Li Qingyun and his group returned around the same time the second batch of cultivator armies departed.
Li Qingyun also brought back those who had gone on the expedition.
"Where are they?"
Wang Teng asked blankly. All the cultivator armies were gone.
Chu Yang explained to them that he had sent the others to support the thirtieth immortal cultivation world, which astonished everyone.
The current situation was indeed different. These Sky-Slaying tribesmen dared to invade worlds they couldn't conquer, even knowing it was a sure defeat.
Of course, perhaps they didn't believe they would lose.
In the past, they always thought that as long as they stayed low-profile for three years, developed well, and eliminated all invading enemies before the Blue Star was attacked, the matter would be over.
However, in just three years, the entire multi-dimensional universe had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Now, with less than three months remaining until the invasion, time was extremely tight. It was basically impossible for everyone in the Ice Sword Mercenary Group to achieve Immortal Emperor status; getting even one was significant.
Chu Yang said to Li Qingyun, "You were the first to achieve Immortal King. When do you plan to challenge the Heavenly Dao?"
Li Qingyun was silent for a moment and replied, "I want to challenge it right before the war begins. I'm not sure if I can become an Immortal Emperor. While I'm still alive, I can save more people..."
The others shared the same sentiment. The price of failure was death and the annihilation of one's Dao. They weren't lacking courage, but they had value and a mission now. If they failed, all would be lost.
In fact, Chu Yang still had a [Guaranteed Immortal Emperor Card] in his possession, and he hadn't decided who to give it to yet.
He then looked at Chen Xiaohan and said, "Come with me."
Chen Xiaohan was stunned and was led away by Chu Yang.
She had initially thought she would receive more psychological counseling, but instead, Chu Yang told her, "You can become an Immortal Emperor now."
"Ah? I only became an Immortal King not long ago..."
"That's not important. An Immortal King can challenge the Heavenly Dao at any time. And you are different from them; I've made some adjustments to you. You are guaranteed to become an Emperor, unaffected by the laws of causality. Don't overthink it; there are no side effects."
Chen Xiaohan's mouth was agape, wanting to say something but holding back.
After speaking, Chu Yang let her leave.
The others also asked curiously, "What did Big Brother Xian say to you?"
Chen Xiaohan replied with a somewhat strange expression, "He said... I can become an Emperor anytime."
"Huh?"
Question marks popped up above everyone's heads. Was it really that easy?
...
Upon hearing that the other cultivator armies were in the thirtieth immortal cultivation world, Li Qingyun, as the dimensional transport driver, naturally had to rush there immediately.
Everyone else, except Zhang Xiaohu, Liang Zifan, and Chen Xiaohan, accompanied him.
Zhang Xiaohu and Liang Zifan, although their paths were arduous, had certain advantages at their current cultivation levels.
The tenth level of the [Ascension Tower] was also a form of Heavenly Dao manifestation.
The Nine Heavens Yan Emperor and the Nine Tribulations Lei Emperor on the tenth level were not simply influences on combat; they were avatars of the Heavenly Dao itself.
Of course, this was incredibly difficult to fight, even more so than a regular Immortal King challenging the Heavenly Dao, as it was equivalent to fighting a true Immortal Emperor.
However, the benefit was that they could challenge it an infinite number of times until they succeeded.
Chu Yang looked at the two men and frowned, saying, "Actually, it would be easier for you to challenge the Heavenly Dao with your own strength. Having inherited the Dao fruits of the Nine Heavens Yan Emperor and the Nine Tribulations Lei Emperor, you have essentially inherited their Dao."
Zhang Xiaohu said solemnly, "It's not enough. I not only want to become him, but I want to surpass him."
Liang Zifan scratched his head and said, "After all, the challenges are unlimited, with no risk."
Since it was their chosen path, Chu Yang didn't need to offer any more advice.
The help he could provide now was limited, only to re-forge their immortal artifacts using the [Human Emperor Cauldron] and forcefully bestow some good fortune upon them.
Such challenges might require tens of thousands of attempts to succeed, so he could only wish them luck.
Chen Xiaohan, meanwhile, was preparing to ascend to the imperial throne.
In fact, due to the limitations of her cultivation technique, her cultivation should have been the slowest to advance. However, influenced by the [Guaranteed Immortal Emperor Card], her breakthrough was extremely smooth.
...
Chu Yang was watching the new video released by Little White Bear.
Chu Yang usually enjoyed browsing these video websites to see what kind of creative content the netizens of the immortal cultivation era were producing.
This time, he released a ten-part series.
"Recording a War from the Perspective of Canxiang Valley."
It began with an introduction to [Canxiang Valley], followed by seeing the cultivator armies off, and then interviewing some disciples who remained at the sect.
It also included emotional portrayals of joy and sorrow, and interviews with families who had lost loved ones.
Little White Bear also purchased an image crystal from actual battlefield reporters, showcasing the cultivator armies' first appearance on the battlefield.
The filming continued until the final farewell.
At the end of the video, he said, "As a cultivator from the Blue Star, while I feel proud of our cultivator armies, I also feel a deep sense of vigilance. You might think that Big Brother Xian is too strict with cultivation, but I must say that the third immortal cultivation world was a crushing victory."
"The Sky-Slaying tribes, from top to bottom, were at a significant disadvantage. Yet, even such a crushing war lasted for two years, and the human side suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties among the cultivators. Our Blue Star doesn't have that many cultivators; according to the publicly announced cultivator armies, only 1.8 million are capable of going to the battlefield."
"Therefore, the challenges we face will absolutely not be easy. I hope those who have reached the Golden Core stage but do not wish to go to the battlefield will seriously consider that it's not too late to join the cultivator armies. We still have a few months. When the war comes, no one can remain unaffected!"
He ultimately turned this video series into a recruitment drive, but it all stemmed from his inner thoughts.
After watching the entire course of a war, from its beginning to its end, he deeply understood that it would be difficult for the Blue Star to resist the Sky-Slaying tribal army with its current strength.
The comment section was shocked by the war, and a strong sense of urgency filled their hearts.
"We were almost blinded by the power of the cultivator armies; turns out we are not strong!"
"Holy crap, even though cultivating battle formations is boring, they look so cool when fighting!"
"Sign me up! Damn it, I'm going to the battlefield too!"
"Can rogue cultivators join the battlefield? I'll just cultivate my own way and kill a few more Sky-Slaying tribesmen then."
"......"