Chapter 1548: The Will of the Sun Sword Master

Around, complete silence.

"Seal it!"

"Seal the news immediately…"

Someone growled—it must have been an old cultivator who had endured countless life-or-death battles, cold and heartless, the kind of citizen who would sacrifice even his own life for victory.

Many Immortal Sect elders also changed expression at once.

Over ten trillion Immortal Sect citizens still live, bearing the spiritual aura of ancient Divine Ancestors—why are they still alive? Is that hard to guess?

There must be a purpose.

What purpose?

Will a terrifying Heavenly Person one day awaken again from these citizens' spiritual cores, from the current version of the Central Array Spirit computer, and become as monstrous as today?

All these speculations sent chills down their spines.

Had the Sun Sword Master already recovered?

Could the Sun Sword Master suppress the residual souls of the Heavenly Persons they had unleashed?

Many Immortal Sect elders rapidly calculated, their spiritual cores barely unfolding the scenario—and immediately saw a terrifying truth: a truth capable of utterly annihilating the Immortal Sect.

They instantly moved to seal the news—and had already done so.

Many Immortal Sect elders understood the big picture; even if they felt guilt and sorrow, they notified no one.

Yet while the Immortal Sect could seal the news, the enemy could also spread it.

"Is my father still alive?"

"Did the Central Array Spirit computer protect my two daughters?"

"Hahaha… hahaha… my mother is still alive… hahaha… still alive…"

The entire Central Fleet Group instantly erupted in cheers, thousands of fathers and sons overcome with emotion upon learning their loved ones still lived.

The Immortal Sect elders exchanged glances.

Many sighed deeply and closed their eyes in silence.

At this moment, even if some Void Refinement elders were willing to sacrifice their own children, it would be useless—no one would support them, no one could stop these citizens from resolutely saving their kin.

Whoever stands in the way becomes an enemy to the death!

"I can handle this matter."

"I will bear all responsibility."

The Sun Annihilating True Venerable turned back to them, coldly saying: "I will bear the eternal infamy. After the deed is done, carve me into a thousand pieces, torture me for billions of years, to appease public outrage."

"No hesitation—do it now."

"This…"

The surrounding Immortal Sect elders hesitated.

They hesitated, yet from start to finish never questioned the necessity of this act.

The Heavenly Person's residual soul is awakening again!

How terrifying is this?

It is an event capable of utterly annihilating the Immortal Sect.

Emotion!

Even knowing this is a terrible trap, a trap in the future that could devour the Immortal Sect—must we still walk into it with open eyes?

What guilt does the Sun Annihilating True Venerable bear?

Do the soldiers, longing for their kin, cheering and laughing loudly, do anything wrong?

The Immortal Sect elders remained silent for a long time.

"Yuan…"

"You make the decision."

The Sun Annihilating True Venerable said coldly: "The Immortal Sect governs—those in office bear the responsibility. Glory belongs to you; darkness and filth must also belong to you."

"You cannot be sacrificed."

"Your existence is indispensable to the Immortal Sect—internally, you balance the Sun Sword Master; externally, you command the citizen fleets. You cannot be sacrificed. Let me take this task."

"…."

Yuan remained silent.

"Just spit it out!"

"Fucking hell, you're so damn indecisive!"

The Sun Annihilating True Venerable cursed loudly.

Around them, Immortal Sect soldiers were in a frenzy, desperate to see their loved ones—any further delay would be too late.

"I…"

Yuan said slowly.

"I must consult with the Sun Councilor and seek his opinion."

"Only then can I make a decision."

He employed the tactic of delay, drawing even angrier curses from the Sun Annihilating True Venerable—but said no more, clearly resolute beyond change.

He chose to reveal the truth to the Immortal Sect citizens, to explain what had happened, rather than conceal or suppress it.

…

Slowly, a thousand years passed.

The Immortal Sect's homeworld returned to normal; industrial zones were rebuilt, the Moon regained its original size, the shattered Blue Planet and surrounding planetary ecosystems had recovered, their citizens now walked the streets—going to school, working, playing.

The smoke of war had vanished.

The immortal sect citizens born in these years already treat the war of a thousand years ago as history, just like the many moving and tragic stories in the annals — not something pressing and immediate.

On this day, many of the immortal sect's participating administrators came to the mother star's highest-grade healing Secret Realm, casting glances from time to time toward the center of the realm.

There, amid many precious seventh-grade Taiyi Taiyi Qingmu life-original fluids, a dark-gold flying sword drifted quietly up and down.

Compared to a thousand years ago, his condition had improved considerably; the flying sword's spiritual light had recovered, its aura awe-inspiring, yet its dharma-body still had not healed, seeming still to be brewing and growing.

A thousand years, for an injury of the Celestial-being grade, was still far too brief.

However, today the immortal sect's participating administrators had no choice but to wake him early, because there was a matter of great importance on which they wished to seek his opinion.

No one knew how long it had been when the flying sword trembled slightly, a terrifying

destructive, scorching pressure bloomed in all directions, making even Dao-Unification Divine Lords involuntarily tremble, let alone Void-Training cultivators — their minds simply went blank, life and death no longer in their own hands, like cattle and sheep awaiting slaughter.

"Terrifying…"

Li Hai Zhen, the True Honored One, drew in a sharp breath.

The Central Array Spirit Computer had still not rebooted to this day.

This meant the Central Array Spirit Computer was not absolutely trustworthy, unable to participate closely in the immortal sect's many scientific research and security operations, so that even within the mother star he had no choice but to face the pressure of high-grade cultivators head-on, not as composed as in the past.

"Do you all think this feels a bit like waiting for a sect's old ancestor to revive?"

Wu Wu Jinqian, the True Honored One, quipped.

"Haha!"

"That is true."

Everyone laughed; the heavy mood eased somewhat.

No one knew how long it had been, but after the destructive pressure bloomed, a drowsy figure finally appeared atop the flying sword, glanced at them, bleary-eyed.

"What's wrong?"

"Is something the matter? Seniors."

Jiang Ding yawned and said.

He was now like an infant, especially drowsy, minimizing the consumption of spiritual energy to recover his injuries as quickly as possible.

"There is indeed something."

"Take a look and give us your opinion."

Yuan, knowing time was precious, immediately transmitted the intelligence concerning the trillion citizens over, including the various changes that had taken place in the nearly thousand years.

Those trillion citizens still slumbered within the Central Array Spirit Computer, unchanged in the slightest, not having died from the end of their lifespans.

The Ancient God Ancestor clearly possessed a higher-grade slumbering technique than the immortal sect's.

"Hostages, then?"

"That old thing really has no scruples — well, law cultivators have always been this shameless and unscrupulous, stopping at nothing."

Jiang Ding finished reading the documents and murmured to himself.

The surrounding immortal sect law cultivators' faces darkened.

"Senior, my opinion is—"

"The trillion citizens must be rescued, even if there is danger."

Jiang Ding's expression grew solemn as he fulfilled his duty as a participating administrator of the immortal sect and gave his view: "This is the decision made by the majority of citizens, so we will do it; no matter how many dangers the future holds, we must do it."

"The citizen polity — that is the foundation of our strength."

"This will never change."

"So-called power plays, deception, suppression — all these are merely temporary; they cannot build a future path to immortality, only the act of Ji Gong."

"Our path, the citizens' path, is exactly this."

"No matter how many thorns, no matter how many hardships and dangers, we must walk it."

"Furthermore,

"

Jiang Dingleng said coolly: "Seniors, there is no need for worry."

"A mere withered bone in a tomb — since I could defeat him once, I can defeat him ten times, a hundred times, ten thousand times! This is certain, because I stand at the center of the entire immortal sect, and am born with potential greater than his."

"Time belongs to the immortal sect, belongs to us."

"What we now need to pay special attention to is not this remnant soul — once my injuries heal I will deal with this remnant soul — what we need to pay special attention to should be the Black Mist Star Sea, where there may exist more of the Ancient God Ancestor's bodies, as well as that suspected 'Ancient God' arm…"

Jiang Ding gave his opinion.

An inexplicable steadiness settled in everyone's hearts.

"Good,"

"I understand."

Yuan said in a deep voice.

Jiang Ding nodded, and his sword soul once again merged into the flying sword, falling into a deeper level of slumber to heal.