At this moment, under Yelan’s company, Zhao Li arrived at the southeastern region of the Pan-Continent where the human realm was located.
The Wuji Realm was called “Wuji” because, unlike other worlds in the infinite universe, it did not consist of just one “realm”—a single continental landmass.
The territories inhabited by the myriad races of the Wuji Realm were all considered “realms.” Wuji represented the boundless diversity, encompassing these numerous realms, both large and small hence the name “Wuji.”
Since the formation of the Wuji Realm, the human race had been the most populous, scattered across the Pan-Continent rather than clustered in one region like other races. As a result, their ruling structure differed significantly from that of other races.
Take Qingqiu as an example. The fox clan had resided in the Qingqiu Realm for generations, ruled by the strongest-blooded Nine-Tailed Celestial Foxes. Below the Celestial Foxes were the Demonic Foxes, Medicinal Foxes, and Spirit Foxes.
Though bloodline determined strength, aside from the Celestial Fox Zhaos—the royal family—there was no strict hierarchy among the other three types of foxes.
In other words, a Level 12 Demonic Fox would still show respect to a Level 40 Spirit Fox.
The entire community was highly united, with no conflicts between Spirit Foxes and Demonic Foxes.
Smaller clans like the Flower-Fruit Mountain, Rhinoceros, and Porcupine clans followed the same structure.
However, ancient great clans like the Asura, Dragon, and Phoenix races strictly divided their hierarchy based on bloodline strength.
For instance, among the Asura, the most revered were the royal family, who inherited pure Asura blood. Next were the Twelve Asura Lords, followed by the Eight Spirit King families, with ordinary citizens at the bottom.
While those of lower rank were expected to show respect and obedience to their superiors, the entire race remained united, with no internal divisions.
Humans, however, were far more complicated.
First, humanity was divided into several duchies, each governing its own territory. Though of the same race, they were far from united and often waged wars for their own interests.
Within these duchies, human Spirit Masters served as vassals.
Naturally, the higher a Spirit Master’s level, the more they were valued and respected—yet they still had to bow to their king.
Moreover, depending on the position granted by the king, they might even have to obey and flatter ordinary people who weren’t Spirit Masters at all.
Such a situation would never occur in other races. Spirit Masters represented strength, and strength was the foundation of supremacy in the Wuji Realm.
Except, of course, for free Spirit Masters.
While they had to abide by the laws of any duchy they entered and show a degree of respect to its ruler, they were not obligated to follow the ruler’s commands.
As long as they didn’t violate the duchy’s laws, they also didn’t need to be overly courteous to those of lower rank or non-Spirit Masters.
However, unless they came from prestigious noble families, most Spirit Masters chose to align themselves with these duchies.
After all, through long-term rule, these duchies had monopolized all resources within their territories.
Though Spirit Masters held superior status to ordinary people, without financial support, they couldn’t sustain themselves. Moreover, with a duchy’s backing, they could cultivate more effectively.
This dynamic changed slightly after Huangfu Yu ascended to the rank of Spirit Emperor.
Upon his ascension, he became the sovereign of the human race. Though the duchies continued to govern independently, they all submitted to him, downgrading to vassal states under the Radiant City.
The human territories were further divided by Huangfu Yu into eight regions: East, Southeast, Northeast, West, Southwest, Northwest, South, and North, each governed by one of the Eight Immortal Families.
The Eight Immortal Families were also known as the Eight Regional Lords.
Within these eight regions, the various principalities naturally had to defer to these ruling families. After all, these principalities lacked the strength to oppose the Eight Immortals and the Huangfu Family.
The Huangfu Family publicly proclaimed their openness to recruiting talents from across the land and consistently advocated for peaceful coexistence among all races. Thus, apart from the Wugou City at the heart of the domain and the residences of the Eight Immortals, which were protected by barriers, the rest of the territories had no such defenses. Other races could freely enter these lands.
Zhao Li knew the truth. It was simply because the Huangfu Family and the Eight Immortals didn’t want to expend the vast resources required to cover all eight regions with barriers.
Moreover, they didn’t care for all humans the way she and her father cared for their own people.
The plight of the master she sought, Qin Feng, was the perfect example.
Had Qin Feng been born in Qingqiu, Zhao Li could guarantee he would never have suffered such a fate.
Originally, she had planned to search for Qin Feng alone. After all, Yelan’s cultivation had regressed, and she needed to focus on training to regain her peak strength.
But Yelan was uneasy about her traveling alone, especially since she could no longer see Zhao Li’s future with her divination powers, making it impossible to foresee any dangers.
Meanwhile, Niu Tai and Zhu Qing were busy overseeing the training of their clansmen and discussing plans to establish a defensive alliance among allied races, leaving them unable to accompany her.
The Peaches of Immortality had already been brought back to the clan, and now was the perfect opportunity to elevate the overall strength of their people.
For Zhao Li, dealing with Qing Tong was undoubtedly important, but that wretched woman’s life wasn’t worth more than the lives of thousands of clansmen.
Revenge might bring momentary satisfaction, but it wouldn’t fundamentally change Qingqiu’s predicament. Without increasing their strength, Qingqiu would still be marching toward its own funeral pyre.
Zhao Li herself was no exception.
After her rebirth, her cultivation had stalled at Level 65, making further progress incredibly difficult.
Though she could now push her strength to Level 70 in one go, that was her limit. Advancing beyond that would be nearly impossible with her current training methods.
She had to strive to reach Level 90—not just to stand side by side with Yelan, but to truly safeguard the future of Qingqiu and the Asura.
……
Zhao Li and Yelan rode together on the Jade Qilin, weaving through the towering, knife-edged peaks.
The cliffs were sheer, the ancient pines stood tall, and the mist curled around them, imbuing the landscape with an ethereal beauty.
At the foot of the mountains lay a small city. Their journey’s end.
Zhao Li found a secluded spot to land, stowed the Jade Qilin, and took Yelan’s hand with a smile. “Lan Lan, I just saw a vendor selling candied hawthorns over there. Let me buy some for you!”
This was likely Yelan’s first time exploring lands beyond the Moon of the Otherworld.
So, while finding Master Qin was important, Zhao Li had deliberately guided the Jade Qilin on a slightly longer route, allowing Yelan to admire the famous mountains and rivers of the Southeast Region.
Previously, Yelan had left the Moon of the Otherworld to come to Qingqiu to save Zhao Li when her spiritual roots had shattered and her life hung by a thread. But back then, Yelan had been too preoccupied with rescuing her to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Qingqiu had its own mountains, of course.
The mountains of Qingqiu were adorned with lush, ancient trees, exuding a delicate beauty, while winding streams meandered around their bases, adding a touch of serene elegance.
The beauty of the southeastern mountain ranges lies in their towering, cloud-piercing peaks and their majestic, rugged grandeur. A solemn and awe-inspiring splendor.
Zhao Li felt that Yelan would probably prefer these magnificent mountain vistas more.
Indeed, Yelan had been thoroughly enjoying the scenery along the way.
But it wasn’t because of the grandeur of the mountains.
As long as she was with Li’er, every place they visited was a sight to behold.
The mountains may be beautiful, but you—you are the most beautiful of all.
Especially when she sensed Zhao Li’s desire to share all the beauty she had experienced with her, Yelan’s heart warmed like spring.
Yelan tightened her grip on Zhao Li’s hand, applying just enough force to keep her from skipping ahead. “Slow down. The road is uneven—what if you fall?”
The city wasn’t prosperous, and the streets were paved with uneven cobblestones, making it easy to trip if one wasn’t careful.
Zhao Li grinned sweetly. “I’m not a child anymore. How could I possibly fall?”
Yelan chuckled and this time didn’t restrain her, letting Zhao Li drag her excitedly into the bustling crowd.
Though this city wasn’t as wealthy as others in the southeastern region, it was lively and vibrant, with an endless stream of people coming and going.
And naturally, Zhao Li and Yelan became the most striking sight on the streets.
Whether it was Zhao Li’s lively charm or Yelan’s ethereal beauty, it was something the locals had never seen before in their lives.
Using the transformation technique Zhao Li had taught her, Yelan had concealed her red lotus eyes—a mark of the Asura clan—and instead took on the common dark irises of humans.
Zhao Li pulled Yelan swiftly through the crowd to a candied hawthorn stall, paid with silver, and happily picked two skewers, handing the one with more sugar coating to Yelan.
The vendor could tell at a glance they were outsiders, unaware of the city lord’s wickedness. After hesitating, his conscience overcame his fear, and he lowered his voice. “Young ladies, you should pack up and leave this place as soon as possible.”
Zhao Li asked, “Why is that?”
The vendor glanced around before continuing in a hushed tone, “Today, the city lord’s son is coming down to collect taxes. If he sees you, you’ll be in terrible trouble! You’re not from here, so you don’t know—the lord ruling this city is the most extravagant and ruthless in generations! Not only does he impose exorbitant taxes and exploit the people, but he’s also a lecher! His son is even worse. Countless daughters from our city’s families, if they’re even slightly pretty, have been defiled by that despicable father and son! If that spoiled brat spots you, he’ll definitely drag you away by force.”
Hearing this, Yelan frowned. “The city lord’s conduct is so vile. Does the king not intervene?”
The vendor sighed. “Our duchy is weak. To avoid being swallowed by others, the king is too busy currying favor with the regional overlord to care about the lives of common folk. Please, young ladies, leave quickly! Honestly, even if you’re traveling, you should at least dress as men.”
Zhao Li, however, wasn’t concerned and grinned. “Don’t worry, big brother. We’re spirit masters.”
The vendor froze.
In his experience, spirit masters were always draped in gold and silver, barking orders and acting like untouchable nobles.
These two young women, dressed plainly and speaking kindly, were spirit masters?
Speak of the devil.
A squad of cavalry escorting an extravagant carriage arrived, scattering pedestrians before stopping at the center of the marketplace.
The car door opened, revealing a corpulent young master from a wealthy family stepping out slowly.
Behind him followed two middle-aged men.
Their attire was more extravagant than the other, adorned from head to toe with expensive ornaments, as if they were afraid people wouldn’t know they were rich.
As they stepped out behind the pudgy young man, their accessories clinked and clattered together noisily. Anyone unaware might have thought some ritual ceremony was about to begin, with a shaman shaking bells in hand.
From these two, Zhao Li and Yelan both sensed faint ripples of spiritual energy—clearly deliberately released to flaunt themselves, intending to intimidate the common folk with their spiritual pressure.
This, of course, also allowed the two women to gauge their levels.
One at 20, the other at 23—just a couple of low-tier Spirit Masters, not even as strong as that damned cat Hei Zhe.
And with that, they dared to swagger around so arrogantly?
Zhao Li couldn’t help but laugh.