Each of the elders sent here was completely stunned when they saw Yi Tianyun. They doubted their own eyes. How could the first-place winner of the God Territory's War of Ascending to Heaven have become a Domain Lord?
Wasn't that gap a little too much? To gain control over the Chaos God Territory, you'd need at least God Monarch cultivation. Could it be that the winner of the Ascension Battle had already broken through to God Monarch?
But how long had it been since then? Just a few years, ten at most. For them, that time passed in the blink of an eye.
Let alone breakthroughs, most of them hadn't gained even a little insight. Yet he had already reached God Monarch? Even for a genius, that was far too monstrous!
So little time had passed, and he'd already far surpassed them?
"That's right. I am the one who placed first in the God Territory's War of Ascending to Heaven. If there hasn't been a new one held since then, I'm still the most recent champion," Yi Tianyun admitted with a calm smile.
There was nothing to hide. In a first-rank God Territory, he didn't have many enemies to speak of. So showing his face openly wasn't a big issue.
After he confirmed it, all the elders froze again. They were shocked by the bombshell. They'd expected the new Domain Lord to be some fierce and ruthless figure, who knew it would be an old acquaintance?
Back then, Yi Tianyun was still considered a junior and wasn't even on their level. Now, he had left them far behind!
"Could it be… he was sent here by a second-rank God Territory?"
That thought immediately popped up in their minds, perhaps a second-rank God Territory sent him here to establish a presence, and the real power behind him was Heavenly Spring God Territory!
That explanation was the easiest for them to accept. It made more sense if he was sent by Heavenly Spring God Territory, rather than building it all on his own. Not only the others, but even Nian Ciyu thought the same thing.
Everything had happened too suddenly, so suddenly that they instinctively couldn't believe Yi Tianyun had done it independently.
Boom!
A terrifying force descended from the sky, making their legs go soft, they nearly fell to their knees. After just a brief moment, the pressure vanished. Cold sweat soaked their backs. Only Nian Ciyu was unaffected by the pressure.
But even she could feel a horrifying power from Yi Tianyun. Seeing the condition of the other elders, she knew this wasn't something simple.
"It wasn't any second-rank God Territory that sent me. I came here to create my own faction. You all don't need to overthink it," Yi Tianyun said calmly.
The elders were now deeply shocked beyond compare. Yi Tianyun had used his strength to prove he was far more powerful than any of them! Just his aura had already scared them senseless. Now they understood, Yi Tianyun wasn't relying on a powerful backer. He was powerful himself.
And now that he revealed his true intentions, they were even more stunned.
"Don't worry. I harbor no ill will toward you. I only wish to build good relations with everyone. I have no ambitions toward the other God Territories. As long as everyone coexists peacefully, that's all I ask. But if anyone dares to invade my territory, don't blame me for being merciless!"
As he spoke those last words, his aura surged again, intensifying the pressure around them.
Yi Tianyun truly had no interest in other God Territories. What he wanted now was peaceful development, to strengthen his forces and aim for second-rank God Territory status! He had no desire to remain in a first-rank God Territory, where resources were limited. It couldn't compare to what second-rank domains offered.
Nian Ciyu's expression was complex. She didn't expect the little junior she once mentored had now become a Domain Lord. Meanwhile, she was still just a successor, waiting for the Tianyu Domain Lord to retire before she could take over.
Who knew how many years that would take? At the very least, right now she couldn't compare. Yi Tianyun had already established himself through strength alone, something she couldn't do yet.
"Yes, yes, of course… we're here to build goodwill. This is a little congratulatory gift from our Domain Lord!"
"We've brought a gift as well, just a small token of goodwill from our Domain Lord!"
The elders quickly responded and stepped forward to offer their gifts, various spiritual herbs. All were respectable offerings. Yi Tianyun signaled to the guards to accept everything, without a trace of politeness.
Nian Ciyu also stepped forward to offer her gift. Their goals here were twofold: to offer congratulations and to investigate. Now that the investigation was complete, they had achieved their mission.
"I've received your goodwill. I've also prepared a gift in return," Yi Tianyun said with a smile as he clapped his hands, signaling the guards to bring something in.
The elders were puzzled. What kind of return gift could Yi Tianyun possibly be offering? Was he really so generous?
Soon, a number of cultivators were brought in. Their cultivations had been crippled, they were basically useless now. From appearances alone, they were broken men, filled with despair and hatred. Their eyes were full of venom as they looked at Yi Tianyun.
Yi Tianyun ignored their looks. It was perfectly normal for them to glare at him like that.
"Aren't those the criminals we've been hunting in our God Territory?"
"That one too, we've had a bounty on him for ages!"
One by one, the elders were stunned. How were these fugitives here? And already punished?
Nian Ciyu recognized one or two as well, offenders who had committed serious crimes in the Tianyu God Territory and had fled. No one had known where they'd gone. Who would've guessed Yi Tianyun had already captured them?
"I wonder… would you all consider this a fitting return gift?" Yi Tianyun asked with a faint smile.
At that moment, they finally understood what a "return gift" truly meant, and it was indeed a major one! They had placed heavy bounties on these fugitives without success. Some of them were extremely powerful and had to be let go due to the risks involved.
For example, one God Monarch-level criminal would require massive resources to capture, possibly even leading to greater casualties. Now that these criminals were captured and handed over, how could this not be considered a grand gift?
This was a gift of enormous value, so much so that it shocked and delighted them. What had once been a thorn in their side was now effortlessly resolved. How could that not be a gift?
"Yes! This is an incredible gift! Domain Lord Tianyun, you are truly wise!"
"Many thanks to Domain Lord Tianyun! When we return, we'll certainly report this to our Domain Lords!"
"To be able to build relations with Domain Lord Tianyun is truly our honor!"
They were all very pleased with this gift, completely unexpected and immensely helpful. They had feared meeting a tyrant, but now it seemed their fears were misplaced. Yi Tianyun genuinely intended to establish friendly relations.