Yi Tianyun's decision was something Shi Xueyun naturally wouldn't interfere with. Since he had already made up his mind, she wouldn't say more. She believed in Yi Tianyun's judgment, it had never been wrong.
"Tianyun, you're pushing out these kinds of missions so urgently… something big must be coming, right?" Shi Xueyun could sense that something wasn't right. To raise cultivation so quickly, it had to be either for defending the God Territory, or going to war.
Yi Tianyun had previously said he wouldn't initiate war lightly, so that only left one possibility, defending their own God Territory.
"Looks like you saw through it. But even if you hadn't, the truth will come out once this mission is made public," Yi Tianyun said with a smile, not hiding anything. "It's about the God Territory War, a massively dangerous conflict. If we succeed, we'll rise to a fourth-grade God Territory. If we fail, we could face annihilation."
"But I'm fully confident we can win. Otherwise, I wouldn't risk dragging all of the Three Realms into something so dangerous just for my own ambition."
"Besides, this war could spill over here anyway. Even if I don't participate, we might still get caught in the crossfire. Power always comes first. Improving our strength gives us the best chance of survival!"
Even without participating, Yi Tianyun knew the war could still affect them, depending on where the Token Core appeared.
If it showed up in a first-grade God Territory, they'd definitely be impacted. Even in second-grade territories, the chances of being drawn in were high. Only if it appeared in a third-grade God Territory might they be spared somewhat.
Both the Mortal territories and second-grade territories were too close, easily caught in the blast radius. And when war breaks out, resources are the first thing people grab. And where would those come from? Neighboring God Territories, either through plundering or by turning them into battlefields.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be such caution around the event. Domain Lord Liuli of the Heavenly Spring God Territory had begun preparations early on, those who hadn't prepared had already been wiped out.
"The God Territory War…"
After hearing the full explanation, Shi Xueyun was deeply shaken. She hadn't expected such a cataclysmic event.
"When do you plan to announce this publicly?" she asked, her expression grave. This was not a matter to be taken lightly, it couldn't be hidden from the people.
Everyone needed time to prepare. More importantly, they needed to understand the magnitude of the force they would be facing.
"In a few decades. For now, we won't make it public," Yi Tianyun said after some thought. "But I'll explain it to the other elders first. We'll work on the plan internally."
"Plans are fine, but what's your plan?" Shi Xueyun's eyes held deep concern.
After learning about the war, she realized their faction was like an egg hitting a rock. Their overall strength was too weak. Even with every effort, growth would still be limited.
But when Yi Tianyun mentioned having the support of three Heavenly Venerables, she finally relaxed a little. Still, her worry for Yi Tianyun himself didn't go away.
Yi Tianyun then explained all the dangers he personally would face, especially the moment of seizing the Token Core. That would be the most perilous part, surrounded by powerful enemies on all sides.
"Don't worry. If there's one thing I'm not afraid of, it's being surrounded," Yi Tianyun said, pulling her close with confident eyes. "I never act without certainty. You can trust that."
"Mm…" Shi Xueyun gently nodded, though her heart remained heavy.
While she went off to handle her tasks, Yi Tianyun stayed in his room. With nothing urgent at hand, his thoughts turned to the special mission related to the Forgetting Worries Bridge. He had failed to enter before, perhaps now he could?
"My cultivation has improved significantly. Maybe I can withstand it now?" He had previously thought he'd need Heavenly Venerable power to survive it.
Though he hadn't reached that realm yet, his overall strength now far exceeded most Heavenly Venerables.
Without further hesitation, he teleported straight to the core. As before, his soul was pulled from his body and reappeared in that small, bustling village.
He still found himself in the simple straw hut, just as before.
Soon, he arrived before the Forgetting Worries Bridge. Many souls were walking across it, fading into the distance, never to return.
"This time, I have to make it through. I have a feeling that if I reach the other side, I'll definitely gain the upper hand in the God Territory War!"
Yi Tianyun had an intuition, if he could reach the other side, he could grasp the full power of the Three Realms. The realm may seem small, but the strength contained within it was terrifying. If unleashed, even High-level Heavenly Venerables could be instantly destroyed.
A ninth-grade God Rune Master, that was no joke. The power required to reach such a level was immense.
He stepped up to the Forgetting Worries Bridge and placed his foot on it. This time, his mind only blurred slightly, much better than before. At least it didn't feel like he was about to be sucked in instantly.
"There's hope!"
His eyes lit up as he took another step forward. With each step, his consciousness was rapidly drained. Even though he had entered in soul form, it now felt like his soul was being stripped away at an even deeper level.
Gritting his teeth, he pressed on. Each step required him to pause, stabilize his mind, and reassert his awareness before moving again.
He had only made it halfway across, half remained.
Turning to glance beside him, he noticed other souls walking along the bridge as well. But they moved gracefully and easily. After crossing, they disappeared into the small hut ahead.
It seemed their goal was the hut beyond, not to vanish on the bridge.
"The truth, huh?"
Clenching his jaw, Yi Tianyun pressed forward, fiercely guarding his spiritual platform and refusing to let his awareness slip. Along the way, he could feel his soul strength skyrocketing.
Unlike cultivation, soul strength couldn't simply be leveled up by spending experience. It had to be built through hard training and challenges.
But now, his soul power was growing at an incredible pace, and he couldn't help but feel excited.
"Even if I can't make it all the way through, at least I'm strengthening my soul!" Yi Tianyun thought. One way or another, this trip was already worthwhile.