The next moment.
Ian Song's gaze fell on the three little foxes. The collars on their necks were enchanted; if forcibly broken, they would explode and injure all three.
"Sir, as long as you let this little demon go, I will remove the Binding Origin Collars from them!"
The blood-robed woman said.
"Savior, you can't let her go!"
Ian smiled, had the System scan her directly, and then found a secret art to control the Binding Origin Collars.
He flicked his fingers and cast a hand seal. The three collars flew off their necks, and the girls immediately regained their human forms.
"Thank you, benefactor! You saved us again!"
The embroidered-clothes girl said gratefully.
The embroidered-clothes girl said angrily, her eyes full of hatred—after all, this woman was their mother's killer.
After that, Ian pressed the blood-robed woman with questions, learning that their current location was still a hundred thousand li from the outside world. This blood ship was a flying treasure—if it flew at full speed, it could cross the forest in just two hours.
The main reason for its slow speed was the forest’s natural magnetic field. Without it, the blood ship could travel much faster.
In a flash, two hours passed.
A massive blood-red ship soared out of the forest and landed on a broad expanse of grassland.
Feeling the thick spiritual energy in the air, Ian couldn’t help but curve his lips into a knowing smile.
During those two hours, Ian had learned a lot about this world from the blood-robed woman.
Their current location was within the territory of the Great Chu Dynasty.
Don’t be fooled by the title ‘dynasty’—its lands were over ten times larger than the unified Yan Kingdom.
Their current location was the territory of the Great Chu Dynasty.
Don’t be fooled by it only being a dynasty—its territory was more than ten times larger than the unified Yan Kingdom.
At the same time, the Great Chu Dynasty was a nation formed entirely by cultivators.
The current emperor of Great Chu was at the peak of the Deity Transformation realm; if he merged with the Qi Luck Golden Dragon, he could even battle Void Fusion-level experts.
After the Nascent Soul stage comes Deity Transformation, and above that is Void Fusion.
Beyond Void Fusion lies the Tribulation period; if you survive Heavenly Tribulation, you can ascend to the rank of Human Immortal.
It’s said that the emperor of an imperial court is a Human Immortal-level powerhouse.
In the Yan Kingdom, Qi Luck was invisible and mysterious. But here, founding a nation required gathering Qi Luck to a certain threshold, then holding a Heaven-worship ceremony. If Heaven approved, two beams of Heavenly Dao golden light would descend. One would merge into the Imperial Seal, granting it the power to stabilize the nation’s fate.
Any decree stamped with the Imperial Seal infused with Heavenly Dao golden light would also carry a portion of supernatural power.
The other beam of Heavenly Dao golden light would merge with the dynasty’s Qi Luck, forming the Qi Luck Golden Dragon.
The Qi Luck Golden Dragon protects the dynasty, and the emperor can merge with it to gain power to kill above his cultivation level.
Dynasties also have their own ranks.
The lowest is a dynasty, above that is an imperial court, then an empire, followed by an immortal court, and above all is the god court!
Currently, the ‘upper state’ above the Great Chu Dynasty is the Great Jin Imperial Court.
Bringing the focus back to the Great Chu Dynasty.
Inside this dynasty, countless cultivation sects existed, but all of them sent representatives to serve as officials in the imperial court, working for the dynasty.
Only sects officially recognized and enfeoffed by the court were considered orthodox; those outside its protection were branded as evil sects, and anyone could slay them without consequence.
Those protected by the dynasty also received a share of its Qi Luck—the stronger the Qi Luck, the faster their cultivation progressed.
That’s why there’s a saying in this world: ‘It’s easier to cultivate with the court at your back.’
Cultivators like Ian Song, who belonged to no sect or faction, were known as rogue cultivators.
Their status was far beneath that of disciples from the great orthodox sects.
As for the blood-robed woman, she was an elder of the Myriad Monsters Sect, one of the ten great sects under the Great Chu Dynasty. Their sect master was at the early Deity Transformation realm.
The three fox demons Ian had saved were originally princesses of the Foxhaven Kingdom. A thousand years ago, the Great Chu Dynasty went to war with Foxhaven, and after winning, annexed its territory.
With its strength, the Great Chu Dynasty ranked only in the upper middle among the hundreds of dynasties under the Great Jin Imperial Court.
The Great Jin Imperial Court was extremely powerful.
It was so strong that a single elite army could wipe out the Chu Dynasty.
"Sir, I’ve told you everything I know. Can you let me go now?"
The blood-robed woman pleaded.
"Let you go, so you can bring Myriad Monsters Sect experts to kill me?" Ian looked at her.
The blood-robed woman hurriedly said, "Sir, I wouldn’t dare! I can swear an oath to Heaven—if you let me go, I absolutely won’t seek revenge. If I do, let Heaven strike me down!"
"Benefactor, you can't let her go!"
The embroidered-clothes girl said bitterly. This woman was their mother’s killer.
"Benefactor, as long as you’re willing to hand her over to us, we three sisters are willing to be your servants!" the red-clad girl said through gritted teeth.
At these words, the blood-robed woman’s expression changed drastically.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind, and she cried, "Sir, I have a huge secret! If you let me go, I’m willing to offer it to you!"
"Let’s hear it, then."
Ian said.
"You’re really willing to let me go, sir?" The blood-robed woman looked delighted.
"Speak first. If your secret is big enough to interest me, I won’t kill you!" Ian said.
Hearing this, the blood-robed woman relaxed. In her eyes, someone as powerful as Ian would never bother to lie, so she said, "Sir, I hunted their mother to search for the key to open the Foxhaven Treasure!"
Ian glanced at her, signaling her to continue.
The blood-robed woman said, "The Foxhaven Treasure was left by the Foxhaven royal family. It’s said to contain vast cultivation manuals, spirit stones, pills, and more. Most importantly, the Foxhaven Imperial Seal is hidden there. It’s made from a special immortal jade and is itself a supreme treasure. What’s more, it still contains residual Heavenly Dao golden light—if you can absorb it, it will greatly benefit your Divine Soul."
"I see. Did you find the key?" Ian asked again.
The blood-robed woman shook her head in disappointment. "I didn’t find it. My senior sister would rather die than hand over the key to the treasure!"
Suddenly, Ian glanced at the three fox-girl sisters and smiled. "Their identities aren’t simple, are they?"
The blood-robed woman’s expression changed slightly, and she gritted her teeth. "Sir, you truly have sharp eyes. The three of them aren’t my senior sister’s daughters—they’re Foxhaven princesses. I suspect the key to the Foxhaven Treasure is hidden on them!"
Ian secretly smiled to himself. This woman was still trying to hide things—if he hadn’t noticed the three girls were different from ordinary demons, she probably wouldn’t have revealed their true identities.
"Sir, I’ve told you everything. Can you let me go now?"
The blood-robed woman pleaded.
"Don’t worry. Since I promised not to kill you, I’ll keep my word. But whether they kill you or not—that’s another story!"
As he spoke, Ian casually waved his hand, tossing the blood-robed woman off the blood ship.
She froze for a moment, then desperately tried to escape.
Unfortunately, with her cultivation sealed, there was no way her physical body could outrun the three Golden Core girls.
The three girls chased after her without hesitation.
After a short while, the three girls returned and knelt before Ian:
"Jin’er greets Master!"
"Bing’er greets Master!"
"Yu’er greets Master!"