Aftermath

The situation on the ground rapidly grew tense following the strike from the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Golden Core realm expert. High above the Nine Heavens, a formidable divine mind swept across the void, descending upon the Heavenly Palace where Li Hanqiu, Patriarch of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, presided. Contained within that divine mind was uncontrollable fury. "Li Hanqiu, you must give me an explanation." Laced with terrifying pressure, the divine mind echoed endlessly throughout the palace. And yet... Li Hanqiu, seated within the palace, didn't even raise his head. "An explanation?" He paused. "I believe you are the ones who owe an explanation!" "Whatever else happens is internal to the Cangwu Realm—I care nothing for it. But you, as a Golden Core, actually intervened within the Cangwu Great World?! Do you have any idea what kind of consequences this could cause?!" "Indeed," Li Hanqiu replied indifferently. "And so I paid the price. Look at me—for the time being, I can't stabilize my Golden Core at all. If things go wrong... it might just explode." He lifted his eyelids slightly. "Lin Deng, tell me, what happens if it really does detonate?" "You..." The moment those words were spoken, the wrath of this Dharma Idol realm expert who had made such a fuss to demand accountability choked in his throat. Detonate? A Radiant Sun Golden Core exploding? Detonating above the Nine Heavens would be bad enough. If it detonated inside the Cangwu Realm... Even spanning thirty million li, the Cangwu Realm might not be able to withstand it. "We Golden Cores have lifespans of only several centuries. At our advanced age, can't we just quiet down and let the Cangwu Great World develop in peace?" Li Hanqiu said. "The one ignoring the rules is you, Li Hanqiu! The Cangwu Great World needs a unified consensus, which you agreed to. Yet now you have personally intervened, meddling in Cangwu Realm affairs." "Be that as it may... is the Cangwu Great World unified yet? No! It is not unified, yet your Wuji Astral Palace took the initiative to strike my Nine Cauldrons Sect. Is that not bullying? Seeing that our elite was exhausted during the Moon Demon Empire war, you want to target us first? If another Moon Demon War, Celestial Demon War, or North Sea War breaks out, who will stand on the front lines first? Your Wuji Astral Palace?!" "Don't make yourself sound so high and mighty!" Lin Deng sneered. "Your Artifact Sect suffered catastrophic losses simply because you were the Moon Demon Empire's very first target. You talk as if you acted out of noble righteousness." "Right now, the Wuji Astral Palace is the strongest. When another war arrives, the enemy will also target the Wuji Astral Palace first. At that time, can I just hide in the back and watch the show?" Li Hanqiu asked. "You..." Fury surged from Lin Deng's divine mind. "According to Article 1 of the Cangwu Great World Joint Charter, should the Cangwu Great World face foreign invasion, all factions must unite and unconditionally join the resistance..." "It seems you still remember the Joint Charter," Li Hanqiu replied unhurriedly. "Then you ought to know that my counterstrike was executed in accordance with Article 51—occurring only because our sect's sovereign territory was invaded. How about we convene a Golden Core council and see who is truly in the wrong?" Lin Deng sensed Li Hanqiu's condition. After a long moment, he gave a cold snort. "The more you strike, the more unstable your Golden Core becomes. Once you can no longer stabilize it, you must venture deep into the cosmos to meet your demise; otherwise, all Golden Cores will join forces to drive you out!" The Dharma Idol spoke with an earnest tone: "I say this for your own good. You appear to be helping them, but in reality, you are making them dependent on you. Whenever danger arises, they will run to you for help, which will only stunt their development. Every time they beg you to intervene, they are accelerating your death. If they don't even care about your life or death, why should you concern yourself with their survival?" "Oh, well thank you so much." "You..." Lin Deng's divine mind hitched. "Hmph!" He gave a heavy snort and spoke no further. His divine mind, powerful enough to saturate the entire void, receded like the ebbing tide. ... On the other side. Within a biosphere forged from an asteroid dozens of li across. Strands of divine sense and divine mind converged. When Lin Deng's divine mind returned, several divine senses chimed in simultaneously: "How did it go?" "Just as expected—brazen and unyielding." "If our Wuji Astral Palace wishes to take that step, we will inevitably face this kind of situation, whether from the Nine Cauldrons Sect, Fatian Pavilion, or even the Immortal Alliance and Myriad Beasts Sect. Besides, don't we already have a countermeasure? Let them strike. The more they strike, the worse their Golden Core's state becomes, and the higher the cost to maintain its stability. Whenever he can no longer hold on, he will have to depart obediently—otherwise, he will face the concentrated fire of every Golden Core." "With every intervention... our Wuji Astral Palace will likely suffer considerable losses." "No matter. So long as we remain sufficiently strong, elite cultivators from across Cangwu will flock to join us." "We must also tighten the economic blockade, using it to cut their spirit stone revenues... When their expenses exceed their income, their so-called sect will collapse of its own accord." "We must also beware of them choosing mutual destruction out of desperation." "Since they chose to shelter a domain, it proves they still hold emotional ties in their hearts. That being so, they understand full well what consequences mutual destruction would bring. Furthermore, everyone fears such an outcome and is guarding against it. Who wants to play with someone who flips the table and throws a tantrum at every turn? Once the time is right, they will be driven out by combined forces." "Over the years, we have also arranged numerous measures to prevent a Golden Core from crashing into the Cangwu mainland. Furthermore, we have laid down countless formations in the depths of the Cangwu Great World, which may well enable us to survive an attack on the level of a Golden Core self-detonation. And lastly... the affiliated worlds are our fallback!" "Then proceed according to the original plan. Mobilize the fleet and blockade the Nine Cauldrons Sect." ... The decisions made above the Nine Heavens swiftly rippled down to the Nine Cauldrons Sect within the Cangwu Realm. Following calls from the Wuji Astral Palace and the mobilization of more than a dozen sky-patrol warships converging from various directions in a clear posture of retaliation against the Nine Cauldrons Sect, many sect assets and outside enterprises fled the Nine Cauldrons Sect's territory in droves, terrified of becoming casualties in this war. Even deeply rooted institutions like Dengxian Tower, Zhaixing Tower, Divine Beast Pavilion, and Great Sun Tower were gradually pulling out. Most notably, the Dengxian Tower branch where Yaoguang had previously bought pills had shuttered its doors. Even Yaoguang could not remain unaffected in this climate. The immediate impact was that the Golden Divine Temple elder withdrew his original orders—abandoning even the deposit. In an instant, the high-speed, wildly lucrative operations of the Zixiao Institute ground to a sudden quiet. As for other industries... all were impacted. It was merely that the effects had not yet fully filtered down to the common populace. ... Jiuxiao City. The Hall of Martyrs. With solemn expressions, the assembly watched as Zhao He, Hall Master of the War Hall, reverently placed four jade tablets into their designated positions. Below, among the crowd standing to one side, Yun Lai and the parents of the other fallen heroes had eyes filled with grief. Yet alongside that grief was a heartfelt pride. Yun Qing, Zhan Yunfei, Zhang Lie, and Tu Hong had died for a noble cause. It was precisely because they gave warning with their lives that the Jiuxiao Domain had time to react, ultimately securing victory in the defense of Longxiang City. Otherwise... not only would the Nine Cauldrons Sect have suffered devastating losses, but its dignity would also have been completely trampled. The solemn ceremony proceeded. Once it concluded, Yaoguang walked over to Yun Lai and patted his shoulder. "They are all heroes of the Jiuxiao Domain!" Pain lingered in Yun Lai's eyes. If given the choice, he would rather his son had never become a hero. Yet he knew... such words were improper on an occasion like this. He also knew that without Yun Qing... untold numbers in the Jiuxiao Domain would have seen their families shattered, and untold lives in Longxiang City would have been extinguished. At that moment, Zhao He walked over. He said quietly to Yaoguang, "Someone higher up asked me to pass along a message. They want to know if you'd be willing to relocate the Zixiao Institute to Red City." "Relocate the Zixiao Institute to Red City?" "Yes." Zhao He nodded. "In just one month, the Wuji Astral Palace has deployed as many as three sky-patrol warships across the East Sea Archipelago, with even more on the way to be positioned in Shiwan Dashan to the south, as well as to the west and north... In such a peril-laden situation, the sect can no longer concentrate nearly thirty percent of its strength around the East Sea as before. In other words, the Jiuxiao Domain's defenses will be thinned. If sky-patrol warships invade again... we may not be able to hold them off." "Even the Jiuxiao Domain can't hold them off? Then what about the islands of the East Sea?" "To avoid unnecessary casualties, half a month ago our forces temporarily withdrew from Posuo Island and Haige Island... Even Fangyuan Island, Wanzhang Island, and Penghai Island are slated for temporary abandonment. The level-five formations on those islands simply cannot compare to the sheer firepower of a sky-patrol warship," Zhao He said. Hearing this, Yaoguang couldn't help glancing at the four newly added jade tablets in the Hall of Martyrs. Yun Qing's team had made their name in the battle of Posuo Island. Yet despite their desperate struggles, culminating in sacrificing their very lives, they still hadn't managed to hold the Posuo Island sea region. Not only had they failed to keep it, but if this trend continued, the entire East Sea Archipelago would be completely lost. "In truth, the higher-ups have another intention in having you relocate. Your feat in Longxiang City—using formations and the strength of over a hundred Great Cultivators to rout a third-generation sky-patrol warship of the Wuji Astral Palace—caught their attention. If nothing unexpected happens... they intend to have you lead a unit, or perhaps even..." Zhao He unconsciously lowered his voice further. "...let you try commanding a sky-patrol warship." Yaoguang froze, then showed a look of delight. "Our Nine Cauldrons Sect can forge sky-patrol warships too?!" "The sect cannot construct sky-patrol warships. However... we have long sought to purchase one from the Myriad Beasts Sect. A month ago, the Myriad Beasts Sect finally relented and agreed to sell us a warship. Although it's merely a first-generation, hundred-thousand-ton-class sky-patrol warship whose performance cannot compare to those of the Wuji Astral Palace, it will break through our Nine Cauldrons Sect's zero-to-one barrier for sky-patrol warships." "A first-generation sky-patrol warship..." Even so, that was already an immensely formidable existence. Every sky-patrol warship was equivalent to a mobile mountain gate, inscribed with array after array, amplifying every sword cultivator, spell cultivator, and spirit cultivator aboard. Without a sky-patrol warship, cultivators attempting to assault another faction's mountain gate would be wasting their effort unless they possessed overwhelming superiority. Yet the existence of sky-patrol warships completely neutralized such home advantages. They were the most powerful mobile war fortresses in the world today. "When will the warship arrive?" "Not until the current tensions ease up a bit," Zhao He replied. Yaoguang nodded. "Once the warship arrives, I'll go—" Mid-sentence, he abruptly stopped. The sixth branch, which had begun budding after his breakthrough to the Origin Spirit realm a month ago... had finally grown out.