Chapter 1256: A Sword Message Across the Sky
Wu Ninglu was surrounded by an oppressive darkness, with no discernible source for the voice that echoed around her.
The voice, however, continued its strange, mocking laughter, relentlessly prodding her sanity.
“Show yourself!” Wu Ninglu shrieked, her voice raw with madness.
The voice ignored her, and instead, a series of images illuminated the darkness.
Wu Ninglu gazed at them, and the resentment in her heart instantly surged to new heights.
The scenes depicted the Sun family’s prodigious son, Sun Tianci, achieving Dao Integration at birth, an event that shook the world. Representatives from every major family in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had flocked to offer their congratulations.
Among them, to her utter dismay, was her own family, the Chen family of the Medicine Hall! Despite having already torn all ties with the Sun family, they had still dispatched an envoy with felicitations. Following the principle of not striking a smiling face, and out of respect for the newborn Sun Tianci, the Sun family had graciously accepted their gifts.
As for Wu Ninglu, Sun Tianci’s own mother who had mysteriously vanished, she was utterly forgotten, as if she had never existed.
...
The stark contrast between her fate and her son's sent Wu Ninglu spiraling deeper into madness within the darkness.
She wept and screamed, her cries like the wailing of a vengeful ghost.
It was then that the voice finally spoke again.
“You...”
“Do you want to make them pay?”
Instinct drove Wu Ninglu to lash out with a curse, but the last vestiges of her reason forced her to slowly calm down.
She answered without a moment’s hesitation, “I do! Senior, I beg you to save me!”
“Hahahaha!”
A wild laugh echoed through the darkness. “Your body and soul have already vanished from this world, leaving only a faint remnant of your consciousness. Even if you could be brought back from the dead, on what grounds would you challenge the Sun family’s five Dao Integration cultivators?”
Wu Ninglu’s mind went blank at his words.
He was right. Putting aside her current state, even if she had successfully devoured the Earth’s Soul and achieved Dao Integration, how could she possibly stand alone against the Sun family, a rising power at the peak of its momentum?
Despair washed over Wu Ninglu, but then a thought suddenly struck her. This senior, who had managed to save her from three Dao Integration cultivators, surely wasn't just toying with her for his own amusement.
The reason he would say such a thing...
Enlightenment dawned on Wu Ninglu.
“I implore Senior to teach me! Whether I succeed or fail, I, Ninglu, am willing to serve you as a beast of burden or a handmaiden for the rest of my existence!”
Wu Ninglu declared, gritting her teeth.
“Hmph, you’re nothing but a lingering remnant of a soul. Do you think I need your consent to control you?”
An immense pressure enveloped Wu Ninglu. In the terrifying suffocation, she felt her fragile consciousness on the verge of shattering completely.
As her thoughts grew weaker, her heart filled with utter despair.
Just then, for some unknown reason, the crushing pressure around her vanished.
“Fortunately, you’re not entirely a fool.”
The voice, now like a divine melody, rang in her ears once more.
Simultaneously, an incredibly profound text materialized in her mind.
The Three Disasters and Hundred Tribulations Mind God Technique.
*A single thought births a legion of demons.* It was a supreme divine art, powerful enough to bridge the gap in numbers between cultivators.
Wu Ninglu devoured every word, her thirst for knowledge insatiable.
“The Sun family... the Sun family...”
Fueled by the terrifying obsession for revenge that consumed her mind, the first baleful demon god of intent slowly began to gestate.
Hidden in the darkness, a clone of Li Fan observed the entire transformation and nodded faintly.
Although he had personally cultivated the Sun family's paragons, that didn't stop him from creating their natural nemesis.
As for when this future god of calamity, driven by nothing but vengeance, would be unleashed—or if she would be unleashed at all—remained to be seen.
It was merely another contingency he had casually set in motion.
“In this life, all preparations are in place. Now, all I have to do is wait for the show to begin.”
“Given the Saint Emperor’s personality and the current balance of power, the first clash between the two sides shouldn’t be too far off.”
...
Three months later, the first contest between the Sage Dynasty and the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance unfolded in a way no one could have anticipated.
The conflict began with a beam of sword light that came from beyond the heavens.
On that day, a golden light blazed across the firmament like a brilliant rainbow.
*At the far end of the Star Sea, beneath the High Wall, the Mystic Merchant Immortal Boat floats above calamity.*
Within the seven-colored rainbow, visible to the entire Xuanhuang Realm, sixteen words shimmered with a divine light.
It appeared to be a unique form of information transmission. Even when members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance attempted to erase it, their efforts were completely futile.
They could only watch as the rainbow light hung silently in the sky for seven days before slowly fading away.
However, the shockwaves sent by those sixteen words were far from over.
On the contrary, they were growing ever more intense.
In the Eternal Immortal Fortress within the Abyss of Roars.
Shang Shaojun recalled the sixteen words, lost in a daze.
“I knew he wasn’t dead. At the far end of the Star Sea, beneath the High Wall...”
“Has he already traveled so far?”
The image of the Saint Embryo Li Fan, so carefree and unrestrained, resurfaced in Shang Shaojun’s mind, stirring a sense of nostalgia and a faint touch of loss.
“Beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“If I had cast everything aside and gone with him back then, what would my life be like now?”
After staring into space for a long while, Shang Shaojun finally returned to his senses and got down to business.
He began sending messages to Diyi Jinglun, Ji Hongdao, and the others.
“Did you see the rainbow in the sky these past few days? That was the white-robed sword immortal I told you about. You said I was exaggerating back then. What do you think now?”
After his satisfying boast, Shang Shaojun checked the quantity of Clear Void Flowing Crystal in his private treasury.
Although the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had long ago banned its circulation, every major family in the Alliance had secretly hoarded some.
The material had been all but forgotten, but with the appearance of the seven-day rainbow, Clear Void Flowing Crystal was once again thrust into the public eye.
The common people had no idea how the Saint Embryo Li Fan had left the Xuanhuang Realm.
Thus, they instinctively guessed that he had used the same method as the sixteen Dao Integration cultivators who had previously departed from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
The purpose of the sixteen Dao Integration cultivators' journey into the depths of the Star Sea was unknown, but the message in the rainbow was crystal clear.
At the far end of the Star Sea, in a place called the High Wall, there was a Mystic Merchant Immortal Boat.
This Mystic Merchant Immortal Boat possessed supreme methods, capable of floating above calamity!
These sixteen short words swayed the hearts of countless cultivators, sending their imaginations soaring beyond their control.
The genius of the Saint Embryo Li Fan's message lay in its ambiguity.
It fully unleashed the subjective creativity of the Xuanhuang cultivators, making the Mystic Merchant Immortal Boat of their imaginations all the more mysterious.
Some cultivators even scoured ancient texts and found records of the Mystic Merchant Immortal Boat from antiquity.
“To be able to travel freely between realms for trade, and after so many years have passed, it’s obviously far more advanced than our calamity-ridden Xuanhuang Realm!”
“The Mystic Merchant Immortal Boat... just the name itself is enough to fill one with yearning.”
“Do you think that rainbow light from before was...?”
“Fellow Daoist, watch your words!”
Regardless of the truth, Clear Void Flowing Crystal had once again become the most sought-after item in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Although the Alliance issued another ban, it was completely ineffective in stopping the private acquisition of the crystal by the various families.
After all, this time, far too many cultivators were involved.
It had truly reached a point where there was safety in numbers.
Thus, the Alliance could only make an example of a few low-level cultivators with no backing, a token gesture to maintain some semblance of authority.
In fact, even the upper echelons of the Alliance were divided.
The Sun family estate.
Sun Luyuan returned to the secret chamber of the Immeasurable Mirror, his face etched with worry.
“Brother, are you concerned about the recent uproar over the rainbow message?” asked Sun Luyao, the spirit of the Immeasurable Mirror.
“Sigh, it’s more than that. The key issue is that this matter has huge implications. Mirror Holder Fu, who was being punished with secluded cultivation by the Dharma Transmitters, has emerged early because of it. He even specifically asked me about Tianci. That old fox...” Sun Luyuan spat hatefully.
“His meaning was that although Dharma Transmitter Jiang is keeping a lid on things for now, the incident was too big. The entire Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, every single cultivator, now wants to know what lies beyond the Xuanhuang Realm at the far end of the Star Sea. If they don't get an answer, it could destabilize the very foundation of the Alliance. And to make matters worse, we’ve lost contact with the Heavenly Venerate since his last message...”
“To stabilize the situation, the Alliance plans to announce to the world soon that they will create another Clear Void Rainbow and fly out of the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“Piloting the rainbow requires cultivators at the Dao Integration realm. Our Sun family has been too prominent lately; with five Dao Integration cultivators in our clan, there isn't a soul in the Alliance who doesn't know. I’m afraid that if they really do look for suitable cultivators to venture into the stars, our Sun family won’t be able to escape it.”
“Fortune and misfortune are truly unpredictable. If I had known, I never would have publicized Tianci’s birth-rite Dao Integration so extravagantly. It was our mistake; we were blinded by the moment,” Sun Luyuan sighed.
The Immeasurable Mirror spirit, Sun Luyao, frowned upon hearing this, realizing the gravity of the situation.
“Based on the clues I’ve gathered from within the Heavenly Profound Mirror, the space beyond the stars is likely fraught with peril. Even with the precedent of the Clear Void Rainbow, this journey will be a matter of life and death. If they truly assign one of our Sun family’s Dao Integration cultivators, we must be prepared for a sacrifice,” he said grimly after a long pause.
“The few of us have already discussed it. This is almost unavoidable. If the order truly comes down, Sun Luchang will go. I’m just afraid...”
Sun Luyuan paused and sighed, his voice suddenly dropping to a low whisper, “I’m just afraid they’ll assign more than one person from our Sun family.”
The underground chamber fell into a sudden, heavy silence.
“Brother, I have a brilliant idea.”
Just then, Sun Luyao suddenly offered a suggestion.
“Oh?”
Sun Luyuan leaned in to listen closely, his eyes lighting up.
Not long after, a rumor began to circulate throughout the various regions of the Alliance.
The upper echelons of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had already approved the plan to create another Clear Void Flowing Crystal construct. This time, the number of cultivators who could leave the Xuanhuang Realm and enter the Star Sea might be even greater than before.
However, the specific slots had most likely been carved up and decided internally by the higher-ups. Some powerful families had even secured more than one spot.
Such an explosive revelation spread like wildfire.
When cultivators heard it, they were all filled with indignation and fury.
Beyond the Star Sea! What a massive opportunity and fortune that was!
And they were just going to divide it up amongst themselves?
They completely disregarded the feelings of the grassroots Dao Integration cultivators who worked tirelessly to maintain order in the various provinces.
Although the Alliance quickly issued a denial, as long as the list of names remained undecided, the storm of this matter was destined to never subside.
In fact, many Dao Integration guardians from various provinces, who hadn't returned to the Alliance headquarters for years, made an unprecedented return, all for the sake of getting an answer.
As for the Alliance’s repeated emphasis that venturing into the Star Sea could be fatally dangerous with a minuscule chance of a safe return, it was all dismissed as mere excuses by the enraged cultivators.
They had their own counterarguments.
It is said that one can die content in the evening if they have heard the Dao in the morning. What is a little danger to be afraid of?
To achieve Dao Integration, who among them hadn't walked a path fraught with hardship?
To be trapped in the Xuanhuang Realm for a lifetime... if they could die in the Star Sea, they would have no regrets.
The provincial guardians of the Dao Integration realm were the cornerstone of the Alliance’s rule.
Now that these figures had united, even the Dharma Transmitters were feeling the pressure.
Finally, after serious deliberation, they gave their response.
The Alliance would carefully consider the drafting of the personnel list, striving to be fair, just, and convincing to the world.
With the Dharma Transmitters personally stepping forward to give their guarantee, the crowd of guardian cultivators finally departed from the Alliance headquarters.
But at the same time, this confirmed the previous rumors that the Alliance was going to create another Clear Void Rainbow.
For a time, Alliance cultivators were abuzz with private discussions on the matter.
With a first and a second time, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s exploration of the Star Sea would surely not stop there.
Though they hadn’t reached Dao Integration yet, who was to say what the future held?
And even if they had no hope of reaching Dao Integration in this lifetime, that Clear Void Flowing Crystal was something they could get their hands on, right?
They couldn’t get a piece of the meat, but couldn't they at least get a sip of the broth?
In the private market, the price of Clear Void Flowing Crystal skyrocketed once more. The moment it appeared, no matter how high the price, it would be instantly snatched up.
And some clever individuals had already begun to venture into various secret realms and small worlds, digging three feet deep, searching everywhere for traces of this Clear Void Flowing Crystal.
The Great Qi Sage Dynasty.
Seated on his throne, Li Ping looked down upon his assembled disciples.
They were all aware of the commotion within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
However, all matters in the Sage Dynasty were decided by a single word from the Saint Emperor.
Since Li Ping had not spoken, they could only act as if nothing had happened.
“Master, that Clear Void Flowing Crystal thing, should we get involved?”
“Charging out of the Xuanhuang Realm, exploring the unknown Star Sea... just thinking about it is exciting.” Ou Shangtian, ever the boldest, asked with a cheerful grin.
“Since the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance wants to court death, let them. The more Dao Integration cultivators they send out, the better it is for us,” the Saint Emperor said with a single, indifferent sentence, sealing the matter’s fate.
Ou Shangtian’s face fell with a hint of regret.
The others, however, were contemplating the meaning behind the Saint Emperor’s words.
“From now on, you must heighten your vigilance and be ready for battle at any moment.”
The Saint Emperor’s next words made their spirits jolt.
Sun Erlang nodded. “Those Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators are acting like they’ve lost their minds, searching for that Clear Void Flowing Crystal in every small world. Our Sage Dynasty is safe, they certainly won’t stumble upon us. The main concern is the many subsidiary small worlds we’ve already conquered...”
Li Ping said, “Avoid direct conflict for now, but there’s no need to go out of your way to evade them.”
“When you act, be decisive. Do not leak any information about the Sage Dynasty.”
The Saint Emperor’s words made the disciples eager for action.
“Sun Erlang.”
“Your disciple is here.”
“Yi Shu has been with us long enough. You will accompany him on a trip back to the Tai Yan Sect,” the Saint Emperor said calmly.
“Your disciple obeys,” Sun Erlang said, bowing his head.
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