646: The final decision of Lingxiao Immortal Sect

In his view, the Foundation of the Cultivation World ultimately rested in the hands of the top Sects with long-standing legacies, and the deterrence of a Tribulation Crossing Old Ancestor was not something that could be easily compensated for by mere numbers.

"Uh... Old Ancestor, there is something you do not know."

A look of bitterness appeared on Xu Yuan's face, and his voice lowered a few notches, carrying an indescribable sense of helplessness.

"According to the situation verified by the Sect, our Lingxiao Immortal Sect today... is no longer the Lingxiao Immortal Sect of the past."

He paused, as if gathering immense courage before continuing.

"Eighty percent of the Elders within the Sect, as well as nearly ninety percent of the Core Disciples and ordinary Disciples, have voluntarily joined the Xili Empire. Those remaining in the Sect are merely marginal figures with weak wills who have yet to make up their minds. It can be said that the Lingxiao Immortal Sect exists in name only, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell."

"What!"

One of the Old Ancestors slammed his hand onto the armrest of his seat. The hard red sandalwood chair instantly cracked and exploded, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock.

"Those Disciples and Elders were all meticulously nurtured by the Sect and received the Sect's favor. How could they betray their master for personal gain like this?!"

Not just him, but the other Old Ancestors in the hall who had just emerged from seclusion also changed color, their faces written with astonishment and fury.

Before they went into seclusion, the Lingxiao Immortal Sect was still one of the top behemoths in the Cultivation World, with loyal Disciples and Elders performing their duties. How could it have fallen to such a state in just a short time?

"It's not just our Lingxiao Immortal Sect."

Xu Yuan sighed and added.

"The situation of several other top powers is much the same... Now, all major powers are strong on the outside but hollow on the inside, having long lost the Foundation to unite against the enemy."

His heart was also filled with mixed emotions. As the Sect Master, it wasn't that he hadn't thought of resisting, but the internal structure of the Sect had long been penetrated by the Xili Empire like a sieve. More than half of the core combat power had surrendered, and the morale of those remaining was scattered.

He couldn't even mobilize a decent team. If not for this, he wouldn't have risked disturbing the Old Ancestors' seclusion to bring out these hidden trump cards.

"So... in our Lingxiao Immortal Sect, are we the only old fellows left with half our bodies in the grave?"

An Old Ancestor with waist-length white hair and an ancient aura spoke slowly, his voice carrying a deep sense of desolation and sorrow.

He had been in seclusion for over three thousand years. After being invited out, he never expected to be greeted by such a situation where the great building was about to collapse.

The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence. All the Old Ancestors remained silent, the fury and astonishment on their faces gradually replaced by solemnity and bewilderment.

They were the Foundation of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect and legends of the Cultivation World. But now, facing an empty Sect and surrendered Disciples, even with their Tribulation Crossing cultivation, they felt a sense of powerlessness, as if they had strength but nowhere to use it.

After a long time, the leading Seventh Ancestor slowly raised his head. The struggle and hesitation in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only determination.

He sighed softly, a sound that seemed to travel through ten thousand years of time, carrying endless weight.

"Sigh... I gathered you old friends here today for no other reason. As things stand, we don't have many choices, only two paths.

Either we lower our status and submit to the Xili Empire, perhaps preserving the last sliver of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect's Legacy, or we old fellows lead a desperate resistance to the end. Even if we are smashed to pieces, we will not fail the Sect's ten-thousand-year Foundation."

"This..."

As soon as the Seventh Ancestor finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the hall.

The Old Ancestors looked at each other, their faces filled with indecision.

Altogether, there were twenty-seven Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivators. If they joined forces, they would be enough to sweep away any single power in the Cultivation World. But facing the Xili Empire, that confidence vanished without a trace.

After all, the threat of the Xili Empire went far beyond those tens of millions of Cultivators.

Rumor had it that the Empire possessed eerie methods far beyond the understanding of the Cultivation World, capable of using unknown 'weapons' to casually insta-kill Mahayana Stage Cultivators. Such terrifying power had long exceeded their understanding of cultivation.

No one could guarantee that the other side didn't have trump cards specifically targeting Tribulation Crossing Old Ancestors.

If they fought to the death and ended up with their Divine Souls obliterated, wouldn't even the Sect's last hope be gone?

But if they submitted, how could these Old Ancestors who had lived for thousands of years swallow such an insult?

A heavy atmosphere once again enveloped the Lingxiao Hall. A weight of decision pressed down on the heart of every Old Ancestor.

No one was willing to speak first, and no one wanted to be the one to pierce this thin veil of embarrassment for everyone.

The Seventh Ancestor took in everyone's hesitation and struggle, a trace of weary understanding flashing through his cloudy old eyes.

In truth, he had already settled on an answer in his heart, but he was unwilling to say it himself as a senior of the Sect, fearing it would only add to everyone's sorrow.

Seeing the atmosphere stagnate to the point of suffocation, he slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Young Master Xu, who stood below with his head bowed. His voice was gentle yet carried a weight that allowed no refusal.

"Young Master Xu, as the current Sect Master, you have managed the Sect for hundreds of years and understand the current situation best. Tell us your true thoughts. Whether the choice is to fight or surrender, we old bones have lived long enough and will certainly not blame you."

With one sentence, all the pressure and the turning point of the decision were pushed in front of Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath. When he raised his eyes, there was no longer any hesitation, only the clarity and composure that came after countless days and nights of weighing the options. He bowed deeply to the Old Ancestors in the hall, his tone sincere and heavy.

"Old Ancestors, this Junior dares to speak plainly. The defeat of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect has already been set in stone, with no room for reversal. Even if we have Tribulation Crossing Old Ancestors presiding, nine out of ten Sect Disciples are gone, our allies have collapsed, and the vast Cultivation World has already been devoured by the Xili Empire.

Even if we fight to the death, using our cultivation to blood-sacrifice the Sect and win a reputation for being unyielding, what use is that empty fame when the entire Cultivation World has turned to scorched earth and all legacies have been annihilated?"

He paused, a hint of yearning for the future appearing in his voice—the instinctive longing for a broader world felt by a Cultivator trapped in one realm for ten million years.

"During these days, I have repeatedly pondered the news. The Xili Empire is not a power from this world; they come from the even vaster and more expansive Outer Starry Sky. They possess civilizations and powers far beyond our imagination, as well as means to break free from the shackles of Lifespan and cross world barriers.

If submission is not kneeling for survival, but rather being able to step out of this cage-like Cultivation World to see the Vast Galaxy we have never touched in our entire lives... this Junior believes this is not a humiliation, but a new birth."

These words were blunt and transparent, without any concealment, yet they did not provoke the anger of any Old Ancestor.

On the contrary, the faces of everyone in the hall showed an indescribable sense of loneliness and relief. Some lowered their eyes and sighed softly, while others gazed at the swirling clouds outside the hall in a daze.

They had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, fighting for cultivation, seizing Spiritual Veins, and guarding legacies. But in the end, they couldn't even protect their own Sect. So-called fame, in the face of the world's collapse, was nothing more than a wisp of smoke.

The Seventh Ancestor closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air that had been building up in his chest. In that breath, there was the reluctance of a ten-thousand-year Sect Legacy, the final pride of a Tribulation Crossing Old Ancestor, and a total compromise with fate.

When he opened his eyes again, all struggle had faded, leaving only peace.

"In that case... let's do as Young Master Xu said."

He spoke slowly, his voice as light as a falling leaf, yet it determined the final fate of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect.

"Submit to the Xili Empire, let go of the obsessions of this world, and go see the... larger, more expansive world they speak of."

With those words, the Seventh Ancestor said no more. He turned and flicked his sleeves, his steps steady yet carrying a hint of desolation as he walked out of the Lingxiao Hall step by step.

The rest of the Old Ancestors looked at each other in silence. No one spoke out in opposition, and no one argued further.

They either sighed softly or nodded silently, following behind him one by one, filing out of this great hall that had carried the glory and rise and fall of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect for tens of thousands of years.

The top Sect that once stood high above, looking down on the entire Cultivation World, completely lowered the curtain on its history in this silent turning away...