500: Preparing to leave the vast Immortal Realm!

Creak—

The heavy wooden door was slowly pushed open.

A ray of the setting sun's afterglow cut diagonally into the dim room, stretching Su Ming's shadow very long.

He stepped out of the doorway, his footsteps sounding exceptionally clear.

"Little Junior Brother, you've finally finished your seclusion."

A slightly teasing female voice came from under the willow tree nearby.

Zi You was leaning against the tree trunk, arms crossed, a grass stalk in her mouth, her long legs casually crossed, looking as if she had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Su Ming come out, she straightened up and slowly strolled over.

Su Ming didn't respond, only shaking his head slightly.

Zi You spat out the grass stalk and circled him once, her eyes checking him over as if he were a rare object.

"Hmm? Little Junior Brother, something is wrong with you."

She stopped in front of Su Ming and poked his shoulder with her finger.

"Rock hard, just like a stone."

Zi You withdrew her finger, shook her wrist, and complained with a pout.

"Did you suffer a Qi Deviation during your Cultivate and refine yourself into a Puppet? You don't even have a bit of human touch left."

Su Ming finally looked up at her, his eyes devoid of any ripples, like a bottomless ancient well.

This look caused Zi You's heart to skip a beat.

The playful expression on her face gradually faded, replaced by a look of scrutiny.

"Alright, I won't banter with you anymore."

Zi You stood up straight, her tone becoming solemn.

"Senior Jian asked me to inform you that the Tripartite Assembly is set for seven days from now, and the location is at our Immortal Sword Manor."

"Senior specifically mentioned that you must also participate."

After she finished, she waited quietly for his response.

After a long pause, Su Ming finally squeezed two words from his throat.

"Understood."

His voice was flat, without any fluctuation, as if he hadn't heard about an assembly concerning the future of the Vast Immortal Domain.

Zi You's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"Huh?"

She took a step forward, almost pressing against Su Ming's face, her nose nearly touching his.

"I say, Little Junior Brother, this reaction of yours isn't right."

"The Tripartite Assembly is such a huge occasion; aren't you even a little excited?"

Su Ming silently took half a step back, creating some distance.

"No."

Then, he looked at Zi You with a frown.

He could sense that ever since Zi You had been infected by the Weird Aura, even her personality had undergone some changes.

"Still no?" Zi You was relentless, extending two fingers to pinch his face.

"Look at this face of yours, as tense as if someone owes you eight million Spirit Stones."

"Come on, give Senior Sister a smile."

Su Ming tilted his head to avoid her hand.

"Senior Sister, I have things to do."

Su Ming turned to leave, and that coldness that kept people a thousand miles away stung Zi You's heart.

The playful expression completely vanished from her face.

"Stop right there!"

Zi You's voice turned cold, carrying an authoritative command.

Su Ming's footsteps halted, but he didn't look back.

"Little Junior Brother!"

Zi You circled to the front of him, staring straight into his eyes, asking word by word.

"What exactly are you hiding from us?"

Su Ming's eyelids lowered, avoiding her gaze.

He didn't want to say.

Telling them now would serve no purpose other than adding to the panic.

The target of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect was him and Su Qingyuan; he couldn't drag everyone from the Sword Pavilion down with him.

This burden was enough for him to carry alone.

Seeing that he was unmoved by any persuasion, Zi You suddenly lost her steam, her assertiveness instantly dissipating.

She sighed, her tone softening.

"Fine, if you won't say, I won't ask."

Thus, Zi You watched Su Ming's departing back with a resentful gaze.

Seven days passed in a flash.

Inside a hall of the Immortal Sword Manor, the atmosphere was grim and solemn.

Sword Thirteen walked at the front, with Su Ming half a step behind; the two crossed the corridor and headed straight for the center of the hall.

Su Ming could feel several gazes landing on his back.

Directly above the hall, Jian Lingtian stood with his hands behind his back.

He scanned the surroundings, his voice not loud, yet it reached every corner.

"Everyone, the Nine-Year Pact hangs over our heads. Once the Five Great Eerie Immortal Emperors descend, the Vast Immortal Domain will be plunged into misery."

Jian Lingtian didn't engage in any small talk and went straight to the point, revealing his trump card.

"My mind is made up. We will gather the strength of the entire Immortal Domain and exhaust all resources to support the existing Quasi-Immortal Emperors."

As soon as these words were spoken, a suppressed gasp echoed through the hall.

"As long as we can produce two Immortal Emperors, the dead end nine years from now can be broken. Even if there's only one, we will have a fighting chance."

Jian Lingtian spoke with a firm tone.

Su Ming stood below the stage, listening to the gradually rising discussions around him, but his heart grew heavier.

This plan sounded high-sounding, even carrying a sense of tragic heroism.

But in his view, it was more like a massive gamble with all the chips on the table.

However, the good news was that Jian Lingtian won the gamble.

In the future, two people indeed broke through to the Immortal Emperor Realm.

However, these two people were beyond everyone's expectations.

Even Jian Lingtian hadn't expected that both would come from the Nine Heavens Immortal Sect.

Although Su Ming knew the outcome, the people from Tidal Pavilion and Hundred Herb Valley had no idea.

They knew this was a shocking gamble.

But they had no choice, or rather, they believed this was the only way to survive.

"Since no one objects, then starting from today, each sect will hand over eighty percent of their resources and seal the Outer Heaven Secret Realm."

With a wave of Jian Lingtian's hand, he directly set the tone.

The clamor in the hall gradually faded away.

Su Ming walked to the edge of the cliff on the back mountain. The wind was a bit chilly, making the corners of his clothes flutter.

Xuanyuan Tianji was waiting there, her expression unreadable.

"Looking for me for something?"

Xuanyuan Tianji didn't look back, her tone carrying a hint of nonchalant teasing.

Su Ming walked to her side, looking at the bottomless sea of clouds beneath his feet. After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly.

"In nine years, I will be leaving the Vast Immortal Domain."

Xuanyuan Tianji's finger movements abruptly stopped.

She turned her head, her brow furrowed into a knot, her eyes full of absurdity.

"Leave? To where? At a time like this, you're telling me you want to leave the Vast Immortal Domain?"

Su Ming didn't look at her, just continued to speak to himself.

"The people in the Sword Pavilion, I'll rely on you to look after them in the future."

"Don't worry, I've deduced it. This time, the Vast Immortal Domain can safely pass through the Weird Crisis."

His tone was very flat, as flat as if he were explaining a trivial matter between neighbors, even carrying a hint of a helpless, bitter smile.

Xuanyuan Tianji grabbed Su Ming's collar with considerable force.

"Su Ming, make yourself clear!"

She stared into Su Ming's eyes, trying to find a trace of a joke, but all she saw was a dead silence.

"Since the Eerie Clan has been driven back, why do you still want to leave?"

Su Ming gently pushed her hand away, smoothed his crumpled collar, and sighed deeply.

"Jian Lingtian's method is feasible, but after this, the landscape of the Vast Immortal Domain will undergo a transformation."

"If the Nine Heavens Immortal Emperor breaks through to the Immortal Emperor Realm, do you think they will let me go?"

Xuanyuan Tianji gave a cold snort.

"Hmph!"

"He wouldn't dare!"

...