Within Xianling Holy Land.
The vast hall that could normally accommodate ten thousand now seemed almost crowded.
From every great province of the Xuanying Continent, the top sects, ancient families, and virtually every Nascent Soul and above rogue cultivator had gathered here!
The crowd was dense, their combined auras vast as the sea, yet the silence was so profound that a dropped needle could be heard.
Every pair of eyes focused with boundless reverence and rapt attention on the foremost position of the great hall—elevated upon nine tiers of jade steps.
There, a figure sat upright upon a meditation cushion.
He wore a simple, unadorned Daoist robe, his expression serene, his eyes deep as a sea of stars.
No earth-shattering pressure radiated from him, yet he naturally became the center of heaven and earth.
It was as if his very presence was the incarnation of the Great Dao, the physical manifestation of universal law, compelling all to instinctively bow and look up in reverence.
He was the true architect of Xianling Holy Land, the hidden pillar of the Tianmeng, the legendary supreme being of the Immortal Venerable Realm—Chen Chang'an!
This was the first time he had personally appeared in such a public and momentous setting!
Many of the countless cultivators in the hall were seeing this legendary being with their own eyes for the first time.
They were so overwhelmed with emotion they could barely contain themselves, yet dared not show the slightest disrespect, only holding their breath and listening in the most reverent posture.
Chen Chang'an's calm gaze swept across the sea of people below as he slowly began to speak.
His voice was not loud, yet it reached every person present with perfect clarity, as though resonating directly from the depths of their minds:
"I have summoned you all here today for a matter that concerns the survival of billions of living souls across the Xuanying Continent, the future of our cultivation paths, and whether... this realm can endure the approaching... Great Tribulation."
The words "Great Tribulation" landed like thunder from the highest heavens, detonating in everyone's heart!
Though they had braced themselves, though the devastation of the Central Province had long since spread across the continent, hearing this terrifying word—from the Immortal Venerable's own lips—still left countless faces deathly pale and hearts severely shaken!
Chen Chang'an's voice remained steady as he laid out the cruel reality:
"The calamity of tribulation power, you have all witnessed firsthand. The Central Province has fallen, its people suffering beyond what human power can resist."
"This is no isolated incident, nor is it the end. This tribulation power originates from the remnants of an unresolved Primordial Great Tribulation in the Upper Realm."
"Its nature is bizarre—it can corrupt spiritual essence, twist the mind, and erode the Dao foundation—the most yin and evil force in all of heaven and earth."
"Now, this force has spread to our Lower Realm through the ancient passage of Mount Buzhou. Wherever it passes, laws crumble, morality perishes, and all things wither."
"More terrifying still, this tribulation power seems to possess sentience. It gathers into tides, assaulting in all directions, seeking to devour all spiritual essence and living souls to strengthen itself."
He paused, his gaze growing even deeper.
"This is no ordinary natural disaster—it is the end of an epoch, the beginning of heaven and earth's reckoning. There is nowhere to hide, nowhere to retreat."
A deathly silence filled the hall, so quiet a dropped needle could be heard. The crushing pressure was nearly suffocating.
No one doubted Chen Chang'an's words. The hellish scenes of the Central Province, the impossible-to-defend-against and bizarrely unpredictable tribulation tides, had long shattered all wishful thinking and skepticism.
A white-haired old sect master from a major sect of the Southern Wastes rose tremblingly to his feet. He bowed deeply to Chen Chang'an, his voice dry and filled with fear:
"Immortal Venerable... Immortal Venerable, please enlighten us! The tribulation power is terrifying beyond measure, spreading so rapidly!"
"Even... even the Immortal Venerables of the Upper Realm can do nothing?"
"We... we cultivators of the Lower Realm, with our meager strength—how can we possibly stand against a tribulation of this magnitude?"
"Must we... must we simply sit and wait for doom to descend?!"
His question voiced the despair and bewilderment in everyone's hearts.
Countless gazes refocused on Chen Chang'an, filled with their final glimmer of hope.
Chen Chang'an was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"What I must tell you is precisely this: the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths of the Upper Realm have united. They intend to use the lives of Lower Realm cultivators to quell this Great Tribulation."
His gaze swept across the assembly, his voice suddenly rising with iron-forged resolve:
"What!" Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.
"The Upper Realm Immortal Venerables want to use our Lower Realm cultivators' lives to fill this Great Tribulation!?"
"Then what do we do? Are we supposed to just surrender without a fight!?"
"No... we have an Immortal Venerable in the Lower Realm too! We still have a chance!"
Quickly, all eyes converged on Chen Chang'an.
Seeing that the atmosphere had reached its peak, Chen Chang'an finally spoke.
"The Upper Realm is strong, but they are not invincible! The tragedy of the Central Province came from failing to take the threat seriously at the outset, fighting as isolated factions, and thus being divided and conquered one by one!"
"If we still cling to wishful thinking, harbor sectarian prejudices, or delude ourselves into thinking we can survive alone—then today's Central Province will be your tomorrow!"
"The billions of living souls of the Xuanying Continent will inevitably follow the same path, doomed beyond redemption!"
His words struck like a sledgehammer upon every heart.
"However!" Chen Chang'an pivoted, infusing his voice with a surging, soul-stirring power.
"If we can cast aside old grievances, abandon selfish interests, and forge the entire Lower Realm's strength into a single fist!"
"If we gather all our resources, all our wisdom, all our determination into one unified whole!"
His gaze became razor-sharp, as though it could pierce through souls:
"With the Tianmeng as the hub and Xianling Holy Land as the foundation, we concentrate the fortune, ley lines, and spiritual essence of the entire Xuanying Continent to lay down the Cosmic Star Guardian Formation covering the four poles and eight directions!"
"Defeating the Upper Realm may be difficult, but defending our homeland, isolating the tribulation power, purifying the spiritual essence—to win a pure land for our fellow cultivators and for all living beings..."
"And then, when the time is right, to fight for a sliver of hope..."
"It may not be impossible!"
The crowd's breathing suddenly quickened, the fire of hope reigniting in their eyes!
A formation covering the entire continent? Gathering the power of an entire realm against the Great Tribulation? Against the Upper Realm!?
What a magnificent vision! What an audacious undertaking!
But... was this even possible?
Another sect leader rose, excited yet uneasy.
"Immortal Venerable! This plan is sound, but... each province's circumstances differ vastly."
"Sects and families stand in great numbers, with grudges and entanglements spanning millennia!"
"How can we truly unite as one? The resources required are immeasurable!"
"How can we ensure fair distribution and earn the trust of the realm?"
These were the doubts in everyone's hearts as well. Unity? Easier said than done!
Faced with such catastrophe, who wouldn't want to save themselves first? Who could truly be selfless?
Chen Chang'an looked at him, then at everyone, and spoke slowly, word by word, his voice calm yet carrying an unshakeable, absolute will:
"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."
"Past grievances are meaningless before the question of survival."
"We must... unite as one!"
[
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