Another world's destiny began to converge on Chu Yang. He knew Li Qingyun and the others had succeeded in saving another world.
In truth, it wouldn't matter if they failed, as long as these people could return safely. The further they went, the less Chu Yang wanted them to meet any accidents.
If possible, he even wished they would just stay on Blue Star and go nowhere.
But that wasn't an option. Their path of growth was accompanied by countless battles. Becoming an immortal was not their end; to break through further, they could only pursue more and more combat.
Who would have thought that the Ice Sword Mercenary Group, renowned throughout the myriad worlds, would hail from a homeland without even a single Immortal Emperor?
Of course, Chu Yang was an exception. Chu Yang himself didn't know the extent of his own power.
What was clear, however, was that his strength surpassed that of an ordinary Immortal King, and by a significant margin.
His power was tied to the destiny of the human race. Influenced by "Dao Connects Myriad Worlds," with each world Li Qingyun and the others saved, his strength increased.
However, Chu Yang also knew that he had not yet reached the power level of an Immortal Emperor.
Time was becoming increasingly pressing. Both the cultivators on Blue Star, the Ice Sword Mercenary Group, and Chu Yang himself were experiencing a slight sense of anxiety.
But he wouldn't show this emotion to the people of Blue Star. He had to continue to project an aura of victory, of everything being under control, just as before.
He was the spiritual pillar of all humanity on Blue Star. In fact, he could have used "Fixed-Point Delivery" to send everyone away.
But he didn't want to, and neither did all the people of Blue Star. This was, after all, their root, their homeland.
When he saw Li Qingyun's cultivation reach the Immortal King realm, his heart finally felt some relief.
Everyone who was watching the cultivation rankings also breathed a sigh of relief, having worried that their cultivation would stagnate indefinitely.
With the emergence of an Immortal King, their confidence returned in large measure.
With Immortal Kings appearing, would Immortal Emperors be far behind?
...
Li Qingyun handed the "Enlightenment Pill" in his hand to Wang Teng.
"You use it first. I can go find my master or Boss Xue, and seek help from those ninth-grade alchemists in the third immortal cultivation world."
Wang Teng, naturally, didn't stand on ceremony. "Thanks, little brother!"
Although the "Enlightenment Pill" was a top-tier medicinal pill, it wasn't a universal solution. It could only help one achieve enlightenment and enter a state of deeper understanding.
Therefore, it wasn't that every immortal would be able to advance to the Immortal King realm after using it. It could only help accelerate the maturation of one's Dao fruit.
Both Wang Teng and He Guangxin were just a step away from breakthrough, so an "Enlightenment Pill" would be of great help to them.
As for the others, they would have to wait a little longer.
After taking the pill, Wang Teng quickly entered a state of closed-door cultivation.
As they were about to head to the third immortal cultivation world, Chu Yang sought Li Qingyun for a private conversation.
"Time is running out. Do you have any leads on becoming an Immortal Emperor?"
Li Qingyun scratched his head. "This... isn't it about challenging the Heavenly Dao?"
Chu Yang nodded and said, "The status of an Immortal Emperor is on par with the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, in principle, every Immortal King has the opportunity to ascend to Immortal Emperor. However, to become an Immortal Emperor, one must first defeat the Heavenly Dao. But, once they fail, the price is death and the dissipation of their Dao."
Although Chu Yang's own identity was akin to the Heavenly Dao's biological father, some rules were simply rules, and he couldn't interfere forcefully.
"Then I need to consolidate further. I don't have the confidence right now to replace the portion of the Heavenly Dao that belongs to my Dao fruit."
Chu Yang nodded, and after a long pause, he asked, "Have you noticed anything unusual about the Sky Slaying race recently?"
Li Qingyun froze for a moment, then nodded with a grave expression.
"Their numbers are vast. Didn't we capture a ninth-realm prisoner before? Did Brother Xian gain any information from him?"
Chu Yang shook his head and said, "Strangely, they themselves don't know the situation of their own race. But I can confirm one thing."
"What?"
"There is a being with a higher status than an Immortal Emperor who created the Sky Slaying race to stir up trouble in the myriad worlds, with the goal of eliminating all humans. And we humans... likely also have a being with a higher status who is confronting the entity behind the Sky Slaying race."
Li Qingyun's face turned pale upon hearing this. In fact, reaching the Immortal King realm was already quite powerful.
But upon hearing Chu Yang mention the existence of a higher-ranked being, he suddenly felt as insignificant as an ant.
"Then are we... pawns?"
Chu Yang nodded. "This is just a conclusion I've reached by combining all the clues I have. With countless planes as the chessboard, and humans and the Sky Slaying race as the pieces in a game, the recent changes in the Sky Slaying race, whether it's the increase in numbers or the improvement in their aptitude, should be a sign of the higher-ranked being behind them exerting their influence."
"Then has the one behind us exerted their influence?"
Chu Yang nodded. "Feel the difference in cultivation civilizations between Blue Star and other immortal cultivation worlds, and you'll know."
Li Qingyun fell into thought and then suddenly had an epiphany.
In fact, their Ice Sword Mercenary Group was also a manifestation of that higher-ranked being's influence. All the cultivation resources on Blue Star were highly unusual. How could everyone immediately begin cultivating upon opening a cultivation technique?
And there were also various techniques that ignored all comprehension, as well as various wondrous secret realms...
The Ice Sword Mercenary Group's top combat power at the same realm was honed in such an environment, which felt like cheating.
"Brother Xian telling me all this is..."
Chu Yang patted his shoulder and said, "Although we are all pawns, I feel that we pawns are different. At the very least, we can think about the beings behind us, while the Sky Slaying race doesn't even have the right to think."
"The reason I'm telling you this is because you are already an Immortal King. You are close to reaching the pinnacle of a cultivator's journey, and you should know the truths that need to be known. Moreover... since we know there are beings of higher status than Immortal Emperors, can cultivators also reach that realm?"
Li Qingyun's eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid.
"This... this..."
Chu Yang looked at him and said, "This is the ambition to break free from the chessboard. Have you ever considered that the relationship between you and all the beings in your 'Azure Lotus Realm' and the higher-ranked beings and us humans is very similar?"
"Holy crap!"
"So your Dao might have the opportunity to lead to a higher realm beyond Immortal Emperor!"