Chapter 1228: Heterogeneous Polluted Spirit, Immortal Spirit Divine Aversion

The thirty-six ascending star rings can each be viewed as vast, relatively independent star charts. Each star ring encompasses an infinite, boundless expanse. However, when observed as a whole, these thirty-six ascending star rings are interconnected, forming an even more awe-inspiring, irregular giant ring. The central area within this giant ring, formed by the thirty-six ascending star rings, is a black ocean permeated with dense, alien matter! Its scope is immense, surpassing all others. It is known as the Source Sea.

That place is mysterious, unimaginable, and inscrutable; its core region is not easily trespassed upon, even by those at the God-Venerable level. It has thirty-six main currents, each leading to one of the thirty-six star rings. Within each star ring, these main currents branch further, becoming what cultivators and deities refer to as the "Outer Sea."

The war between the Fourth and Fifth Star Rings takes place in the borderland where the two rings meet. Part of this area belongs to the Fifth Star Ring, and part to the Fourth. Due to the irreconcilable nature of immortals and deities, the conflict between the two sides has persisted for endless ages, previously locked in a stalemate where neither could overpower the other. Consequently, both exercised restraint, and no battles at the God-Lord level erupted. This changed when a new God-Lord emerged within the Fourth Star Ring! With this God-Lord initiating and personally joining the fray, the pace of the war accelerated, becoming more intense than ever before. Immortal Lord Zhanlu, who commanded the border, also met the opponent of his lifetime.

Battles at that level are no longer mere contests of Daoist arts and divine techniques; the clashes between them are far beyond what ordinary deities and cultivators can comprehend. Even those at the True God and Lesser Immortal levels often find the struggles between God-Lords and Immortal-Lords inscrutable, only able to sense them vaguely. This is because, at the God-Lord and Immortal-Lord level, the core of their combat involves strategic momentum.

For the cultivators on the battlefield, Immortal Lord Zhanlu represents the cultivators' immense momentum, an existence far surpassing the Heavenly Dao, a part of the Fifth Star Ring's will, and the supreme conviction on the battlefield. His presence alone can cause the unique Immortal Spiritual Qi of cultivators to spread in all directions, dispelling all alien matter! If all alien matter in a given area could be completely eliminated, leaving only Immortal Spiritual Qi, the tide of war would shift dramatically. Extending this vision to the entire Fourth Star Ring: if, one day, all alien matter within it were replaced by Immortal Spiritual Qi, then... Without alien matter, without divine essence, deities would be like fish out of water. Even if they could struggle, their ultimate fate would not differ significantly from that of the original deities in the Fifth Star Ring. This is also the method of suppressing deities that the Fifth Star Ring has developed through continuous research. Divine essence and alien matter are poisonous to cultivators, polluting their spirits upon contact. Immortal Spiritual Qi is anathema to deities; merely sensing it causes harm. This, then, defines the strategic momentum.

The God-Lords, naturally understanding the crux of this, fill the surroundings with infinite alien matter, transformed from dense divine essence, the moment they appear on the battlefield. This alien matter submerges everything, including the Immortal Spiritual Qi. Thus, viewed from a high level, the war between the Fourth and Fifth Star Rings is a contest between God-Lords and Immortal-Lords, and a confrontation between alien matter and Immortal Spiritual Qi. It is also about establishing strategic momentum for their respective sides! Even if the deities were to disregard these combat rules and forcefully attack, the outcome would not change, because any attempt to fundamentally suppress the opponent would ultimately devolve into a clash between alien matter and Immortal Spiritual Qi. After all, just as the Fourth Star Ring is abundant in alien matter, the Fifth Star Ring is equally rich in Immortal Spiritual Qi. Therefore, any force entering the opposing star ring would be invisibly weakened. Consequently, gradually encroaching and seizing strategic momentum has become the key to the war.

Therefore, the roles of deities and cultivators below the Lord-level on the battlefield have become immensely important. They must consolidate and contest the strategic momentum for their respective Lords. This is because the battles between God-Lords and Immortal-Lords, incomprehensible to lower-level beings, manifest entirely in the flow and spread of Immortal Spiritual Qi and alien matter.

For cultivators, when the Immortal Lord gains an advantage, and Immortal Spiritual Qi surges, dispelling alien matter from a particular area, they must immediately proceed there and swiftly erect special Daoist banners belonging to the Fifth Star Ring at the farthest point. The purpose of these Daoist banners is to stabilize the Immortal Spiritual Qi in that region, making it territory of the Fifth Star Ring. Simultaneously, following decrees, they must venture into deity-controlled areas to destroy their divine foundations. This process, like a snowball effect, leads to the occupation of more and more territory, ultimately creating an overwhelming strategic momentum that supports the Immortal Lord, tilting the Lord-level contest of influence. The deities operate in a similar manner: on one hand, they consolidate the advantages gained by their God-Lords, and on the other, they prevent cultivators from planting Daoist banners, while also destroying everything to facilitate the greater spread of alien matter, invading all directions.

Manifested on the battlefield, when observed from a high vantage point, it is clearly a fusion of black and white. Black represents alien matter. White represents Immortal Spiritual Qi. Like a black-and-white ink wash painting, they are constantly flowing, back and forth, with every inch of ground fiercely contested. This is the great war between deities and immortals. The Lord-level battles, centered on strategic momentum, impact the lower battlefield with every move, while the armies on the lower battlefield, in turn, support their respective Lord's struggles. Hence, the intensity. Death is constant. Encounters between the weak and the strong are ubiquitous.

At this moment, on this battlefield spanning countless universes, hundreds of teams from the Procurement Division were successively teleporting into the rear-left sector of the cultivator-controlled area. Among them was the team that had previously had a conflict with Xinghuanzi and Xu Qing on the Procurement Division's star. The instant they appeared, their expressions changed, becoming solemn. Under the indifferent gazes of the armies guarding this teleportation zone, team after team swiftly sped off into the distance. All cultivators whose status had changed from Procurement Officers to Transporters, arriving at this location, had the mission to scatter, traverse the battlefield, and deliver the procured source material to the left flank battle zone as quickly as possible. That area was in urgent need of source material!

Now, as the teleportation light dissipated, Xu Qing and his group also arrived. The moment they appeared on the array platform, an unfamiliar starry sky, a grim atmosphere, the noticeably thin Immortal Spiritual Qi around them, and faint traces of alien matter drifting through space immediately permeated their senses. This made many of the ascended uncomfortable. For them, war had been a distant concept until now. While they had engaged in many personal battles in this life, participation in large-scale warfare was almost nonexistent. Especially the occasional distant roars, the inexplicable howls that seemed to echo across multiple universes, the spatial chaos emanating from all directions, and the unique chill left by countless deaths... all overwhelmed their minds. Most of these ascended cultivators found their minds wandering to varying degrees. They instinctively began to observe their surroundings.

But before anyone could fully observe their surroundings, a deep shout suddenly resonated from the cultivator army guarding this area in the distance. "You there, hurry and transport the source material!" This voice, louder than thunder, exploded in their hearts, transforming into a monstrous roar. The contained momentum was overwhelming, like a storm, sweeping all before it. This caused everyone's expressions to change once more. It was the voice of a Lesser Immortal!

Xu Qing's pupils contracted, but he was no stranger to war. Although he hadn't participated in a battle of this scale, his mindset was naturally much better than the others'. With a flicker of his body, he immediately flew out. The other cultivators in his team also took flight, one after another, following closely behind Xu Qing. The deeper they moved into the battlefield, and the more perilous the environment became, the stronger their team's cohesion grew. This was a natural human inclination. After all, Xu Qing's combat prowess was unparalleled among them, and his status was unique, so staying by his side offered the greatest chance of survival on the battlefield.

However, Xu Qing's heart was heavy. He flew rapidly, gazing into the distance and sensing his surroundings. He was more sensitive to alien matter than others, so he could perceive that the alien matter in this area seemed to be subtly, almost imperceptibly, growing denser as they advanced. "Moreover, if source material were truly in urgent need... arranging for teleportation or having powerful individuals transport it would be smoother and more time-efficient options," he mused. "Why send people who have almost never been on a battlefield to transport it here?" This question had emerged in Xu Qing's mind on the way here. Now, on the battlefield, after sensing the free-floating alien matter, this doubt deepened within him. Faintly, a conjecture also surfaced.

Just as this conjecture arose, a whooshing sound came from behind Xu Qing as Xinghuanzi, Zhou Zhengli, Xie Lingzi, and Yuanshansu, among others, sped towards him. Xu Qing slowed his pace, allowing them to catch up, then squinted and looked their way. Xinghuanzi, with a grave expression, immediately transmitted a message: "Xu Qing, my Laws perceive that the order here is shattering; the sense of chaos is becoming increasingly apparent. Something is wrong!" Xie Lingzi licked his lips and also transmitted: "As you know, I am different from you all. I didn't personally comprehend the Laws; instead, I possess a special Law Treasure. My broken sword is emitting a sense of excitement, and based on my understanding of this sword, it always acts this way whenever I am about to face a life-or-death crisis." "Right now, the excitement it's radiating is unprecedented!" Zhou Zhengli, standing nearby, also looked extremely solemn. After Xinghuanzi and Xie Lingzi spoke, he looked at Xu Qing and transmitted in a low voice: "My Lord, our arrival here isn't entirely logical in itself, so I have a conjecture..." "Is it possible that we..." Zhou Zhengli's gaze swept over the group. "...are bait!" "Not just our team, but all procurement teams arriving here, and the source material we carry..." "...will become bait!" As Zhou Zhengli finished speaking, everyone fell into thought. Xu Qing's eyes gleamed; the conjecture that had previously surfaced in his mind was exactly this! "To throw us out as bait in an area that is currently still part of the cultivator faction implies..." Xu Qing slowly began. After his words, Yuanshansu quietly responded: "It implies this area is about to change!" "Therefore, they want to draw out the deities hidden in this war zone in advance, thereby increasing the chances of stability after the drastic change!"