Chapter 1489: Hegemon of the Realm Communities — Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong

The empty realm starry sky — nothing was left behind.

The endless light of the stars blazed forth, sweeping inch by inch across every place, every location, scanning again and again in the deep layers of space, checking again and again.

"Nothing."

"They escaped."

From within the stars came waves of ripples, like a single voice, like a billion voices, layered upon layered, echoing back and forth, eerie yet ethereal.

This was the collective will of the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong fleet thinking.

"No matter. It was expected."

Within the collective will's deliberative thought of the fleet, Yuan said with a smile: "For the first time, our strength has surpassed the Badaxian Sect in both quantity and quality — no longer the past where we could only intimidate them through fear of sacrifice, making them wary of losing a few key individuals in a death-fight, growing cautious."

"Today!"

"By strength alone, we can defeat them!"

"At last we no longer have to pay the price of countless citizens' lives just to earn the right to survive between realms. Even if they fight to the death, we can defeat them — it's merely a question of how great the cost."

"The only pity is,"

The Senior Wanji Zhen interface — a mechanical tone similar to a central array-spirit computer, but far richer in emotion — sighed: "Our strength has surpassed theirs for the first time, but not by too much, not to the point of crushing them."

"If they are determined to flee and never give decisive battle, we truly have no great way to deal with them."

"However, time is on our side…"

Senior Wanji Zhen's voice was chilling and confident, full of joy.

The citizens are growing!

From now on, Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong citizens will inevitably enter a period of rapid growth. Large numbers of Soul Transformation cultivators, and even Void Refinement cultivators, will swiftly emerge, more and more numerous.

This is inevitable!

Just look around casually — how many Void Refinement seeds does Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong have?

Tianci Canghai Tianjun, Huateng Canghai Tianjun, Huobao Three Canghai Tianjun, Luling Canghai Tianjun, Master Master Dinghai, Zhang Zhang Junsheng Canghai Tianjun, Siyan Canghai Tianjun, Jin Lingfeng Canghai Tianjun… all of these can be called Void Refinement seeds.

These are merely the Void Refinement seeds of Jiang Ding's era.

In the eras after him, even more prodigies and outstanding talents emerged continuously. Added to that, the top-notch prodigies selected from between realms for their moral character, creativity, and meritorious service — one could say Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong simply does not lack reserve talent. Local education plus ascended immigrants has even led to an overabundance of prodigies, a surplus of talent.

For an individual cultivator, one cannot say for certain whether they will advance — after all, opportunity, luck, and intellect differ, and cannot be determined.

But what can be determined is that within the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong collective, a great number of Void Refinement cultivators will surely appear, so long as Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong can provide them with a Void Refinement opportunity.

And now, in this era of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's imminent great expansion, Void Refinement opportunities will surely experience a great explosion.

"I've asked Senior Jin Liu of the mother star."

"From now on, Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's Void Refinement cultivators will present a gushing state."

Zhenjun Shenji Zhen, who was far away at the realm passage, hurried over to attend the meeting and said solemnly: "In at most five thousand years, Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong will have over five hundred Void Refinement cultivators appear. Soul Transformation cultivators may even reach the figure of eight hundred thousand. At that time, the Central Group fleet's strength will surge, reaching more than double its current level, and perhaps we can attempt to utterly annihilate the Badaxian Sect."

Five hundred Void Refinement cultivators?!

This figure made many old cultivators who had lived through the Great Sun Sword Pavilion era tremble in their hearts, sighing with emotion.

Back then, Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong didn't even have a single Void Refinement cultivator. Now they were about to possess several hundred. Looking back, it felt like an illusory dream.

"Why only double in strength?"

Master Canghai Zhen was stunned.

His question was also the question of many Soul Transformation and Void Refinement cultivators.

Void Refinement and Soul Transformation cultivators had both surged several-fold or even dozens of times, yet the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong fleet's overall strength only grew to this extent — somewhat inconsistent with the logic of data growth.

"There are multiple reasons."

Zhenjun Shenji Zhen patiently explained: "First, the current two-billion fleet number has already reached the limit of Yuan's command capability. Even if Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong has more powerhouses and more troops, he still cannot command more cultivators. Unless Yuan can advance to the Dao Merging realm, the Central Group fleet's number can at most be three billion."

"The Central Group fleet's strength cannot grow linearly with the increase in the number of Void Refinement and Soul Transformation cultivators — there exists a marginal effect."

Yuan is Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's greatest war commander.

The Great Sun Sword Master could not be mentioned in the same breath as him in this regard. No matter that the individual power he grasped was at least dozens of times stronger than Yuan's, in warship command he still fell short.

This was the reason other Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong fleets did not participate in the core battlefield.

Unable to integrate into the Central Group grand formation, they were at most early-to-mid Dao Merging level in strength, unable to affect the main battlefield, and would only needlessly increase casualties.

The role of these second-line troops was to garrison key transportation nodes across the regions with the aid of the grand formation, not to engage in field battles.

"Second, the capability of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's central array-spirit computer has reached its limit."

Zhenjun Shenji Zhen continued.

"Third, Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's research and exploration of the Heaven-Human realm has likewise reached a current capability limit, unable to erupt with more power."

"That is roughly the situation."

The way of military formations has never been merely about numbers.

If speaking of numbers, Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong is far inferior to the Ancient God Alliance which possesses dozens of realms. The way of military formations is actually an art that extremely emphasizes skill and the exploration limits of immortal-path technology — not the crude, clumsy appearance many cultivation novels depict when looking at Dao soldiers.

"When can Senior Yuan advance to Dao Merging?"

Jiang Ding suddenly asked.

The gazes of many Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong powerhouses turned to Yuan — with expectation, with reverence, with longing.

He was the pathfinder of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong.

If he were to step into the Dao Merging realm, in the future they too would have hope of stepping into the Dao Merging realm — the path ahead bright. Although the number who could ultimately become Dao Merging cultivators would inevitably be very few, very likely fewer than ten people among the two billion Central Group fleet here would possess this possibility.

But having even a sliver of hope was good.

"At present, it's not possible."

Yuan shook his head slightly, smiling bitterly: "You all know as well as I do — Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's current Dao Merging-grade Nine Classics of the Sect still need at least several thousand more years before they can be developed. Who could advance now?"

"However, if speaking of Void Refinement peak, I need roughly twelve thousand years."

"Hahaha, that's soon then."

"Far, I look forward to the day when I can address you as Divine Lord. When that day comes, the Ancient God Domain may perhaps become a complete blessed land for the Immortal Gate."

Senior Wanji True Venerable burst into laughter.

The Immortal Gate's Central Group fleet was engulfed in a sea of laughter.

Amid such idle chatter, part of the fleet split off from the Central Group and plunged into several surrounding Minor Thousand Worlds, launching overwhelming landing operations, beginning to sweep away all the remnants of the Ancient God Alliance's forces in the Minor Thousand Worlds and restoring the Immortal Gate's regime over these Minor Thousand Worlds.

Unlike last time, this time the Immortal Gate's regime will surely take deep root in this land, bringing all beings a more peaceful and happy life, and for at least tens of thousands of years, no changes will occur.