Thirty years passed in a flash.
Thirty years went by.
The Da Qian Immortal Dynasty had been sharpening its weapons and preparing for war, expending vast resources and keeping the entire Realm on edge like a taut string.
However, the Deva Race remained elusive, and the anticipated catastrophe was long overdue. From Peak powerhouses to common Mortals, the tension within the Immortal Dynasty gradually eased during the prolonged wait, giving way to weariness and doubt.
The colossal war machine became a massive boulder pressing down on the Immortal Dynasty's lifeline. Taxes were heavy, corvée duties were harsh, countless Grotto-Heavens, Blessed Lands, Spiritual Veins, and mineral deposits were requisitioned for military use, Sect Legacies were obstructed, Loose Cultivators struggled to make a living, and the people were exhausted, their grievances echoing everywhere.
“Prepare for war! Prepare for war for thirty years! Where is the Deva Race?”
“The Immortal Dynasty's Foundation is empty! We Cultivators have no path to cultivation, our livelihoods are cut off!”
“Qianyuan Emperor! Return my Sect's Spiritual Veins!”
Sparks of rebellion crackled on the weary tinder, gradually forming a prairie fire. From remote small cities to the core Immortal Domains, disturbances rose one after another. Cultivators stormed the Immortal Dynasty's treasuries, Loose Cultivators formed alliances to resist conscription, and some ancient Sects whose Spiritual Lands had been forcibly requisitioned saw surging undercurrents.
Inside the Viewing Heaven Hall, the rotating light of the Star Instrument illuminated the solemn faces of the powerful. The faint tremors from outside the Hall failed to shake it in the slightest. The Qianyuan Emperor sat on the Nine Dragon Imperial Throne, his eyes beneath the Heaven-Flattening Crown as deep as a cold pond, and the Dragon patterns on his Nine-Dragon Imperial Robe seemed to be roaring silently.
“Your Majesty,” an old man in a star-patterned Dharma Robe spoke with a dry voice, “Urgent reports from all Realms indicate widespread popular discontent. Three Star Domains have already experienced large-scale Cultivator riots, storming the Realm gates and demanding the cessation of ‘Profound Yellow War Preparedness’ and the return of Spiritual Land resources.”
The Blood Slaughter Divine Lord bared his teeth, revealing their stark whiteness: “Ants are noisy! Kill a few as a sacrifice, and they will naturally quiet down.”
The Sword Cultivator Ancestor frowned slightly: “It's better to guide than to block. The war preparations' consumption is indeed too great. If this continues, before the Deva Race arrives, our Immortal Dynasty's Foundation might collapse on its own.”
The Kushan Buddhist Lord softly chanted a Buddhist invocation: “People's hearts are agitated, like boiling water, hard to calm. Your Majesty, you must stabilize the people's hearts.”
The Qianyuan Emperor's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the Imperial Throne, emitting a dull metallic sound. The Star Instrument's light screen remained calm; near the boundary wall of the adjacent Realm, there was only the ancient Void Realm turbulence.
“If the Deva Race doesn't come, does that mean we were wrong?” The Qianyuan Emperor's voice was low, carrying the emperor's Pressure, overriding all other noises in the Hall: “The anomalies were not false! The wailing of the Heavenly Dao in the adjacent Realm is still in our ears! Have any of you forgotten the shadow of that Strange Tree?”
The Hall fell silent, no one dared to forget that terrifying sight.
“Preparing for war is not for the sake of war, but for survival!” The Qianyuan Emperor suddenly stood up, Dragon Qi erupting, causing the stellar projections in the Hall to sway: “People's hearts are weary? Then let them know that complacency means utter disaster! Issue the decree:”
The Qianyuan Emperor's voice roared through the Hall like thunder: “First, activate the ‘Heavenly Hearing’ Crystal Stele! Select fragments of the collapsing remnants of the adjacent Realm and the scenes of Strange Tree erosion captured by the Star Instrument, and project them onto the core Crystal Stele in all major Star Domains of the Immortal Dynasty, so that all beings can personally witness what is called the ‘Cancer of the Great Dao’!”
“Second, all those who storm the Immortal Dynasty's treasuries, destroy war preparation resources, or incite rebellion, regardless of their Origin, shall be punished as traitors to the Realm! The Enforcers of the Tribute Hall and the Blood Sea Floating Butcher Guards shall jointly apprehend them and execute them without mercy!”
“Third, inform the Immortal Domain: The Da Qian Immortal Dynasty is preparing for the Deva Race's calamity with the strength of the entire Realm! All those who aspire to defend the Dao, whether Sect Cultivators or Loose Cultivators, whether righteous or unorthodox, may join the ‘Demon-Slaying Army,’ share resources, and jointly resist the great calamity! Merits gained during the war can offset all past transgressions! All gains during the war shall belong to the individual Sects!”
“Fourth, order the Realm guardians to open official granaries and stabilize the prices of Spiritual items, using surplus war preparation funds to assist benevolent Sects and Loose Cultivators harmed by the war preparations. This is an extraordinary time, requiring extraordinary measures!”
Commands were issued one by one, cold and decisive, using fear to deter, iron and blood to suppress, hope to recruit, and benefits to appease. The emperor's stratagem was fully displayed at this moment.
“Your Majesty is wise!” The Blood Slaughter Divine Lord grinned, accepting the order, his eyes glowing even more with blood-red light.
The Sword Cultivator Ancestor and the Kushan Buddhist Lord exchanged glances, both seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes, but they did not speak further.
Ji Yu's face was pale, yet he still urged the Star Instrument to maintain surveillance over all Realms.
Outside the Hall, the clamor of resistance faintly echoed; inside the Hall, the grim iron decrees had already been issued.
The Da Qian Immortal Dynasty, this colossal war machine, under immense pressure from internal and external difficulties, not only did not stop but was forcibly pushed by the Qianyuan Emperor to a more ruthless operating speed.
Would it turn the tide or accelerate its collapse? No one knew, only one thing was certain: the shadow of the Deva Race had not yet arrived, but the Immortal Dynasty's own storm had already descended.
Crystal Stele light screens lit up in the core of various Domains, and terrifying fragments of other-world destruction, along with the horrifying scenes of the Strange Tree devouring the Heavenly Dao, were for the first time starkly displayed before billions of Cultivators and Mortals.
Panic, despair, deathly silence… instantly replaced the clamor of resentment. The figures of the Floating Butcher Guards under the Blood Slaughter Divine Lord, like blood-red clouds of retribution, appeared in the most intense Star Domains of the riots.
At the same time, recruitment notices for the “Demon-Slaying Army” were posted all over every large Immortal City and market in the Immortal Dynasty.
The figure in the Nine-Dragon Imperial Robe stepped out from the Imperial Palace and was already standing at the entrance of Jingyuan Valley.
The Qianyuan Emperor's gaze under his Heaven-Flattening Crown was solemn, penetrating the layer of Chaos mist and casting towards the Spiritual Institute within the valley. Without words, the Imperial Might naturally permeated, and the Chaos currents in the valley slightly stagnated.
The next moment, Li Mu's figure appeared at the valley entrance, his plain robe spotless, standing in a perfectly calm area of about ten feet square.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” Li Mu spoke, saluting him.
The Qianyuan Emperor's gaze swept over the Chaos Domain around Li Mu, where all Laws seemed unable to intrude. A Dragon shadow flickered deep in his eyes, and he spoke directly: “Thirty years. The Immortal Dynasty has been taut like a string, expending vast resources, preparing for war with the entire Realm.”
The Qianyuan Emperor's voice was low, carrying the thirty years of accumulated weight: “However, the Deva Race is nowhere to be found. Popular discontent is boiling, and beacons of rebellion are lit everywhere. Iron-blooded suppression, Crystal Stele warnings, recruiting the ‘Demon Slayers’... I have exhausted all means to push this giant beast to its operational limit.”
“Yet,” the Qianyuan Emperor's tone suddenly sharpened, his gaze locking onto Li Mu like lightning: “As far as the Star Instrument can reach, across the myriad Realm barriers, there is still not a trace of the Deva Race's aura! Dao Friend Li, the Chaotic Great Dao is the Origin of all Daos, capable of perceiving the changes of all things. In these thirty years of silence, have you, being here… perceived anything unusual?”
This question was heavier than the stars, concerning the very Foundation of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty's survival.
Li Mu smiled slightly and countered: “Does Your Majesty wish for the Deva Race to appear immediately, or for them to appear later?”
Li Mu's counter-question was like a stone dropped into a deep pool, stirring a subtle ripple in the Qianyuan Emperor's eyes. He fell silent.
The body beneath the Nine-Dragon Imperial Robe solidified like a mountain, Imperial Might permeating, completely halting the Chaos currents at the valley entrance.
Li Mu said nothing more, just quietly watching this Immortal Dynasty Emperor.
After a long while, Dragon shadows churned in the Qianyuan Emperor's eyes, finally settling into silence. He looked deeply at Li Mu, his gaze complex, as if carrying a thousand catties of weight, yet also empty. He did not answer, nor did he press further.
The Qianyuan Emperor turned and stepped out, his figure vanishing into the vast Void Realm, leaving only a faint, almost imperceptible sense of heaviness.
Li Mu stood in place, looking in the direction where the Emperor had disappeared, and sighed softly, understanding his meaning.
Li Mu's Divine Thought entered the Chaos Treasure Mansion, specifically the Chaos Dao Tree within it. His Divine Thought attached itself to the Chaos Dao Tree, and along its branches and leaves, he perceived the situation of his three thousand Disciples.
Thirty years, a mere flick of a finger.
The three thousand Disciples who had planted their Dao Seeds back then had already dispersed into the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty and even wider Realms.
In a certain deep mountain Dao Palace, a female Cultivator in a green dress stood quietly beneath an ancient tree. The tree was not a real tree, but the phantom of the “Azure Yi Dao Tree” formed from her Wood Element Dao Seed. Its roots could temporarily penetrate the Void Realm, drawing in Origin Qi. With a touch of green light from her fingertip onto a withered branch, the branch sprouted and instantly blossomed. Her aura was profound, having reached the Mahayana Realm.
In the East Sea, on a Spiritual Island, a man stood alone on a reef, carrying an ancient sword on his back. In his Sea of Consciousness, that sharp Dao Seed had transformed into a small sword of an inch, exhaling golden sharp Qi. In front of him was a giant whale Prodigy; he pointed his fingers and slashed, killing it silently. His Sword Intent soared to the heavens, its sharpness contained.
In the Western Regions, yellow sand filled the sky. A dilapidated ancient city was enveloped by an invisible force field, impervious to wind and sand. A grey-robed Cultivator sat at the core of the formation. In his Sea of Consciousness, the Earth Element Dao Seed had evolved into the phantom of the “Nine Mountains Suppressing Hell Seal,” connecting with the earth's pulse. The ancient city's Foundation was invisibly reinforced, and its crumbling walls faintly glowed with an earthy yellow luster. He alone was the Foundation of a city.
...
Li Mu did not need to consciously sense; within the Chaos Treasure Mansion in his Sea of Consciousness, three thousand invisible “roots” extended from the majestic Dao Tree, penetrating the Void Realm and connecting to the Disciples scattered in all directions.
Most of the roots were strong and vigorous, transmitting rhythms that were either sharp, profound, or full of vitality, indicating that the Dao Seeds were growing well and coexisting with their hosts.
A few roots were dim and withered, or even conveyed a deathly chill, indicating that the Dao Seeds were incompatible with their Dao Lords, unable to assist them in entering deeper Realms.
Moreover, several hundred roots transmitted powerful and unique rhythms, subtly touching the Origin of the Great Dao, indicating that their hosts had reached extremely high Realms, and their Dao Seeds were about to “blossom.”
After thirty years of cultivating the Dao Seeds, the Dao Seeds and the Cultivators had long become inseparable. Some ascended, while others turned to dust.
Three thousand nascent Great Daos were quietly growing in this world, using human bodies as their soil.
“It's almost time!”
Li Mu opened his eyes and sighed. Immediately, the Chaotic Dao Domain unfolded, and profound Chaotic Dao Intent spread throughout the entire Da Qian Immortal Dynasty, summoning the three thousand Disciples to return, preparing to face the great calamity of the Deva Race invasion.
Responding to Li Mu's summons, in the Imperial Capital, a humble accountant's fingertip, an ebony abacus bead silently turned to dust. The person, like ink erased by an eraser, quietly faded away amidst the clamor, leaving no trace.
A wealthy old master, who was currently visiting a brothel, his expression suddenly turned serious. Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he transformed into a golden stream of light and disappeared without a trace.
...
Sharp sword light, vigorous wood shadows, explosive fire glows, profound earth radiance, eerie poisonous miasma, faintly visible threads of Karma... Streams of light, each with a distinct form and a different aura yet sharing the same Origin and lineage, tore through the tranquility of the firmament. They penetrated layers of Realm barriers, disregarding distance, carrying Dao Rhymes that were either fierce, profound, or mysterious, like thousands of arrows returning to their nest, shooting towards the same place.
...
Over two thousand figures, their auras either as strong as an abyss, as weak as a firefly, as grand and righteous, or as evil and treacherous, now returned to their positions. They stood silently behind Li Mu, like his extended shadows, a vast aura mixed with determination, grimness, anticipation, and deathly silence, silently permeated the air.
Just then, Li Mu's gaze pierced through the Void Realm, locking onto the outermost layer of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty, that solid Realm barrier that had separated the ancient Void Realm.
“Crack—!” A crisp sound.
A terrifying crisp sound, directly exploding deep within the Origin of billions of living beings, suddenly descended!
The solid Realm barrier, which spanned the galaxy and had protected the Immortal Dynasty for billions of years, was like a glass dome struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly covered with dense, spiderweb-like cracks! Immediately after, under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, a massive chasm, spanning the entire galaxy, burst open with a roar!
Beyond the chasm, there was a churning, deathly silent, all-consuming white mist—a strange, white dense mist!
The mist was thick as substance, exuding an extreme cold that extinguished life, disregarding the constraints of spatial Laws, like a breached dam of death, madly pouring inward!
The light of nearby stars instantly dimmed and extinguished, like burnt-out embers. The pure Spiritual Qi in space was greedily sucked away and polluted, turning into decaying strange white; the Heavenly Dao Laws of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty groaned under the unbearable strain, wailing as they twisted and disintegrated!
Deep within the impenetrable, strange white mist, terrifying, indistinct outlines began to writhe and emerge.
These were twisted existences that defied normal description. Arthropod limbs and tentacles were haphazardly pieced together, bone spurs and tumors coexisted deformity, oozing foul mucus, exuding a Soul-shivering decay and pure malice. Countless crimson, sickly green, and shadowy compound eyes lit up one after another in the thick mist, coldly, greedily, and emotionlessly locking onto the vibrant world of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty.
The viscous strange mist, like a tide of death, swept in with an unstoppable momentum.
Behind the massive wound of the Realm barrier chasm, countless monstrous Deva Race figures, like maggots smelling blood, began to gather and surge, forming a foul, twisted, and destructive white torrent, about to pour down!
The Imperial Palace Square fell into absolute silence.
The terrifying scene in the sky, that heart-palpitating strange white light, caused billions of Cultivators throughout the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty to tremble.
Behind Li Mu, the auras of the three thousand figures instantly tensed to their limits, like strong bows drawn taut, the air solidified, heavy to the point of suffocation.
A low sword hum brewed in its sheath, tough wood shadows swayed slightly, fierce firelight flickered deep in their eyes, and profound earth light covered their bodies… Their Dao Seeds, stimulated by their archenemy, emitted silent yet intense throbbing roars.
Li Mu's expression was calm, like a cold jade stone dropped into still water. The sound of the Great Dao clearly resonated in the Sea of Consciousness of every Disciple: “Dao Seeds have taken root for thirty years, all for today!”
Li Mu slowly raised his head, his gaze cast towards the strange white chasm that was devouring the entire world. A majestic aura, originating from the Chaos Origin, rose from within him, stirring the solidified air around him.
“Gentlemen, please follow me… to slay the Strange!”
Before his words finished, Li Mu transformed into a stream of light and soared into the sky, followed closely by his three thousand Disciples.
“Boom—!!!”
The first extremely viscous strange white torrent, carrying countless screeching, roaring, and sickeningly twisted Deva Race armies, like a breached, foul heavenly river, violently surged into the territory of the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty from that massive Realm barrier chasm!
The prelude to destruction had dramatically begun! (End of Chapter)
