The situation on the ground had rapidly grown tense as the Golden Core cultivator from the Nine Cauldrons Sect took action. High above, beyond the nine heavens, a powerful psychic thought swept across the void and descended upon the Heavenly Palace where the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s ancestor, Li Hanqiu, was stationed.

"Li Hanqiu, you must give me an explanation." The oppressive force mixed into the psychic thought echoed again and again through the palace halls.

However, Li Hanqiu, who was seated within the palace, did not even raise his head. "An explanation?"

He paused briefly before continuing, "I think the ones who need to give an explanation are you guys!"

"Other matters happened within the Cangwu world itself, and I did not interfere. But you, as a Golden Core cultivator, actually took action within the Great Cangwu World. Do you even know what consequences that brings?"

"Yes," Li Hanqiu replied calmly. "That is why I paid the price. Take a look at me. For the time being, I cannot stabilize my Golden Core at all. If things go badly... it might explode."

He then opened his eyes slightly. "Lin Deng, tell me, what do you think would happen if it really exploded?"

"You..." The Dharma Form expert who had come in such force to demand accountability found the anger in his chest instantly choked off.

Explode? A Radiant Sun Golden Core exploding? If it exploded beyond the nine heavens, it would still be manageable. But if it exploded within Cangwu itself... Even the Great Cangwu World, spanning over 15 million kilometers, might not be able to withstand it.

"We Golden Core cultivators only live a few hundred years. At our age, can we not calm down a little and let the Great Cangwu World develop properly?" Li Hanqiu said.

"The one breaking the rules is you, Li Hanqiu. The Great Cangwu World needs a unified consensus, and you agreed to that. Yet now you personally intervened and interfered in Cangwu affairs," Lin Deng said.

"That may be true, but has the Great Cangwu World actually unified? No! Your Infinite Star Palace was the first to attack my Nine Cauldrons Sect. Is that not bullying? You saw that our elite forces were exhausted during the Lunar Fiend Empire war, so you wanted to deal with us first. Then tell me this. If another Lunar Fiend war comes, or a Heavenly Fiend war, or a North Sea war, who will be the first to step up and hold the line? Your Infinite Star Palace?!"

"Do not dress yourself up in such lofty righteousness!" Lin Deng sneered. "Your Artifact Sect suffered heavy losses because you were the first target of the Lunar Fiend Empire to begin with. Do not make it sound like some grand sacrifice."

"Right now, the Infinite Star Palace is the strongest. If another war comes, the enemy will target you first. At that time, can I hide in the back and watch the show?" Li Hanqiu asked.

"You..." Lin Deng’s psychic thought flared with anger. "According to Article 1 of the Great Cangwu World Joint Regulations, once the Great Cangwu World faces external invasion, all forces must unite and unconditionally join the resistance..."

"It seems you still remember those regulations," Li Hanqiu replied unhurriedly. "Then you should also know that my counterattack was based on Article 51. It only applies when a sect’s homeland is invaded. Otherwise, we can convene a Golden Core meeting and see who is truly in the wrong."

Lin Deng sensed Li Hanqiu’s condition for a long while before letting out a cold snort. "The more you act, the more unstable your Golden Core becomes. Once you can no longer stabilize it, you will have to venture deep into the cosmic void and walk toward annihilation yourself. Otherwise, all Golden Core cultivators will unite and drive you out!"

His tone turned earnest, as though offering sincere advice. "I am thinking for your own good. It may look like you are helping them, but in reality, you are making them dependent on you. Every time danger appears, they will seek your help, which will only hinder their own development. Each time they ask you to act, they accelerate your death. They do not care about your life or death at all, so why should you care about their survival?"

"Oh, then thank you very much."

"You..." Lin Deng’s psychic thought stalled.

"Hmph." He let out a heavy snort and said no more. The overwhelming psychic thought that seemed capable of filling the void receded like a tide.

***

Elsewhere, within a habitable domain constructed on an asteroid dozens of kilometers in diameter, streams of psychic consciousness and psychic thought intersected and converged. When Lin Deng’s psychic thought returned, several psychic consciousnesses spoke at once. "How did it go?"

"As expected. He acted shamelessly to the end."

"For the Infinite Star Palace to take that next step, we are bound to face this situation. Whether it's the Nine Cauldrons Sect, the Dharma Heaven Pavilion, the Immortal Alliance, or the Thousand-Beast Sect. Besides, do we not already have countermeasures? Let them act. The more they act, the worse their Golden Core becomes, and the higher the price to maintain stability. When he can no longer endure it, he will have no choice but to leave obediently. Otherwise, he will face concentrated attacks from all Golden Core cultivators."

"Every time this happens, our Infinite Star Palace will likely suffer losses."

"It doesn't matter. As long as we are strong enough, elite cultivators from all over Cangwu will naturally join us."

"The economic blockade must also be accelerated. Use this method to reduce their spirit stone income. Once their expenditures exceed their income, their so-called sect will collapse on its own."

"We also need to be wary of them choosing mutual destruction."

"Since they chose to shelter a region, it proves they still have attachments. They understand very well what consequences mutual destruction would bring. Besides, everyone fears that scenario and guards against it. Who would want to associate with someone who flips the table at every disagreement? Once the timing is right, they will be jointly expelled."

"Over the years, we have also deployed many measures to prevent a Golden Core from crashing into Cangwu. Moreover, we have set up numerous arrays deep within the Great Cangwu World. It may not be impossible to survive even a Golden Core cultivator's self-destruction. Finally... the vassal worlds are our retreat!"

"Then let us proceed according to the original plan. Mobilize the fleets and blockade the Nine Cauldrons Sect."

***

Decisions made beyond the nine heavens quickly rippled down into the Nine Cauldrons Sect within Cangwu.

At the call of the Infinite Star Palace, more than a dozen Sky Patrol Warships were mobilized and arrived from all directions, clearly showing they intended to retaliate against the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Many sect-affiliated assets immediately fled, fearing they would become sacrifices in the coming war.

Even deeply entrenched forces such as the Immortal-Proving Tower, Star-Plucking Tower, Divine Beast Pavilion, and Great Sun Tower gradually withdrew. The most obvious example was the Immortal-Proving Tower where Yaoguang had previously purchased pills. It shut its doors.

Even Yaoguang could not remain untouched under such circumstances. The most immediate impact was that the Golden Temple elders withdrew their original orders. They did not even ask for the deposit back.

In an instant, the Purple Firmament Institute, which had been operating at high speed and earning massive profits daily, suddenly fell into quiet idleness. As for other industries, all were affected. The impact simply had not yet reached the common populace.

***

At the Fallen Heroes Hall in Nine Heavens City, everyone watched with solemn expressions as Zhao He, the hall master of the Warfare Hall, carefully placed four jade plaques into their prepared positions.

Among the crowd below, Yun Lai and the other parents of the fallen heroes had eyes filled with grief. Yet beyond that sorrow, there was also deep, heartfelt pride. Yun Qing, Zhan Yunfei, Zhang Lie, and Tu Hong had died worthy deaths.

It was precisely because they had used their lives to sound the alarm that the Nine Heavens Domain had been able to react in time, leading ultimately to victory in the defense of Longxiang City.

Otherwise, the Nine Cauldrons Sect would not only have suffered catastrophic losses, but it would have also lost all face.

The solemn ceremony continued. When it ended, Yaoguang stepped over to Yun Lai and patted him on the shoulder. "They are all heroes of the Nine Heavens Domain!"

Pain filled Yun Lai’s eyes. If he had been given the choice, he would have preferred his son had never become a hero. But he knew that this was not the occasion for such thoughts. At the same time, he also understood that without Yun Qing, no one knew how many families in the Nine Heavens Domain would have been destroyed, or how many more people in Longxiang City would have lost their lives.

Zhao He walked over. Lowering his voice, he said to Yaoguang, "Someone above asked me to pass along a message. They want to know whether you would be willing to relocate the Purple Firmament Institute to Crimson City."

"Move the Purple Firmament Institute to Crimson City?"

"Mhmm." Zhao He nodded. "In just one month, the number of Infinite Star Palace Sky Patrol Warships deployed around the East Sea's islands has already reached three, and even more are on the way. At the same time, forces have to be deployed to the south in the Shiwan Mountains, as well as to the west and north. With danger everywhere, the sect can no longer concentrate nearly thirty percent of its strength in the East Sea like before. In other words, the Nine Heavens Domain’s defenses will weaken. If another Sky Patrol Warship breaks in... We may not be able to stop it."

"Even the Nine Heavens Domain cannot hold? What about the islands of the East Sea?" Yaoguang asked.

"To avoid unnecessary losses, forces at Posuo Island and Haige Island already withdrew and went into temporary defense half a month ago. Even Fangyuan Island, Wanzhang Island, and Penghai Island are preparing to be abandoned for now. The level 5 arrays on those islands are simply unable to stand up to the overwhelming firepower of a Sky Patrol Warship," Zhao He said.

After hearing this, Yaoguang could not help glancing at the four newly added jade plaques in the Hall of Fallen Heroes. Yun Qing’s squad had made its name in the battle for Posuo Island. Yet despite fighting to the death and ultimately sacrificing themselves, they had still failed to hold that region. Not only had it not been held, but at this rate, the entire East Sea would be completely lost.

"In fact, there is another reason they want you to go," Zhao He continued. "Your ability to use arrays in Longxiang City to rout an Infinite Star Palace third-generation Sky Patrol Warship with the combined strength of more than a hundred great cultivators has caught their attention. If nothing unexpected happens... they intend for you to command a force of your own, and possibly..." Zhao He unconsciously lowered his voice even further. "...to have you try commanding a Sky Patrol Warship."

Yaoguang froze for a moment, then joy spread across his face. "Our Nine Cauldrons Sect can also refine Sky Patrol Warships?!"

"The sect cannot manufacture Sky Patrol Warships," Zhao He replied, "but we have long been seeking to purchase one from the Thousand-Beast Sect. A month ago, the Thousand-Beast Sect finally agreed to sell us one. Although it is only a first-generation 100-thousand-ton Sky Patrol Warship, and its performance cannot compare to the Infinite Star Palace’s, it will still be better than our sect having zero such warships."

"A first-generation Sky Patrol Warship..." Yaoguang muttered.

That was already an unimaginably powerful existence. Each Sky Patrol Warship was equivalent to a small mobile sect, engraved with countless arrays that amplified sword cultivators, spell cultivators, and psyche cultivators alike.

Without Sky Patrol Warships, if cultivators wanted to assault another faction’s headquarters, they would need an overwhelming advantage. Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a futile effort. The existence of Sky Patrol Warships was what had filled that gap. They were the most powerful mobile war fortresses in the modern world.

"When will the warship arrive?"

"We will have to wait until the current tension eases somewhat," Zhao He said.

Yaoguang nodded. "Once the Sky Patrol Warship arrives, I will..."

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stopped. The sixth branch, which had begun sprouting after he broke through to the Primordial Psyche Realm a month earlier, had finally grown out.