Because of the ancient Futu clan as a precedent, the Tailing clan sent a Saint-rank elder this time, and their attitude was exceedingly humble. After lengthy negotiations and giving up a series of resources, Jiang Yun smoothly returned the jade stone imbued with the legacy imprint of the Tailing Ancestor to its rightful owner.
Successfully completing the task brought smiles to the Tailing clan, while they inwardly criticized the Futu and Mohe clans for creating such a mess with someone as reasonable as Jiang Yun. They saw it as indicative of the other clans' decay. The Tailing clan, with its forward vision, had thrived over generations, always birthing Saint-rank Supreme Beings.
With the legacy items of the Futu and Tailing Ancestors returned, Jiang Yun was left with the peerless divine skills of Spear Ancestor and Sky-Supporting Ancestor from the Four Saint Tower. However, with no connected forces left in the world and no personal interest in their legacies, he stored them in the Scripture Pavilion, awaiting those destined to find them.
Having dealt with all matters, Jiang Yun did not wander off but stayed quietly on Tianluo Continent, digesting his recent gains. As he settled down, the bustling Greater Thousand Worlds also returned to their former calm state from ten years ago. The only difference was the presence of two new towering entities: the Ancient Heavenly Palace and the Crimson Flame Temple on Tianluo and Chiyan Continents.
During this time, it was inadvertently leaked that Jiang Yun was a grandmaster of Saint-rank spiritual medicine, leading countless seekers to Tianluo Continent for elixirs. The Ancient Heavenly Palace utilized this opportunity to recruit many outstanding talents through elixir benefits.
Because of Jiang Yun's status and legendary deeds, he attracted visits from numerous rogue alchemists. Jiang Yun welcomed them, dedicating one day each month to discuss alchemy techniques with his subordinates, which greatly enhanced his already formidable reputation.
In just two years, Tianluo Continent was on the verge of becoming a new holy land for alchemy. However, this encroached on the interests of the Dan-God clan and the Ancient Wild Grass Plains. Though apprehensive of Jiang Yun's formidable achievements, they did not dare suppress him and instead proposed an alchemy duel.
The outcome was unknown, but it led to the Dan-God clan and Ancient Wild Grass Plains acknowledging Tianluo Continent as the third major alchemy holy land in the world.
Thus, five peaceful years passed, during which the Ancient Heavenly Palace grew into an enormous entity within the Greater Thousand Worlds, rivaling the five major ancient clans and even approaching the level of the Greater Thousand Palace.
In the endless sea of light within the Futu clan, the light energy converged towards the center, where a golden cocoon absorbed it voraciously. At one moment, the figure inside the cocoon twitched slightly, his eyes fluttered open, and beams of golden light shot out from his eyes, piercing the cocoon and vanishing after traveling tens of thousands of feet through the void.
The figure opened his mouth, inhaling all the surrounding golden mist into his body. As the mist dissipated, a naked figure emerged from the cocoon. His skin was fair, long, and muscular, with a faint golden glow emitting from his pores, exuding a mysterious aura of light.
Jiang Yun clenched his fist, satisfied with the immense power within his body. Now in the late stage of Saint-rank physical strength, if he activated his Endless Light Body, which boasted the best defense in the heavens, opponents would feel utter despair. Even if he fell into the Demonic Realm, he believed he could make eight separate entries and exits without a scratch.
"Success!" An ancient apparition appeared in the Futu Ancestor Tower, staring dumbfoundedly at Jiang Yun's figure.
"Boom!!!"
The entire golden sea trembled under Jiang Yun's roar.
"Thank you, senior!" Jiang Yun bowed towards the Futu Ancestor Tower before moving to a nearby ice coffin, where the patriarch of the Futu clan, Qingyan Jing's father, Qing Xuanfeng, lay. Relying on the ancestral energy of the Futu Tower, he clung to life as a living corpse, only having three years to live.
"I've benefitted from the Futu clan. Let me try my new insights on you." Jiang Yun's hand emitted a light-infused with life energy, slowly healing Qing Xuanfeng's wounds.
After healing him, Qing Xuanfeng's cultivation didn't fully recover, leaving him at the peak of Earth Supreme. With an elixir, he would quickly regain his peak strength. Awakened, Qing Xuanfeng found himself in the Tower, questioning if he was dead.
When he heard Jiang Yun's voice appreciating the Futu Ancestor Tower, he turned and saw Jiang Yun, whose presence made him feel at ease, though unfamiliar. The Tower spirit confirmed Jiang Yun's role in his recovery. Jiang Yun, not waiting for their conversation, disappeared from the Tower, leaving Qing Xuanfeng and the Tower spirit to their own discussions.
As Jiang Yun exited the Futu Ancestor Tower, a vast light glimmered behind him, forming a spiritual world, and an ancient light figure emerged. The entire Futu clan witnessed the astonishing event, recognizing Jiang Yun as the master of the Endless Light Body.
All the clan's supreme beings gathered outside the Futu Ancestor Tower, overwhelmed with various emotions. Many had initially opposed Jiang Yun's efforts, secretly hoping for his failure, but in the end, everything was settled once and for all.
Jiang Yun brushed off their emotional responses, interacting briefly with the clan elders before setting off towards Tianluo Continent as quickly as possible.
"Boom!!!"
In a remote region of Chiyan Continent, beast roars filled the forest. A terrifying demonic shriek attracted the attention of countless fierce beasts. Suddenly, a figure plummeted from the sky, creating a massive crater upon impact. Staggering out of the crater was a white-robed woman, struggling to move away from the forest.
"Qingyan Jing, you can't give up…"
Amidst her escape, chilling voices rang behind her, filling her with despair. Attempting to channel her spiritual power was futile.
Her desolate monologue was interrupted by two malevolent figures emerging from the dark fog, glaring at her with perverse intent. Despite her resolve, Qingyan Jing felt a wave of helplessness.
"Hold on! You cannot give up…" she muttered. Yet, faced with her exhaustion and the evident malice, her resolve wavered.
"Hahahaha, beautiful lady, don't run. We brothers will treat you gently."
Interrupting her despair, a thunderous voice from the skies above declared, "Bold demons, how dare you act recklessly in my Great Thousand Worlds!"
A figure appeared, radiating an overwhelming battle aura. His presence revived a glimmer of hope in Qingyan Jing's heart, despite recognizing his Great Earth Supreme strength.
The two demonic figures, upon seeing him, reacted with hostility. Even though confident in their strength, they were wary of the figure's aura.
With the potential hope that he might avert a tragic fate, Qingyan Jing's eyes flickered between despair and the re-emerging potential for survival. The battle that ensued marked a pivotal moment in her destiny against the demonic presences.