The starry expanse of the realm was empty. Nothing remained.
A star blazing with boundless light cast its radiance inch by inch across every place, scanning and searching again and again through the deeper layers of space.
"Nothing."
"They escaped."
Ripples spread through the star. They sounded like one voice, then like hundreds of millions, layered over one another and echoing endlessly—eerie yet ethereal.
The collective will of the Immortal Sect Fleet was thinking.
"No matter. We expected this."
Within the collective will's deliberations, Yuan laughed. "For the first time, our strength has surpassed the Eight Great Immortal Sects in both quantity and quality. We no longer have to rely on our willingness to sacrifice ourselves to intimidate them, making them fear the deaths of a few of their own too much to fight to the bitter end."
"Today!"
"Through strength alone, we can defeat them!"
"At last, we no longer have to sacrifice countless citizens just to secure our right to survive among the realms. Even if they fight to the death, we can defeat them. The only question is the cost."
"The only pity is..."
Myriad Mechanisms entered the conversation. His voice resembled the mechanical voice of the Central Array-Spirit Computer, though it held far more emotion. He sighed. "This is the first time our strength has surpassed theirs, but not by enough to crush them."
"If they devote themselves to fleeing and never stand and fight, there really isn't much we can do about them."
"But time is on our side..."
Myriad Mechanisms's voice was cold and confident, brimming with joy.
The citizens were growing!
In the years ahead, Immortal Sect Citizens would enter a period of rapid growth. Spirit Transformation cultivators, and even Void Refining cultivators, would emerge in great numbers, their ranks swelling ever faster.