Volunteering and Offering a Token of Allegiance

Lin Yi knew that this first item on the agenda, which seemed to be just about setting up a list and providing some resources, was actually far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

There are six core members and three ordinary members. If any recommended Constant Source Realm ultimately advances to Dao Lord, the recommender will receive a reward from the Dao Origin Hall. The stakes involved are quite high. But the most crucial question is whether the recommender himself qualifies as a "member with the right to recommend."

Or perhaps, shouldn't he himself be pushed into this position?

He really couldn't make up his mind about these two questions.

To be on the safe side, Lin Yi refrained from making wild guesses.

He slightly turned his head and looked at Dao Lord Lan Chen beside him Soul Transmission: "Commander, what should we do about my situation?"

As a core member, Dao Lord Lan Chen must have discussed this plan in a small meeting beforehand, so he naturally knew the implementation guidelines.

Upon hearing this, Dao Lord Lan Chen seemed to have anticipated Lin Yi's question. Without even turning his head, he simply replied with a light, telepathic message.

"Is that even a question? Of course you'd recommend yourself. Why would you deliberately avoid any appearance of impropriety?"

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback.

Dao Lord Lan Chen continued, "If even you can't be on that list, who is qualified? Your situation was already taken into account when the rules were first formulated."

"The three of you were able to obtain membership in the Dao Origin Hall at the Constant Source Realm through your own abilities; there's nothing to hide about that."

"Furthermore, the original intention of this rule was to encourage you to recommend yourselves, so that you would receive extra rewards. After all, the three of you are in a league of your own compared to the other Constant Lord."

"Moreover, there is another crucial reason: all three of you are destined to reach the Path Source Realm. And the reward for recommending one person to the Path Source Realm is set extremely high."

"If we don't let you promote yourselves, once this meeting ends, the Dao Lord will probably all contact you privately, vying for the opportunity to recommend you. At that time, not only will it put you in a difficult position and cause you a lot of unnecessary trouble, but it will also easily trigger conflicts among the Dao Lord, which is not conducive to unity."

"Therefore, it is the best solution for you to recommend yourselves, so that no one will have any objections."

I see.

Lin Yi nodded slowly, his doubts completely dissipating.

He then realized that the rules of the Enlightenment List had already taken into account the special circumstances of the three non- Path Source Realm members.

"Indeed," Lin Yi thought to himself, "The Dao Origin Hall set up this list precisely to concentrate resources and quickly cultivate a dozen or so new Dao Lord. And looking at the entire Chaos Cosmic Sea, who is more qualified than the three of us?"

"If even we have to avoid suspicion, then this list loses its meaning."

Having figured this out, Lin Yi stopped dwelling on the matter. However, he then thought of another problem.

He had three recommendation slots. After removing one to recommend himself, he had two left. However, his rise to power was extremely short-lived, and he didn't have a single Constant Lord under his command, let alone a top-tier Constant Lord qualified to be on the list.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, Lin Yi transmitted his voice to Dao Lord Lan Chen, saying, "Commander, I currently have no other Constant Lord under my command. For the remaining two spots, I would like to ask the Commander to recommend someone for me."

Upon hearing this, Dao Lord Lan Chen turned his head and glanced at Lin Yi.

"Oh?"

Lin Yi continued, "As for the last spot, I'll ask the Dao Lord Xi Mo about it later."

He spoke these words frankly and without any attempt to conceal them.

Because he had considered that, along the way, the only people he truly owed favors to were the three Dao Lords.

Dao Lord Lan Chen, Dao Lord Xi Mo, and Dao Lord Wei Shuo.

The Constant Source Summit access pass given to him Dao Lord Wei Shuo was a great help, but this favor was already the beginning of repaying the debt.

According to the mechanism of the Constant Source Summit, after he passed the Fifth Stage, Dao Lord Wei Shuo, as the condenser of the certificate, had already obtained a large amount Points Constant Source Summit. Lin Yi estimated that the amount was at least more than 500,000, which was extremely considerable even for Dao Lord.

Moreover, as he overcomes higher challenges in the future, Dao Lord Wei Shuo will receive even more.

Therefore, Lin Yi still has to repay the favor Dao Lord Wei Shuo, and he is already doing so.

However, he has never been able to find an opportunity to repay the Dao Lords Dao Lord Lan Chen and Dao Lord Xi Mo.

Dao Lord Lan Chen has always been his strongest supporter.

From the time he was granted the Constant Source Realm -level authority, a million contribution points, and ninety-nine Origin Constant Crystal in the Silent Constant Great City, to later receiving the entire Silverblue spaceship from the Imperial Era, and even being exceptionally appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Constant Guard.

Each and every one of those events seemed calm on the surface, but Lin Yi knew in his heart that if it weren't for Dao Lord Lan Chen protecting him, as a newcomer in the Constant Source Realm, he would have had to take many more detours to gain a foothold in the Seventh Constant Domain.

The Dao Lord Xi Mo took care of him in every way when they were on Constant Island.

In particular, the advance use of his essence and blood saved him countless troubles and laid the foundation for his rapid rise to power.

Moreover, he later gifted him the Smokeveil Mystic Furnace, indirectly helping him out of the crisis in Mist Sea City. When he was invited to teach, he even used the "Enlightenment Sky Azure Tea" as payment for the lessons, giving him a large box of it.

How could Lin Yi not sense the sincerity beneath that arrogance?

He has never found a suitable way to repay these two favors.

Now, the timing of this round of nominations for the "Enlightenment List" is just right.

This spot is, as you can imagine, extremely sought after.

However, he himself didn't really have any suitable Constant Lord to recommend.

Rather than letting this precious spot go to waste, or recommending an unrelated person at random, it would be better to give it directly to Dao Lord Lan Chen and Xi Mo.

He believed that, given their discernment and character, these two individuals would never use this opportunity to recommend unreliable people.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Lin Yi thought to himself.

As expected, Dao Lord Lan Chen clearly needed this spot.

He didn't refuse, but gave Lin Yi a deep look, then smiled and transmitted his voice, "Lin Yi, you're very kind. I'll take this spot for you. Don't worry, the person I recommend will definitely deserve to be on this list."

Lin Yi smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

He then conveyed the same message to the Dao Lord Xi Mo on the other side via telepathy.

The Dao Lord Xi Mo remained as lazy and leisurely as ever.

After hearing Lin Yi's words, a hint of surprise flashed in her deep purple eyes, then she chuckled and replied, "In that case, I thank you on behalf of the recommended Constant Lord."

The three spots have now been decided.

Just then, the middle-aged Dao Lord, dressed in dark blue ancient-style armor, slowly spoke.

"Does anyone have any further suggestions regarding this Enlightenment List? If not, then this plan is hereby approved."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, the Dao Lord began to discuss in small groups.

"This Enlightenment List is timely. Those three who are not at the Dao Path Source Realm, especially Lin Yi, who passed the five trials of the Constant Source Summit at the First Rank of the Constant Source Realm the Eternal Source Realm, if he receives further resources from the Dao Origin Hall, he will probably become a powerful figure in a short time."

"That's right. However, the number of spots on this list is really limited. There are only six core members and three ordinary members. When it comes to making recommendations, we'll probably have to consider it carefully."

"It's alright. Anyway, it's the rule set by the core members, so we'll just follow it."

However, the discussion did not last long.

After all, this "Enlightenment List" had been discussed repeatedly by the core members. Bringing it to the forefront now was just a formality, an announcement to all the Dao Lord.

Soon, there were no more dissenting voices in the hall.

"In that case, the first item on the agenda is passed."

The Blue-Armored Dao Lord made the final decision with a single blow.

He then cleared his throat, his tone becoming even more serious than before.

"The next item on the agenda is..."

"Following discussions among core members, it is proposed that, effective immediately, the entire territory of the Cosmic Sea Empire enter a state of full-scale war."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall changed abruptly.

"All cultivators must take turns serving on the Frontline the Black Mist Sea."

"All families and factions must contribute a certain amount of resources according to their different levels and sizes to increase the production capacity of weapons of war."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Dao Lord who had not received prior notice all showed expressions of surprise.

"A full-scale war? That's a bit too much of a commotion!"

"All cultivators will take turns serving? All families will contribute resources? This... isn't this going to turn the entire Cosmic Sea upside down?"

"Indeed. Since the Imperial Era, apart from the first appearance of the Black Mist Sea, when has the Cosmic Sea ever seen such a large-scale mobilization?"

The hall was abuzz with discussion.

Many of the usually composed Dao Lord frowned slightly at this moment.

Some whispered among themselves, some pondered intently, while others subconsciously turned their gaze to the head of the group Yuan Xin Dao Lord, seemingly trying to discern some clues from the face of this number one powerhouse.

But Yuan Xin Dao Lord sat quietly, her eyes, as calm as autumn water, without a trace of emotion.

Lin Yi was equally surprised.

He subconsciously turned to look at Dao Lord Lan Chen beside him and asked in a low voice, "Commander, is the situation really that dire?"

Upon hearing this Dao Lord Lan Chen remained silent for a moment before slowly explaining, "It hasn't quite reached that point yet. But you must understand, a full mobilization definitely needs to be done in advance. Those large-scale war equipment, fortresses, annihilation weapon arrays, and so on—aren't they all things that require a long time to produce? If we wait until the last minute to fully mobilize, it will be too late."

Lin Yi nodded slowly.

"I see...

He immediately understood.

From this perspective, the second option is actually quite similar to the first.

The first measure targets the very top small group of combatants, while the second measure targets the middle and lower-level forces that form the cornerstone of the entire defense line.

One is from top to bottom, the other from bottom to top.

Only by combining these two approaches can the crumbling Black Mist Sea defense line be reinforced once again.

"The core members have indeed thought things through far ahead," Lin Yi thought to himself. "In this war, unless one side produces a top-tier expert with absolute overwhelming power, it's not just a contest of numbers; it also requires a foundation formed by countless cultivators."

As Lin Yi pondered this in his heart, amidst the discussions in the hall, some Dao Lord who didn't usually pay much attention to the situation raised questions to the blue-armored Dao Lord.

"Just how far is this full mobilization going? Does it mean all cultivators, even those at the Cosmic Source Realm, will have to take turns going to the Frontline?"

"Furthermore, how much should be paid for family resources? Is there a clear set of regulations? We can't just arbitrarily levy taxes based on a single statement, can we?"

"Yes. If there aren't transparent rules for collecting resources, I'm afraid the families below will be filled with anxiety and cause a lot of trouble."

The blue-armored Dao Lord was clearly prepared.

He calmly answered all the questions one by one.

"Please be patient, everyone. The core members have already drafted the detailed rules for this mobilization. The service of cultivators will be carried out in batches according to their cultivation level and social system, and will not be a one-size-fits-all approach."

"As for the payment of family resources, it will be divided into clear tiers based on the level and scale of the family. For each tier, the amount and the time of payment will be clearly documented. There will never be any arbitrary collection."

Through this question and answer, the Dao Lord in the hall gradually came to understand the true meaning behind this full mobilization.

One of the Dao Lord lamented, "The Black Mist Sea defense line really can't continue to retreat like this."

"Yes. The more black mist there is, the more and stronger the Black Silence Beast will emerge. And the places where we cultivators can obtain resources will become fewer and fewer."

Another Dao Lord chimed in, "If this black mist continues to spread like this, with the balance of power shifting, once it exceeds a certain limit..."

He paused, his tone becoming exceptionally serious.

"Then it might not just be a matter of gradual decline, but a complete collapse!"

Even the Blue-Armored Dao Lord sighed, "That's right. Moreover, no one can guarantee that if this black mist continues to expand, a fifth-tier Black Silence Beast won't appear. If a fifth-tier beast does appear... then we'll all be doomed."

Fifth-Rank Black Silence Beast.

These five words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.

Those Dao Lord who had initially hesitated in the hall all fell silent.

They all understood that this was no longer the time to dwell on personal gains and losses.

So, after a series of questions and answers, the second item was finally passed.

"Item two is passed."

"The Blue-Armored Dao Lord announced."

Silence fell over the hall for a moment.

Lin Yi also slowly exhaled.

He could feel the oppressive, almost suffocating atmosphere in the room.

But he also knew that behind this solemnity lay the fate of countless living beings in the entire Chaos Cosmic Sea.

Just when Lin Yi thought the meeting was about to end, Yuan Xin Dao Lord, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"I'll address the third point."

Although Yuan Xin 'Dao Lord voice was not loud, and even somewhat faint.

But Lin Yi had a vague feeling that this third matter was probably something extraordinary.

Really.

Yuan Xin Dao Lord for a moment, "However, before discussing this last matter, I have something to inform everyone first."

Her clear, autumn-water-like eyes calmly swept across the entire scene before she slowly said, "Just three Epoch ago, the six city lords of Lightless City, led by City Lord Tianzhi, surrounded and killed City Lord Huang Shi. They also slaughtered all those Lightless Ones practiced devouring techniques."

Upon hearing this, the entire Dao Origin Hall fell silent. Even the middle-aged Dao Lord in blue armor looked at Dao Lord Yuan Xin in shock.