Chapter 2373: The Great Expedition of the Tai Shang Da Ri Begins

Time passes slowly.

In the era when the Human Emperor was alive, the passage of time always seemed this swift.

When the living beings of Shen Zhou had undergone countless rebirths, and Wu Jin Kong Kong had traversed tens of thousands of years, the mobilization order of the Celestial Dynasty had finally reached its final moment.

For these two hundred thousand years, the Celestial Dynasty had been preparing for war, stockpiling vast quantities of supplies, and the slumbering mid- and high-ranking officers.

On this day, countless banners and cultivators flew from every corner of Wu Jin Kong Kong, warships like clouds, high-level cultivators like rain, too numerous to count, all fully armed and organized Celestial Dynasty troops, one legion after another advancing toward the Ziwei Star Domain, their numbers boundless and endless.

Even the supreme would feel like an ant before this vast sea of military forces.

The military strength of this Celestial Dynasty expedition is ten hundred billion!

Ten hundred billion elite troops of the Celestial Dynasty!

If the battle situation changes, they can immediately mobilize several times this number of secondary reserves, enabling multi-front offensives in multiple directions without any problem.

With so many elite troops of the Celestial Dynasty entering the Ziwei Star Domain, the celestial phenomena there were almost instantly transformed, the air filled with the aura of weapons and warfare, and cultivating military arts here would proceed at a speed far surpassing normal times.

These elite troops will, after receiving the Human Emperor's inspection, march into the dark starry void to seek out and annihilate the location of the Dark Forbidden Zone.

This great expedition will last at least several hundred thousand years.

One after another, Celestial Dynasty elite troops arrived before the Tai Shang Da Ri Tiangong, beneath the Tian Shu, standing in neat and solemn ranks, and at one moment, the eyes of all soldiers became fervent and agitated.

There, a blue-clad youth carrying a long sword at his waist walked slowly forward.

No matter the distance, no matter where, every soldier clearly saw this blue-clad youth; some recognized him, some did not, but in their hearts rose an indescribable excitement, almost instinctive, their souls trembling, unable to suppress the inner turmoil.

Emperor!

Human Emperor!

This is the Human Emperor!

Already existing in the distant, long ages of their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and even earlier, and destined to continue eternally, the Emperor, an immortal existence in the starry void!

"Sword Lord!"

"We, pay our respects to the Sword Lord!"

One Celestial Dynasty cultivator after another knelt on one knee, expressing reverence to the pioneer of the Great Dao.

"I have seen you, fellow Daoists."

Jiang Ding likewise returned the salute, his expression solemn as he said: "I wish all fellow Daoists victory and return, to regain your youth, to bring peace to the starry void, and to establish an eternal foundation for the Immortal Dao!"

"May all fellow Daoists, the Immortal Dao flourish forever!"

For the warriors of the expedition, the cultivators about to step onto the battlefield, his heart is filled with hope.

"May the Sword Lord, the Immortal Dao flourish forever!"

One Celestial Dynasty cultivator after another roared loudly.

Jiang Ding nodded slightly, looking toward the Chief of Staff of the Celestial Dynasty Military Department, Yuan.

"Advance!"

"Advance!"

"Advance————"

With Yuan's command, numerous officers issued their orders.

The ten hundred billion Celestial Dynasty troops each stepped onto their respective paths, as they marched, stirring up winds that influenced star domain storms, the aura of weapons and slaughter soaring to the heavens, turning this Ziwei Star Domain into a military camp.

One star after another flashed into life, each carrying a star domain legion as they flew toward the distance.

These are the Celestial Dynasty's galaxy-class warships, integrating combat, attack, defense, and life into one super warship; a single warship is a mother nest the size of a medium-thousand world, within which multiple fleets can be differentiated at any time to explore the four directions, and equipped with hibernation facilities, allowing troops to rest during peacetime marches and awaken in wartime.

These Celestial Dynasty starships fly through the starry void at superluminal speed, flickering unpredictably, in an instant crossing an unknown distance of thousands of light-years.

This is achieved by passing through the Suilong in the Tai Shang Da Ri Zhong Shu for leapfrogging, with speed far exceeding normal times, and only after departing Celestial Dynasty territory will they proceed by their own propulsion via the Celestial Dynasty starships.

One legion after another departed.

Those who remained in place were only eighteen Emperor Realm cultivators, along with numerous super-tier elites.

In this battle, they have poured out their entire nest, except for the Tushan attendant corps who constantly guard the Human Emperor, all super-tier elite units will participate in the expedition.

The eighteen Sword Emperors gazed intently at the Human Emperor.

"Cultivators are both scientists and warriors."

"This is our destiny as wielders of great power; both aspects hold equal importance."

Jiang Ding looked toward the fellow Daoist before him and spoke slowly.

From a common-sense perspective, these researchers, the Celestial Dynasty's precious treasures, should not set foot on the battlefield; losing even one would be enough to cause heartache and spasms.

But this is mortal logic.

The logic of the Immortal Dao is not like this.

Cultivators below the Emperor Realm, no matter how outstanding, how heaven-defying, how talented and exceptional, cannot reach even one-tenth of an Emperor Realm cultivator, and cannot be compared.

If Emperor Realm cultivators do not step onto the battlefield, are we to let those below the Emperor Realm bear the main burden?

All civilizations that do not follow the logic of the Immortal Dao have long since perished.

"In turbulent times, opportunities are nurtured, and heroes of the age arise accordingly."

"This is the opportunity bestowed upon us by the era."

Jiang Ding encouraged: "Looking at the history of the great Celestial Dynasties, about half of the Emperor Realm cultivators were born in the early, turbulent and dangerous period of the Celestial Dynasty; though peaceful times have richer resources and inheritance, the number of Emperor Realm cultivators born then is rather fewer—this is the importance of life experience for cultivators."

"In turmoil, fortune is contained."

"May you all, the Immortal Dao flourish forever!"

Jiang Ding urged: "Go forth, fellow Daoists, during marches and battles, do not abandon your studies; we hold books in one hand and swords in the other, cutting through all obstacles that block our path on the Immortal Dao."

The Human Emperor bestowed blessings.

"Yes!"

"Sword Lord!"

One after another, Emperor Realm cultivators paid their respects, one after another, cultivators of the Super-Tier Elite Units paid their respects: "We shall surely return victorious!"

"Return victorious!"

Ten trillion expeditionary troops scattered into the depths of the dark starry sky.

Jiang Ding did not know the exact coordinates of the Dark Forbidden Zone; the emperors' immortal arts obscured his calculations, but he clearly knew a direction.

Ten trillion expeditionary troops scattered toward that direction, and they would spend hundreds of thousands of years meticulously searching every corner of the starry sky, seeking the temporary descent of the emperors' Dark Forbidden Zone, the nexus point where they draw sustenance from Shen Zhou's blood and flesh.

By that time, it would simply be a matter of seeing how many ancient emperors dare to appear before him.

After the expeditionary force departed, the starry sky fell silent for a moment.

The order of the starry sky remained unchanged.

In all the Minor Thousand Worlds and Major Thousand Worlds, the Shi Dao Gong Ye industrial clusters continued to operate steadily, with production techniques constantly being explored and improved, seeking higher efficiency, further advancing Shi Dao productivity, and within this system, cultivation methods, spells, and treasures continually progressed.

As for the Minor Thousand Worlds, they were more positioned as agricultural and educational planets.

Shi Dao Gong Ye placed greater emphasis on centralized production; excessive dispersion was a waste of efficiency.

The research of the Shi Chao Shi Dao Research Institute likewise did not cease; Jiang Ding presided over the Tai Shang Ri Tian Shu, constantly communicating with numerous Emperor Realm cultivators and quasi-emperors on the march, discussing various issues of Shi Dao development.

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