Wei Tong froze.
Above his vessel floated the main ship, vast and solemn as it hovered beside the Wo Long Ship. Behind him, the remaining ships came to an abrupt halt in the heavens.
No one dared move.
Everyone understood the unspoken law: if the main ship turned its attention toward you and you continued forward, you were declaring yourself above the sect's authority.
Wo Long had already attempted to do exactly that. Yet the main ship had ignored him—until now.
Wei Tong's stomach sank. Cold sweat traced his face as he clenched his fists.
This cannot be happening.
Before he could steady himself, Mo Qing's husky voice broke the silence.
"Sir, may I ask why you have stopped?"
At least someone had spoken.
Then—
Tap.
Footsteps echoed from the Forest Force Ship.
The enthusiastic Bo Zing emerged first. He stood eight feet tall and wore an embroidered robe of extraordinary craftsmanship, while a polished dragon skull rested upon his shoulder. His hair was divided between black and faded gray, and he stroked his neatly trimmed beard as he walked.
Behind him came Mrs. Bon, elegant in a pink gown decorated with delicate floral patterns. Flower-like wings extended from her back, lending her an almost otherworldly beauty. The old man Wo Tom followed her, crushing a seashell in his hand before casting a mocking glance toward the heavens.
Then the expressions of all three legends changed.
They stepped aside, creating a path.
Below them, twenty-three enormous ships hung motionless in the sky while the cultivators aboard them stared upward.
"What is happening?"
"Who are they making way for?"
"Perhaps they are revealing Sun Tzu—the Supreme Elder of the Zhou Lian Sect."
"Don't be foolish," another voice interrupted. "Who else could make the three legends of the First Force step aside?"
A deeper voice followed.
"The man who humbled those three legends—the rational figure said to appear only once in an era—is none other than Sun Tzu."
It was Heng Fang.
The crowd instinctively retreated when he appeared among them. He gazed toward the heavens and smiled faintly.
"He is here…"
Then—
he appeared.
Two figures emerged: the Supreme Elder of the Immortal Continent Sect and, beside him, Sun Tzu.
Sun Tzu towered over the others, yet his appearance was almost ordinary. With his bald head and peaceful expression, he looked more like a hunter or gardener than a legendary tactician. Only his immaculate yellow Emperor's robe and the invisible pressure surrounding him revealed his true identity.
He adjusted his collar, took a leisurely sip from his cup, and swept his gaze across the gathering.
Every immortal fell silent.
"He's alive…"
"Sun Tzu?"
Feng Fang's voice carried through the stillness.
"Renewal and Sun Tzu were once his left and right hands. The Immortal Continent intended to awaken Sun Tzu and use him to rule the world. However, the Empire Continent discovered the plan, hid him away, and sought to conquer the mortal realm instead."
Heng Fang's expression grew solemn.
"This generation belongs in legend. Renewal and Sun Tzu have both awakened—and now they stand as equals."
Sun Tzu smiled and broke the silence with a gentle laugh.
"So, you have discovered that Renewal and I have been revived."
He lowered his cup.
"Renewal somehow escaped. I do not know how. But I was never truly meant to be used."
Long ago, he explained, the Mortal Ruler had prepared a false arrangement, allowing the Empire Continent to believe that it had captured and enslaved him. The body they examined had been nothing more than a decoy. Its functions were false, and even the soul they had attempted to manipulate belonged to someone else.
"I hid my true existence beneath it," Sun Tzu said. "A few people eventually understood the deception and spent millions of years creating an artifact capable of exposing it."
His eyes narrowed.
"But now, I have destroyed that artifact."
He looked across the ships.
"So tell me. Who among you dares to kill me?"
The heavens trembled.
"And whom should I dare to kill?"
Sun Tzu's expression softened.
"I would kill no one. I would rather trust all of you with blind faith."
His gaze drifted toward the horizon.
"Life is suffering. We endure pain for the sake of an ending we believe will satisfy us, only to discover that satisfaction may be another lie. I do not trust my instincts. I trust only what can be secured in this moment."
He lowered his eyes.
"Perhaps then, I may finally call myself satisfied."
His voice carried across the ships.
"Cast aside your attachments and desires before they become the source of your greatest suffering. A desire is harmless only while it remains a desire. Once it becomes a chain, it begins to drag you toward the grave."
He took another sip, his tone as mild as a teacher correcting a child.
"Come with me. Forgive Renewal for his past actions, but grant him justice. If he understands that death may follow once everything has been secured, perhaps he will finally comprehend the weight of what he has done."
His smile remained gentle.
"If he does not understand, then I will explain it to him in the only language even the dead can remember."
For a moment, the world was silent.
Then the ships erupted.
"Sun Tzu!"
"We believe you!"
"Renewal deserves justice!"
"We will follow you!"
Even Wo Long raised his voice.
Beside him, Wei Tong held tightly to the silent Mo Qing.
Mo Qing alone remained unmoved.
They are pretending.
Every cheer and declaration of loyalty was calculated. No one dared rebel before a figure possessing such overwhelming authority. Sun Tzu might have been kind and gentle—even the friend of the man who had destroyed their families—but kindness was not weakness.
They stood before the Supreme Elder of the Sect. If their own Supreme Elder had chosen to follow Sun Tzu, what right did they have to resist?
And, truthfully, Sun Tzu was their only hope of defeating Renewal.
Suddenly, Sun Tzu raised one hand.
The uproar died instantly.
"If my ideology is difficult to accept, then decide this instead: should Renewal live or die?"
No one answered.
"I will not choose for you," Sun Tzu continued. "Those who suffered because of him deserve justice. But do not mistake my restraint for hesitation."
His gaze swept across the ships.
"I know Renewal's weakness. I can kill him within days."
He lifted his cup slightly.
"The only question is whether he dies by your judgment…"
His eyes shifted toward the horizon.
"…or by my hand."
He stopped.
Every immortal froze.
Only the Supreme Elder moved. He slowly turned around, his face hidden from view, and began to tremble.
Far below, emerald fields, endless forests, mist-covered mountains, and winding rivers stretched across the continent.
None of it mattered anymore.
Every immortal understood the same thing:
Something had changed.
And whatever came next would shake the entire world.