In the early morning of that day, before the sky had fully brightened, a silver-white radiance blossomed in the heavens, illuminating the dim Great Northwest with its brilliance.
When the silver-white radiance bloomed, it was like a great sun slowly rising—bright and holy, sacred and inviolable—enveloping the Great Northwest, inspiring both reverence and awe.
Some younger folk might not know what this bright, holy radiance represented, but many older cultivators recognized it: this was the light of an Immortal Edict.
In the ancient era, whenever this Immortal Edict Radiance appeared, it signified that the Immortal Dynasty was about to proclaim an edict. Anyone, regardless of background, status, cultivation level, or where they were or what they were doing, had to kneel on the ground to listen to the Immortal Dynasty's decree. To defy this was to show disrespect to the Immortal Dynasty, and disrespecting the Immortal Dynasty was a crime punishable by death.
However.
When the Immortal Edict Radiance blossomed over the Great Northwest, not many cultivators in the Northwest region knelt.
It wasn't that they disrespected the Immortal Dynasty.
Rather, it was because in the current era, the Immortal Dynasty had abolished this very rule; there was no longer any need to kneel before the Immortal Edict Radiance.
That wasn't important.
What was important was that many recognized the radiance blooming in the sky was not the Immortal Edict Radiance issued by the Immortal Dynasty itself, but rather the Immortal Edict Radiance emanating from the Northwest Immortal Office. In other words, this was not the light of an Immortal Dynasty decree, but the light of an Immortal Office decree, making kneeling even less necessary.
Of course.
To express their respect for the Immortal Office and the Immortal Dynasty, many cultivators still obediently knelt on the ground.
The crowd lifted their heads, gazing at the Immortal Office light in the sky that resembled a colossal sun.
As the Immortal Office light continued to bloom, faint figures could be seen within it, numbering in the hundreds.
Focusing their eyes, they saw they were the Immortal Officials who had descended upon the Northwest Immortal Office days earlier. The nine Immortal Nobles—Star-Shining, Ruolan, Heroic-Year, and others—were all present, standing behind them were some Hundred Tribulation Elders and Nine-Star Immortal Officials.
In addition, within the Immortal Office light appeared eighteen young men and women. Like the nine Immortal Nobles such as Star-Shining, each of these youths possessed an extraordinary bearing, an imposing demeanor, with arrogance overflowing from their expressions. They also exuded a powerful aura of bright, righteous energy. This vast aura was like an Immortal Spirit's protection, setting them off as supremely sacred. Standing within the Immortal Office light, they were like blazing suns, inspiring fear in the hearts of onlookers.
Bright, righteous energy.
Immortal Spirit protection.
Without even thinking, one knew these eighteen young men and women were also second-generation immortals, scions of the Immortal Dynasty who possessed the Great Sun Bright Light Dharma Form and Immortal Roots.
Many also knew that two days prior, another eighteen Immortal Dynasty scions had descended upon the Northwest Immortal Office. Like the Immortal Nobles Star-Shining and the others, when these eighteen scions arrived, they were guarded by Hundred Tribulation Elders and attended by Nine-Star Immortal Officials—their entourage was extremely grand.
It was said that these eighteen newly arrived Immortal Nobles not only had a grander entourage than Star-Shining and the others, but their status and backgrounds were also more noble, and their methods even more overbearing.
Especially one Immortal Noble revered as Jiaoying, who was said to hail from the 'Liuguang Family' of the Divine Land.
Those with some knowledge almost all knew that the Liuguang Family was a renowned Immortal Family in this world.
To be revered as an Immortal Family, the clan's ancestors must have been famous Immortals known throughout the world, and the clan itself must have produced more than one Immortal.
This was indeed the case.
The Liuguang Family's ancestor was the famous Flying Immortal Liuguang from the mid-ancient era. The family had a long heritage, having produced six Immortals in total. Jiaoying's own parents were both Immortals of the Immortal Dynasty. Such status was extraordinary and not to be trifled with, not just in the Great Northwest, but even in the Divine Land, a place teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Speaking of this Immortal Noble Jiaoying's reputation, while it might not be as world-famous as his ancestor's, within the Divine Land he was a well-known Immortal Noble. He was not old, merely sixteen years of age, yet he was already a Dharma Form Great Sovereign. Even more terrifying was the rumor that the Great Nature Spirit Colors he had achieved numbered a full one hundred and thirty-six.
One must know that even among Immortal Dynasty scions, while Heroic-Year was also a Dharma Form Great Sovereign, he had cultivated for several decades and possessed only one hundred and eight spirit colors. Yet this Immortal Noble Jiaoying, at the tender age of sixteen, actually possessed one hundred and thirty-six spirit colors. With such an exaggerated number of spirit colors, what level of Great Nature power he might wield was beyond anyone's imagination.
The cultivators of the Great Northwest might not know what kind of person Immortal Noble Jiaoying was, but those Nine-Star Immortal Officials knew that among the over eighty Immortal Nobles stationed at the Northwest Immortal Office this time—whether they had already arrived or not—Jiaoying's status and background might not be the most powerful, nor his cultivation strength the most formidable, but his personality was absolutely the most arrogant, the most unrestrained, and the most domineering among them.
He was not tall, wearing a purple jade crown, dressed in white robes with a white cloak draped behind him. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his aura sharp as a blade's edge, especially his eyes, which looked down upon the Great Northwest from on high, filled with wild, contemptuous disdain.
Compared to him, the previously imposing Immortal Noble Heroic-Year seemed much more docile, standing beside Star-Shining, not even daring to breathe heavily. He was like this, and even the arrogant Immortal Noble Ruolan was no exception, holding her spirit fox, her temperament noticeably restrained. The other Immortal Nobles also dared not swagger or show off before Immortal Noble Jiaoying.
Clearly.
They were all rather wary of Jiaoying.
However, what they feared was not Jiaoying's strength, nor his status and background, but rather the Young Master Long behind Jiaoying who had not yet arrived.
Among the nine Immortal Nobles, only Star-Shining remained as before, appearing gentle and refined like jade, a faint smile on his lips as he sat in a chair, sipping fragrant tea.
"All of you, listen! I am an Immortal Dynasty scion, Liuguang Jiaoying, stationed at the Northwest Immortal Office in accordance with the Immortal Dynasty's decree."
Liuguang Jiaoying looked down upon the Northwest land, his aura like a rainbow, his voice like thunder, exploding across the skies of the Northwest.
"Today, borrowing the light of the Immortal Office, I notify you of one matter. Several days ago, a criminal who claimed to be the successor of the Immortal Dao sinner Gu Tianlang publicly killed an Immortal Official of the Immortal Office. For those who openly provoking the dignity of the Immortal Office, regardless of their identity or background, the Immortal Dynasty will show no mercy! Let alone being merely the successor of the Immortal Dao sinner Gu Tianlang—even if he were Gu Tianlang himself, this Immortal Noble would still kill him without hesitation!"
Boom! Crash!
Accompanying Liuguang Jiaoying's proclamation, peal after peal of thunderous explosions rang out in the sky, shaking the cultivators of the Northwest border wilds until they felt dizzy and disoriented.
"From this day forth, all sects, gangs, and clans of the Northwest border wilds—this Immortal Noble does not care what you are doing, whether in seclusion or cultivation—you will all stop! All of you will come out and search for that criminal's whereabouts! I will spare no cost to find that criminal surnamed Gu and execute him on the spot!"
"Those who defy this order will be executed without mercy!"
"Those who disobey this command will be executed without mercy!"
"Those who know of his whereabouts but fail to report it will be executed without mercy!"
"Those who are acquainted or familiar with that criminal surnamed Gu must immediately report to the Immortal Office to undergo interrogation! Otherwise, they too will be executed without mercy!"