「Doushuai Temple」
Wu Tian pulled a book from a shelf. It was none other than the *Nine Bends Yellow River Array*.
Within it were the Bewildering Immortal Pill and the Seal Immortal Technique, capable of making an Immortal lose their divinity, dissolving their spirit, trapping their form, corrupting their aura, destroying their origin, and crippling their limbs. Any Immortal who entered it would become a mortal, and any mortal who entered would perish. The array was laid by Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao.
The poem read:
The Yellow River’s foul array is based on the Three Talents;
In this calamity, all Immortals shall suffer.
Creation’s mysteries lie hidden in its eighty-one bends,
And wind and thunder lie concealed within its nine curves.
After reading for a while, Wu Tian went out and called over the little guy to teach him this Formation.
The little guy’s face immediately lit up. "I knew it! Dad loves me the most. MWAH!"
The little guy gave Wu Tian a kiss on the cheek.
「Meanwhile」
Yuwen Nuo hastened on horseback to the Dog Clan. He conveyed Wu Tian’s words to the Great Heavenly King of Dogs.
The Great Heavenly King of Dogs nodded solemnly and said, "Go back and tell your Master that this is a small matter, and I will handle it properly. Also, if your Master has any use for me in the future, he need only ask."
The task Wu Tian had for the Great Heavenly King of Dogs was for the Dog Clan to harass the surrounding nations. Of course, with Xiuyuan Country, it was all just for show. But in other nations, especially within the Heavenly King Country, they were to wreak as much havoc as possible.
After Yuwen Nuo departed, the Great Heavenly King of Dogs summoned his son, Kong Cheng, the Clan Leader of the Dog Clan.
"Father, what do you need me for?" Kong Cheng asked respectfully upon his arrival.
"Pass down the order..." After giving his instructions, the Great Heavenly King of Dogs added sternly, each word deliberate, "Remember, you must execute this flawlessly. If there is even the slightest mistake, you can stop calling me Father."
"This..." Kong Cheng hesitated. He, too, wished for his people to live in the Land of Prosperity, but the Dog Clan wasn’t ready to stir up trouble with the other nations so soon. What if it leads to conflict?
"What? You can’t do it?" Seeing Kong Cheng’s hesitation, the Great Heavenly King of Dogs’s expression turned icy as he barked, "Let me tell you, if you can’t handle this, I’ll just find another dog to be the Clan Leader. I have plenty of sons."
"Yes, I will do it right away," Kong Cheng nodded in a panic.
Kong Cheng immediately gathered the Dog Tribe.
"I have a task for you all," Kong Cheng announced, his face grim as he addressed the pack.
The dogs exchanged glances, wondering what command their Clan Leader had for them.
"This task comes directly from my father, the great Great Heavenly King of Dogs himself," Kong Cheng continued. "We must execute it flawlessly."
At his second sentence, a stir went through the pack. To serve the Great Heavenly King of Dogs, no matter the task, was an honor they all swore to complete. In their eyes, this was a great privilege.
One of the dogs cautiously asked, "What does the Great Heavenly King of Dogs want us to do? Assassinate other Heavenly King Realm powerhouses? Or retrieve some treasure from a secret land?"
Both tasks were fraught with danger, but the dogs were willing to undertake them.
"Wrong, all wrong," Kong Cheng shook his head gravely. "This time, Father wants us to harass the nations. Remember, within Xiuyuan Country, we mustn’t go too far—just put on a show. But in the Heavenly King Country, you are to cut loose and cause as much chaos as you possibly can."
"Is that... wise?" one dog asked, completely bewildered.
"Isn’t this too soon?" another objected.
Although they all wanted to move to the Land of Prosperity as soon as possible and escape their deep pits in the barren mountains, this seemed far too premature. They weren’t ready. Was it really a good idea to reveal their intentions so early?
"This is my father’s command. What? Do you have an objection?" Kong Cheng stared at them coldly.
"No... no objections," the dogs quickly responded, one after another.
But none of them could understand why the Great Heavenly King of Dogs was ordering them to do this. Regardless, the Dog Clan began to prepare for action.
「The next day」
In Xiuyuan Country, it was the Queen’s birthday, and the entire nation was immersed in celebration.
「Inside the Royal Palace」
Today, Si’er had specifically worn a lovely white dress, and everyone agreed she looked supremely adorable. Also present in the palace were princes and princesses from other kingdoms.
"You dressed up so beautifully. Is it really for that ’Big Brother Sect Leader’ of yours?" Si’er was on good terms with the princesses from other countries. A nine-year-old princess from another country pouted, "Tell me, do you like him?"
This princess was pretty, but compared to the likes of Si’er, the little guy, or Qin Yuhan, she was a tier below. Compared to the Empress, she was of a much lower caliber indeed.
"Don’t be ridiculous. It’s my birthday, so of course, I should dress nicely. It has nothing... nothing to do with him," Si’er huffed, but the blush on her face gave her away. Yet, seeing that Wu Tian still hadn’t arrived, she started to feel unhappy.
Oh, Big Brother Wu Tian... don’t you care about me at all? Thinking this, Si’er’s heart sank.
"What exactly is your relationship with him?" a ten-year-old prince asked, noticing Si’er’s expression. He was a prince from Qinghou Country. Though only ten, he had fair skin and handsome features and would surely grow up to be a fine young man.
"He’s just like a big brother to me," Si’er said. She was telling the truth; in Wu Tian, she had found the feeling of having an older brother.
"Hmph." The ten-year-old boy, Zhao Lan, turned his head away, displeased.
He didn’t believe it for a second. He was convinced there was no such thing as a pure friendship between a man and a woman; there had to be something fishy going on.
The other princes and princesses, meanwhile, grew even more curious about this "Big Brother Sect Leader."
"Is that person coming today?"
"I wonder what he looks like."
"Looks aren’t important. I heard he even killed that Dog Clan prince, Yanxi. He must be incredible."
"Yes, it would be great if he could teach us a thing or two."
They chattered among themselves, their words filled with admiration for Wu Tian.
"He’s not all that." Hearing everyone praise Wu Tian, Zhao Lan grew annoyed. "I’m only ten. When I’m his age, I’ll be just as strong—no, I’ll definitely be stronger than him."
The Empress of the Heavenly King Country was from Qinghou Country. And Qinghou Country was different from the other nations—it was a two-star country! As its only prince, who would dare contradict Zhao Lan when he spoke like that? They could only murmur their agreement.
Si’er’s face fell. She hadn’t invited Zhao Lan in the first place; he had just shown up on his own. And now he wasn’t just being disruptive; he was spouting outrageous nonsense.
Noticing the change in Si’er’s expression, Zhao Lan suddenly demanded, "Do you like that Wu Tian?"
Si’er replied firmly, "I’ve made it very clear. He is just my big brother."
"Really?" Zhao Lan squinted doubtfully. "Do you dare swear it?"
"Why should I have to swear an oath?" Si’er said, growing annoyed.
"You won’t swear it?" Zhao Lan exploded in anger. "And you still say you don’t like Wu Tian? If you don’t like him, why won’t you swear?"
Feeling he was being completely unreasonable, Si’er gritted her teeth and snapped, "Whether I swear an oath or not is none of your damn business!"
"I knew you liked him!" Zhao Lan clenched his teeth, furious. Ignoring the other princes and princesses around him, the ten-year-old boy shouted like a madman, "Si’er, have you two already done it? Tell me, have you?"