Descent
The man stood silently, his long hair swaying and dancing wildly in the wind, his robes snapping around him. He was none other than Jiang Xiaotian.
Not far beneath him, Yin Yang, Purple Light, Blood Soul, the old woman, and the others stood shoulder to shoulder, nine in all.
Below them were hundreds of peak masters, hall masters, and outer elders, all radiating unfathomable presences.
Rank and cultivation realm were clearly distinguished, descending layer by layer for all to see.
Their immense, terrifying might shook heaven and earth and surged into the clouds of the nine heavens, as though it would utterly scatter even the dark clouds above the firmament. Their terrifying presence seemed poised to spread and surge into the infinite distance.
Jiang Xiaotian stood at the highest point with his hands behind his back, his white robes snapping in the wind. His handsome face bore boundless majesty, his deep, unfathomable eyes held a sovereign disdain. Though he clearly stood there, he seemed to exist apart from the nine heavens, allowing others only to gaze at him from afar.
"Our Star Divine Sect was founded tens of thousands of years ago. Through those long ages, we have reached the pinnacle of splendor and fought our way to boundless glory. Countless disciples have taken the Star Divine Sect as their starting point and stepped into a wider world..."
"Years grow old in the flick of a finger; time passes in an instant. We wear the splendor our forebears created and bathe in the glory they fought to win. How could we forget those forebears who gave their heads and spilled their blood for the sect? Tell me, can you forget them?"
His ringing, impassioned voice resounded in every direction, echoing through this stretch of heaven and earth and reaching the ears of every Star Divine Sect disciple!
"We will engrave them upon our hearts and never forget them in this life!"
"We will engrave them upon our hearts and never forget them in this life!"
A million people shouted in unison. Their vast, matchless voices erupted, piercing the clouds and reaching straight into the nine heavens!
"Tell me, in your hearts, is the Star Divine Sect your home... or a stepping stone into a higher world?"
Jiang Xiaotian's voice rang out once more!
"Home!"
Their united roars and shouts resounded throughout the eight wildernesses and the six directions. It was a single, simple word, yet it brimmed with resolve and determination!
"When your home faces an enemy's invasion, an enemy's slaughter, an enemy's madness, what... will you do?"
"Kill! Kill! Kill..."
A million Star Divine Sect disciples roared in unison, their cries of slaughter shaking the heavens, their fighting spirit soaring!
"And if the enemy is too powerful, too ferocious, and we are no match for them, what then?"
Jiang Xiaotian stood tall, an incomparably vast and mighty presence radiating from him, as though he possessed an overwhelming momentum spanning eternity, capable of subduing the eight wildernesses and crushing the six directions!
"Even if we are no match, death is all we face! If you wish to destroy our home, first step over our corpses!"
"Even if we are no match, death is all we face! If you wish to destroy our home, first step over our corpses!"
The voices of a million disciples shook the clouds. Their tones were resolute, every word a blade, their might soaring and their fighting spirit surging wildly!
"Ha ha! Good! As expected of the disciples of our Star Divine Sect! With you here, I am proud of our sect. Let those invading enemies witness our sect's unwavering advance!"
Jiang Xiaotian's voice was impassioned, his long hair swaying in the wind. Bathed in divine radiance, he resembled a heavenly god descending into the mortal world.
"Raise the swords in our hands! Defend the home behind us! Even in death, advance without faltering!"
"Raise the swords in our hands! Defend the home behind us! Even in death, advance without faltering!"
Their voices boomed like great bells, ringing through the clouds, resounding throughout the eight wildernesses and the six directions, shaking heaven and earth!
Riiiip!
And just then...
An earth-shattering tearing shriek suddenly exploded between heaven and earth, instantly drawing Jiang Xiaotian, Blood Soul, Purple Light, the others, and countless Star Divine Sect disciples to look up toward its source!
High in the void, ten thousand zhang above, an unknown force suddenly tore open a rift. Terrifying spatial cracks spread for an unknown number of tens of thousands of li!
The next moment, a colossal object emerged from within. It was shaped like a warship, yet its edges lay beyond sight, measuring tens of millions of zhang. Its entire body was a deep, shadowy black, radiating endless eeriness, netherworld gloom, and ill omen, unleashing limitless darkness and terror!
Terrifying spatial power poured out ceaselessly in all directions, tracing incomparably dazzling trails!
They're here?
Th-this... this is the unknown enemy?
These thoughts arose simultaneously in the hearts of Jiang Xiaotian, Yin Yang, Blood Soul, Purple Light, the old woman, and the others, ten in all. The instant they saw that colossal object, every one of their pupils contracted sharply and their brows knitted tightly. Even their bodies, which seemed capable of holding up heaven and earth, could not help trembling!
This was the unknown enemy?
This was the invading enemy?
This was a fucking supreme terror!
That colossal object whose edges lay beyond sight was a warship-a warship measuring tens of millions of zhang, a warship radiating endless eeriness, netherworld gloom, and ill omen, unleashing limitless darkness and terror!
Was this an invasion by an unknown enemy?
This was clearly the onslaught of a supreme terror!
"Th-this! This! Surely this isn't the invading enemy the sect master spoke of?"
"P-p-probably not!"
Under the terrifying intimidation of the Nine Nether Rebirth Boat, the fervor, hot blood, sky-piercing fighting spirit, and solemn vows of countless Star Divine Sect disciples vanished utterly in that instant, disappearing without a trace. Only panic remained to fill their hearts!
They, too, wanted to be steadfast, to be brave, to be strong, to be unyielding. They, too, wanted to battle the nine netherworlds in fury and slaughter their way through the nine heavens. But! The might radiating from that colossal object in the sky was truly... truly far too terrifying!
Now that they faced it in person, how could they remain as composed as before?
The endless eeriness it radiated, the endless netherworld gloom it radiated, the endless ill omen it radiated, the limitless darkness it unleashed, the boundless terror that shrouded and pervaded everything! All of these had truly appeared before their eyes. Facing something netherworldly that seemed to have come from hell itself, how could they not be afraid?
Fear of the unknown, of the uncanny, of the netherworld, of darkness seemed carved into their very bones. The moment they encountered or saw such things, they could not help feeling afraid, terrified, and filled with dread!
"Raise the swords in our hands, defend the home behind us, even in death, advance without faltering?"
"Heh! What stirring words, so impassioned, so spirited, so resounding! Even deep within the void, they set my blood boiling. I could hardly wait to fight shoulder to shoulder with you!"
Just then, an indifferent voice laced with endless cold rang out from that colossal object radiating endless eeriness, netherworld gloom, and ill omen. The voice carried boundless sarcasm, mockery, and amusement!
As those words fell...
A figure clad in long black robes stepped off that colossal object and advanced through space, one step at a time. With every footfall, the void beneath the figure's feet fractured, and spatial cracks spread like spiderwebs!
Step! Step! Step!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Silence!
At that moment, heaven and earth were terrifyingly silent!
Frighteningly silent!
A falling pin could have been heard!
Only heartbeats like thunderous drums, footsteps, and the sounds of shattering space played between heaven and earth!
No one spoke!
No one moved!