The decree was very old and somewhat damaged, but now every mysterious ancient character on it shone brilliantly, illuminating the sky.
"What kind of script is this?" someone asked in astonishment, unable to recognize it at all.
"This is the script of the Immortal Ancient Era," someone else cried out.
Among those present were many scholars versed in both ancient and modern lore. They knew how ancient these characters were, yet even they could recognize only a few and could not understand what the decree said.
The decree descended and drifted before Willow Deity, clearly intended for her to read.
Willow Deity examined it carefully, then frowned and glanced toward the boundless expanse beyond the world. That was where the decree had fallen from.
"They're asking me to spare them," she murmured.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. Who, exactly, was up in the heavens, sending down this decree to ask Willow Deity to show mercy?
Everyone felt a chill. They had not seen anyone at all.
Then heaven and earth shook violently, and an ancient battle-axe manifested. It was incomplete, wreathed in chaotic light, and rushed over from the edge of the sky. It rocked toward Willow Deity, like a person nodding in greeting.
Characters also appeared around the ancient battle-axe, branded into the void. These, too, were ancient characters from the previous era, seemingly communicating with Willow Deity.
The sight shocked everyone and made their hair stand on end.
"Let us end things here today. If these people fail to distinguish themselves in the Border Wasteland in the future, we will settle this then." In the end, Willow Deity agreed. She rose lightly into the air, without embarking on a massacre or washing the land in blood.
The old sect master of the Immortal Palace looked extremely grim, as