Chapter 442 – Immortals Are Heartless, Treating All Things as Straw Dogs

“Master, that Eight Precepts Evil Buddha…”

White Jade Pine Deer gazed in the direction where Eight Precepts Evil Buddha had departed. Though she understood that since Lu Chen had made his move, he must have absolute certainty of success.

She couldn’t help but ask nonetheless.

This wasn’t because she doubted Lu Chen, but rather out of curiosity about what means Lu Chen had employed to slay that Eight Precepts Evil Buddha who had reached the peak of Mortal Realm Immortal.

Naturally aware of this, Lu Chen smiled and replied: “No matter, he cannot escape.”

“As for that sword strike, you will understand in time.”

Lu Chen’s answer was rather ambiguous.

This wasn’t because he distrusted White Jade Pine Deer, but because even he couldn’t clearly explain the principles behind that sword strike.

After all, the Sword Intent had clearly been left on Biyou Mountain.

So why had the final sword light come from beyond the heavens?

Though he hadn’t yet fully comprehended the specific mysteries within, Lu Chen had vaguely guessed the origin of this heavenly sword light.

It seemed that after ten thousand years, the Corpse Fiend Slaying Array he had arranged back then had nearly achieved the effect he desired.

And through that sword strike just now, Lu Chen had come to understand many things.

That even in his current state, though he hadn’t yet reached the Immortal realm.

With his Transformation Soul Stage cultivation that had fused three Great Daos, even descending Immortals seemed unable to do anything to him.

If he could borrow power from his future self.

He would even have the capability to completely slay a descending Immortal.

His current cultivation level, with the fusion of three Great Daos, had reached the peak of Transformation Soul Stage.

Only a single step remained from the legendary Ascension realm.

But this single step, Lu Chen felt, wouldn’t be so easy to take.

“Let’s go, Little White Deer. Your current condition isn’t optimal. Return first to rest properly, and I’ll see if I can help you eliminate the influence of the Nine Realms’ Great Dao.”

“Yes.”

Shortly after Lu Chen returned to Biyou Mountain, unexpected changes occurred in the two-realm war within the game world…

Game World, Azure Cloud Sect.

“Senior Brother, are you saying that the three defensive lines we worked so hard to establish have truly all been breached?”

Danyang Peak Lord Du Youlan looked at Gu Liqing with a grim expression, her voice filled with disbelief.

Not long before, the Corpse Fiend Cave that occupied the East Sea had been completely uprooted for unknown reasons.

Logically, this should have been absolutely beneficial for the Central Province Hundred Alliance.

After all, without the Corpse Fiend Cave, the pressure on the Central Province Hundred Alliance would undoubtedly be much lighter.

But just recently, these defensive lines had been almost simultaneously completely eliminated.

Along with several Great Vehicle Stage cultivators guarding these defensive lines, who had mysteriously disappeared.

No matter how one looked at it, there was something peculiar about this situation.

Within the Azure Cloud Sect Main Peak at this time, all Peak Lords were present except for Ten Thousand Talisman Peak Lord Sikong Ming.

Very few people in the entire Azure Cloud Sect knew about Sikong Ming’s whereabouts.

Even the other Peak Lords didn’t fully understand the reason for Sikong Ming’s departure.

All they knew was that Sikong Ming seemed to have taken a group of people to the Northern Divine Continent.

Though they couldn’t understand why, at this critical juncture, Sikong Ming would take people to the barren Northern Divine Continent that hadn’t been invaded by the Nine Realms.Yet since the other party had acted this way, there must be a reason for it.

Moreover, this move had been tacitly approved by the Sect Leader.

Therefore, the other Peak Lords did not raise too many questions about it, as they held absolute trust in Sikong Ming.

Besides, the most critical matter at hand was to find a way to block the invasion of the Sky Demons.

After all, the sudden collapse of the defensive lines was far too bizarre.

It must be remembered that Lu Chen had long ago informed the Azure Cloud Sect about the Immortal Fiends’ ability to possess and impersonate others.

And the Azure Cloud Sect had, in turn, relayed this information to the other sects in the Central Province.

Yet even under such circumstances, several defensive lines had been shattered almost instantly within a short period.

No matter how one looked at it, this was highly peculiar.

It should be noted that those defensive lines had been jointly established by the hundred sects of the Central Province.

Moreover, each line was consistently guarded by a Mahayana-stage Mortal Realm Immortal.

To breach even one defensive line overnight would be extremely difficult, let alone breaking through three in a single night.

No matter how one analyzed it, there must be some enormous hidden danger they were unaware of.

“Junior Brothers and Sisters, the current situation in the Central Province is treacherous, and the Thirty-Three Heavens have remained completely unresponsive. Thus, I must prepare for the worst.”

“Select some individuals from the Direct Lineage Disciples of each branch. I will arrange for them to be sent to a safe location.”

“This way, even if the Azure Cloud Sect truly perishes in this calamity, our Sect’s Legacy can continue and not be severed.”

Upon hearing Gu Liqing’s words, the Peak Lords nodded in agreement and then departed from the Main Peak one by one.

After the Peak Lords had left, Gu Liqing turned to look at a certain spot within the Great Hall.

“Little Lu, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

As light and shadows swirled, a figure slowly emerged from within the Great Hall.

This person was none other than Lu Chen.

In response to Gu Liqing’s inquiry, Lu Chen offered his own judgment.

“The disappearance of those Mahayana-stage Immortals is absolutely no coincidence. I suspect that there are Immortals involved behind the scenes.”

Lu Chen said “Immortal,” not “Immortal Fiend.”

The distinction was clear to Gu Liqing.

And Gu Liqing had entertained similar suspicions.

After all, the current situation unfolding in the Azure Cloud World had undoubtedly reached a life-or-death crisis.

Even if the Thirty-Three Heavens were aloof and detached,

they should not have remained completely unresponsive as they were now.

Regarding this, Gu Liqing had two theories.

One was that the Immortals of the Thirty-Three Heavens were actually aware of what was happening here,

but for some reason, they had ultimately allowed the situation to unfold.

The other theory was that someone had severed the connection between the Thirty-Three Heavens and the Azure Cloud World.

Whichever it was, it was undoubtedly anything but simple.

After all, the former would mean that the Azure Cloud World had been abandoned by the Immortals of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

The latter would indicate that one or more Immortals had jointly acted to obscure the heavenly secrets of the Azure Cloud World.

As for whether Gu Xian was behind this,

Gu Liqing believed the possibility was slim.

After all, if Gu Xian had such means, he would not have waited until now to act.

He would have breached the defensive lines established by the hundred sects of the Central Province during his first invasion of the Azure Cloud World.

“Sect Leader, if I am not mistaken, the Immortals of today may have long been aware of the situation unfolding in the Thirty-Three Heavens.”

“But for some purpose, they have chosen not to intervene.””Perhaps in their view, everything remains within their control, not yet reaching the level where they need to intervene personally.”

“Today’s Azure Cloud World is merely a chessboard, and we… are just pawns upon it.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, a bitter smile appeared on Gu Liqing’s face.

Because similar thoughts had actually emerged in Gu Liqing’s mind back when those several Mahayana Mortal Realm Immortals disappeared together.

After all, Mortal Realm Immortals are top-tier powerhouses in the mortal world.

For them to be eliminated so silently was nearly impossible.

Therefore, Gu Liqing believed the more likely possibility was that those Mortal Realm Immortals had received orders from the Immortals.

Commanding them to abandon their defensive positions.

Otherwise, Gu Liqing couldn’t imagine what kind of existence could silently eliminate so many Mortal Realm Immortals overnight.

What he couldn’t understand was why the Immortals would do this.

Could allowing these Sky Demons to occupy a Major Thousand World actually be beneficial rather than detrimental to the Immortals?

Unable to comprehend, Gu Liqing had pondered for three days and nights since receiving the news.

Still unable to figure out what benefits this could possibly bring to the Immortals.

As for this matter, Lu Chen actually had some vague understanding of the reasons.

But because the levels involved had already surpassed what a Great Divine Power practitioner like Gu Liqing could imagine,

Lu Chen didn’t share his thoughts with Gu Liqing.

After all, if Gu Liqing learned that those secretly designing this game were likely multiple Great Luo True Immortals from the Thirty-Three Heavens,

Then Gu Liqing might lose even the slightest desire to resist.

Because not to mention Great Luo True Immortals, even ordinary Immortals were nearly invincible existences to Gu Liqing.

This was no longer something that could be resolved through mere strategy or courage.

This was an absolute gap in power.

As for why the Great Luo True Immortals were doing this, Lu Chen believed it must be related to the concept of ‘Primordial Chaos’.

In today’s Daluo World, Great Luo True Immortals already represent the limit of what Immortals can achieve.

If the Great Luo True Immortals wish to advance further, the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao is an obstacle they can never bypass.

Although the cultivation methods of Immortals differ completely from Gu Xian’s, with each being independent entities beyond the Heavenly Dao,

The more Immortals there are, the stronger the Daluo World becomes.

But for those who have long attained immortality and experienced all the world’s wonders,

There are few things left in this world that can capture their interest.

If anything remains, it might be reaching the realm beyond Great Luo.

Based on the fragmented clues recently revealed by Eight Precepts Evil Buddha, and what Gu Yue True Immortal had told him about the principles of breaking through the Great Luo realm to surpass the Heavenly Dao,

Lu Chen had basically deduced the intentions of the Great Luo True Immortals.

Compared to slowly comprehending the Heavenly Dao under the management of the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao,

Some Great Luo True Immortals have developed more radical ideas.

That is to break through the limitations of the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao, enabling them to better seize the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

While this approach might seem somewhat opportunistic,

It must be said that this indeed represents the most likely method for Great Luo True Immortals to master the Three Thousand Great Daos, break through to Primordial Chaos Great Luo, and become existences beyond the Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, the Great Luo True Immortals of the Thirty-Three Heavens need the Daluo World to be constrained by some force.For only in this way could the Heavenly Dao of the Daluo World relax its control over the Great Luo True Immortals.

The Azure Cloud World, or rather, the many Major Thousand Worlds like it, served as bargaining chips for the Great Luo True Immortals to restrain the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao.

As for the Nine Realms Heavenly Dao, it was the tool the Great Luo True Immortals used to counter the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao.

Though he was reluctant to admit it, the Azure Cloud World was indeed caught between two fires at this moment.

Ahead, the Nine Realms Ancient Immortals watched with covetous eyes.

Behind, the Great Luo Immortals plotted in secret.

Lu Chen even speculated that if any Immortal were to descend to the mortal realm in the future,

they might merely be ignorant pawns, driven down by the Great Luo True Immortals as expendable pieces.

Fortunately, those Great Luo True Immortals who held such views were likely in the minority within the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Thus, regarding the current situation unfolding in the Azure Cloud World,

Lu Chen leaned more toward the possibility that one or several Immortals had intervened, preventing any news from reaching the Upper Realm.

Breaking this deadlock wasn’t difficult in theory,

but the cost required would not be small.

“Sect Leader, do you trust me?”

Gu Liqing, who had been pondering the future of the Azure Cloud Sect, was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by Lu Chen’s question.

He looked at Lu Chen’s earnest expression, thought for a moment, and said, “Go ahead, Little Lu.”

“Sect Leader, if we follow my plan, whether we succeed or fail in the end… the Azure Cloud Sect will inevitably perish.”

At these words, Gu Liqing lost his composure—a rare occurrence.

“You… what exactly are you planning to do?”

Lu Chen remained silent for a long while before finally voicing his thoughts.

“Sect Leader, whether it’s the Great Luo of the Thirty-Three Heavens or the Nine Realms Ancient Immortals, neither are forces we can contend with as we are now.”

“To survive in the cracks between them, we must have the resolve to cut off a limb to save the body.”

“Aren’t the Immortals precisely hoping for chaos between the two realms, so they can seek their own gains?”

“Then let’s play along with their intentions.”

“Sect Leader, have you ever considered what defying the Immortals would ultimately bring upon our sect?”

After a long silence, Gu Liqing replied in a hoarse voice, “In the eyes of the Immortals, what difference is there between us and ants?”

“If an ant blocks the path, it is simply crushed underfoot.”

Lu Chen nodded.

“Yes, we are all but ants in this vast world, subject to the whims of the Immortals.”

“So what we must do now is not think about how to defy the Immortals, but first find a way to survive this great calamity.”

“As the foremost sect in this world, since the Immortals have tacitly consented to plunging the Azure Cloud World into chaos,”

“no matter what we do, our sect’s fate has already been sealed. It has nothing to do with our own desires.”

“The Immortals are merciless, treating all beings as straw dogs.”

“If we do not resist, it might be tolerable. But once the Immortals detect our defiance, they will surely intervene.”

“Since that’s the case, why not give the Immortals what they want? Let the Azure Cloud Sect vanish from this world, and let the Azure Cloud World… descend into utter chaos.”

“The Azure Cloud Sect must perish, but its Legacy need not.”

Hearing this, Gu Liqing’s eyes lit up.

What truly forms the Foundation of a School?

Is it the School’s name, or the people within it?

Perhaps both.

But if Gu Liqing had to choose, he believed that what truly mattered was the Legacy.

As long as the Legacy endured, even if the Azure Cloud Sect took on a different name, it would not truly be destroyed.The method Lu Chen proposed was simple.

It was to have the Azure Cloud Sect completely vanish at a certain point in the future.

But before that, they would first ensure the Legacy of the Azure Cloud Sect took root in this realm.

In this way, the Azure Cloud Sect would continue its Legacy in another form.

“How confident are you?”

“Ninety percent.”

(End of Chapter)