They sought only to obtain the slightest forgiveness from Lu Xuan and the Golden Crow Clan, terrified that this baleful star would settle accounts with them later.
As for the clans that had already been on good terms with the Golden Crow Clan, or had secretly offered them a little help in times of crisis, they were wild with joy, sharing in the honor.
They prepared generous gifts and went to the Golden Crow Clan in all sincerity to offer congratulations, their relationships growing even closer.
The imperial clans with deep foundations also dispatched weighty envoys one after another, bearing lavish gifts and visiting the Golden Crow ancestral land with an attitude of equality.
They expressed their respect for Immortal King Lu Xuan and discussed how they might jointly face the darkness of the Boundary Sea and the threat of the Foreign Realm in the future.
The strength Lu Xuan had displayed had won the true respect of these ancient races.
The lower-level cultivators and ordinary beings:
In countless taverns, teahouses, markets, and grotto-heavens across the Immortal Domain, all cultivators were fervently discussing the title of “Golden Crow Immortal King.”
“Have you heard? The Golden Crow Immortal King crushed the attack of Emperor Light Immortal King with just one hand!”
“That’s nothing! They say he transformed into a divine giant ten thousand zhang tall, and with a single bell, shook the Boundary Sea until it trembled, slaughtering the Foreign Realm’s giants until they fled at the mere rumor of him!”
“From now on, the Immortal Domain should honor the Golden Crow Immortal King above all! In my view, he’s even more formidable than those veteran Immortal King giants!”
“The Golden Crow Clan is truly extraordinary now. In one leap, they’ve become the most untouchable power in the Immortal Domain!”
Lu Xuan’s prestige among the lower-level cultivators reached its peak, and countless people revered him as an idol and guardian deity.
His portraits and statues began to quietly appear in certain places, receiving worship.
Many rogue cultivators and minor factions even took pride in being able to come under the Golden Crow Clan’s command, or even merely having the slightest connection to them.
Immortal King Pan, Immortal King Hunyuan, Immortal King Qingwei, and the other Immortal Kings who had taken part in this battle, while celebrating the victory, also felt their wariness and admiration toward Lu Xuan rise to a new height.
They knew very well that after this battle, the structure of the Immortal Domain had completely changed.
Although Lu Xuan had not openly demanded anything, his will had already become an unspoken rule within the Immortal Domain that no one could ignore, and that even needed to be obeyed.
Immortal King Shikong and Immortal King Jiemie, these two ancient giants, also held a brief meeting with Lu Xuan after the war, their attitudes equal and solemn.
They acknowledged Lu Xuan’s strength and status, and implicitly expressed their hope that he would contribute alongside them when facing even greater calamities in the future.
It could be said that by his strength alone, Lu Xuan had not only repelled the foreign enemy on the battlefield, but had also established supreme authority within the Immortal Domain.
With absolute power, he had won respect.
When Lu Xuan finished handling the postwar affairs and temporarily freed himself from the congratulations and visits of all parties, he returned to the Golden Crow ancestral land.
Looking at the Fusang divine tree that radiated vigorous vitality, and at the faces of his clansmen filled with hope and energy, his heart was calm.
He knew that this was only the beginning.
The Immortal Domain’s victory had only temporarily cleared away the obstacles before them.
The darkness in the depths of the Boundary Sea, the defeated Blade King and Foreign Realm, and even the higher-level threats that might exist somewhere in the unseen… all meant that his road was still very long.
But at least in this moment, he had won a sky under which he himself, and the Golden Crow Clan, could develop in peace.
“Next, it is time to properly digest the gains from this battle and further increase my strength,” he murmured, a firm light flickering in his eyes.
The Primordial Ancient Realm. The former Imperial Pass had already turned into an endless expanse of ruins, the shattered mountains and rivers silently recounting the cruelty of war.
Although the darkness had been driven away, the joy of victory was still unable to dilute the dense sorrow that permeated the air.
At the core of the ancient realm, within a void divine hall temporarily stabilized by Immortal King Wuzhong with the power of spacetime.
A supreme meeting that would decide the future direction of the ancient realm was currently being held.
There were only a handful of participants, and the atmosphere was heavy.
Seated in the main position was Immortal King Wuzhong, whose aura remained profound.
His return had been the key reason the ancient realm had been able to hold on until the end.
To his left was the Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit, wreathed in restrained emerald divine radiance, its figure indistinct.
Its timely appearance had reversed the course of the battle and brought vitality.
To his right was Immortal King Six Paths of Reincarnation, whose injuries were the most severe.
He sat cross-legged within a slowly rotating halo of reincarnation, his aura weakened to the extreme. The Reincarnation Cave was covered in cracks, as if it might completely shatter at any moment.
Clearly, he had paid an unimaginable price in order to withstand Kundi.
At this moment, even maintaining his form was quite difficult for him.
Below, the True Dragon King manifested part of his dragon body, but many parts of that body were broken, wrapped in dim golden light as it slowly absorbed the essence of heaven and earth to repair itself. His dragon eyes were filled with exhaustion.
The golden body of the Immortal Monk King was covered in cracks, its Buddhist light dim, as he silently chanted sutras to deliver the dead.
The four surviving Borderland Kings were all wounded, their armor shattered and their blood vitality depleted, yet they still held their spines straight, their gazes as sharp as ever.
“Everyone,”
Immortal King Wuzhong slowly spoke, breaking the silence of the divine hall.
“In this battle, we… won.”
The word “won” left his mouth, yet there was not the slightest joy in it. Instead, it only added a further weight.
“And yet, what was the cost?”
The weak voice of Immortal King Six Paths of Reincarnation rang out, carrying endless pain.
“The Imperial Pass is shattered. Of the hundreds of millions of defenders, not one in ten survives. Of the Seven Kings of the Borderlands, three have fallen… cough, cough…”
He began coughing violently, and the halo of reincarnation trembled.
One Borderland King whose injuries were somewhat lighter said in a deep voice,
“The various fortresses and ancient cities of our ancient realm have been corroded by dark matter. The living have been plunged into misery. According to preliminary counts, the cultivators and mortals of all races who have fallen… have already surpassed ten billion. The mountains and rivers are broken, the spiritual veins severed. The ancient realm’s vitality… has suffered a grievous wound.”
A string of shocking numbers was reported. Behind every number lay the passing of countless living lives, losses the ancient realm could scarcely bear.
The atmosphere in the divine hall was so oppressive that it was suffocating.
This was a tragic victory, a victory purchased with countless heroic bones and blood.
The Immortal Monk King pressed his palms together and softly recited a Buddhist invocation, a sense of sorrow and compassion spreading outward.
King Pan sighed and said, “The brutality of this battle is something our Immortal Domain feels as well. The Foreign Realm’s desire to destroy us has not died. Though they have retreated this time, they will certainly return. The Immortal Domain and the ancient realm are as close as lips and teeth; in the future, we must work together even more closely.”
Immortal King Wuzhong nodded. His gaze swept over everyone, and finally fell upon the Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit.
“That we were able to defend the ancient realm this time is due in no small part to Fellow Daoist Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit coming to our aid in time. If not for Fellow Daoist restraining the darkness and limiting Kundi, the course of the battle would have been difficult to predict.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s eyes focused on the Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit, filled with gratitude.
The Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit’s indistinct figure swayed slightly, and a clear, ringing voice sounded. “Protecting this realm is my duty to begin with. Moreover, that I was able to return in time was not entirely a coincidence.”
It paused, looked toward everyone, and its tone carried a strange implication. “On my way back, at the edge of the Boundary Sea, I encountered a riot of dark creatures. Just as I was about to pacify it, I met someone who informed me of the ancient realm’s peril.”
“Oh?” A trace of surprise flashed through Immortal King Wuzhong’s eyes. “The edge of the Boundary Sea? Who could know of the ancient realm’s affairs there, and inform Fellow Daoist of them?”