The grand golden warship of the Righteous Alliance descended upon the Azure Sword Sect like a descending sun, casting a massive shadow over the Cloudsoaring Peak.
Waiting anxiously on the white jade plaza of the main gates was Sect Master Zhao, surrounded by the sect's core elders. They had been pacing for two days, their Dao hearts trembling with every passing hour.
When the massive wooden ramp finally lowered, Sect Master Zhao held his breath, desperately hoping to see the Imperial Envoy, or perhaps a signed treaty of peace.
Instead, Yan Shuo strolled down the ramp, casually fanning himself with his paper fan. His pristine white robes fluttered in the mountain breeze. But something was fundamentally different about him. The faint, subtle aura of early Foundation Establishment was completely gone. In its place, a dense, flawless, and incredibly stable Core Formation aura radiated from his body, thrumming with absolute vitality.
