The Heaven-Slaying Token is extremely precious. Even within the current Heaven-Slaying Alliance, there are only a few in existence. The one in Ling Yuling's possession was likely given to her personally by the alliance leader, Gu Changge.
Now, she has handed it over to Zhuo Fengxie, clearly intending for him to summon and mobilize the powerful experts of the various clans in this region.
This has caused some discomfort among the Ancestral Dao Realm experts present. Although Zhuo Fengxie's cultivation is profound, he is not yet at the Ancestral Dao Realm. Being commanded by him naturally makes them uneasy.
However, no one dares to act out in the presence of the Heaven-Slaying Token.
It is evident that Ling Yuling was aware of this, which is why she deliberately handed the token to Zhuo Fengxie in front of everyone.
After giving the token to Zhuo Fengxie, Ling Yuling transformed into a divine light and left the area.
Most of the palaces, pavilions, immortal mountains, and islands of the Imperial Immortal Palace have already been relocated from the surrounding star domains. However, many forces of the Imperial Immortal Palace still remain stationed here.
Ling Yuling did not have much time to catch up with them. After leaving, she went to meet with the elders and ancestral elders of the Imperial Immortal Palace.
The elders from various Dao Academies had already received the decree and returned from their respective locations.
In the council hall of the Imperial Immortal Palace, Palace Master Ling Qiuchang was discussing the matter with the elders.
Meanwhile, the people from the Floating Continent, after being settled, also arrived here, seeking an audience with the founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace, Ling Yuling.
Several elders of the Imperial Immortal Palace informed them of the recent events related to the Prime-Origin Civilization, including the whereabouts of their founder, Ling Yuling.
Ling Yuxian was also in the hall. She had already learned about everything that had happened on the Floating Continent from the experts of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and knew the origins of these people.
She felt immense respect for Nan Qing's heroic sacrifice to cover their retreat, and her thoughts became even more complicated.
She had always suspected that Nan Qing was the mastermind behind her sister's decision to establish the Prime-Origin Covenant. However, based on the words of the people from the Floating Continent, Nan Qing could not be such a person.
In any case, she felt that she had misunderstood Nan Qing and her sister.
How could the descendants of the ancient sages who once resisted the Black Calamity be the ones to destroy the Prime-Origin Covenant?
While Ling Yuxian and the others were lost in thought, discussing how to deal with the Dark Beings, Ling Yuling arrived from outside the hall and appeared before them.
"Sister…"
"Founder…"
The elders and ancestral elders of the Imperial Immortal Palace were naturally overjoyed and shocked. Ling Yuxian, in particular, was filled with delight, though her eyes also carried a hint of guilt.
After all, it was she who had secretly informed Gu Changge about the Chaotic Spacetime Sea, leading him to dispatch the experts of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
"Senior…"
The people from the Floating Continent were also familiar with Ling Yuling.
She had visited the Sacred Ancestor Mountain on the Floating Continent multiple times to discuss matters with Qing Xianzi, and many had seen her before.
Zhu Xuan, in particular, looked at Ling Yuling with urgency. He had much to discuss with this senior and wanted to request her help in saving his grandfather.
He had learned from the people of the Imperial Immortal Palace that their founder had once been trapped in a dark space and had been corrupted by Dark Matter.
Yet, she now stood here unharmed, having successfully cleansed herself of the Dark Matter.
This meant that she had a way to remove the corruption of Dark Matter.
"I already know about Nan Qing's situation."
Ling Yuling looked at the few remaining people from the Floating Continent and sighed softly. "She sacrificed herself to save you all. I couldn't help her in the end, but I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety."
The members of the six great families, including Shangguan Qing, expressed their gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Senior."
Although the Dark Beings were still approaching, the Imperial Immortal Palace could now provide them with shelter and peace.
"Senior, please save my grandfather. While defending the Floating Continent against the Dark Beings, he was corrupted by Dark Matter and fell into a coma. If not for the Soul-Calming Pearl left by Qing Xianzi, he would have already turned into a Dark Being…"
Suddenly, with a thud, Zhu Xuan knelt before Ling Yuling, his voice filled with sincerity and urgency.
The others from the Floating Continent also looked at Ling Yuling with hope and pleading in their eyes. Many of them also knelt, begging for her help.
"Corrupted by Dark Matter?"
Ling Yuling frowned slightly, a look of difficulty appearing on her face.
She sighed softly and said to Zhu Xuan and the others, "Please rise. If I had a way, I would certainly try to save Elder Zhu. However, Dark Matter is extremely mysterious. Over the years, there have been very few who could resist or remove it. Even your Sacred Ancestor, Nan Zun, would have found it difficult to do so in her time…"
"What?"
These words stunned Zhu Xuan and the others, leaving them in disbelief.
The glimmer of hope on many of their faces gradually faded.
"But… but I heard that you were once corrupted by Dark Matter, and yet you managed to cleanse yourself of it?"
Zhu Xuan, unwilling to give up, asked with desperate eyes fixed on Ling Yuling.
Ling Yuling shook her head. "I could only resist it, preventing the Dark Matter from corroding my true spirit. I did not have the ability to purify it."
"The one who helped me cleanse the Dark Matter was someone else."
She did not know what it would cost to cleanse the Dark Matter, nor was she sure if Gu Changge would be willing to help Zhu Xuan and the others.
Ling Yuxian and the others also realized that this was related to the time they had rescued Ling Yuling from the Jing Clan's forbidden grounds.
It was Gu Changge who had helped her escape from that dark space.
"Senior, who was it that helped you? Whatever the cost, I am willing to pay it."
Hearing this, hope reappeared in the eyes of Zhu Xuan and the others.
The journey to find the Creation Pool was still long, and he did not know if his grandfather could hold on until then.
"He… he is the current leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. But I cannot guarantee that he will help you." Ling Yuling's gaze was complicated, and she hesitated before speaking.
Zhu Xuan and the others were shocked. Although they had only recently arrived in the Prime-Origin Civilization, they had already heard of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance while on the Floating Continent.
When mentioning the mysterious and powerful alliance leader, everyone spoke with reverence and awe.
Such a figure, daring to establish an alliance named "Heaven-Slaying," was truly awe-inspiring.
"Senior, could you introduce me? I wish to meet the alliance leader. No matter the cost, I beg him to save my grandfather."
Zhu Xuan tried to calm his emotions and looked at Ling Yuling with pleading eyes.
"I will do my best to help you." Ling Yuling nodded, agreeing to Zhu Xuan's request.
Whether out of respect for her past friendship with Nan Zun or for Nan Qing's sake, she would do her best to help Zhu Xuan and the others.
With Ling Yuling's agreement, Zhu Xuan and the others were naturally overjoyed. They then excused themselves, not wanting to disturb the discussions of the Imperial Immortal Palace.
Ling Yuling, meanwhile, began discussing the current troubles the Prime-Origin Civilization might face with the elders of the Imperial Immortal Palace. The main issue was how to resist the incoming Dark Beings.
In addition, she wanted to replicate the methods used by the ancient sages to resist the Black Calamity, hoping to curb the spread of the Black Mist.
The Ancient Imperial Dao Formation was one possible method, but the knowledge of how to set it up had long been lost.
The few Dragon-Suppressing Pillars she had left were actually crafted by someone else, and the formations inscribed on them were drawn by Nan Zun.
"I wonder if the Floating Continent still has records of the Ancient Imperial Dao Formation. Nan Qing read many ancient texts; perhaps she left some behind…"
Thinking this, Ling Yuling decided to ask the people from the Floating Continent if they had brought any ancient texts with them during their escape.
Among them, there might be methods to resist the spread of the Black Mist.
Meanwhile, Zhu Xuan, having returned to his quarters, was about to share the good news with the others from the Floating Continent when he noticed A'Li sitting on a nearby hill, wearing a bamboo hat.
She was leaning against a snow-white Zhen Hao, seemingly lost in thought or perhaps dozing off. Her face was hidden beneath the hat, with only a few strands of playful hair peeking out from the edges.
Zhu Xuan thought for a moment and decided to approach her, intending to tell her about the day's events.
Their safe escape to the Prime-Origin Civilization was largely thanks to A'Li.
Although she was somewhat aloof and cold, and the people from the Floating Continent did not fully trust her, Zhu Xuan always felt that she was unlikely to deceive or harm them.
"Miss A'Li…"
Zhu Xuan called out, but before he could finish, the snow-white Zhen Hao, which had been dozing, suddenly opened its eyes and looked at him.
In that instant, Zhu Xuan felt a chill run through his body, his limbs going cold and stiff, as if he could not move.
It was as if the gates of hell had opened, and an endless tide of dark, sinister energy surged toward him, overwhelming him. Countless demons and evil spirits seemed to dance and howl, threatening to devour his mind and spirit.
"It's just this kid…"
The snow-white Zhen Hao muttered lazily, its eyelids drooping again as it returned to its nap.
Zhu Xuan, meanwhile, was pale, drenched in cold sweat, his clothes clinging to his back as if he had just been pulled out of an icy abyss.
He almost thought it was an illusion, but the sensation had felt all too real.
"The Pixiu Beast is like that. Don't look directly into its eyes." A'Li's indifferent voice rang out.
Zhu Xuan glanced warily at the snow-white Zhen Hao.
He had thought it was just an ordinary mount, but a single glance from it had such terrifying power, as if it could swallow the heavens and the earth.
But what was a Pixiu Beast? Wasn't it a Zhen Hao?
"Miss A'Li, I've found a way to save my grandfather. The day after tomorrow, I will go with the founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace to meet the leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. He has a way to purify Dark Matter."
However, Zhu Xuan wisely did not ask further and instead told her about the day's events.
He was worried that A'Li might think he had broken their agreement after leaving the Floating Continent, so he quickly added, "But I promise you, whether or not I succeed, I will still go with you to find the Creation Pool."
"I know."
To Zhu Xuan's surprise, A'Li's reaction was still indifferent, as if she did not care at all.
The snow-white Zhen Hao, however, let out a mocking laugh.
"Haha, purifying Dark Matter? Are you trying to make me die of laughter…"
Zhu Xuan did not understand why they were so dismissive, as if they were treating it as a joke.
Could Dark Matter really not be purified?
In any case, he had delivered the message. What they thought was not his concern.
Just as Zhu Xuan was about to leave, A'Li's calm voice came from behind him.
"The day after tomorrow, I will go with you. I also want to see who this leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance is."
Zhu Xuan paused for a moment, then nodded and left without another word.
"A'Li, do you really want to go?" The snow-white Zhen Hao's eyes shifted, glancing at A'Li.
"I have a strange feeling. The founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace, a former sage, would actually submit to someone like this…" A'Li shook her head, lost in thought.
On the morning of the third day, a cloud vessel carrying Zhu Xuan and the others soared through the cosmos, leaving the territory of the Imperial Immortal Palace.
After giving her instructions, Ling Yuling left with Zhu Xuan and the others. Apart from the people from the Floating Continent, several elders from the Imperial Immortal Palace also accompanied them.
The cloud vessel was like a brilliant streak of light, traversing the heavens. Stars flashed by as it traveled billions of miles in an instant.
Zhu Xuan and the others were filled with excitement and anticipation, eager to reach the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
At the entrance to the Chaotic Spacetime Sea, the Dark Beings had been stationed there for the past two days without any movement.
But today, strange chants and prayers began to echo from the depths of the darkness.
Thick Black Mist continuously corroded and consumed the surrounding void, creating vast regions resembling endless abysses. An area spanning nearly ten million miles had become a chasm-like existence.
From a distance, it looked as if the heavens had been torn open, creating a terrifying rift.
Endless energy and matter surged from all directions, converging and cascading down like a dark galactic waterfall, its momentum shaking the heavens and the earth.
Outside the barrier, the experts of the Prime-Origin Civilization watched from afar, their hearts trembling. Some even felt an overwhelming urge to kneel and worship.
Boom!
Suddenly, a deafening sound rang out, like the beating of an ancient war drum, accompanied by the roar of battle.
The Black Mist surged violently, and a terrifying scene seemed to cover the heavens and the earth, rushing to the ends of the universe. Countless beings and cultivators witnessed this horrifying sight.
Extremely dense Dark Energy erupted, like surging waves and mist, crashing and rising into the sky.
A faintly discernible altar began to materialize, formed from endless blood light. The heavens and the earth trembled, and the cosmos echoed with the sounds of mountains and seas.
Countless Dark Beings knelt devoutly below, welcoming the manifestation of the altar. In the hazy void, a path filled with blood light seemed to appear, solidifying the altar.
This scene was reflected from the depths of the Imperial Immortal Palace, illuminating the cosmic sky with a bloody glow.
Throughout the Prime-Origin Civilization, countless cultivators and beings looked on in horror.
In the various clans and sects, many powerful figures were startled, rising to their feet and gazing into the distance.
"This is the Grand Sacrificial Ritual of the Dark Beings. They are welcoming the descent of a high priest to preside over the ritual…"
"They intend to sacrifice the entire Prime-Origin Civilization."
The elders from the Floating Continent on the cloud vessel trembled with fear, their voices shaking.
The accompanying elders and disciples of the Imperial Immortal Palace were even more terrified, their faces pale with the look of impending doom.
"Has it come so quickly?"
Ling Yuling's brows furrowed deeply. She rose into the air, and pieces of armor began to materialize around her, ready for battle.
Just as the entire Prime-Origin Civilization was shaken by this horrifying scene, a blinding light suddenly erupted from a region of the civilization.
The previously dark cosmos was illuminated.
A massive hand emerged, trailing brilliant light, and in an instant, it traversed endless cosmic distances, descending toward the depths of the Imperial Immortal Palace.
Where the hand passed, the dim star domains regained their light, and the dark stars shone once more. The vast expanse seemed to be bathed in a holy and radiant glow.