Chapter 616 - 339: Sudden Change (3)

The moment this decree was issued, it sent shockwaves through the Southern Barbarian Continent.

This was no longer mere permission; it was outright encouragement to migrate!

In the Waterside Pavilion, Lü Zhong sat across from Shuini.

Setting down her teacup, Shuini, who had traveled a long way, urged him again and again, "You should be more cautious. Why not test it in one area first? If the decree proves feasible, it won’t be too late to implement it on a larger scale. After all, the Spirit Tide has its limits. Nature’s spiritual energy can’t rise indefinitely; it’s bound to peak eventually."

Once the Spiritual Qi begins to decline again,

what would become of all the new cultivators who appeared during the Spirit Tide?

Shuini had always considered Lü Zhong a prudent man, but this time, he was being far too reckless. This clearly wasn’t his usual style.

Her worries were not unfounded.

With a sudden surge in the number of cultivators and not enough resources to go around, the competition within the Cultivation Realm would become far more intense than it was now. Everyone had already witnessed the consequences of Spiritual Qi exhaustion. If that internal strife intensified, there was no telling how fierce the competition would become.

And since a cultivator’s power is entirely their own, it could very well plunge the Cultivation Realm into chaos.

"Don’t worry, I have my reasons," Lü Zhong said calmly.

The emergence of the Spiritual Energy Conversion Technology was monumentally significant for the Cultivation Realm. At its foreseeable peak, the technology could not only convert Demon Spiritual Qi into Immortal Spiritual Qi but also transform other types of spiritual energy, previously unusable by Immortal Cultivators, into a viable form.

Furthermore, the Ten Thousand Witches Hall and the Ascension Gate had shown him another path for the Cultivation Realm’s survival.

’Since there’s endless Spiritual Qi out there, why should we confine our sights to a single realm?’

’If our Spiritual Qi runs out, we can just take it from the outside.’

’There’s no such thing as Spiritual Qi exhaustion out there.’

According to Lü Zhong’s calculations, when the Seven Southern Barbarian Sects had joined forces to draw down the Ten Thousand Witches Hall, the amount of Spiritual Qi that flooded into the Southern Barbarian lands upon the Void Channel’s opening was substantial. In fact, it was slightly more than the value of the Spiritual Objects consumed to set up and operate the Profound City Celestial Attraction Secret Array.

The net result was an increase in the total amount of Spiritual Qi.

This suggested that opening a Void Channel to replenish Spiritual Qi had a real chance of success.

Of course, there were risks involved.

After all, his predecessors hadn’t been fools. They must have sensed some danger, which was why they had long refrained from expanding outward, choosing instead to defend their existing territory and wait for an opportunity to present itself.

But Lü Zhong held firm to his opinion.

’Otherwise, in the world’s current environment, I’ll never be able to achieve Ascension to the Upper Realm.’

’I can’t cross that line in my heart, after all.’

’I can’t bring myself to treat all living beings as mere livestock, like that Divinity Transformation cultivator from the Daoist Sect did.’

’Even if I succeed in reaching Divinity Transformation in the future, the lack of resources means my fate will likely be the same as the last one: to stand alone at the pinnacle of this realm, simply waiting for the moment of my decay.’

’To change that fate, outward expansion has become my only hope.’

The massive number of new cultivators would be the reserve force needed to carry out this plan of expansion. After all, no matter how powerful he was, even if his abilities could pierce the heavens, his strength was not infinite.

Seeing that Lü Zhong’s mind was made up, Shuini gave up trying to persuade him.

Instead, she turned her attention to Yu Feng’Er’s situation.

"Based on her current progress, Feng’Er will likely need another six years to take the final step and trigger the Six-Nine Celestial Tribulation," Lü Zhong said, sharing his speculation.

His guess was well-founded, not just empty words.

It was all based on his observations of Feng’Er.

Hearing this, Shuini still wasn’t completely at ease. She went to the place where Yu Feng’Er was in seclusion and sensed her aura. Though not as accurate as Lü Zhong’s scene regression technique, it was enough for her to confirm Yu Feng’Er’s condition. Only then could she finally set aside the worry that had been weighing on her.

She promised to return in six years to act as a Dharma Protector.

Only then did Shuini take her leave.

After seeing her off, Lü Zhong’s life returned to its usual tranquility.

He continued his daily, unwavering routine of meditating and refining his Qi, a practice he had maintained for centuries to ensure his cultivation never ceased to advance. At the same time, he was busy refining the Shattering Star Finger Secret Skill.

Managing the Sect was a secondary concern, merely an aid to improving his cultivation.

Lü Zhong was keenly aware of this.

Thus, he had always left miscellaneous matters to his Incarnation.

The days passed, one by one.

The effects of the migration decree slowly became apparent. While other regions openly or covertly suppressed migration, the Bihai Sect, which actively encouraged it, became a veritable beacon in the dark.

Loose Cultivators began migrating toward the Bihai Sect. Large numbers of cultivators flooded into both the Bihai Domain on the Southern Barbarian Continent and the overseas Bihai Region.

Some brought their families, while others came alone.

They journeyed from afar to settle within the Bihai Sect’s territory.

...

While undercurrents surged in the outside world, just as Lü Zhong had predicted, the skies above Tide Cave suddenly roiled one day six years later. Yu Feng’Er was finally taking the last step, beginning her assault on the Nascent Soul barrier.

To act as Yu Feng’Er’s Dharma Protector, Lü Zhong had mobilized all his available forces.

In addition to Shuini, who had rushed over, he had dispatched the Mountain-Shaking Ship and Jade Sea Battlecruiser, as well as the Transformed Insect Queen Baqiong. These two assets possessed Nascent Soul Level combat strength. Even if they couldn’t defeat an invader, they could easily hold one back long enough for Lü Zhong to arrive as reinforcements.

With this arrangement, all four directions were guarded by Nascent Soul Level power.

He wouldn’t call it foolproof, but it could at least guard against most threats.

As for an attack from a Divinity Transformation cultivator?

The thought was preposterous. The calamities one faced during a tribulation, whether natural or man-made, were meant as a trial, not a death sentence for the Tribulation-Crossing Cultivator. And since Lü Zhong had not revealed his own hand, he couldn’t imagine any reason for a Divinity Transformation cultivator to intervene in Yu Feng’Er’s tribulation.

Just as Lü Zhong was on high alert, his expression suddenly shifted. He glanced toward the figure hovering in the sky, apparently having sensed something.