The first batch of cultivators who joined the Righteous Blood Sect have now advanced to the True Lake Realm. They also participated in the previous expedition.

Compared to other sects in the Nine Provinces, the losses sustained by the Righteous Blood Sect and the Ziwei Dao Palace in the expedition were negligible. With Lann Qiyue assisting in eradicating the Blood Race, her cultivation at the Divine Sea Realm might not be very high, but the suppression effect of her saintliness was deadly to the Blood Race.

Thus, during the eradication of the Blood Race, the battles on the side of these two sects were essentially a crushing victory.

Sitting at the sect branch is a significant responsibility. Sects with the means generally choose someone at the Divine Sea Realm for this task. The Righteous Blood Sect doesn't have such conditions at the moment, with only enough Divine Sea cultivators available, so the True Lake Realm had to step in, just barely managing, though it required a bit more effort.

The Cloud River Realm is not suitable for this role: firstly due to the insufficient level of cultivation, and secondly because they are too slow. The territory spans a hundred thousand miles, and if an issue arises, a lot of time would be spent just on traveling.

Kong Niu and the other two have many tasks ahead of them. At a minimum, they must let the people in the branch's territory know that the Righteous Blood Sect will be open to them, and those with sufficient aptitude can join and travel to the Nine Provinces to learn from masters.

Additionally, they still need to organize manpower to mine resources.

Of course, these tasks are to be executed as sect tasks, and they will receive generous rewards in cultivation resources.

After one or two years, personnel from the sect headquarters will be dispatched to replace them, ensuring their own cultivation won't be affected too much.

That is roughly the process.

Lu Ye briefly coordinated with the three of them and then chatted with Pang Huanyin before using the Heaven's Augury Pillar to return to the Nine Provinces.

He reappeared in the Heaven's Augury Hall of the Righteous Blood Sect. Upon returning to the Nine Provinces, he faintly sensed some minute anomalies.

Due to the world's constraints, the Nine Provinces cannot birth cultivators beyond the Divine Sea Realm. Because of this, cultivation progress after reaching the Divine Sea becomes increasingly difficult.

This is why many cultivators are stuck at Divine Sea Level 6, Level 7, and Level 8 for years without advancing. It's not due to a lack of talent or cultivation resources, but due to the world's constraints.

Lu Ye has also felt this; despite his rapid progress, after reaching the Divine Sea, he could distinctly feel some invisible force of restraint. The higher his cultivation, the stronger this force felt.

However, because his foundation is so solid, combined with the support of his Talent Tree, while he can sense this force of restraint, it has little impact on his advancement.

But this time upon returning, he clearly felt that invisible force of restraint had weakened!

This is undoubtedly a result of the Nine Provinces absorbing the foundation of the Blood Refinement World and strengthening itself.

At Divine Sea Level 6, he could feel it so clearly. Those at Divine Sea Level 9 would certainly sense it even more acutely because the constraints of the world are strongest and most directly felt by this group.

This has led to the current state of the Nine Provinces, where Divine Sea cultivators, especially those at Level 9, are all in high spirits and full of anticipation.

It's finally confirmed that Lu Ye's earlier statements about the world's foundation were not empty words.

At the celebration feast for the end of the insect plague, Lu Ye publicly presented a shocking assertion. Though it shook hearts and minds, there was no concrete evidence at the time, so whether things were as Lu Ye claimed, no one could guarantee.

Moreover, at the time, it was a fact the Blood Refinement World was swiftly approaching the Nine Provinces, so the cultivators couldn't delve deeply into it and could only protect themselves first against the Blood Refinement World's invasion.

It wasn't until the pacification of the Blood Refinement World and the return to the Nine Provinces that they immediately sensed the change.

Thus, everyone was filled with joy and motivation.

Cultivators born in this era are extraordinarily lucky. In the post-Nine Provinces period, many generations were not without some individuals of extraordinary talent, but because of the limitations of the great environment, many were forever trapped in the Divine Sea Realm, unable to reach the upper realm.

Now, in this era, Nine Provinces cultivators are finally going to follow in the footsteps of their ancient predecessors and step out of the domain that nurtured them, venturing into stellar space.

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, no one knows, but a cultivator's life is ultimately one of continual advancement, driven by the instinct to pursue higher cultivation realms. Even if not in this time, cultivators will inevitably step onto the grand stage of stellar space.

This is something no worldly constraint can obstruct.

Lu Ye spent a few days of peaceful life back at the Righteous Blood Sect and, a few days later, under the guidance of the sect master, headed to Haotian City.

The reason was the celebration feast prepared in the Nine Provinces in honor of the great victory in the Blood Refinement World expedition!

In fact, even before Lu Ye's return, the Nine Provinces' cultivators had been preparing it. The reason for waiting until today was to await Lu Ye's return.

Undeniably, in the expedition to the Blood Refinement World, regardless of the early preparations or the subsequent campaigns, Lu Ye's contributions were immense, especially in the process of slaying the Sacred Seed. If this greatest hero did not participate in the celebration feast, it would have been somewhat unjustifiable and would have greatly diminished the event's splendor.

Furthermore, considering the abortive conclusion of the last celebration, this time the Nine Provinces pulled out all the stops, and the number of attendees at the grand event was expected to be several times more than the last.

This is both a celebration feast and a grand event where sect masters from the Nine Provincial States gather to discuss the future.

The original structure of the Nine Provinces has been broken, and how the Haotian Alliance and Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, the two major camps, will interact in the future is yet to be fully determined. Although there's a preliminary understanding, many areas still require discussion and adjustments before the new structure can fully form.

On the Righteous Blood Sect's side, only the sect master and Lu Ye attended; Shui Yuan isn't fond of such lively environments, and Lann Qiyue, being new to the Nine Provinces and of the Blood Race, finds it inappropriate to appear casually.

Haotian City is already overcrowded, with Divine Sea realms from the big sects of the Nine Provinces gathering together, socializing and laughing.

Due to the desire for the upper realm and previous sincere cooperation, the atmosphere between the powerhouses of both camps is mostly harmonious and jovial.

Lu Ye and the sect master arrived shortly before the banquet commenced, indicating that the sect master timed their arrival precisely.

Cultivators' gatherings are free of excessive formalities. As the leader of Bingzhou's Haotian Alliance, Pang Zhen stepped forward to give a brief speech, concluding with, "Enjoy the food and drinks; today we won't leave until we're drunk!"

The atmosphere suddenly became lively. The large square was filled with tables laden with exquisite fruits and dishes, mostly specialties from the Blood Refinement World. Figures moved among them, clearing empty plates and vessels, and bringing new food and drink.

The entire square buzzed with activity, resembling a bustling marketplace.

The top-tier elders were all present and seated in prominent positions, with cultivators constantly approaching to toast them.

Lu Ye's section was equally vibrant, filled with gratitude from those he helped during the expedition to the Blood Refinement World and those seeking to establish connections.

Everyone knew he was the one most favored by Heaven's Augury in this era; it's safe to say this is the era of Lu Ye. Even Feng Wujiang from the previous era doesn't compare, so naturally, they couldn't neglect him. Whether it had any practical use or not, getting acquainted was the first step.

Until, at a certain moment, a figure staggered over with a wineglass in hand, face flushed, clearly having drunk quite a bit.

Lu Ye quickly stood up: "How could I trouble Elder? I should be the one offering a drink to you."

The visitor was Wuchang.

Beside Lu Ye, the sect master also stood up.

Wuchang smiled, gesturing them to sit down, then plopped down opposite them without ceremony.

Once Lu Ye and the sect master settled back, Wuchang spoke: "They are all holding onto the air of seniority; I don't care about such things. I just came to ask, what's the path ahead for our cultivators' cultivation? Are there things we should pay attention to? What realm exists beyond the Divine Sea?"

At his words, the nearby chatter abruptly quieted, with the silence spreading rapidly, until the vast square became so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

What Wuchang wanted to know was exactly what all Divine Sea realms present wished to understand.

For the longest time, the Divine Sea realm was the limit of cultivation in the Nine Provinces, and nobody knew what lay beyond it, nor was there any experience from predecessors to follow. For the current Nine Provinces cultivation world, this situation is akin to crossing a river by feeling for stones.

If someone could shed some light on this matter now, it would benefit the entire cultivation world immensely.

Lu Ye was surprised: "Why would Elder come to ask me? I am only in Divine Sea Level 6..."

Wuchang gave him a sharp look: "Stop dodging, Heaven's Augury often gives you special treatment; do you think we old fellows are blind? If anyone has some understanding of what lies beyond the Divine Sea, it can only be you. If you can share some insights, please do; if you can't or don't know, let's pretend I never asked."

These words met with unanimous agreement, and eager gazes locked onto Lu Ye.

Lu Ye sighed, seeming to touch his battlefield marking unconsciously, but in reality, he was communicating with Number Nine.

Regarding Wuchang's question, he indeed knew something, mostly learned from Number Nine. Cultivators of the post-Nine Provinces period only reached up to the Divine Sea realm, while those from the pre-Nine Provinces period did not. Number Nine was crafted by the greats of the pre-Nine Provinces period and was thus familiar with cultivation matters.

However, matters concerning the future of a domain should not be publicized by him and need not be, because when the time comes, those eligible cultivators will naturally sense it.

If that wasn't the case, he would have told the sect master and senior brother about these things long ago.

But now, it seemed the top-tier forces of the Nine Provinces were getting impatient, leading Wuchang to lower his stature to inquire.

With so many people watching, not giving an explanation seemed unreasonable.

Moreover, it wasn't something that couldn't be said. Nevertheless, Lu Ye needed to consult with Number Nine.

Shortly after, Number Nine replied: You can speak.

Lu Ye understood.