Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

The Shadow Demon Disciple continuously received a stream of intelligence from the surrounding disciples, all of it being the latest findings.

Shadow Demon Abyss cultivators lay hidden in all corners, spying on the world, constantly bringing forth new intelligence. Summarizing, categorizing, and synthesizing this information is the specialty of the inheritance disciples and disciples of Shadow Demon Abyss, for which many magic spells were created for assistance.

Jiang Ding and the surrounding disciples quietly read, comparing it with the plethora of past intelligence, pondering.

Not a word was spoken, only their Divine Sense perused the intelligence and reflected upon it, a process that lasted for several months, with the ten disciples still deep in thought.

Nascent Soul Monks are incredibly patient and are not in any rush.

’In the Cultivation World, the highest powers are everything, the very center of all conflicting interests.’

’Therefore,’

Jiang Ding analyzed the political situation of the foreign territory based on the ideological and moral education he had received.

’At the top echelon of power in the Horned Ming Realm are the Great Emperors, and possibly the Jiaoming Emperor that sits above them, if such a being exists.’

’They represent the primary contradictions.’

’Based on the memories of captive emperors and intelligence collected over the years by undercover Shadow Demon Abyss cultivators, it is known that the Horned Ming Realm has fifty-six Great Emperors, among them nine Ancient Emperors and nine Slave Clan Emperors.’

’Hmm, Slave Clan Emperor?’

Jiang Ding focused on this piece of intelligence.

These nine Slave Clan Emperors were the servants of the nine Horned Demon Tribe Ancient Emperors, personally cultivated by them, and outwardly claimed to be as close as brothers.

’Allowing Slave Race Cultivators to ascend to Refining Nothingness… Do the Horned Demon Imperial Clan possess such magnanimity and confidence?’

Jiang Ding felt a surge of wariness inside.

Just as he would allow his subordinates to advance to Divinity Transformation without any restrictions, for he feared nothing and was confident that no successor could pose any threat to him.

He even looked forward to the birth of Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Northern Plains, as it would drastically increase the world’s productivity and tax revenue.

One should know that Nascent Soul Cultivators are not just big spenders who consume a vast amount of Spirit Stones.

If Nascent Soul Cultivators were willing to work, their immense Mana and Divine Sense could be tremendously powerful in production, stronger than the combined efforts of several million Qi Practicing Phase laborers.

A single Nascent Soul Cultivator is comparable to hundreds of millions of oxen and horses.

By extrapolation, if the Horned Demon Imperial Clan possesses the same confidence, it is truly terrifying, indicating they have hidden power.

’Oh, but no.’

’There are annotations from the Great Experts of Xuanwu Heavenly Palace and Shadow Demon Abyss.’

Jiang Ding scrutinized them carefully.

Any intelligence from a Domain is personally reviewed and annotated by a Master of Refining Nothingness from the Nine Spirits Realm, a hands-on approach that diverges from the days when Great Experts stayed aloof, unseen for thousands of years.

’These nine Slave Clan Emperors must have been subjected to severe constraints, from their Divine Souls to their physical bodies, along with those of Cause and Effect, and rules.’

’It’s not unusual for the Slave Clan to occasionally produce talents that even those Refining Nothingness would find astonishing; a minimal investment could yield a Refining Nothingness servant, indeed a tempting prospect…’

This was the annotation from a Great Expert of Xuanwu Heavenly Palace.

’Otherwise.’

The annotation from a Great Expert of Shadow Demon Abyss was even more radical.

’In my opinion, these nine Slave Clan Emperors must have been transformed into external incarnations of some sort, with their original Divine Souls wiped clean, because according to the intelligence, many relatives and tribes of these Slave Clan Emperors did not reap significant benefits following their ascent to Refining Nothingness, which defies common sense…’

’In the Horned Ming Realm, where the Horned Demon Imperial Clan enslaves countless races, there must be strict measures in place to prevent the overthrow of their rule; any who dare to defy will certainly be attacked by the collective force of many Great Emperors.’

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”Ancient Emperors are no exception.”

”Even if they possess the power, they would not antagonize the many Great Emperors of a clan over a mere servant.”

”Therefore, an explanation must be given to the Great Emperors.”

”In my view, erasing the original ego and refining it into an external incarnation seems more reasonable from the perspective of both clan and individual interests...”

”...Perhaps, this is an opportunity. I wonder if the Horned Demon Imperial Clan’s magic for erasing and refining the Refining Void Divine Soul’s original ego is strong enough.

One must understand, preserving the complete existence of Refining Nothingness while still erasing the original ego without compromising fighting power is no easy feat. If the methods are crude and leave much residue, it may be an opportunity for us to exploit...”

Several Great Experts and also the ruling members of the Xianmen Sect conducted discussions about this possibility and established a research institution to explore it thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned.

”These Slave Clan Emperors are of no use for now.”

”Getting involved with Refining Nothingness is too dangerous, and at the very least they have been subjected to strict Spirit Soul Restrictions, creating a source of great danger that could draw the Ancient Emperors’ attention.”

Jiang Ding vetoed this possibility.

This level was too high, beyond what he could utilize.

”This is the world of the Immortal Path.”

”Within the Horned Ming Realm, in the absence of large-scale invasions by external enemies, the main conflict must inevitably be internal.”

”Intelligent beings all vie for their own interests. The interests of a clan may not necessarily align with one’s own, and one’s interests may not necessarily align with those of one’s kin... and so on. In the absence of external enemies, internal conflict inevitably takes precedence, leading to fighting and butchering thousands—it is a certainty.”

Various thoughts and moral understandings gently flowed through Jiang Ding’s mind.

He focused his attention on the history of internal strife within the Horned Demon Imperial Clan.

”...The Battle of the Nine Saints... Nine Ancient Emperors have been ceaselessly slaughtering each other for over ten thousand years, causing the death of countless strong beings from the Slave Race and drenching the Starry Sky with the blood of many powerhouses from the Horned Demon Imperial Clan.

To this day, the great armies of the Nine Ancient Emperors still confront each other across the Starry Sky...”

”...There’s a maxim within the Domain: ’The ruler of the Horned Ming Realm shall be the Jiaoming Emperor’...”

”Whoever unifies the Domain will surely rise above a Great Emperor...”

”Good, the internal conflicts within the Horned Demon Imperial Clan are not only present, but also extremely acute.”

”They might start fighting each other.”

Jiang Ding murmured.

In an instant, he understood the concerns of many Masters of Refining Nothingness: ”Therefore, it is best not to create an enemy that is neither too strong nor too weak for them at this time...”

Jiang Ding read through everything, his gaze finally resting heavily on the intelligence concerning the Cangyan Star Sea and the Star Domain where the Ancient Emperor Cangyan resided, near the spatial passageway.

”In the Cangyan Star Sea, there are six Great Emperors of the Horned Demon Tribe who, while venerating Ancient Emperor Cangyan, are relentlessly engaged in both overt and covert battles among themselves. Every few hundred years, their Demon Armies clash in a cruel struggle, though it’s rare to hear of an outbreak of a war among Great Emperors.”

”Internal succession law...”

”The son of a Great Emperor is not born entitled to the emperor’s crown; other close kin of the same race also have varying rights to succession.”

”Emperor’s crown?”

”What is this? It seems to be something like a Heavenly Heart Mark or a Taoist Disciple Seal. For instance, my Taiqing Flying Sword, which is beneficial for ascending to Great Emperor status, is formed Acquired, something born from ’combining with clan fortune’ or ’Domain fortune.’ Countless emperors’ sons engage in repeated fights over such artifacts, and it’s common to witness their downfall.”

”Compared to the Immortal Sect Disciples, these emperors’ sons seem a bit weaker.”

”Immortal Sect Disciples don’t have to fight over anything. As long as they grow normally, they are almost certain to attain Refining Nothingness and become a Great Emperor.”

Jiang Ding, having read through these points, gradually formed an idea in his mind.

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