Chapter 1277: Star Sea Anomaly Begins

"Go for it..." Senior Yin fell silent after receiving the answer.

"There's no need to worry. I have already made my plans. Regardless of victory or defeat, the orthodox lineage of Xuanghuang will be re-established. You and Xu Ke just do whatever you wish." The Holy Emperor Li Ping said calmly.

"But..." Senior Yin still hesitated upon hearing this.

"When the Law Transmitter appears, that will be the moment the Holy Dynasty's army launches its full assault on the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters. You two will take advantage of the chaos to infiltrate the Divine Relic Museum and retrieve Mr. Bai's skull. At this point, victory or defeat is a matter of grand strategy. Although neither of you is weak, your strength cannot sway the overall situation. Besides, the Divine Relic Museum is managed by the Illusory True Sage lineage of the Myriad Immortals Alliance; tying them down would be a significant contribution."

A gloomy aura flashed in Senior Yin's eyes: "It's just the lingering spirits of the ancient beasts from the Xuanghuang Realm. If Emperor One were still here, I might be somewhat apprehensive. But with only Emperor Three Tapir..."

"There's nothing to fear!" Senior Yin scoffed.

"The Illusory True Sages command the era of mighty artifacts. Even the most mediocre beings can achieve miracles after millions of simulations and deductions. Do not underestimate them!" Li Ping said solemnly.

The Holy Emperor's words still carried some weight with Senior Yin.

Instead of refuting, he narrowed his eyes and began to ponder.

As he pondered, a rustling sound, like silkworms crawling, emanated from Senior Yin's scalp once more. His scalp undulated, as if something might emerge from a crack on his head at any moment.

Senior Yin instantly grew annoyed, while Li Ping, with a flash, appeared beside him.

With a gentle touch of his palm, dots of starlight permeated, and the unusual movement gradually subsided.

"This is the backlash of your true self. Forcibly suppressing it is not a good strategy," the Holy Emperor remarked, seeing the problem at a glance.

Senior Yin wore a helpless expression: "Starting halfway through, after all, isn't the same as cultivating from scratch. Various side effects are bound to remain. I initially thought that as long as I consumed my original imperfect Dao foundation and rebuilt my foundation, everything would be fine. But recently, I listened to your teachings in the Star Sea and gained new insights. Only then did I realize that the 'complete me' I originally perceived was not entirely complete. My foundation is indeed unstable and requires further adjustment."

"Don't worry, I will handle it before the decisive battle," Senior Yin assured him.

"As long as you know what you're doing."

The Holy Emperor's voice lingered, but his figure had already vanished.

Senior Yin looked around, but was startled to find the incomplete "New New Method" — which had solidified from nothingness and been taken by the Holy Emperor — had reappeared on the long table where the Holy Emperor had been sitting.

It had suddenly reappeared at some unknown time.

Knowing this was left for him by the Holy Emperor, Senior Yin didn't hesitate, picking it up to study it immediately.

"Wonderful..."

Even though it was merely compiled to deceive the world, this half of the "New New Method" still appeared infinitely profound to Senior Yin, almost indistinguishable from a true divine technique.

He quickly became completely engrossed.

Within the Holy Dynasty, in the Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, specifically the Fire Attribute Grotto-Heaven.

An endless sea of fire, roaring flames like towering waves, occasionally erupted violently, surging directly into the sky.

The scorching flames, like wild stallions, devoured everything within the Grotto-Heaven.

Yet, in the deepest part of this purgatorial scene, a golden glazed flower bloomed strikingly. No matter how the surrounding flames raged, the flower remained as clear as ever, completely unaffected.

In the center of the glazed flower, the image of a world flickered in and out of view.

From time to time, a wisp of golden light drifted out from the glazed world within the flower. When the surrounding flames touched this golden light, they instantly ignited and burned even more intensely.

From high above, one could see the Hundred Flowers Daoist using the golden glazed light as a guide to continuously manage this fire grotto-heaven.

Compared to when it was first captured, not only the fire grotto-heaven but the entire Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven had expanded significantly, almost by a full circle. The Hundred Flowers Daoist's contributions were undeniable.

The Holy Emperor Li Ping's figure flickered into existence beside the golden glazed flower.

The roaring flames instantly subsided, not daring to approach, merely swaying subserviently from a distance.

"Well done. The Five Elements Grotto-Heaven has been managed excellently."

"And the other grotto-heavens too," Li Ping added calmly.

His gaze pierced through the firmament of the Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, reaching directly into the void beyond.

The Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, like a robust navigator, propelled the Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty swiftly through the void.

While surrounding it, it also synchronously enveloped nearly a hundred small worlds of varying sizes.

With the Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty at its core, they subtly formed a grand formation, resembling a colossal warship that struck awe into observers.

"It was merely my duty. Without the Holy Emperor's gift of the Myriad Spirit Ambrosia, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this," Hundred Flowers said, bowing before Li Ping.

Hundred Flowers also looked in the direction of Li Ping's gaze.

After a brief silence, she couldn't help but exclaim, "I can't believe I created such a magnificent sight."

"Most of them are no smaller than my homeland."

"Next, I'll need your assistance once more. Send this Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven back to the Xuanghuang Realm," Li Ping's voice arrived just then.

Hundred Flowers paused slightly, surprised.

The Holy Emperor, however, smiled and explained, "The time for evasion is over. Now, it's time for close combat. Let this grotto-heaven be the vanguard for the first battle!"

As the Holy Emperor spoke, the surrounding flames seemed to be encouraged, surging fiercely.

The Hundred Flowers Daoist also perceived a deep shadow flowing within the fiery grotto-heaven, beyond the flames themselves.

It was a terrifying entity capable of threatening her.

The Holy Emperor extended his palm, and the shadow flowed rapidly into his hand, transforming into a small, adorable insect with a tiger-like head.

It appeared plump and harmless, yet Hundred Flowers knew very well how terrifying this small creature was.

The fire grotto-heaven they were currently in, and indeed the entire Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, was merely an incarnation of this black insect.

In these past years, Hundred Flowers had, in a sense, been raising this insect named Dao Yi rather than merely tending to the grotto-heaven.

"With Dao Yi's help, dragging the grotto-heaven back won't be as strenuous as when it was brought here."

"You just need to return the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven to its place; Dao Yi will handle everything else," the Holy Emperor instructed.

As Li Ping spoke, streams of starlight emanated from his palm.

The Dao Yi insect, seemingly pleased, affectionately rubbed its plump body against Li Ping's palm, then greedily devoured the specks of starlight.

Its black body seemed to become even more substantial.

"Go."

Li Ping gently patted it. Though somewhat reluctant, the Dao Yi insect obediently dissolved into shadow and returned to the surrounding grotto-heaven.

The surrounding fire instantly became even more intense.

Hundred Flowers could sense that the entire grotto-heaven had seemingly come alive in an instant. Being inside it felt like being in the belly of a giant beast.

The continuous surge of dread made Hundred Flowers restless.

Li Ping noticed Hundred Flowers' unease and led her into the void outside the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven.

With a flick of the Holy Emperor's finger, the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven detached from the Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty and its void fleet formation.

"Don't worry. Dao Yi will only faithfully execute my commands."

Since the Holy Emperor had said so, Hundred Flowers could only nod. Suppressing her inner fear, she transformed into a golden light and flew towards the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven.

The Five Rings Grotto-Heaven was instantly edged with a golden glow.

Boom! Boom!

After the initial roar, the relocation of the grotto-heaven became completely silent.

Hidden by the Holy Emperor's formation, even someone standing near the passing grotto-heaven might not notice this moving behemoth.

Watching the Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven returning home, Li Ping mused to himself: "In Dao Yi's current state, it can silently alter the spiritual energy of the entire Xuanghuang Realm."

"This isn't just targeting the Myriad Immortals Alliance; it also seizes the opportunity to stimulate the Xuanghuang Realm, further activating its signs of revival."

Since the last enlightenment in the center of the Star Sea, a power of revival had briefly erupted within the Xuanghuang Realm. However, it was like water without a source; as time passed, the signs of revival gradually stagnated.

The newly opened buds on the Fusang tree branches were once again turning withered and yellow.

Transformed by the Dao Yi insect, the insect-modified Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven was like a powerful medicine.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is an extremely vital component of the Xuanghuang Realm. If it were to be eroded, it would inevitably trigger a fierce, instinctive reaction from the Xuanghuang Realm itself.

"The mission of the Dao Yi insect, in addition to creating a battlefield environment suitable for the Grand Revelation's soldiers, is primarily to insectify and devour, as much as possible, the foreign immortal cultivation realms that have been stitched together over thousands of years."

"After the great battle concludes, the Dao Yi insect will perish. With spiritual energy returning to normal, the insect's corpse, which is to say those foreign realms, can then serve as nourishment for the Xuanghuang Realm."

"After this insect calamity, the Xuanghuang Realm itself will become significantly stronger. Combined with the orthodox Xuanghuang methods I laid out previously, regardless of whether I or the Law Transmitter prevails, the Xuanghuang Realm will hold an absolute advantage in the future integration of all realms."

The Holy Emperor constantly simulated the scenes of the upcoming great battle in his mind.

His eyes gazed far, piercing through layers of spatial and temporal barriers, and he saw the Hundred Flowers Daoist successfully towing the insect-transformed Five Elements Grotto-Heaven back into place.

Amidst the silent roar of heaven and earth, the Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, now back in Tianling State, began to emit an unusual gurgling spiritual energy outwards.

The spiritual energy concentration in the Xuanghuang Realm would slightly increase in a short period.

Cultivators would find it difficult to detect the abnormality of this new spiritual energy. Only when the insectification was activated would they be caught off guard and lose their "right to call upon" the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Seeing the plan proceed smoothly, the Holy Emperor Li Ping finally withdrew his gaze.

With a step, he returned inside the Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty.

In the deepest part of the Holy Emperor's throne.

The core of the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth's Myriad Spirits was located here.

In addition, numerous other formations, such as the All-Being Refining Divine Formation, were layered upon it. Even the Xuanghuang Heavenly Dao consciousness, which was closely linked to the Holy Emperor, would have its connection severed here.

This ensured that all external prying could be cut off.

The Holy Emperor's disciple, Lin Ling, formerly the Spiritwood Avatar of the Spiritwood Realm, had now revealed its true form.

What looked rather peculiar, however, was that the tree was inverted, with its crown at the very bottom.

Its dense, intricate roots were at the very top.

Buildings like the Seat of Heroic Spirits, Holy Medical Institute, Holy Academy, Holy Heart Palace, and Holy Censorate, which were scattered throughout the Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty, were all connected to the roots of the inverted Spiritwood.

Within the heart of the tree, all scenes occurring within the Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty simultaneously appeared.

After a scene was played, the light and shadow transformed into green light and were absorbed by the inverted Spiritwood.

The Holy Emperor Li Ping looked at the inverted Spiritwood before him, a rare flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

"As the saying goes, 'plan for defeat before planning for victory.' This move by the Holy Emperor truly demonstrates great wisdom!"

Beside Li Ping, a yellow paper figurine with a worried expression was showering him with unrestrained praise.

It was indeed Daoist Yijue of the Dueh Sect.

He sat upon the Book of Dueh, his eyes fixed intently on the inverted Spiritwood before him.

"Furthermore, Holy Emperor, your current plan is also for the sake of the Xuanghuang Realm. It's not a fallback plan for yourself, so it won't dampen your resolve," Daoist Yijue continued.

The Holy Emperor remained silently unresponsive.

He merely cast spell after spell occasionally, causing the roots of the inverted Spiritwood to sway.

And at the heart of the tree, the speed at which those Grand Revelation light and shadow images were absorbed seemed to quicken.

After a long time, the Holy Emperor finally ceased his actions.

He suddenly spoke: "In this decisive battle against the Myriad Immortals Alliance, your Dueh Sect need not participate."

"As I said before, hide in the shadows and see..."

"If there are other prying eyes," the Holy Emperor said, his tone enigmatic.

"The war between the Holy Dynasty and the Immortal Alliance is a change in Xuanghuang unseen in ten millennia. If the power secretly monitoring the Xuanghuang Realm is still active, it will surely observe this and then transmit information. I don't ask you to find the ultimate destination of the information. You only need to confirm whether the event occurs," the Holy Emperor instructed, enunciating each word.

Daoist Yijue of the Dueh Sect's tightly furrowed brows finally slowly relaxed.

He clapped his hands and praised, "This action by the Holy Emperor truly aligns with the Grand Dao of my Dueh Sect. If the Holy Emperor is willing, I could even cede the position of Dueh Sect Master..."

Before Daoist Yijue could finish speaking, the Holy Emperor interrupted: "Regardless of whether I or the Law Transmitter wins or loses, you must inform the victor of the outcome. As for after completing the mission... you are free to go."

Daoist Yijue showed no joy at the prospect of impending freedom, but rather some astonishment. The paper figurine's vaguely shaped small hand pointed at the inverted Spiritwood before them: "I'm not going with it?"

The Holy Emperor chuckled softly: "The only living being in this foreign wood is Lin Ling, who serves as its core. I won't even leave any fallback for myself on it; does your Dueh Sect still wish to go along?"

Daoist Yijue instantly made a bitter face: "Holy Emperor, please reconsider. What can a tree spirit that has only just been born accomplish on its own? The Star Sea is vast; it might encounter some calamity and perish halfway. Wouldn't the Holy Emperor's escape method be abandoned halfway..."

Li Ping, however, waved his hand, interrupting him.

Staring at the inverted Spiritwood, he corrected: "It's not an escape method, but information preservation."

Daoist Yijue sighed: "Is there a difference?"

Li Ping narrowed his eyes, remaining silent.

This foreign wood not only preserved visual records of all events that had occurred since the Holy Dynasty's inception.

Even the true spirits and memories of those who perished during this period, originally located in the Seat of Heroic Spirits, would be transferred here upon activation.

This was a backup plan the Holy Emperor had prepared for the entire Holy Dynasty, inspired by the Grand Evolution Sect's theory of information immortality.

Or rather, the word "proof" would be more appropriate.

If Li Ping won, there would be no need to mention it; the foreign wood would not be activated at all.

But if Li Ping lost, then this foreign wood, at the moment of the Grand Revelation's demise, would carry the true spirits of the Holy Dynasty's citizens and fly into the depths of the void.

If it were a physical entity, it would certainly not escape the Law Transmitter's obstruction.

But if it were merely information, the Law Transmitter might not care.

Furthermore, the Dueh Sect would cause some interference at that time.

It wasn't that the Holy Emperor was hesitant about the decisive battle. After all, there was no reserved space on this foreign wood for any living being.

Rather, the Holy Emperor wished to leave a final proof of existence for the countless citizens who followed and believed in him.

Li Ping knew that during the thousands of years the Myriad Immortals Alliance ruled half of Xuanghuang.

The Grand Revelation of the Holy Dynasty was not the first to rise in rebellion.

Five hundred years ago, there had been instances of various realms uniting and rising in resistance.

But after their failure, all information about them was erased and sealed away by the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

As if these failures had never existed.

Li Ping's action was to prevent such a thing from happening again.

"Even if we lose, our existence will not be erased!"

"If, many years from now, the foreign wood could return to Xuanghuang and inspire later generations, that would be even better."

Numerous thoughts flashed through Li Ping's mind.

Faint emotions stirred, but were quickly quelled.

"Law Transmitter Heavenly Venerate." Li Ping silently repeated the name in his heart.

In fact, with his current strength, he was three-tenths confident he could stand undefeated against the Law Transmitter, or even win.

After his enlightenment in the Star Sea, he understood the current limits of this abyssal Star Sea.

Even if the Law Transmitter had dominated Xuanghuang for nearly ten thousand years, he certainly hadn't broken the current limits of the Star Sea.

But what made Li Ping vaguely uneasy was the shadow behind the Law Transmitter.

Heavenly Physician.

Although Li Ping didn't know much about this individual, an indistinct feeling in his heart told him that this person should absolutely not be underestimated.

Someone capable of conspiring with the Law Transmitter certainly wouldn't be weak.

"I can still handle the Law Transmitter. But if you add a Heavenly Physician..."

Although the outlook was not optimistic, the Holy Emperor's plan to launch a full assault in three years was not an impulsive decision.

Three years from now was an extremely special point in time.

Its uniqueness wasn't confined to the Xuanghuang Realm, but extended to the entire abyssal Star Sea.

According to the vast Star Sea's fundamental true intent, in three years, the Star Sea would once again erupt with its power of fundamental revival.

At that time, the power of revival from the Star Sea would engage in a large-scale conflict with the disaster energy lingering throughout the Star Sea.

Under the collision of these two immense forces, all cultivators within the Star Sea who had not yet reached a level capable of contending with them would inevitably be affected.

This applied to both cultivators who had attained enlightenment in the Star Sea and followers of the disaster energy.

This effect, for individual cultivators, would manifest as a significant weakening of their power ceiling.

Just as larger vessels encounter more turbulent waves in the ocean.

The stronger a cultivator's cultivation base, the deeper they would be affected by the Star Sea's and disaster energy's influence within the abyssal Star Sea.

The Law Transmitter and Heavenly Physician, two beings at the pinnacle of the Star Sea, would be temporarily and forcibly pulled down from their heights.

Although the Holy Emperor's strength would also be reduced, on one hand, a large part of his combat power came from the Holy Dynasty's destiny. As long as the Holy Dynasty stood, his exerted strength could always remain at a relatively stable level.

On the other hand, he had an indistinct connection with the Star Sea's fundamental true intent. Protected by it, he would only need to face the repercussions of the disaster energy, unlike other beings in the Star Sea.

"Through a brief exchange with the Star Sea's fundamental intent, I confirmed that no cultivator had made contact with it before me. Although I don't know why the Law Transmitter and others haven't discovered the revival of the Star Sea's fundamental intent for the past ten thousand years, it is undoubtedly a blessing for me."

"Not only does it reduce the gap between us to some extent, but I can even borrow the power of this vast Star Sea to a certain degree."

"However, unlike the Xuanghuang Realm, which has no other choice, this Star Sea is currently undergoing vigorous rebirth, and my power is too minuscule. I only have one chance..."

The Holy Emperor stood before the inverted Spiritwood, deducing all possible scenarios for the battle three years hence.

No matter how Daoist Yijue of the Dueh Sect tried to persuade him, he remained unmoved.

"If I could leverage the disaster energy, my chances of victory might increase further," the Holy Emperor mused.

The Holy Emperor couldn't help but think this.

What he could never have imagined was that in the distant reaches of the Star Sea, a group of beings attempting to master the Star Sea's disaster energy had also discerned the anomaly that would occur three years later.

Xuanxian Ark, Severing Immortal Tower.

Zhao Xian, also known as the Holy Embryo Li Fan, who was in secluded cultivation, was urgently summoned.

At the full core member meeting of the Severing Immortal Tower, Ai Tianjue spoke, announcing an event that could have a significant impact on the Ark.

"Across the Star Sea, the remnants of disaster energy are continuously strengthening, projected to reach their peak within three years?"

"Affected by this, the true immortal power attached to the Sea of Relics will also resonate. The usual fluctuations will greatly intensify, presenting an excellent opportunity for us to search for effective realm-destroying relics. This is a rare chance, occurring once in a millennium!"

"If all goes well, we might be able to collect enough relics for the next century in a single attempt!"

Upon hearing Ai Tianjue's report, everyone immediately became exceptionally excited.

Currently, due to the scarcity of realm-destroying relics, the Severing Immortal Tower's research into true immortal glyphs had been progressing very slowly.

Often, several cultivators had to share a single relic.

Only true wielders of power and their disciples had the opportunity to monopolize one.

Almost every cultivator in the Severing Immortal Tower was confident their aptitude was no less than anyone else's. If each person could have ample relics for research, the difficulty of their studies would undoubtedly decrease significantly.

"What I'm more concerned about is why this phenomenon is occurring," Chi Gongdao's voice came through.

He himself was not present at the meeting; the speaker was merely a brush interwoven with flesh and hair.

The flesh-and-blood brush continuously danced in the void, gesturing: "The Ark has always kept very detailed records of the fluctuations in disaster energy. Such an abnormal phenomenon has never occurred before."

"And abnormality either means opportunity, or it signifies..."

"Calamity!"

The flesh-and-blood brush wrote a large character in the air.

A strange fluctuation emanated from the character. All the cultivators present involuntarily felt a chilling sensation well up in their hearts, as if standing beside a ten-thousand-foot abyss.

"Gongdao, stop fooling around," a blue-haired elder said in a deep voice.

With just a glance, he absorbed the character into his eyes.

The speaker was Gan Jingda, the second elder of the Severing Immortal Tower and the presiding officer of this meeting.

After stopping Chi Gongdao's mischief, Gan Jingda said solemnly: "However, what you said is not without reason. In fact, a few of us have already analyzed this privately in advance."

"This anomaly is different from the previous reverberating star energy outbursts. I'm afraid the root cause of this anomaly still originates from the Star Sea itself."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent.

The cultivators present were all pondering the deeper meaning of this statement.

None of them were foolish; they were well aware that their current source of power came from the lingering true immortal power within the Star Sea.

However, to the entire Star Sea, this true immortal power was an alien, a heresy.

It was something that needed to be purged.

Given current trends, there seemed to be no possibility of the two integrating.

An anomaly was about to occur; what could be the possible outcome?

Would the disaster energy spiral out of control? For the Xuanxian Ark, which was already struggling to survive and was treading on thin ice, this might not necessarily be a good thing. Even if more true immortal power could be utilized in the future, the corresponding dangers faced would undoubtedly increase simultaneously.

This was the price of seeking true immortal power with a mortal body.

And if the Star Sea gained the upper hand, then the future for the Xuanxian Ark would be even less optimistic.

These remnants, who belonged to the true immortal power, would undoubtedly see their strength greatly diminished once they lost the powerful artifacts they once wielded.

Unless they were willing to change allegiance and return to the path of enlightenment and cultivation.

But...

A subtle atmosphere permeated the room.

Having experienced the ability to command true immortal power with a mere gesture, who could possibly be content with slowly cultivating step-by-step?

Ai Tianjue cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the room: "Everything now is still theoretical; there's no substantial evidence."

"The Xuanxian Ark has endured countless tribulations since ancient times. I believe we can safely navigate this anomaly as well."

The cultivators responded with applause.

"However, this anomaly is of significant importance. We have decided that, from today onwards, the Ark will enter an emergency state of readiness."

"Prepare to enter a wartime state at any moment," Gan Jingda announced the purpose of the meeting.

Although no one raised objections, the grave expressions on their faces were unmistakable.

Just then, Li Fan suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

"When the anomaly occurs, will the suction force in the Star Sea also be affected to some extent?"

"I've heard before about the Xuanghuang Realm on the other side of the Star Sea. Compared to our Ark, that immortal cultivation realm, still relatively intact, has far richer resources. Previously, we considered the journey too long and the Star Sea's suction force would make sailing there counterproductive. Now..."

As Li Fan spoke, everyone's eyes lit up.

Gan Jingda, Ai Tianjue, and the others exchanged glances, seemingly conferring.

Then, under everyone's expectant gazes, he said: "Regarding the feasibility of this matter, the Elder Council will conduct a thorough study and then make a concrete assessment."

"If it's feasible..."

"Our Ark might be able to find a place to settle and thrive on the other side of the Star Sea."

(End of chapter)

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