The Supremacy Declaration issued by the Ashen Vortex Sect sent shockwaves across the entire Andromeda Galaxy, shaking countless cultivators and sects to their core as they realized that the very scenario they had feared the most had now become reality.
Within hours, the local network ignited with panic. Emergency transmissions flooded communication channels. Sect leaders convened hastily, their voices strained with disbelief.
"This cannot be happening!"
"We maintained neutrality for two million years, and now—"
"They've stripped everything away in a single announcement!"
This was not merely a political escalation or a strategic maneuver between powerful factions, but a galaxy-wide shift that stripped away the fragile illusion of independence that thousands of minor sects had clung to for generations. In that single moment, an overwhelming number of these sects came to a harsh realization that their freedom had effectively vanished, leaving them with only two possible paths forward: submission or annihilation.
They now faced an unavoidable choice between becoming subsidiary forces under one of the four dominant sects within the Andromeda Galaxy or being swept away in the inevitable tide of destruction that a galactic war would bring.
Fury and despair erupted among many independent minor sects, emotions boiling over as they struggled to comprehend why such a fate had been forced upon them.
"We did nothing! Nothing!"
A sect elder from the Verdant Hollow Sect collapsed before his disciples, his voice breaking. "Our ancestors built this sect over four million years... and it ends like this? Because someone else's pride was wounded?"
Many of these sects had spent their existence avoiding conflicts, focusing only on survival, much like the Crimson Vital Sect had once done in its early days, choosing not to pursue dominance or engage in large-scale power struggles. Yet despite their neutrality, they found themselves dragged into a conflict that offered no escape, where survival itself had become synonymous with submission.
A significant portion of their anger turned toward the Ashen Vortex Sect, the initiator of the Supremacy Declaration that had plunged the galaxy into chaos.
This anger intensified further as numerous analytical posts spread across the forums, dissecting the deeper implications behind the Ashen Vortex Sect's actions and presenting interpretations that painted the declaration not as a calculated path to dominance, but as a desperate attempt to recover lost reputation.
One particularly viral post, authored by an anonymous High Rule Stage scholar, laid out the timeline with brutal clarity:
› The Ashen Vortex Sect's Timeline of Humiliation
First, their Sect Leader was publicly humiliated by a Major Sect envoy at the UNI-Auction, forced to kneel before millions of witnesses.
Second, their attempt to mediate between the Crimson Vital Sect and Everlasting Pill Sect failed spectacularly when Adrian Blackwood cut their negotiation table in half.
Third, the Thousand Veils Sect openly sided against them, fracturing their perceived invincibility.
Now, they issue a Supremacy Declaration. This is not from belief in their strength, but from desperation. They gamble the entire galaxy to cover their shame.
These analysts further argued that the Ashen Vortex Sect was not strong enough to dominate the entire Andromeda Galaxy on its own, as three other equally powerful sects existed to oppose it, reinforcing the notion that this declaration was born out of desperation rather than certainty.
As these perspectives spread, they fueled even greater resentment among cultivators, many of whom came to believe that an entire galactic war had been initiated simply to preserve the pride of a single sect.
The idea that countless lives would be sacrificed to cover one faction's loss of reputation ignited widespread outrage.
Some minor sects, unable to contain their anger, lashed out directly by attacking disciples of the Ashen Vortex Sect, only to be swiftly and mercilessly eradicated in retaliation.
The Ember Dawn Sect attempted an ambush on an Ashen Vortex supply convoy. Within six hours, their headquarters was reduced to scorched rubble. No survivors remained.
The Silver Tide Pavilion sent assassins to target an Ashen Vortex core disciple. The assassins never returned. Three days later, their sect leader's head was delivered to their gates in a spatial container.
These incidents served as harsh reminders of the vast disparity in power, reinforcing the grim reality that resistance without strength would only lead to destruction.
Faced with this reality, many minor sects were forced into reluctant acceptance, recognizing their own weakness in the face of overwhelming power.
However, among them, a small number chose a different path, redirecting their frustration toward what they perceived as the root cause of the crisis: the Crimson Vital Sect.
While they lacked the ability to confront the Ashen Vortex Sect directly, they saw an opportunity to vent their anger against a target they believed to be more vulnerable. In their eyes, the Crimson Vital Sect's defiance had triggered the chain of events that led to the current catastrophe.
"If they had just submitted during the mediation, none of this would have happened!"
"They rejected peace! They forced the Ashen Vortex Sect into this position!"
This flawed reasoning, born from desperation rather than logic, was enough to push them into action.
Driven by desperation and resentment, a coalition formed between two upper minor sects, each hastily assembling whatever military strength they could gather before advancing toward the Crimson Vital Sect's star system.
The Emerald Spire Sect and the Obsidian Shadow Sect pooled their forces, their sect leaders coordinating through encrypted transmissions.
"We strike now, whilst they're still unprepared for galactic war."
"Agreed. They've only recently risen. Their foundations are still shallow."
Their forces, though incomplete and assembled in haste, still represented a formidable threat, consisting of thousands of Rule Stage cultivators led by two Peak Rule Stage beings.
…
Within the headquarters of the Crimson Vital Sect, a tense silence filled the chamber as Adrian, Hestia, and the assembled elders stood before a massive holographic projection.
The hologram displayed the incoming fleet, an overwhelming force composed of thousands of Rule Stage cultivators, their presence forming a dense wall of power at the edge of the sect's territory. At the forefront stood two Peak Rule Stage beings, their auras radiating as they led the charge.
One of them, a humanoid woman with sharp features and flowing silver robes, stepped forward and projected her voice across the void, her words carrying both fury and accusation.
"If you bastards had not acted so arrogantly and rejected the mediation, the galaxy would still be at peace! It is because of you that we have been dragged into this! Your sect should not exist anymore!"
The transmission echoed through the chamber, her voice dripping with self-righteous indignation.
Beside her, a towering figure clad in obsidian armour crossed his arms. "Submit now, and we may spare your disciples. Resist, and we erase everything."
Hestia watched the projection with a cold, disdainful expression, her pale gold eyes narrowing. "They cannot strike at the Ashen Vortex Sect, so they choose to vent their anger on us, believing we are weak enough to be crushed."
She turned sharply toward Torvain. "Deploy the sect forces. None of them should leave alive."
Torvain immediately bowed, his hand moving to his UNI-OS. "Yes, Sect Leader. I will prepare the disciples at once."
Before he could move, Adrian stepped forward from his position beside Hestia, his presence calm yet firm as he spoke. "There is no need for that."
Every head turned toward him.
"We do not require the sect forces to handle this. I will deal with it myself."
Hestia turned sharply toward him, her voice carrying both concern and disbelief. "Do you understand what you are saying? That force consists of thousands of Rule Stage cultivators. Their overlapping domains will suppress your authority the moment you face them alone."
Maelis stepped forward, her voice urgent. "Elder Adrian, this isn't a duel. This is an army."
Caelum nodded rapidly. "The Multi-Domain Strategy will fragment your authority down to nothing. Even with seventy percent baseline, you'll be reduced to—"
Adrian remained composed as he replied, "I am aware of that, but they have come in haste and have not brought their full strength. This much will be enough for me to handle."
Hestia refused to accept that answer, pressing further as she said, "Even if their numbers are incomplete, they still have two Peak Rule Stage leaders, each wielding seventy percent authority just like us. How do you intend to face both of them alone?"
Adrian turned toward Hestia, and for a brief moment, a faint dark crimson hue flickered within his eyes as he spoke, "Relax. I will handle it."
The crimson light pulsed once, then faded.
Before anyone could respond further, his figure vanished from the chamber.
The air where he stood rippled briefly, then stilled.
Hestia's expression hardened as she struggled to accept his decision. She knew that Adrian possessed unusual strength and a unique authority technique, but she also understood it had limitations. No matter how powerful a single cultivator was, facing an army of thousands alone was an entirely different matter.
Her fingers curled into fists. "That stubborn—"
The overlapping domains alone would severely drain his authority and restrict his ability to utilize advanced authority techniques. From her perspective, the outcome seemed inevitable.
"Torvain! Don't stand there. Prepare the disciples immediately!"
Torvain wasted no time, exiting the chamber at once, his robes billowing behind him as he activated his UNI-OS mid-stride.
Meanwhile, the remaining elders: Lara, Maelis, Varcain, Caelum, Lysandra, and Selena, remained in place, their attention fixed on the holographic display.
The projection shifted, tracking Adrian's movement through space.
A lone figure clad in crimson robes appeared before the advancing army outside their star system.