Chapter 778: The Seven Great Dao Children Break Through the Realm and Land

Jiang Ding closed his eyes to rest.

At some point, he opened his eyes.

Eight familiar-feeling targets had begun to scatter; one target carrying the aura of the five-element cycle vanished without a trace, while the other seven targets began moving toward the direction of the Spirit Fire World.

"They left? Where to?"

"Is there another battlefield? The Immortal Gate's home star?"

Jiang Ding frowned slightly, very displeased.

The five-element cycle, with magic power flowing endlessly, was very important to him — it could raise his sustained combat ability, increase his cultivation speed, the efficiency of refining his flying sword… When a cultivator's magic power is plentiful, nothing is inconvenient to handle.

He then closed his eyes again.

Matters involving strategic shifts in realm warfare were not something he could take part in; his horizons and experience were both too limited, insufficient to support his own decisions.

"Jiang Ding, there's good news."

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun arrived as if delivering glad tidings, transmitting his voice to Jiang Ding: "Through our diplomatic efforts, and the ideas the Wuxingtian Sect already had, the Five-Element Dao Child Antu Zi has been transferred to the Eastern Front Group Army, and will join Taiyin Dayan Jianzi Yu Yu Qianzi in attacking Teacher Gu Lin's Group Army."

He looked as though he were waiting for praise.

The young man before him ought to say something like 'Many thanks, Senior Zhenjun Shenji, the seniors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have worked hard, I'm deeply grateful…' and then he would reply with humble words about how the Immortal Gate was one body, all comrades sharing life and death, how could there be any distinction between you and me.

"What?!!!"

"On what grounds!"

Jiang Ding was stunned, furious, and blurted it out instinctively.

"Why is it always like this!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"Huh?"

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun was taken aback.

"It's nothing. Thank you, Senior."

Jiang Ding took a deep breath, regained his composure, and offered thanks.

From a rational standpoint, this was extremely correct — from a possible one-versus-nine, it had become one-versus-seven, and the pressure had lightened considerably at once.

One must understand, he was not the Great Sun Sword Pavilion's Great Sun Sword Child.

The Great Sun Sword Pavilion's inheritance and resource level were in fact at the realm-overlord tier, and their Dao Child was naturally half a rank above those of the Badaxian Sect.

Things that Great Sun Sword Children like Chong Chong Guang Zi could do, he might not necessarily be able to do.

Perhaps in the future he could, but right now it was uncertain.

Between the Immortal Gate's inheritance and a realm-overlord's inheritance, the gap was still considerable.

"The Spirit Fire World, correct?"

Jiang Ding asked again.

"Yes, this is an important node of our 'Myriad Stars Streaming Light Formation of the Northern Dipper,' supported by the entire Minor Thousand World as its foundation; once lost, the great formation would collapse by more than half."

"What's more troublesome is that we are at a disadvantage on the extraterritorial battlefield, unable to stop them from landing."

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun quickly forgot what had just happened and said solemnly: "But this isn't certain either — the landing side has the initiative, they can choose any Minor Thousand World their strength can reach to land on."

"The only good news is that we can maneuver through the Boundary-Fixing Formation; no matter where they land, we can prepare in advance."

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun explained the battlefield situation, his thoughts drifting, thinking of other things — feeling somewhat relieved, and very ashamed.

If the Great Sun Sword Child had not been there, putting enormous pressure on the Dao Children of the Badaxian Sect, they would absolutely not have chosen to gather together, but would instead split into eight armies and land on eight Minor Thousand Worlds simultaneously; the Immortal Gate could at most rely on Teacher Gu Lin's Group Army to hold back the attack on one Minor Thousand World.

The remaining seven Minor Thousand Worlds, even if they could use forbidden nuclear weapons to buy time, could not escape the fate of defeat.

At that time, the only chance of victory would be on the extraterritorial battlefield, where the Immortal Gate fleet would launch a desperate assault, actively charging at the great powers of the Badaxian Sect, hoping to defeat them on the frontal battlefield and drive them back, thereby winning the war.

But this would undoubtedly turn defensive combat into siege combat, in which casualties would surely increase several- or ten-fold, and the chance of final victory would be very small — it could only be called hoping for a miracle, a choice born of helplessness.

This was also the reason for the great guilt in his heart.

He believed that they and others had shifted enormous risk onto a little whelp not yet three hundred years old.

"The situation has changed — it's the Spirit Fire World."

Suddenly, Zhenjun Shenji received a new report, and his expression shifted slightly: "They have begun using Refinement Void Dao Soldiers to cast spells and sweep clean all Nascent Soul and above beings in the Spirit Fire World; next, they will begin realm-breaking and landing."

Military intelligence was an order.

"Yes!"

Jiang Ding saluted, gripped the sword hilt at his waist, and vanished in the light of the teleportation formation.

……

In the hazy spatial runes, Jiang Ding opened his eyes.

Looking up, the sky was a deep-red sky of glowing clouds like evening glow in the Spirit Fire World, mingling with the crimson in his eyes, making it impossible to distinguish what was illusion and what was the real world.

Reality and the slaughtering Illusion Realm gradually merged.

"Co-Commander…"

Teacher Ouyang Hui, who had waited she didn't know how long, spoke in a trembling voice.

She saw such a scene.

A youth whose eyes were deep red, whose wild killing intent seemed about to burst forth from his body, triggering living beings' instinctive fear, quietly gazed into the distance, his gaze unfocused — very abnormal.

More and more alike,

More and more alike.

This was simply identical to the Great Sun Sword Children recorded in the Immortal Gate's history!

They were extremely chaotic and fond of slaughter, unable to distinguish friend from foe; if they had no enemy, they themselves would go mad during cultivation, lose control, and only after slaying a powerful being again would they regain a period of calm and refinement — switching back and forth between the two extremes.

Every generation of Great Sun Sword Children was like this, without exception.

Now, this one of the Immortal Gate was gradually becoming the same way, which inevitably made one wonder whether some essential thing had been carried over.

Although this aspect of the Immortal Sect has always been normal, never causing friendly fire...

But I am truly afraid!

If even a trace of sword qi from his flying sword were to tremble and reveal itself, a vast swath of Jin Dan cultivators would die, leaving not even a single speck of their soul behind.

This is no different from standing beside a nuclear reactor that could go out of control at any moment; serving a lord is like serving a tiger.

"Commander."

Teacher Ouyang Hui forced herself to calm down, quickly recalling the sixteen-year-old, naive youth she had first met during those years of teaching at Qingfeng University, striving to overlay that image with the one before her now.

Moments later, her instinctive fear finally subsided, and she steadied her spirit.

"The Badaxian Sect's sky-faring army has already begun breaking through the boundaries to land, attacking from the four directions of southeast, northwest, northeast, and southwest. The numbers exceed eight million, including seven Candidate Daozi, which is equivalent to over thirty inherited disciples of the ten kings of Brother Brother Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace."

"Our fleet stationed in the Spirit Fire Realm has received massive reinforcement, totaling two hundred and forty army groups, divided into four army group clusters of southeast, northwest, northeast, and southwest. They are commanded by eight deputy commanders like myself. I am ranked as the first deputy commander and, in necessary circumstances, can exercise the Commander's authority."

"So many?"

Jiang Ding suppressed the deep red illusions in his eyes and asked normally.

"Yes, the Immortal Sect has already begun the fifth and sixth rounds of conscription; many are second-line battalions and unmanned fleets."

Teacher Ouyang Hui explained, "The Immortal Sect's human resources are nearing exhaustion. Adult cultivators are barely seen on the mother planet, as they are all on various battlefronts. This is also the main reason the Immortal Sect has halted its expansion."

"At this stage, the General Staff's recommendation is to strike them halfway between the clouds and the gale layer at the four landing directions of the Immortal Sects."

"You will remain stationed within the Boundary-Stabilizing Array. Once the location of a Candidate Daozi is detected, you will be teleported there."

"Do not worry about the Candidate Daozi's concealment abilities. This is a positional defense operation. Our large-scale spirit particle radar matrix has greatly enhanced our search capabilities and can lock onto their movements."

"What do you think?"

She produced an operational plan.

"Acceptable."

Jiang Ding signed his name on this operational plan, then continued to stare blankly at the sky.

(End of this chapter)