The Zi Continent's immortal cultivation world, during the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty era, saw numerous overseas sects and powers, taking advantage of the current Immortal Emperor Liu Xie's injury, launch an assault on the central domain.
They were once on the verge of reaching the imperial capital, Chang'an, but were ultimately suppressed as Liu Xie forcibly stabilized his injuries and repelled them with the high-grade spirit treasure, the Myriad Dragon Imperial Seal.
After their defeat, only three cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage managed to escape back to the various overseas sects and powers.
However, following this battle, Liu Xie's previously healing injuries worsened significantly.
Therefore, the Liu imperial clan did not choose to settle accounts with the Wang, Li, Kong, and Qin families, the four great clans. It was evident they were waiting for their Immortal Emperor to fully recover before moving to exterminate these traitors.
The Wang family, one of the four top clans known as the "Thrones," after raising the banner of rebellion, defeated the Cheng, Dai, Tan, and Shu families, along with a host of other first-rate families, and successfully doubled their territory.
The Li family, another of the four great clans known as "Thrones," was no less formidable. They annihilated the Qu, Xiang, Zhu, and Dong families, among other first-rate families, and their influence also expanded rapidly.
The other two families acted similarly.
The Kong family, one of the four top clans, annexed the Du, Ruan, Lan, and Min families, along with other first-rate families, and entered the Ascendant stage.
The Qin family, the last of the four top clans, was equally swift, transforming the territories of the Jia, Lu, Lou, and Tong families, and other first-rate families into their own domain.
As for the other aristocratic families, to avoid being devoured or eliminated by the larger clans, they all chose to absorb families weaker than themselves, intending to strengthen their own power to face this impending calamity.
An era of peace had passed, replaced by the dawn of a new age.
Just as Wu Tao was contemplating his next move, a meeting of great future consequence was convened by the Liu imperial clan within the Chang'an Imperial Palace.
At this assembly, five cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage, representing the Liu imperial clan, were deliberating on important matters.
Liu Xie sat upon the dragon throne, wearing his imperial crown, but his complexion was visibly unwell, suggesting the rumors were true: he was indeed injured.
Seated below were four powerful figures, led by Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing, known as the Four Pillars of the Liu clan.
Among these four, Liu Chuang possessed the highest cultivation, having mastered five out of the ten thousand laws related to the Great Dao of Thunder. He was a peak cultivator at the second realm of the Purple Mansion stage.
Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing were slightly less advanced, each having grasped only two or three out of the ten thousand laws pertaining to their respective Great Daos.
Liu Xie glanced at Liu Chuang, seated to his right, then coughed and slowly spoke, "My brothers, my injury will not heal in a short time. We should continue to consolidate our forces and preserve our existing territories..."
"Rest assured, it will not take long before we reclaim everything, and we will also destroy Wang, Li, Kong, and Qin, these four ungrateful traitors!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing frowned and exchanged glances. Liu Chuang then asked,
"Your Majesty, please forgive our presumption, but we are all very curious as to how you were injured?"
"Given your cultivation and the protective aura of the nation's dragon qi within the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's territory, even a moment of carelessness should not have resulted in such a severe blow."
Liu Xie sighed slightly and surveyed the four before finally resolving to explain, "We are all members of the Liu imperial clan, so there is nothing for me to hide. Since it has been brought up, let us speak openly."
"You all should know that the Liu imperial clan's true, foundational treasure is not the high-grade spirit treasure, the Myriad Dragon Imperial Seal..."
"But do you all truly know what the Liu imperial clan's ultimate trump card, our foundational treasure, actually is?"
Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing exchanged glances and shook their heads, their eyes filled with expectant curiosity.
Seeing their expressions, Liu Xie spoke with a complex emotion, "This secret was originally passed down through a single lineage, from one Immortal Emperor to the next, and so on..."
"However, it matters little now. After all, no secret can be kept forever."
As Liu Xie spoke, a story hidden within the annals of history unfolded before their eyes.
"In the ancient era, the primordial god race, believing themselves to be innate deities, compelled all living beings to provide for them."
"With their innate divine abilities, the primordial god race ruled an entire era!"
"In the primeval era, the myriad races could no longer tolerate the primordial god race and united to defy and strike down the gods."
"After tens of thousands of years of bloodshed, the primordial gods collapsed, and the myriad races jointly governed the world."
"During the primeval era, the myriad races rose together, and conflict was constant among them."
"It was not until the end of the ancient period that the human race began to rise, gradually becoming the overlords of the world through annihilation, expulsion, or assimilation."
"And the foundational treasure of my Liu imperial clan is related to that primordial god race."
"The first Immortal Emperor, Liu Haotian, somehow obtained the corpse of a primordial god at the Soul Transformation stage and preserved it in pristine condition."
Liu Xie noticed a hint of surprise on the faces of Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing as he revealed this secret.
It was clear that Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing were unaware of such a formidable hidden card within their clan!
How could the primordial god race have dominated all races in the ancient era?
It was because they were born from innate spiritual embryos, nurtured by the essence of heaven and earth, possessing the Saint Emperor's physique!
The primordial god race was favored by heaven and earth, with unparalleled innate talent. From birth, they possessed at least the Nascent Soul stage cultivation.
Their journey to the Soul Transformation stage was as smooth as walking on flat ground, with no bottlenecks whatsoever!
An ordinary primordial god's body was priceless; how much more so was a perfectly preserved corpse of a primordial god at the Soul Transformation stage?
Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing were clearly shaken by this news and remained silent for a long time.
After a considerable pause, Liu Chuang tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, what does this secret have to do with you being ambushed and injured?"
Liu Xie organized his thoughts and replied, "Although this perfectly preserved primordial god corpse at the Soul Transformation stage has been refined countless times by successive Immortal Emperors, it has not yet reached perfection and cannot unleash the combat power of the Soul Transformation stage."
"To achieve perfection, one must find the Primordial Immortal Light."
"And I received news that there was Primordial Immortal Light in the Chu domain. To be cautious, I personally went to investigate."
"I did not expect to be attacked by a cultivator of the same level, and the laws he cultivated were also somewhat peculiar, which is why my injuries have not healed."
"However, he is not much better off. My ultimate technique, the Seven Killing Immortal Art, struck him directly. Even if he is not dead, he is at least severely wounded!"
Liu Chuang nodded and said resentfully, "These damnable aristocratic families actually dared to set up an 'yin-yang trap' for our Liu imperial clan."
"Damn it, one day we will kill them all."
Liu Shan continued, "Since these restless fellows have such great ambitions, we should indeed teach them a lesson."
Liu Gao remained silent for a moment before agreeing, "Yes, I also agree, we can make a move."
Liu Jing added at the end, "If it really comes to it, the two of us can also use some of our reserves to eliminate Wang, Li, Kong, and Qin, these four dogs that have started to bite."
Liu Xie, looking at Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing, who were all agitated and acting like a war faction, felt a headache coming on.
He cleared his throat, stopping their bickering, and Liu Xie said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "My lords, have you not noticed the current situation for our Liu imperial clan?"
"Since the overseas sects and powers began their invasion of the central domain, the situation has become increasingly unstable."
"Ultimately, it is because I am injured that their ambition has grown..."
"Our Liu imperial clan's prestige within the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty has been declining, all because of that damned ancient powerhouse..."
"This fool, I don't know how they cultivated to such a high realm, only to be so easily manipulated by others."
"The four great clans, Wang, Li, Kong, and Qin, have used the stratagem of 'killing with a borrowed knife' brilliantly. Why did I never think they were so clever?"
Hearing their leader's words, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing no longer maintained their facade of fearlessness and defiance.
Liu Xie waved his hand, conjuring a panoramic map of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's territories using spiritual energy.
The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty comprised eighty-one domains. The Liu imperial clan still controlled thirteen domains, with the central domain as its core.
The four great clans, Wang, Li, Kong, and Qin, through their relentless annexation and expansion, collectively controlled nearly thirty great domains.
This accounted for more than one-third of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's territory, a truly shocking sight.
"Damn it, has the situation rotted to this extent?"
"Have the four dogs become four wolves?"
"During this period, we truly cannot allow them to sow chaos in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty."
Liu Xie, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing spoke in unison.
Glancing at Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing, Liu Xie produced a document and said, "Take a look at this. It's a document from the Strategy Department concerning the 'Vassal Town and Throne Plan'."
"The 'Vassal Town and Throne Plan'?"
"Is this… is this legally permitted by us?"