With that, Xuantian dropped the matter.
He knew the Six Source Ancestral Land was now connected to the Outer Realm, and the Source Realm faced annihilation. That danger was far more pressing than a nebulous rumor about a forbidden art. Continuing to argue over whether the World Devouring Method was real would only breed division and delay their response.
Great Emperor Zi Wei understood this too. Seeing Xuantian yield of his own accord, he did not press the attack.
Everyone's thoughts were fixed on the crisis at the Ancestral Land. Clinging to a personal grudge now would cost him their support. Knowing when to stop was the best way to keep Xuantian in check.
The assembled peak Emperor Realm cultivators set aside their tangled thoughts and turned their attention back to investigating the Six Source Ancestral Land.
Compared with Xuantian's secret experiments, the threat from the Outer Realm could destroy the entire Source Realm. That was the matter on which all their lives depended.
The vast, dark void held none of their earlier confrontation. Only sober assessments and careful discussions of strategy remained.
The discussion lasted well over an hour.
After much bargaining and compromise, they finally agreed on a common set of rules.
Of the Ten Great Main Cities, only Dark Mist City, guilty of colluding with the enemy, was barred outright. Each of the other nine cities had to send at least one peak Emperor Realm expert to accompany Xuantian deep into the Six Source Ancestral Land and learn the truth.
All other peak Emperor Realm experts, whether in their true bodies or avatars, would remain outside the Six-Colored Barrier and form a solid defensive line. They would seal off the Ancestral Land while standing ready to support the expedition.
If fighting broke out inside the Six Source