"Show me a set of swordsmanship."

The elder from the Di Jiang Clan ordered, and Lu Yang, not in control, obeyed the elder’s command, dancing with his long sleeves and wielding his sword. The sword’s edge was so sharp it was unstoppable, tearing through the air wherever it passed, and it looked down upon everything with disdain.

The Slash Decree and Break Decree were each executed, all moves designed to kill an enemy, such that even a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage would be apprehensive to face them head-on.

"Good, very good!" The elder from the Di Jiang Clan laughed heartily. If he didn’t know that this was an imposter, he would have truly believed this was the Young Sect Master Lu.

He took out two masks and a painting from his storage ring.

"This is a human skin mask refined by me, just input spiritual essence to use it, allowing you to change into any appearance you desire."

"This is the appearance of the Young Sect Master Lu. Yun Yang, you should change into the Young Sect Master Lu according to this painting."

"And you, Su Yiren, very few have seen your true face, but we cannot rule out the possibility of encountering someone who knows you this time. You wear the mask and change into whatever you like."

The two took the human skin masks. Light as a feather, the masks felt cold against their faces. Lu Yang adeptly transformed himself into the Young Sect Master Lu.

Jiang Lianyi did a quick job of it, changing into a look that was somewhat similar to her own, about sixty to seventy percent similar, then she took

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

off her hood, revealing her disguised appearance.

"Next comes acting. Your eyes are not right, lacking that aged feel."

"What is the Heavenly Court Sect? It’s a continuation of the Ancient Heavenly Court. Thirty thousand years have passed; there should be a mind state of time-changing landscapes and people coming and going, a look in the eyes that is vast and carries a tinge of reminiscence, as well as disdain for the present day."

"Moreover, the Heavenly Court was a major organization in the ancient times, and the ancient times were the most prosperous and powerful period in the Cultivation World. As the Young Sect Master and Heavenly King Protector of the Heavenly Court Sect, you should display pride in the ancient heritage!"

Lu Yang: "..."

You’ve considered it quite thoroughly.

When Lu Yang appeared as the Young Sect Master Lu, his thoughts were almost aligned with this, serving as a psychological hint to help him quickly get into character.

At this thought, Lu Yang chuckled: "What a load of bullshit, this Di Jiang Clan, whatever ancient Di Jiang. When there’s no tiger in the mountains, the monkey is king. He’s nothing but a defeated general under Heavenly Venerate Dou and doesn’t even have the credentials to join our Heavenly Court!"

Jiang Lianyi let out a cold snort, her demeanor indifferent, looking at the elder with contempt, her icy gaze devoid of any emotion.

"Yes, that’s the feeling!"

The elder from the Di Jiang Clan slapped his thigh, surprised that the two of them got it in one go.

"Very good, it seems that you and your disciple have quite the talent in this respect."

The elder from the Di Jiang Clan was meticulous in his work and shared some information about the Heavenly Court Sect. Lu Yang nodded frequently, noting that the other party’s information about the Heavenly Court Sect seemed very accurate, without any errors.

"Alright, you two will proceed with my arrangements at the founding ceremony in two days. Before that, revert to your original appearances and carry on as usual, do not expose yourselves."

"Yes."

The elder from the Di Jiang Clan nodded, reported the results to the Ancient Di Jiang, and left Lu Yang and Jiang Lianyi behind.

The two were silent for a moment, with Jiang Lianyi breaking the silence.

"What do you say?"

Lu Yang shrugged: "Don’t ask me, I’m currently controlled by Di Jiang. Whatever he tells me to do, I’ll do."

Jiang Lianyi nodded: "Me too."

Having achieved their greatest prize in the Demon City, the two did not wander around but returned to the inn to share the news with everyone, making the elders slap their thighs in regret.

"Why, oh why, don’t I come across such fortuitous occurrences!" The fifth elder felt as heartbroken as if Daoist Buyu had died.

Meng Jingzhou was also full of regret, as the Saint Heir of the Heavenly Court Sect, to have missed the chance to appear on such a crucial occasion.

Lu Yang patted Meng Jingzhou’s shoulder regretfully, "It’s all fate."

Third Senior Sister remained silent on the side, she belonged to the Seek Dao Sect, not the Heavenly Court Sect.

...

Two days flew by in the blink of an eye, and the kingdom founding ceremony officially began.

The tall walls built around the Heavenly Altar were dismantled, and from a distance, the Heavenly Altar was a bright white light, dazzling to the eyes.

"Is this glaze white jade? Such a huge piece?"

Cultivators who came to watch were moved by the sight, and even Great Powers at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage who saw it were inwardly shaken. The Heavenly Altar wasn’t built from pieces of glaze white jade but carved from one whole piece of white jade.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was a priceless treasure!

The Heavenly Altar was divided into nine layers, corresponding to the nine realms of cultivation.

The forces attending the kingdom founding ceremony were divided into two categories: those who were invited by the Di Jiang Clan, such as the Buddha Country, the Long Clan of the East Sea, and so forth. The Di Jiang Clan did not dare to neglect these forces and arranged the best spectator seats for them, even placing fruits and other spirit foods on their seats.

The other category was made up of Loose Cultivators or small forces that came uninvited. These small forces gathered around the Heavenly Altar, and how well they could see the event was entirely up to luck.

Lu Yang and Jiang Lianyi, as Loose Cultivators, were temporarily separated from the elders.

Third Senior Sister also had to continue her trials in the Demon Territory and was hence among the group of Loose Cultivators.

"Old Qiu, we meet again." The Grand Elder greeted with a beaming smile and a clasped hand salute. To his left was Qiu Jin’an.

In a public setting, Qiu Jin’an couldn’t afford to show displeasure and so could only respond with a smile.

"Second Prince, it’s you this time." The Grand Elder stood up and greeted across several sects.

Instead of Prince Jiang Qun, it was Second Prince Jiang Zhu who had been sent by Great Xia.

Jiang Zhu stood tall and valiant, distinguished in both literature and martial arts, and rumoured to harbor ambitions for the throne.

Jiang Zhu clasped his hands and responded with the courtesy of a junior to the Grand Elder’s greeting.

"Daoist friend Ao Li, has it been two hundred years since we last met? I hope everything is well with the Old Dragon Emperor?" The Grand Elder turned to the right, where Ao Yue from the Long Clan of the East Sea, the envoy sent by the Old Dragon Emperor, was seated.

Ao Li had dragon horns on his head, and from horn to foot, he was adorned with gemstones; just his attire alone was worth as much as all the possessions of an ordinary cultivator at the Body Integration Realm.

Seeing the Grand Elder sitting next to him made Ao Li’s face sour, and he huffed, declining to speak more.

"Palace Master, I hope you are well."

"Look at you, this attitude makes us seem so distant. If one didn’t know better, they might think we have some animosity. Have you forgotten how I helped you pass through your Inner Demon Tribulation?"

At the mention of this event, Ao Li’s expression grew even uglier.

Two hundred years ago, he fell into the Inner Demon tribulation, a dragon’s nature tends towards indulgence, and he was caught in the sensuous trials of the Inner Demon. At that time, the Long Clan of the East Sea was at a loss, uncertain how to proceed. Fortunately, the Grand Elder, who was visiting, stepped in.

Through elixirs and acupuncture, he rendered Ao Li impotent and helped him pass the Inner Demon tribulation.

Afterward, Ao Li sought renowned physicians and took a hundred years to recover his ability to consummate.

The Grand Elder was magnanimous and didn’t mind Ao Li’s attitude, turning to greet Master Chen Yuan from the Buddha Country sitting next to Ao Li.

"Master Chen Yuan, it’s been fifty years since we last met, how have you been?"

Master Chen Yuan sat calm and composed. Seeing the Grand Elder greeting from afar, he chuckled, placed a single hand over his chest, and replied politely.

"A monk doesn’t speak idle words, to be honest, I didn’t expect to see the benefactor here, it’s truly an unfortunate occurrence."