"What? All fifteen elders are coming? Did I hear that right?" Emperor Ling asked Wuming, shocked by the report. The crisis was grave, but he hadn't expected it to rattle the Supreme Immortal Realm's elders enough for a full assembly.
Though stunned, Ling was thrilled. With these powerful allies, victory seemed far more likely. Surely, if the elders came, other Supreme Immortals would follow.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The valley's Supreme Immortals sent this via messenger bird," Wuming reported, his calm voice barely masking lips trembling with excitement.
"Good. Prepare, Wuming. It's a matter of survival, but we need some ceremony, even if simple," Ling ordered. The fifteen elders' joint appearance, unseen for millennia, demanded respect, crisis or not.
"Understood." Wuming bowed and left the hall.
"Big Bro, I'm back!" Only Makino Alang would dare bellow in the divine hall.
"How'd it go? Report," I said, lounging on my warm jade chair, eyeing the incorrigible Alang.
"Big Bro, caution's fine, but you're overdoing it. I scoured all day—nothing! Those turtle grandsons weren't lying. This Immortal Realm's got squat for strength. Even if they're tough, so what? We'll call tens of millions more warriors from the empire and flatten them," Alang ranted.
"Enough. What'd you find?" I cut him off. Otherwise, he'd gripe endlessly. How'd he pick up this blabbering habit? No wonder Abao and the others flee his speeches.
"Nothing, Big Bro. What's to say?" Alang shrugged.
"No news is good news," I replied, looking up.
"Huh? That's too deep, too philosophical. Big Bro, my admiration for you—" Before he could launch another tirade, I flung him out with lightning speed. His distant, heart-stopping scream echoed.
In the Immortal Realm's palace hall, all notable figures—save the soldiers and Four Heavenly Kings facing the Sky Dragon Empire—gathered silently, awaiting the Supreme Immortals.
As tension peaked, a rainbow-hued, man-high portal shimmered into existence at the hall's center.
The Great Elder, foremost among the Supreme Immortal elders, stepped through, followed by the other fourteen. As they emerged, the portal vanished as abruptly as it appeared.
"Only the fifteen elders?" Ling sensed something amiss. Snapping back, he led the immortals in formal greetings.
"Great Elder, why so few?" Ling asked, unable to contain his unease.
"We're not here for war. Why bring more?" the Great Elder sighed, glancing at Ling.
"What?!" Ling exclaimed. With tensions this high, was peace even possible? If it were, they wouldn't be in this standoff.
The Great Elder caught Ling's shock. Waving a hand, he said, "We'll discuss later. Don't rush."
Jolted by the reminder, Ling inwardly scolded himself. What's wrong with me? I'm losing my cool. If this continued, his cultivation would plummet. Bowing, he said, "Thank you, Elder."
"Good you understand," the Great Elder said softly, a sigh tinged with anxiety in his eyes, hoping Ling would stay sharp.
The elders took central seats, Ling beside them, while other immortals stood below. Silence fell.
The Great Elder cleared his throat, speaking calmly. "Today, we fifteen elders visit the Immortal Realm. You know the situation."
As he said, no one stirred.
"This is the gravest crisis in our realm's history. One misstep, and we face annihilation," he declared, his words a bomb detonating among them. That the mighty Great Elder spoke thus stunned them. Glancing at the other elders, they saw identical grimness. Cold dread gripped them, the hall's ancient warm jade offering no comfort.
A Golden Immortal, losing control, blurted, "Elder, can't we defeat them, even with all immortals and Supreme Immortals united?" Others nodded, murmurs erupting, the hall buzzing.
The Great Elder's faint sigh cut through, clear in every ear. Silence returned, eyes on the elders.
"I don't think—we know—we can't win, even united. They are gods, eternal legends. If they weren't, we'd fight for any sliver of hope. But we face an incomparably mighty god," the Great Elder said, seeming to age decades. The immortals gaped, minds reeling: Our enemy is a god? How do we fight? As "immortals" with human flaws, they feared the strong and bullied the weak.
"No deception here. If there were hope, we wouldn't come alone. They may be stronger than we estimate. Our consciousness merely brushed theirs and was repelled. They might not have used full strength," the Third Elder said, pausing. "If it's just one god, there's still no hope." The immortals' hopeful gazes plummeted into despair at his words.
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