Ethan Zhen saw that at least half of the sects were siding with Lucas West, and his heart sank.
Even though his Fortunecloud Sect had a Slaughter Formation, if a battle broke out, the sect would likely be destroyed in his hands. It was certain that, should chaos erupt, those standing with Lucas West would show no mercy. As for those on his side, if conflict arose, some would surely hold back, secretly conserving their strength.
After weighing the situation in a short moment, Ethan Zhen concealed his killing intent and said calmly, "The purpose of my Fortunecloud Sect has always been to seek fortune for the Immortal Realm. A great war in the Immortal Realm is the last thing we wish to see. Since you all refuse to negotiate, let it be set for three days from now. In three days, I will open the Skywall Formation. You may go wherever you wish, but do not bring such matters to my Fortunecloud Sect again."
Upon hearing that Ethan Zhen chose not to continue with slaughter, many sect leaders breathed a sigh of relief.
Had a great battle erupted today, the New Dawn Domain would cease to exist, and what awaited everyone would be an even more terrifying fate than the Duskmire Domain. The sect leaders gathered here—if any of them fell, it would mean a situation of endless vengeance.
"If that's the case, then three days from now, we will await Master Ethan outside the Skywall Formation," Lucas West said, turning to leave.
Half the sect leaders followed Lucas West out of the Fortunecloud Sect. The other half remained.
The grand gathering of the New Dawn Domain had yet to begin, but it was already split into two factions: one led by Ethan Zhen of the Fortunecloud Sect, and the other by Lucas West of the Endless Sword Sect.
......
"Master Lucas, are you really going to the Duskmire Domain?" As soon as they left the Fortunecloud Sect, a minor sect leader couldn't help but ask eagerly.
Lucas West nodded gravely. "That's right. The origin of the Immortal Realm is still the Duskmire Domain. To put it plainly, the New Dawn Domain is just a small isolated corner of the Immortal Realm. Besides, our New Dawn Domain will last at most a year or two before it becomes a second Duskmire. Rather than waiting for doom, it's better to return to the Duskmire Domain and see for ourselves. Even if we fall, at least it will be in our own homeland."
It wasn't just Lucas West— for most cultivators, the Duskmire Domain was still their home.
Morris Tan, the Lord of the Primordium Immortal Estate, added, "I agree with Master Lucas. Our roots are still in the Duskmire Domain. Besides, I don't believe Master Puregate would flee to the Duskmire Domain for no reason. Her heart is set on the Immortal Realm; if she's gone to the Duskmire Domain, there must be something there that draws her."
Morris Tan's words were not only a testament to his faith in Loraine Puregate's character, but also in the Heavenly Purity Sect itself. Ethan Zhen, the master of Fortunecloud Sect, was right—he wasn't the only one who could sense the fate of the Immortal Realm; the Heavenly Purity Sect could do the same. After all, their disciples all possessed Immaculate Spirit Bodies, making them especially sensitive to fate and immortal energy.
"That's right." Lucas West first affirmed Morris Tan's words, then, after a long silence, spoke in an even more somber tone, "I have a tremendous suspicion. If the New Dawn Domain weren't also falling into dusk, I wouldn't even dare voice it."
Everyone was stunned by Lucas West's words. For a moment, no one spoke; all eyes were on Lucas West.
Lucas West took a deep breath and said, "We all know the Immortal Realm fell into dusk because its fortune was lost. But how could the fortune of such a vast realm simply vanish? I suspect the reason for the dusk was that someone took away the legendary treasure that anchors our realm's fortune—the Fourfold Divine Cauldron."
What?!
Everyone was shocked by Lucas West's words. To steal the legendary treasure that anchors the realm's fortune—this was simply...
Such a terrifying topic left everyone speechless. Even though Lucas West was the master of a top-tier sect, this was not something one could say lightly.
The reason Ethan Zhen tried to smear Loraine Puregate by accusing her of stealing the New Dawn Domain's fortune was simple: once such a charge was confirmed, it meant certain death, and everyone would turn against her. Fortunately, Loraine Puregate's reputation was too high, and not everyone believed Ethan's words, which ended up backfiring on him.
Lucas West let out a sigh. "I know my words are shocking, but before my master vanished, he sent me a cryptic message. It contained just six characters: 'Fourfold Divine Cauldron, Fortunecloud.' My master didn't disappear after the dusk fell upon the Immortal Realm—he was invited out by Gun Emperor and the Fortunecloud Immortal Emperor, and before leaving, he reminded me about the recruitment of disciples for the Endless Sword Sect."
I never expected that when my master left, it would be forever. Not long after he sent me that message, the fortune of the Immortal Realm began to collapse, and dusk fell. Then, the Fortunecloud Sect began inciting slaughter and plunder, accelerating the descent into dusk..."
Many sect leaders stared at Lucas West in horror. They had guessed what he was about to reveal. As for Lucas's master, everyone knew who he was—the top Sword Emperor and Azure Sword Emperor of the Endless Sword Sect.
Back then, the Azure Sword Emperor swept across the entire Immortal Realm with a single sword. Even the likes of Gun Emperor, Fortunecloud Immortal Emperor, Changyi Immortal Emperor, and Seven Peaks Immortal Emperor all admitted they were no match for the Sword Emperor.
Sure enough, Lucas West continued, "I suspect the Fourfold Divine Cauldron that anchors the fortune of the Immortal Realm was taken by the Fortunecloud Immortal Emperor. Moreover, Gun Emperor was also killed by the Fortunecloud Immortal Emperor. My master must have been harmed while trying to stop him. The Fortunecloud Immortal Emperor achieved perfection—I suspect he left the Immortal Realm with the Fourfold Divine Cauldron."
Everyone drew a sharp breath. If word got out that someone had left the Immortal Realm with the Fourfold Divine Cauldron, the Fortunecloud Sect would become a target for all.
But what Lucas West said was actually possible, because the Immortal Realm was the pinnacle for cultivators. No one had ever heard of a realm beyond the Immortal Emperor. If someone wanted to leave the Immortal Realm, perhaps the only way was with the Fourfold Divine Cauldron.
......
Learning from Wendy Zhuo that the Starhaven Sect was safe, and that Dylan Di and Gavin Geng hadn't come to the Immortal Realm, Joe Di felt a great weight lift from his heart.
At this time, Starhaven City was still developing, so there was no point for Dylan Di and Gavin Geng to come to the Immortal Realm.
Studying array formations any further would be a waste of time. Before the arrival of the New Dawn Domain's powerhouses, Joe Di chose to enter seclusion for cultivation at the heart of the Bamboo River Pentad Formation.
This was the first time Joe Di had truly begun cultivating since arriving in the Immortal Realm. Sitting atop two high-grade Celestial Spirit Veins, and at the source of the realm's second surge of fortune, his cultivation progressed rapidly.
In just half a year, Joe Di reached the seventh level of True Immortal. After that, his cultivation slowed, but with the Starhaven Art, he still advanced much faster than ordinary cultivators.
Three more months passed. Just as Joe Di stepped into the eighth level of True Immortal, the Comms Pearl on his wrist shone with a brilliant light.
Joe Di immediately stopped cultivating. With a flicker, he landed atop the Subcity's walls.
On the city wall, besides Sean Yan—who had reached the Grand Ether Immortal Realm—and Tony Qu and Will Wu, who had attained the Golden Immortal Realm, there were also Ben Chutai and Lucy Liu.
Just as Joe Di was about to ask the sect master of the Heavenly Purity Sect, Sean Yan spoke up: "City Lord, Master Puregate just asked me to send you a message."
"That's right. I sense that Ethan Zhen and the others are about to arrive," Loraine Puregate said, stepping through the void to land beside Joe Di.
Joe Di quickly cupped his fists in greeting, then asked in confusion, "Master Puregate, how did you know Ethan Zhen and the others were coming?"
Loraine Puregate had been recovering in Starhaven City for nearly a year, and her injuries were long healed. She sensed that Joe Di's cultivation had advanced by a tier, yet she still couldn't discern his exact level.
"City Lord, the defensive formation of our Subcity is a bit lacking. So I set up several trigger arrays outside the city—only cultivators who have reached the Grand Immortal Realm can activate them. Not long ago, one of my arrays was triggered, so I suspect Ethan Zhen is about to arrive." As a sect master and Celestial King, Loraine Puregate showed no sign of disrespect toward Joe Di, even now that her wounds were fully healed.
Joe Di naturally trusted Loraine Puregate's words. He thought to himself, the older, the wiser—such a simple method, and he hadn't thought of it.
He immediately activated the Subcity's defensive array and called out loudly, "Powerhouses from the New Dawn Domain are coming to seize our homeland. These people don't care about our lives. All cultivators outside the Subcity, please move inside for now..."
Joe Di's voice instantly echoed around the entire Subcity. All the cultivators living nearby packed up their belongings at once and rushed toward the city.
Many cultivators loudly thanked City Lord Di for allowing itinerant cultivators to take refuge inside the Subcity.
Everyone had heard about the disaster outside the Subcity a few years ago. When disciples from the Fortunecloud Sect arrived, they slaughtered every cultivator outside the city without mercy.
With the New Dawn Domain's cultivators coming again, who would dare remain outside the Subcity? If entry wasn't allowed, they'd rather flee far away.
Still, not everyone chose to enter the Subcity. A handful of cultivators fled outright. They'd heard that the New Dawn Domain had Celestial Kings among its ranks—if those powerhouses came, neither the Subcity nor Starhaven City could stop them. Since they couldn't be stopped, entering the city now was no different than courting death.
Almost as soon as all the cultivators outside the Subcity had entered, shadows of dozens of flying ships began to appear.
Joe Di raised his hand and tossed out a formation flag, merging the third-level defensive array outside Starhaven City's Subcity once more.
Even with Loraine Puregate helping, Joe Di knew that to deal with the powerhouses from the New Dawn Domain, he could only rely on the defensive array.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Beams of light from the flying ships landed outside the Subcity—nearly ten thousand people rushed out from the ships.
The cultivators who landed shouted excitedly, "We can cultivate here! There's vital energy, and water—I see it, I see it..."
Though no one said what they'd seen, everyone knew exactly what it was.
(Author's note: Skipped as per guidelines.)