Chapter 672: Refusal and Acceptance

In the dark void outside Changbo Star, a large black ship hung silently. Three leaders stood in a hall within the ship, gazing at the distant, seemingly tiny Changbo Star.

"Every Eternal Tower branch maintains contact with the Space-Time Long River headquarters and possesses a Supervising Eye that monitors all directions," a gray-robed leader stated. "Once we draw near Changbo Star, the Eternal Tower branch will detect us. While a meddlesome Six-Tribulation Realm mighty one is unlikely to intervene, any delay could lead to unforeseen complications. We must act swiftly; the sooner we neutralize Changbo Star, the better."

"Since Changbo Star's master has voluntarily deactivated the array to allow us entry, our operation will be quite straightforward," a black stone giant added in a deep voice.

"We are about to slaughter tens of thousands of cultivators, including those at the Tribulation Realm and Emperor Realm. They possess various life-saving artifacts and will undoubtedly resist. If our preparations are inadequate, complications will arise," the gray-robed leader calmly ordered. "Before the operation, reconfirm that everything is ready."

His two companions nodded slightly. This was the final preparation before the assault, and they promptly relayed the orders.

Inside the black ship, various teams were quartered, each comprising at least one Tribulation Realm mighty being.

"Are we going to plunder and slaughter now? I wonder where this time," a red-robed, three-eyed cultivator in one of the teams muttered to himself as he listened to his leader's command. "I hope we don't encounter any meddlesome mighty ones. As long as I endure this period of servitude, I'll be able to bring the treasure map back."

Emperor Realm cultivators were required to serve for a millennium, but large-scale operations like this were rare occurrences within that timeframe.

"Once we disembark, you must immediately form an array with me at its head, and all orders will come from me," a snake-scaled elder declared, surveying the group of Emperor Realm cultivators.

"Yes, sir."

The Emperor Realm servants were all highly deferential, and the red-robed, three-eyed cultivator was no exception.

Half an hour later.

The black ship first quietly arrived approximately a billion li outside Changbo Star, beyond the Eternal Tower branch's monitoring range. Then, it suddenly traversed that billion li, teleporting directly above Changbo Star.

"What is that?"

"That massive ship!"

Changbo Star, a bustling trading hub, was teeming with cultivators on its streets and in its countless shops, including some Tribulation Realm mighty ones and Emperor Realm cultivators. Now, they all looked up in astonishment at the black ship hovering high above.

"Changbo Star is protected by a grand defending array that isolates the void; it should be impossible to teleport in," someone exclaimed.

"Unless the Changbo Cave Master deliberately allowed it."

"This is bad."

Some more experienced cultivators instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.

The very moment the black ship materialized above Changbo Star, a massive, illusory eye formed above the Eternal Tower, the most magnificent structure on the planet. This "Supervising Eye" could identify all things and ensure that the Eternal Tower's administrators could not embezzle funds or harm the organization's interests.

River-domain level headquarters were built in a particularly unique manner, allowing the Eternal Eye to manifest a portion of its power there. Therefore, for anyone below the Seven-Tribulation Realm, attacking such a headquarters was tantamount to seeking death.

However, a branch's power was much weaker. While the Supervising Eye excelled at identification and investigation, its destructive power was less than that of a Five-Tribulation Realm mighty being.

"Black Demon Hall members."

The enormous, illusory eye fixed its gaze on the large ship. From such close proximity, it instantly pinpointed numerous life signatures, identifying them as a group of Black Demon Hall members, including those at the Five-Tribulation and Four-Tribulation Realms. "The Changbo Cave Master has allowed numerous Black Demon Hall members to enter, thereby betraying the Eternal Tower."

Immediately, a message was dispatched to the Space-Time Long River's Eternal Tower headquarters, which in turn promptly issued a mission to its Six-Tribulation Realm members in the surrounding river domains.

Though it takes time to describe, the Eternal Tower's reaction was, in reality, instantaneous.

Only after the headquarters had issued the mission did a group of Tribulation Realm mighty ones and Emperor Realm cultivators emerge from the black ship, ready to kill.

"It has begun," said the Changbo Cave Master, his face wrinkled, as he stood on a distant mountaintop, observing everything with indifference. He controlled Changbo Star's arrays, which were originally intended to protect the cultivators on the planet, but were now being used to assist the Black Demon Hall in their slaughter.

A white-browed elder sat before an alchemy furnace, its fiery glow casting a vivid light upon his face.

With a rumble, the alchemy furnace underwent an internal change. Its inner wall expanded from nine to ten cavities, and within the new cavity, another dark red star appeared, from which black flames ascended. These dark red stars were all forged from "Dark Stars." The addition of one more cavity further amplified the furnace's heat.

"Hmm?"

"The Changbo Cave Master has betrayed, and the Black Demon Hall forces have appeared on Changbo Star, putting tens of thousands of cultivators in imminent peril?" The white-browed elder shook his head slightly. "Worlds rise and fall. Changbo Star has simply met its inevitable calamity."

With his vast lifespan, he had witnessed far too much.

He had personally experienced his home world's progression from a barbaric era to the birth of civilization, from tribal times to imperial epochs. He had seen tribes fall, then led his own to rise, even establishing a dynasty. Nearing the end of his natural lifespan, he entered seclusion to cultivate, successfully pioneering the path to the Emperor Realm in his world, thus becoming its first historical Emperor. Yet, upon emerging, he found his dynasty had collapsed a century after his seclusion. He then sought out the surviving bloodlines, unified the world completely, and established a true empire.

He was the first Emperor and the first Tribulation Realm mighty being in his home world's cultivation system.

In the outer void, however, he was rather unremarkable; it had taken him 1,800 years to become an Emperor, 8,000 years to reach the Tribulation Realm, and over 50,000 years to attain the Six-Tribulation Realm.

Nevertheless, he had enabled his home world to ascend to the status of a mid-level life world.

He was an object of fervent worship for countless descendants in his home world.

The white-browed elder sighed at the impending demise of tens of thousands of cultivators, though it was merely a flicker of sympathy. He had never considered saving them. "Countless lives each have their own destiny," he mused. "I am merely a fish in the river of destiny, and to survive in this river, one must abide by its rules."

One after another, the Six-Tribulation Realm mighty ones refused to intervene. With Changbo Star's master having actively betrayed them, the tens of thousands of cultivators on the planet had no Six-Tribulation Realm powerhouse to rely on for support.

Meanwhile, in the Cangyuan Realm.

The sun shone brightly as Meng Chuan and his wife, Liu Qiyue, enjoyed an outing. In the distance, a small white rabbit sniffed around in the grass, and the couple watched it with amusement.

"An'er's cultivation has been stagnant at the Three-Tribulation Realm," Liu Qiyue asked, "and he plans to venture into the outer realms. Did you refuse him?"

"The Kunyun Secret Realm is vast enough and provides an excellent environment, sufficient for cultivation up to the Five-Tribulation Realm," Meng Chuan replied. "What could a Three-Tribulation Realm cultivator possibly achieve by venturing into the outer realms? If he can't even reach the Four-Tribulation Realm in the conditions of the Cangyuan Realm or Kunyun Secret Realm, then I believe he shouldn't bother going out and causing trouble."

Liu Qiyue looked at Meng Chuan. "So, you mean you'll let him go out once he reaches the Four-Tribulation Realm?"

Meng Chuan was about to elaborate when his expression suddenly shifted.

He had received a mission from the Eternal Tower.

"Changbo Star?" Meng Chuan instantly grasped the full scope of the mission. Its reward was significantly higher than the previous one involving Miaofa Star, primarily because the Changbo Cave Master's betrayal was a far more egregious act, prompting an increased bounty.

"One hundred thousand contribution points? And it includes two space-time displacement talismans for a round trip?" Meng Chuan understood the extreme urgency of the situation.

On Miaofa Star, for instance, the Miaofa Palace Master had actively resisted, which had allowed for some delay.

However, Changbo Star's master's betrayal meant countless cultivators would be swiftly slaughtered.

"I accept."

As Meng Chuan was on the verge of breaking through the limits of spatial laws, he welcomed greater external pressure and was unafraid of threats. Moreover, his turn for the 'Void Three-leaf Flower' from the Space-Time Valley was approaching.

"Such powerful karma."

The moment he accepted the mission, karma began to intertwine.

Meng Chuan also remotely sensed Changbo Star's location. The lives of those tens of thousands of cultivators were karmically linked to him, their very existence hanging on his decision. The sheer weight of this karmic connection, tying the fate of so many cultivators to him, left Meng Chuan somewhat shaken. He now had an incredibly clear lock on Changbo Star's precise position.

"Let's go."

A primordial spirit clone instantly departed the Cangyuan Realm, then, utilizing a space-time displacement talisman, headed directly for Changbo Star.