182: The Dean's return stirs up a storm; where is the crown, incurring the wrath of the heavens!

Inside the consciousness space, Yan’s voice carried a hint of an imperceptible smile.

Lu Yuan’s indomitable, even somewhat overconfident fighting spirit, made her even more certain that her choice might be the only glimmer of hope the Sai'an Civilization could grasp in the endless darkness.

“You haven’t disappointed me, Lu Yuan.”

Yan’s voice softened a few shades.

“Although the road ahead is long and fraught with thorns, your determination is the spark that ignites all hope.”

“Don’t worry, though I am but a wisp of a remnant soul, as long as the flame heart crown has not fully recovered, I can still provide you with some assistance within my capabilities.”

Lu Yuan’s spirits lifted upon hearing this.

Even a little help from Yan would be enough to save him many detours.

“The Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable you are concerned about is indeed a problem.”

Yan’s voice grew serious.

“With your current strength, confronting him head-on is like throwing an egg against a rock.”

“However, I still have some reserves, Source Power originally intended for the emergency awakening of the crown’s core.”

“Once this power is used, my remnant soul will likely fall into a longer period of slumber.”

Yan coughed, the sincerity of which was unknown.

“But, rather than letting it dissipate with my remnant soul, it’s better to turn it into a stepping stone on your path forward.”

“This power is not enough to fully activate the crown, but it is sufficient to temporarily suppress that Seventh-Tier Venerable of mixed bloodline, making him submit before you.”

“Consider this my ‘compatriot’s’ welcome gift to you.”

“And also… to clear an immediate obstacle for Little Red, and for you.”

A warm current surged in Lu Yuan’s heart.

“No need for more words.”

Yan seemed to have seen through his thoughts.

“Remember your promise, Lu Yuan. Carry the last hope of Sai'an, and carry your own obsession, and keep going.”

“When you truly need this power, I will guide you on how to use it.”

“Now, deal with the trouble in front of you first.”

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, “I understand!”

His consciousness slowly withdrew from that peculiar cosmic epic, returning to the real world.

The room was still dim, and the hustle and bustle of Mobei Province City outside the window seemed distant.

Lu Yuan felt the flame heart crown on his head, a slight smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed!

The High Priest?

A Seventh-Tier expert?

Just wait!

Soon, you will understand who is the true owner of the crown!

At the same time.

In a star field extremely far from the main plane of Card Continent.

On the surface of a planet transformed into a gigantic military fortress, countless starships were densely arranged like locusts, forming a steel defense line spanning tens of thousands of kilometers.

This was the true core headquarters of the Mobei Military Region, and also the frontline against threats from other dimensions and the depths of the universe.

No, it should be said, the frontline of invasion!

Inside the fortress’s core command center, an old man with plain gray robes and white hair and beard was meditating, suspended before a huge star map light screen.

On the star map, the light point representing the Nine Heavens Secret Realm suddenly burst out with blinding light at a certain moment, symbolizing the forced activation of the Nine Heavens Grand Array!

“Hmm?!”

The old man’s eyes, which had been unmoving for ages, suddenly narrowed, piercing through the void!

He abruptly turned his head, looking at the restless light point on the star map.

“The Nine Heavens Grand Array… was forcibly activated by an external force?!”

“And, it’s the highest level of alert!”

Almost at the instant his voice fell.

In various parts of the fortress, several equally terrifying and peerless auras awakened!

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Streaks of light shot up from different military areas, ignoring the complex spatial restrictions within the fortress, and instantly converged outside the core command center.

The light dissipated, revealing five middle-aged men and women with profound and imposing auras, dressed in standard military armor, and bearing general stars on their shoulders.

Each of them exuded the terrifying pressure of a Seventh-Tier Transcendent card Master, sending shivers down one’s spine!

“Old Dean!”

“War Marshal!”

… The five of them bowed in unison to the gray-robed elder, their expressions grave.

“Something has happened in Mobei!”

One of the stern-faced generals spoke in a deep voice.

“Intelligence shows that an unfamiliar Seventh-Tier fire-attribute Source Power erupted on the edge of the Nine Heavens Secret Realm, after which the Secret Realm was sealed by the Grand Array.”

The gray-robed elder was none other than the true pillar of the Mobei Nine Heavens Academy, the War Marshal who had retired behind the scenes and held the military power of the Alliance’s Mobei region! The Seventh-Tier Six-Star Old Dean — Zhan Chengfei!

Zhan Chengfei swept his gaze over the five military bigwigs before him.

These five were all his former students, now the mainstays of the Mobei Military Region, each a formidable Seventh-Tier expert capable of standing alone.

“It seems some short-sighted fools want to cause trouble on my Mobei territory.”

His tone was calm, but the chilling killing intent contained within made people’s hair stand on end.

“Issue my order!”

“Activate the ‘Po Jun star gate’!”

“Target, the spatial node outside the Nine Heavens Secret Realm!”

“This old man wants to see which ignorant one dares to touch the foundation of my Mobei!”

“Understood!”

The five Seventh-Tier generals roared their affirmation, a flicker of excitement simultaneously flashing in their eyes.

It had been too long since they had fought alongside the Old Dean!

… Near the entrance of the Nine Heavens Secret Realm.

“Pfft!”

A figure in an extremely sorry state was flung out from a twisted space, landing heavily on the ground. It was none other than Lei Xiao, the Academy’s Director of Academic Affairs.

Immediately after, several more figures were successively thrown out, all covered in dust.

It was the team of Academy instructors who had previously followed Lei Xiao into the void turbulence.

However, of the original seven, only six remained.

One of the instructors, a Fifth Rank, Peak, unfortunately encountered a spatial storm’s cutting in the chaotic void turbulence, and perished without even a scream, leaving no trace of his body.

“Cough cough… Damned void turbulence!”

Lei Xiao struggled to his feet; if he hadn’t reacted quickly and led everyone to retreat in time, the entire team would have been lost inside.

“Instructor Liu…”

A female instructor looked at the team, now missing one person, her voice filled with lingering fear.

The other instructors also looked dispirited.

Just as everyone was heavy-hearted, preparing to first assess the losses and regroup.

A wave… no, several waves!

Several waves of pressure, far more terrifying and profoundly vast than that of the Flame Venerable before, descended without warning from the sky above them!

“Boom—!!!”

Lei Xiao and the others felt an irresistible mighty force pressing down, their legs weakened, and they all fell to their knees with “thump, thump” sounds, unable to even lift their heads!

What kind of terrifying existence was this?!

Could it be… the Flame Venerable’s accomplice?!

A sense of despair spread through the hearts of Lei Xiao and the others.

However, just as they thought the end of the world had come.

A familiar voice slowly came from the center of that endless pressure.

“Lei Xiao, as the Academy’s Director of Academic Affairs, why are you in such a sorry state?”

“Mobei… what exactly happened?”

Lei Xiao suddenly looked up, and when he clearly saw the gray-robed figure floating in mid-air, leading the group, his eyes nearly popped out!

“Old… Old Dean?!! ”

“You… you’ve returned?!”

Above the sky, Zhan Chengfei’s gray robes billowed as he stood with his hands behind his back.

Behind him, five Seventh-Tier military bigwigs, exuding an aura of iron and blood, guarded him like loyal stars surrounding a bright moon.

Their gazes swept over the disheveled Lei Xiao and his group below, as well as the completely destroyed ruins of Moon Scar Canyon, which still had residual energy fluctuations.

“Lei Xiao.”

“You tell me, the entire sequence of events.”

Lei Xiao shivered, quickly scrambled up from the ground, tidied his damaged robes, and respectfully bowed, saying:

“Reporting to Old Dean! And all the Generals!”

He took a deep breath, quickly organized his words, and succinctly reported the full story.

“It happened like this…”

Lei Xiao emphasized the sudden arrival of the mysterious Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable, his terrifying strength, and his unprovoked rampage in the Moon Scar Canyon.

“…That Flame Venerable’s strength is at least early Seventh-Tier, possibly even higher! The flame power he controls is overbearing and peerless, and we were simply unable to resist him!”

“He seemed to be chasing a Fourth-Tier Card Master named Bedrock, and also…”

“And a… special student, Lu Yuan.”

“Lu Yuan?”

Zhan Chengfei raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had some impression of that name.

It seemed that not long ago, Lei Xiao had specifically reported to him about that peerless genius who possessed at least twin gold cards.

Even the prominent families in the capital didn’t have such a standard.

At that time, he had felt a pity for talent, and specifically instructed Lei Xiao to give him extra care.

Unexpectedly, he heard that name again so soon, and it was involved in such an earth-shattering event!

“How did that Bedrock… and Lu Yuan provoke such an existence?”

A military bigwig with two general stars on his shoulder asked in a deep voice.

Lei Xiao quickly explained: “According to the Leimeng Squad members’ report, that Bedrock seemed to want to shift the blame to Lu Yuan, claiming that Lu Yuan had stolen the crown and abducted the creature.”

“And that Seventh-Tier Flame Venerable was pursuing a treasure called the flame heart crown, and a creature with a bloodline connection to him.”

“The flame heart crown?!”

Zhan Chengfei and the five military bigwigs’ eyes flashed almost simultaneously upon hearing this!

With their extensive knowledge, they had naturally heard of and seen some supreme objects like holy artifacts from other worlds and world origins.

A crown that could make a Seventh-Tier expert pursue it across realms, its value and importance were self-evident!

“Where is the crown now?”

Zhan Chengfei’s tone was still calm, but those familiar with him could tell that he had already attached great importance to the matter.

Lei Xiao swallowed, and continued: “According to what Raimond and his team saw, that Bedrock seemed to want to push the blame onto Lu Yuan, claiming that Lu Yuan had stolen the crown and abducted the creature.”

“But that Flame Venerable did not seem to believe him, and instead directly attacked Bedrock.”

… “After that, Lu Yuan voluntarily rushed into the spatialcrack! He disappeared along with Bedrock and the Seventh-Tier Venerable!”

Upon hearing this, not only Zhan Chengfei, but also the five Seventh-Tier bigwigs behind him, showed expressions of shock!

A mere Third-Tier student, facing the aftershocks of a Seventh-Tier expert’s battle, not only did not flee, but instead voluntarily rushed into the void turbulence, where death was almost certain?!

What kind of courage was this?!

What kind of… madness?!

…