Jiangcheng, West Mountain Villa.
After notifying Tianzhu to summon his divine soldiers, Ye Ling no longer concerned himself with the events at the Wuhou Sect. He returned directly to the villa, awaiting the arrival of his divine soldiers.
At the Wuhou Sect, with Feng Li dead, all other异士 combined posed no threat to the Wuhou Sect.
Furthermore, Ye Ling had saved the Wuhou Sect in front of so many people. Even if Ye Ling himself hadn't explicitly stated that he was protecting the Wuhou Sect, others weren't foolish. They would instinctively speculate about the relationship between Ye Ling and the Wuhou Sect.
Until they understood the exact relationship between Ye Ling and the Wuhou Sect, no one dared to make a move against the Wuhou Sect again.
However, for people to understand these relationships, they would have to risk their lives.
For a considerable period, no one would be willing to stake their lives and fortunes to test the relationship between Ye Ling and the Wuhou Sect.
In this way, the Wuhou Sect naturally remained peaceful.
Although the incident at Zhuge Feng's birthday banquet had, in a sense, ruined the entire celebration, the Wuhou Sect's reputation had instead risen. Borrowing the prestige of Emperor Ye Ling, the Wuhou Sect's reputation had soared to unprecedented heights.
Wang Die's objective had, after all, been achieved.
After withdrawing his thoughts from Pingyuan City, Ye Ling sat in the pavilion in the middle of the villa's artificial lake, eating biscuits freshly baked by Ye You.
At this moment, Ye You, carrying the freshly baked biscuits, walked into the pavilion and joked, "Brother, I was only gone to Xueyin Valley for two days, and you caused such a huge stir in Xichuan Province. The forums in our circles are going wild. You didn't even bring me along to get famous, that's not fair!"
Ye Ling smiled and shook his head, "What's so fun about this kind of fame?"
"I just couldn't sit still..." Ye You sat down opposite him, picked up a biscuit, and said while eating, "Although things have been peaceful lately, the threat of the Shadow Hall is like a sword hanging over our heads. As long as the Shadow Hall isn't dealt with, my heart feels restless, and I want to find something to do."
"Didn't you arrange for Bu Sigui to go to the Immortal Realm? Bu Sigui is a Saint. If he causes trouble up there, won't things get very big?"
Ye Ling said, "Don't worry about that. I'll keep an eye on Bu Sigui. The flow of time is different in both realms. The Immortal Realm is still developing at this time, so there's no use in you being anxious. Enjoy this current period of leisure in the mortal realm."
"Also, if you're really bored, I happen to have something for you to do."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Ye You's eyes immediately lit up. "Is there a job? What do you want me to do?"
Ye Ling said, "The continuous appearance of two dominant forces in the mortal world, Hongchen Pavilion and Yun Gong, makes me realize that after their influence expands to its limit, they are all exploited by the Shadow Hall and become their pawns in wreaking havoc upon the world."
"This way, even if we destroy Yun Gong now, the resources occupied by Yun Gong will be taken over by other forces."
"The positions vacated by the demise of Hongchen Pavilion and Yun Gong will not only plunge various countries into a power struggle but also, through a process of 'survival of the fittest,' quickly give rise to a third world-class dominant force, which will again be exploited by the Shadow Hall."
Ye You asked, "So, Brother, you plan to..."
Ye Ling: "I plan to establish the Demon Palace on Earth, seize the resources of Hongchen Pavilion and Yun Gong worldwide, and make the Demon Palace a dominant force on Earth and even across the Three Realms, setting the rules of the game and firmly grasping the scepter of power on Earth."
"This is to... rule the world?" Ye You was stunned.
Indeed, with Ye Ling's strength, let alone ruling the world, destroying the entire world would merely be a snap of his fingers.
Ruling the world was easy, but if they ruled the world through force, what would be the difference between them and Hongchen Pavilion or Yun Gong?
It would simply be that they weren't controlled by the Shadow Hall, but in essence, there would be no difference.
Seeing the doubt in Ye You's eyes, Ye Ling could tell that Ye You did not agree with what he said. He couldn't help but nod with relief and explained, "Don't worry, Xiao You. I don't intend to rule the world by force. The initial purpose of establishing the Demon Palace is not to have the entire world under the strict rule of the Demon Palace."
"What we need to do is to be transcendent above this world, balance the major forces, and suppress the emergence of dominant forces."
"Although to achieve this, some forceful means are still necessary, once successful, there will be a delicate balance among the top forces in the world, thereby reducing conflict and steadily elevating the power hierarchy of Earth."
"In this way, as long as the Demon Palace stands, Earth will not be thrown into imbalance."
Ye You asked again, "But if the Demon Palace rules for a long time, won't other forces be unwilling?"
Ye Ling smiled, "Don't worry. After witnessing the absolute power gap, no one will dare to challenge the authority of the Demon Palace."
"And if any force on Earth truly develops to the point of threatening the Demon Palace, I believe their perspective would be such that they wouldn't care about such a small place as Earth."
"Alright..." Ye You spread her hands. "You've convinced me, Brother. What do we do next?"
Ye Ling said, "First, the Demon Palace is newly established on Earth, and what it needs most is prestige, the highest international prestige."
"Only with high prestige can the Demon Palace deter people."
Ye You asked, "Then how do we gain prestige? To be honest, as a new force, even with you, Brother, as the founder, it would be difficult to make the Demon Palace's prestige reach the top in China, let alone worldwide."
"However, if you, Brother, were to openly take disciples, our force's prestige should increase very quickly."
Ye Ling shook his head, "No. Besides you, me, and the divine soldiers, the Demon Palace cannot take in people, at least not casually."
Ye You was taken aback, "Why?"
Ye Ling said, "Are you foolish, girl? Where there are people, there are desires. Our goal is a transcendent force, to balance the world. Even if the disciples of the Demon Palace have the lowest status within the palace, their external status will be unimaginably high."
"Once there are too many people, it becomes difficult to manage. If even one or two disciples act wickedly, the Demon Palace's goal of being transcendent will not be achieved. Even if the Demon Palace's power is immense, it will eventually be dragged into the mire of the world."
"My divine soldiers do not covet power. You, Xiao You, are under my guidance, so you can best embody the spirit within the Demon Palace. Disciples are valued for their quality, not quantity."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Ye You immediately pouted, displeased, "What do you mean by guidance? Brother, are you afraid I'll become a troublemaker?"
Ye Ling teased, "With your impulsive personality, you might just become one!"
"I!!!"
Ye You glared fiercely at Ye Ling, "I'm not talking to you anymore!"
With that, Ye You stood up and was about to leave. Ye Ling quickly stopped her, smiling, "Alright, Brother was just joking. When have I ever disciplined you? You don't listen anyway."
"Hmph!"
Ye You sat down with a pout, but she didn't let it distract from business. She asked, "Okay then, what do I need to do for the establishment of the Demon Palace?"
"Simple." Ye Ling chuckled, "Find the major top forces in the world."
"Then, challenge them."