Tian Ting?
Upon hearing the name, the elders in the hall all stroked their beards in thought.
"What do you all think?" Ye Chen glanced around at the elders.
"The court of the heavens—this name is truly excellent." Tian Zong Laozu smiled faintly.
"It's subtle yet commanding, with profound implications. Let's go with that." Dao Huang laughed heartily, clearly pleased with the title Ye Chen had proposed.
"What about my Axe Gang? It's not as good?" Gu San Tong muttered with a pout. "Though Tian Ting isn't bad either."
"Since none of you seniors have any objections, it's decided." Ye Chen said, waving his hand to produce the Jiu Zhou Xuan Tian Tu. "Now that we have a new banner, we should also systematize the structure of our forces."
Everyone stood up and gathered around the Jiu Zhou Xuan Tian Tu. Knowing Ye Chen had already thought this through, they remained silent.
"Before today, the three sects of Nan Chu stood in a tripod balance, each with nine halls under them."
"From today onward, we will build a sacred mountain at the very center where the three sects' territories intersect—that will be the headquarters of Tian Ting." Ye Chen explained, pointing to the most prosperous central area of Nan Chu. "The three sects will remain as they are, but their twenty-seven halls will be merged into nine halls. Each of these nine halls will be divided into eight gates, making a total of eighty-one gates."
"Three sects, nine halls, eighty-one gates?" Zhong Jiang gently stroked his beard and looked at Ye Chen.
"That's right." Ye Chen nodded lightly. "With Tian Ting at the center, the three sects will surround it. The nine halls will be divided into groups of three, with each group of three halls encircling one sect. The eighty-one gates will be spaced in groups of nine, with each group of nine gates encircling one hall. It will form a concentric ring, connected end to end, so that in times of war, they can mutually reinforce one another."
"This division is more detailed compared to the previous one sect with nine halls." Zhong Kui rubbed his chin.
"What about next?" Wu Ya Dao Ren asked, holding a spirit pearl and absentmindedly blowing on it. "Who will lead the three sects, nine halls, and eighty-one gates as sect leaders, hall masters, and gate masters?"
"Tian Ting will establish an Elder Council to decide major matters. Each sect will have one sect leader and nine deputy sect leaders; each hall will have one hall master and nine deputy hall masters; each gate will have one gate master and nine deputy gate masters. Does anyone have any objections to this arrangement?" Ye Chen said, looking at everyone again.
"No objections."
"Very well, let's start with Heng Yue Zong!" Ye Chen smiled at the group. "Anyone who wishes to be the sect leader of Heng Yue Zong can volunteer. We can discuss it openly, but let's keep things amicable."
"I won't join the fun, this old guy." Gu San Tong scratched his ear. "But for Heng Yue Zong's sect leader, Yang Ding Tian is the most suitable—he has the prestige and knows the ropes inside out."
"I'm fine with it." Zhuge Laotou shrugged casually.
The others felt much the same; they were all old timers, and at their age, they had little desire for power. Besides, they didn't want to compete with the younger generation for the sect leader position.
Moreover, as members of the Tian Ting Elder Council, they had no real need for the Heng Yue Zong sect leader role.
"Shibo, you're the obvious choice." Ye Chen surveyed the room and, seeing no opposition, waved his hand to produce the Heng Yue Zong sect leader token and handed it to Yang Ding Tian.
"If all you seniors think highly of me, I won't decline." Yang Ding Tian smiled warmly. Currently, between him and Ye Chen, he was the most fitting for Heng Yue Zong's sect leader, especially since Ye Chen had advanced to become the holy lord of Tian Ting.
"Qing Yun Zong will continue under Zhou Ao's leadership. Any objections?" Ye Chen smiled at the group again.
"No objections."
"I won't disappoint." Zhou Ao smiled and bowed respectfully. Aside from Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang, everyone here was his senior, so serving as Qing Yun Zong's sect leader was an honor he felt deeply.
"As for Zheng Yang Zong's sect leader..." Ye Chen said, scanning the room. His gaze lingered for a second on Zheng Yang's great commander Yang Zhen before settling on Ji Ning Shuang. "No one is more suitable than you."
"If you want me to do it, I will." Ji Ning Shuang replied flatly, without any emotional fluctuation.
"I have no objections anyway." The group shrugged. If history hadn't changed, Ji Ning Shuang would have been the next sect leader of Zheng Yang Zong. Her prestige was evident from the battle that toppled the sect, so no one was better suited for the position.
"Alright, that's settled then." Ye Chen withdrew his gaze from Ji Ning Shuang. "As for the hall masters, deputy hall masters, gate masters, and deputy gate masters, the three sect leaders can nominate candidates, and the major families can do the same. The Elder Council will make the final decision. If possible, I'm all for fair competition."
"No objections."
"A few special cases." Ye Chen continued, turning to Dan Chen, Zhong Li, and Hong Chen Xue. "Dan Cheng will keep its title, with Dan Chen as city lord; Xuan Huang will remain unchanged, with Zhong Li leading the Tian Jing dark shadow assassins; Ren Huang will stay the same, with Zhong Xiao leading Tian Ting's intelligence network. The three of you can select and train personnel from Tian Ting as you see fit—the Elder Council has no authority to interfere."
"This is great!"
"The Elder Council has no say—this is some serious power." Gu San Tong sighed in admiration.
Even though Ye Chen had granted supreme privileges to Dan Cheng, Ren Huang, and Xuan Huang, no one in the room objected.
Dan Cheng was the holy land of alchemists, home to over sixty percent of Da Chu's alchemists. It would be Tian Ting's strongest backbone, as most of Tian Ting's supplies would come from there.
Ren Huang was Da Chu's largest intelligence network—bar none. Everyone present understood that intelligence could sometimes rival an entire army, so they deserved these privileges.
As for Xuan Huang, leading Tian Ting's dark shadow assassins was highly secretive. As the saying goes, strike the horse first to shoot the rider, capture the king to defeat the thieves—sometimes their role was no less important than an army's. They earned this supreme honor.
"When will we march into Bei Chu?" Su Jia Laozu asked tentatively at some point.
He wasn't the only one—all the elders in the hall focused their gazes on Ye Chen. With Nan Chu unified, the next step was Bei Chu, and unifying Bei Chu would mean the complete unification of Da Chu.
"Let's wait for now!" Ye Chen pondered. "Although we've unified Nan Chu in this war, our losses were significant. Tian Ting is newly established, and all departments need integration. Bei Chu is much larger than Nan Chu, with forces more deeply entrenched and stronger than we imagined. We need time to recover, solidify our hold on Nan Chu, and once Tian Ting is stable, then we can advance into Bei Chu."
"We do need to catch our breath." The group chuckled.
"I'll announce the specific rewards and punishments before I leave Nan Chu." Ye Chen broke the silence. "Also, for Tian Ting's holy son, holy daughter, and the nine great true disciples, I'll give everyone a satisfactory answer."
Hearing this, the group had no objections. What they focused on wasn't the holy son, holy daughter, or the nine great true disciples—it was Ye Chen's mention of leaving Nan Chu.
Indeed, with Nan Chu unified, it was time for Ye Chen to head to Bei Chu to find his master. This matter in Nan Chu had dragged on for too long. For him, it was a choice of responsibility over love.
They couldn't imagine how this young man had endured until now, or how he had managed to oversee everything while carrying such a burden. Without his far-sighted vision, Nan Chu would likely still be in chaos.
Now that he spoke of leaving, no one would stop him. Their commander needed a break.
"Go ahead with peace of mind! With us here, Nan Chu will be as solid as a fortress." Niu Shi San thumped his chest firmly.
"I have faith in that, but just to be safe, I'll still set up a wall." Ye Chen smiled.
"A wall?"
“Not bad, it's a wall that spans from the east to the west ends of Nan Chu, dividing Da Chu into Nan Chu and Bei Chu.”
“Damn.” Ye Chen had just finished speaking when Gu Santong burst out with a curse, “Do you even know how far it is from the easternmost to the westernmost part of Nan Chu? At least over three million li—building a wall like that, are you kidding?”
“Ye Chen, you should know that a wall doesn't mean much to cultivators.” Zhong Jiang furrowed his brow, and the others wore similar expressions.
For the first time, Ye Chen's idea differed from the group's, and everyone frowned slightly, because constructing a wall across the east and west of Nan Chu wasn't a joke—it would require immense manpower and resources.
“Of course I know the cost involved.” Ye Chen took a deep breath, “But it's necessary. Why did the three sects of Nan Chu collapse so quickly? Why were we able to unify Nan Chu in such a short time? Was it just because the forces in Nan Chu were complicated? Or because our forces were vast? No, those aren't the main reasons.”
“Chen'er, what are you trying to say?” The Hengyue Zhenren looked at Ye Chen in confusion.
“The Yan Huang army marched south, and the major forces in Nan Chu didn't notice a thing—that was the key to unifying Nan Chu.” Ye Chen said slowly, “Because we had the Yan Huang army as backup and operated in the shadows, we turned the tables brilliantly. But…”
At this point, Ye Chen glanced around at everyone and continued, “But if there had been a wall dividing Nan Chu and Bei Chu before the Yan Huang army marched south, what would the situation have been? Could the massive Yan Huang cultivator army have slipped into Nan Chu so easily under the noses of its major forces? No, they couldn't have. Without the Yan Huang army as backup, just the dozen or so of us trying to unify Nan Chu would have been impossible.”
“I don't agree with you.” Zhong Kui shook his head lightly, “Even if there was a wall dividing Nan Chu and Bei Chu when the Yan Huang army marched south, we could still have gotten in—it would just take more time. Remember, that's a wall spanning over three million li! Getting in over such a long distance wouldn't be that hard.”
“But we'd be wasting time.” Ye Chen went on, “Think about it—if getting into Nan Chu cost us time, we wouldn't have made it in time to save the sect leader and the others that day. Without them, we wouldn't have taken Hengyue so easily, and everything afterward wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Nan Chu might still be in chaos now.”
“That makes sense.” Wuya Daoren scratched his ear, “That night, it wasn't just luck—we got there early. If there had been any delay, we wouldn't have the Tian Ting we have today. Building the wall? I'm for it; it's solid logic.”
Although Wuya Daoren nodded in agreement, some in the hall still frowned, because this wasn't something that could be done in a day or two.
“You all know how we unified Nan Chu step by step.” Ye Chen looked around at everyone, “But we can't guarantee that other forces will use the same method to undermine Tian Ting. It's easy to guard against an open attack, but hard to defend against hidden ones. A couple of people sneaking into Nan Chu isn't scary, but a whole cultivator army? That would be a disaster. We have to guard the world the same way we conquered it.”
“Are you so sure that building a wall will stop the cultivator armies from Bei Chu from sneaking in?” Shangguan Xuanjiang pondered as he looked at Ye Chen.
“You've hit the point, senior.” Ye Chen smiled, “If we're building a wall, it won't be an ordinary one. It'll be combined with attack formations, protective barriers, and various prohibitions—a wall that can attack or defend, targeted at cultivators, not ordinary people.”
“I pointed out the key issue, but you didn't quite address it!” Shangguan Xuanjiang sighed, “With a wall that long, how do you plan to stop the cultivator armies from Bei Chu from sneaking in?”
“Of course, there's a way.” Ye Chen grinned, “Since there's a wall, there'll be gates. If people from Bei Chu want to come to Nan Chu, they can't just climb over—they have to use the gates. And those gates won't be ordinary; they'll have all sorts of prohibitions, so not just anyone can pass through. As for anyone stupid enough to climb the wall, no need to think twice—just blast them.”
“But they don't have to use the gates; they could use fixed teleportation arrays to get in.”
“Our prohibitions on the wall aren't for show. If they try to use a teleportation array, sorry, it won't work.”
“Ah, I see!” The group of elders scratched their heads, though Ye Chen's explanation was clear, some still couldn't quite wrap their minds around it.
“That's true, but a wall that long would need a lot of people to guard it!” Tian Zong Laozu pondered.
“So, we'll station a standing cultivator army and patrol units around the wall.” Ye Chen pulled out his wine gourd, took a swig, and continued, “You seniors don't need to worry about that. If there's any movement on the wall side, my Tian Ting army can arrive in a quarter of an hour. Once we scare them off, will they dare come to Nan Chu again? And if they do, we'll let them in, then shut the gate and trap them like we've done before.”
After speaking, Ye Chen looked around at everyone again, “What do you seniors think of this idea? Is it feasible?”
“Feasible? Absolutely!” Zhuge Laotou said immediately, “The project is huge, but we have the numbers!”
“What about the rest of you?” Ye Chen smiled at Dao Huang and Tian Zong Laozu.
“I have to say, it's a bold idea.” Zhong Jiang took a deep breath, “Over three million li? Let's just build the wall.”
“No objections.” Dao Huang's response was straightforward, and with his approval, the others had no hesitations. The main thing was that Ye Chen's plan, though startling, was practical.
“Alright, that's settled.” Ye Chen let out a sigh of relief, “Anyone in Tian Ting skilled in Tu Dun, Zhen Fa, barriers, or prohibitions—head to the Nan Chu-Bei Chu border tomorrow!”
As he spoke, Ye Chen pointed repeatedly at the Jiuzhou Xuantian Map, “The border between Nan Chu and Bei Chu has ancient cities and mountain ranges. We'll divide the work and connect them, which will save time. If needed, use great divine abilities to move mountains and seas.”
“Also, send a cultivator army to the Nan Chu-Bei Chu border to prevent forces from Bei Chu from causing trouble.”
“During this time, Dan Cheng must provide unconditional support with pills and supplies.”
“The rest of you, integrate Tian Ting's departments as quickly as possible—establish the Tian Ting headquarters, the three sects' headquarters, the nine halls' headquarters, and the eighty-one gates' branches. Kill any resisters on the spot.”
Ye Chen was decisive, issuing orders one after another, leaving the elders present sighing in admiration. They felt like Ye Chen's mind wasn't human—it was too thorough.
“Oh man, this is going to be a real hassle again.” Wuya Daoren and Gu Santong had already hooked arms and headed out; one was an expert in Zhen Fa, the other in barriers, so building the wall would definitely keep them busy.
“We're not sitting idle either.” Zhong Jiang and Tian Zong Laozu chuckled and strode out.
Whew!
Watching everyone disperse, Ye Chen exhaled deeply and stepped out of the hall, gazing into the distance.
The people of Tian Ting didn't waste time. Gu Santong and Wuya Daoren were already loudly selecting people, pulling away group after group of those skilled in formations and barriers.
Then there were Yan Shan from the original Yan Huang and Man Shan from Xiling Bashu—these two burly figures, both masters of Tu Dun, were arranging for cultivators skilled in earth escape from various departments, preparing to head to the Nan Chu-Bei Chu border tomorrow.
The people from Dan Cheng weren't idle either. Building a wall might seem simple, but over three million li required massive supplies, so Dan Chen and Dan Yi were organizing the distribution of pills.
As for Yang Dingtian, Zhou Ao, and Ji Ningshuang, they stayed in the hall. As the leaders of the three sects, with Tian Ting's headquarters not yet fully established, they needed to handle the integration of the nine halls and eighty-one gates.
The busiest one was Hong Chen Xue; as the holy lord of Ren Huang, she was about to take control of Tian Ting's overall intelligence network, and verifying and integrating the intelligence networks of various departments was no small task.
Amid all the bustle, Zhong Jiang had already led the assassins of Tian Ting's dark shadow out of Hengyue Sect quietly, heading ahead to the Nan Chu-Bei Chu border to lie in wait and ensure the wall construction started on time tomorrow.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
If viewed from the sky, dark masses of figures were surging like tides in all directions, each with their own duties and missions, full of energy.
“This time, I'll slack off a bit.” Ye Chen withdrew his gaze, stretched lazily, and stepped into the void, landing on the peak of Yu Nu Peak.
At that moment, on the summit of Yu Nu Peak stood a young man in white, truly handsome and elegant, with black hair like a waterfall, eyes like stars, and faint dragon aura swirling around him.
It was worth noting that this person's presence was incredibly strong, and he was quite good-looking.
“I say, Long Ye, where did you get this body from?” Ye Chen walked over, sizing up Tai Xu Gu Long from head to toe before sighing, “Damn, it's annoyingly handsome.”
“Da Chu really has its own cycle of reincarnation.” Tai Xu Gu Long remarked casually, ignoring Ye Chen's comment.
Hearing this, Ye Chen furrowed his brow and stared straight at Tai Xu Gu Long, “Are you sure?”
“That person was once the first divine general under Xuan Huang.” Tai Xu Gu Long pointed into the distance, finally settling on a figure in the crowd—upon closer inspection, it was Xiao Feng.
“How many lifetimes has he reincarnated? Could you be mistaken?” Ye Chen looked at Xiao Feng in astonishment.
“His talent isn't inferior to Xuan Huang or Shi Hun Wang from that era.” Tai Xu Gu Long took a deep breath, “What sticks in my memory isn't just his talent or combat power, but how tragically he died. When Xuan Huang was sealed as emperor, he held off Shi Hun Wang and Yao Wang alone, only to be impaled by You Ming Yan Luo Wang's spear in the void. Without him protecting the path, there would be no Xuan Huang.”
“Facing three supreme kings alone—his power must have been immense!” Ye Chen murmured, his heart unable to calm down. He never imagined Xiao Feng's past life was so glorious.
“And your disciple, Xi Yan.” While Ye Chen was still surprised, Tai Xu Gu Long spoke again.
“She's reincarnated too?” Ye Chen turned sharply to Tai Xu Gu Long.
“The sister of Dong Huang and the aunt of Zhou Tian Yi.”
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