The Overlord of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Holy Dragon Society

“Enough. Don’t be sad. If you took him with you, he might not even live to adulthood. Only the Kindling Society can protect him properly.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Your mission is complete. From now on, you should start thinking about yourself.”

As she spoke, Ji Wuqing handed you a bronze-colored token.

“This is my Ji family’s Bronze World Token. Take it and come back to the Ji family with me. Your temporary residence permit is about to expire, isn’t it? If you join the Ji family, you can obtain a long-term residence permit.

“However, my identity as a member of the Kindling Society is kept secret from the family, so I can’t directly give you a higher-ranking position. You’ll have to start with this Bronze Token for now.

“Once I find an opportunity, I’ll upgrade your status.”

Ji Wuqing was offering you compensation on behalf of the Kindling Society.

You felt that this arrangement was quite good. It solved your residence-permit problem.

With that settled, you could focus on cultivation without any worries.

“That works.”

Ji Wuqing took out a spirit treasure shaped like a carriage. It was open-sided, but topped with an ornate canopy.

Then she took out a small gourd and released two white unicorns.

“Get in.”

You climbed into the carriage with Black Wind.

It was a carriage, complete with both horses and wheels.

But the horses could fly, and so could the carriage.

Once it rose into the air, its speed became astonishingly fast—so fast that you couldn’t even make out the scenery flashing past below.

“What kind of treasure is this? How can it fly so fast?”

In the Void Realm, you wouldn’t have thought it was anything special. But in the Real Realm, being able to fly this quickly meant it was certainly an extraordinary treasure!

“Cloud-Chasing Coursers and a Cloud-Treading Carriage. Both are treasures cultivators use for flying and traveling, but I chose to combine them because they can fly faster that way!”

Later, you learned that Ji Wuqing could fly as well. She had comprehended the Divine Art of Wind Control and mastered the corresponding divine techniques.

However, using divine abilities and divine techniques consumed a great deal of energy.

Whenever they had a choice, even cultivators at the Desolate Realm or Heaven-Ascending Realm would still choose to travel by mount or magical treasure.

Vermilion Purple Star was enormous, but with the combination of the Cloud-Chasing Coursers and the Cloud-Treading Carriage, you reached the Ji family’s ancestral grounds in less than ten days.

The Ji family was a major human power whose influence extended to distant planets.

The clan possessed countless industries, some of which spanned entire planets and even star realms.

Ji Wuqing told you that the Ji family was also the greatest human power in the entire Milkyway Star System.

The only human power that could rival the Ji family was the Jiang family, which was also located on Vermilion Purple Star.

Both families were ancient human clans with long and illustrious histories. Their inheritances had never been broken throughout the ages.

Even though humanity was now disliked by the myriad races and often subjected to contempt and oppression, such treatment was a minor problem in the face of the foundations possessed by the Ji and Jiang families.

“So they’re the strongest human powers?”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“No. I just find it strange. The Ji family is already so powerful, yet it can only operate on a First-Class Star instead of permanently residing on a Special-Class Star.”

“The Special-Class Stars are all occupied by the Sacred Dragon Society and its direct affiliates. How could there possibly be room for us?

“Besides, the classifications of Special-Class Stars and First-Class Stars were created by the Sacred Dragon Society in the first place. Our Ji family has lived on Vermilion Purple Star since ancient times.”

During the past few days, you had chatted extensively with Ji Wuqing, learning much more about the Real Realm.

For example, you learned that the classification of planets into first-, second-, and third-class worlds was entirely artificial.

It had all been created by the Sacred Dragon Society.

Originally, the distribution of immortal energy throughout the universe had been relatively even. Even where some areas had more or less than others, it was the result of natural circulation.

Later, however, the Sacred Dragon Society altered the distribution of immortal energy across the entire star system.

They concentrated vast quantities of immortal energy onto a small number of planets—the so-called Special-Class Stars.

Then they left relatively large amounts of immortal energy on certain important planets, making them First-Class Stars.

Finally, the regions they ruled indirectly became Second-Class Stars.

As for Third-Class Stars, the Sacred Dragon Society had never formally classified any planets that way. Any place drained of immortal energy by their policies could only be called a Third-Class Star.

“So, does that mean the Sacred Dragon Society is the ruler of the entire Milkyway Star System?”

Ji Wuqing smiled.

“You could say that, but you could also say it isn’t true.

“The star system is simply too vast. How many people does the Sacred Dragon Society have? How could they possibly govern such an enormous territory?

“It’s just that they possess an Immortal Emperor. Because no one can restrain them, they can do whatever they want.

“That allows them to establish the rules, making it look as though they rule the entire star system.”

“Are the members of the Sacred Dragon Society all from the Sacred Dragon race?”

“Of course. The core organization consists entirely of Sacred Dragon people. That’s how foreign races are—they’re extremely wary of outsiders.”

“Good. Very good…”

Ji Wuqing had no idea what you meant.

The Ji family’s ancestral grounds covered an enormous territory. Within them stood more than a hundred cities, all inhabited by humans, most of whom were related by blood to the Ji family.

For such a massive ancient clan, its members had long since spread across countless planets.

That was without even mentioning the branch families that had settled on other worlds.

Even within the hundred-plus cities of the ancestral grounds, the blood ties between the inhabitants had grown so distant that they could be regarded as strangers—distant enough to marry one another without issue.

The Ji family called itself a family, but in truth, it could be viewed as a large-scale, highly organized, strictly hierarchical nation.

It was much like the Shen family’s Starfield in the Human Realm, except the Ji family was vastly larger. It was essentially a universe-spanning chain of power.

Ji Wuqing was the eldest daughter of the current head of the Ji family. She was a true direct descendant of the main line—about as direct as one could possibly get.

She brought you to Wan’an City, where the members of the Ji family’s main line lived.

The streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians. Carved beams and painted rafters adorned the ancient-style buildings, while street vendors called out their wares. The city was filled with the warmth and bustle of everyday life, and the atmosphere was steeped in human culture.

At first glance, it looked no different from some of the cities in the Human Realm.

It was nothing like the celestial paradise you had imagined, shrouded in clouds and mist.

Only occasionally did a cultivator fly across the sky.

With a grand wave of her hand, Ji Wuqing bought you a residence in the city. She then introduced you to the city’s Patrol Defense Camp, where you were appointed as a squad leader.

“This is all I can do for now. If I suddenly gave you a position that was too high, it would be difficult for me to explain it to the family.

“Once I find a suitable reason, I’ll promote you again. Or perhaps…”

Ji Wuqing looked at you with a teasing expression.

“Perhaps you could simply marry me and become my live-in husband. Then your status would instantly rise from a Bronze World Token to the highest-grade Crystal World Token!”

The corner of your mouth twitched.

“Miss Ji, please stop treating something as important as your life’s marriage like a joke.”

“I didn’t realize you were so conservative.”

You smiled and said nothing.