495: A last resort!

["I can guarantee this matter; it is absolutely true."]

[Jian Lingtian looked up at Shennong Immortal Emperor and Tidal Empress.]

[Though his voice was not loud, it stirred up echoes within the great hall.]

["Rest assured, I am not yet so old as to be senile. I would never speak recklessly about such things."]

[Shennong Immortal Emperor's brows furrowed, his fingers trembling slightly.]

[Tidal Empress remained silent, the azure immortal energy surrounding her body rippling in layers, revealing her inner turmoil.]

[Jian Lingtian sighed and continued.]

["In fact, even without that kid Su Ming's deduction, I had already sensed something was wrong."]

["While guarding the crack, I did indeed capture some clues of an eerie aura, but those leads were extremely deceptive."]

[Jian Lingtian paused, shaking his head self-mockingly.]

["Initially, I sensed that although the aura was cold, its intensity wasn't outrageous."]

["I thought it was just an Eerie Creature at the Immortal Sovereign Realm, who was shrinking back in the shadows, not daring to step into the Vast Immortal Domain because it feared the sword in my hand."]

[At this point, Jian Lingtian's gaze turned a few degrees colder.]

["It wasn't until I heard Su Ming's deduction and pieced those fragmented clues back together that I suddenly realized."]

["That was no fear; that was clearly dormancy, waiting for a certain opportunity."]

[Shennong Immortal Emperor and Tidal Empress exchanged a glance, the last of the doubt in their eyes dissipating.]

[To have Jian Lingtian admit he had misjudged was enough to show the gravity of the situation.]

["The Five Great Demon Immortal Emperors..."]

[Shennong Immortal Emperor let out a long sigh, his expression turning extremely grim.]

[Tidal Empress was more rational; when she spoke, her voice was as cold as an ice spring.]

["Since it's confirmed, we cannot sit still and wait for death."]

["Shennong, it's time to open the granaries of your Hundred Herbs Garden."]

[Shennong Immortal Emperor gave a bitter laugh.]

["Opening the granaries is easy, but if things really reach that stage, I'm afraid some Immortal Pills and miraculous medicines won't be enough to fill this massive hole."]

["The Five Great Demon Immortal Emperors mean they have two more experts at the Immortal Sovereign Realm than we do."]

["Relying solely on my family assets, it might not be realistic to forcibly pile up two Immortal Emperors within nine years."]

[Jian Lingtian didn't rush to respond, merely staring at their faces. The air in the hall was so heavy it made one's spine go cold.]

[After a long while, Jian Lingtian spoke again.]

["So far, the method I've thought of is also this."]

["However, the candidates might be different."]

["At first, I also thought about whether to let Sword One have a try."]

["Currently, Sword One is at the Immortal Emperor Ninth Heaven, only one step away from that final threshold."]

["But I've calculated privately that in nine years, his chances of success in a forced Breakthrough are less than ten percent."]

["At such a critical juncture, the Vast Immortal Domain cannot afford to gamble on that ten percent."]

[Tidal Empress's eyes, as deep and mysterious as the deep sea, swept over the two of them, her voice cold.]

["So, who do you plan to find?"]

[The temperature in the secret chamber instantly dropped to the freezing point, and even the sound of breathing became clearly audible.]

[A moment later, Jian Lingtian straightened his body, his tone full of helplessness.]

["Pick two from the few Quasi-Immortal Emperors in the Vast Immortal Domain. Pile up resources and use lives to fill the gap; we must forcibly push them up."]

["You mean... those few people from Jiu Xiao?"]

[Shennong looked up abruptly, his brows knit into a tight knot.]

[Jian Lingtian shook his head with a bitter smile, a hint of ruthlessness hidden deep in his eyes.]

["There's no other way. Those fellows from the Yao Race all have their own hidden agendas. It'll be a blessing if they don't turn against us at the critical moment; we can't count on them at all."]

["Besides Jiu Xiao and his lot, is there anyone else in the Vast Immortal Domain who can fight?"]

[The secret chamber fell into dead silence once more.]

[Shennong let out a long sigh; he knew what this decision implied.]

["Then... let's begin."]

[Shennong closed his eyes, his voice carrying a sense of desolation.]

[And you, who were silently observing all this from the side, were completely stunned upon hearing this news.]

[You didn't expect that Jian Lingtian and the others actually wanted to let Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor break through to the true Immortal Sovereign Realm.]

[You knew that once Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor broke through to become an Immortal Emperor, the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect would be able to truly threaten the Immortal Sword Manor.]

[From then on, the Vast Immortal Domain would no longer be under the sole control of the three major powers.]

[Furthermore, what worried you most was whether that group from the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect would truly fight with all their might against the Eerie Clan.]

[You always felt that letting Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor break through was not a correct decision.]

[Although you were unwilling, you had no say in this matter.]

[Moreover, in the current Vast Immortal Domain, it was indeed as Jian Lingtian said—there was no one else available.]

[If they let Sword One and the others try to break through to Immortal Emperor and they failed, only reaching the Quasi-Immortal Sovereign Realm in the end,]

[then all the efforts of these years would have been in vain.]

[They only had one chance, so they had to choose the most stable option.]

[Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor is still part of the Human Race after all; no matter how bad he is, he's better than the Golden Crow Great Emperor.]

[Soon, the assembly ended.]

[After the assembly concluded, Jian Lingtian told Sword Thirteen to make a trip to the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect.]

[At first, you were curious as to why he wanted Sword Thirteen to go.]

[Soon, Jian Lingtian provided the answer.]

[The situation in the Outer Heaven is not optimistic. Jian Lingtian, Sword One, and the others must return to the Outer Heaven to guard against the Eerie.]

[Therefore, the matter of going to the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect could only be left to Sword Thirteen.]

[At the same time, Hundred Herb Valley and Tidal Pavilion both sent people to notify the Quasi-Immortal Emperors among the Human Race.]

[Although they only needed two more Immortal Emperors now,]

[as the saying goes, one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.]

[They would concentrate the resources currently held by the entire Vast Immortal Domain and forcibly provide them to these few people, letting them try to break through to the Immortal Sovereign Realm as much as possible.]

[However, none of this had anything to do with you.]

[You originally thought Jian Lingtian had you attend the assembly because he wanted you to do something.]

[In the end, there was basically no role for you.]

[Since you heard about seeking help from Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor's group, you stopped paying attention to the situation in the Outer Heaven.]

[You understood one principle: when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.]

[For now, what you needed was to Cultivate in peace and wait nine years to see if the method of Jian Lingtian and the others was feasible.]

[...Su Ming frowned as he read up to this point.]

["Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor..."]

[After seeing such simulation content, he felt a faint sense of unease in his heart.]

[If Jiu Xiao Immortal Emperor were truly allowed to break through to the Immortal Sovereign Realm, then Immortal Emperor Changqing would surely continue to hunt him down.]

[At that time, the status of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect would rise significantly.]

[Immortal Emperor Changqing might not necessarily fear the threat of the Immortal Sword Manor anymore...]