Chapter 80: Stars and Continents

Chief Chu's words startled all three of them, but Lu Yang most of all, for his mind leaped to far deeper implications.

When he first entered the Seeking Sect, he had been given a rough map of the sect's domain, which was marked as spanning a hundred thousand miles; a domain of such vastness was larger than ten Earths flattened and laid side by side!

Considering the world-shaking abilities of the Void-Refining and Body-Integration masters described in the ancient chronicles, only an expanse of this scale could allow them to unleash their divine abilities without restraint.

The sect contained numerous forbidden zones, most of which served as battlegrounds for supreme cultivators, where anyone lacking sufficient cultivation would meet an untimely demise from merely brushing against the edges.

When Eldest Senior Sister had said upon their arrival, "The sect cannot be explained in a few words; you may explore it gradually in the future," it was not out of laziness, but because the Seeking Sect was truly immense enough to demand a lifetime of gradual discovery.

Thinking of it this way, the Seeking Sect might very well be the result of several planets being flattened and merged together!

Yet the territory occupied by the Seeking Sect was but a mere corner of the Central Continent, making it nearly impossible to fathom just how staggeringly vast the entire continent truly was!

Chief Chu continued, "In ancient times, there were thousands upon thousands of life-bearing stars, perhaps even more, though the exact number can no longer be verified."

"Once ancient cultivators reached the Soul-Transformation stage, they needed no magical treasures to soar from one star to another. In those days, ruined stars were scattered across the cosmos, left in the wake of the devastating battles between cultivators!"

"The prosperity of the ancient era was truly something to yearn for; so many myths and legends were born then, and so many supreme cultivators were forged."

"When the supreme masters of that era compared their power, they measured it by how many planets they could destroy with a single strike, and when they compared their factions, they vied over how many living planets knelt beneath their banners."

"At the absolute peak of ancient prosperity, a certain existence intervened, refining the countless stars of the heavens into a single, unified continent. Whether they were living worlds or dead stars, none could escape his monstrous grasp."

"The Central Continent brims with boundless vitality precisely because this place was once composed of living stars, making it the most ideal land for cultivation!"

"The vast ocean to the east of the Central Continent was once a star entirely enveloped by water."

"The Golden Buddhist Kingdom to the west was once a desolate, uninhabitable star."

"The Southern Demon Domain and the Far North follow the exact same truth."

Chief Chu's words utterly shattered the perception of Lu Yang and his two companions, for they had never imagined that the very soil beneath their feet was composed of stars refined by a single entity!

It was a truth that completely transcended their wildest imagination!

"Who exactly was it that refined the stars?" Lu Yang inquired.

Chief Chu shook his head, not because Lu Yang lacked the clearance to know, but because he truly did not: "His true identity is lost to time, but one thing is certain—that existence was absolutely an Immortal!"

Such transcendent, otherworldly power was something that those in the Tribulation-Transcending stage could never hope to achieve!

"Why that existence chose to refine stars into a continent, and what methods he employed, both remain unsolved mysteries."

Chief Chu continued, "What is certain is that his methods were exceedingly brutal, devoid of any shred of mercy. When stars are toyed with in such a manner, how many of the souls living upon them could possibly survive? Even ordinary cultivators found it nearly impossible to cling to life."

"Those who did survive did so not because of their high cultivation, but purely out of sheer luck!"

"The rising geniuses and supreme masters of that era stepped forward to block him, only to be reduced to blood mist by that existence, their souls forced into reincarnation."

"Fortunately, the Immortal of Immortality intervened back then, preserving the majority of the human race and preventing mankind's lineage from being entirely severed."

"The golden age that had flourished to its zenith collapsed into ruin, and for long eons afterward, not a single genius could be found."

"Where that existence resides now remains unknown, but he is certainly not dead. Now that a grand era is dawning, perhaps he will manifest once more. If he chooses to unleash a slaughter then, who could possibly stop him?"

"Only the Immortal of Immortality!"

"Therefore, whether for the greater good or for ourselves, we must resurrect the Immortal of Immortality!"

"Resurrecting the Immortal costs only a small fraction of lives, but if we fail to bring him back, the entire human race might very well be annihilated!"

"How hateful it is that those of the righteous path believe they hold the moral high ground, entirely unaware that our Immortal Sect is the one truly sacrificing for the sake of humanity!"

Chief Chu spoke with absolute conviction, his eyes gleaming with steadfast resolve.

From the perspective of the greater good, they killed to save; from a personal standpoint, they now possessed a righteous justification, allowing them to slay with a perfectly clear conscience.

The reason the Immortal Sect exclusively recruited members of the demonic path was precisely because this particular rhetoric aligned perfectly with the psychology of demonic cultivators.

Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat; if one were to listen only to Chief Chu’s speech, they might truly be driven to fanatically revere the Immortal of Immortality, praying to the deity to save the world.

Yet what Chief Chu said was not necessarily the truth, or perhaps it was merely a fragment of it; Lu Yang refused to believe that the Seeking Sect remained entirely ignorant of ancient history, or that Eldest Senior Sister was caught unprepared for this.

Meng Jingzhou inquired, "If that is the case, why not cooperate with the righteous path? Wouldn't a joint effort make success far easier to achieve?"

Chief Chu sneered, "Who can guarantee that the existence who refined the stars isn't currently hiding within the righteous path?"

"After extensive investigation, our Sect Founder believes that the entity who refined the stars dwells within the righteous path—either nestled in the Five Great Immortal Sects or within the Great Xia Dynasty."

"Why does the righteous path advocate for order? Is it not to encourage more people to cultivate, bringing the Central Continent to an even higher peak of prosperity?"

"But what comes after such prosperity? Do not forget the bitter, agonizing experience at the end of the ancient era."

"Perhaps that existence simply enjoys harvesting life, waiting for vitality to flourish anew before striking once more!"

Chief Chu spoke of the mainstream perspective held within the Immortal Sect.

Chief Chu added, "The stars above our heads may seem to hang at the edge of the sky, but if your cultivation reaches a certain level and you soar into the cosmos, you will discover that they are merely residual shadows left behind from the ancient era. In theory, there might be a few exceptions—stars that genuinely exist—but they are certainly few and far between."

Chief Chu had spoken at such length entirely in the hope that Lu Yang and his companions would sincerely revere the Immortal of Immortality. Judging by their astonished expressions, his words seemed to have hit the mark.

"Very well, I know the impact of this information is far too great for you to absorb all at once. Go back and digest it."

"Furthermore, the three of you performed admirably during the three trials. The branch is currently short on hands, as most of our people are resting in the prison cells. Since your cultivations have all reached the Foundation Establishment stage, meeting the criteria for becoming deacons, I have considered the matter and decided to promote you."

Chief Chu handed three tokens to them, symbols representing their status as deacons of the Immortal Sect.

In truth, Chief Chu had intended to appoint the three of them as deacons from the very beginning, as the sequence of secrets he had just unveiled was only fitting for those who held such a rank.

Chief Chu suggested, "By the way, when you are free, you can go visit your fellow members. I hear the food in the cells is rather poor; bringing them some sustenance might help you bond with them."

Those on the demonic path were self-serving, yet they kept a strict tally of grievances and gratitude. With so much scheming and infighting among the subordinates, his position as Branch Chief was no easy task.

However, what Chief Chu feared was not his subordinates playing mind games or deploying underhanded tricks against Lu Yang's trio; rather, he worried that his subordinates would be tormented to death by them instead.

Lu Yang put on a face full of smiles. "We are all brothers of the same sect. We will surely unite as one and strive together for the resurrection of the Immortal of Immortality. Please put your mind at ease, Chief."

For some inexplicable reason, hearing this only made Chief Chu feel even less at ease.

(End of Chapter)