Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1024: Changes around the continent

Yang Qing's solitary figure merged effortlessly with the peaceful stillness and silence of his office. His energy and essence seamlessly blended into the environment to such an extent that anyone below the core formation realm would be unable to detect his presence if they entered the room.

He accomplished this impressive feat thanks to one of the runes associated with his Yin Yang Jade Nature Bones physique. This specific rune granted him abilities similar to the turtle breathing technique, although Yang Qing would argue that the effects of his rune were even better, at least for him personally.

The turtle breathing technique allowed one to merge their essence with their surroundings completely, becoming inseparable from the environment. Mastering this technique meant becoming one with everything around you—not just its physical elements but also its past, present, and future. It was akin to wearing the environment as a second skin.

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The jade rune had a similar effect, with one crucial distinction: it aimed for coexistence through mutual exchange with its surroundings. The user would influence their environment as much as it influenced them, striving for a harmonious balance. In contrast, turtle breathing was more submissive, involving shedding one's own essence and adopting that of the surroundings.

Both techniques required a deep understanding of the elements in one's surroundings; the more proficient the user became, the easier it was to execute them. However, Yang Qing still preferred his jade runes over turtle breathing because they had a meditative and calming effect he did not experience with the other technique. While he believed both were equally effective, he preferred his runes.

As the seconds passed, he sensed his heart and mind calming down as he embraced the peaceful atmosphere of his office. With each passing moment, it felt as if he were sitting in a rocking chair, swaying gently to the rhythm of the nearby lake. It was early morning, with a cool breeze blowing through the air and warm sun rays just peeking over the horizon.

As he sat there, allowing his body to relax and drift along with nature's harmonies, he slowly slipped into a tranquil sleep.

The sensation inspired the name he chose for the power granted by that rune: "Nature's Guiding Lullaby." This art was one he cherished greatly because it not only brought him peace and allowed him to meditate but also gave him the calmness to sleep in any location—even in this building that filled him with absolute dread.

A smug grin played on his lips as he thought about what he was getting away with: sleeping while technically on duty. He wasn't sure if that had anything to do with it, but this was the most relaxed he had ever felt when using the art. Whether it was the gleeful thought of pulling one over on the Order or the recent improvements to his abilities thanks to his Yin Yang jade physique, this was certainly the most at ease he had ever felt.

Allowing himself to drown in the sense of peace and relaxation, Yang Qing sat comfortably in his seat, even going so far as to add a few more pillows made from the feathers of a sapphire dawn goose, known for producing some of the softest feathers capable of relaxing the soul, unburdening the spirit, and clearing the heart.

If he was going to sleep on the job, he might as well do it properly. Lei Weiyuan wasn't around; that old demon would have no chance of sneaking up on him. This was his office—his fortress. But just in case, Yang Qing alertly looked around as he activated every conceivable array in his office. Only after he had ensured several times over that they were functional did he finally allow himself to sink into the slumber that was slowly overcoming him, a soft, gleeful, and triumphant smile spreading across his face.

...

Three hours quickly passed by while he was lost in sleep—not completely lost, as he kept a sliver of his senses stretched out in case one of the administrators reached out to him with another arbitration case, but otherwise, he was fully absorbed in the task at hand.

"I should sleep here more often," he groggily muttered, tightening his grip on the pillow beneath his head.

As Yang Qing savored the triumph of sneaking a few winks while on shift, the world outside his office was not as tranquil as his sanctum.

Word had spread quickly about one of the founders of the Red Maple Empire being alive, and not only that, the founder had also broken through to the domain realm. This sudden advancement propelled the Empire from its average rank-three status to a much higher rank-two position.

The list of shocking news related to the Red Maple Empire didn't stop there.

While information about them having a domain expert was noteworthy and capable of stirring a few waves, it wasn't enough to shake the continent. What truly sent shockwaves across the continent and stirred even prestigious organizations was the revelation that this domain expert was an in-name disciple of the founder of the Medical Saint Garden.

As one of the leading figures on the continent, whose personal repute and that of his sect was no lesser than that of the holy lands, any news associated with the Medical Saint Garden's founder would be met with great fanfare.

Thus, news about one of his disciples, even if it was just an in-name disciple, was capable of drawing the eyes of countless powerful organizations whose attention would not have otherwise been caught, even that of a middle-stage domain expert appearing in the Red Maple Empire.

The wave of news surrounding the empire continued, with four key announcements.

One was the announcement that the Medical Saint Garden would be opening up a branch in the Red Maple Empire, which came as no surprise to many considering the master-disciple relationship between the founder of the Medical Saint Garden and the domain realm ancestor of the Red Maple Empire.

Even if it was expected, it still created shockwaves as the Medical Saint Garden didn't open branches easily, with most of their power concentrated in their main grounds. The moment that news broke, it was expected that countless cultivators would be flocking to the empire, which is why the next announcement, although significant, seemed minimal in comparison.

The empire announced the termination of its allied relationship with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. In that same vein, all branches of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion would no longer be allowed to operate within the Empire's territory. Additionally, while their subsidiaries did not receive the same ban, they faced something far worse.

They were made subject to the Empire's governing rules and punishments if they violated these rules. The announcement went into immediate effect the moment it was made, as owners and members of those subsidiaries known to be guilty of violating the rules were rounded up one after another, with those guilty of grievous offenses publicly executed, with sentencing carried out by none other than the former and current emperor of the Empire under the domain ancestor's supervision.

The executions were met with mixed reactions from the citizens of the empire, with some crying tears of joy for what they saw as long-awaited justice, while others grew only bitter and resentful as they wondered why justice hadn't come sooner, before all the suffering they had been forced to endure over the years. Certain things, they felt, justice could not restore, like lost lives.

To outsiders, it was evident that there was bad blood between the empire and the pavilion. Without the Medical Saint Garden's backing, many would have distanced themselves from the empire, despite the domain expert leading it, due to the Golden Bamboo Pavilion's reputation. But with the Medical Saint Garden involved, they couldn't care less. Some audacious characters even entertained thoughts of attacking a few subsidiaries in the name of justice, all to curry favor with the Empire and, perhaps as a consequence, with the Medical Saint Garden.

Renown among the masses was incomparable between the two; while the Medical Saint Garden could decide life and death, the Golden Bamboo Pavilion was simply a powerful merchant shop eager to exploit anyone it could. It was easy to see which side would garner support.

The next significant news from the empire was the removal of the Duan family as the royal family, with the throne passed to the head of the Zhang family, who now became the new ruling family. However, the founding families of the Empire just like the subsidiaries of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion did not escape the domain ancestor's scrutiny.

The Gui family was demoted from their aristocratic status, with a substantial number of their members executed by the domain ancestor for their countless schemes and bloodshed over the years. Their lands and resources were seized and distributed to compensate their victims.

Despite their sins, the domain ancestor was still merciful, leaving them with a small path in life despite their numerous sins by letting them retain the hold of their main clan grounds, which were among the blessed grounds nourished by the Red Maple Spirit tree when it was alive.

Some of the emerging families were likely not too pleased with the decision, with some no doubt harboring ambitions of filling the void left by the Gui family, not only in name, but substantially too by inheriting their land. However, those ambitions would forever remain only to be that, unrealized.

As for the other founding families, with the exception of the Zhang family, who seemed to have fared the best among the six, the others, though they didn't suffer the same degree of punishment as the Gui family, still suffered heavily under the mighty hand of judgment of their domain ancestor for their deeds.

Most observers had assumed that with the Red Maple Empire producing a domain expert, it would expand its territory. Considering the history of the Empire and its origins, it was expected to continue with this guiding practice. Some of its immediate neighbors even prepared themselves for subjugation—some eagerly, others not as much.

However, things didn't go as they either hoped or feared. In fact, the opposite occurred: the Red Maple Empire ceded back the territory it had taken from some neighboring realms, including its long-standing enemy, the Five Clovers Kingdom. They returned all rightful lands to them and even initiated a truce, which the Five Clovers Kingdom accepted as the powerful Zhu family, who had supported them, only did so to spite the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.

With the Empire having already cut ties with the Pavilion, there was no longer a need for the Zhu family's involvement. Not that they could interfere anyway, as the presence of the Medical Saint Garden branch provided a better protective halo than the Golden Bamboo Pavilion ever could. The influence of the Garden could even sway the actions of powerful rank-one organizations, let alone a rank-two power like the Zhu family.

As far as groundbreaking news went, the changes brought by the Red Maple Empire were the biggest and most sensational. Though there were a few other noteworthy announcements, which, while not as grand as those from the Red Maple Empire, were still newsworthy. One such development was the sect master of the Yellow Lotus Sect breaking through to the palace realm and slaughtering seven palace realm experts immediately afterward. These experts were part of the organizations that had besieged the Yellow Lotus Sect over the past few years in a bid to loot their inheritance, as the sect had produced countless palace realm experts in its heyday before falling on hard times.

The sect master, known as one of the greatest talents since the sect's inception, successfully broke through to the palace realm. Immediately after solidifying his cultivation base, he single-handedly broke the siege around his sect, taking the lives of seven palace realm experts in the process.

While the news didn't capture as much attention as that of the Red Maple Empire, it was still sensational enough to draw the interest of many.