Chapter 1957: Prepare for War

"Void Force?" Fang Chen feigned ignorance. "The power wielded by the Void Beasts is called Void Force?"

The God Dao Sect Master said indifferently, "Void Beasts exist because of Void Force. Void Force is a kind of power that has long since vanished from this era. It is the flourishing culmination of another past peak civilization."

"Since Void Force has already vanished, how are you still controlling the Void Beasts?"

"The Demonic Beasts Ruins can communicate with a unique land, where a tiny shred of Void Force still exists. It is precisely by borrowing these remnants of Void Force that we are capable of communicating with the Void Beasts."

The God Dao Sect Master continued calmly, "We do not control the Void Beasts, but rather form a symbiotic relationship with them. Because we can master a small amount of Void Force, they regard us as allies."

"The power you speak of... is it this?"

Fang Chen activated the fourth stage of the Radiant Divine Eyes and located the power of Void Force from among the numerous curtains. Instantly, a special type of energy appeared in his palm. It was neither spiritual energy nor immortal essence.

The God Dao Sect Master was stunned. "This...!"

The four old demonic beasts exchanged confused glances. They then studied the energy within Fang Chen's hand.

Wang Chongsong's gaze flickered. "This is Void Force?"

He had already noticed that Fang Chen was communicating with the God Dao Sect Master and the others. However, given their current state, no one could see them with the naked eye unless they likewise entered the Underworld.

Fang Chen chuckled. "They're saying that Void Beasts consider you an ally once you master Void Force."

Wang Chongsong understood. "So that's how it is!"

The God Dao Sect Master looked at Fang Chen strangely. "How could you... possibly possess this kind of power?"

"It is the Radiant Divine Eyes, the divine ability of the Twilight Solar God Beast," said an old demonic beast suddenly with certainty.

"Only that divine ability could locate traces of Void Force. After all, that supreme figure is very likely the same as Void Beasts. He is an old monster that successfully survived the annihilated era."

Hearing Daoist Yun Que being described as an "old monster" by an actual old demonic beast left Fang Chen feeling somewhat emotional.

"So as long as I possess this Void Force, I can communicate with the Void Beasts? Are there any other steps you haven't told me?" asked Fang Chen.

He smiled. "Let's speak honestly. Do not conceal anything. After all, the situation has already reached this stage, and there is absolutely no necessity to continue fighting. Now everything depends on whether Motian Dizang can attain the Dao before the outsiders arrive."

The God Dao Sect Master admitted candidly, "There is a corresponding technique, of course. I simply hadn't gotten around to mentioning it yet. I will give you the technique, but you must spare our lives in return."

"Deal."

***

Two hours passed.

"Aside from those five, the remaining remnants of the God Dao Sect have all successfully fled."

The ninth-transformation immortals of the various factions gathered together, giving a complete report of the situation.

"They took every resource they had with them, including their immortal crystals. They didn't leave so much as a single coin behind. Furthermore, we couldn't find the core techniques of the God Dao Sect. The sect is nothing but an empty husk."

Fang Chen turned his gaze toward Saint Long. "Senior, what is your present state right now?"

Hearing Fang Chen address him in such a respectful manner, Saint Long was briefly startled. Then he replied with a peculiar expression, "My condition is poor. My cultivation is about to regress. And forcibly reestablishing a connection with my previous Inner Domain has completely depleted my lifespan. I am on the verge of passing away."

"..."

No one could have expected the price Saint Long had to pay would be this enormous. However, it was thanks to his sacrifice and the support of the Saint Blood Bodhi that they could avert today's calamity and purge the God Dao Sect. Otherwise, the Nine Realms would still have been facing endless trouble.

Saint Long chuckled. "But it's okay. I have made a deal with your elders. If they aren't tricking me, there is still a chance for us to meet again in the future."

Then his body abruptly transformed into countless motes of starlight and dispersed into the air.

The area fell into silence.

"So the entire Ancient Dragon God Palace has been wiped out just like that..." someone murmured.

"He shouldn't have truly died. He said there is a chance to meet again. We simply don't know how that reunion will happen."

Someone looked at Fang Chen.

Saint Long had explicitly mentioned Fang Chen's elders. That undoubtedly meant the group of Yang Gods.

Just as Fang Chen was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared.

The man was a complete stranger. None of them had ever seen him before. Yet the aura emanating from him was identical to a Yang God.

The man waved his loose sleeve, gathering the motes of starlight left behind by Saint Long into it. He then turned to Fang Chen and said, "Your Master asked me to pass on a message to you—prepare for war. Powerful experts from the Divine Realm will arrive soon. If a new Heavenly Dao doesn't rise before then, we shall all fight to the death."

Prepare for war?

Shao Mengyuan and Lang Daochun exchanged glances, their eyes filled with solemnity.

If that group of Yang Gods explicitly stated to prepare for war, then it meant the battle was already close at hand.

Fang Chen asked, "How powerful are our enemies?"

The man didn't answer. He merely turned around and vanished into thin air.

Lang Daochun looked utterly perplexed. "Even now, I still can't make heads or tails of the Yang Gods' methods. How exactly does one walk that path?"

"Don't waste time thinking about it," advised Shao Mengyuan. "Saint Long has fallen. Even if there's hope of resurrecting him in the future, it certainly won't happen anytime soon. That means we've effectively lost one of our strongest powerhouses. We should first discuss how we're going to fight once the outsiders arrive."

"Your God Slaying Army is exceptionally powerful. As long as they do not encounter a Half-Saint, they can even handle a third-step Limit Breaker. On top of that, its mobility is extremely high. You could summon it directly from the God Slaying Sword. So if you cooperate with Lang Daochun, the two of you can form a highly mobile strike force on the battlefield. You command one unit, and I command one. Together, we should be able to achieve quite a lot."

Once Fang Chen finished speaking, he turned his attention to the assembled ninth-transformation immortals.

"Any outsider capable of descending here will be, at the very least, a Limit Breaker. As it stands, the combat strength of everyone here will obviously be of little use."

A ninth-transformation immortal rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed. "The way you put it is a little...."

"However, you all can serve as scouts, assuming full responsibility for transmitting intelligence. As long as information reaches us quickly, we'll be able to wage guerrilla warfare. The Nine Realms are enormous. Even if the outsiders intend to enslave this place, they'll inevitably require tremendous manpower and resources.

"The first wave of outsiders cannot possibly possess such extensive forces. So as long as we can delay them through the first wave, Motian Dizang will have a very good chance of achieving the Dao. We'll discuss the specific arrangements later. After all, we still don't know which realm the outsiders will descend into."

Chen Feifei added, "If they appear in the Lower Six Realms, things will be much easier to handle. At the very least, we'll be able to delay them for another hundred years."

"If they go for the Upper Three Realms first, then no matter which realm they descend into, it will pose an exceptionally massive threat to us. If that happens, the location where Motian Dizang is attempting to attain her Dao absolutely cannot be leaked. Otherwise, they will definitely execute a strike against her."

"We should still have some time."

Fang Chen smiled. "Also, the eighth-transformation immortal herb I require is relatively rare and difficult to obtain. I request that you all help me keep an extra eye out for it."

One of the ninth-transformation immortals asked curiously, "Eighth transformation? Monarch Fang, which path do you walk?"

"The Sword Immortal Path."

The Sword Immortal... Path?

The crowd had a strange expression. But thinking about it now, it somehow seemed perfectly reasonable.

Wang Chongsong murmured to himself, "Sword divine abilities... the Sword Immortal Path... It seems no matter where you go, the Sword Dao always stands amongst the foremost paths. I should've stuck with it...."