"This is..." In Longxiang City, everyone lifted their heads in shock. The flames that fell from above the nine heavens had been unimaginably fast. From the moment the sky was dyed red to the instant the Infinite Star Palace’s Sky Patrol Warship was destroyed, only a single breath had passed.

Dozens of layers of defensive arrays meant nothing. The warship’s hull, forged from treasured-artifact-level materials, meant nothing either. Before that streak of light that descended from the heavens and tore through the clouds, all of it was utterly meaningless.

They were crushed and reduced to dust with devastating ease. This was not a clash, nor was it a contest between two powers. It was a strike from an entirely different dimension. Before such an attack, any attempts to struggle, resist, or escape were meaningless.

***

Yaoguang, Qin Yi, Zi Qiangwei, Luo Yunhai, as well as Zhao He, Fang Jie, Xu Kong, and the others, each of whom had already approached the pinnacle within their respective fields, all stood frozen, staring at the enormous fireball five hundred kilometers away, blazing so brightly that it illuminated the horizon.

They also stared at the massive hole torn open above their heads when that streak of light ripped through the sky. The Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer, the Blazing Solar Lightning layer, and the Nine Heavens Astral Wind layer had all been torn apart by that attack, forming a hollow darkness where the distortion of the void was nearly visible, allowing one to glimpse the environment beyond the nine heavens themselves.

It was like a stellar warship firing a planet-destroying attack, effortlessly ripping apart a planet’s atmosphere and precisely striking a target beneath it, annihilating it. Compared to the vast, overwhelming spectacle of power tearing through the atmosphere, the mere destruction of a single Sky Patrol Warship felt absurd, like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.

But aside from Yaoguang, no one felt it was absurd. Instead, an unprecedented surge of exhilaration filled everyone’s hearts. "It's the ancestor! The ancestor has taken action!"[1]

"This power... It came from above the nine heavens. From our Nine Cauldrons Sect’s Golden Core cultivator!"

"The power of a Golden Core cultivator! This is the power of a Golden Core, a Radiant Sun Golden Core! Its brilliance rivals the blazing sun in the sky!"

Uncontainable joy flooded everyone’s eyes. Deep within their hearts, an unprecedented sense of pride and honor was ignited, screaming the words "Golden Core" in their minds.

Across all of Cangwu, aside from the Nine Cauldrons Sect, only nine major forces possessed Golden Core cultivators! Among them, only the Six Great Immortal Sects possessed Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivators.

That fact alone was enough to demonstrate just how profound the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s foundation truly was. In front of those foundations, sects such as the Great Sun Sword Sect, the Great Yue Dynasty, the Xuanming Sect, the Ancient Immortal Sect, and the Star Sea Sect were not even worth a mention.

This was precisely the core reason that allowed the Nine Cauldrons Sect to occupy the majority of the Artifact Sect’s former territory, despite its relatively weak conventional forces.

"This kind of power..." Yaoguang, who had already reached the peak of the Primordial Psyche Realm, could feel more clearly than anyone just how vast and terrifying the power descending from above the nine heavens truly was.

He could even discern that this power had likely been nothing more than a casual strike. Well, nearly casual... A truly casual strike would lack precision, but this attack had clearly been executed with deliberate control. This was because the target lay deep within Nine Cauldrons Sect territory. It was only five hundred kilometers away from a major city like Longxiang City.

In such circumstances, had the attacker truly struck without restraint and accidentally destabilized the coastal terrain of the Nine Heavens Domain along the Eastern Sea coast... that would have been ridiculous. Without the Infinite Star Palace's Sky Patrol Warship having to lift a single finger, their own ancestor would have caused the land to sink, flooding the entire Nine Heavens Domain

"So strong," Yaoguang said sincerely.

During the wars against the Lunar Fiend Empire, when the Great Cangwu World teetered on the brink of annihilation, and when the systemic shock brought by the Lunar Fiend Empire forced all Golden Core cultivators toward extremes, the Golden Core Realm underwent several rapid changes within just a few hundred years.

What should originally have advanced upward into the Nascent Soul Realm instead evolved into the Fission Realm, then into the Fusion Realm, ultimately forming the Crimson Golden Core. This was followed by the refinement of the Radiant Sun Golden Core and the Blazing White Golden Core...

Finally, on the foundation of the Blazing White Golden Core, the Void-Piercing Realm was derived, collapsing inward like a black hole. Only then did the top-tier experts of Cangwu finally succeed in defeating the Lunar Fiend Empire.

Compared to the rapid iteration of the Golden Core Realm, the evolution of the star god and Dharma Form paths had been noticeably slower. If the earliest Golden Core cultivators were considered first-generation Golden Cores, then Fission would be second-generation, Fusion third-generation, Crimson fourth-generation, while Radiant Sun and Blazing White would already count as fifth- and sixth-generation Golden Cores.

By contrast, star god and Dharma Form had at most iterated to the second or third generation. After all, during that world-ending war, everyone pursued the extreme of destructive power. Defense-oriented star gods and support-oriented Dharma Forms were not priority choices.

"There are legends that Golden Core cultivators dwell above the nine heavens precisely because their power has grown so immense that if fully unleashed, even the Great Cangwu World would be unable to bear it. To prevent the world from shattering, the Golden Core cultivators reached a consensus to remain outside of the Great Cangwu World." Yaoguang reined in his surging emotions.

At this moment, he had gained a new goal: to achieve the Golden Core! But he had yet to unlock the Qi Refiner branch. Attempting to cultivate qi and a Golden Core simultaneously would be exceedingly difficult.

That meant he could only become a star god and push the currently third-generation star god path toward the fourth and fifth generations, rivaling the Crimson Golden Core and Radiant Sun Golden Core.

If the star god path could also evolve further, reaching the fourth, fifth, or even sixth generation, its combat power would surely be no weaker than that of the Crimson Golden Core, Radiant Sun Golden Core, or Blazing White Golden Core.

***

"They’ve been destroyed. The Infinite Star Palace’s Sky Patrol Warship has been destroyed!"

"Anyone who dares to trespass into Nine Cauldrons Sect territory will pay the price!"

"This crisis has passed!"

All kinds of voices echoed through the crowd. For the entire Nine Heavens Domain, and especially for the people of Longxiang City, saying they had narrowly escaped from disaster was no exaggeration. This included Yaoguang.

In a calamity of this scale, no one could remain untouched, not even great cultivators. It made him realize the difference between the present era and the era of ancient cultivators.

In ancient times, great cultivators could still flee if they were outmatched. But in the current era, the age of fighting alone had long since passed. Cultivators joined forces, sword cultivators formed sword formations, and spell cultivators linked divine abilities. Thanks to multiple layers of amplification, the attacks they unleashed were, without exception, world-shattering.

The Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation Sword Formation Yaoguang had just controlled was a perfect example. If unleashed in outer space, a single strike would have been enough to tear apart a planet thousands of kilometers in diameter.

Before such power, what could one or two great cultivators possibly use to resist? Unless one had already established an immortal foundation, any great cultivator facing such a sword formation would die without a doubt.

"The crisis has passed, but it hasn’t completely passed," Luo Yunhai’s voice sounded in Yaoguang’s ears.

Yaoguang immediately understood what he meant. Zi Qiangwei’s expression darkened. "Attacking the Infinite Star Palace’s Sky Patrol Warship is equivalent to attacking the Infinite Star Palace itself. Given their domineering nature, they will never let this go. The situation will escalate. It will likely involve sect-to-sect conflict, and even confrontation at the Golden Core Realm."

"A Golden Core Realm confrontation!" Yaoguang lifted his gaze toward the sky.

He could not see what was happening above the nine heavens, but he knew something would inevitably happen. After all, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had only one Golden Core cultivator. It was far from being able to match the might of the Infinite Star Palace.

Just as Jormun had said, the only way the Nine Cauldrons Sect could truly threaten the Infinite Star Palace was for their Golden Core cultivator to perish together with them. Or even to detonate its own Golden Core within the Great Cangwu World, creating a supernova-like explosion that would destroy the entire world, dragging everyone down together.

Under such circumstances, could the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s Golden Core ancestor withstand the pressure from the Infinite Star Palace?

"This is already beyond what we can consider. Even Sect Master Zhao may not be able to influence how things unfold from here," Qin Yi said in a low voice after listening to the exchange.

A moment later, his expression hardened with resolve. "But even if something like this happens again, our decision will not change. No matter what consequences we face, we will have no regrets. The enemy’s Sky Patrol Warship had already entered the Nine Cauldrons Sect's territory and bombarded our city. If we still didn't resist, what dignity would we have left, and what right would we have to stand in the Great Cangwu World?"

His words made Luo Yunhai and Zi Qiangwei pause. Then they quickly steadied themselves.

That’s right. If the enemy’s Sky Patrol Warship had already struck our homeland and we still didn't fight back, the Nine Cauldrons Sect might as well surrender or disband. Just as Sect Master Zhao had ordered, this battle had to be fought. It concerned the sect’s survival. The Nine Cauldrons Sect had no other choice. Even if it meant standing against the Infinite Star Palace, we would not hesitate. The group quickly settled their minds.

"What happens next will depend on the decisions made above, including at the Golden Core Realm," Zi Qiangwei said.

***

Action soon followed from above. In Crimson City, Zhou Lijian, hall master of the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s Public Relations Hall, immediately convened a press conference within the Void Psychic World. At the conference, he strongly condemned the Infinite Star Palace for its aggressive incursion into the Nine Heavens Domain.

The Infinite Star Palace’s Sky Patrol Warship invading Nine Cauldrons Sect territory was a blatant violation of multiple regulations, including the Cangwu Alliance Diplomatic Relations Convention, and posed a severe threat to peace and stability in the Great Cangwu World.

The Nine Cauldrons Sect’s counterattack was carried out in accordance with Article 51 of the Great Cangwu World Joint Regulations and constituted a lawful and legitimate act of self-defense. They solemnly protested the Infinite Star Palace’s unilateral bullying.

Not long after the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s Public Relations Department issued its statement, the Infinite Star Palace responded with an equally harsh declaration, openly denouncing the incident as an act of war by the Nine Cauldrons Sect! In response, the Infinite Star Palace announced that it would launch an unprecedentedly severe retaliation.

At the same time, the Infinite Star Palace’s Warfare Hall issued a series of orders. Sky Patrol Warships stationed at sensitive locations throughout the Great Cangwu World set sail one after another. In just three days, more than ten warships had assembled, carrying the ominous clouds of war as they moved straight toward the Nine Cauldrons Sect. A great battle was on the brink of eruption.

1. The ancestor here does not represent a familial tie, but rather a sect status/title. It's usually given to the founding member of the sect, or the strongest, most senior member of the sect. ☜