Chapter 623 - 354: Invasion

The tide of change was unstoppable!

The rise of the Immortal Dao had become an inevitability.

Many high-level figures in the Martial Dao tried to suppress the Immortal Dao’s development through legislation and other means. But with some things, oppression only breeds resistance.

Not only did many of these measures fail, but they also paradoxically increased the influence of the Immortal Dao among the common people.

Some had even contacted the leaders of the Qingcheng Sect, hoping to persuade them to use Zhao Rui’s influence to exert pressure.

But the Qingcheng Sect refused.

Although Zhao Rui had never explicitly stated he wouldn’t get involved in the conflict between the Immortal and Martial Daos, it was clear from his attitude that he had no desire to meddle in such affairs.

Besides, the Qingcheng Sect practiced Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation, and its leaders were all busy researching how to convert between the two disciplines.

They had no time to get involved in such matters.

Ultimately, these people weren’t afraid of others’ cultivation; they were afraid that cultivators would usurp their power and status.

Since Zhao Rui wouldn’t intervene and the Qingcheng Sect wouldn’t get involved, the leaders of the Martial Dao were left to handle it themselves.

The standoffs and conflicts between the two sides grew more frequent, eventually erupting into open clashes between Immortals and martial artists.

Fortunately, both factions had powerful masters who stepped in just in time to prevent the conflicts from escalating.

But this brewing storm wasn’t entirely a bad thing. The conflict between the Immortal and Martial Daos would, in the end, be settled by strength.

Whoever could produce the first expert strong enough to dominate the era would hold all the power.

Therefore, this struggle also indirectly spurred the progress of cultivation throughout society.

Countless young masters sprang up like mushrooms after a rain.

Ranking lists like the "Top Ten Young Masters," the "Dragon and Tiger Rankings," and the "Dragon and Phoenix Dominance List" appeared one after another.

At first, victories were traded back and forth. But as time went on, the Martial Dao experts gradually fell behind the younger generation of the Immortal Dao.

The Immortals’ attacks were devastating, and their defenses surpassed those of the Martial Dao by more than a single measure.

After all, the Immortal Dao had artifacts, Secret Techniques, and a myriad of other defensive measures.

Compared to the Martial Dao, which could only rely on True Qi for defense, the Immortal Dao was simply far superior.

Just as Blue Star was thriving and the conflict between Immortals and martial artists raged, a strange rift suddenly tore through space on the distant edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Unknown Energy signal detected. Suspected aura of the long-lost Immortal Realm."

An electronic voice blared urgently from an interstellar monitoring station not far from the rift.

The signal spread in a superluminal quantum state, rapidly reaching every region of the Milky Way Galaxy.

This included the Orion Arm, where the Divine Domain was located.

"Report to Zhao Zhenren at once! A suspected alien force is invading the Milky Way Galaxy!"

The Five Immortals guarding the Divine Domain were alarmed and immediately used a special method to contact Zhao Rui, who was far away on Blue Star.

The very first thing Zhao Rui did upon receiving the news was move his entire immediate family to a specially terraformed, life-sustaining planet.

Using spatial techniques, he then sealed the planet from the outside world. He used his immortal arts to block all energy signatures and physical interactions, tucking them away within a fold of space.

He did all this in complete secrecy. Once finished, he found the Qingcheng Sect Leader and Yu Zhengnan, informed them of his imminent departure, and told them to remain vigilant and await his return.

Though the two of them didn’t know the details, they could guess it was likely related to that giant, sky-blotting palm from the past.

Over a dozen years had passed in a flash; people may have forgotten that such an entity had once tried to invade Blue Star.

But those who had witnessed it firsthand could never forget its terrifying might and world-destroying presence.