The great mutation naturally drew the attention of everyone in the entire First Star Domain, let alone the demon butterfly whose power was already at the peak of the Extreme Realm.
At this moment, the demon butterfly was in court, listening to the reports of civil and military officials on various imperial matters. Although she had already learned about many of these matters through her own channels, she still had to maintain the demeanor of a wise ruler who valued her subordinates.
After all, the empire, though seemingly powerful now, had more than a hundred individuals at the peak of the Extreme Realm whose strength was not inferior to hers. If not for her father Mu Tian's cultivation at the peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm, another Quasi-Emperor might have already rebelled. Therefore, she had to break through to the Quasi-Emperor realm as quickly as possible before her father's tribulation, to nip those ideas in the bud.
"Your Majesty, we have just received news that the domain gate between the First Star Domain and the Second Star Domain has suddenly closed." A man, his head wrapped in a red scarf and clad in a standard gray general's leather armor, stepped forward, interrupting a civil official's suggestion regarding the implementation of a tax system.
He was the current patriarch of the strongest family in the Second Cosmos, the Wandering Clan, and also the Military Advisor of the Futian Empire.
Officials of the Futian Empire were distinguished by their robes as civil officials and armor as generals, with no special requirements for headwear. To balance interests, representatives from many major clans in the various universes entered the court, their appearances diverse. It was already remarkable that their attire could be unified.
"The domain gate is closed? Brother Lang Chen, what is going on?" The Military Advisor's words immediately stirred discussions among the officials in the court. After all, the vast majority of these civil and military officials resided outside the Second Star Domain, and the closure of the domain gate would undoubtedly have a significant impact on them.
"Liu Lang Chen, from where did you get this news?" The demon butterfly, seated on the imperial throne, frowned at the somewhat chaotic court and asked in a deep voice.
The demon butterfly's words carried immense authority. Although most of the court consisted of powerful cultivators at the Extreme Realm, they all fell silent at this moment, not daring to speak, their anxiety difficult to conceal.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, my son wanted to return to his hometown just now. After entering the domain gate, he found himself still in the First Star Domain after a period of teleportation. Therefore, he immediately informed me through the Heavenly Dao."
"I believe such an event might have been intentionally caused, so I reported it to Your Majesty immediately."
Upon hearing Liu Lang Chen's words, all the officials in the court, despite their inner anxiety, couldn't help but roll their eyes. It was well known that this man had interrupted the civil official's plea at the risk of being reprimanded by the Empress, clearly demonstrating his dissatisfaction with the tax system.
However, it made sense. When the empire was established, this man was the most ruthless in exploiting the various star domains of the different universes. Once the original tribute system was replaced with a tax system, the interests of their Wandering Clan would be reduced by at least sixty percent. Otherwise, why would this man have advanced from the early Monarch stage to the mid-Extreme stage in just one year?
It could be said that in the entire court, apart from the powerful demon butterfly, this man was the most ruthless. Moreover, he held a crucial position and was highly regarded by the demon butterfly, making him someone almost no one dared to offend.
At this moment, Ye Yun, who was observing all this, looked at this man named Liu Lang Chen with a flicker of surprise. It seemed that the bald man who followed him around was also called Liu Lang Chen, a wanderer, and a member of the Wandering Clan.
"It seems I need to ask that bald guy when I get back. He actually used a fake name to fool me!"
However, since the bald man had the divine念印記 (divine thought imprint) planted on him by Ye Yun, he could not betray him, so Ye Yun didn't dwell on it.
The demon butterfly sat there, her divine sense sweeping like a storm, instantly reaching the location of the domain gate. More than a thousand people were already gathered there, their faces filled with anxiety.
*Buzz...*
At this moment, a black vortex suddenly appeared above their First Planet, like a black sun hanging over the spiritual sea.
The demon butterfly's expression changed, and she immediately appeared ten thousand meters in front of the vortex.
"Father?!"
Upon arriving, the demon butterfly saw Mu Tian, who had arrived before her.
"The domain gate is closed, and there's this devouring black hole. It seems our empire's rapid expansion has touched the interests of some reclusive forces."
"Reclusive forces?!" The demon butterfly stood beside Mu Tian, observing the vortex that spanned over a thousand miles.
Inside the vortex was a void of blackness, constantly devouring endless spiritual energy, stirring up gusts of wind. Even the spiritual liquid in the spiritual sea was gathered by the powerful suction into a water column tens of meters thick, being devoured by the vortex.
"That's right. The path of cultivation is long and arduous. Countless families and races have risen and fallen throughout the endless river of time. Legend has it that before the ancient times, in the Tenth Cosmos, a peerless prodigy named 'Dao' emerged, forging a path with 'Dharma.' He abandoned racial biases and attracted countless rogue cultivators and powerful individuals, thus establishing the supreme Dao Sect, also known as the Dao Gate!"
Mu Tian seemed to be recalling something. Looking at the demon butterfly standing beside him, he couldn't help but shift his body slightly, taking a step away from her.
Mu Tian was also puzzled. Reclusive forces had disappeared long before his last battle for the Imperial path, but he couldn't comprehend what force could achieve such a feat based on the scene before him.
Closing the star domain gate could be accomplished by just twenty cultivators at the peak of the Extreme Realm who had grasped the Law of Space. However, this vortex could exist independently, and he had already tested it. Even his full-strength attack as a Quasi-Emperor could not affect the spatial structure within the vortex, indicating that the opponent's comprehension of the Law of Space had reached perfection!
The perfection of laws was something many cultivators in the First Star Domain had mastered. However, the perfection of the Law of Space, other than reclusive forces, was something he couldn't imagine any other power could possess.
The Law of Space! Let alone perfection, even mastering the rudimentary level of the Law of Space could make one invincible among peers. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost so miserably in his battle for the Imperial path against Jiu You, and even later, he wouldn't have become Jiu You's disciple.
This was because Jiu You's Law of Space had reached the Great Accomplishment stage, while his own was only at the Minor Accomplishment stage at that time. Now, after millions of years, his Law of Space had barely broken through to the Great Accomplishment stage.
It was precisely because of this that he could sense the terrifying spatial power contained within this vortex.
"Tenth Cosmos? Dao Sect? How strong are they?" The demon butterfly frowned, her thoughts drifting to Jié Mìng, and she couldn't help but link Jié Mìng with the Dao Sect.
"That's right. There are six major reclusive forces in the Ten Directions Heaven and Earth: the Dao Sect, the Ghost King Sect, the Buddhist Sect, the Immortal King Palace, the Oracle Hall, and the Demon King Palace, collectively known as the Three Sects and Three Palaces."
"The disciples of the Three Sects and Three Palaces always maintain a number of around ten thousand. Only when someone within them ascends will they contact geniuses within their sight and recruit them into the sect."
"Furthermore, the minimum threshold for their disciple recruitment is the Monarch peak realm. These Monarch peak cultivators become outer disciples after entering the sect. Only after breaking through to the Extreme Realm can they be considered inner disciples. Disciples at the early Extreme Realm who have comprehended one law can become core disciples. Those who comprehend two laws, with one reaching Great Accomplishment or above, become personal disciples. Those who comprehend three laws, with one reaching perfection, become children. Those who comprehend four laws, with two reaching perfection, are promoted to elder. Those who comprehend five laws, with three reaching perfection, become Grand Elders!"
Mu Tian's lips trembled as he said this.
"It is rumored that within the Three Sects and Three Palaces, there are terrifying great beings who pursue five laws and five perfections. Even I would be utterly defenseless before them."
Five laws and five perfections mean mastering at least five laws, with four of them already perfected! Once they achieve perfection in five laws, they can easily overcome the ascension tribulation and even reshape and strengthen their talent and physique after ascending.
Mu Tian's words carried a deep sense of unease. Could the current empire, with its hundreds of cultivators at the Extreme Realm and over a hundred million at the Monarch realm, already be posing a threat to these reclusive forces?