chsdbacks Chapter 2388 - 2387: Dying for Righteousness
Chapter 2388 - 2387: Dying for Righteousness
Long Fei set out with the Chaos Beast, serving as the guide for the Star-Devourer Tree, with the first path to be established between Terra King Star and Immortal King Star.
All the disciples, led by Hua Qianmo, came to bid farewell to Long Fei.
They wanted to see how the Star-Devourer Tree could connect two Star Domains together.
The Star-Devourer Tree shimmered with flashing lights. Its tree trunk, as thick as a barrel, suddenly expanded, extending outward in circles.
In just an instant, its massive roots extended south toward Fangzhang Island and north toward Yingzhou Island.
Like a gigantic web, it swiftly wove through the air, with its roots weaving a bridge over a hundred meters wide and tens of thousands of meters long across the sea, constructing an enormous bridge between the three islands.
Its branches split into one and began to grow rapidly into the sky.
From the sea, Spiritual Energy surged into its body, and above the sky around it, a whirlpool of Spiritual Energy formed for a moment.
The starlight branches, like a rainbow or photons moving through fiber optics, merely traced a bright light that followed behind Long Fei and the Chaos Beast.
This light quickly reached the starry sky from the ground.
Along the way, wherever this branch passed, all the surrounding meteorites, regardless of their size, transformed into showers of light and were devoured by this radiance.
The Star-Devourer Tree’s nutrition source was precisely these meteorites in the starry sky, even planets themselves.
Long Fei had once acquired ancient star maps of the sky and later obtained a stellar survey from Aurelius, making him intimately familiar with this part of the starry sky.
He had the Chaos Beast lead the way, finding numerous enormous Dead Stars enough for the Star-Devourer Tree to consume for tens of thousands of years, allowing the tree to establish its roots on them.
In the dark universe, occasionally stars would emit beams of light, illuminating the pathway of the Star-Devourer Tree.
Its trunk appeared like a starlit tunnel, charging from Terra King Star toward Immortal King Star.
Lin Shanshan and a group of disciples stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded at the starlit tunnel in the sky, not knowing what to say.
Little Kirin swallowed hard and said, "What kind of monster is this?"
Previously, when the Star-Devourer Tree claimed to have eaten many Celestial Venerables, Little Kirin and the others thought it was bluffing.
Now they were completely convinced that maybe only their father could subdue this monstrous space tree.
Lin Shanshan excitedly asked, "Can we travel to Immortal King Star through this tunnel in the future?"
"It seems so!"
Lin Yingying nodded with a smile.
Lin Shanshan exclaimed excitedly, "That’s great! All these years, others have always come to us, but we’ve never traveled far. After the Demon Calamity is over, I’ll have my brother-in-law take us around."
Lin Yingying smiled and tapped her on the head, instructing her to have the disciples fortify defenses and protect the area.
The Sea Demon Clan suffered a great loss and would surely spread the news.
Other Demon Clans would undoubtedly not let this go unchallenged.
Lin Yingying was not particularly interested in Magical Treasures, but Long Fei gave her two enough to shock the Three Realms, making her eager to try them out.
Anyway, her son could devour the energy of heaven and earth, so wielding these two treasures posed no significant challenge.
Upon Immortal King Star, the Demon Race’s assault had persisted for three days.
The Nine Demon Lords took turns breaking the Formation, causing the transparent barrier outside Celestial Realms Continent to quiver constantly.
Every one of them was a formidable character, capable of channeling the energy of heaven and earth with their physical bodies alone.
With each attack, the defense shield of Celestial Realms Continent consumed an enormous amount of Spirit Stone.
In recent years, Immortal King Star had implemented administrative measures, and its treasury was abundant, so the quantity of Spirit Stones was not a problem.
The issue lay with the limit of the formation bases set by the ancestors.
The Demon Lords, with their Half-Step Immortal status, unleashed enormous power while attempting to break the formation.
Even though the formation had powerful retaliatory effects, they disregarded it, taking turns attacking with the sole purpose of breaking the formation.
In Celestial Realms Continent, each continent possessed a massive defensive formation base.
The formation base constantly developed cracks, and over three days, daily tremors and quakes signaled impending rupture.
The Great Marshal of Heavenly Soldiers, Li Daoxun, hurriedly went to the palace to meet Zhang Ziling, bringing news of grave importance.
The Nine Clan’s Descendants had made clandestine contact with the Demon Race.
Everyone knew that beneath the Demon Lords, none could stand in their way.
It was only a matter of time before Celestial Realms City fell. Instead of fighting to the bitter end, other strategies might be considered.
Some were preparing to pack up and leave. On Immortal King Star, vast stretches of remote mountains and uncharted wilderness lay abundant.
No matter how powerful the Demon Race was, they had only a mere million-strong army.
If one were to find a hidden refuge, surviving for tens of thousands or even eighty thousand years might not be a problem.
Moreover, this Demon Calamity differed significantly from the ancient Demon Calamity.
This time, the Demon Race abandoned widespread slaughter, adopting a gentle policy, maintaining certain boundaries with the Human Race and Demon Clan.
After conquering significant parts of Immortal King Star, the Demon Race installed their loyalists as City Lords.
Thus, many among the Nine Clans harbored thoughts of seeking peace with the Demon Race.
When Zhang Ziling ascended the throne, the Nine Clans had all opposed it in unison.
Over the years, though they submitted to Zhang Ziling, they never truly accepted it.
As they put it, Zhang Ziling had taken on the role of a rooster at dawn.
Despite being a woman, she governed over a group of men.
Zhang Ziling wasn’t lenient either, persistently suppressing their influence across various regions and infringing upon many of the Nine Clans’ interests.
With external threats looming, this internal conflict magnified from the shadows to the forefront.
Zhang Ziling looked at the list of Nine Clans who had contacted the Demon Race brought by Li Daoxun, her heart seething with anger as she stood up and harshly rebuked, "These spineless creatures! The Demon Race offers a mere trifle, and they stoop to such vile acts. Don’t they realize that collaborating with the Demon Race is akin to courting disaster with a tiger? If the Demon Race conquers Celestial Realms City and all of Immortal King Star, would they still treat the Human Race so kindly?"
Li Daoxun advised Zhang Ziling, "Emperor, we still control Celestial Realms City. If these small-time schemers think they can make waves, they should first see if our swords agree!"
Zhang Ziling exhaled deeply, seating herself on the Phoenix Chair, weariness etched all over her face, "I’ve led Heaven-Piercing Palace for a millennium, and my conscience is clear. Let others do as they will. Ensure the soldiers are prepared. Tomorrow at dawn, I will proclaim at the altar to our ancestors. Even if we are to perish, let us perish gloriously, not allowing the Demon Race to belittle us."
Li Daoxun, furrowing his brows with a heavy heart, clasped his fists and quietly said, "Emperor, you could lead the people away, while I stay behind for a final stand. As long as the mountains remain, there will always be wood to burn. If we survive, I believe there will still be a chance for change."
Zhang Ziling’s expression turned solemn as she replied firmly, "I’ve made my decision. In times of crisis, if I, the Emperor, do not sacrifice myself for justice, where will future generations find the courage to resist the Demon Race?"
Her belly bulged, and the child within moved, causing her pain as she clutched her stomach in sorrow and lamented, "Alas, for my child who hasn’t yet seen this magnificent land."