165: Chapter 165 Another Identity

Everyone's gaze turned toward the center of the platform, where a deep purple figure stood with a blade in hand, clothes fluttering gently in the residual energy ripples.

“Li Wen!”

“Captain Li!!”

“Beautifully done!!!”

Shouting his name became the only wave of sound at this moment.

This unprecedented, near-zero-casualty total annihilation of an invasion led by a Peak-Rank Yao General was almost entirely credited to his heaven-shaking eruption at the most critical moment and the subsequent cold-blooded harvest.

Facing the excited, burning gazes and deafening cheers of the crowd, Li Wen's face showed little excitement.

He merely gave a habitually modest smile, and with a 'zheng' sound, his long blade returned to its sheath.

He surveyed the mess on the ground and his excited teammates, speaking calmly: “It was just a stroke of luck, taking advantage of the information gap. The Yao Race had no idea I was here and vastly underestimated our combat power. Next time they're prepared, it won't be so easy to lure the enemy deep or deal with key figures possessing Innate Divine Abilities.”

The captain also walked over, his face filled with the emotion of surviving a disaster and admiration for Li Wen. He nodded and said: “Brother Li is right. This victory was built on the enemy's lack of intelligence, especially their complete misjudgment of your strength. When they come again, they will surely be more cautious and might even use more targeted methods. They won't be lured away from the Interstellar Gate so easily again.”

2

He was someone who had personally experienced the power of that lion demon's roar Divine Ability, and he knew even better how critical and timely Li Wen's intervention had been.

A teammate nearby patted the dust off his body and added with a hint of relaxation: “But this is fine too; at least we hurt them this time and kept them guessing about our true depth. For the next period, this gate in Qingshi County should be quite peaceful. It's good for our recovery and for the surrounding areas.”

“I hope so.” Li Wen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the battle traces on the platform, then looking toward the nebula vortex that had returned to a deathly calm and was spinning on its own, his eyes deep.

He knew this was only the beginning of a long era of guardianship.

And the facts were exactly as they predicted.

On the other end of the world behind the gate.

“Hmm? Not back yet?” The Marquis Level Yao King Shi Li, whose body was like a mountain and whose aura was as terrifying as a deep abyss, gave a low growl.

His massive golden vertical pupils stared at the motionless portal. After waiting for several hours, he finally confirmed the worst outcome.

“Trash! A bunch of trash!” The angry roar made the entire palace buzz and shake.

Those sent were all elites under his command, especially his own offspring, who possessed a pure-blood talent and whose strength was top-tier even among the Bright Moon Realm Peak. He hadn't expected them to be completely wiped out.

“Could it be that the Blue Star side deployed multiple Great Sun Realms so quickly? Or perhaps a Marquis Level powerhouse happened to be passing by?” Shi Li was completely baffled.

He could wrack his massive lion king head and never imagine that the culprit who annihilated his elite forces was someone whose own Realm was only at the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage.

galactic calendar Year 231, July 18th, Night.

Inside the Qingshi County underground city pass, the lights fell steadily on the metal floor of the quiet room.

Li Wen sat cross-legged in the center, surrounded by visible ripples of pure energy.

A pigeon-egg-sized crimson Medicinal Pill was slowly dissolving in his palm, its medicinal power seeping into his Meridians thread by thread, tempering his Physical Body which had long since reached the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage.

In the past half-year, the Qingshi County underground city pass had enjoyed a rare period of peace due to that total annihilation of the invading Yao Race.

Only occasional stray Yao scouts attempted to spy, but as soon as the alarm sounded, they were scared off by the vigilant guardian gods and demons.

But this calm was limited to a corner of Qingshi County; other satellite cities around Changning City, and even further counties, were still gasping under the shadow of the Yao invasion, where tragic battles could break out at any moment.

Therefore, Li Wen, as a core force with combat power comparable to the Great Sun Realm, was assigned frequent support missions.

Half a year of campaigning and the tempering of blood and fire had not only steadily improved his various cultivations but had also settled a layer of indescribable killing intent upon him.

An almost tangible Demonic Evil Qi swirled around him; ordinary Yao would instinctively tremble and recoil upon first contact.

At this moment, what Li Wen focused on most was the Scholar experience bar clearly appearing in his consciousness:

[297400→404320/409600].

He was only 5,280 experience points away from his Scholar Rank breaking through to Lv14.

This meant an impending massive leap.

Not only the more efficient meditation ability brought by the 10% Comprehension Ability gain, but also a terrifying explosion in Mental Energy.

The quality of his Primordial Spirit would be pushed to a new height because of this; even if it didn't directly step into the fourth layer of the Primordial Spirit, it would already be astonishing enough.

The stronger the Primordial Spirit, the more unfathomable the power of his hidden trump card, the 'God-Shocking Sting,' which was exactly the source of his confidence to face a Marquis Level head-on.

At the very moment the last trace of the pill's power was completely absorbed—Buzz!

The massive energy display screen in the quiet room and the personal terminal on his wrist simultaneously lit up with a piercing red light.

The sharp buzz of the alarm tore through the silence of the room.

A blood-red coordinate and distress message were clearly marked—[Nanzha County]

“Nanzha County?” Li Wen’s gaze swept over the information, instantly locking onto the location.

Nanzha County was located at the southern end of Changning City, quite far from Qingshi County in the north.

In the blink of an eye, without the slightest hesitation.

The sitting figure suddenly vanished, leaving only a faint trace of distorted air in his place.

In the next instant, he appeared on the helipad on the surface of Qingshi County.

The hatch of a streamlined, shadow-like dark aircraft slid open silently, and Li Wen threw himself inside.

Almost the moment he sat down, the engine let out a low roar, and the tail of the aircraft erupted with a strong blue-white particle stream, tearing through the night sky and racing toward the south.

He had grown accustomed to this kind of emergency reinforcement over the half-year.

Shuttling between battlefields time and again had not only sharpened his practical combat skills but also invisibly tempered the resilience in his heart.

However, not every dash resulted in a happy ending.

He had arrived too many times to find he was a step too late.

The cold bodies of comrades among the ruins, the scorched earth of ravaged civilians——

These images weighed heavily on his heart like lead, burning the icy hatred for the Yao Race deep within him even more fiercely.

This time, it was a maximum-level red alert, meaning——the garrison team was very likely already in dire straits.

The aircraft shuttled at limit speed, leaving the scream of torn air behind.

When the outline of Nanzha County appeared on the distant horizon, a choking scorched smell mixed with energy turbulence and blood faintly seeped in even through the thick hull Materials.

The sight before him caused Li Wen's pupils to shrink suddenly.

The outer walls of Nanzha County were torn open as if by giant claws, collapsing in large sections to form several massive gaps.

The Yao Race gathered outside had already broken through these gaps and invaded more than half of the outer city district.

As far as the eye could see, there were only scenes of destruction.

Burning buildings stood like giant torches in the dark night, their rising flames illuminating collapsed houses, twisted metal, and scattered debris;

Purple ice crystals covered large areas, freezing figures of despair;

Green corrosive poison smoked on the ground, emitting a pungent stench——the once prosperous outskirts of Nanzha City had now turned into a literal living hell.

Further away in the core district, the roar of intense energy collisions still echoed, but it was only sporadic resistance.

Seven or eight Yao leaders, emitting the powerful aura of the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage, were commanding their subordinates to frantically sweep through the remaining human garrison forces.

Several gods and demons clearly from the garrison team lay on the ground, their breath faint, covered in wounds, with two of them already devoid of life.

An icy killing intent that almost froze the air suddenly rose from beneath the hovering aircraft.

The hatch opened silently, and a figure wearing a deep purple uniform battle suit turned into a high-speed rainbow light indiscernible to the naked eye. Without a single redundant word, he dived down resolutely.

The figure's speed was truly too fast, so fast that many Yao sweeping the battlefield only felt a blur before their eyes and couldn't even react in time.

Only those few Bright Moon Realm Late Stage Yao leaders suddenly perceived a vast, cold, and destruction-filled will locking onto them!

“Reinforcements?!” The leading Yao was burly, covered in dark red horny scales, with a pair of curved giant horns shimmering with a metallic luster.

Its heart sank, and its first reaction was to order the team to quickly retreat toward the Star Gate.

But in just an instant, it sensed clearly that there was only one newcomer, and the energy fluctuations showed they were merely at the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage.

"One person?" The Red-armored Yao General's ugly face was first filled with shock, which was quickly replaced by a fury born of being slighted. It almost laughed out loud, letting out a low sound like a beast's roar, "A single human in the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage dares to come and seek death? Kill him!!"

It no longer thought of retreating. Its massive body suddenly swiveled around, and enveloped in a scorching demonic wind, it took the lead in pouncing toward that Purple Rainbow Light.

The other several Bright Moon Realm Late Stage leaders also let out bloodthirsty howls and turned their spears one after another. Various powerful innate divine abilities and the light of Yao artifacts lit up, merging into a destructive torrent intended to completely drown this reckless human.

However, facing the overwhelming and terrifying attacks and the siege of several Yao generals of the same Rank, the Purple Rainbow Light did not delay for a moment, nor did it even make any movement to dodge or block.

In the next instant—Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four explosive sounds, like thunderclaps from a clear sky, erupted in succession in the air!

It was faster than anything imaginable!

In the terrified, dilated pupils of the several Bright Moon Realm Late Stage Yao generals pouncing toward Li Wen, they only saw a flash of purple light pass by.

Their protective Demonic Qi, hardened cuticles, and the barriers formed by their innate divine abilities were as fragile as paper before that purple light.

It was as if four invisible, precisely lethal lines had sliced through the Void Realm, and their bodies were the points being cut by those lines simultaneously.

"How—"

The Red-armored Yao General only had time to utter half a syllable of a question.

In the next moment, its massive scale-covered head, along with the heads of the other three companions who had rushed at the very front, slid silently off their necks like overripe fruit.

Foul blood shot out from their neck stumps like fountains.

And their bodies seemed to be instantly filled with a powerful force; with a "bang," they exploded in mid-air, turning into a mist of blood and shredded meat that filled the sky.

The entire process was so fast that not even a single drop of blood could actually splash onto the hem of Li Wen's purple combat suit.

[Xuanqiong Five Styles: Star Gallop]!

Extreme speed brought about a terrifying explosion of kinetic energy.

The blade is the body, and the body is the blade.

This was no longer just a Blade Technique, but an Incarnation of lightning tearing through space.

The thoughts of the remaining Bright Moon Realm Late Stage Yao generals instantly fell into complete chaos and incomprehensible fear.

One second ago, they held an absolute advantage and were going to tear the enemy to pieces; the next second, the four strongest companions who rushed up were instantly killed? They hadn't even seen the opponent's movements clearly.

"Not good! Retreat—"

"He's not—"

"Is he in the Great Sun Realm?!"

The remaining Yao generals were scared out of their wits, their courage shattered; they no longer had even a shred of Battle Intent.

Only one thought remained in their minds—flee!

Flee back to the Interstellar Gate, back to the Monster Realm!

Unfortunately, their thoughts seemed such a luxury in the face of reality.

That purple figure did not pause for a moment after slaying the four Yao generals.

Another soft sound came from the air, like a scream from airflow being compressed to the extreme.

This time, only a single flash of purple light appeared.

But it was this single flash of purple light that seemed to appear behind all the Bright Moon Realm Yao generals trying to flee toward the Interstellar Gate at the same time.

Whether it was the one who reacted fastest and had already fled several miles, or the one who had just turned around with slightly slower movements.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

The bodies of the remaining few Yao generals instantly stiffened, and fine cracks emitting faint charred marks appeared on their chests, necks, hearts, and other vital areas.

The Thunder-Evil Power contained in Li Wen's true essence had already pierced through their defenses via his weapon or finger-claws under the boost of extreme speed, instantly annihilating their life force.

They couldn't even let out a scream before their bodies fell limply from the sky as if all their bones had been removed, their eyes frozen in boundless horror and deep bewilderment.

Until their deaths, they could not understand why a human in the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage could possess such crushing speed and lethality that made even fleeing a luxury.

Without the command and suppression of the Bright Moon Realm Yao generals, the remaining Flying Star Rank Yao soldiers on the battlefield fell into complete chaos.

Terrified shrieks and desperate howls rang out in unison.

Like a heap of loose sand, they instinctively fled toward the Interstellar Gate.

Li Wen was like a tiger among a flock of sheep. Every time the cold blade light lit up, it was accompanied by several Yao soldiers silently perishing like ashes scattered by the wind.

His despair-inducing speed made it difficult for ordinary Flying Star Rank Yao soldiers to even capture the direction he was moving.

However, there were indeed too many Flying Star Rank Yao soldiers, scattering and fleeing like a swarm of ants from a broken dike.

Li Wen's primary targets were always the high-level combatants who posed the greatest threat. The long blade in his hand turned into arcs of death, and wherever he passed, Yao soldiers fell in swaths.

But in the end, there were a dozen or so Flying Star Rank Yao soldiers located at the edge of the battlefield or who were exceptionally cunning; the moment Li Wen slew the last Yao general, they scrambled recklessly toward the still slowly rotating spatial vortex.

Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!

Several more Yao soldiers were caught and shredded by the Saber Qi, but seven or eight figures still managed to disappear into the Interstellar Gate in a wretched state at the last moment.

The spatial fluctuations within the Interstellar Gate gradually calmed down.

Li Wen sheathed his blade and stood still, looking around the messy, fire-lit outer district of Nanzha County.

The air was filled with the pungent stench of blood, char, and venom.

His gaze swept over the lifeless remains of the gods and demons, over the tragic scenes occasionally revealed under the distant ruins, and finally toward that ominous vortex leading to the Monster Realm.

The cold Evil Qi swirling around him seemed even heavier, and deep within his eyes, it was as if ten-thousand-year-old ice had formed, devoid of any warmth.

The blade in his hand had, at some point, finished drinking the Yao blood and returned to being clean and cold, except that on the edge, a layer of deep darkness seemed to have settled that could not be washed away.

On the other side of the Interstellar Gate.

This was a scorched brown wasteland filled with chaotic energy storms, where the distorted air seemed to burn with invisible flames.

A massive fortress built from some kind of pale white skeletons sat on the edge of the wasteland.

The Interstellar Gate was embedded in the center of a huge hall deep within the fortress's main building.

—

A withered, gloomy-faced old man sat cross-legged on a high platform not far from the Interstellar Gate.

He had a bizarre goat head, eyes as green as ghost fire, and a sparse gray goatee growing from his chin.

He was precisely the person in charge of the invasion in this area, the Marquis Level Yao King—Evil Eye Yao King.

At this moment, he was resting with his eyes closed, waiting for news of the spoils of war brought back by the Yao army under his command.

Suddenly, the light of the Interstellar Gate flickered violently.

A staggering figure tumbled out, falling heavily onto the ground covered with black gravel, covered in blood, and with a face full of post-disaster terror.

"Hmm?" Evil Eye Yao King suddenly opened his eyes, his green pupils like ignited phosphorus fire.

His Domain pressure spread silently, causing the Flying Star Rank Yao soldier who had just escaped death to instantly collapse to the ground, shaking like a sieve.

"What is the panic? What happened? How is the battle on the front line?"

Evil Eye Yao King's voice was hoarse, carrying an unquestionable coercion that drilled into the Yao soldier's mind like a venomous snake, "Why is it that only you have returned?"

"King—My King, have mercy!" The Yao soldier was scared out of his wits and spoke incoherently, "The human—the human reinforcements have arrived! One—one person in the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage! So terrifying! Commander Red Scale and the others—"

They're all dead! They were killed by that person in an instant! He—he doesn't seem like the Bright Moon Realm at all! He's too fast, like lightning—"

"Nonsense!" Evil Eye Yao King's face darkened, and the Demonic Qi around him boiled, "A mere human in the Bright Moon Realm Late Stage can kill several of my great generals?"

A cold killing intent appeared in his eyes, and a withered claw was about to rise to crush this fool who was disturbing the army's morale into meat paste.

Just then—Thud! Thud! Thud—

One after another, several more Flying Star Rank Yao soldiers scrambled out of the Interstellar Gate like stray dogs.

Each of them was in a wretched state, their faces a mix of bone-deep fear and the relief of having escaped with their lives.

Evil Eye Yao King's cold gaze swept over this group of shivering, defeated soldiers.

"Speak!" He looked at the other Yao soldiers who had just escaped, "What exactly happened at the front? Is what this fellow just said true or false?"

"King—My King! It's true! It's true!"