Chapter 1982: A Mere Eight Thousand-Odd Years

After Tang Zihao finished speaking, he silently observed everyone's reactions. Very soon, he saw on many of their faces the exact emotions he had hoped to see—shock, confusion, fear, and solemnity.

Lang Daochun licked his lips. "Six main camps... sixty Saints, six hundred Half Saints, three hundred thousand Limit Breakers, six million... ninth-transformations..."

Even at the height of the God Race, a force of this magnitude would have amounted to nearly one-tenth of their entire strength. But the God Race was divided into thousands of branches. Their eight hundred Saints were distributed among these branches, making them far less conspicuous. Unless it was the Realm Lord himself, no single figure could mobilize such a force on their own.

Only those who had lived through that period could understand the true weight of Tang Zihao's words.

"There are more than six hundred Inner Domains alone, and ordinary Limit Breakers can't withstand the power of an Inner Domain..."

Shao Mengyuan's heart skipped a beat. Right now, he wasn't sure if Motian Dizang could withstand a force of this magnitude even after proving her Dao.

Tang Zihao smiled. "There are over a million combatants similar to the three of us sent by the Young Master. Some of them must have reached this place as well. They simply weren't as unlucky as us, getting captured by all of you the moment we arrived. Our comrades can bide their time until they relay information to Young Master and guide him on the correct route. If nothing unexpected happens, he will very soon appear here and meet with you all. You all had better invite the legitimate orthodox remnants of the Immortal Hong lineage over, and prepare to beg him for mercy. Perhaps he will be compassionate and willing to give you a chance to reform your ways."

The feeble look Tang Zihao had adopted ever since returning from the Judgment Division gradually faded as he spoke. His own words filled him and his companions with confidence once again.

As long as their Young Master could arrive here, everything in this realm would cease to exist!

Xia Ji smiled and cupped his hands. "These three are spouting nonsense again. It seems they're still not quite in their right minds. Division Head Jiang, please send someone to take them away and help them clear their heads again."

Jiang Yushu nodded and smiled.

Under Tang Zihao and the other two's dumbfounded gazes, the Judges dragged them away once more.

Once they left, someone asked, "Where are Senior Yun He and Senior Fang?"

"Should we call those three seniors over as well?"

"I'm afraid this matter isn't something we can stop on our own. We need to arrange backup plans in advance."

"The seniors will learn of the news here very soon, but even if they know, we won't have enough time to arrange backup plans," said Xia Ji. "Right now, we have only one option—gain more time for the Consort Yan. If she can prove her Dao before the Young Master they speak of appears, he won't be able to push us around as he pleases. If not, we'll have to prepare every possible means of delaying them. When that time comes, the Nine Realms will inevitably suffer horrific casualties. But all of you should understand that this is our only path. If someone flees before the battle, that will mean a little less time bought for the Nine Realms. And perhaps that tiny amount of time could be enough to case the entire battlefront to collapse."

Everyone knew Xia Ji was the Division Head of the Hidden Guard Division and possessed more detailed information, likely having direct contact with those seniors. They also understood that he was right. They didn't have any other option. Only a single road remained before them.

Compared to the Young Master's forces, even the Yin Soldiers of the Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower fell far short.

"A head-on clash is impossible. If we fight, we can only fight from the flanks. In short, stall for as long as we can." Lang Daochun nodded. "When this matter is over, perhaps we'll finally get a clear explanation for what happened during the God Race's calamity back then."

Shao Mengyuan nodded silently.

To the God Race, the reason for their Realm Lord's sudden fall was still shrouded in mystery. They had no way of knowing the root cause. All they knew was that besides the God Race, existences like the Dragon Saint had been implicated. Without exception, all were cast down from the clouds straight into the abyss.

It was easy to imagine what kind of existence Ancestor Huosui, the Honorary Heavenly Venerable of the Arbitration Court of the Supreme Qingming Alliance, was. His authority was practically enough to cover the heavens. His strength must have far surpassed a Realm Lord and was sufficient to suppress a Heavenly Dao.

"Before Monarch Yan departed, he instructed me to handle one task, which is to erect a Nine Realms Border so that whenever the outsiders descend upon us, we can respond immediately," said Xia Ji. "Over these years, the Underworld has also invested a lot of manpower and material resources. We're pressed for time now, so I hope all factions can lend us their support so we can bring the Nine Realms Border up into operation soon."

"Agreed. Whatever spiritual materials, immortal crystals, or manpower are needed, just say the word and we will cooperate unconditionally."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

***

"So that's how it is. Aside from tempering one's state of mind, the true purpose of the Nine Profound Realm is to experiment with all sorts of different cultivation paths without worries or fear of suffering backlash from cultivation techniques."

Fang Chen stood in a quiet, secluded courtyard, gradually sensing the aura inside his body. It was completely different from anything he had possessed before. After entering the Nine Profound Tower, he did not cultivate the Sword Dao again, nor did he take the path of the Three Thousand Dao Art. He cultivated the Foundation Fist, the method of the Saint Canon. Without the enhancement of Supreme Bones, it had taken him one thousand years to step into the fourth realm of Foundation Building—Dao Union. Then, he smoothly entered the Nine Transformations Realm.

He swiftly rose from the first transformation, to the second, the third, until he reached the ninth transformation. Then, in the third one-thousand-year period, he broke the shackles of the ninth transformation and became a Limit Breaker.

That Limit Breaking power felt extraordinarily real. At least in his own view, he couldn't find any difference between it and the Limit Breaking power others displayed in the Nether Ruins era.

He then broke through the stages and reached the third step of the Limit Breaking Realm. He successfully passed through each stage, though not without tremendous difficulty.

In the fifth one-thousand-year period, he began attempting to condense an Inner Domain. That single step held him back for a full three thousand years. Only moments ago, as surging Limit Breaking power poured into his body, an Inner Domain visible only to him suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"Dear, you've been cultivating for several thousand years now. Why are you still cultivating? You should spare some time to keep an eye on those little monkeys down there too."

Time hadn't left many marks on Fairy Yu's face, but it had taken away some of her youthful innocence and replaced it with the charm of a mature woman.

At that moment, she brought a plate of fresh fruit to Fang Chen, picked one up playfully, and fed it to him.

Fang Chen ate the fruit and pulled Fairy Yu to sit down on the rattan chair beside them. "In the past, I didn't have much time to cultivate. This opportunity is rare, so I tried a new path."

Two people sat on a single chair. Fairy Yu was pulled into Fang Chen's arms, her cheek resting gently against his chest.

Fang Chen said, "Little Yu, let me ask you something, and you must answer me truthfully."

Fairy Yu froze for a moment. "What is it? Have you finally decided you want to take a concubine? I don't agree. We've only been together for a little over eight thousand years. Are you tired of me already?"

Fang Chen rolled his eyes. "It's about something else."