Gu Qinghe’s anger could no longer be restrained. A burst of qi spread outward from Wang Hao’s residence, so powerful that Yue and the other clan members could clearly feel it.

They sensed the overwhelming qi explosion and instinctively turned toward the residence, curious about what had happened inside Wang Hao’s home.

Wang Hao himself was visibly shocked.

His cultivation had once been at Peak Golden Core, but the corrupt energy spread by the cultivators of the Demon Alliance had forced him down to Peak Core Formation.

If this disaster had never happened, Wang Hao might have already broken through to Nascent Soul.

"Calm yourself, Qinghe."

"Since they agreed to cooperate, those demonic cultivators will never harm Wang Yunxi," Wang Hao explained.

Gu Qinghe took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He gradually suppressed the anger in his heart, stood up, and walked out of Wang Hao’s residence.

"It’s utterly disgraceful for a great clan like the Gu Clan to submit to the orders of demonic sect cultivators!" Gu Qinghe shouted furiously.

The doors opened, and everyone saw Gu Qinghe stepping out of Wang Hao’s residence.

Wang Hao also walked after him, his steps unsteady as he coughed repeatedly.

"Perhaps... they possess a Soul Ascension ancestor, which is why the clans cannot resist them," Wang Hao explained.

"The kingdom refuses to help. They believe the economy and daily life of the Song Kingdom have not yet been fully disrupted by the demonic sect cultivators."

Gu Qinghe fell silent for a moment. Soul Ascension was a stage above Soul Formation and Soul Transformation.

In short, Soul Ascension stood at the peak of the Mortal Domain Realm, a stage equal to Emperor Song himself.

With Qinghe’s current condition, fighting a Soul Ascension ancestor would be extremely difficult.

This disaster had become a complicated crisis for the Song Kingdom.

"Once they completely seize power, I’m certain they won’t allow a single cultivator in the Song Kingdom to reach Soul Formation," Gu Qinghe said.

"That’s right. They’re already hunting Nascent Soul cultivators outside the clans and sects cooperating with them," Wang Hao replied.

Gu Qinghe sighed and shook his head before looking closely at Wang Hao.

He was worried that cultivation life in the Song Kingdom was no longer suitable for the clan members.

The best option for them now was to leave.

"Listen to me!" Gu Qinghe shouted firmly, his voice echoing throughout the entire clan residence.

"Learn that natural qi cultivation technique and prepare to relocate!"

"Relocate?" Wang Hao asked.

"But the entire border of the Song Kingdom has already been sealed by complicated arrays. There’s no way we can leave quickly," Wang Hao replied.

"I’ll handle the arrays. You only need to prepare yourselves!"

"Bring your valuables and begin a new life far away from the Song Kingdom."

"I suggest... you go to the Yuan Kingdom!"

Wang Hao turned and looked ahead. All the clan members listened to Gu Qinghe’s words and nodded obediently.

To them, life in the Song Kingdom was no longer safe.

Their lives were threatened, and their cultivation bases continued to decline. The Song Kingdom had become a living hell for them.

Seeing their response, Wang Hao took a deep breath.

"If all of you truly believe relocating is the right decision, then we will prepare."

"All clan members must quickly learn that technique. I want us ready to leave within three days!"

"Yes, Clan Leader Wang Hao."

"Qinghe?" Wang Hao called. Gu Qinghe turned toward him.

"I know your relationship with the Gu Clan has worsened. I want to offer you something," Wang Hao said.

"What is it?"

"The Wang name!"

"If you do not mind, you can take our clan’s name, Wang. Your name will become Wang Qinghe."

"Yeah!"

"Long live Wang Qinghe!"

Gu Qinghe turned to the side and saw many clan members and elders agreeing without hesitation.

They could not offer Gu Qinghe anything else because of their difficult situation.

The only thing they could give him was the Wang name, the clan of his mother.

Gu Qinghe felt honored and deeply moved. Wang Hao was offering him an incredible opportunity.

Gu Qinghe brought his hands together and lowered his head respectfully toward Wang Hao.

"This junior is willing."

Wang Hao smiled happily, patting Gu Qinghe’s shoulder before announcing it before the entire clan.

"I, Wang Hao, as the Clan Leader of the Wang Clan, hereby declare Gu Qinghe of the Gu Clan as a member of the Wang Clan."

"From this day onward, he shall be known as... Wang Qinghe!"

"LONG LIVE WANG QINGHE!"

They cheered and applauded, congratulating Gu Qinghe, who had now officially changed his surname to Wang, becoming Wang Qinghe.

There were no strict rules regarding surname changes.

Only certain clan leaders had the authority to grant one to another person. In this case, Wang Hao had granted it to Gu Qinghe.

Although the Gu Clan name carried far greater prestige within the Song Kingdom, their connection to the demonic sects made Gu Qinghe ashamed to continue carrying that surname.

"I, Wang Qinghe, swear beneath the heavens that I will protect every member of the clan and lead the Wang Clan toward glory!" Wang Qinghe declared firmly.

Joy spread throughout the residence. They felt proud and excited that Gu Qinghe had officially become part of the Wang Clan.

Now, they possessed a Nascent Soul cultivator respected by countless people.

While everyone enjoyed the small celebration, a loud voice suddenly echoed through the skies above the city, startling Wang Qinghe.

"Who dares activate a qi gathering formation within my territory?!" the voice roared.

"That’s... the ruler of the Hongsu region," Wang Hao explained.

Wang Qinghe narrowed his eyes. He flew into the sky directly above the qi gathering formation.

His feet stood firmly upon the air itself as he walked calmly with both hands behind his back.

Three people wearing black demonic armor appeared. Their hair was black, two men and one woman. The aura radiating from them was equal to Peak Core Formation.

"A Nascent Soul Master?!" one of the men exclaimed in shock.

"You... do you understand what you’ve done?" another man shouted while pointing at Wang Qinghe.

"I understand perfectly well. After all, I am Wang Qinghe," he answered as he stepped forward, unleashing crushing cultivation pressure upon them.

"I came here to save the Wang Clan from destruction," Wang Qinghe added.

Wang Qinghe raised his hand. Golden qi light gathered at his fingertips, forming a massive golden rune.

The three demonic cultivators stared in horror, unable to think of any way to oppose a Nascent Soul Master like Wang Qinghe.

"You have no right to control the Wang Clan!" Wang Qinghe declared.

He gestured forward, summoning thousands of golden swords that shot toward them.

The swords rushed directly at the three cultivators, but they reacted quickly.

One of the men summoned a coffin and ordered a corpse cultivator to charge forward.

However, both the corpse and the coffin were instantly destroyed.

"What?!" they screamed.

BLAST!

A massive golden explosion erupted, shocking countless people. The three rulers of the Hongsu region died, their bodies falling from the sky.

However, Wang Qinghe did not stop there.

He extended his hand forward and pulled out the souls of the three demonic cultivators.

In an instant, their souls were ripped from their bodies and floated before Wang Qinghe.

"You... if you destroy our souls, the alliance elders will hunt you down!"

"No," Wang Qinghe replied. "I have a far better way to deal with souls like yours."