For Ji Qingyue, her willingness to choose the Star-Sea Continent—which was clearly at a disadvantage—was naturally not out of some simple-minded sentiment for her hometown. Perhaps there was a sliver of such feeling, but it was certainly not the whole story.
The most crucial reason was that under Qi Ping's rule, the Star-Sea Continent now possessed the opportunity to break through to the Body Integration Stage, and perhaps even aspire to even higher levels.
How much time had truly passed? Meng Tianqi, a fellow who was originally inferior to her, had reached a point where she could no longer tell who would emerge victorious if they fought.
Even more preposterous was Bai Liyun. This man, whom she could have suppressed with a single hand in the past, had actually achieved Body Integration. It was enough to shock her for ten thousand years. This was the realm she had pursued for countless eons, and he had simply attained it!
Under Qi Ping's governance, the growth rate of the Star-Sea Continent was nothing short of absurd.
What truly won her over, however, was her realization that Qi Ping was genuinely dedicated to developing the continent. Yet, even that was not his most impressive feat. What floored her was his methodology—the way he mobilized the drive and wisdom of almost everyone to push the world forward. With her perspective as the former strongest expert of the Star-Sea Continent, she had never seen such an exceptional ruler.
As the current history of the Star-Sea Continent evaluated him:
"Rising from insignificance, he held his sword to question the heavens; slaying demons and clearing the wicked, a single strike brought peace to a chaotic world. He severed the chronic maladies of the noble clans and forged an unparalleled era of prosperity. Revered by the universe and submitted to by the eight wildernesses, he is the Peerless Sovereign, unique throughout the ages."
She felt this evaluation was not an exaggeration in the slightest. In fact, with her experience, she felt it didn't even cover everything. Otherwise, given her past glory and pride, why would she have risked coming back to beg for forgiveness?
Was it not because she valued Qi Ping's character as someone worth following? Moreover, by following him, she might truly reach the realm she yearned for, and perhaps even higher.
Furthermore, in this World-Domain War, as long as one killed enough demons, there was a chance to obtain Providential Rewards that were usually impossible to find. These were treasures comparable to any spirit medicine or sacred herb, things even those at the Void Refinement Stage found difficult to obtain. That alone made it worth the risk.
Ultimately, it was because Qi Ping was worth pursuing. Otherwise, returning would have been tantamount to seeking death.
Considering the strength of that freak Qi Ping now, her legs trembled slightly. Especially after he revealed the Great Dao Domain—a power usually reserved for the Body Integration Stage—the memory still made her scalp tingle.
Moreover, Ji Qingyue felt that this Dao Domain might be even more terrifying than Bai Liyun's True Demon Domain. And Bai Liyun was a True Demon Stage cultivator, a rarity unseen throughout the ages!
'I hope I haven't bet wrong this time.'
'The title of the former strongest expert of Star-Sea is just an empty name, but I can't let juniors like Meng Tianqi and Bai Liyun surpass me. Otherwise, I'll have nowhere to hide my face.'
After stepping into the World-Domain Battlefield, Ji Qingyue decided to go all out. She couldn't remember how many years it had been since she had fought with such desperation. To the point where even she wasn't sure... exactly how strong she would be when she fully erupted!
Bai Liyun and Meng Tianqi watched Ji Qingyue's departing back with meaningful gazes.
"Old Meng, how do you think Ji Qingyue's current strength compares to yours? I'm too strong now, so I can't really tell..."
Bai Liyun's words sounded like curiosity, but they carried a heavy dose of humblebragging.
Meng Tianqi couldn't help but roll his eyes at him again. Why hadn't he noticed before that this guy was so annoying?
However, he still answered truthfully, "She is very strong! I originally thought that after my recent improvements, I could firmly suppress her. But seeing her just now, she gave me a very dangerous feeling. I cannot judge the outcome of a fight between us."
"That strong?" Bai Liyun asked in surprise. "It seems the reason we were able to force her away back then was because the Star Emperor was there. Otherwise, relying on just us wouldn't have been enough to make her yield."
"Indeed," Meng Tianqi agreed.
He still held a sliver of respect for this former number one expert of the Star-Sea Continent. Ji Qingyue's reputation was actually quite decent. Aside from that final period where she agreed to collude with the Sky-Dragon Continent, she had never truly bullied other cultivators just because of her strength.
"When you planted the True Demon Seed restriction on her just now, did you discover what physique she has?" Meng Tianqi continued to ask.
"The Myriad Law Celestial Physique..." Bai Liyun's expression turned solemn.
"What? The Myriad Law Celestial Physique?" Meng Tianqi's eyes were instantly filled with shock. "No wonder... no wonder..."
No wonder Ji Qingyue was so powerful, and no wonder she had been unable to complete her breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage. The reason lay entirely within this Myriad Law Celestial Physique.
Among the various powerful special physiques in the cultivation world, the Myriad Law Celestial Physique was definitely ranked near the top. This physique was naturally inclined toward multiple Great Daos, and one's comprehension of spiritual techniques would advance at lightning speed.
However, it had one flaw: its overall strength was heavily restricted by the world it inhabited. If the world was weak and the laws were not strong enough, the difficulty of increasing one's strength would skyrocket.
Conversely, if one was in a powerful world, they would truly be a darling of the heavens. No wonder when Futuzi of the Sky-Dragon Continent promised her entry into his world, she had been tempted. Any normal person would have been.
Futuzi's only mistake was that he wasn't genuinely willing to help her. His ultimate goal was merely to let the dogs fight each other. He was unwilling to swear a strict Heavenly Dao Oath, relying on the fact that the Star-Sea Continent was doomed. He wanted to pay the smallest price possible. Had he been sincere, Ji Qingyue might have truly fought to the death.
If that had happened, given the power of the Myriad Law Celestial Physique, many variables would have arisen when Qi Ping swept through the Star-Sea Continent back then.
The "Auspicious Omen" predicted by the Little Immortal Tiger wasn't necessarily a guaranteed victory, but rather Ji Qingyue's concession. Otherwise, it might have been an earth-shattering battle to the death, and many people might have died because of it.
Fortunately, she had yielded. Futuzi of the Sky-Dragon Continent was not a man to be trusted.
Furthermore, the Myriad Law Celestial Physique was just a general term. Every individual with it felt an affinity for different Daos—some more, some less, some high, some low. Its ultimate power required a case-by-case analysis.
Judging from Ji Qingyue's past performance, she shouldn't be particularly weak.
"I hope she kills the demons in peace. If so, it will be a great thing for us. But if she has any ulterior motives, don't blame me for being unkind!" Bai Liyun snorted.
"Can your True Demon Seed restriction control her one hundred percent?" Meng Tianqi was still slightly uneasy.
"Don't worry, Old Meng! Even if she were at the Body Integration Stage, once the True Demon Seed controls the soul origin and consciousness, it's impossible to break free before I notice. Otherwise, the True Demon Realm wouldn't be so rare!"
"That's good then. Most of the people have gone in. Let's not delay any longer!"
"Alright! You'd better come back alive, Old Meng."
"Worry about yourself! I don't want to find myself with no one to beat up later."
As the words fell, the two smiled at each other and stepped into the World-Domain Battlefield together.
Shortly after Meng Tianqi and Bai Liyun entered, the City of Immortal Slaying gradually became empty.
The army of hundreds of millions of cultivators had already marched majestically into the battlefield. Nan Jie, Meng Yan, Han Li, Zhang Daniu, Wang He, Chang Qing, Chang E, and the Little Spear Saint—each person carried their own beliefs as they stepped inside.
Once they went, no one knew how many would fall. If only half died, it would be wonderful news. It wouldn't be strange if the majority perished. It wasn't even impossible for the entire army to be wiped out.
Reality was just that cruel. Although the Star-Sea Continent's strength had improved significantly, the gap in numbers and power compared to the demons was still far too vast. Looking at the superficial comparison of strength, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a narrow escape from death.
What was worth betting on now was the Star-Sea Continent's home-field advantage combined with its growth potential. They were betting that the geniuses emerging during this time could break their limits in the trials of blood and fire. They were betting that the Star-Sea Continent would burst forth with more potential, providing more Power of Providential Creation to help more people complete their ultimate breakthroughs.
This was a grand gamble and a final battle that had to be fought. The Star-Sea Continent could afford to lose, but it could absolutely not allow all the spatial nodes in the World-Domain Battlefield to be occupied by demons. If that happened, the Star-Sea Continent would truly have no chance of survival.
Soon, everyone in the City of Immortal Slaying stepped into the battlefield without hesitation. The Qing-God Army, the elders and disciples of the Star-Sea Academy, the Star-Sea Mercenaries, the subterranean beast races, and the transformed Treant Warriors enlightened by Qi Ping—none chose to retreat.
Only a few wavered at the last moment, but in the end, their gazes turned cold as they rushed in with their spirit tools and weapons.
In this battle, moving forward might mean death, but retreating meant even more certain death. There was no second choice but to fight to the finish.
Only after everyone in the city had entered did two figures appear.
One was Qi Ping's original body, though his aura was currently very weak because he had chosen to inject most of his power and origin into the Treant Clone.
Qi Ping had considered sending his original body into the battlefield, but he eventually gave up. The World-Domain Battlefield was a decisive battle, but it wasn't everything.
The probability of them completely crushing the demons in the battlefield was not high, so the final victory would truly be decided in the Star-Sea Nine Domains. The Treant Clone could self-detonate, but the original body could not afford any accidents. Otherwise, if there were delays in resurrection or other mishaps, the entire Nine Domains might instantly turn into scorched earth, with everything reduced to ashes under the demon onslaught.
The other person was naturally Lin Yue. As the one coordinating the overall situation, logistics, and the nurturing of new forces, he could not afford any accidents either.
With Lin Yue around, the spirit herbs, pills, spirit tools, research against the demons, and the cultivation of geniuses who had yet to grow were all managed at the highest efficiency and adjusted according to the war situation. If Lin Yue were lost, the continent's sustained combat capability would inevitably drop by several levels.
Currently, the entire Nine Domains were operating at maximum capacity to provide the most support to those on the front lines.
"Principal, how many do you think will return?" Lin Yue looked toward the battlefield, his eyes filled with complexity.
There was worry for the front-line warriors and the future, as well as regret that he could not participate himself. But no one knew better than he that he could not join the fight under any circumstances; otherwise, it would be an absolute disaster for the Star-Sea Continent.
"I don't know. No one can know," Qi Ping shook his head.
Who could calculate a war of this scale? The backlash from the Heavenly Dao alone would be enough to kill an unknown number of Mahayana Stage cultivators. Even if someone could, they would pay an unimaginable price.
"I hope more people survive. As long as too many spatial nodes aren't taken, there's still a chance!"
"Mm. Now it depends on how many can rise in desperation. I also hope the Star-Sea Continent hides deeper things that can help them break through. Those who survive are our true hope!"
"It's just that the enemies are too terrifying. I'm truly afraid they won't be able to hold on," Lin Yue said, his face showing worry.
He was always calm and confident in front of others because as the coordinator, if he showed fear, how could others trust him or not be anxious? Only in front of Qi Ping could he reveal some of his true inner emotions.
In his heart, Qi Ping was the only one who could truly turn the tide, and the one he trusted most. Being able to gain Qi Ping's trust and work for him was what Lin Yue felt was the most fortunate thing in his life.
"When the time is right, I will force them to withdraw from the battlefield. When those enemies pursue us, I will completely detonate the Star-Sea Array after holding them off for a while. Trust them; after this battle, some of them will bring us surprises. We don't have to carry all the hope on our own shoulders," Qi Ping comforted.
"Principal, you are right. Facing an entire Demon Realm, one's own strength is ultimately insignificant. Only by bringing out the function and potential of every person to the extreme can an incredible miracle be created!"
Yes, pinning all hope on oneself was the most foolish thing. No one was the sole Mandate of Heaven.