Realms In The Firmament

”For those big sects, when they are in a time that it is difficult to improve, they can solve the problem by simply a dan bead. We don’t have the resources. There is nothing we can do.”

There was sorrow on his face. ”Generation by generation, we are restrained. We could have done nothing to help. No matter how big our ambition is, we have little capability. There are many of our predecessors who never had broken through the limit. Even though they had the most potential, they were just stopped there… It is our grief.”

”Now, we finally have the supreme Bone Ablutionary Dan! We can have our children with the most potential get the bone ablution when they are born! They can be the most powerful men in the world! We also have Connecting Mai Dan and Limit Breaking Dan! It allows our people to break through their natural born limitation and become super master cultivators!”

”It is the hope for us the eight noble clans to rise! We spent so much to get these dan beads. Now the two great sects want to snatch them from us.”

”They are trying to perish the hope of our future. They want us to keep living under their feet! They want us to look up to them all our lives and bear their humiliation all the time!”

”How could we agree to that?”

The middle-aged man from Long Clan spoke in a deep voice, ”Giving out five billion, taking an oath, breaking our arms… These are all easy! That is, if they can let us leave safely with our dan beads. I, Long Tianyun can chop off my hands and feet, even give up my life to them! Five billion? I would give them ten! I will give it all, even if I need to borrow some! Whatever they want, I can accept it! I can bear the humiliation!”

”But they just won’t!”

”They know what is most important to them.”

”We are all in the eight noble clans. We have fought against each other for our own interests. Maybe our sons will fight against each other in the future, because of the power, the title. However, now, we are facing the same problem together!”

”We have to get through this! We have to!”

The man, Long Tianyun, decisively spoke, ”So we have to work together. No matter what, we have to get through this!”

”Otherwise, all the men here, we will bury the bright future of all our clans! We have just seen the light ahead, we can’t give up on it!”

After this, he turned silent.

However, the crowd burst into discussion.

”It’s right. Brother Long is right. At this moment, we cannot give in to them. We cannot be selfish. No matter what, we have to bring the dan beads home!”

”Right! Long’s words are reasonable. He has just pointed the direction to the bright future for us. It would be unforgivable to be selfish under this situation!”

”We all should try to figure out a way to get through this crisis.”

”We have more people coming. They are now inside the Chen-Xing City. They are the three elders. They will give us a bigger chance, I guess…”

”Oh, we have our people coming too. But it is useless. No matter how many people we have, we don’t dare to fight back… When the great sects get to us, surely, we can fight, as we have many superior cultivators from our clans. However, once we fight back, we are officially at war against them. We will become their first target in the future. That is something we cannot ignore.”

”True. We can neither go forward nor step back. I don’t know what to do now!”

”Can we… advance secretly by an unknown path?” a man said.

Everybody asked him, ”How?”

”Well, like… We make it look like we are all staying here protecting the dan beads. In fact, a part of us… can be on the way back home with the dan beads?”

The man said.

”No way.” Some of the people shook and spoke in disappointment, ”We have thought about it before. It is not going to work. The two great sects have spread their spiritual minds to the entire city. Whoever walked out of the city will be under their watch. No matter who you are, if you carry a space ring, they will take it…”

”For now, no one can escape.”

”If you put them in your clothes, you will never make it out of the city.”

”Indeed.”

Everybody was silent again.

All of a sudden, Long Tianyun gently spoke, ”Maybe it is a practical way. We just need to compromise.”

”How practical? How compromise?”

Everybody lit up their eyes to him.

At this very moment, every possibility was so important to them. Long Tianyun was known as a man with plans. They all thought that if he couldn’t think of anything to save them, nobody could.

Now that he had an idea, that brought them hope.

”It is the same plan, but we need to act in several groups. One group stay in public, intentionally acting like they don’t want to be noticed. They will draw the great sects’ intention. The second group…” Long Tianyun thought and then slowly said, ”The second group stay in the dark and never show up again.”

”Hmm? Never show up again? What does that mean?” Everybody frowned.

There was excitement in Long Tianyun’s eyes. Apparently, he was sure it was a good plan. In fact, he thought that it was the only way to solve the problem. He spoke with solemness, ”The first group, who will draw our enemy’s attention, won’t take any dan beads with them. They will surely be tortured and even be killed… After this group dies, the two great sects will go on searching the Chen-Xing City to find the other people and the supreme dan beads…”

”The second group that stay have to cover their names, their capabilities. They have to try everything they can to survive. They may need to settle down in this city. They are the people who have the supreme dan beads. They are the ones who carry our hope. Maybe they will need to stay here sneakily for ten, fifty or even a hundred years. As long as they can let the dan beads be delivered to our clans, we win! Even if our men all die outside, as long as this group survives, as long as they still have the supreme dan beads, it is worth dying for!”

…