**Chapter 2027: Two Choices**
At this moment, the proceedings of the meeting were broadcast throughout the Sacred Law Star Palace, Wanxiang Star, Thousand Stars City, and even the entire starry sky!
The myriad races gathered at the Sacred Law Star Palace to observe the ceremony were thrown into an uproar!
No one had expected that Blue Star's application to join the Starry Sky Sequence would result in such an outcome!
Odin and Batty, who were watching from outside the venue, instantly became targets. Cold, sneering gazes were cast their way!
"Tsk, as expected! A bunch of mere humans, and they still think they can join the Starry Sky Sequence? Enjoy the resources of Thousand Stars City? How delusional!"
"That guy surnamed Jiang caused the Thousand Stars Rebellion back then, dragging down all the races, countless deaths and injuries. How can they still have the nerve to apply to join the Sequence? Shameless!"
"A bunch of primitives, hairless monkeys. Just breathing the same air as them makes me sick. Annoying to even look at!"
"Hey! Don't you know you guys stand out like sore thumbs? Get back to your earthen dens! Just because you have a bit of ability doesn't mean you know your place! All humans deserve to die!"
Barbed remarks shot through the air. Bai Kou and the others' faces twisted in anger.
Every second they stood here felt like being roasted over a fire.
Wu Liang's forehead veins bulged. Batty couldn't hold back any longer.
"Shut your stinking mouths! I'll—"
He charged straight at the Angel clansman who had been shouting the loudest, but Odin grabbed his shoulder and held him back.
Odin's eyes were bloodshot. "Batty! Hold it together! The situation is already dire! We're on their turf—don't cause trouble for Big Brother!"
Batty's rage blazed, but he forced himself to stop.
Angel clansman: "Ha! Coward!"
Odin glared coldly at the Angel. "I was killing Angels when you were still an egg. Better shut your stinking mouth!"
Given the current circumstances, the Sacred Law Star Palace was packed with members of the starry sky races. If a fight broke out outside, who knew how bad it would get.
If the Sacred Law Council used that as an excuse to tighten sanctions against him, Jiangnan would be in an even tougher spot.
So they had to endure.
This was a feast of ambush, a trial aimed at the humans of Blue Star.
At this moment, Zhong Yingxue watched Jiangnan on the judgment platform nervously as he faced the leaders of the starry sky races.
Xiao Nan! You need to stay calm!
She understood better than anyone how Jiangnan must be feeling right now. After fighting tooth and nail and winning this war, he had expected to earn Sequence qualification. Instead, this was the result.
But now was not the time to act rashly. Otherwise, things would really spiral out of control.
...
Inside the grand hall, Jiangnan's blood was boiling. He had never felt such fury in his life.
But Yang Jian's iron grip held his shoulder tightly, and Freya clutched his arm, shaking her head desperately.
Yang Jian's eyes were red. He couldn't act now.
They wanted him to lose his temper and strike, so they could use that as an excuse to kill him outright.
The ten Star-Swallowers present—whether as true bodies or thought projections—plus the myriad races' leaders and the Decree Troops—the entire Sacred Law Star Palace was their territory. If he acted impulsively, the consequences were obvious: not a single human present would leave alive—they'd all die here.
Blue Star would suffer too.
He had to endure. Don't give them a reason to strike.
Jiangnan slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his gaze had turned profound.
He said hoarsely, "I lost my composure. My apologies."
A true man bends and stretches. Jiangnan knew full well the consequences of acting now. There was no chance at all—it would only doom everyone.
Rashness and recklessness changed nothing. It was just impotent barking.
The fate of all humanity rested on his shoulders. He had to stay calm and endure.
Tiffany sneered, "You're lucky—you just dodged a bullet. This is the Sacred Law Grand Hall, not the godforsaken outskirts of Blue Star."
Jiangnan stared at her expressionlessly.
How foolish of me—I even prepared to settle in Thousand Stars City, deployed the Celestial Capital, and set aside Taoyuan Star for residence.
Ha. I look like a complete fool.
In the end, I underestimated the jealousy of the starry sky races.
With that thought, Jiangnan clenched his fist secretly.
Muk said coldly, "May I continue reading?"
Jiangnan said hoarsely, "Go ahead."
Muk: "Verdict: The Ten Thousand Races Accord remains in effect. From the date of implementation, Blue Star humans shall not leave this star system under any circumstances."
"Seal Blue Star's core and all Spiritual Ruins on Blue Star. Enforce global spirit severance. Erase the history of this civilization's spirit awakening and restore everything to its normal course."
"Recover the Origin Spark inside the Blue Moon and hand it over to the Sacred Law Council for unified custody. Return the Creation Beast and the Spirit Medium belonging to the Creation Realm; they shall not be retained without authorization."
"Return all cross-star transfer tools, including the Star Gate, Particle Transmitter, and Star Ring. Surrender all assets that do not belong to human civilization, including but not limited to starships, star palaces, war fortresses, star-gathering pearls, planetary shields, etc.—sever all ties."
"Remove the two mutant Star-Devouring Mother Vines. Return the two Star-Devouring Giant Worms to the Sacred Law Council. Restore human civilization to its original state..."
One by one, the verdict items were read out by Muk, echoing through the entire Sacred Law Grand Hall.
With every announcement, Jiangnan's heart sank further. Countless times he wanted to draw his blade and explode, but each time he held back with a death grip.
The starry sky races wanted to strip humanity of everything they currently possessed.
Return to the state before spirit awakening began. Even erase the history of the spirit awakening.
More than twenty years—no, three thousand years—of all the persecution Blue Star had endured, all the efforts humanity had made, would vanish into nothing.
Even future generations wouldn't know about it.
How convenient. They harm, wipe their hands clean, and act as if nothing happened.
The starry sky races—you really have a way with things.
Thinking this, Jiangnan smirked coldly and silently listened to Muk's reading.
Yang Jian's face was ashen. Even he could barely contain the fury boiling inside him.
Freya's eyes were red, trembling with rage. Now, she seemed to understand why Quinn had stubbornly chosen betrayal.
Because it really was hopeless.
With Jiangnan taking the lead before, she hadn't felt this suffocating pressure. But now, standing beside Jiangnan, she fully experienced it. And she could truly appreciate the despair Jiangnan had resisted in leading humanity to this point.
Outside, Bai Kou's eyes were moist, and she whispered softly, "Has history finally repeated itself? We've already given our all..."
But still, nothing changed. Three thousand years of struggle, and everything returned to square one.
The human elites on Blue Star, watching the conference broadcast, transmitted the bad news to everyone. Their faces twisted with indignation.
Furious beyond reason. It felt suffocating.
One could only imagine how Jiangnan must be feeling, humiliated on that judgment platform now.
Jiang Jing held Jiang Ning tightly, refusing to let go. "Are they going to take Jingjing away? No! Jingjing doesn't want to leave everyone. Jingjing isn't going anywhere—staying right here!"
Jiang Ning bit her lower lip, shaking her head repeatedly, comforting Jiang Jing, "No one will take you away. We'll all be together. Everything will be fine."
But even as she said it, Jiang Ning was about to break down. Humans had given everything, with only a hundred people, and won the largest-ever Star Ruins war.
And still nothing changed? The world was unfair sometimes.
Xing Cheng also hugged Jiang Ning, rubbing her cheek against hers. "Chengbao doesn't want to go with those bad guys! Chengbao wants to stay with Nanbao!"
Baldr smashed the space around him in anger. "Those damn races—how far will they push us before they're satisfied?"
"They're taking away Blue Moon too? That's our moon!"
Xiao Chuihuo stared fixedly at Jiangnan in the screen.
"Little Nan! You endure! As long as people are here, we have everything!"
As a veteran, Xiao Chuihuo could clearly see the setup the Sacred Law Council had arranged. If Jiangnan refused to accept the verdict today, they would die on the spot—couldn't even go back.
...
"The verdict reading is complete. All clauses have been stated. Now, Jiangnan, do you agree to the measures listed in the verdict?"
"From now on, the Ten Thousand Races Accord will be jointly supervised and enforced by the top ten sequences. Humans will no longer face threats of persecution. On this point, you can rest assured."
Jiangnan narrowed his eyes. Bullshit!
You pull out my fangs and claws, cut off my hands and feet, confiscate my weapons, lock me in place to die—and call it "for my own good"? Where's the logic in that?
If that happened, humans would truly become lambs for the slaughter, and future generations wouldn't even remember this shameful history.
"What if I say no?"
As soon as he spoke, the leaders of the myriad races narrowed their eyes. Muk's mechanical eyes squinted too.
Yang Jian and Freya's hearts leaped into their throats. The tension in the hall reached its peak.
Di Chou sneered, "No? Simple. Then Blue Star no longer needs to exist."
Muk said coldly, "If humans refuse, given their historical actions and the inherent corruption, dangerous violence, and instability in their nature, extermination measures will be taken against the human race and their planet to eliminate future threats."
Jiangnan laughed coldly. "Refuse and you exterminate us? That sounds like your style—straightforward enough."
"What, now you're not afraid that Jiang Fan will come back, see his homeland gone and his people wiped out, and start another Thousand Stars Rebellion?"
The hall erupted in murmurs. A hint of wariness flickered in the leaders' eyes.
Di Chou leaned forward, his eyes icy. "Young fool! Don't think you can scare us with that surname Jiang's name. Do you think the starry sky races are pushovers?"
"One person's power, no matter how great, is ultimately insignificant. He didn't overturn this vast starry sky back then either—he chose to compromise. Otherwise, none of this today would be happening."
"Besides, he's not here now. Alive or dead—unknown. Ultimately, it's a matter of risk. If you humans are stubborn and refuse to accept generosity, then the starry sky races will have no choice but to bear that risk."
A sinister smile spread across Di Chou's face.
"It's simple. Two paths lie before you. First: accept your fate. Human civilization continues to exist—this is also the result the starry sky races want to see."
"Second: refuse. The Sacred Law Council will initiate extermination actions against your civilization. The starry sky races will bear the risk. You gamble on whether that Jiang Fan will come back."
"Whether he comes back or not—you'll be gone. Now, what's your choice? You're a smart kid. I don't need to teach you such a simple multiple-choice question."