345: The only hope in the Tianyuan Realm!

Tian Yuan Realm.

The Immortal Alliance's last sanctuary.

A sharp alarm that tore at the Divine Soul pierced the tranquility of this independent Small World without warning.

Inside the Command Hall, atop a massive 3D Star Chart Formation, a dense and suffocating cluster of red light points was closing in from all directions toward the coordinates of the Tian Yuan Realm in an unstoppable manner.

Every red dot represented a pitch-black Bone Warship.

They were packed densely together, converging into a steel nebula that represented death.

The Black Tortoise Holy Lord leaned his hands against the console; his originally burly frame was now trembling uncontrollably.

His face was a bloodless, deathly gray.

The dozens of other Mahayana Stage Cultivators in the hall—the last top-tier combat power of the Spirit Realm—were all staring fixedly at the approaching red expanse, their eyes filled with the same emptiness and despair.

"Exposed..."

An Elder's voice was dry and hoarse, as if his throat were filled with sand.

"Our last hiding place has been exposed."

"Was it the news sent by that Lich Adjutant before he died?"

"No, it wasn't."

The Black Tortoise Holy Lord slowly shook his head, his voice carrying a deep exhaustion and powerlessness.

He pointed to the center of the star chart, where the focal point of the red nebula was indeed the coordinates of the Tian Yuan Realm.

"This isn't an accidental discovery, nor is it a probing attack."

"This is... a general offensive."

"They... have deployed the full strength of the Ninth Vanguard Fleet."

A general offensive.

These words, like two invisible mountains, crashed down upon the hearts of everyone in the hall.

Even breathing became a luxury.

This meant they had been completely locked on.

It meant the Spirit Realm's last resistance was about to face the sharpest fangs and most violent fury of that steel behemoth.

A fight to the death.

There was no other option but to fight to the death.

But what did they have to fight with?

The World-Protecting Grand Array they were so proud of was as fragile as a sheet of paper before this massive fleet.

Their remaining thousands of Cultivators were as insignificant as a handful of dust before that army of tens of thousands of skeletons.

Despair was even thicker than the endless darkness outside the window.

Li Hanyue stood in the corner of the hall. Watching the Holy Lord and Elders, who usually commanded the winds and clouds but were now ashen-faced, she felt a piercing chill spread from the soles of her feet to her heart.

She subconsciously tightened her grip on a warm Jade Slip in her hand.

This was her last and only hope.

Even if this hope sounded so absurd and impractical.

She closed her eyes and injected her last trace of spiritual power into that special Communication Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip didn't light up; it only grew slightly warm, and an invisible Divine Thought crossed the Void Realm and was sent out.

Her voice carried an uncontrollable tremble.

She made no requests and did not wail; she simply stated a fact in the calmest tone possible.

"Demon Leader's Ninth Vanguard Fleet is launching a general offensive against the Tian Yuan Realm."

"We... are surrounded."

...Deep in the cold and silent Universe.

Inside the cabin of the starship, there was silence.

Lin Fan leaned back in the pilot's seat, looking at the star chart in front of him.

That massive, moving red nebula occupied nearly a third of the star chart.

A huge, bright red arrow pointed straight from the center of that nebula to the coordinates marked 'Tian Yuan Realm'.

And on his System light screen, a blood-red [Karma Lock] marker was flashing frantically.

That marker also pointed toward the Tian Yuan Realm.

Lin Fan received Li Hanyue's trembling Divine Thought.

He was silent for a moment.

He finally understood that the target of the Demon Leader's reckless Causality Weapon had never been the Tian Yuan Realm.

It was himself.

The Tian Yuan Realm was just the unlucky fellow caught up because of him.

"Can't hide from it anymore."

Lin Fan curled his lip, stood up from his seat, and stretched.

"They're targeting me like I'm the final boss."

"Fine, it saves me the trouble of looking for them one by one."

There wasn't a hint of tension from being caught in a desperate situation on his face; instead, there was a faint, long-awaited excitement.

He responded to that Divine Thought through the Void Realm... Tian Yuan Realm, Command Hall.

Amidst the dead silence, the Jade Slip in Li Hanyue's hand suddenly lit up with a faint, gentle light.

A calm, even somewhat lazy man's voice rang out clearly.

"Don't panic, wait for me."

The voice wasn't loud, but it instantly drew everyone's attention in the hall.

The Black Tortoise Holy Lord and the group of Elders whipped their heads around, looking at the Jade Slip in Li Hanyue's hand with eyes filled with a mix of shock and absurdity.

Wait for him?

Wait for whom?

At a time like this, who else in the entire Spirit Realm was worth waiting for?

And who could turn the tide against this Undead Fleet?

Li Hanyue was also stunned; she hadn't expected to receive such a reply.

Just as everyone was filled with uncertainty, the voice rang out again, its tone as relaxed as if discussing the weather.

"Your fleet is too weak; you can't win a conventional war."

These words caused several Elders' faces to flush instantly, yet they couldn't refute them.

Because it was the truth.

"There's only one way to win."

Lin Fan's voice paused.

The entire hall became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone subconsciously held their breath, staring fixedly at the glowing Jade Slip, waiting for that one and only method.

"To catch the bandits, first capture their leader."

"You help me hold off those small fry."

"I'll go and kill their commander, the Demon Leader."

As soon as these words were spoken.

The entire Command Hall fell into a dead silence even more profound than before.

The Black Tortoise Holy Lord's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, and the expression on his face turned from despair to dullness, and finally to extreme bewilderment.

The other Elders had the exact same expressions.

They looked at each other, seeing an unbelievable absurdity in each other's eyes.

Go and kill the Demon Leader?

That being who commanded an entire vanguard fleet, a terrifying existence that even the God Lord was wary of?

A lunatic.

This was a complete and utter madman!

Everyone's gaze finally converged on the Jade Slip that was still emitting a faint light, as if they were looking at a creation from some crazed world.