Chapter 83: The Entire Sect Sets Out for the Barbarian Lands

“Are we really to set out relying only on our own strength?”
There was still some debate.
“No! For the sake of our sect, we must go. Let’s prepare to leave at once!”

Xisha.
Another grand temple stood tall and imposing.
Nearly all the monks of Xisha were gathered here.
This was the Temple of Emptiness, a supreme power in its own right, second only to the Thunder Summoning Temple.
Now that the Thunder Summoning Temple had been destroyed, everyone had naturally assembled around the Temple of Emptiness to discuss what should be done.
Inside its great hall, a monk sat with his eyes closed, his face serene and kind.
He wore a very worn-out robe, as if he had been meditating there for a long time.
“Master Kongling, a letter has arrived from Nanyi. In it, they claim that Nanyi is now the last pure land left in the entire Celestial Martial Realm, and they invite all cultivators to come and seek refuge from this disaster!”
A young monk approached and respectfully reported to the elderly master.
The Thunder Summoning Temple had already been reduced to dust, and the world’s holy masters had perished with it. This monk might well be the last holy monk in Xisha!
Thus, everyone gathered before the Temple of Emptiness, awaiting deliberation.
Master Kongling accepted the letter from the young monk, unfolded it, and read it.
“Nanyi? What kind of power could possibly deter everything?”
Kongling muttered to himself.
“No matter what Nanyi may be, we must unite the strength of the entire Celestial Martial Realm to resist the demons!”
“Go now and inform everyone. Have all the monks make ready—we depart at once!”
Though he spoke quietly, his words carried a powerful resolve.
They were about to set out!

Dongyu.
“We mustn’t be fooled by Nanyi’s empty promises! How could they remain unscathed after all that has happened?”
In a vast palace, all the elders sat around a long table.
Upon the table lay the very letter in question.

One elder was the first to voice his thoughts.
“I don’t believe Nanyi is any kind of pure land—who knows what schemes they’re hiding! Didn’t we hear before that when the Sanctuary of Emptiness first entered, their whole sect was wiped out?”
“I think they’re just trying to lure us in. If we go to Nanyi, we’ll be lambs to the slaughter!”
He looked at everyone, laying his suspicions bare.
“Why don’t we send someone to scout the southern borders of Nanyi first? If things are as they claim, it won’t be too late to go then.”
“Yes, we must be extremely cautious now. Only thus can our sect hope to survive.”
Their skepticism toward Nanyi was unanimous.
On the dais, the old patriarch pondered for a long time, his hand absently tracing the hilt of an ancient sword—an heirloom from ages past, stately and dignified.
“No, we must go. We have no other choice.”
“Though the Sanctuary of Emptiness was destroyed in Nanyi, that at least proves Nanyi has the power to destroy even a sanctuary.”
“By that logic, Nanyi should be able to stand against immortals. It is both danger and hope!”
“Only such power can possibly rival the ones behind all this!”
“To such a Nanyi, we must go!”

…

Central Province.
As its name suggests, this was the heart of the Celestial Martial Realm.
Here, only the powerful had a place; without strength, one could not survive in the Central Province.
It also boasted the greatest number of sanctuaries.
But after the recent tragedy that wiped out several sanctuaries,
only three remained, and all survivors had gathered in one of the three, called Luf Palace.
The three sanctuaries were Luf Palace, the Temple of Charity, and the Changsun Family.
Only these three survived.
Besides those destroyed by the hidden hand, the Sanctuary of Emptiness had vanished into Nanyi, never to return.
The elders and holy masters of the three sanctuaries were now assembled in Luf Palace to discuss the crisis.
A black-robed elder spoke first: “Much of our Central Province power has been wiped out. Only our three sanctuaries remain…”
This elder was the holy master of Luf Palace.

“From what we know, sanctuaries everywhere have been destroyed. Whoever is behind this must be working toward some goal! They may well be watching us even now. If things do not go as they wish, we may soon share the same fate as those who have fallen before!”
The holy master of the Temple of Charity took up the thread.
She wore flowing white robes that fluttered in an unseen breeze, her face veiled save for her worried eyes.
Seated beside them was a middle-aged man, the head of the Changsun Family—
his face gaunt, his silence profound, more like a wandering vagrant than the leader of a great family, even somewhat disheveled.
Yet he sat as an equal among the other two holy masters.
“I trust you have all read the letter from Nanyi. What do you think?”
“The people of Nanyi see the current situation much as we do—there must be a mighty force manipulating things from the shadows. But what is it about our Celestial Martial Realm that has drawn such attention…”
The Luf Palace holy master spoke.
“I don’t think we can trust the letter from Nanyi. Has everyone already forgotten what happened to the Sanctuary of Emptiness? Not a single soul survived…”
At their side, a sovereign rose and spoke, and everyone nodded in agreement.
The Sanctuary of Emptiness had been a Central Province sanctuary. While there was rivalry among sanctuaries, their ties ran deep.
The annihilation of the Sanctuary of Emptiness in Nanyi made it hard for the Central Province’s remaining sanctuaries to feel any goodwill toward Nanyi.
Given the current events, their suspicion of Nanyi only deepened.
“What do you think, Holy Master of the Temple of Charity?”
The Luf Palace holy master turned to the beautiful woman beside him.
“Before I came, I tried to contact our ancestral master in the Immortal Realm,” the woman said gravely after a moment.
“But the master did not respond. I fear we can no longer reach them!”
“If our master is truly lost, then with only the strength of our sect, if we must face the hidden hand, I fear we will not be able to withstand them. Think of the Thunder Summoning Temple’s Golden Bodhisattva and the city-guarding families—none of them could stop the enemy…”
Her words silenced everyone present.
The truth lay bare before their eyes, leaving them with no room for resistance.