The atmosphere in the cave grew increasingly oppressive. A young human Gu Immortal forced a smile and said, "Immortal Venerable, you are only several hundred years old. You still have several thousand, even tens of thousands of years ahead of you. Isn't it a bit too early to be thinking about this now?"
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable's expression immediately turned solemn. He fixed the young Gu Immortal who had spoken with a calm gaze, and the latter could not withstand it for more than a few breaths before lowering his head.
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable spoke in a deep tone, "A man who does not plan ahead will find trouble at his doorstep. If we do not consider these matters in advance and take preventive measures, then after my death, all our sacrifices will become meaningless. All the results we have struggled and toiled so bitterly to achieve will crumble apart."
"Setting everything else aside, once I die and the non-human races launch their counterattack, which among you can shoulder the great responsibility alone?" Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable questioned.
The human Gu Immortals exchanged glances, but no one volunteered, nor did anyone speak up.
Although the human race had risen, it relied entirely on Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable alone. The rest, whether in terms of Gu Immortal level or Gu Immortal numbers, were far inferior to the non-human races.
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable let out a deep sigh. "Central Continent is too vast. How many Gu Immortals does our human race have? How many do the non-human races have? Leaving Gu Immortals aside, let us talk about mortals. What is the total population of the entire human race? What is theirs? The difference must be at least a million-fold."
"Even if we manage to dominate Central Continent and rule over it within our lifetimes, what about the other four regions?"
"Now, my strength has been exposed. The non-human races know they cannot match me and have taken measures to hide themselves. We have no effective means to find their exact locations. Especially those Gu Immortals among the non-human races who possess their own blessed lands—once they anchor them in the outer world, even if we walked right up to them, we would never be able to detect them."
All the immortals finally understood what Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable meant.
Although the human race had risen, it depended solely on Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable. And Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable's lifespan was limited—he would one day die.
Even during his lifetime, it would be exceedingly difficult for the human race to unify Central Continent. The non-human races were elusive; as long as they hid themselves, they could still reproduce and multiply.
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable was invincible under heaven, yet he had no effective means to uncover their locations.
An elder among the human Gu Immortals spoke in a heavy tone, "So, according to your meaning, Immortal Venerable, the long-term solution for our human race is to abandon family clans and establish sects?"
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable nodded with a serious expression. "Yes."
"How can we defeat the non-human races and bring a bright future to our entire race? Relying on me alone will not suffice."
"If the non-human races cannot win, they can simply hide. Therefore, even if I am invincible under heaven, all I can do is lead the humans of Central Continent to independence and establish a foothold amid the encirclement of the other races."
"For the human race to truly rise, we must rely on ourselves. We must expand our population, reproduce and thrive, and simultaneously cultivate as many Gu Immortals as possible. As long as our human race possesses more Gu Immortals—and stronger ones—than the other races, our future will become bright."
"If we adopt the family clan system, how would we be any different from the non-human races? We are already far behind. Adopting the family clan system would make it absolutely impossible to surpass them."
"Only by founding sects, actively recruiting all talented individuals, promoting talent regardless of background, sparing no expense, and casting aside prejudice to cultivate them—only then can we have hope of catching up with and surpassing the non-human family clans!"
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable's words once again plunged the human Gu Immortals into silence.
Many of them had calmed down and knew that Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable's words were reasonable. But some Gu Immortals still furrowed their brows, unable to accept it.
One Gu Immortal asked, "Would a sect system really ensure that we always work together in good faith? Would it truly promote talent without internal factions or suppression and exclusion?"
"Of course not." Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable shook his head. "Any organization built by people will inevitably harbor selfishness and private interests. Family clans are based on the distinction between direct and collateral bloodlines, while sects are based on ability and talent. Naturally, the latter is more open and transparent—it can distribute limited cultivation resources to those who are more suitable, which benefits the greater good!"
The person opened his mouth, found he could not refute the superiority of sects, and changed his angle of attack: "Can family clans not discover talent? Family clans also have systems to absorb outside talent, such as marriage alliances, or adopted sons and daughters."
"That is indeed true." Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable nodded. "But how many can marriage alliances bring? And no matter how many adopted sons and daughters there are, within a family clan, compared to the true descendants of blood relation, they would surely face exclusion and suppression, would they not?"
The human Gu Immortals were finally struck speechless.
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable continued in a sincere tone, "I know that suddenly founding sects is emotionally difficult to accept. The path of the Gu Immortal is something we have sought with great effort, paying untold costs to achieve. Passing it down to our own descendants is one thing, but to teach it to outsiders with different names..."
"But in truth, founding sects does not mean carelessly handing over the mysteries of the Immortal Path to anyone. It means selecting talent—talent that is not only gifted but also possesses good character. Most importantly, they must be loyal to their own sect."
"Furthermore, even if we do not establish family clans, does that mean our descendants cannot receive our care? Of course not. These people who join the sect will naturally receive your protection. But I hope you will all operate from the shadows and not openly violate the sect's rules."
"Only when we lead by example and uphold the sect rules will our juniors, disciples, and descendants actively follow them. If we found sects and actively unite together, I believe our human race will truly and completely rise!"
"As for the other four regions, I cannot concern myself so far ahead. But in Central Continent, I hope that all of you will found sects and abandon family clans. For the sake of the greater good of the entire human race, I must emphasize this point: every Gu Immortal in Central Continent must establish a sect and may not form a family clan. Any Gu Immortal who ascends in the future must follow this same rule. If anyone violates this, they will face joint sanctions from myself and our fellow immortals!"
The human immortals remained silent. When Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable grew imposing, none of them could defy him.
However, they were somewhat comforted by the fact that Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable was not absolutely forbidding the family system. The sect system only applied to Gu Immortals, meaning mortals and Gu Masters could continue to live under family structures.
And even if Gu Immortals established sects, they could still look after their descendants and friends.
This was Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable's compromise with reality, but from this, one could see all the more clearly his wisdom.
Primal Beginning Immortal Venerable continued, "As your leader, I will set the example! I swear here that I will found a sect and will not establish a family clan. I will take in many disciples and pass on everything I can to them without reservation."
"Furthermore, when I eventually fall and die, my Immortal Aperture will also be contributed to serve as the sect's foundation, rather than being left to my bloodline descendants."
"Immortal Venerable!"
"You..."