492: Tripartite meeting!

Seeing Xuanyuan Tianji's expression more solemn than ever before, Sword Thirteen's heart sank.

Based on his understanding of Xuanyuan Tianji, she would never show such an expression unless it was a matter of catastrophic proportions.

"Follow me."

Sword Thirteen asked no more questions and turned to lead the way.

"Revered Master is currently guarding the Realm Crack. It's where the Eerie's charges are the fiercest; he cannot step away even for a moment."

The three figures turned into afterimages, heading deep into the Outer Heaven.

The further they went, the thicker the smell of blood in the air became, reaching a pungent level.

The ground beneath their feet was no longer sand and stone, but a mire soaked in viscous blood of various colors.

Su Ming looked down and saw severed limbs of Eerie Creatures everywhere along the path.

Some were still twitching slightly, emitting a nauseating aura.

The sword marks on these corpses were extremely deep, and some had not even faded yet.

"Just how many Eerie have invaded?"

Su Ming asked in a low voice.

Without turning his head, Sword Thirteen's voice was cold and hard.

"Every three hours, there is a wave of assault."

"Revered Master is at the front line of the Realm Crack, blocking the first wave of invasion. As long as there are no Eerie Immortal Emperors, most will be stopped by Revered Master within the Chaos Void."

Just as he spoke, a thin figure came into view among the piles of rocks ahead.

"Is that Sword Six?"

Su Ming looked over, a flash of shock appearing in his eyes.

He showed none of his former ethereal poise; his clothes were mostly in tatters, and a bone-deep wound on his chest was emitting black smoke.

At his feet, an Immortal Sovereign Eerie had been hacked to pieces.

Sword Six was sitting cross-legged, his Sword Qi surging as he struggled to dispel the Eerie matter that had invaded his body.

Sensing someone approaching, Sword Six's eyelids trembled slightly as he opened them a crack.

When he saw Su Ming behind Sword Thirteen, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by profound exhaustion.

He wanted to save even the strength it would take to speak, so he simply gave Su Ming a slight nod before closing his eyes again, fully immersing himself in regulating his breath.

This atmosphere, where even a greeting was a luxury, made Su Ming's heart feel increasingly heavy.

Passing Sword Six, he saw several others.

Soon after, the space ahead began to distort violently.

A pitch-black crack spanning ten thousand feet looked as if the heavens themselves had been torn open.

The aura from the Chaos Void poured frantically from the crack.

And at the very core of that crack, a towering figure stood with his back to everyone.

Jian Lingtian.

He stood alone in the center of the storm, his longsword pointing diagonally at the ground.

The Sword Intent radiating from Jian Lingtian formed an airtight barrier, stubbornly holding back the expanding darkness.

"Revered Master!"

Sword Thirteen stepped forward quickly and stopped a hundred feet away.

Jian Lingtian did not turn around, but the turbulent Sword Intent around him softened slightly.

Su Ming stepped forward, his gaze passing over Jian Lingtian's shoulder to look into the deep interior of the crack.

There, he vaguely sensed several terrifying auras coldly watching from across layers of space.

Sensing those faint, cold auras, Su Ming's heart trembled violently.

That feeling was exactly the same as the scenes in the simulator.

The five Eerie Immortal Sovereigns.

Even a mere glimpse through the Realm Crack made him feel an unprecedented pressure.

"Tianji?"

Jian Lingtian slowly turned around, his majestic face filled with confusion.

He looked at Xuanyuan Tianji, who should have been stationed in the rear, his brow furrowed deeply.

"Has something happened at the Immortal Sword Manor?"

This was the only reason he could think of.

Unless something had happened at the Immortal Sword Manor, Xuanyuan Tianji would never have come to the Outer Heaven.

"The Manor is fine; I've come for you all."

Xuanyuan Tianji's tone was cold and direct.

"For us?"

The confusion in Jian Lingtian's eyes deepened, and the turbulent Sword Qi around him stalled for a moment.

Although he was happy that Xuanyuan Tianji's Realm had reached the Breakthrough to Immortal Sovereign.

But no matter how strong Xuanyuan Tianji was, she was only an Immortal Emperor.

A single Immortal Emperor could not have a significant impact on the situation against the Eerie Clan.

Only those at the Immortal Emperor level could truly turn the tide of battle; even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor wouldn't suffice.

Seeing this, Xuanyuan Tianji didn't waste words and briefly recounted Su Ming's deduction regarding the arrival of the five Eerie Immortal Emperors.

However, after hearing this, Jian Lingtian fell into an unusual silence.

He turned his head, his weary eyes staring intently at the deepest part of the Realm Crack, his gaze clouded with worry.

"No wonder..."

The voice was extremely soft, yet it felt like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts.

"Revered Master, have you also noticed something?"

Jian Lingtian slowly shook his head, his gaze never leaving the light-devouring abyss.

"I'm not certain, but the fluctuations coming from the depths of the crack are indeed becoming more and more alarming."

He reached out and stroked the blade of his sword; the originally sharp ringing of the sword now sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Over the past few months, I've felt several gazes constantly locked onto this place."

"At first, I thought it was just a few Immortal Emperor Eerie spying, hesitant to cross the boundary because of the sword in my hand."

"But thinking about it now, all of that was just an illusion they gave me."

Jian Lingtian gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"If it's truly as you say, and five Immortal Emperors are sitting there..."

"...then their hesitation to act isn't because they fear me, but because they are waiting—waiting for the moment when the Realm Barrier of the Vast Immortal Domain is at its weakest."

Sword Thirteen opened his mouth to speak; as he looked at Su Ming, the disbelief in his eyes had mostly dissipated.

It was replaced by a heavy weight that felt almost solid.

"Revered Master, if that's really the case, we won't be able to stop them on our own..."

"Revered Master, should we join forces with the Yao Race?"

"The Golden Crow Clan?"

Jian Lingtian turned around, a trace of mockery flashing between his brows.

"That old fogey, the Golden Crow Great Emperor, only cares about profit; he won't give a damn about the life or death of the Vast Immortal Domain."

Su Ming smiled knowingly.

Unsurprisingly, Jian Lingtian also understood the character of the Golden Crow Great Emperor.

He had rejected the idea immediately upon hearing it.

Then, Jian Lingtian lowered his eyelids, contemplating his next move.

Then, he spoke slowly, his voice sounding somewhat muffled.

"To resolve the current crisis, relying on our Immortal Sword Manor alone is not enough."

He turned around and looked at Sword Thirteen with a solemn expression.

"Thirteen, go on a trip."

"Deliver the news to the Tide Pavilion and the Hundred Herb Valley. Tell those two old fellows that the sky is falling."

Jian Lingtian paused for a moment, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

"In one year, the Immortal Sword Manor will host a Three-Party Meeting."

"Tell them that if they don't come, when the Eerie army invades, my Immortal Sword Manor will definitely not take the first blow for them."

Sword Thirteen's heart jolted.

The Three-Party Meeting had not been held for many years; it was only convened in moments of life or death.

"Yes, Revered Master!"

Sword Thirteen cupped his fists, and without any hesitation, he turned and sped toward the exit of the Outer Heaven..."}],