Turning the Tide

"Don't pursue a desperate enemy!"

The divine thoughts of the Celestial Immortal Lingyu echoed in the ears of many True Immortals.

At this moment, the immortals of the Immortal Kingdom seemed to finally come to their senses after being completely overwhelmed in the chaotic battle.

Immediately afterwards, an uncontrollable gasp of surprise emanated from among those illusory immortals and saints.

"The people from the Myriad Stars Sword Sect have retreated!?"

"We won! We won!"

Even some true immortals let out a long sigh.

As early as when the Immortal Kingdom attacked True Immortal Suimu and others, Zhao Xi had already informed all the True Immortals of the truth about the Myriad Star Sword Sect.

This includes the conspiracy by which the Myriad Star Sword Sect has assisted them in cultivating the Heavenly Dao of Transformation over the years.

In the process, they have come to realize that the Myriad Star Sword Sect is by no means a weakling.

It is even stronger than the Immortal Kingdom.

If it weren't for the fact that the cave heaven couldn't be moved from the other side of the spatial passage, the Myriad Stars Sword Sect could have easily flattened the Immortal Kingdom with its own strength.

In order to establish a base in the Immortal Kingdom, the Myriad Stars Sword Sect has dispatched a Dao Lord, a Celestial Immortal, and a large number of True Immortals and Void Immortals to directly break through the Immortal Kingdom's defenses and launch a hidden contingency plan.

Although we don't know exactly how Immortal Master Zhao Xi achieved victory, but...

They finally drove the enemy back.

After letting out a sigh of relief, the True Immortals in the arena once again became solemn.

"Taibai usually looks kind and gentle, but I never imagined that he had been plotting against our Immortal Kingdom for many years. Now he has even led the Ten Thousand Star Sword Sect to launch an attack. You can know a person's face but not their heart!"

"Although the Myriad Stars Sword Sect was defeated by us, judging from the unwilling look in their eyes when they left, they probably won't give up easily."

"I'm afraid that the Myriad Stars Sword Sect might gain control of other spatial passages and secretly infiltrate our Longevity Realm to build another cave heaven. Once they establish themselves in our Longevity Realm and build their cave heaven, and then send a Dao Lord, our situation will become very difficult."

"If they really do that... our immortal kingdom will probably have another powerful enemy that is no less powerful than the Demonic Beasts of the Demon Realm."

Clearly, just as the Celestial Immortal Taibai said, this is only the first round.

They only repelled the first wave of attacks from the Myriad Stars Sword Sect.

Just like the victory they are about to achieve in the Blood Abyss, even if they really drive out all the Demonic Beasts in the Blood Abyss, it does not mean that they have defeated Demon Realm. At most, it only means that they have thwarted one of the Demon Realm's battle lines.

The Demonic Beasts of the Demon Realm can easily make a comeback through other Demon Realm passages.

"The situation may not be so bad. After defeating the Myriad Stars Sword Sect, the Immortal Lord can spare no effort to nurture the Transformation Heavenly Dao. With the power of the Transformation Heavenly Dao suppressing them, the demons and Demonic Beasts of the Demon Realm will be weakened, and the Demonic Spirit will be even more so. Even a powerful Spirit Venerable will be suppressed to the point that a Heavenly Monarch can kill him. Perhaps we can defeat the Demonic Beasts before the Myriad Stars Sword Sect makes a comeback. At that time, we will only have the Myriad Stars Sword Sect as our enemy."

Lingyu Tianxian's voice resounded in everyone's minds. "With the foundation of our Longevity Realm, as long as we can block the Myriad Star Sword Sect outside the Longevity Realm, as time goes by, after a few decades or hundreds of years, when the Longevity Realm has produced ten or eight Dao Lords, it will no longer be the Myriad Star Sword Sect invading our Longevity Realm, but our Longevity Realm attacking their Myriad Star Sword Sect."

After saying that, she said emphatically, "Time is on our side."

Hearing her words, the crowd finally came to their senses and their fighting spirit was reignited.

"Indeed, we have now mastered a more sophisticated method for advancing to the Celestial Immortal realm by integrating the Dao Fruit into the cave heaven, and we have also learned how to nurture the Heavenly Dao. With the environment of our Longevity Realm, it is not an unrealistic expectation that ten or eight Dao Lords will be born in a few decades or hundreds of years."

"The world where the Myriad Stars Sword Sect is located is ultimately a barren and declining world. Now that we have absorbed the essence of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect's cultivation system, coupled with the advantages of our own Longevity Realm, a scene similar to today will never happen again."

"We have no shortage of Cultivation Method, no shortage of inspiration, and no shortage of manpower. If we continue to hold out, we will surely achieve final victory."

"Call out!"

Lightning flashed.

A figure appeared in everyone's sight.

However, when everyone sensed the figure's aura clearly, they were surprised to discover that this cultivator, carrying an aura no less powerful than that of a Dao Lord, was not Zhao Xi, the invincible founder of the Immortal Kingdom, as they had in mind, but rather...

"An ancient immortal!?"

Lingyu Celestial was taken aback.

Not only her, but the other True Immortals also looked at the towering figure, over six hundred meters tall, bathed in lightning and soaring through the air, their eyes filled with awe.

"Ancient True Immortal!? It's actually him!?"

"Didn't they say he was at most a top-tier True Immortal, or even at most a peak True Immortal or a supreme True Immortal? This kind of power... you're telling me this is a True Immortal!?"

"No wonder Immortal Lord Zhao Xi fully supports all of the Ancient Immortal Lord's actions, even when he purged many of the Immortal Kingdom's grotto-heavens and killed a large number of... disloyal cultivators, he still stood firmly by his side and suppressed all public opinion..."

The immortals whispered among themselves, their gazes upon those from Gu Jinlai filled with both fear and awe, yet also with curiosity.

Compared to them, Lingyu Tianxian clearly knew more.

For example, she knew very well that the people of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect had planted a hidden hand in the Transformation Heavenly Dao nurtured by Immortal Master Zhao Xi.

However, by the time they realized this, the Heavenly Dao of Transformation had already grown to a certain size. If they were to expose it rashly, it would only invite the Myriad Star Sword Sect to attack prematurely.

Under these circumstances, even knowing that the Myriad Star Sword Sect's assistance in nurturing the Transformation Heavenly Dao contained a conspiracy, they could only continue nurturing it, at most slowing down the nurturing process, and see if they could find a way to break the deadlock in the coming period of time.

Not long ago, Zhao Xixian changed her stance of yielding to the Wanxing Sword Sect and forcefully killed Suimu True Immortal, Beichen True Immortal, Yinghuo True Immortal, and Zhentu True Immortal, wiping out all the eyes that the Wanxing Sword Sect had planted in the Immortal Kingdom. This unusual behavior made her realize something.

Therefore, she secretly supported Zhao Xi's strong support for Gu Jinlai purging the Immortal Kingdom and restrained her subordinates to cooperate with Gu Jinlai his actions.

But now it seems...

This ancient immortal, or rather, ancient immortal master, who possesses combat power comparable to a Dao Lord, should be Zhao Xi Immortal Master's biggest trump card in daring to launch a strong counterattack against the Myriad Stars Sword Sect.

At this thought, she seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter and quickly asked, "Ancient Immortal Lord, how is the Mysterious Spirit Dao Lord now?"

"Dead."

Gu Jinlai responded with a sound.

"Dead!?"

Immortal Master Lingyu was startled and couldn't help but ask again, "Dead!?"

"Nature."

Gu Jinlai, "Immortal Lord Zhao Xi has now absorbed the Transformation Heavenly Dao brought by Dao Lord Xuanling, and will soon achieve the perfection of Heavenly Dao. At that time, he will surely possess combat power no less than that of an Immortal Lord, and the crisis of the Immortal Kingdom will be easily resolved. What we need to do next is to seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack."

"The Lord of Xuanling Dao is dead, and Immortal Lord Zhao Xi has already annexed the Zhuanling Heavenly Dao..."

Lingyu Tianxian muttered to herself.

Considering the immense pressure from those who had never been inferior to Dao Lords Gu Jinlai, and the sudden retreat of the Celestial Immortal and others, it took this Celestial Immortal quite a while to accept the news that could be described as a reversal of the universe.

Gu Jinlai have looked at this star gate that leads directly to the Myriad Star Sword Sect.

If he were to break into the cave with his current strength, even with the combined power of the Suspended Sword Dao Lord and the Myriad Manifestations Immortal Lord, who are backed by the cave heaven, they might not be able to stop him from breaking through.

But...

He doesn't intend to take any risks right now.

If the situation changes at the Creation Gate in the Xuanxian Realm, he can rush over at any time.

But now, even if he really went to kill them, he would be helpless against the powerful and well-established Wanxing Sword Sect.

Instead of doing that, we should take advantage of this time to drive away the Demonic Beasts as much as possible, save the humans who are being kept in captivity, and see if we can advance the Great Sun Eternal Law to another level.

Compared to the relief felt by the Immortal Kingdom, the Celestial Immortal Taibai and the True Immortal Suyuan led their troops back to the Crimson Flame Valley, each of them utterly dejected.

Upon seeing this scene, the Sword Master, who was stationed there, immediately had a bad feeling.

"Taibai, what happened?"

He glanced at the vanished Xuanling Dao Master and asked urgently, "Where is the Xuanling Supreme Lord? Where is he?"

Tai Bai Tianxian looked at the Xuanjian Daozhu, opened his mouth as if to say something, but did not know where to begin.

"Us..."

Just then, a powerful divine thought tore through the void and descended.

It was none other than Wanxiang Zhenxin, who was constantly monitoring the movements of the Crimson Flame Canyon.

The strongest expert of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect, now in his transformed form, looked at the Celestial Immortal Tai Bai and asked directly, "What exactly happened over there? Why did the Life Jade Tablet of the Profound Spirit Supreme suddenly shatter?!"

"The life jade tablet of the Supreme Master Xuanling is actually...?!"

The Sword Master's expression also changed drastically, and his gaze became fixed on the star gate connecting the two worlds.

"We underestimated the Celestial Kingdom."

Tai Baixian calmed down for a while before regaining his composure. "Besides Zhao Xi, there is another Dao Lord, or even an Immortal Lord, in the Immortal Kingdom. The Xuanling Dao Lord was most likely ambushed and killed by him."

"Tell the whole story exactly as it happened, without omitting any detail."

The Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations said sternly.

Even the Heavenly Immortal Taibai did not hide anything.

From their entry into the Realm of Immortality, to the Xuanling Dao Lord's solo breakout and rush towards the Immortal Kingdom's super cave heaven, to his sudden death and the subsequent arrival of a being suspected to be at the Dao Lord level, every step of the process is recounted.

"At first, I thought that the Dao Lord who suddenly appeared was Zhao Xi, who had defeated Xuanling Taishang. But after thinking about it carefully... even if Zhao Xi had defeated Xuanling Taishang, it would be impossible for him to project his power so quickly. Moreover, the Star Gate is 30,000 to 40,000 miles away from his cave heaven. Even if he did project his power, he might not have such a presence. In addition, his aura felt somewhat familiar to me..."

Tai Baitian paused slightly at this point, then said, "I suspect that the aura that descended afterward... was Jiang Yufeng! Or... Gu Jinlai!"

"Jiang Yufeng?"

The Sword-Hanging Dao Master glanced at him. "You mean, this person isn't just a top-tier Celestial Immortal as he appears, but... a Dao Master!?"

"Even the Immortal Lord!"

Tai Bai Tianxian said heavily, "Don't forget, everyone. According to the information we have received, a major event happened in Yanhe Dao not long ago. A supreme True Immortal named Crimson True Immortal obtained the remains of the Divine Phoenix Immortal Lord, activated the Flame Heavenly Dao within him, and killed nearly ten True Immortals in Yanhe Dao. Just as that Crimson True Immortal continued to show off his power, an Immortal Lord appeared out of nowhere and killed Crimson True Immortal. Afterwards, the cave heaven built by Crimson True Immortal also fell into the hands of Yunxiao Sect."

"You mean... that Immortal Lord is Jiang Yufeng!?"

The Sword Master's pupils contracted.

"The Cloud Soaring Sect is an ally of the Creation Gate. It makes no difference whether the Cloud Soaring Sect obtains that cave heaven or the Creation Gate obtains it."

As Tai Baixian spoke, he looked at the two Supreme Elders, Xuanjian Daozhu and Wanxiang Xianzhu, and said, "Besides, I don't think things would be such a coincidence."

After hearing what Bai Tianxian said, the two of them began to believe his speculation.

The Immortal Lord is the most outstanding being in the entire Xuanxian Realm, second only to the Xuanxian realm.

Each of these figures has a name and a surname.

However, the origin and identity of the immortal lord who appeared in Baihe City remain unclear to this day, which in itself makes people highly suspicious.

Furthermore, Jiang Yufeng's stunning appearance, displaying combat power approaching that of a top-tier Celestial Immortal through the Innate Sacred Path...

Since they can unleash the power of top-tier Celestial Immortals, they can naturally rival Dao Lords and Immortal Lords.

Moreover...

"The path of innate divinity is completely impassable in our Xuanxian Realm. However, if Jiang Yufeng happens to enter the Longevity fortuitous opportunity by chance, with the Longevity Realm's uniquely advantageous environment... this path, although equally difficult, is not without hope of success. This also explains why Jiang Yufeng has such a close relationship with the Immortal Kingdom."

Tai Baixian clenched her fist heavily. "They're all in cahoots."

"We were careless."

The Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations closed his eyes and said, "We thought we had seen through the strength and weakness of the Immortal Kingdom. With our decades of management in the Immortal Kingdom and the backup plans we left in the Transcendent Heavenly Dao, we were more than capable of dealing with them. So much so that when we launched a full-scale attack, only you and Xuanling made a move."

His face was contorted with pain. "We've probably forgotten that the Immortal Kingdom is not entirely ignorant of our Myriad Stars Sword Sect either. Since they dared to kill True Immortal Suimu, True Immortal Beichen, and others, they must have had some confidence... But because of our arrogance, we were so self-righteous that we thought we had victory in our grasp, and in the end... we killed Xuanling."

His words caused both the Sword-Hanging Dao Master and the Heavenly Immortal of Taibai to show expressions of grief.

"Zhao Xi obtained the Xuanling Transformation Heavenly Dao... he's at least a top-tier Dao Lord level warrior, perhaps even... capable of achieving Heavenly Dao perfection and becoming an Immortal Lord. Add to that Jiang Yufeng, who possesses innate divine Dao power comparable to an Immortal Lord... his threat is greater than Zhao Xi's, but..."

The Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations said in a deep voice, "This matter will not end so easily."

"The Immortal Kingdom now has what's essentially two Immortal Lords and five Celestial Immortals, and they're occupying the home turf..."

The Sword-Hanging Dao Master glanced at the Myriad Manifestations Immortal Master: "The next battle will be difficult."

"We can only abandon our strategy of annexing the Immortal Kingdom in one fell swoop, enter the Realm of Immortality from another place, quickly establish a foothold there, and fight a positional war against the Immortal Kingdom."

Tai Bai Tianxian said, "In terms of foundation, how can the Immortal Kingdom compare with our Myriad Star Sword Sect's tens of thousands of years of heritage? As long as we can gain a foothold in the Realm of Immortality, Celestial Immortals and Dao Lords will definitely spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain."

"Don't forget, Jiang Yufeng has a deep relationship with the Creation Sect and is even the Supreme Elder of the Creation Sect. The Creation Sect has also been passed down for tens of thousands of years. Although we have an advantage in terms of foundation, these advantages are not significant."

The Sword Master reminded him.

"The Gate of Creation..."

His words caused the Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations to fall silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he said, "It will be difficult for us to dominate the Realm of Immortality as we used to. For now, the only option is to find an ally to share the Realm of Immortality."

"Ally..."

The Sword Master frowned. "In the entire Northern Region, only the Mo Family and the Longevity Pavilion are qualified to be our allies. The rest, such as the Heavenly Fire Sect, are not as good as dragging down. However, the relationship between the Longevity Pavilion and us cannot be called harmonious. Even though we are bound by huge interests, it is difficult for us to work together."

"Don't limit your focus to the Northern Regions."

As the Lord of All Things spoke, he looked into the distance.

Flame River Road is located at the border between the Northern Region and the Central Golden Land. Although Suspended Gold Road is not a border, it is not far from the Central Golden Land.

Therefore...

The Sword Master and the Celestial Immortal quickly realized something as well.

"Peak Master!"

"Good."

The Immortal Master of Myriad Manifestations nodded. "Peak Master."

"Peak Master ... She failed to compete for the position of sect master of Xuan Yuan Sword Sect a hundred years ago and had to step down to the second line, becoming the Peak Master, one of the nineteen peaks. In the past hundred years, her situation in Xuan Yuan Sword Sect has not been good... Not to mention that she can hardly protect herself, I'm afraid she is willing but unable to help us."

The Suspended Sword Path is the main path.

The power structure of the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect is quite similar to that of other sects.

The Supreme Elder is a high-ranking figure, a Mystic Immortal who has absorbed the Heavenly Dao and the Grotto Heaven into his body, and can determine the rise and fall of the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect.

Below them are the sect leaders at the Immortal Lord level and the Peak Master at the Dao Lord level. They are responsible for handling all matters, large and small, within the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect and wield considerable power.

Below them are the elders whose cultivation levels encompass the three stages of Celestial Immortal, Dao Lord, and Immortal Lord.

Although the elders are noble and respected, their power within the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect is divided among the sect leader and Peak Master, so they can only be considered third-tier figures.

The development of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect has now reached a bottleneck.

Going any higher would challenge the position of the Mo family, the overlord of the Northern Region. Therefore, a hundred years ago, the Wanxing Sword Sect tried to escape the cage of the Northern Region through other channels.

Ultimately, they chose to support Fairy Wanyue, who was then a talented saintess and displayed unparalleled talent.

It's just a pity...

Wan Yue failed in her bid for the position of sect leader, and the position of sect leader of Xuan Yuan Sword Sect fell into the hands of Immortal Lord Luo Xiao.

The Xuan Yuan Sword Sect Master, who was then at the Dao Master level, has now become an Immortal Master thanks to the various advantages that come with being a sect master. Meanwhile, the Peak Master, who is still at the Dao Master level, has stepped down to the second line and serves as the Peak Master.

A Dao Lord...

This cannot reverse the current situation of the Myriad Stars Sword Sect.

"Wan Yue is not just a simple Peak Master. Behind her stands a large and powerful Lineage, the Yue family. I don't need to say much about the power of the Yue family. Although they don't have any Immortal Lords, they have as many as four Dao Lords, including Wan Yue. Isn't this lineup stronger than a single Immortal Lord?"

The Immortal Master of Myriad Phenomena said, "Moreover, as far as I know, Wan Yue has been suppressed by Luo Xiao all these years. If it weren't for the fact that the Yue family is powerful, she would probably have been removed from her position as Peak Master and made into an ordinary elder long ago. Under such circumstances, if our Myriad Star Sword Sect can give her a little hope, she will definitely do her best to hold on to it."

"It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. We already have a good relationship with Peak Master. If we are willing to lend her a hand at this time, she will definitely be grateful."

Tai Baixian paused as she spoke, "I'm afraid she'll drag the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect into this, and then we won't have a chance."

"It's unrealistic for our Myriad Stars Sword Sect to monopolize the Longevity Realm any longer. Therefore, what we need to do now is not to divide up the benefits of the Longevity Realm, but to get our hands on the benefits first. Even if the final gains may not be as good as we expected, it's still better than getting nothing at all."

The Sword Master nodded in agreement. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

"Taibai, you had some connection with Wanyue back then, so you should contact her."

The Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations turned to the Celestial Immortal of the Heavenly Realm: "Those people you brought from the Realm of Immortality have already calculated three locations that can be used to open spatial passages. Give one of them to us and let them take charge of restraining the Immortal Kingdom's energy for us."

Tai Baixian nodded.

At this moment, he seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said, "Since the fall of True Immortal Suimu, the world behind those people has also lost contact with us. Should we restart our investigation of that world from here in the Xuanxian Realm?"

"The world behind those people..."

The Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations frowned, but ultimately shook his head. "Forget it. That world doesn't even have a decent cultivator. It might be even more barren than our world. Even if we connect the two worlds, we might not gain much. Besides, we don't have the energy to open up a new battlefield right now."

"Give up...?"

Taibai Tianxian felt a little regretful upon hearing this.

However, if it is truly as described by that human named Shu Mingyue, then that world indeed has little value.

"Perhaps you can be given to the Yue family as a bargaining chip. After all, since the Xuan Yuan Sword Sect closed itself off from the world, people's rebellious mentality has been stimulated, and they have regained their interest in exploring other worlds."

The Immortal Lord of All Things offered some suggestions.

Tai Baixian nodded.

"As for this side..."

Looking at the Crimson Flame Canyon, the Immortal Lord of Myriad Manifestations said with a hint of helplessness, "The offensive and defensive positions have reversed, and it's time for our Myriad Star Sword Sect to take a defensive stance."

The Shu Yueming mentioned by the Immortal Lord of Myriad Phenomena and others is the Blue Star person who escaped from the Holy Dynasty and went to the Immortal Kingdom.

However, they were unlucky. Before they could even meet the high-ranking officials of the Immortal Kingdom, they were intercepted by the True Immortal Sui Mu and later taken to the Myriad Star Sword Sect.

Meanwhile, on Blue Star, which had been abandoned by the Myriad Stars Sword Sect because it was deemed worthless, there were still people making efforts.

Xie Yusheng wiped away his sweat and stared in disbelief at the enormous behemoth that was over ten meters tall before him.

He couldn't believe that he had actually managed to manufacture this large toy, which had been just a design drawing not long ago, in just a few months.

Despite the great help he received from the Taiyi Emperor during this period, and the fact that he solved many difficulties by "sharing spirits" with the help of the Taiyi Emperor, Xie Yusheng still felt incredibly confident after completing the feat of hand-building a Gundam in just a few months.

"I actually created it! I'm so amazing."

Xie Yusheng gave himself a thumbs up with a big smile.

Looking at this behemoth, all the hard work of the past few months, day and night, seems to have been worth it.

"So, can it be turned on?"

Xie Yusheng looked at the "Thunder" type Cheng Ying mech.

He...

Is he really going to pilot this mech that he spent months building up, to venture into... to scout out the key location of the Starshine Federation, which has three carrier fleets, more than a dozen flight squadrons, and more than 200,000 troops stationed there?