The entire nation's efforts to cope with the current situation were undoubtedly a great relief to most people. While not a cause for jubilant celebration, it at least eased their anxieties and fears.
The only ones harboring concerns and dissatisfaction were the aristocratic clans and sects that remained on the sidelines, observing the unfolding events.
They were unaccustomed to the present circumstances.
They were unaccustomed to a world where cultivation was a widespread practice, competing with them for spiritual energy. They were unaccustomed to a secular world capable of confronting demons and monsters, able to protect its populace without requiring their aid.
With the assistance of disciples from early-awakening aristocratic clans and sects, the now-awakened major sects and clans quickly learned to access information online. They rapidly came to understand the profound changes that had reshaped their world.
They were compelled to make a decision without delay.
Thus, less than a day and night after the ninth great surge of spiritual energy, the Nascent Soul and Integration stage ancestors of the original Ten Great Sects and Six Great Aristocratic Clans convened a meeting. They summoned all cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage from their respective sects and clans to gather at the Cloud-Tiptop Heavenly Palace on Mount Kunlun.
This was the Kunlun Heavenly Sect, the foremost among the Ten Great Sects.
Within the innermost sanctum, the Hall of the Sect Master.
The Kunlun Heavenly Sect possessed a unique Ancestor at the Loose Immortal stage who slumbered, granting them significant influence. It was only natural that their grounds would serve as the venue for this assembly of sects and clans.
Shortly after the summons was issued.
Streams of spiritual lights from all directions began to appear, eventually alighting upon the summit of Mount Kunlun. Those who were familiar with each other, or maintained friendly relations, were already conversing in small groups, discussing the vast transformations of the world.
This was, in itself, quite normal.
Nascent Soul cultivators enjoyed lifespans of thirty thousand years; eight hundred years of slumber was not an excessively long period for them. Furthermore, most Nascent Soul cultivators had attended the Nascent Soul celebrations of others.
It was perfectly logical that they would be acquainted.
After half a day, the attendees were largely assembled. They proceeded into the Cloud-Tiptop Heavenly Palace and took their seats according to their seniority and cultivation levels. An elder from the Kunlun Heavenly Sect, at the Nascent Soul stage, then provided a detailed account of the general situation in the secular world as they understood it.
This was to ensure that any Nascent Soul or Integration stage cultivators who had been detached from worldly affairs, focusing solely on their cultivation, were informed.
Once it was confirmed that everyone was aware of the basic situation.
The discussion commenced.
"No wonder I felt the spiritual energy concentration after this resurgence was slightly weaker than recorded in ancient texts. It turns out someone initiated this widespread cultivation initiative.
Which demonic path practitioner is responsible for this?
Does this not cripple our future foundations?"
"This is absurd. Widespread cultivation? What is the point of cultivating for a lifetime if one can never break through to the Golden Core stage? It merely squanders spiritual energy."
"From what I gather, their actions are likely intended to absorb more spiritual energy, thereby slowing the pace of spiritual resurgence. This would give them more time to awaken later, and to accumulate the strength to confront us!"
"Regardless, widespread cultivation will inevitably accelerate the advent of the next era of Dharma-ending. If we old fossils cannot break through to the Tribulation Crossing stage and ascend during this peak period of spiritual resurgence, we might not survive until the next one.
Therefore, this so-called widespread cultivation must be uprooted. Ordinary folk, those with meager talent, should remain commoners. Allowing them to cultivate is merely an impediment to our advancement."
"How do we uproot it? How do we sever it? Are we to eliminate all current cultivators? From what I understand, there are over five billion Qi Refining stage cultivators across the land.
Ordinary mortals who have never cultivated are now the rare ones. Eradicating all of them is impossible. Even eliminating a tenth, or even a hundredth, would likely invite heavenly retribution before any lightning tribulations!"
"What about demonic cultivators? Where are the demonic path practitioners? Can we not simply let them run amok? As long as we do not personally harm others, how can karma befall us?"
"Have you forgotten? At the onset of the Dharma-ending era, out of concern that demonic cultivators might awaken first and enhance their power through human flesh and souls, making them difficult to counter, we specifically preemptively eliminated a portion of them.
As a result, the strongest among the demonic path cultivators now.
Is merely at the Nascent Soul stage.
Most importantly, those demonic cultivators did indeed awaken successively as we predicted, seizing the initiative when spiritual energy first began to surge. However, they failed to secure any advantage, and their existing foundations were largely destroyed by the current secular world.
The disciples of the demonic path suffered heavy losses, to the point of near extinction.
The current decline of the demonic path is almost unbearable to witness.
They are far inferior to the demon races.
They are incapable of causing significant disaster or casualties."
"Recent news indicates that several sea demons who were slower in their escape, or were stubborn and refused to flee, have perished. Their corpses have been taken by that research institution for study. I presume they will be dissected for alchemy or something similar.
This suggests that the most pressing issue is no longer how to respond to or resolve the problem of widespread cultivation. Instead, we must make a choice.
That is, to completely sever ties and engage in all-out war against the current secular world, or to find a way to coexist harmoniously with them. I believe harmonious coexistence is perilous.
All-out war might be even more dangerous!"
"How is that possible? To my knowledge, it has only been forty-odd years since the spiritual resurgence began. And isn't it said that the current secular world has no cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage?
How did they manage to kill those great Nascent Soul demons?"
"We cannot coexist, absolutely not. In forty years, they have managed to kill great Nascent Soul demons. If they are given another few decades or a century, I dread to imagine the terrifying extent of their destructive power. We must not coexist; they must be extinguished in their nascent stages of danger!"
"It seems necessary to initiate a decapitation plan!"
"Precisely. From what I understand, in the secular world, higher cultivation does not equate to greater influence. We do not need to annihilate the entire secular world. Destroying the political center of the secular world would suffice."
"Without a leader, they will naturally fall apart!"
"Once we gain complete control of the secular world, we can impose strict laws and prohibitions, preventing ordinary people from cultivating. The current batch of Qi Refining stage cultivators will mostly not live beyond a hundred and fifty years. We can afford to wait that long. Once they have all passed away, the situation of widespread cultivation will naturally collapse. And we will not bear the karmic burden of eliminating this batch of Qi Refining cultivators."
While these Nascent Soul and Integration stage ancestors gathered to strategize, the various institutions of the secular world were also deliberating whether to deploy all their devastating weaponry and target the Mount Kunlun range.
The present opportunity, with the high-ranking officials of the old era's sects and clans gathered in one place, was exceedingly rare. No one knew if there would be another chance.
Launching all destructive weapons at this moment offered a possibility of eradicating the Mount Kunlun range, and perhaps even eliminating the Nascent Soul and Integration stage cultivators within.
However, most individuals remained apprehensive.
They worried about the post-destruction radiation and whether the energy waves might cause a shift in the planet's orbit.
They worried if these individuals possessed any life-saving measures that could withstand such a barrage of terrifying, destructive weapons.
If the extermination were not complete.
Then, it would truly be an irreconcilable conflict.