The speech was certainly impassioned, but every cultivator present was an old fossil who had lived for thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years.
Though they knew that when the lips were gone, the teeth would feel the cold, they understood the catastrophe facing the Primeval Ancient Realm better than anyone. Going there meant nine chances of death and only one of survival.
After the Immortal King finished speaking, several True Immortals offered their own remarks. It was all empty fluff, though, much like the chicken soup for the soul from Qin Feng's previous life, and it left him nodding off.
Next came the most crucial part: drawing lots. Some of those present had volunteered to fight and therefore did not need to draw, but everyone else had to draw lots to decide whether they would live or die!
Qin Feng thought the commotion at the drawing rivaled a military conscription lottery in Thailand. The absurdity was off the charts.
Some drew a slip marked "Go" and turned as pale as paper. A few even fainted on the spot, while others bawled their eyes out.
Some drew "Safe" and lit up with joy, though they dared not flaunt it too openly. Others were so overjoyed that they leaped into the sky, losing their composure even in front of the Immortal King.
After drawing "Go," a young Supreme stood rooted to the spot for a full ten breaths. Then he turned toward the old servant behind him, his voice trembling. "I... I haven't lived enough yet."
The old servant fell silent for a moment before saying quietly, "Young master, you're already a Supreme."
"But I'm only twelve thousand years old!" The young Supreme's eyes reddened. "I haven't even met all ten of the Immortal Domain's most beautiful fairies-"
His declaration drew a burst of laughter from the crowd, though there was some helpless sympathy as well. A Supreme only a little over ten thousand years old was indeed a genius.
Qin Feng withdrew his gaze, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. -All right, at least there's some entertainment.
The drawing lasted an entire day. The ratio this time was two to one. Tens of millions of cultivators had come, and half were selected to follow the Immortal King into the coming war.
Once the drawing ended, the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King and the True Immortals present took some pills from their private collections and distributed them to some of the Extreme Dao Supremes there.
Extreme Dao Supremes were rare talents anywhere, and every one of them had the potential to become an Immortal King. Naturally, they deserved proper protection. Even Qin Feng received several pills.
These were spirit pills with exceptional healing properties, personally refined by Immortal Kings and True Immortals. Their effects were extraordinary: no matter how severe the injury, as long as one did not die on the spot and managed to escape, one could be saved.
"Your name is Qin Feng, correct? I saw you on the entry register at the Immortal Realm's border. You came to our Immortal Domain over a hundred thousand years ago.
"It seems you've put down roots in the Immortal Domain over the years," the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King said, looking at the unusually young Extreme Dao Supreme before her.
"You flatter me, Immortal King. I'm merely a nobody," Qin Feng replied respectfully.
"There's no need to belittle yourself. Even in the Immortal Domain, you count among the finest geniuses.
"If you return safely this time, I'll offer you a position. Come serve as an Immortal General under me!" the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King said with a smile.
To think an Extreme Dao Supreme had been living in her territory, unknown to everyone and keeping an exceedingly low profile.
Ordinarily, someone with a Supreme's cultivation could thrive anywhere. Though he was an outsider, relations between the Primeval Ancient Realm and the Immortal Domain were excellent.
After all these years, the Primeval Ancient Realm and the Immortal Domain were practically wearing the same pair of trousers. Some great figures were even discussing merging the two realms.
If a Supreme from the ancient realm-an Extreme Dao Supreme, no less-came to ask her for a position, she would certainly grant him a stretch of the starry heavens and make him an Immortal General.
If he advanced to True Immortal, he could even join her family and become a mighty expert under her command, ruling over a stretch of the starry heavens.
"Thank you for your favor, Immortal King, but my homeland has suffered grievously. I must return home to defend it and resist the Foreign Realm's army.
"Even if we win this battle, I intend to remain in my homeland and defend it. Unless the threat from the Foreign Realm is resolved completely, I will not leave the ancient realm again," Qin Feng said, immediately bowing to the female Immortal King before him.
He had already mapped out a clear path for what lay ahead. His true body would remain in the Immortal Domain, comprehending the complete laws of the immortal Dao, allowing him to continue advancing toward True Immortal and even Immortal King.
Meanwhile, his corpse avatar could remain in the Primeval Ancient Realm to lay his plans. If it unexpectedly died in battle this time, he would still have fulfilled his duty. A thousand years later, he would condense another avatar and send it to the Primeval Ancient Realm again.
The ancient realm would hold great opportunities in the future. To survive the final war, he had to build good relationships with the three Heavenly Emperors and ensure they remembered him. Only then could he be reflected back into existence.
Qin Feng liked having a backup plan, or even a backup for his backup. His first plan was to cultivate in the Immortal Domain and reach the Immortal King realm if at all possible.
When the Desolate Heaven Emperor, Shi Hao, attained the Dao, he would give him all the help he could, then do his utmost to weather the future dark turmoil. If he survived it, he could make a safe transition into the Shrouding the Heavens Era.
By then, he should at least have cultivated to the level of a giant, perhaps even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. Then he would have to face the Eerie Clan. There was no escaping that.
He would build good relationships with the protagonists in the future and keep lying low for as long as he could. If he could no longer lie low and died unexpectedly in battle, he could rely on those Heavenly Emperors to bring him back.
The greatest constraint the Primeval Ancient Realm imposed on him was its incomplete laws of the immortal Dao. However, his avatar could share his true body's cultivation, so that posed no problem for him.
"In that case, I won't insist." The Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King nodded and said no more.
Lowering herself to recruit a Supreme was already a considerable show of favor. Since he had declined, she would not say anything further.
Three days later, the vast army of the Immortal Domain set out. Carried along by the Immortal King, the entire army reached the border in mere moments.
Countless shafts of golden light descended, each containing an Immortal King-level existence. Most of the Immortal Kings sent to reinforce the Primeval Ancient Realm this time were Quasi-Immortal Kings or Immortal Kings with flawed attainments. They had all been forced to go, without even a chance to draw lots.
The few supreme Immortal Kings leading them, however, had taken part in a drawing. Qin Feng studied the ranks of Immortal Kings and spotted one with flawed attainments and a head of golden hair.
This one seemed to have a good relationship with the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King. The forces they led stood together.
"That is a powerful Golden-Haired Suanni with terrifying combat strength. Though his Dao fruit has some flaws, he is not much weaker than the Ten Fiends of the Primeval Ancient Realm," True Immortal Firefeather said beside him.
Qin Feng nodded. This must be the one who joins those three losers in ambushing the Desolate Heaven Emperor in the future!
This fellow was lucky. Despite being the Desolate Heaven Emperor's enemy, he was taken in as a mount and was even reflected back into existence in the end. Of all those who made an enemy of Desolate, he was the luckiest.