From among the immortals who had descended from Cloud End, a dignified-looking beautiful matron flew over, arriving before Su Hua. She spoke with urgency and concern, "Hua'er, how are you? Are you alright?"
This beautiful matron was not only one of the leading Great Luo Golden Immortals among the Cloud End immortals but also a Nine Heavens Elder, a Cloud End Elder, and the Guardian of the Immortal Dao for this world.
The Guardian of the Immortal Dao, as the name implied, took the protection of this world's Immortal Dao as her responsibility.
This was a noble status, one so noble that in this world, it stood above any other immortal.
Besides the Guardian of the Immortal Dao, there were also Enforcers of the Immortal Dao, Arbiters of the Immortal Dao, and Sovereigns of the Immortal Dao.
For instance, the Third Prince was an Enforcer of the Immortal Dao; his duty was to act on behalf of the Immortal Dao in this world.
As for the Arbiters of the Immortal Dao, they also had the authority to pass judgment on behalf of the Immortal Dao over all things in this world, over the life and death of its myriad beings.
And the Sovereigns of the Immortal Dao presided over all matters concerning the Immortal Dao in this world, making them the most noble status in a given realm.
Since this beautiful matron was the Guardian of the Immortal Dao, her status and background were naturally extraordinary. Most importantly, she was also the Aunt Mei whom Su Hua had always held in high regard. Moreover, before Su Hua had undergone reincarnation, when she was still the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, the two had already been acquainted.
"Aunt Mei!"
Instead of answering, Su Hua asked a question in return, "Have you come to kill Jin'er?"
This question truly stumped Aunt Mei for a moment, leaving her unsure how to respond—or more accurately, unwilling to answer.
"Is it or isn't it!"
In truth, even if Aunt Mei didn't say it, Su Hua could more or less guess, especially when she saw that among the immortals descending from Cloud End, the leader was none other than the Great Luo Golden Immortal Lie Shan. Su Hua's heart had long since arrived at an answer.
Lie Shan.
Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Grand Elder of the Immortal Dynasty's inner court.
Great Luo Elder of Cloud End.
And also the Arbiter of the Immortal Dao for this world.
Was that all?
No.
Besides these identities, this Lie Shan was simultaneously the World Enforcer for this world.
In other words, in this world, Lie Shan could not only pass judgment on behalf of the Immortal Dao over the life and death of all living beings, but as the World Enforcer, he also possessed the authority to enforce the law on behalf of the world itself.
Sure enough.
The leading Lie Shan stood imposingly in mid-air, looking down on everyone as if no one was worthy of his regard. He swept his gaze across the scene, then raised a silver-white, sacred scroll high in his hand and shouted, "The World Sovereign's Edict is here! All living beings, kneel and pay homage!"
The World Sovereign's Edict.
It signified the most noble and sacred decree of this world.
Upon hearing of the World Sovereign's Edict, without exception, everyone gathered in the Weiyang Great Domain knelt on the ground. From Luo Heaven Immortals and sect leaders above, to Nascent Soul cultivators and sect disciples below, none dared not to kneel.
This included Female Sect Leader Ye Tianlan.
As well as the three mysterious giants—the Heir Apparent, the Third Prince, and the Purple Dawn King—and also Shangguan Yu and Shi Tian.
They could ignore the immortals descending from Cloud End, but upon seeing the World Sovereign's Edict, they had no choice but to kneel and pay homage.
This was an ancient rule passed down through the ages.
No matter how noble your status, how powerful your background, or how formidable your cultivation, as long as you descended into a world, you must show reverence for that world's Sovereign.
Of course.
You could also show no reverence for the World Sovereign. The consequence of not revering the World Sovereign was naturally to face the judgment of this world.
No one wanted to face the judgment of this world in this world. Absolutely no one wanted to. Setting aside whether one could withstand the world's judgment, even if one could, they would be unable to remain in this world afterward. Offending the World Sovereign meant that as long as you stayed in this world, you would face the world's judgment endlessly. Thus, the consequences were only two: either die or leave.
And neither death nor departure was the outcome the three mysterious giants hoped for, so they too obediently knelt in homage.
At this moment.
Looking around, almost everyone had knelt in homage.
Afterward.
Lie Shan opened the scroll and began to proclaim the World Sovereign's Edict.
The content of the World Sovereign's Edict was as many had guessed. This descent from Cloud End was precisely to eradicate the Calamity Star. Moreover, no one else needed to act; the world's laws would judge Xiao Jinr. After saying this, Lie Shan specifically added, "Those who disobey shall be executed without mercy!"
"No—" Su Hua tightly guarded Xiao Jinr, whose consciousness had long since faded within the crimson light column and whose figure grew increasingly indistinct. She cried out, "You cannot kill Xiao Jinr!"
"How dare you!"
Lie Shan thundered in anger, shouting sharply, "Su Hua, do you intend to defy the edict?"
"It's not that I wish to defy the edict. I only wish to beg you to spare Xiao Jinr a path to life. She is merely an innocent little girl. She only wishes to be an innocent little girl. Why can you not tolerate her?"
Truth be told, Su Hua hadn't known Xiao Jinr for very long—at most twenty years. For cultivators, this span was truly not long. Yet from the very first moment Su Hua saw Xiao Jinr, she had taken a heartfelt liking to the little girl. Especially Xiao Jinr's kind of innocence, which made Su Hua cherish her deeply. She genuinely wished to protect Xiao Jinr from the bottom of her heart.
"Hua'er!"
"Listen to me," Aunt Mei urged. "I know you cherish Xiao Jinr. After hearing you speak of her, Aunt Mei also very much wanted to meet such a well-behaved and adorable little girl. But the key is that Xiao Jinr's existence is complex—so complex that it not only endangers this world but may even endanger the entire heavens and earth. Because her existence is not that of a Calamity Star descended in the Present Era, but...
but that of a Calamity Star belonging to the Wu Dao Age."
Hearing "Wu Dao Age," Su Hua's mind went blank.
She had long sensed that Xiao Jinr's existence was not as simple as a Calamity Star descended in the Present Era. Not only that, she could even sense the aura of the Wu Dao Age from the crimson full moon and feel the power of the Wu Dao Age within the crimson light column.
Yes.
She could sense it.
All these years, she had been pursuing everything about the Wu Dao Age. Perhaps she didn't fully understand the entire Wu Dao Age yet, but when it came to the aura and power of that era, she could still perceive them.
She just didn't want to, and couldn't bear to accept, that Xiao Jinr's existence was connected to the Wu Dao Age.
Because she understood better than anyone that in this world, in the entire heavens and earth, any person or matter, once it involved the Wu Dao Age, would become extremely complex and terrifying.
Those connected to the Wu Dao Age were, as were their karmic ties, let alone Xiao Jinr being a Calamity Star belonging to the Wu Dao Age.
This probably could no longer be described as merely complex or terrifying.
One could even say that a Calamity Star like Xiao Jinr, belonging to the Wu Dao Age, might be even more terrifying than someone like Gu Qingfeng, who had fused with the Blood of Original Sin and become a person of Original Sin.
It was also at this moment that she finally understood why those great experts, why those Dao Envoys, why those Three Thousand Great Daos were all secretly observing this matter.