The heroes journeyed north, unaware that what awaited them were countless bizarre and fantastical worlds.

To the people of that era, heading north seemed unremarkable, but posterity recognized this as the critical turning point when the Earth Core Star entered its defining historical moment.

Those lucky enough to board the ship rejoiced endlessly, while those who missed the opportunity came to be deeply regretful, with their descendants all sighing over this phase of history.

What followed was years of relentless warfare.

With Song Lin's assistance, the Han people progressed reasonably well in their efforts, though there were occasional betrayals and casualties. Overall, however, the newly ascendant Weii Country maintained an upward momentum.

The Great Xianbei Mountain sent wave after wave of forces, yet they were no match for Song Lin. Instead, they suffered injuries and lost considerable territory.

Soon enough, Weii Country had occupied the Central Plains and the Northwest, becoming a colossal force wedged between two major powers. King Weii declared himself Emperor, officially transforming from a breakaway faction into a grave and pressing threat.

The southern and northern courts sent emissaries to negotiate in secret.

The Qi Capital.

"The Emperor of Wei's proposal is to jointly deploy troops to attack the pseudo-Weii, with the territories split between us. The Yellow River would serve as the boundary, and a pact of non-aggression would be established."

"Impossible! Have you all forgotten the tale of the lips and the teeth? Besides, Ning Yuan has done nothing against our court thus far."

"Bullshit! What 'lips and teeth'? If he truly bore goodwill toward us, why has he repeatedly ignored our court's emissaries? Surely he'll turn around and march south before long."

The court officials debated heatedly, while the seventy-something-year-old Emperor closed his eyes and remained silent, ignoring their clamor.

This elderly Emperor, who had ruled for many years, maintained absolute control over the court. His deft maneuvering over the decades had preserved half of the Han people's domain.

The Emperor enjoyed listening to his officials quarrel, using it as a means to identify who was best suited for certain tasks and who was unworthy of trust.

Soon, he determined the direction of the court's action: to coordinate with the northern front.

The emissary departed, and three months later—

Heavy forces gathered from the north and south, with the combined armies exceeding half a million soldiers.

Lingyun City, the capital of Weii Country.

The entirety of Weii's fifty-thousand elite soldiers were holed up within the city, surrounded on all sides by dense formations of troops, stretching as far as the eye could see.

In the skies above, several figures hovered. Among them, a white-haired elder exuded a mountainous and overwhelming aura. Just meeting his gaze caused a stabbing pain between one's brows, as though nearing death on the spot.

This was none other than the Xianbei Great Venerable, the most powerful being of his era.

Song Lin stood atop the city wall, flanked by Weii Country's high-ranking officials.

Over the past few months, many had fled from battle, leaving only the most elite behind.

Present were King Ning Yuan, Princess Ning Fu, Crown Prince Ning Qi, Iron Sect Master Yanh Tie, and several Jianghu powerhouses.

Under Song Lin's training, most of them had achieved cultivation ranging from the Divine Establishment Period to Core Formation Stage.

Together, they numbered eleven. The strongest among them was Ning Yuan, who possessed early-stage Core Formation-level close-combat strength.

"The enemy doesn't intend to leave us with any chance of survival," Ning Yuan stated gravely, noting the absence of even the basic strategy of leaving an escape route.

"It doesn't matter," Song Lin replied with nonchalance.

Boom!

At that moment, the Great Venerable unleashed a strike, his immense True Qi stirring mysterious cosmic energies that formed a hundred-zhang Black Mountain—a miniature replica of the Great Xianbei Mountain.

The Black Mountain came crashing down toward the city walls.

The force carried an almost sorcerous power.

Song Lin gazed at the sun.

"It's over," he remarked.

Boom!

The sunlight blazed intensely as countless strands of True Taiyang Fire rained down upon the tens of thousands of enemy troops, precisely striking all commanding officers.

As for the barbarians, they were struck indiscriminately from all directions.

The Seventy-two Changes Yuan Chen Avatar plucked a tuft of hair, blew it toward the sky, and—

Swish!

Hundreds of avatars identical to itself surged into the ranks of the martial art masters, while Yuan Chen charged straight for the Great Venerable.

"You… What kind of sorcery is this?"

"Me? I am an Immortal."

As he spoke, Song Lin transformed into a Qilin and swallowed the source of this war in a single gulp.

This being could not be spared if the people's fury was to be appeased.

The chain of transformations left everyone stunned.

They had envisioned countless possible outcomes, yet none anticipated that the battle would end in such a manner.

Completely beyond reason.

Sunlight coalesced into a golden giant gate.

Through the gate's opening, a breathtaking Immortal Realm could be seen.

Song Lin revealed his dharma body, golden light shining radiantly above his head and auspicious clouds beneath his feet.

"I am the Divine Lord's avatar—Eastern King of the Heavenly Court. Step forward and receive your decree!"

"We pay homage to the Immortal!"

In an instant, friend and foe alike knelt down.

Of course, few enemies remained by then.

The Eight Sect Leaders had perished, and the Xianbei's elites had been all but wiped out.

The two emperors who had personally led their armies fainted upon witnessing this scene.

"By the Divine Lord's decree, Emperor Ning Yuan of Weii Country is recognized for his service to the Heavenly Court and is granted the title of Human Clan's Son of Heaven and Purple Mist Immortal."

The Core Formation Stage marked the lowest level of Wandering Immortals. For him, a minor title and the privilege of enjoying red water seemed appropriate.

Given the average lifespan in this world, unless one resided in Kunlun for extended periods, red water would allow them to live for three to five thousand years.

"Yanh Tie is titled the Iron Palm Immortal Servant, Sima Chuan the Golden Saber Immortal Servant, Crown Prince Ning Feng the Golden Sun Prince, and Princess Ning Fu the Silver Moon Princess…"

These were similarly minor titles. At most, those individuals were at the Divine Establishment Period, and by the Heavenly Court's rules, they were referred to as True Persons.

Additionally, a number of other meritorious figures and talents were granted ranks such as military officers among the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals and deities.

As Song Lin announced the decrees, jade seals formed one by one and descended before each person's mortal body. When they touched the jade seals, an influx of Heavenly Court knowledge flowed into their minds.

"Thank you, Divine Lord."

Ning Yuan absorbed the general knowledge, smiling wryly in his heart. It seemed the Divine Lord had a playful streak. Despite his overwhelming power, Song Lin had humored them mortals in this forsaken realm.

Perhaps this was what it meant to be an Immortal—utterly inscrutable.

Then again, his luck was truly extraordinary—far beyond any ordinary stroke of fortune.

Swish…

Just then, ten thousand Heavenly Soldiers emerged from the golden gate, led by Donghua Taoist Sect's Heavenly Master, Bingde True Monarch Wang Ziyue.

Wang Ziyue wore a purple dragon-patterned Heavenly Master robe, his entire being enveloped by radiant treasures. With his hundred-zhang Heavenly Army flanking him, his every gesture inspired awe among the onlookers of this world.

"We pay homage to the Divine Lord."

"Mm, rise. You will be responsible for unifying this realm and channeling its Earth Energy into the Heavenly Court."

Song Lin instructed him.

This was the benefit of the Palace of the Polestar—once a connection was established, travel between the two realms became possible.

Of course, the portal could not remain open indefinitely, given the vast distances involved.

"Yes, my Lord!"

Soon, the ten thousand Heavenly Soldiers took control of the True Qi Star as Song Lin named it, formally annexing this star into the Heavenly Court's territory as the first celestial expansion.

Song Lin's avatar stood quietly on the sun, observing it all.

The first Outer Heaven Star—this act carried extraordinary significance.

Once the process was refined, he would no longer need to act personally. He only needed to locate worlds, implant a Divine Thought, and wait for it to refine the sun before creating a portal to let the Heavenly Court take over.

Since this was the first time, Song Lin found the experience amusing and chose to intervene directly.

Beyond this Yuan Chen avatar, the other eleven Yuan Chen were also traversing the infinite cosmos in search of targets.

As flowers bloomed and withered, and the seasons turned—

A Jiazi passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, the Twelve Yuan Chen discovered a total of eighteen life-bearing stars. The nearest was three thousand light-years away, while the farthest spanned up to ten billion light-years. The Palace of the Polestar's energy could only hold open the portal momentarily, so the number of travelers had to remain limited.

Song Lin decided to send Chiyou personally for the tasks.

The Heavenly Court's territory expanded significantly, and many of its high-ranking officials established renown through the extraterrestrial campaigns, their myths becoming legends centered around their exploits.

Unfortunately, no suitable treasure for comprehending the Heavenly Water Dao had yet been found.

The avatars continued their search across the boundless universe.

(Happy New Year! Only one update today as it's the first of the year.)

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