"What do you mean, is all this necessary?"
Sun Slayer Heavenly Lord looked baffled.
"This, I mean..."
Jiang Ding pointed at the countless fleets spread across the Immortal Sect's orbital paths, and at the Immortal Sect, which had entered full wartime mobilization.
"Oh, this!"
"What were you thinking, kid?"
Sun Slayer Heavenly Lord slapped Jiang Ding on the forehead as realization dawned. "These are precautions to protect Yuan. The great powers of the Eight Great Immortal Sects may well refuse to let the Immortal Sect produce a Void Refining cultivator. They face the threat of the Horn Nether Domain, but who knows? Some old monster might let it go to his head, join forces with the others, and come here to crush the Immortal Sect's hope of breaking free."
"We can't afford to ignore that possibility."
"Those old monsters are shameless, treacherous, and cunning to a man. We must never let our guard down around them. We have to stay vigilant every moment."
"In theory, even if the Eight Great Immortal Sects kill the Immortal Sect's newly ascended Void Refining cultivator, we'll have no choice but to compromise to survive. The Horned Demon Imperial Clan hardly looks like a viable ally."
Sun Slayer Heavenly Lord continued.
"When survival is at stake, every grudge has to be set aside for the time being."
"If it comes to that—if we have to swallow our broken teeth and smile at the people who knocked them out—it'll be miserable."
"So that's it!"
Understanding dawned on Jiang Ding.
"Wait, is Senior Yuan advancing to Void Refining?"
Jiang Ding immediately seized on the crucial point.
"Yes. His foundations are so deep that his advancement can no longer be held back."
"That's Yuan of the Immortal Sect for you!"
Sun Slayer Heavenly Lord looked proud of him.