Chapter 1238: Mission, Please!
After Xu Qing took the medallion, he then handed over the ringsource. Then they left the red giant and disappeared into the starry sky.
After they were gone, the huge red sun continued to emit both mist and bright light. Inside of the sun, in the ancient, pitch-black palace, a sigh drifted out.
“I never imagined the pawns would actually manage to cross the river. And they’re ascendees. Now that I’ve seen them personally, I guess it’s not too surprising they made it this far. The question is whether or not any of them have the potential to become true dao seeds. Or... are they just pale imitations.[1]
“It’s the same with us, after all. With the exception of the esteemed general, all of us are ascendees, and we’re still finding our path. It’s been many years since the Immortal Paragon’s decree, and though immortals like us have proliferated, there has yet to be any new Immortal Lord.”
More sighs could be heard in the palace hall. As time passed, none of the immortals there said anything.
Eventually, the lieutenant general spoke in a hoarse voice. “It’s easy to start a new endeavor. But it’s not as easy to keep it going. That’s how things work in the mortal world, and it’s the same with cultivators in the Fifth Star Ring.”
The immortals present all understood that truth. In fact, they understood it better than most.
It was especially true in the Fifth Star Ring. In the past, the star ring had been controlled by gods, and ruled by a God Paragon. Eventually, the Immortal Paragon struggled into prominence, leading humans from a minor world to carve out a path for cultivators and a dao for immortals. They advanced step by step through countless hardships and tribulations, slaughtering minor worlds and gods along the way.
Ultimately, they crushed the God Paragon, imprisoned the God Lords, and severed the origins of all gods. They enslaved countless members of the Godfolk, and hewed out twelve heavens beyond heaven in the Fifth Star Ring.
Then, in the very middle of it all, they enshrined the Immortal Capital with its crucial mission. And that mission was to eventually turn all of the thirty-six higher star rings into places like the Fifth, in other words, places that belonged to humans and cultivators!
There was no way a task like that could be described as easy. No, it was something extremely difficult! And even more difficult than starting such a task was to continue working on it long-term.
And that was especially true... considering that the person who was originally supposed to be the second Immortal Paragon had perished. Immortal Lord Aurora. When he died, it cast doubt on the future of the entire Fifth Star Ring. After all... with the exception of the Fifth Star Ring and a couple of other very special star rings, all star rings were the home of gods. And though the Fifth Star Ring seemed like a place bursting with life and activity, the reality was that it was already past its zenith and on the decline.