Nannan stood frozen in front of the courtyard.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the little boy standing before her. After an entire year of searching, she had finally found her child.
"Yue Chen... I finally found you."
Her voice trembled with emotion.
Without wasting another second, Nannan rushed towards the courtyard. Her trusted uncle and several guards immediately followed her.
However, just as they tried to enter the house—
BOOOOM!
An invisible barrier suddenly appeared in front of them!
All of them were instantly stopped.
"What?!"
One of the guards stepped forward and tried to pass through, but the invisible shield refused to let him enter.
Nannan frowned.
"What's happening? Why can't we get inside?"
She turned towards her uncle.
"Uncle, please break this barrier. We need to get inside!"
Her uncle nodded and prepared to attack the shield.
But before he could make a move, a calm voice came from inside the courtyard.
"Who gave you permission to enter my home?"
The voice was neither loud nor aggressive. Yet, there was an undeniable authority behind it.
Nannan immediately recognized that voice.
"It's me!"
There was a brief silence.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Oh, so it's you. Tell me, what brings you here?"
Nannan took a deep breath before answering.
"I've come here to meet my child."
A moment later, the courtyard gate slowly opened.
Die Yuan stepped outside.
He was wearing his usual simple clothes, and his expression was as relaxed as ever. However, there was something different about him today.
His entire cultivation was concealed beneath an invisible shield.
DING!
A familiar notification suddenly sounded inside his mind.
[Congratulations, Host!]
[The 365-day restriction has officially ended.]
[Your cultivation is being restored.]
[All sealed powers are now returning to their rightful owner.]
Die Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So, it's finally over."
DING!
[Restoration Sequence Activated!]
The moment Die Yuan took his first step—
BOOM!
His Body Training Realm was restored.
With his second step, his cultivation advanced to Body Refining.
Third step—
Martial Practice!
Fourth step—
Martial Master!
Fifth step—
Martial Grandmaster!
Sixth step—
Martial King!
Seventh step—
Martial Emperor!
Eighth step—
Martial Great Emperor!
Ninth step—
Martial Supreme!
And finally, with his tenth step—
MARTIAL SAINT!
In just ten steps, Die Yuan had recovered enough power to reach the peak of the Mortal World's Martial Saint Realm.
However, this was only a small portion of his actual strength.
His remaining cultivation stayed completely concealed.
He had no intention of revealing his full power just yet.
Nannan, her uncle, and the guards stood speechless.
They had witnessed someone advance through ten major cultivation realms in the time it took to walk a few steps.
Even the strongest elders of their empire would never have imagined such a thing.
Nannan slowly recovered from her shock. Then, looking at Die Yuan, she said with a slightly proud expression,
"Even after reaching Martial Saint, you're still nowhere near my level."
For a moment, Die Yuan stared at her.
Then—
"Hahahahahaha!"
He burst into laughter.
"What? Did you just say I can't reach your level?"
He shook his head, still laughing.
"How interesting! It seems I've been living too quietly these past two years. Perhaps I've made people forget who I really am."
His expression gradually became more confident.
"Listen carefully. I am not someone who needs to compete with others for the title of strongest."
He paused.
"Because I stand above them all."
After saying that, Die Yuan turned towards the courtyard.
"Yue Chen!"
A little boy who had been playing nearby immediately turned around.
"Coming, Father!"
Yue Chen ran towards him with a cheerful expression.
"What's wrong, Papa?"
Die Yuan pointed towards Nannan.
"Yue Chen, this is your mother. She has come to take you with her."
Hearing those words, Yue Chen looked at Nannan.
Then he immediately shook his head.
"No! I want to stay with you, Papa!"
He grabbed Die Yuan's clothes.
"If you come with me, then I'll go. Otherwise, I'm not leaving!"
Nannan's heart tightened.
She slowly bent down and opened her arms, hoping to embrace her son.
"Yue Chen, come to Mother..."
But the moment she moved closer, Yue Chen became frightened and quickly hid behind Die Yuan.
Seeing this, Die Yuan glanced at Nannan.
"It seems the boy doesn't want to go with you just yet."
Nannan's expression became complicated. She wanted to say something, but her uncle suddenly stepped forward.
His pride had clearly been wounded.
"Empress! There's no need to waste time. Why don't we simply take the child with us? Once he reaches the palace, he'll eventually understand."
The moment those words reached Die Yuan's ears—
He couldn't hold back anymore.
"Hahahahaha! What an interesting suggestion!"
He looked at the old man with amusement.
"Very well. You can certainly try."
His smile slowly disappeared.
"But remember one thing. Make sure you have enough courage to face the consequences."
The atmosphere around the courtyard suddenly became quiet.
Die Yuan continued,
"I don't like unnecessary arguments, so let me make this clear. I want to live my life peacefully, and Yue Chen wants to stay with me. That's his choice. Nobody has the right to force him."
He then looked towards Nannan.
"By the way, what's your name?"
Nannan answered calmly,
"My name is Nannan Mong. I am the Empress of the Azure Moon Empire."
"Oh? An Empress?"
Die Yuan nodded.
"Then that's settled. I'll help you."
Nannan looked confused.
"Help me? With what?"
"Your strength, of course."
"My strength?"
Die Yuan folded his arms.
"Tell me, who is the strongest person in your imperial family?"
Nannan answered,
"That would be me. I am the strongest cultivator in the imperial family. Apart from me, there are four elders who have reached the Saint Realm."
Die Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmm... So, your imperial family is actually the weakest dynasty among the major powers."
Nannan immediately frowned.
"How can you say that? There are seven great dynasties on this continent, and our Azure Moon Empire is one of them!"
"But?"
Nannan hesitated.
"But recently, some problems have appeared."
Die Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of problems? Explain clearly."
After a moment of silence, Nannan finally explained everything.
She told him about the twenty major sects and families that had joined forces against her. She also revealed that three powerful ancestors had recently broken through to the Saint King Realm.
Those three forces were now pressuring her to marry the Young Master of the Divine Heaven Sect.
"They have given me only three days," Nannan explained. "If I refuse, they will use their combined strength against the Azure Moon Empire."
Her uncle added,
"Even with Her Majesty's strength, facing three Saint King experts and twenty major factions would be extremely difficult."
Die Yuan listened without interrupting.
When Nannan finished, he simply nodded.
"Oh! So that's the problem."
He looked at her.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Nannan blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you want me to make you stronger? Or should I strengthen your entire imperial family?"
Nannan immediately shook her head.
"No. I don't need your help."
Die Yuan gave her a brief look.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I can handle my own problems."
"Fine."
He nodded as if accepting her answer.
Then he added casually,
"Unfortunately, I've already decided to make you stronger."
"What?! I just told you that I don't need—"
"That's not important."
Die Yuan interrupted her.
"I simply don't want anyone bullying my wife."
Wife?
Nannan froze.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Her uncle looked equally surprised.
After a brief silence, Nannan asked,
"How exactly are you planning to do that?"
Die Yuan smiled.
"Don't worry about it."
He casually moved one hand.
BOOM!
Five figures suddenly appeared behind him.
They wore identical dark uniforms and stood with their heads slightly lowered. Their auras were completely concealed, but the pressure surrounding them made the air feel unusually heavy.
Nannan's eyes widened.
She carefully sensed their presence.
Then her expression changed.
"One of them... is enough to deal with our entire kingdom?"
She swallowed.
"Not just defeat us... but destroy our entire imperial family?"
Die Yuan glanced at her.
"Of course. They're more than capable."
He turned towards the five figures.
"Within ten minutes, I want every powerful cultivator in the entire Blue Star Continent gathered before me."
The five figures immediately bowed.
"YES, LORD!"
Their voices echoed through the courtyard.
"Your command will be fulfilled!"
SHUUUAAAH!
In the next instant, all five disappeared.
Nannan stared at the empty space where they had been standing.
She then looked at Die Yuan.
"Will they really be able to accomplish something like that?"
Die Yuan casually picked up his book.
"Of course."
He sat down as if nothing important had happened.
"For them, this is an extremely simple task. Just watch."
---
Meanwhile — Black Heaven Sect
A massive sect stood among towering mountains, surrounded by countless spiritual formations.
It was one of the twenty major factions that had joined forces against the Azure Moon Empire.
Inside the main hall, several elders were discussing the upcoming marriage arrangement.
Suddenly—
BOOOOM!
A terrifying pressure descended from the sky.
The entire sect trembled.
The elders immediately stood up.
"What's happening?!"
Before anyone could answer, a mysterious figure appeared above the sect.
He stood in the air with his hands behind his back, looking down at the entire mountain range.
His voice thundered across the sect.
"Listen carefully. By the order of my Lord, every powerful cultivator of this continent must gather immediately!"
The elders looked towards the mysterious figure.
One of them shouted angrily,
"Who do you think you are?! Do you have any idea where you are standing?"
The mysterious figure slowly lowered his gaze.
"Black Heaven Sect?"
He paused.
"Good. Then you are in the right place."
His expression remained completely indifferent.
"You have ten minutes to obey."
A terrifying silence followed.
And far away, inside a small courtyard, Die Yuan was calmly drinking tea.
He had no idea that the entire Blue Star Continent was about to experience a day it would never forget.