The Third Princess has returned..."
"That aura just now, it really is the Third Princess."
"Wonderful..."
This was the clan territory of the Ji Chan Clan. But now, only a towering ancient tree that reached to the sky stood here, and this ancient tree had been severed by some unknown majestic and terrifying force, leaving only half of it.
That half of the tree still appeared vast and boundless, with no end in sight. Its every branch and leaf was incomparably lush and towering, receiving endless chaotic energy and star rivers, and its spreading roots alone extended through countless spacetimes and universes.
In the palaces throughout the tree canopy, members of the Ji Chan Clan, sensing the aura that had just drawn near, all revealed looks of pleasant surprise.
In the void, ripples spread, and within the hidden ancient palaces, one figure after another opened their eyes.
"A'Zi..."
"I thought you would never return to the Ji Chan Clan again in this life."
At this moment, in the great hall, hearing these words, the woman in colorful robes who had been sitting cross-legged finally slowly opened her eyes.
In her crystalline eyes, it seemed as if the myriad scenes of all heavens were reflected.
Her voice was very pleasant, like celestial music, enough to make any man intoxicated and lost in it, unwilling to awaken.
"This is the place that gave birth to me and raised me; how could I not return here."
"Over these years, many of our clansmen have diminished."
The complex expression on the black-robed woman's face slightly subsided.
Traveling from the Heaven-Slaying Alliance back to the Ancient Treasure Civilization had been quite smooth. Apart from needing to avoid some dangerous zones while crossing the Vast Expanse, it did not take much time.
Moreover, now that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance had formed a unified force, aside from the Dark Clans invading and occupying the Land of the Nine Heavens, the various regions of the Vast Expanse were actually quite stable, without any major wars or slaughter.
Considering the turbulent and urgent situation of the entire Vast Expanse, this could also be considered a rare peace.
During her return to the Ancient Treasure Civilization, she saw many ancient warships, wrapped in rosy light and chaotic aura, with Dao Realms existences clearing the way, traversing the Vast Expanse in an attempt to migrate toward the territory of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
But the vast Vast Expanse contained many indescribable dangers; she personally witnessed an Ancient True World, during its migration, swallowed whole by an unknown colossal fierce beast in the Vast Expanse, with billions upon billions of living beings dying instantly.
The Ji Chan Clan wanting to migrate toward the Heaven-Slaying Alliance sounded simple, but in truth, there were still many unknown dangers.
She might not necessarily be able to persuade her Second Sister to take away the entire Ji Chan Clan.
Not to mention those elders, stubborn and unyielding, knowing the fate of the Ji Chan Clan yet unwilling to recognize the facts, still stubbornly wanting to stay in the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
The colorful-robed woman smiled gently, looking at her and said, "The last time I saw you leave so persistently, I thought you would never set foot in the Ancient Treasure Civilization again in this life."
"Seeing you safe and sound, I am relieved."
In this generation of the Ji Chan Clan, they had nine sisters in total, named after nine colors. The third-ranked, the black-robed woman, was named Ji Ziyi.
And the colorful-robed woman, ranked second, was called Ji Xiangmiao.
"I have caused you worry, Second Sister."
Ji Ziyi showed a guilty expression, then, as if remembering something, asked, "On my way back to the clan territory, I saw that many clansmen were missing. What is going on?"
The Ji Chan Clan, as a clan backed by the Epoch Mother Tree in the Ancient Treasure Civilization, also held a very special status, incomparable to ordinary clan powers.
Even the several great royal clans would be very polite to the Ji Chan Clan.
However, after returning to the clan territory, she could clearly feel the gloom and despair in the clan, and the number of clansmen had also decreased greatly. It must be known that she had only left the Ji Chan Clan for several thousand years.
For those with profound cultivation, this was merely a snap of the fingers.
Why had such a great change occurred in such a short time?
Could it be that the Grand Priest of the Divine Hall of Rituals, still because of that incident back then, was suppressing the Ji Chan Clan?
Ji Xiangmiao, hearing this, also seemed somewhat helpless and shook her head, "I don't know what the Ancient Treasure Imperial Family is planning, but they are conscripting manpower. All clans of the Ancient Treasure Civilization are being ordered to send their elites. Even our Ji Chan Clan is among those conscripted..."
"Conscripting manpower?"
Ji Ziyi was stunned, her cold, beautiful face showing a chill as she said, "Could it be that the Ancient Treasure Imperial Family intends to go to war with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and is gathering forces?"
Ji Xiangmiao shook her head, "I don't know about this matter either. Perhaps they intend to go to war, or maybe they are repairing something... Little Five went to inquire about the intentions of the Ancient Treasure Imperial Family and was met with obstruction, eventually being injured by the imperial family's people. She is still recovering during this time. I cannot leave the clan territory, and the elders also advise us to be patient."
"The imperial family and the five great royal clans are all plotting something on their own. The Ancient Treasure Civilization is not as peaceful as it used to be."
"Especially I have a premonition that the great Cataclysmic Tribulation of this epoch is about to descend..."
"If we cannot survive the Epochal Winter, perhaps our Ji Chan Clan might face the calamity of clan extermination."
Hearing this, the chill on Ji Ziyi's face deepened. No matter what, the Ji Chan Clan had guarded the Epoch Mother Tree for generations, and in the current Ancient Treasure Civilization, they still held an irreplaceable position and role. Yet the Ancient Treasure Imperial Family had actually harmed Little Five.
Did they really think the Ji Chan Clan was easy to bully?
"What does Mother and the others from the ancestral court say?" Ji Ziyi asked.
"Mother's side also advises us to be patient," Ji Xiangmiao still shook her head, but a faint helplessness couldn't help but appear in her eyes.
Ji Ziyi clenched her jade hands and said, "Why must it be like this? Just because the Epoch Mother Tree was severed, has our Ji Chan Clan completely become a clan of sinners, having to yield everywhere?"
"Why can't the various clans of the Ancient Treasure Civilization see our contributions in guarding the Epoch Mother Tree for generations? Is it truly because of one moment's mistake that all our clan's achievements are completely denied?"
Ji Xiangmiao sighed, said no more, only a faint sorrow showing in her eyes.
"Ziyi, your character has always been tough, but you must also understand that often, the tougher you are, the more likely you are to be battered and bruised."
Ji Ziyi felt a wave of melancholy, then also felt helpless, and did not say anything more.
"Let's not talk about these matters. Ziyi, how have you been outside all these years?"
"I have heard quite a few rumors about the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. Sometimes I think you left too impulsively back then, but I also wonder if your decision might have been the right one..."
"I have also had our clansmen keep an eye on the Heaven-Slaying Alliance to see if we could learn a little news of you." Ji Xiangmiao smiled as she asked.
Ji Ziyi had not expected that her always aloof and gentle Second Sister would be so concerned about her. The Ji Chan Clan, due to their long lifespans, had relatively more detached emotions among sisters compared to other clans.
Nevertheless, although emotions were thin, they were still blood relatives, and they could not ignore the plight of their own clan.
"I've been quite well in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. It's just that now the Heaven-Slaying Alliance has experts like clouds, and I am not much of a figure there. Moreover, as a latecomer outsider, I basically can't get in touch with the upper echelons," Ji Ziyi shook her head.
"Even with cultivation at the Ancestral Dao Realm, you can't reach the upper echelons?"
Ji Xiangmiao was quite surprised. The Heaven-Slaying Alliance was stronger than she had imagined.
Ji Ziyi spoke frankly on this topic, with some admiration, "As far as I know, the Heaven-Slaying Alliance has dozens of Ancestral Dao Realm existences alone, and among them, quite a number have passed eight Heavenly Decline Tribulations. In addition, there are some ultimate ancient figures, like the Ethereal Sacred Ancestor of the Ethereal Sacred Domain, who is already very close to the End of the Path realm..."
"Moreover, by the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's side, there are two mysterious figures who have likely stepped into the End of the Path realm. His own strength is even more unfathomable, possibly a Supreme Shattering existence."
"The End of the Path realm..."
Hearing this, Ji Xiangmiao showed a look of longing, then slightly sighed, "If our Eldest Sister had not taken Little Nine's place back then and been sacrificed to the other side, with her talent, she would have likely reached that realm by now..."
The Eldest Sister was the oldest among them and also the most powerful in cultivation.
Ji Ziyi's gaze dimmed slightly.
When the Eldest Sister was still around, she treated them, her sisters, extremely well. The Ji Chan Clan, even when facing the five great royal clans, had the confidence to deal with them calmly.
As Eldest Sister was sacrificed and departed, Mother's vitality waned, her strength far from its peak, and the Ji Chan Clan's status was far from what it once was.
"Second Sister, you should soon be crossing the ninth Heavenly Decline Tribulation..."
Ji Ziyi noted Ji Xiangmiao's current cultivation, but she couldn't clearly discern it.
That misty substance akin to chaotic mist enshrouding Second Sister could block all probing, and she only felt more and more that Second Sister was unfathomable.
"It should be soon," Ji Xiangmiao showed a hint of a smile.
Ji Ziyi nodded. Though the two sisters seemed to be catching up, they tacitly avoided the key point.
After a long while.
Ji Ziyi sighed inwardly and decided to inform her of the purpose of her return.
"Second Sister, my return this time is actually to have the Ji Chan Clan migrate away from the Ancient Treasure Civilization..."
Ji Xiangmiao was not at all surprised upon hearing this. She understood her third sister's character well; returning at this time couldn't be without reason.
She also did not immediately object but calmly asked, "Migrate to where? The Heaven-Slaying Alliance?"
Ji Ziyi looked into her crystalline eyes that seemed filled with myriad colors, and lowered her head, "Other than the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, there is nowhere else to migrate to now."
Ji Xiangmiao sighed and said, "But you should know that our Ji Chan Clan can go anywhere, except specifically the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. You should also know the reason."
The Ji Chan Clan exists because of the Epoch Mother Tree, and the Epoch Mother Tree is regarded as a blessing from heaven for all living beings of the Vast Expanse.
If they migrate to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, that would essentially be disrespecting heaven, abandoning the faith they have held for generations.
Ji Ziyi also understood this reasoning, but she had made up her mind, her gaze even more resolute.
"Now our Ji Chan Clan has no other choice. I don't want generation after generation to repeat the same fate. Eldest Sister was sacrificed to the other side, and now even Ninth Sister is by the Reincarnation Sea, day and night suffering the erosion of cold and bitter poison..."
"I want to change the fate of the Ji Chan Clan," she said in a deep voice.
Ji Xiangmiao stared at her blankly, silent.
"Second Sister, I know you are also unwilling. Now, such an opportunity is before our Ji Chan Clan."
"The Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance has already promised me that he will intervene and guide us along the way..."
"Perhaps you don't know, but actually Little Nine and the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance are old acquaintances. For Little Nine's sake, he will help us," Ji Ziyi added.
"Ziyi, how can you guarantee that once our Ji Chan Clan arrives in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, we can escape our fate?" Ji Xiangmiao sighed lightly.
"By overthrowing the Land of Truth, overthrowing the so-called heaven, we can break free..." Ji Ziyi's voice was unprecedentedly firm.
Ji Xiangmiao was silent for a while, then said, "Since that is the case, I will not stop you. Go to the ancestral court and negotiate with Mother and the elders. If they also agree, I naturally will have nothing to say."
"Now that Eldest Sister is gone and Mother's vitality is weak, I must consider the entire clan. If I were alone, I would naturally stand by your side."
Ji Ziyi looked at her, extremely serious, "Second Sister, you know that Mother and the elders are stubborn and unyielding. They would rather have Little Nine go to the Grand Priest to admit her mistakes and receive punishment than show any hint of betrayal. Do you think they would truly consider it after hearing my words?"
"No, they will only think that I have been bewitched by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, and might even join forces to capture me, imprison me, and make me face the wall to regain clarity."
"Now, in the entire Ji Chan Clan, only you can help me. I must act first and report later."
Her tone was resolute, containing indescribable determination and will.
Ji Xiangmiao was stunned.
She hadn't expected that her third sister had already considered all the consequences and possibilities. This was completely different from the impulsive third sister of the past. It seemed that during these years in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, she had also changed.
Seeing Ji Xiangmiao silent, Ji Ziyi knew she was hesitating inwardly.
She immediately said even more firmly, "Second Sister, just give me the jade talisman to enter the Epoch Abyssal Ruins. Whatever the consequences, I will bear them alone."
"If the clan elders pursue responsibility, just say you were deceived by me and had the jade talisman stolen."
"What are you going to do in the Epoch Abyssal Ruins?" Ji Xiangmiao was stunned again. That place was the root location of the Epoch Mother Tree, and also a forbidden area, guarded by the Ji Chan Clan for generations. After all worlds returned to ruins, many cosmic remnants would finally flow there.
Even the Ji Chan Clan needed the clan's jade talisman to enter there.
"I want to take away the Epoch Mother Tree, and only by acting from there can I succeed," Ji Ziyi said.
"It seems... you are truly insane..."
Ji Xiangmiao sighed, and on her slender, fair palm, rosy light shimmered, and an ancient, crystalline jade talisman emerged, shaped like an ancient cicada, emitting mystical fluctuations.
Seeing this, Ji Ziyi understood her second sister's intentions, showed a touched expression, then without further words, took the jade talisman and vanished from the great hall in a flash.
"Third Sister was right."
"Since that's so, I'll help you this once. If things go wrong this time, then I'll accompany you through endless tribulations." Seeing her third sister's figure disappear, Ji Xiangmiao stood in silence for a while, then lightly moved her jade feet, transforming into a streak of colorful light, heading toward the ancestral court of the Ji Chan Clan.
All the elders of the Ji Chan Clan were in quiet cultivation in the ancestral court, and the current Empress of the Ji Chan Clan, their mother, was also recuperating there.
As Ji Xiangmiao walked toward the ancestral court, a misty, colorful fog rose from her body. Faintly visible was a giant, beautiful, colored cicada silhouette spreading its wings in the void, each wing trailing boundless star rivers and chaotic aura, with world particles gestating within, shrouding the Ji Chan Clan's territory and concealing some aura and movement.
In the Ancient Treasure Civilization, many figures with powerful auras seemed to notice something at this moment and opened their eyes one after another.
Terrifying auras swept over like giant waves striking the heavens, causing various universes to tremble.
Rumble!
Meanwhile, in the Vast Expanse void outside, ripples spread, and a passage was pierced through. One ancient warship after another, bedecked with the banners of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty, was descending from there.
A vast and mighty army, standing atop those ancient warships, was like a torrent that made hearts tremble.
On an ancient warship, in a pavilion, Jiang Weiyang stood quietly by the railing, her appearance dignified, quiet, and elegant, wearing an indigo gauze dress, her cloud-like hair coiled, a phoenix hairpin slanted, her neck slender and graceful like a white swan's.
Her graceful, slender figure was like a budding white lotus, her skin like snow-white lotus root, clear and flawless, with a crystalline luster.
Behind her, the Divine Martial Great General Zhu Cangning and others of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty stood respectfully in order.
In addition, there was State Preceptor Xingming, who had been loyal to Yinxu Cave but disappeared after the Alliance of Righteous Unity collapsed, not taken away by the Master of Fate.
After the Heaven-Slaying Alliance quelled the chaos everywhere and formed a unified force, he reappeared, presenting himself at the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty to clarify Jiang Weiyang's doubts and inform her of the oral decree left by the former Weiyang Emperor Lord.
It was precisely State Preceptor Xingming who informed them that he had detected the causal aura of the Master of Fate, hiding in the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
Jiang Weiyang and Ji Hanjing then abandoned their investigation of the Land of the Nine Heavens and set their sights on the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
Therefore, the entire Weiyang Immortal Dynasty mobilized its troops, iron cavalry like dragons, mist and rosy clouds swirling, galloping across cosmic spacetime, breaking open passages, descending and arriving, their presence shaking the starry skies and the universe.