Serpent should have already appeared.
“Have you deciphered the deepest secrets hidden within the Book of Sages?”
A trace of interest appeared on Wu Ming’s face: “The World-Destroying Serpent—what does the Book of Sages say about it?”
“Your Majesty!”
Pope Hunze slightly bowed: “According to the Book of Sages, the serpent originally created the entire world, and their ruler was a serpent representing infinity, capable of gaining life and eternity by endlessly consuming its own tail…”
“The Ouroboros?!”
A peculiar sensation immediately surged through Wu Ming’s heart.
He took out the ring he had obtained from that Westerner and tossed it to Pope Hunze: “Take a look at this!”
“This… this is…”
Hunze stared at the Ouroboros ring in his hand, his entire body trembling slightly: “Yes… this is the exact emblem! Your Majesty, have you also received a revelation?”
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