Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin After Wan Yanxiu finished answering the question, he signalled with his eyes to the other Ancestors behind him. He wanted them to quickly go and bring the current Empress of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family here. Forget how many battle-ready warriors were in the Spirit Ruin True World; even if Gu Changge was asked about the present number of Clansmen in the Spirit Ruin True World, he would not have known the answer. In any case, there were many Subordinate Ancient Worlds in the Spirit Ruin True World. Each Ancient World also contained many different Clans and beings, so it was only natural to have some powerful individuals among them. While none of these individuals were in the Dao Realm, they were more than enough to serve as warriors for conquest. “If necessary, I can relay the orders and summon these warriors immediately.” Wan Yanxiu respectfully added. Gu Changge nodded. That was the plan he originally had in mind. The Prosperous Dao True World was just a newly-born True World. It was naturally impossible for the Prosperous Dao True World’s heritage to compete against the heritage of an Ancient True World like the Spirit Ruin True World. Taking everything into account, there were only three Dao Realm ancient cultivators in the Prosperous Dao True World. Even experts in the Immortal Emperor Realm were very rare. For battles in the Boundless Expanse, it was necessary to reach at least the Immortal King Realm. Those below the Immortal King Realm would only become cannon fodder in these battles. It would only take a flick of the finger to reduce them to ashes. Aside from the Spirit Ruin True World, there was another Civilisation with their eyes set on the Prosperous Dao True World. It was just that Gu Changge had ignored them when he departed from the Prosperous Dao True World back then. In the current situation, it would be best for him to avoid attacking from a distance. Limited to choosing from the neighbouring options, he eventually decided upon the Civilisation that was eyeing the Prosperous Dao True World. Using this Civilisation would also be easier for him to prepare a rough blueprint of his future plans. By making use of these True Worlds as his stepping stones, he intended to devour and conquer the Boundless Expanse in one fell swoop. The Heavenslayers Alliance he previously established would finally come in handy for this purpose. Otherwise, the power he amassed under his control would not be enough to threaten the Source Realm before the arrival of the Great Purge. Seeing that Gu Changge had the same idea, Wan Yanxiu immediately understood the implicit meaning and began recruiting troops without further explanation. It would seem that Gu Changge was planning to conquer True Worlds on a grand scale. “You may take your leave now.” After pondering for some time, Gu Changge dismissed Wan Yanxiu and the others with a wave of his hand. The ancient battleship cruising through the Boundless Expanse had already changed its course at his command. At this moment, the battleship was heading toward the territory where the Prosperous Dao True World was located. With Gu Changge’s current strength, it was impossible for the events taking place in the Prosperous Dao True World or the fate of each living creature in the Prosperous Dao True World to be hidden from him. It was just that he had no intention to interfere in these matters. The Prosperous Dao True World was already developing in the predestined direction of his choosing. If he interfered at this juncture, then everything he prepared beforehand would be in vain. It could be said that the artificially created ‘fortunate people’ now carried the destiny of the Prosperous Dao True World on their shoulders. Hence, the period before the imminent catastrophe arrived was the perfect opportunity for them to train and temper themselves. The weak gained strength from the strong in the Heavenly Dao, but the strong preyed on the weak in the way of the Humans. Gu Changge’s thoughts were now the Heavenly Dao Will of the Prosperous Dao True World. If the people were healthy and happy, then his Heavenly Dao Will would grow stronger in response. It was a complementary process between these two aspects. … On the other side, the current Spirit Empress of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family was travelling incognito. She was on an inspection. She was temporarily staying at a courtyard a place where she used to live. The environment in the courtyard was very serene. The scenery was elegant and peaceful. It was not a place where one would be easily disturbed by outsiders. “Young Mistress… We received a message from the palace. The Ancestors have summoned you to the palace, saying that they have important matters to ask you.” The Spirit Empress was leaning against the soft cushion with a slightly lazy expression on her face. From time to time, she would reach out to take some valuable Immortal Fruits from the crystal jade tray beside her and place the Immortal Fruits into her mouth. When she heard her servant’s report, she immediately raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was rare for her to leave the palace, but only a few days had passed, and the Ancestors already wanted something from her. A look of pure displeasure appeared on her face. She honestly did not feel much respect or fear toward the Ancestors of the Spirit Ruin Clan, so she simply responded in a disinterested manner. “Did they mention why?” The servant respectfully replied, “They did not mention anything; we simply received the sudden message from the palace. The Ancestors are not aware that you’ve gone out of the palace. It is also unknown what urgent matters they needed to inquire from you.” Hearing those words, Spirit Empress put down the Immortal Fruit in her hand and raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Things are going smoothly, so why did they come looking for me all of a sudden? Do they want me to bear the blame for something again? Whenever I need their help for something, they always try to shirk the responsibility and dump all the trivial matters on me.” Her tone was filled with great dissatisfaction and deep resentment. The servants did not dare to respond. Although they were the Spirit Empress’s closest confidants, it was not their place to offer any opinion on the conflict between the Ancestors and the Spirit Empress. Whether it was the Spirit Empress or the Ancestors, these people were powerful figures with extraordinary means. It would only take a single thought to uncover what they were thinking. “Forget it. What a killjoy.” The Spirit Empress shook her head and got up from the cushion. Nowadays, she was no longer the true Master of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. She could only be considered a puppet figure at most, so she did not dare to truly disobey the Ancestors. She had tried to use her Dao Ability to deduce what the Ancestors wanted from her. She wanted to see whether this trip to visit the Ancestors would end well or not. To her surprise, the results were hazy. Her vision had been filled with dense fog and the unknown. Her emotions immediately became unsettled. If it was only a small matter, then the future would not have been so dangerous and unpredictable. “I’m afraid it’s not the Ancestors who want to see me but that mysterious young man. But what does he want from me?” Puzzled by the situation, she could not help feeling suspicious and uneasy. After all, the current situation seemed to indicate that the mysterious man was somebody who incited extreme fear and terror in the Ancestors. Even the White Bone Ancestor King, who boarded the ship not long ago, had become very obedient. “By the way, where has the guy named Chu Lian gone recently?” At this moment, the Spirit Empress abruptly recalled a certain matter and made a quick query. She had been in contact with that man who was suspected to be a Variable for some time now, but she still could not detect anything special about him. However, it was always better to be extra sure. That was why she also ordered her men to monitor his whereabouts and movements in secret. “To answer your question… After Chu Lian separated from us, he went to the Boundless Mountain Range and stayed there for half a day. We did not observe him doing anything there. Afterwards, he went to the Hundred Forges Ruins and the Absolute Frost Ancient City. He did not seem to have done anything there either. In fact, he only stayed there for a few days…” The servant responded in slight confusion. “Boundless Mountain Range? Hundred Forges Ruins and Absolute Frost Ancient City? What was he doing at all these places?” Spirit Empress frowned and made a gesture with her slender hands. A hazy All Encompassing River with turbulent waves made of the Great Dao rippled and rose up behind her. Countless mysterious scenes appeared within the All Encompassing River, reflecting the situation in various places. “There’s nothing special about these places. Although the Boundless Mountain Range contains a treasure called the Boundless Bell, the treasure has not been taken. The Hundred Forges Technique, which was left behind by a powerful cultivator from the Ghost Axe Clan, is hidden in the Hundred Forges Ruins. But, the Hundred Forges Technique remains in the same spot and has not been stolen away…” “The Absolute Frost Ancient City was once the main capital of the Absolute Frost Clan, but the entire Absolute Frost Clan vanished without a trace many years ago. Nobody from the Absolute Frost Clan exists today, but they unexpectedly left behind a single Absolute Frost Pearl. The Absolute Frost Pearl has not been taken away either.” She became more and more confused by the situation. Not only was she unable to deduce Chu Lian’s fate, but she could not deduce the reason for his visits to those places either. Nevertheless, she was certain that he was hiding some sort of secret. “Forget it. Continue monitoring that guy’s actions and report to me immediately if he shows any unusual movement. In addition, carefully investigate his background and origins.” Waving her hand, she dismissed her servants from her presence. Chu Lian’s secret was something she had to uncover. It was the key to how he became a Variable. As for why she did not take action to capture him and conduct a Soul Search to investigate and learn the truth… That was because she could not confirm the source of him being a Variable, so she did not know whether it would be dangerous to attack him directly. The more she learned about Variables, the more she understood how terrifying the Variables were. After all, they were existences that transcended destiny itself. They might even bring forth calamities. For example, would attacking Chu Lian with force cause her death to come early? There were countless possibilities with uncertain factors like Variables. Afterwards, the Spirit Empress hurriedly returned to the palace and changed into her usual Phoenix Robe. Then, she headed toward the ancestral palace to meet the Ancestors with the dignity of an Empress. Wan Yanxiu, the White Bone Ancestor King, and the other Ancestors of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family were waiting outside the ancestral palace. “Ling Huang greets the Grand Ancestor and the Ancestors…” When the Spirit Empress arrived at the ancestral palace, she was slightly taken aback by the sight that greeted her. She was stunned to see that the Ancestors, including the Grand Ancestor, Wan Yanxiu, had gathered together in this place. Nevertheless, she composed her emotions and respectfully greeted them. Wan Yanxiu glanced at the Spirit Empress briefly, feeling quite satisfied with this particular Junior. The Spirit Empress was the most outstanding female prodigy in the Spirit Ruin Royal Family throughout so many epochs. Therefore, the entire Spirit Ruin Royal Family had poured countless resources into nurturing her. It was thanks to their support that she successfully stepped into the Dao Realm and dominated the Spirit Ruin True World. Unfortunately, travelling deep into the Boundless Expanse required the strength of the entire Clan. As a Dao Realm expert, Ling Huang would naturally be brought along on the journey. “How many battle-ready warriors are on the Spirit Ruin Battleship right now?” Wan Yanxiu did not waste any time and got straight to the point. The Spirit Empress had speculated on many possibilities before she came, but she was still momentarily taken aback by the question. Not to mention, the Grand Ancestor was the one who made the inquiry. Would that not mean they were planning to raise an army and begin conquest? “To answer your question, Grand Ancestor… On the warship right now are 8 Advanced Thousand Worlds, 32 Intermediate Thousand Worlds, and 624 Basic Thousand Worlds. The rest consist of several Miniature Small Worlds, with a total of over three thousand Ancient Clans. Each Ancient Clan controls several smaller Clans, so it is difficult to calculate their numbers accurately. As for those in the Immortal Realm and above, there are more than eight million…” She briefly considered the question before she answered honestly. Even she only had a vague guess. As for the exact numbers, she was not very sure either. She had never asked anybody to carefully calculate these numbers before. At any rate, she estimated that the number of Immortal Realm experts on the Spirit Ruin Battleship to be around ten million. The Advanced Thousand Worlds were worlds that had nearly evolved and transformed into True Worlds. The resources in these Advanced Thousand Worlds were unimaginably abundant, so the number of powerful cultivators that could be produced was naturally unmatched by the other worlds. When the Spirit Ruin True World first mobilised the whole Clan to travel across the Boundless Expanse, it had taken immense effort just to bring the eight Advanced Thousand Worlds with them. Upon hearing the reply, Wan Yanxiu and the others were secretly astonished. They did not realise that the troops they initially brought with them had development to such an extent after so many epochs. “There are more than eight million people in the Immortal Realm and above?” At this moment, Gu Changge’s voice suddenly came from within the ancestral palace. It was accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Then, a young and slender figure appeared in front of the Spirit Empress. “Sir…” Wan Yanxiu, White Bone Ancestor King, and the others were startled. They did not expect Gu Changge to appear in person, so they hurriedly bowed in respect. Gu Changge waved his hand dismissively and turned his attention to the Spirit Empress. If her words were the truth, then the eight million people in the Immortal Realm and above would be a terrifying Force that could not be ignored. Take the current Prosperous Dao True World for example. Even if all the cultivators and living creatures in each Spacetime and universe were taken into account, there was no guarantee that a million beings in the Immortal Realm could be gathered from the Prosperous Dao True World. Such was the heritage of an Ancient True World. Moreover, it was merely an Ancient True World that had just touched upon the threshold of the Ancient True Worlds. “Yes, Sir. There are at least eight million people in the Immortal Realm and above right now.” After freezing in surprise for a moment, Spirit Empress answered the question. It was her first time seeing Gu Changge’s true appearance. In the past, she had only heard about his appearance from her servants’ descriptions. She honestly did not expect Gu Changge to look so young. The youthfulness he possessed was not just limited to his appearance. Even the age reflected in his bones and Soul was young. Be that as it may, it was such a young man who incited incredible fear and respect among the Ancestors and White Bone Ancestor King. “What about those in the Immortal King Realm and above? How many are there?” Gu Changge probed further. She pondered for a moment before she answered with a range of eighty to one hundred. The exact number would require instructing her subordinates to perform a survey in each world and tallying the numbers. Nevertheless, her answer was already enough to astonish him to a mild extent. It was a Force that far surpassed the Prosperous Dao True World even when the Prosperous Dao True World was at its peak strength. The differences in their heritage were simply too large. The heritage of an Immortal True World with the protection of an Ancestral Dao Realm Ancestor would be even more terrifying. Under those circumstances, the number of Immortal Kings would probably reach several thousand or higher. Before leaving the Prosperous Dao True World, Gu Changge had briefly perceived the number of surviving Immortal Kings (Immortal Kings that had not been revived). Their numbers did not exceed twenty. Their current numbers were only because many people were protected and returned through reincarnation thanks to what Qingyi had prepared in advance. Otherwise, their number of Immortal Kings would have been even lower. Based on the Prosperous Dao True World’s current strength, it was practically impossible for the Prosperous Dao True World to resist the arrival of the Spirit Ruin True World.