Within my Divine Sense, those two crystal coffins were very strange.
They were standing upright, floating in the sky.
One coffin contained Jiang Ke’er, while the other contained Yuwen National Preceptor.
When my Divine Sense tried to perceive further through the coffins, a powerful and mysterious Supreme Power actually blocked me!
‘Damn it, what is the origin of these coffins? They don’t even respect the Dao of Heaven?’
“Protect yourself.”
Leaving Cluru behind for the moment, I teleported to the side of the crystal coffins. I knocked on Jiang Ke’er’s coffin.
There was no response. Jiang Ke’er’s eyes were tightly shut, and it was impossible to tell if she was alive or dead.
It was the same for Yuwen National Preceptor.
“What’s going on?” I asked the battered Qiao Xiaoxian nearby.
“Yuwen National Preceptor initiated a competitive challenge for the Main Universe Will. Jiang Ke’er, as a fellow candidate for the Main Universe Will, is currently undergoing the trial.”
Main Universe Will? Although I didn’t quite understand the details, I guessed it was probably like a larger version of the Dao of Heaven—a Dao of Heaven that resided above the Great Dao and governed all existence.
What about the contents of the competition?
“I don’t know,” Qiao Xiaoxian said, shaking her head.
“This is no longer something we can participate in. Let’s just protect the Nine Provinces. No matter the Result, we cannot let the creatures of the Nine Provinces be slaughtered.”
I nodded and tossed a bottle of Dan Medicine to Qiao Xiaoxian. “Your injuries are quite heavy. Taking this will help you recover faster.”
“Thank you. It’s mainly that my Lingli is exhausted. I’m a bit tired from just forcing Jiang Ke’er to become one of the candidates…”
After taking the Dan Medicine, Qiao Xiaoxian quickly returned to full strength. She was very strong; if she could take action, she could play a decisive role in the current chaos of the world.
However, she did not move. Instead, she looked at me. There was a bit more trust and entreaty in her cold gaze.
“Yun Luo Xian, I know this isn’t your war. You could go home at any time and escape all of this. There is no need for you to risk your life for anyone… However, as the current Lord of the Stars, I sincerely implore you to lend a helping hand.”
“…”
“Yuwen National Preceptor’s ambition is too great. If he succeeds in seizing the Main Universe Will, no matter where you flee, you will be controlled by him. He will be able to control everything about you — your freedom, your consciousness, and everything you own.”
‘Ah… right… the Dao of Heaven is already powerful enough, let alone the Dao above it.’
“I hope you can do your best to join this war. We have waited a long time for reinforcements for this day. We have Jiang Ke’er and Dahlia, but we need more, much more. And at this moment, who we need most is you — Yun Luo Xian! You are not on anyone’s chessboard.”
“That dog Yuwen cannot see through you, and even my former Master did not foresee your appearance. In this deadlock, you will become the crucial link that breaks the balance! Please, Yun Luo Xian, take action!”
I shrugged. ‘I just want to live peacefully with the Small Octopus. Whoever wants to break that peace is my enemy. If there really has to be a Dao above the Dao of Heaven, Jiang Ke’er is certainly more reliable than that National Preceptor… Regardless, I was going to help anyway.’
Qiao Xiaoxian breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Go and protect the people of the Nine Provinces. I need to set up an array to summon my Master. Master is much stronger than I am and might be able to help Jiang Ke’er.”
“Got it.”
Having taken on a brand-new Side Line mission, I used Flash Step to return to Cluru’s side.
The Realm of Cultivation was too dangerous now, and I certainly wouldn’t leave Cluru to fight alone.
Just as I returned, I heard a soft and clear transmission echoing through the skies of the Nine Provinces.
[I am Yiqin from Lingyin Valley of the Taiming Sect. After deliberation by the Seven Peaks of the Taiming Sect, the Mount Taiming area will be opened to all people of the world! Fellow Daoists and citizens in distress, please head to the Mount Taiming area for evacuation and refuge!]
As the leader of all sects in the world, the Taiming Sect was taking the responsibility for the world’s survival onto its own shoulders.
‘It seems I really did misunderstand this sect. The Realm of Cultivation has indeed changed, and they aren’t so bad after all,’ I muttered, somewhat reluctantly.
“Hmph, hmph, hmph~~” Cluru looked at me meaningfully. She didn’t say anything; she just stared.
“I get it, I get it. But we have to get through this calamity first, right?”
“Don’t even think about going back on our deal!”
“Yes, yes…”
The Taiming Sect’s Mountain-Protecting Array rose, its milky white glow symbolizing the final barrier of the Nine Provinces.
Facing the overwhelming offensive of the Xianren, any small sect besides the Taiming Sect had no power to resist.
Their only chance of survival was to use teleportation arrays to reach the Taiming Sect as quickly as possible.
“Stay inside the barrier and don’t run around. I’m going out to grind some mobs.”
“Mm~”
Cluru was very well-behaved. She knew she was currently weaker than me, so she would never worry blindly or interfere in the battle to cause trouble.
Thus, she stayed within the barrier, closed her eyes, sat cross-legged on a Tentacle, and began to seriously focus on her breakthrough.
I left the barrier. Before departing, I set up a separate small barrier for Cluru to ensure she could focus on her cultivation in peace.
“Kill!!!”
The Xianren outside the barrier had eyes red with bloodlust—or rather, it was hard to even call them human anymore.
Yuwen National Preceptor had performed genetic modifications on all of them, turning them into frenzied, disposable killing machines.
“Correct history! Kill!!!”
During the Prosperous Tang, the total population was approximately 51,000,000.
After the An Shi Rebellion, people across the country were displaced by the fires of war, and the total population died off until there were fewer than 17,000,000.
Therefore, the first thing these Xianren wanted to do to “correct history” was to kill people—to slaughter them until the population matched the numbers that should exist in history.
In other words, if calculated according to history, out of every three people, two must die.
Furthermore, because of Jiang Ke’er’s appearance, the wealth of the human world far exceeded that of the Prosperous Tang, and the population was also much larger.
This meant that at least nine out of every ten people would have to die to meet the requirements for “correcting history.”
This was destined to be a brutal and inhumane massacre.
“Daddy! Mommy!”
The cries of children filled the land of the Nine Provinces.
Not everyone was lucky enough to reach the Taiming Sect.
The Nine Provinces were too vast, spanning tens of thousands of miles.
The people from all corners of the world could only use teleportation arrays to head toward Mount Taiming, but the Mount Taiming teleportation arrays were already far beyond their load limit.
People were spewing out like a clogged sewer, one after another.
There were even more people who couldn’t reach a teleportation array at all.
‘Sigh…’
‘Well, since I’ve accepted Qiao Xiaoxian’s mission, I might as well do it perfectly.’
I closed my eyes, shutting off my vision, but my Divine Sense instantly covered the entire world of the Nine Provinces.
In an instant, every detail of the Nine Provinces was captured within my mind.
Even a child hiding under a bed or a terrified family in a cellar was clearly locked onto by me.
I pinched my fingers into a seal.
**[Forbidden Law: Mass Life Teleportation]**
*Whirr—*
A white light flashed, and it felt as if a gentle breeze swept through every corner of the Nine Provinces.
The Taiming Sect instantly became bustling and crowded.
After realizing that the enemies in front of them had vanished, the group of Xianren also realized something was wrong.
“Oh no…”
The range covered by my Divine Sense was too large; I had been discovered.
All the Xianren seemed to share a single Brain, and they simultaneously launched an extreme attack against my Divine Sense!
They summoned their own Divine Senses, risking their lives to frantically tear and bite at mine!
A sharp pain suddenly shot through my mind. At this moment, facing the desperate tearing of countless Xianren working in unison, finally…
Nothing happened to me, but their Divine Senses were all annihilated.