The Modern Martial Immortal

”That’s not enough!” Yaoguang pressed down on the Void Psychic Worlds of Feng Ao, Lin Deng, and Luo Fu, then began negotiating with the Infinite Star Palace and the Immortal Alliance. ”You showed no sense of responsibility, something that all great sects should have, and severely disrupted the progress of the Great Cangwu World’s transition to the new cultivation art. I demand that you cooperate with us in promoting the Immortal Cultivation Community, and publicly acknowledge that the earlier rumors about the Void Psychic World all originated from your Infinite Star Palace...”

”That’s impossible!” Johan immediately refused. ”Those statements were clearly the impulsive mistakes of a few people who failed to distinguish right from wrong. How can their actions be used to tarnish the reputation of our entire sect?”

”Whether they were impulsive mistakes or not, we both know the truth. Should I continue searching their Void Psychic Worlds? I am sure I will find even more evidence,” Yaoguang said.

At the side, Lu Xi understood that if Yaoguang continued searching, whether evidence was found or not, Feng Ao’s already-recovering Void Psychic World would be thrown into chaos again, leaving him unable to recover for another decade or more.

He quickly intervened. ”It is indeed excessive for the mistakes of subordinates to implicate the sect’s reputation. We also acknowledge that their words have affected the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s strategic plans. So we are willing to offer compensation to make up for your losses.”

”The Immortal Alliance still has a reputation to speak of?” Yaoguang let out a faint chuckle. ”We will accept your compensation. However, everyone involved in spreading the rumors must be handed over to the Nine Cauldrons Sect. We will personally judge their crimes.”

”That is unacceptable! These individuals are all high-ranking members of our sect. If we hand them all over, what face will our sect have left?” Lu Xi responded at once. ”We can guarantee that our judgment will be absolutely fair and just...”

Yaoguang remained unhurried as he continued bargaining with the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace. Around them, numerous primordial psyche cultivators who had rushed over upon hearing the news watched the scene unfold.

In particular, figures such as Long Zechuan and Chi Songzi of the Great Sun Sword Sect stared at Feng Ao, Lin Deng, and Luo Fu, who were immobilized under Yaoguang’s three strands of psychic thought. Their expressions grew dazed.

How did the Nine Cauldrons Sect become this powerful? A few decades ago it was so weak that it could not even compare to the Great Sun Sword Sect! And now, thanks to a single person, it is able to contend against both the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace.

What’s even more unbelievable is that it’s actually holding the upper hand. Given the domineering style of those two great factions, they will never sit down and negotiate unless their opponent has grown strong enough that they can no longer dominate them.

This was true for the Great Sun Sword Sect. As for those on the outer edges of the crowd, like Song You and Ma Hong of the Xuanming Sect, the shock was even greater.

Song You shrank back, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

At the same time, everyone who had not gotten involved felt immense relief that they had not continued opposing the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

Even if the Infinite Star Palace had fully supported them, what would it matter? It was clear that the Infinite Star Palace could no longer deal with the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

If they dared to step forward, they would be crushed into dust on the spot. Even preserving their sect’s lineage would become uncertain.

”The times have changed...”

”I already sensed something was off during the Cangwu Alliance Council, but I never expected the shift to happen this quickly...”

”The Nine Cauldrons Sect is truly about to soar. As long as the situation on the North Sea Star does not change drastically, the future of the Great Cangwu World will be in their hands.”

Various streams of psychic thoughts and psychic consciousnesses spread among the onlookers. Everyone watching this scene felt as though their entire worldview had been overturned.

Previously, Yaoguang’s battle against Janko and Mi Le on Planet No. 6713 had shattered stars, but for sects without even a star god, that battle had been too distant. Even if they had heard about it, they had not witnessed it themselves.

But now, the sight of Yaoguang, alone, suppressing three Dharma Forms and forcing the two greatest powers of the Great Cangwu World into negotiations struck directly at their hearts.

Only at this moment did they truly realize that the Great Cangwu World had changed.

The era of the Infinite Star Palace and the Immortal Alliance was gradually fading. The future, at least for the next ten to twenty years, would belong to the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

Although the negotiations were being conducted through psychic communication, there were too many top-tier cultivators present for them to go unnoticed.

Realizing that negotiating in front of so many sects would only further damage their reputation, the Immortal Alliance and Infinite Star Palace made a decisive move.

”The main culprits can be handed over to you. However, publicly admitting that the rumors originated from our sects is absolutely impossible. That is our bottom line.” Johan’s expression turned cold. ”Otherwise, I would very much like to see whether you can truly withstand the power of a Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator that disregards his own stability. That force is comparable to the full eruption of a star.”

”Heh...” Yaoguang let out a soft laugh, about to respond.

Suddenly, Li Hanqiu’s psychic consciousness echoed in his ear. ”That’s enough.”

He quickly added, ”Our Nine Cauldrons Sect can produce a Crimson Golden Core. With the foundations of the Infinite Star Palace and Immortal Alliance, they could likely produce multiple Crimson Golden Cores, or even Radiant Sun Golden Cores, as one-time weapons. If it comes to that, there will be no winners.”

”Radiant Sun Golden Core...” Yaoguang frowned slightly.

”I’ll play the conciliatory role next,” Li Hanqiu said.

”Alright.” Yaoguang did not insist further.

In the end, he currently only possessed the strength to wear down a Radiant Sun Golden Core to death. He could not yet defeat one head-on. If several Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivators attacked him without regard for their lives, things would become extremely dangerous.

To truly suppress all Golden Core cultivators in the Great Cangwu World, relying on a single outer Crimson Golden Core was far from enough.

Only by truly condensing a Crimson Golden Core himself or even advancing to the Radiant Sun Golden Core Realm would he gain the power to suppress all thirty-plus Golden Core cultivators of the Great Cangwu World.

As for preventing them from overturning the table and dragging the entire world down with them, even a Radiant Sun Golden Core might not suffice.

He would need to reach the Blazing White Golden Core Realm, or even the Azure Golden Core Realm, which represented the peak of the Golden Core Realm. Only then could he instantly annihilate all Golden Core cultivators, leaving them no chance to self-destruct their cores and bring the entire Great Cangwu World to ruin alongside them.

***

As Li Hanqiu stepped forward, the previously tense atmosphere immediately eased.

In the end, the matter concluded with the Nine Cauldrons Sect gaining substantial benefits.

As for the Infinite Star Palace and the Immortal Alliance, they barely managed to preserve their dignity. The reason it was only ”barely” was simple. There had been far too many onlookers during the negotiations.

If Feng Ao, Lin Deng, and Luo Fu had not been overwhelmed, they would have sealed off the surroundings immediately, ensuring no one could witness the true nature of the negotiations between the Infinite Star Palace, Immortal Alliance, and Nine Cauldrons Sect.

Unfortunately for them, all three Dharma Forms had been overwhelmed by Yaoguang. And Yaoguang had no intention of preserving their dignity, so the entire negotiation process was laid bare to the public.

Through this, the various sects clearly saw the truth behind the Infinite Star Palace’s and Immortal Alliance’s outward strength but inner weakness. While they might not deliberately spread this information, their fear of these two great factions would undoubtedly diminish significantly.

It was foreseeable that this incident would significantly affect the global strategies of both the Infinite Star Palace and the Immortal Alliance.

Everyone had realized this. What none of them expected, however, was how quickly the consequences would arrive.

Just one month after the negotiations concluded, the Star Sect, located near the Taiyi Sect and on the verge of being completely annexed, launched a fierce counterattack against the Taiyi Sect.

Moreover, the Star Sect’s resistance immediately received support from the Sacred Flame Cult, Sacred Blue Sea Land, Brahma Sect, and Crimson Moon Sect.

A vast war erupted at once, seemingly aiming to drive the Taiyi Sect out of the Black Flame Continent, or rather, to drive the influence of the Infinite Star Palace out of the Black Flame Continent entirely.

At the beginning, this war had not even received support from any top-tier sect. It had merely been a desperate act of resistance by the Star Sect, forced into a corner.

But everyone knew that behind the Taiyi Sect stood the world’s number one power, the Infinite Star Palace.

A sect like the Star Sect, which could be considered mid-size at most, daring to resist a force backed by the Infinite Star Palace? It was nothing short of rebellion against the heavens. And yet, the Star Sect had indeed resisted.

Even though their entire sect could not put together a complete elite battle institute, making them no more than a futile effort when compared to the powerful Taiyi Sect, they still ignited the first battle of resistance against both the Taiyi Sect and the Infinite Star Palace.

The outbreak of this battle unmistakably signaled that since the collapse of the Northern Alliance, the Infinite Star Palace’s long-held dominance as the world’s foremost power had begun to waver.

***

At the same time, as the situation in the Great Cangwu World underwent drastic changes, far away in the Yaoguang World, the repaired Star Gate suddenly radiated a brilliant light visible to the naked eye.

This light was unmistakably a sign that the Star Gate was about to establish a connection.

Very soon, Zong Yan, who had retired to the Yaoguang World and was overseeing the Star Gate, received the news. At first, he assumed it was simply someone from the Great Cangwu World preparing to teleport over, and paid it little attention.

However, when the Star Gate continued to shine for an entire month without actually activating, as if some force were calibrating the coordinates it represented, Zong Yan finally realized something was wrong.

He immediately ordered the activation of a backup Star Gate and traveled to the Great Cangwu World to deliver the news to Yaoguang.

Almost at the exact moment Yaoguang received the message, within the Infinite Star Palace, the Immortal Alliance, the Thousand-Beast Sect, the Lunar Sect, the Dharma Heaven Pavilion, and the Golden Temple, the high-powered Star Gates they had preserved began to shine simultaneously.

This sudden development instantly made these top immortal sects realize something was happening.

Have the experts from North Sea Star returned?! But if so, why are they coming through the Star Gates instead of descending directly by distorting space as Void-Piercing Realm experts would?! Or is it an invasion by the Lunar Fiend Empire?

With no clarity on what the simultaneous activation of these Star Gates meant, the entire Great Cangwu World seemed to fall into an abrupt stillness, as though time itself had been paused.

Everyone waited, watched, and held their breath, fixated on the Star Gates, anticipating their activation.