Chapter 1997: Chapter 1997

The starry sky plunged into silence.

The green-clothed youth stood among the Nine Heavens, slowly sheathing the longsword at his waist.

Before him, the sovereign of the Vermilion Bird Star Realm, the Eight-step Daoist Vermilion Bird Daoist, and over a hundred Daoists all had swords piercing their foreheads, leaving a bloody hole, their divine souls completely extinguished, falling like stones into the starry sky.

Everyone who witnessed this event fully realized one thing.

History had turned a new page.

Long and vast, enduring for countless eons, so long that all of creation took it for granted as part of the sun, moon, and stars, the cycle of heaven and earth — today, the Immortal Dynasty might be nearing its end.

Today’s event is just the beginning; even the Immortal Dynasty will face destruction one day.

Some felt an emptiness in their hearts.

Some felt a violent urge to kill.

These various thoughts differed, but one emotion remained the same in everyone’s heart, without any exception, they all knelt on one knee with the utmost respect and said: "We greet,"

"The Supreme Great Sun Sword Son!"

The old sovereign of the Vermilion Bird Star Realm had perished.

A new sovereign had been born, a monarch of the Sword Dao, and they would offer their allegiance, anxiously and sincerely hoping that this new ruler would accept them.

In fact, a rare hesitation appeared in that sovereign’s eyes, not borne out of the myriad’s submission, there was no sense of grandiosity.

The hearts of all the powerful figures and Daoists who had joined from the Vermilion Bird Star Realm skipped a beat, feeling a chill.

This sword cultivator had an overwhelming killing intent!

Yet despite this, they dared not resist, nor even show a hint of anger.

"Although you surrendered only after the battle was settled, the education I received does not permit me to kill prisoners."

Jiang Ding sighed softly.

He looked at the thirty-seven remaining Daoists who had not fled, including twenty-one Heavenly Mechanism Dao Daoists such as the Heavenly Calculation Immortal Sect Daoist, and the nineteen million strong from the Great Thousand Worlds at the level of Heavenly Human Unity and Refining Nothingness.

"Heavenly Calculation Daoist,"

"In your Heavenly Mechanism Inference, wouldn’t I kill those who surrender? Yet you said before the battle that I wouldn’t accept surrender when the situation was already determined."

Jiang Ding asked lightly.

Although he gave no orders, the thirty-seven surrendered Daoists and numerous powerful figures felt a will, so they stood up respectfully in front.

"Swordsman sees clearly."

"We just deemed the path to escape even slimmer."

The Heavenly Calculation Daoist and many Heavenly Mechanism Dao Daoists exchanged glances and respectfully replied, "You might need us to help govern the vast Vermilion Bird Star Realm."

Although these Heavenly Mechanism Dao Daoists were also Dao Fruit Daoists, they seemed more rational and colder, their Dao Hearts more complete.

"You guessed correctly, Fellow Daoist."

"However, it’s not about needing your help to govern anything. This Endless Starry Sky, though vast, is mostly the fertile ground for Supreme Great Sun Sword Cultivation. I do not seek more power... However, since Fellow Daoists are willing to join, you may as well do something."

Jiang Ding’s expression was calm as he handed over a Jade Slip.

"Thank you, Swordsman!"

The Heavenly Calculation Daoist and others were delighted, their Divine Senses spreading into the Jade Slip, eager to know what the new master of the Vermilion Bird Star Realm required of them.

Their Divine Senses penetrated inside, discovering it was merely a collection of ten million peculiar Formation Method puzzles.

Their task was to solve these Formation Method collections, within the span of five moments.

What use was there in solving these Formation Method collections?

The Heavenly Calculation Daoist and the others did not understand but dared not think too much, quickly solving the problems within their Seas of Consciousness.

The questions evidently had a process, starting simple and becoming progressively difficult, until the end, where many Daoists were drenched in sweat, beads rolling down, heat rising from their heads, showing that their Seas of Divine Consciousness were somewhat overloaded.

The five moments passed swiftly.

The Jade Slips from the hands of many Daoists flew into the sky, radiating light, with the Daoists’ solutions visible to all amidst them, without concealment.

Jiang Ding swept through them with his Divine Sense, assigning each Jade Slip a score, unable to hide his disappointment.

Among them, the highest scorer was the Seven-step Daoist, the Heavenly Calculation Daoist, who solved over 5.7 million Formation Method problems, scoring fifty-seven points.

The remaining Daoists mostly scored forty, thirty, the lowest scoring only nine, inconceivable.

Daoists, indeed Daoists!

To receive a single-digit score in such a test measuring creativity was akin to being blind, crippled, grievously injured, and near death.

Jiang Ding was somewhat silent.

The Heavenly Calculation Daoist and others felt an even deeper sense of inferiority.

This performance seemed utterly absurd for the current generation of Daoists, didn’t it?

"Spare the Vermilion Bird!"

A woman, frail in spirit, flew from afar, holding the fallen Vermilion Bird Daoist tightly, her tears streaming, heartbroken to the extreme.

"I clearly told you not to go, but you wouldn’t listen!"

This woman, bound by the Six Dao Reincarnation Dream Realm, was only now free to come here.

Just as she couldn’t stop the Vermilion Bird Daoist from encircling and killing the Great Sun Sword Son, she couldn’t stop the Great Sun Sword Son from slaying the Vermilion Bird Daoist either.

This tragic scene was unavoidable.

"We greet the Fusang Daoist!"

The Heavenly Calculation Daoist and others saluted, somewhat reassured.

Unlike the suddenly appearing Supreme Great Sun Sword Son, the contemporary Fusang Daoist was familiar to them. Her sect was renowned for magnanimity, kindness, and virtue, holding a revered position in the Vermilion Bird Star Realm.

Jiang Ding waited silently, offering no explanations.

Having slain an enemy of the Sword Dao, having vanquished beings who had devoured countless human elite corpses to achieve Daoism, he had no guilt in his heart, no indebtedness to the world or friends, needing no excuse.

It is unknown how much time passed, but the Fusang Saintess, cradling the Vermilion Bird’s corpse, wiped her tears, gazing at the green-clothed youth with a choked voice: "You just said you want to continue the Vermilion Bird Holy Land’s legacy, not destroy it?"

This person, though deeply sorrowful, bore no anger and resentment in her eyes.

"The Vermilion Bird Holy Land has made great contributions to the Human Race throughout history, a legacy of glory — why would I destroy it?"

Jiang Ding answered quietly.

The Fusang Saintess gingerly cradled the Vermilion Bird’s body, placing it in a coffin marked with the Vermilion Bird’s symbol, intending to take it back to the sect’s ancestral land under the Fusang Divine Tree for burial.

This is the resting place for generations of the Vermilion Bird and the Vermilion Bird Supreme.

After completing this, her sorrow gradually settled, showing strong emotional regulation, far from being prone to weeping.

"Is it your Formation Method puzzles?"

The Fusang Saintess skimmed the Jade Slip of Formation Method collections, asking.

Jiang Ding explained, "I made some special designs, intended for..."

At the moment the Fusang Saintess brushed her Divine Sense over it, the answers to the ten million Formation Method questions emerged instantly, all correct, and entirely differing from the Great Sun Sword Son’s textbook answers, yet equally correct.

This signified immense creativity!

Jiang Ding’s eyes began to shine, like discovering a priceless treasure.

The Heavenly Calculation Daoist and others lowered their heads again, resembling ostriches.

This was the real level of current Daoists?