The Vastness of the Grand Xia

Ji Yichuan turned to his wife. "Xue'er, Ji Ning's strength now rivals the very pinnacle beneath the Zifu Disciple level. The lands of the Yan Mountains are too small to bind him."

Yuchi Snow nodded. She understood what her man was about to say.

"Hm?" Ji Ning looked at his parents, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Ji Yichuan said, "Ji Ning, do you know of the six major powers here in the Yan Mountains?"

"I do," Ji Ning nodded. "The Yan Mountains have six hegemons: our Ji Clan, the Bian River Clan, the Kou Clan, the Blackfire Cult, the Ironwood Clan, and Snowdragon Mountain. Of these six, our Ji Clan, the Bian River Clan, the Kou Clan, and the Blackfire Cult stand together, while the Ironwood Clan and Snowdragon Mountain are allied."

The six hegemons of the Yan Mountains were split into two warring camps. The struggle between them was fierce, and Xiantian cultivators often died.

Ji Yichuan continued, "But do you know why the alliance of the Ironwood Clan and Snowdragon Mountain was able to force the other four powers to form a league against them?"

"I don't," Ji Ning shook his head.

These secrets were not recorded in any book.

"Each of the six powers has Zifu Disciples as their foundation," Ji Yichuan said, looking at his son. "Your strength is now such that beneath the Zifu level, there are few who can match you. In a few years, you may well become a Zifu Disciple yourself. You must know these things."

"The Ironwood Clan is nothing to fear!" Ji Yichuan's expression grew grave, and a faint killing intent flickered in his eyes. "But Snowdragon Mountain… that is a truly terrifying opponent. The Snowdragon Mountain branch here in our Yan Mountains is merely a single branch of the true Snowdragon Mountain sect."

"A branch?" Ji Ning was shocked.

Snowdragon Mountain was the strongest of the six hegemons. And it was just a branch?

Ji Yichuan looked at his son, his tone solemn. "The main Snowdragon Mountain sect is thousands of times—tens of thousands of times—more powerful than this local branch. It is a top-tier ancient power comparable to your mother's tribe, the Yuchi Clan!"

Yuchi Snow also looked at her son. "The Windwing Evasion manual also contains the history of my clan. The Yuchi Clan is a very ancient and supremely powerful tribe. A tribe like our Ji Clan… cannot compare to the Yuchi Clan at all. But that is all in the past now."

……

Ji Ning listened to his parents, his desire to understand this vast world growing ever stronger. The Yuchi Clan, Snowdragon Mountain, and the other legendary distant tribes… they were all so far away from the Yan Mountains.

"Ning'er, do you know how vast the Grand Xia Dynasty truly is?" Yuchi Snow asked her son.

"I do not," Ji Ning shook his head.

The Grand Xia Dynasty had stood tall since the Primordial Fiendgod Era, vanquishing other ancient dynasties to unify this endless land. Its history spanned hundreds of millions of years. The only word used in books to describe its territory was… boundless!

Such a dynasty—how powerful must it be? How deep were its foundations?

"When the Grand Xia Dynasty unified the world, it divided the land into three thousand and six commanderies and enfeoffed eight hundred marquises," Yuchi Snow explained. "Because the world is so vast, even the Immortals and Fiendgods could not easily govern it all, so it was divided into these commanderies, each large or small. Even the smallest of them is vast and boundless."

"Our Yan Mountains are under the rule of 'Anqi Commandery', which is the fiefdom of the Marquis of Anqi," Yuchi Snow continued. "Anqi Commandery’s capital city is roughly a million li from here."

"A million li away?" Ji Ning could picture it clearly. Somewhere far, far away, there was an ancient, incomparably massive, and prosperous city, where Immortals and Fiendgods gathered, influencing an endless expanse of land.

Yuchi Snow went on, "Anqi Commandery City is the political heart of the entire commandery, a gathering place for Immortals and Fiendgods. But the commandery is too vast. There are tens of thousands of places like the Yan Mountains within its borders… and all the powerful tribes, sects, and cults are scattered across the land!"

"So vast?" Ji Ning held his breath.

"The heavens are high and the emperor is far away. The world was split into three thousand and six commanderies. The marquises who rule them wield immense power," Yuchi Snow said with a sigh. "The Grand Xia’s royal capital is too distant. In fact, there have been marquises in history who have rebelled. Those battles between Immortals and Fiendgods lead to the fall of countless experts… truly terrifying."

Ji Ning nodded.

The flaw of possessing such vast territory was that control was weak. Even the lofty Marquis of Anqi ruled over his lands with a laissez-faire attitude, allowing the various tribes to battle and contend among themselves.

"After several marquis rebellions, the Grand Xia Dynasty, in order to better govern this land, began to frantically build cities. Even within the Yan Mountains, there are ten such cities," Yuchi Snow said, looking at her son. "Each city has a corresponding Vassal Token."

"A vassal token?" Ji Ning listened carefully.

"Correct, a vassal token!" Yuchi Snow continued. "By refining a vassal token, one effectively takes ownership of a city. They nominally become a vassal of the Grand Xia Dynasty. However, vassal tokens are graded magic treasures. At the very least, one must be a Zifu Disciple to refine one."

"There are ten such cities within the Yan Mountains," Ji Yichuan added.

"Of these ten cities, one is the Yan Mountain City, where the Grand Xia Dynasty has a garrison. The other nine cities… our Ji Clan occupies one, which is Swallow Sword City, where the clan’s ancestral headquarters is located," Ji Yichuan explained. "The Bian River Clan, the Kou Clan, and the Ironwood Clan each occupy one city."

"The Blackfire Cult occupies two cities, and Snowdragon Mountain occupies three."

"In the distant past, the Ji Clan, the Bian River Clan, the Kou Clan, and the Blackfire Cult were all native powers of the Yan Mountains," Ji Yichuan said with a sigh. "Later, Snowdragon Mountain obtained one of the vassal tokens for a city within the Yan Mountains and began to infiltrate. The Ironwood Clan was the weakest and soon submitted to Snowdragon Mountain. But the other four powers have been resisting ever since."

"We are all vassals of the Grand Xia. Within our own cities, it is forbidden for cultivators to fight. Those who violate this rule are challenging the Grand Xia Dynasty itself and will be sentenced to death!"

Ji Ning listened to his parents and frowned. "Father, Mother, if cultivators are forbidden from fighting within the cities on pain of death, then it must be very difficult to destroy another tribe, isn't it?"

"Difficult?"

Yuchi Snow let out a cold laugh. "It's simple. For example, when a Zifu Disciple’s lifespan runs out and they die, their vassal token becomes ownerless. That tribe will naturally decline and fall very quickly."

"Also, some Zifu Disciples cannot stay within their cities forever. If they come out and are killed, their vassal token is seized, and again, the tribe is finished."

"And some lawless, powerful tribes or major powers," Yuchi Snow said, "will simply send experts into a city to assassinate that tribe’s Zifu Disciple in secret and steal the vassal token. What can you do about it?"

Ji Ning was stunned. "But…"

"Without evidence, what can you do?" Yuchi Snow smiled. "Of course, the greater the power, the more cautious they are. Challenging the Grand Xia Dynasty is a capital crime; they will not act rashly. Even if they do, they will use covert means. I am only telling you this to make you understand that there are countless ways a tribe can be destroyed. Even if you do not provoke others, they will provoke you. The most fundamental thing is to grow strong yourself!"

……

"The Marquis of Anqi controls this endless land. But besides its garrisons, the Grand Xia Dynasty also has a corps of cultivators called the 'Yinglong Guard.' It is said that one must at least be a Wanxiang Adept to become a member of the Yinglong Guard! It is through the Yinglong Guard that the Grand Xia Dynasty maintains control over its boundless territories. Remember, never provoke the Yinglong Guard."

……

"Ning'er, with your talent and comprehension, it will be easy for you to become a disciple of a great power. Once you go out into the world, it would be best for you to find a powerful master and take them as your teacher as soon as possible."

……

Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow spoke with their son for a long time. They both understood that Ji Ning would someday step onto that vast stage, and might even become a major figure in Anqi Commandery. So they reminded him carefully, telling him everything they knew.

Only then did Ji Ning’s eyes truly open.

He finally understood how vast the world outside was. The Grand Xia Dynasty’s Yinglong Guard, completely composed of cultivators, the armies commanded by the Marquis of Anqi, the countless top-tier tribes, great sects, and cults… and of course, countless snake-like local tribes that relied on their vassal tokens to survive for generations. At the very bottom were the innumerable nameless tribes.

"Ha." A surge of boundless ambition rose in Ji Ning’s heart.

"Ji Ning, I will take the corpse of the Winged Serpent away. I will tell the world that I was the one who slew it," Ji Yichuan said. "You are still young. If your deeds were made public, it would only bring endless trouble."

"Leave it to you, Father," Ji Ning said hurriedly. "Oh, Father, I want to build a residence here by Winged Serpent Lake. I intend to stay here often."

"Stay here?"

Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow looked around. The lake stretched on, vast and tranquil.

"Hm. It is a good place," Ji Yichuan nodded. "I will arrange for people to come and build a residence for you. Your mother and I are heading back now. Since you are venturing out into the world, you must return home to visit us often."

"I will. I will be back at the Western Prefecture City in a few days," Ji Ning nodded. He needed to go to the Blacktooth Tribe and bring Chuncao's younger brother back with him to the Western Prefecture City. This was a promise he had made to Chuncao.

"Come back soon," Yuchi Snow said, gently stroking her son's head.

"Hm." Ji Ning nodded. He understood how worried his mother had been during his time inside the aquatic palace.

……

That very day, Ji Ning, accompanied by Qiuye and Mowu, mounted his Blackjaguar and set off for the Blacktooth Tribe.