White Tiger Hall, Military Headquarters, Azure Dragon Spirit City.

Shu Feng, dressed in a military uniform, stepped into White Tiger Hall. He immediately saw numerous experts, also in uniform and with extraordinary auras, gathered in circles of various sizes, chatting idly.

Those experts were all representatives from the various Major Noble Families and Clans. The Yuanhai Shu Family only had Shu Feng to present, so he had no choice but to come in person.

"Ah Feng, you rascal! I haven’t seen you for a few days, and you go and quietly advance to the Spirit Sect realm, even manifesting the True Dragon Suppression Heaven Phenomenon! Are you even giving the rest of us a chance to live?"

A hearty laugh rang out as Li Xuan Yi walked over to Shu Feng.

Shu Feng smiled humbly. "I just had a little accident and manifested the True Dragon Suppression Heaven Phenomenon. My Talent is just too strong; I can’t help it. I was originally just planning to manifest the Flood Dragon Pearl Phenomenon."

Li Xuan Yi said, "Tch, don’t get too cocky, you brat! I’ll manifest a Black Dragon Soaring in Mist Phenomenon in the future, and it definitely won’t be inferior to yours!"

Shu Feng said, "The Black Dragon Soaring in Mist seems to be a level lower than the True Dragon Suppression Heaven, doesn’t it?"

Li Xuan Yi said meaningfully, "The True Dragon Suppression Heaven attracts too much attention, and it’s too dangerous. It’s not just the Void Demon Clan watching you; our own people are watching you too. The Black Dragon Soaring in Mist Phenomenon is better."

Shu Feng fell into thought.

Li Xuan Yi’s expression turned serious. "Ah Feng, you have to be careful. From the moment you manifested the True Dragon Suppression Heaven Phenomenon, your enemies are not just the Void Demons, but possibly our own people as well."

The three great experts who had manifested the True Dragon Suppression Heaven Phenomenon and survived to tell the tale were the founding patriarchs of the Three Great Empires. Each of them, while exploring the Otherworld, had forged an Extraordinary path to the Spirit Saint Realm.

A genius of that caliber is not only greatly feared by the Void Demon Realm, but also by the various powerful factions on Blue Star.

The Blue Star Realm is only so big, and its resources are finite. Everything has long since been carved up by the major powers. If another brilliant figure like the first patriarch of the Qianyuan Republic were to appear and try to establish a great Empire, they would inevitably have to compete with the other powerful factions for resources.

The establishment of a great Empire would inevitably require countless old factions to become nutrients for its growth. How could those old factions possibly be willing to accept that?

Shu Feng said, "Don’t worry, I’ll be careful!"

It was precisely because Shu Feng knew the path ahead was difficult that he had taken the initiative to bring the two great assassin organizations, the Pitch-Black Hand and the Deep Red Eye, under his command. By doing so, not only had his power increased immensely, but he also gained many eyes and ears in the Underworld. If anyone wanted to move against him, he wouldn’t be blind and deaf to their schemes.

"Come on, I’ll introduce you to some good friends!"

Li Xuan Yi smiled faintly and pulled Shu Feng over to a small circle of five people.

"This is Huang Nan, the second direct son of the Beikong Huang Family! If you want to buy Spiritual Energy Armored Vehicles, he’s your man!"

The moment Huang Nan saw Shu Feng, excitement flashed in his eyes. "Brother Shu Feng, you’re my idol! If you come to me to buy Spiritual Energy Armored Vehicles, I can give you a five percent discount! I definitely won’t rip you off!!"

Shu Feng chuckled. "Alright!"

"This is Song Yu, the third direct son of the Nantian Song Family. If you’re looking to buy some beautiful female dancer-slaves, you can go to him."

The Qianyuan Republic itself had long since abolished slavery. However, the territories of the great Noble Families were highly autonomous, and many of them maintained the tradition of keeping slaves. There were also those who engaged in the ancient slave trade, and the Nantian Song Family was one of them.

Song Yu smiled. "Shu Feng, if you want slaves for developing the Otherworld, feel free to come to me. If you have slaves you want to sell, you can also come to me. I’ll definitely give you a good price."

Shu Feng smiled faintly. "Do you have any Sub-humans?"

Song Yu’s eyes lit up. "Yes! Of course, we do. I even have Elf beauties—pure-blood Elf beauties with blonde hair, blue eyes, and long legs. They’re very expensive, though, priced between one hundred million and five hundred million each. We have a lot of Half-Elves, and they’re much cheaper. You can usually buy a very beautiful Half-Elf for a few million."

"Song Yu, shut up! Talk about this disgusting business where I can’t see you."

A great beauty—one meter ninety tall, with a single ponytail, long, slender legs, snow-white skin, heroic features, and a beauty mark by the corner of her mouth—spoke icily.

The uniformed beauty, who was taller than most men yet radiated a strange Charm, smiled faintly. "I’m Kong Shengnan, the second direct daughter of the Guanghai Kong Family. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shu Feng!"

Shu Feng said, "It’s a pleasure to meet you!"

"I’m Hua Mengxiang, the third direct daughter of the Xiliang Hua Family. Brother Shu Feng, I heard your Summoned Creatures are very strong. Could you summon one or two for me to see?"

Shu Feng smiled. "Some other time. This isn’t the right place."

This place was filled with experts from the great Noble Families and Clans, and it was heavily guarded. If Shu Feng were to summon a Dragon Hunting Dog out of thin air, he would likely incur the displeasure of others.

The last person in the small circle of five was Luo Feng.

The seven of them chatted happily about cultivation issues and the customs and traditions of various parts of the world.

A quarter of an hour later, a middle-aged man with a powerful build, short hair, and an imposing aura strode into White Tiger Hall, dressed in the uniform of the Qianyuan Republic.

As soon as the middle-aged man entered White Tiger Hall, the hall fell silent. He was none other than Wu Kuang, the military’s Grand Marshal and one of the four pillars of the Qianyuan Republic.

"I am Wu Kuang. Let’s skip the pleasantries. This is a map of the Void Demon Battlefield. You will each pick a location to defend. Same old rules: rewards for expanding territory, punishment for losing it. Make your selections according to your family’s rank!"

With a wave of his hand, Wu Kuang summoned an immense map shimmering with brilliant light. It materialized before everyone’s eyes, settling onto a massive table.

The Eight Great Clans went first, choosing their territories to defend. Then, the First-Grade Noble Families, Second-Grade Noble Families, and so on went up in order to select their own territories.

’I can either join the Vanguard Army or choose one of these barren territories to defend. The Vanguard Army is out of the question! No matter how many lives I had, it wouldn’t be enough.’

’So I can only choose to defend a territory and support it with resources. Fortunately, I plundered the resources of several Marquis’s Mansions, so I can still afford to provide that support.’

Shu Feng walked up to the massive table and saw that all the rich and safe territories had long been taken, leaving only the most remote and barren lands.

The Noble Families could choose to either defend a territory or join the Vanguard Army. This was their privilege. The conscripted armies of the lesser Noble Families, however, were all assigned directly to the Vanguard Army.