The Sun Moon Sect's Grand Hall, Fang Yuan sat solemnly upon the Xuanjin Throne, draped in the Xuanjin robes symbolizing his position as Sect Leader.
His gaze was piercing, looking down at the people in the hall with an air of natural authority, without the need to express anger.
Elder Tian Shu stood in the hall, his silver beard trembling slightly, and spoke in a steady and heavy voice, "In this war between humans and demons, my sect has suffered heavy losses. Four Heavenly Realm great cultivators... have all perished."
"Former Sect Leader Zhang Xuanting fought three Demon Lords alone with a force like thunder, but ultimately succumbed to exhaustion. Elder Tian Xing self-destructed his primordial spirit to cover the disciples' retreat, and there was also..."
Elder Tian Shu recounted the heroic deeds of Zhang Xuanting and others, but his voice began to choke, "The most heartbreaking was Elder Yu Heng, who chose to martyr herself and followed her husband into death..."
Standing in the ranks, Ruan Tianhe bit his lip hard, afraid that a slip of the tongue might make him laugh out loud.
At this moment, he still thought everything felt absurd, like a dream. He clearly remembered that just over ten days ago, when he parted ways with the Emperor at the Tianxiang Pavilion, the Emperor was merely a newcomer to the Northern Region, a foreigner without connections.
Who would have thought that when they met again, the Emperor had transformed into the ancestor of the top sect in the Northern Region!
His own status in the Northern Region had also soared, and he had become an elder of the Sun Moon Sect!
The plot had developed too quickly!
Ruan Tianhe sighed to himself and glanced at the others. Elder Tian Shu's sorrowful expression made everyone in the hall feel mournful. Several deacons were wiping away tears, but their mouths twitched unnaturally.
They had all witnessed the scene where the ancestor destroyed Elder Yu Heng, so the talk of martyrdom was just a story for the new disciples.
Of course, everyone tacitly agreed to keep quiet. In the Sun Moon Sect, some truths were probably more deadly than the poisons in the Hundred Poison Cave...
On the high seat, Fang Yuan lightly tapped the armrest, and after Elder Tian Shu finished reporting, he sighed deeply, "Sigh, my grandson Zhang Xuanting, and all the other elders, indeed, they were all heroes with iron bones. Pass my order, and in three days, hold a memorial service."
"The ancestor is wise!"
"Just as it should be!"
A chorus of agreement sounded through the hall. Fang Yuan nodded slightly and then changed the subject, "How is the aftermath being handled?"
Elder Tian Shu immediately replied, "Replying to the ancestor, the disciples who fled have been dealt with according to sect rules..."
"As for the Hundred Poison Cave..." Fang Yuan's voice lowered, "I've sent two Martial Saints to oversee it and have converted it into our sect's southern branch. The demon spawn are now all well-behaved."
Fang Yuan nodded in satisfaction. Having power and influence was a good thing—these trivial matters no longer required his direct involvement.
"Very well, the meeting is adjourned." With a wave of his sleeve, the meeting ended amidst the respectful gazes of the others.
After everyone left, Fang Yuan began to think about the future. Under his efforts, the Northern Region had regained peace.
Now, with both the Sword Treasure Pavilion and the Sun Moon Sect under his control, it was not an exaggeration to say that he was the master of the Northern Region.
But Fang Yuan's ambitions did not stop here. He had already sifted through the Sun Moon Sect's treasury, only to find that the "World-Breaking Law" was the sect's highest-level promotion method.
To continue progressing, he could not remain in the Northern Region.
After all, according to previous information, the Northern Region was merely a small corner of the Northern Continent, and it was likely that in other parts of the Northern Continent, there were world-shattering techniques that could break through the Heavenly Realm.
However, before exploring new territories, Fang Yuan decided to return to the Lower Realm for a trip. The abundance of resources in the Upper Realm had made him deeply aware of the vast difference between the two worlds.
As the saying goes, "Once a person achieves greatness, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." Now that he had firmly established himself in the Upper Realm, he naturally wanted to bring a few friends along to enjoy this opportunity.
Ordinary cultivators needed to reach the Martial Saint realm to break the void and ascend to the Upper Realm, but for Fang Yuan, this was not a difficult task.
After all, within his body was the "Eternal Frozen Abyss," a vast space capable of holding thousands of people.
It was basically a smuggling artifact.
While Fang Yuan was lost in thought, the "Book of Goodness" in his mind suddenly blazed with golden light, and the brilliant gilded words swirled like dragons:
[Your illustrious name has reached the ninth stage—Renowned Far and Wide: The reputation of your Sun Moon Sect's ancestor has spread throughout the Northern Region, and thousands of cultivators are now spreading your honorable title!!!]
[You can upgrade one of your martial arts talents.]
Fang Yuan smiled slightly at the expected outcome. He had carefully crafted his identity, not only to secure his position in the Upper Realm but also to upgrade his reputation.
He thought for a moment, "Upgrade [Fourth Heavenly Calamity]."
The "Book of Goodness" radiated with light, and new words emerged:
[The Fourth Heavenly Calamity has been upgraded to the ninth level. You can choose one of the following abilities to upgrade—]
[Teleportation][Weakness][Time-Space Reversal]
The familiar choice appeared again. After his last choice to upgrade "Blink" to "Shadow Swap," his strength had surged dramatically.
Which one should he choose this time? Fang Yuan pondered for a moment. Of the three abilities, he used Time-Space Reversal the most.
After all, it was incredibly useful.
"I'll choose [Time-Space Reversal] for the upgrade." He decisively made his choice.
Boom—
In an instant, the "Book of Goodness" exploded with unprecedented brilliance, and the pages fluttered, causing his entire mind to tremble, as if witnessing the transformation of a law beyond the Heavenly Dao.
"Heh, you really know how to create a scene." Fang Yuan chuckled and shook his head.
As the golden light gradually faded, new words appeared on the pages:
["Time-Space Reversal" has been upgraded to: "Time-Space Reversal"!]
Huh? Why did the name remain the same after the upgrade? Was there a bug?
Just as he was wondering, the "Book of Goodness" revealed new content:
[New ability: Save File (Active)]
[Effect: You can anchor and save the current time-space node, and later retrieve the saved file to return to that moment. You currently have one save file.]
Fang Yuan's eyes fixed on the newly revealed text in the "Book of Goodness," his pupils constricting, and his breath catching—
This new [Save File] function was simply a game-changer!
If the previous time reversal was a limited "undo," now he truly possessed the ability to "save and load" time!
No mistake, it was perfect. After all, he was a noble player—such basic game features were a must!
"Combining save files with the original time reversal, it's like having two time-reversal abilities at once, one for daily fine-tuning and the other as an ultimate fail-safe. This setup is ridiculously luxurious!"
"Tsk, tsk, no need for any pretense..."
Even Fang Yuan couldn't help but marvel at his own situation. It was unlocked!