164: Chapter 164 Guarding Qingshi County

Time passed in the quiet of reading.

When the hands of the mechanical clock on the desk silently crossed the twelve o'clock mark at noon, Li Wen gently closed the pages of the book in his hand.

[Remember this site's Domain: Taiwan Novel Website is here for your leisure, waiting for you to visit]

[You have studied seriously for six hours, Scholar EXP +540]

[Class: Scholar Lv13 (297400→299020/409600)]

A trace of almost imperceptible satisfaction flowed through his heart; this was the heavy momentum brought by day after day of accumulation.

He stood up and tidied his clothes; the fixed daily noon routine was the time to have a meal together with his fellow guards.

Guarding the city pass, one's daily life—clothing, food, housing, and travel—all took place here.

To enhance team synergy and communicate combat readiness information at any time, the ten core Bright Moon Realm God-Fiend team members, whether on duty that day or not, would almost always gather in a canteen in the central area of the city pass.

When Li Wen walked into the canteen, many people were already seated.

Seeing him enter, many gazes instantly turned toward him, carrying respect, curiosity, and a trace of subtle awe.

“Haha, our vice-captain is here! Come, come, Brother Li, sit over here!” A loud voice rang out, rolling like muffled thunder.

The speaker was Captain Zhang Zhen, the Soul of this garrison force. He was as burly as a bear, with a hearty and rough personality.

But as his tiger-like eyes opened and closed, sharp light radiated from them.

His palm, as large as a cattail leaf fan, warmly gestured for Li Wen to take the seat of honor next to him.

Several team members beside the captain also nodded to Li Wen in greeting.

“Captain Li!”

“Junior Apprentice Brother Li.”

The greetings were varied, but their attitudes all showed natural warmth and sincere conviction.

No one would look down on him in the slightest because of his youthful appearance.

The reason was simple: Li Wen's name was hanging high at the top of the Blue Star Bright Moon Rankings.

As a Bright Moon Realm Late Stage, he suppressed numerous Bright Moon Realm Peaks to reach the top of the list, becoming the publicly recognized number one person in the Bright Moon Realm.

This strength had long since surpassed ordinary measures of seniority.

Therefore, on the first day Li Wen descended from the mountain, he was officially appointed as the vice-captain of this team.

Had it not been for concerns about his shallow experience in actually guarding the city pass, with his invincible combat power in the Bright Moon Realm, it would have been only natural for him to serve as the captain of this team.

The atmosphere at the dining table was harmonious. Besides necessary exchanges regarding defense dynamics, there was also some discussion about personal cultivation.

The team members had different personalities: some were as bold as the captain, some were cautious and rigorous, and there was a veteran member named Chen under Zhang Zhen who was taciturn but had sharp eyes.

But regardless of their personality, when facing Li Wen, their attitudes were surprisingly consistent—respectful, and carrying a trace of yearning toward a top-tier figure.

Lunch ended in a harmonious and efficient atmosphere.

Each returned to their respective four-sided courtyards.

Li Wen soon returned to his own courtyard on the north side.

He did not choose to return to the quiet room to rest, but instead walked straight toward the open-air Martial Arts Field in a corner of the courtyard.

Buzz! A clear saber cry rang out.

Li Wen was already standing in the center of the Martial Arts Field, long saber in hand. Without any fancy opening stance, he performed a heavy and precise diagonal slash.

The movement was not fast, but it carried a strange rhythm and an indescribable sense of gravity. As the blade edge sliced through the air, purple electric arcs even faintly flashed and vanished in the void.

His mind was not entirely immersed in the Blade Technique.

As his Physical Body Realm continued to rise, his Primordial Spirit Power condensed and improved once more, and its coverage area was much broader than when he was on the mountain.

With a slight thought, an invisible and majestic Intent quietly expanded.

Even though he was in this courtyard outside the city walls, his consciousness was still like a precise, large net.

In an instant, it covered the entire core area of the city pass. In particular, the Interstellar Gate suspended in mid-air and the state of the space within several miles were all under his conscious monitoring.

Any abnormal fluctuations could hardly escape his 'gaze'.

Therefore, he could divide his mind into two.

On one hand, he steadily refined the subtle feeling of merging the Blade Technique with the Soul Realm, constantly polishing the profound depths of the Profound Vault Rainbow Silence Chapter.

On the other hand, like the most alert hunter, he firmly locked onto that otherworldly gate that could spew out a flood of the Yao Race at any moment.

This was the control capability belonging to a top-tier God-Fiend.

Of course, the guarding God-Fiends were not required to be trapped within the cold city walls at every single moment.

Every day, there were a few rotating slots for 'airing out,' allowing the personnel on duty to enter the nearby Qingshi County town for a short time, either to rest for a moment or to visit relatives and friends.

With such opportunities, Li Wen was naturally a frequent visitor to his home.

That familiar purple electric light would often quietly leave the courtyard at dusk, traveling at a relatively low-profile, afterimage-like speed between the passages outside the city walls and the road leading to the county town.

At this moment, during a gap in his practice, Li Wen's gaze swept past the courtyard wall, looking toward the distant rough outline of the county town.

His parents' residence was in that direction.

In the evening, perhaps he could use a short airing-out slot to go home and have an ordinary dinner with them.

The thought flashed by, and his mind sank back into concentration, focused and steady as he practiced that Blade Technique which seemed slow but contained Soul-stirring power.

The tip of the blade trembled slightly, and the subtle energy in the air rippled accordingly, only to be precisely reined in by him within a square inch.

The Martial Arts Field once again sank into the rhythmic and powerful sound of saber swings.

Outside the courtyard, atop the city walls, the team members responsible for today's rotation were patrolling meticulously. The massive Interstellar Gate hung suspended in the center, emitting a stable, ghostly light in silence.

The young figure flashed and shifted in the courtyard, the saber light leaping in the midday sun.

Everything was very peaceful.

However, in this underground fortress guarding the gateway to Qingshi County, everyone knew that beneath this peace, the price of protection would never be forgotten, much like the marks left behind by Lin Zhan and the others.

galactic calendar Year 231, January 18th, evening.

High in the sky, a solitary moon cast its cold glow upon the silent Qingshi County.

However, at the location of the massive Interstellar Gate embedded underground, eternal artificial light sources illuminated the underground city pass as if it were day.

In a quiet room, the cross-legged Li Wen slowly opened his eyes, and the purple electric flashes swirling around him were subsequently reined into his body.

He opened his palm, and a Medicinal Pill swirling with a rich medicinal fragrance and flowing with a misty jade light appeared in his hand.

It was precisely the 'Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Pill' allocated by Kindling University for its top students.

Since descending the mountain to guard this place, the external spiritual energy concentration had long been unable to keep up with the needs of his powerful Physical Body, which had been tempered by the ninth layer of the Nine Heavens Divine Body and was nearly perfect.

Only by taking one such precious Medicinal Pill every few days could he barely maintain that jaw-dropping speed of Physical Body Realm improvement.

Without hesitation, Li Wen opened his mouth and sent the Medicinal Pill inside.

—

The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, and a scorching yet pure and majestic flood of energy instantly surged through his entire body.

He immediately operated the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Nine Heavens Divine Body Perfection chapter, guiding this powerful medicinal force to temper his bones and nourish his organs.

Strands of energy merged into every cell, pushing his Physical Body Realm, which was already at the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage, steadily toward the Peak Domain.

Beneath his skin, it was as if purple electric snakes were subtly darting and cheering; this was the external manifestation of his Physique becoming even stronger.

About an hour later, the majestic medicinal force had been mostly absorbed and transformed by his body, and Li Wen was preparing to perform the final closing breath adjustment.

Wooo—!!

A shrill, sharp alarm, loud enough to tear through the silence, suddenly exploded in every corner of the underground city pass.

Almost simultaneously, the sensing formation in the quiet room linked to the external hub also lit up with a piercing red light.

In the distant hall's center, that Interstellar Gate, which had been slowly rotating and was as deep as a cosmic star map, suddenly fluctuated violently.

The nebula in the central area suddenly surged and changed wildly, emitting strong unstable spatial fluctuations.

“Yao Race!”

The sharp light in Li Wen's eyes instantly exploded, like sleeping thunder being ignited in an instant.

Since he started cultivating, all the Yao Race he had slain were merely a string of data in the virtual battlefield of the Xinhuo World; at this moment, the real enemy had arrived.

A scorching Battle Intent, carrying a thirst for slaughter, rose from his heart, making the blood in his entire body seem to boil slightly.

There was absolutely no need to wait for the captain's assembly order.

Swish!

The long saber on the table fell into his palm, and Li Wen's figure had already turned into a sharp and swift purple rainbow light, bursting out of the door.

His speed was extreme, leaving behind only an undissipated afterimage in the quiet room and a faint scent of scorched thunder in the air.

When Li Wen's figure appeared on the interception platform in front of the Interstellar Gate, which was open enough to accommodate a small army, the other nine resident Bright Moon Realm God-Fiends had also assembled almost simultaneously.

With uniformly grim expressions, their powerful Aura instantly linked together, standing like a towering wall between the massive Interstellar Gate and the Underground Fortress Pass behind them.

The piercing alarm continued to echo, and ahead, the nebula vortex, over a hundred meters in diameter, suddenly spewed out thick Demonic Qi.

Dozens of figures of various forms, emitting a ferocious Aura, roared as they rushed out from within.

Leading them were three Yao Race at the Peak Bright Moon Realm, their Auras exceptionally fierce.

One was a Lion-Headed Giant Yao nearly three meters tall, his entire body covered in dark gold fur that resembled burning flames; the natural markings on his forehead emitted an ancient and domineering Aura.

Of the other two, one was a hideous Lizard Yao covered in bone armor with protruding fangs, while the other was a green-faced Water Yao surrounded by water vapor, his eyes cold and sinister.

Behind them followed over twenty Late Stage and Middle Stage Bright Moon Realm Yao Race, along with dozens of Flying Star Realm Yao, each with bloodthirsty red light in their eyes.

Without a word of nonsense, the battle ignited the moment the Yao Race rushed out of the Interstellar Gate.

“Kill!” The station captain, a veteran God-Fiend at the Peak Bright Moon Realm, thrust his long spear out like a Dragon, a highly condensed spear light aiming straight for the leading lion Yao.

The three Peak Yao let out a sharp howl and used their respective methods, coordinating their attack to take down this strongest guardian first.

The lion Yao roared, his sound waves vibrating through space as his claws swung out sharp, ethereal winds.

The Lizard Yao's hard bone armor slammed against the spear light, his fangs seeking an opportunity to bite.

The Water Yao controlled viscous, frigid poisonous water, entangling and invading like a maggot on a bone.

The remaining Yao also split into several groups, roaring as they pounced toward the other God-Fiends, including Li Wen.

In an instant, the platform was filled with the flashes of blades and swords; Demonic Qi and True Essence surged and clashed, while the sounds of booming, collisions, and angry roars mixed together to pierce the eardrums.

Li Wen stood within the battle formation, his long blade sweeping out as the exquisite Saber Intent of the Profound Vault Rainbow Silence Chapter flowed naturally.

His movements were as agile as lightning; the blade light sometimes appeared like a startling rainbow and sometimes darted like swift thunder, each strike carrying immense power.

He did not use his full strength, maintaining only the level expected of the Late Stage Bright Moon Realm. Each strike precisely parried the Yao Race's fierce onslaught and counterattacked at the right moment; wherever his blade light reached, a Middle Stage Yao general would surely be wounded or forced back.

He was like a purple storm moving through the Yao swarm. Although he hadn't fully revealed his edge, he already placed immense pressure on his opponents, sharing the burden of those around him and keeping the entire battle formation functioning in an orderly manner.

As the fierce battle continued, casualties began to appear on the platform, among both the Human Race and the Yao Race.

The three Peak Yao and the veteran captain had fought to a fever pitch, the terrifying aftershocks of their energy causing the nearby ground to crack inch by inch.

“An opportunity!” Having failed to break through for so long, a flash of ferocity appeared in the eyes of the dark gold lion Yao, who had been searching for a flaw.

He suddenly took a step back, his chest heaving like a bellows. The ancient markings on his forehead abruptly lit up with a blinding golden light, and an invisible pressure spread out like a physical weight.

“Roar—!!!”

A terrifying, earth-shaking lion's roar suddenly erupted.

This sound seemed to contain the power to pierce the Soul; it did not act upon the sense of hearing but directly struck the Sea of Consciousness of all opponents present.

Captain Zhang Zhen, who was closest to the lion Yao, bore the brunt of it.

He was focusing all his attention on resisting the three Yao's siege when he was hit head-on by this Innate Divine Ability. His Sea of Consciousness shook violently, his vision suddenly went blank, his condensed spear momentum faltered, and his entire body froze in place.

“We’ve got him!” The lion Yao, Lizard Yao, and Water Yao simultaneously burst with rays of wild joy and cruelty in their eyes.

Three long-accumulated, lethal attacks were launched without reservation at the defenseless captain.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. The team members near the captain realized something was wrong and wanted to rescue him, but they were pinned down by their own opponents.

Now was the time!

Li Wen, who had been maintaining a steady output, suddenly had eyes that became as cold and sharp as a thunder god looking down upon the mortal world from the Nine Heavens.

The long-suppressed Battle Intent and killing Intent were finally no longer hidden, erupting like a dormant volcano.

The purple lightning that was originally restrained around his body instantly became violent.

“Star Gallop!”

A low shout rang out like a sudden clap of thunder! Li Wen's figure disappeared from where he stood.

It wasn't teleportation, but pure speed reaching its absolute limit.

Fast! It was a speed that surpassed the limits of imagination for everyone present.

A dazzling, blinding bolt of purple lightning, carrying a violent Saber Qi that seemed to tear through space, crossed the distance, arriving first despite starting later.

The target was aimed directly at the dark gold lion Yao, who had just finished releasing his Divine Ability and was in a brief state of recovery as his Aura fluctuated.

The wild joy on the lion Yao's face had not yet faded when that Soul-freezing purple blade light was reflected in his pupils. The speed was so fast that he only had time for a single thought of despair to arise.

Puff!

There was no earth-shaking sound of collision, only a dull thud, like the sound of cutting through worn leather.

The dark gold mane, which was strong enough to withstand the attacks of an ordinary Peak Bright Moon Realm, was as fragile as paper before the blade edge imbued with the power of the Nine-Layer Divine Body.

The long blade swept through diagonally, and a massive lion head with an expression of shock flew high into the air, accompanied by a fountain-like spray of dark red Yao blood.

The blade light's momentum did not stop; the thunder energy exploded, instantly turning that massive headless Yao corpse into a pile of charred ash.

One strike to slay the lion Yao!

Li Wen's figure did not pause for a second; he didn't even look at the dead lion Yao.

The momentum from slaying the powerful enemy guided him straight toward the Lizard Yao and Water Yao, who were inches away and about to deliver the killing blow to the captain.

“Thunder Strike!”

His blade momentum shifted, and two blade rainbows, even faster and more eerie than before, lit up silently like Soul-reaping chains crossing through time and space.

The Lizard Yao, who had the strongest defense, only felt a chill at his waist as his proud bone armor and half his body were instantly separated.

The Water Yao didn't even have time to react; he felt a sharp pain at his brow as his entire body was split from head to toe by a frigid rainbow light, turning into two halves.

It happened in the blink of an eye!

From the lion Yao's roar freezing the captain to Li Wen's sudden eruption and slaying of the three Peak Yao, the entire process took less than half a breath.

Time seemed to resume its flow, but the battle situation on the entire underground platform had been turned upside down.

The captain also recovered from that brief mental shock. Although he felt a lingering fear, a wild Battle Intent erupted in his eyes.

“Kill—!”

The captain's roar resounded throughout the platform.

Witnessing this reversal, the morale of the guarding God-Fiends instantly soared to its Peak.

Meanwhile, the remaining Yao Race saw their once-aggressive leading Yao reduced to ash and mangled corpses in an instant.

They then looked at the young figure standing in the middle of the field like a demon god, the purple lightning on his blade edge not yet dissipated.

Fear, like the most lethal plague, instantly consumed them.

“Run! Quickly, run back into the gate!” someone shrieked.

The surviving Yao Race no longer had any Battle Intent. They turned around and rushed desperately toward the Interstellar Gate behind them.

Tactics and missions were all thrown to the wind; all that remained was infinite terror of that purple figure.

“You want to leave after being lured out?” Li Wen's voice was cold as his figure once again turned into a purple stream of light.

“Star Gallop!”

“Thunder Strike!”

The basic Blade Techniques of the Profound Vault Rainbow Silence Chapter, usually used for tempering, became the most terrifying harvesting scythe at this moment.

Li Wen's Blade Technique was like a perfect movement of death. Every time the blade edge lit up, it inevitably brought forth a spray of Yao blood.

Coupled with his absolute speed that far surpassed those of the same rank, the fleeing Yao Race were like prey caught by the god of death, unable to reach the gate before being cut down one after another.

The guarding captain and other God-Fiends also reacted from their initial shock and unleashed even stronger attacks.

Led by Li Wen, they carried out the final cleanup, coordinating with Li Wen's despair-inducing speed.

Desperate Yao roars and dying wails rang out together, but they soon grew sparse.

In just over a dozen breaths, the last Late Stage Yao, who was desperately rushing back to the edge of the Interstellar Gate, was overtaken by a purple rainbow that spanned space. He and half his body were pinned to the spatial barrier in front of the gate, twitching as he died.

When the last Yao corpse hit the ground, the piercing alarm was finally deactivated.

Only the thick smell of blood and the yet-to-dissipate ripples of True Essence and Demonic power told of the fierce battle that had just occurred.

After a brief silence...

“We won!! We won!!”

“Total annihilation! We completely wiped out the invading Yao Race!”

Mountain-shaking cheers and shouts erupted from the defensive works at the edge of the platform, from the logistics personnel watching, and from the chests of every guarding soldier, instantly filling the entire massive underground space.