Chapter 665: Plotting in the Dark


    Mand opened her eyes and took a moment to sense the state of her body. She quickly realized that the longstanding curse that had gued her for years waspletely gone.


    The long-lost feeling of ease brought a sweet smile to her face. What delighted her even more was that the Spiritual Energy within her was unusually active, and her strength had unknowingly broken through to the Greater Earth Sovereign Stage!


    This breakthrough had urred even without fully absorbing the me that the Heavenly Emperor had left within her. There was still a considerable amount of the me''s energy in her body, and it was being integrated into various parts of her being.


    It was clear that once she fully absorbed the remaining energy, her strength would undergo yet another significant leap.


    "Since the curse has been removed, you may now get off this Emperor."


    Although Mand was enjoying her newfound freedom with a delighted smile, Xiao Ming had to interrupt her. He noticed that Qing Yanjing''s gaze had be somewhat strange, and he definitely didn''t want to be mistaken for having any unusual preferences.


    With Xiao Ming''s reminder, Mand suddenly realized her position. Her face stiffened, and she quickly got off him.


    "Heavenly Emperor, I apologize, I..."


    "Never mind, it''s a small matter." Xiao Ming, sitting on the throne, waved his hand, indicating to Mand that she didn''t need to apologize any further. He continued, "Since your curse has been lifted and your strength has increased, this Emperor has a task for you."<em>Here ites!</em>


    Mand felt a sense of relief but also understood that Xiao Ming was now going to assign her some duties. After all, he hadn''t gone through the trouble of subduing her just to admire her beauty, right?


    She, who had lived for millions of years, was not that narcissistic.


    However, she was still a little apprehensive about the task, as she understood her current limits. Even though her strength had increased quite a bit, she was still only a Greater Earth Sovereign. If the task was too difficult, she might not be able toplete it.


    Xiao Ming was aware of her capabilities and did not give an unreasonable order. He instructed, "Unify the North Territory within ten days."


    <em>Unify the North Territory?</em>It was challenging but not too outrageous. As long as he didn''t ask her to unify the entire North Region, she could manage.


    Mand hurriedly knelt on one knee and bowed her head respectfully. "I will obey the Heavenly Emperor''s decree!"


    Xiao Ming nodded. "Very well, you may go and make preparations. Also, take Qing Tan to the Greaw Goldpond."


    The Greaw Goldpond was an important area within the Great Havew Domain. It was where Mand had often secluded herself to suppress her curse. This pool possessed mystical powers that could perfect a Sovereign Celestial Body. If one was lucky, one could even cultivate the Daluo Golden Body there.


    The Daluo Golden Body provided extremely powerful defenses, making a Sovereign Celestial Body virtually indestructible.


    Even within the Great Havew Domain, entering the Greaw Golden Pool required fiercepetition. However, now that the Great Havew Domain had been renamed the Heavenly Court, it was up to Xiao Ming to decide who could enter.


    Mand naturally wouldn''t refuse. She nodded in acknowledgment and left, taking Qing Tan with her.


    "Are you nning to leave now?" Qing Yanjing asked suddenly, watching the backs of Mand and Qing Tan as they departed.


    "How did you know?" Xiao Ming was a bit surprised.


    "You pay so much attention to Qing Tan''s cultivation. If you didn''t have something important to do, you wouldn''t let Mand take her to the Greaw Goldpond alone. Especially since Mand will be busy unifying the North Territory, she won''t have time to watch over Qing Tan. There are things in the depths of the Greaw Goldpond that she isn''t ready to handle yet."


    "You know me quite well," Xiao Ming replied with a yful smile.


    Qing Yanjing gave him a charming nk look.


    Xiao Ming continued to smile. "I won''t be gone for long. This newly established Heavenly Court will need you to take care of it for a while, as well as Qing Tan. There are indeed things in the Greaw Goldpond that she can''t handle on her own."


    The Heavenly Court had just been established, yet the Heavenly Emperor was already delegating his responsibilities?


    Qing Yanjing sighed inwardly, but under Xiao Ming''s gaze, she couldn''t bring herself to refuse. She could only nod her head in agreement.


    ...


    Half a dayter.


    A mysterious figure appeared at the headquarters of the Purple Cloud Sect, a dominant power in the North Region. The figure''s aura was vast and unfathomable, like an abyss.


    The guards at the sect''s gate couldn''t even catch a glimpse of the figure as it entered the mountain gate.


    Strangely, not a single person within the expansive Purple Cloud Sect noticed the presence of this mysterious visitor.


    It was only deep within the sect that Sage Zi Qi, d in a purple robe and exuding an ethereal aura, sensed the intruder. His brow furrowed as he flickered into view, blocking the figure''s path.


    His calm voice echoed through the air as he stared at the figure shrouded in ck mist, whose appearance even a Heavenly Sovereign could not discern.


    "Reveal yourself. Hiding in the shadows is not the conduct of a Heavenly Sovereign."


    "Kekeke, this is my style. Rather than worrying about this, you should be thinking about the future of your Purple Cloud Sect..." a strangeugh echoed from within the ck mist.


    "The future of the Purple Cloud Sect?" Sage Zi Qi''s eyes narrowed slightly. With him, a Heavenly Sovereign, as its backing, what could possibly threaten the Purple Cloud Sect?


    "You don''t believe me? I''ve heard that the Sect Master of your Purple Cloud Sect has just been killed..." the figure said meaningfully.


    "What do you mean by that?" Sage Zi Qi''s expression immediately darkened.


    Sage Zi Yun was one of his few subordinates who had reached the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage. He had even entrusted him with the management of the Purple Cloud Sect on Skw Continent, which showed how much he had trusted him. Now that Sage Zi Yun had suddenly died, his mood was naturally sour.


    He was here at the Purple Cloud Sect precisely because of Sage Zi Yun''s death.


    "It doesn''t mean much. However, the one who killed Sage Zi Yun was a newly arrived Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign in the Great Thousand World, called the Heavenly Emperor."


    "This Sage is aware of that." Sage Zi Qi naturally knew the culprit who had killed his subordinate. He also knew that this Heavenly Emperor had defeated Ancestor Huo Ling in a duel, proving his formidable strength.


    "Hehe, I have learned that he has entered the North Territory. Shortly after, a local power renamed itself Heavenly Court. It won''t be long before the entire North Territory follows suit. And after that..."


    <em>After that, he will definitelye after our territory...</em>


    Sage Zi Qi''s face turned as grim as if he had lost his parents. The cultivation of a Heavenly Sovereign required a massive amount of resources, making the establishment of a power amon practice.


    The Heavenly Emperor had established a power in the North Territory. It wasn''t hard to believe the other party harbored ambitions to conquer the entire Skw Continent.


    Wasn''t this just a prelude to targeting him?!


    Conquering the entire Skw Continent would be challenging, but seizing territories within it wasn''t necessarily so.


    Sage Zi Qi hadn''t forgotten that the Heavenly Emperor was also a Spirit Grade Grandmaster Alchemist. With the ability to refine high-rank pills, recruiting followers would be as easy as child''s y for him. If all the Heavenly Sovereigns abided by the agreement not to interfere, who in the North Region could stand against him?


    The more Sage Zi Qi thought about it, the darker his expression became. He didn''t even notice when the figure within the ck mist had left.


    It was only when he snapped out of his thoughts that he realized the mysterious figure was gone.


    Sage Zi Qi looked at the spot where the mysterious figure had been and sighed. Although he knew that person likely had ulterior motives, he decided to take action.


    He couldn''t just sit back and watch as the territory he had painstakingly fought for on the Skw Continent was swallowed up by someone else.


    Since this was the case, he had to resolve the matter before anything happened.