191: Chapter 190 Marquis of Changning - Li Wen

Chapter 190: Marquis of Changning — Li Wen

"Marquis-level Divine Demon? I wouldn't even dare to dream of the Great Sun Realm in this lifetime; I'd be content just reaching the Bright Moon Realm." A young Martial Artist sighed.

"Alright, stop aiming too high. Just focus on becoming a Martial Artist first." Their companion teased with a smile.

Similar discussions were breaking out all over the city.

To the vast majority of people, a Marquis-level Divine Demon was an existence high above the clouds.

Yet now, one had been born so "close" to them, sparking infinite imagination about power and the future.

In the Southern District of Changning City, within a slightly old residential area, at Wang Hu's home.

"Good! That's good!" Wang Hu stared at the official announcement pushed to his communicator and slapped his thigh hard. His face was flushed with irrepressible excitement. "Hahaha! Who would have thought? In my lifetime, I, Wang Hu, actually taught a student who became a Marquis-level Divine Demon!"

He laughed loudly, though his eyes were slightly moist.

Back in the martial arts class at Qingshi County Third Middle School, the image of that student with a resolute gaze who trained almost desperately surfaced in his mind again.

"I knew it! That kid had a streak of relentless grit in his bones. Once he set his mind on something, he would dive right in, and not even nine oxen could pull him back! If he kept at it, he was bound to succeed! My judgment, Wang Hu's judgment, was correct!"

"Daddy, Uncle Li Wen is so amazing!" His young daughter, Wang Xi, looked up with her small face, her big eyes filled with adoration. She clenched her small fists tightly. "When I grow up, I want to be as amazing as Uncle Li Wen, become a powerful Divine Demon, protect Daddy and Mommy, and protect our home!"

"Right! Our Xi Xi has ambition!" Wang Hu picked up his daughter and affectionately rubbed his forehead against hers. "Work hard. In the future, our Xi Xi will definitely be able to become a towering Divine Demon and drive those damned Yao Race out of our homeland!"

Inside the rest area of the Interstellar Gate fortress at the Changning City Underground Fortress Pass.

"Tsk tsk, as expected of Team Leader Li! Half a month, just half a month, and he reached the Marquis Level!" A young garrison member sighed, his tone filled with admiration.

"Indeed, this speed... Team Leader Zhao went into the Kindling Hall half a year ago to prepare for his Breakthrough, yet Team Leader Li caught up from behind and succeeded in reaching the Marquis Level first."

A senior member next to him nodded in agreement, his expression a mix of surprise and the feeling that it was only natural.

"I just don't know if Team Leader Li will return to our Changning after reaching the Marquis Level?" Another member asked with anticipation. "If Team Leader Li could come back to hold the fort... our Changning City would truly be impenetrable!"

"Hard to say. The scope of responsibility for a Marquis-level Divine Demon is definitely larger; there will likely be new arrangements."

Someone analyzed, "Still, Team Leader Li has feelings for Changning. If he can come back, that would naturally be best."

The team members discussed it in a flurry of voices, all genuinely happy for the captain they had once fought alongside, and their words were filled with anticipation for the future of Changning City.

This commotion, which swept through the entire city, naturally reached the core area of Changning City, to the quiet villa belonging to Li Wen.

Li Wen's parents had received countless congratulatory communications and messages. At this moment, they were sitting in the living room, their faces showing pride as well as a trace of imperceptible complexity.

"A Wen... he really reached the Marquis Level." Mother Li murmured, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the screen of the communicator.

The achievements her son had attained far exceeded her imagination. While she was overjoyed, the worry for her son's safety had also deepened.

Reaching the Marquis Level meant greater power, but it also meant heavier responsibilities and greater risks.

"Mm, it's official news, it can't be fake." Father Li's voice was steady, but his eyes flashed with a bright radiance.

He gripped his wife's hand tightly. "This child has been charging forward head-down since he was back in Qingshi County; no one could stop him. Now... he has finally stood at this height. We should be happy for him."

"Happy, of course I'm happy." Mother Li nodded, then sighed softly. "I just don't know how he is now. He just had a Breakthrough; is he busy again immediately... This child is never home."

"He is a Marquis-level Divine Demon now; the burden on his shoulders is heavier." Father Li said understandingly. "The Yao Race is eyeing us covetously, and the Shadow Organization is lurking and causing chaos; how could he truly be idle? All we can do is take good care of ourselves so we don't distract him."

The living room went quiet for a moment, with only the faint bustle of the city drifting in from the distance outside the window.

Behind that world-renowned glory lay the deep and restrained concern of parents.

galactic calendar year 236, April 22nd, afternoon.

Hongxi City.

The piercing alarm, like the wailing of a dying giant beast, resounded through every corner of the Hongxi City Underground Fortress Pass.

The air was filled with the scorching scent of gunpowder, blood, and the chaotic Yao Race power.

The defensive shield on the outskirts of the fortress had long since shattered by more than half, and energy turbulence raged everywhere, carving deep grooves into the hard alloy walls.

On the ground, the corpses of Human Race warriors and Yao soldiers were intertwined; the battle was brutal.

In the core area of the fortress, the fighting was particularly intense.

Ding Jun, the Divine Demon captain of Hongxi City, a powerhouse whose skill Realm had long entered the "Dao Realm" and whose strength was comparable to a threshold marquis, was currently being tightly besieged by five figures emitting tyrannical Yao Race power.

These five Yao Race, while different in form, possessed surging Bloodline pressure that indicated they were direct blood descendants of a Yao Saint, and all were existences at the Peak of the Great Sun Realm.

They coordinated tacitly, unleashing Divine Ability after Divine Ability.

A crimson pillar of fire pierced the sky, carrying a heat that could incinerate all things; eerie poisonous mist spread silently, corroding the protective True Qi; a heavy, earth-yellow giant fist crashed down, carrying the force of a mountain; sharp wind blades cut through space, emitting shrill whistles; and there were even bewitching, eerie phantom shadows waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Even though Ding Jun's Blade Technique Realm was profound and his movement technique was like lightning, under the frenzied attacks of the five Yao Saint Bloodline Geniuses, he appeared stretched thin.

His battle armor was damaged in many places, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his Aura was clearly weakening, and his situation was precarious.

Amidst the siege, the consciousnesses of the five Yao Race elites were rapidly communicating in secret.

"Remember, this attack only lasts two minutes! Once the time is up, retreat immediately!"

The leader was a burly tiger Yao covered in crimson scales, its blood-red eyes scanning the surrounding battlefield vigilantly as it emphasized again.

"Big Brother, isn't two minutes too short?" An emerald green snake Yao, which had released its true form and was coiled in the air, flicked its tongue, its eerie vertical pupils flashing with unwillingness. "We won't be able to kill many humans at all. It wasn't easy for us to infiltrate the Human Realm, and this time we haven't sensed the presence of any powerful ambushes yet. How about extending it to three minutes? Three minutes is just right, enough to kill this troublesome captain and then wipe out the other few in the Great Sun Realm."

"Right, retreating as soon as two minutes are up is indeed too tight." A short, agile mouse Yao next to it chimed in. "Last time we were just a hair's breadth away from slaughtering that Divine Demon captain. Three minutes, I think, is just right; the risk isn't high."

"You two idiots!" A snow-white fox Yao with sharp eyes immediately retorted. "Do you really think the Human Race's support speed is always constant? Although their support arrived slowly the last few times, do you dare to bet that it will be slow every time? What if they are one or two minutes faster this time? We would all have to leave our lives here! Only by living can we kill more humans. If we die, we have nothing! Furthermore, what makes you certain that the humans don't have deeper ambushes? Big Brother's caution is the correct choice."

"White Fox is right," a gloomy-Aura turtle Yao next to it also spoke in a muffled voice. "Safe retreat and staying alive is most important. As descendants of the Saint Race, we are not lacking in merit; why risk it just to kill a few more humans?"

The leader, the Crimson-Scaled Tiger Yao, narrowed its blood-red eyes, its voice brooking no argument. "No need to argue. Once two minutes are up, I will retreat. If you want to stay, feel free. If you die, don't blame me for not warning you."

"Do it!" The tiger Yao gave a low shout, instantly breaking the mental communication.

The eyes of the five Yao Saint Bloodline Geniuses flared with ferocity. Their Yao power erupted without reservation, and the ultimate moves they had been brewing for a long time simultaneously slammed toward Ding Jun in the center of the encirclement.

The crimson tiger Yao opened its mouth and spat out a lava breath condensed to the extreme, tearing through the air; the emerald green snake Yao screeched, its poison Domain suddenly contracting, transforming into thousands of emerald green poison needles that shot out; the short mouse Yao flickered and disappeared, appearing the next moment at Ding Jun's side, its sharp claws carrying a cold glint that tore through space, clawing at his waist and abdomen; the white fox's eyes flared with pink light, a mental attack piercing straight into Ding Jun's Sea of Consciousness; the turtle Yao gave a low roar, and a huge rock cage appeared out of thin air, intending to seal off all of Ding Jun's escape routes.

The five ultimate moves combined, their power enough to make an ordinary Marquis-level Divine Demon change their expression.

Ding Jun's pupils constricted violently. He gave his all to swing his blade to block and dodge, but his blade light, like a waterfall, was shattered one after another.

Amidst a deafening boom, his protective True Qi completely collapsed; he felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily against the cracked alloy wall. His Aura was withered to the extreme; he was clearly severely injured.

"Got him!" The five Yao Race members' faces simultaneously showed bloodthirsty, cruel smiles. They lunged forward without hesitation, preparing to deliver the final blow to Ding Jun.

Just at this critical moment—

"Hmm?!"

The excited expressions of the five descendants of the Yao Saint, fueled by the slaughter, suddenly froze.

A strong warning, stemming from their primal survival instinct, made their hair stand on end. They turned their heads in unison to look toward the distant horizon.

A blinding bolt of lightning tore through the sky, rushing over from the distant horizon at a speed that surpassed their understanding!

One moment it was at the edge of their vision, and the next, that blurred figure of electric light appeared silently atop the ruined wall of the Underground Fortress Pass.

There was no earth-shattering boom, no massive explosion of energy.

Only that figure stood silently, and a violent, domineering, and suffocatingly terrifying Aura, like a tangible wave, swept across the entire battlefield.

The air seemed to freeze instantly, and even the earth-shaking shouts of battle and the sounds of energy explosions seemed to stall, suppressed by this Aura.

They didn't even have time to see the newcomer's face, let alone make any reaction.

They only saw the blurred figure on the wall raise a hand and make a grasping motion.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Five thick purple thunderbolts, like giant pythons descending from the nine heavens, appeared out of thin air with pinpoint accuracy, instantly entangling the five descendants of the Yao Saint who were lunging at Ding Jun.

The destructive power contained within the thunderbolts exploded!

"Puff!" "Puff!" "Argh!" The screams came to an abrupt end.

The Green Snake Yao, the Short Mouse Yao, and the White-furred Fox Yao—three Yao Race Geniuses didn't even have a chance to struggle; their bodies were directly carbonized, disintegrated, and annihilated in the violent thunderlight!

The leader, the Red-scaled Tiger Yao, and the gloomy-Aura Turtle Yao had the strongest strength, but they were also instantly severely injured. Their bodies were charred black, their Yao power dissipated, and they coughed up blood wildly, their eyes filled with utter terror and despair.

"Not good!" "It's over!" "It's only been a minute—how could a Marquis-level Divine Demon have arrived?!" The Green Snake Yao, who had previously advocated for extending the time, had only endless regret and fear as its last thoughts before its consciousness dissipated.

The leading Red-scaled Tiger Yao endured the excruciating pain that was tearing its body apart and the paralysis from the lingering power of the thunder, its heart churning with monstrous waves.

It exhausted its last bit of strength, frantically driving its Bloodline Power, turning into a streak of blood-colored light, and fled desperately toward the Interstellar Gate behind it that was flickering with eerie light.

"How is this possible! The closest fortress pass with a Marquis guarding it is over a thousand miles away! Even taking the fastest aircraft and traveling at full speed, it would take at least four or five minutes! Only a minute has passed! How could he have arrived?!"

The Tiger Yao screamed frantically in its heart, filled with confusion and despair. Was he already lying in ambush nearby? No, impossible; if he had been lying in ambush, he should have attacked earlier! Could it be—a coincidence that he was passing by?"

As a descendant of the Yao Saint, it had always been cautious. Every invasion was strictly controlled within two minutes; it never greedily sought merit or advanced rashly, firmly believing that "caution is the parent of safety."

In recent years, the Human Race's battle lines have stretched, and the Divine Demons responsible for mobile support often need to cover several cities. How could there still be a Marquis Level combat power that could appear here with such supernatural speed?

Could the plan have been leaked? Or has the Human Race produced some other terrifying variable?

"Pfft!" A cold flash of a blade, launched after but arriving first, easily caught up with the fleeing streak of blood-colored light, precisely piercing through the Red-scaled Tiger Yao's brow.

The terror, despair, and confusion in its eyes instantly froze. Its body, like a puppet with cut strings, fell powerlessly from mid-air, carrying a thick smell of burning.

That blurred figure took a step and appeared before the severely injured Turtle Yao lying on the ground. The blade flashed again, ending its life.

The battle was not over.

That figure's eyes were cold. With a thought, a strange Domain, seemingly composed of countless brilliant stars, instantly expanded from him as the center, completely enveloping the entire core battlefield of the Hongxi City Underground Fortress Pass!

Star Dome Domain!

Within the Domain, stars flowed and gravity shifted; space itself seemed to be slightly distorted.

All the Yao Race members who were fighting with the Human Race warriors, regardless of their strength, suddenly became incredibly sluggish, as if they had fallen into thick mud.

The next second, the invisible power of the stars crushed over them.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—like countless bubbles bursting, a dense sound rang out.

Within the range covered by the Domain, all Yao Race members, whether they were roaring giant Yao or stealthy assassins, stiffened simultaneously. The vitality in their eyes dissipated rapidly, as if their lives had been instantly erased by an invisible giant hand.

Immediately after, the corpses of countless Yao Race members fell to the ground one after another, like dumplings being dropped into a pot, from mid-air, from behind cover, and from the battlefield.

Everything happened too fast.

From the lightning's arrival and the thunder's annihilation of the five elites, to the Star Dome Domain covering the entire field and the complete annihilation of the Yao Race, it all happened within just a few breaths.

Inside the fortress pass, the Human Race warriors who were struggling to hold on hadn't even fully reacted before the battle had already ended.

It wasn't until the terrifying Star Dome Domain that had shrouded the battlefield slowly retracted, revealing the clear figure on the wall—wearing a crisp black combat suit, with a young face yet bearing an indescribable majesty and calmness.

"It's Junior Martial Uncle Li!"

"Marquis of Changning! It's the Marquis of Changning who has come!"

Exclamations rose and fell, filled with the wild joy of surviving a disaster and deep awe.

Li Wen, the Marquis of Changning, whose speed is unrivaled in the world; everyone knows him, everyone knows of him!

On the ruined fortress pass, Li Wen's gaze swept across the battlefield. After confirming there were no more Yao Race threats, he turned his eyes to the severely injured Ding Jun and the other Human Race Divine Demons.

A gentle smile appeared on his face: "Everyone is safe now. Quickly treat your wounds."

Ding Jun, who had been helped up by his subordinates, looked at that figure on the wall after his initial shock and severe pain, his eyes filled with gratitude and lingering fear.

He endured his pain and bowed deeply to Li Wen: "Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle, for saving my life! If not for your divine arrival, Junior would have had—absolutely no chance of surviving today!"

Half a month ago, after Li Wen successfully became a Marquis at the Star Dome Cave, the Principal of Kindling University replanned his mission.

Considering his terrifying speed that was unrivaled in the world, the Principal no longer assigned him to a single city or location, but instead entrusted him with a brand-new duty.

With Changning City as the center, he was responsible for emergency support missions for all cities within a ten-thousand-mile radius.

With his speed of "Body Transforming into the Nine Heavens," even a distance of ten thousand miles would take only a little over a minute to travel.

But this was, after all, an explosive Divine Ability, and the consumption of Qi and Primordial Spirit was extremely huge. Using it for a long, uninterrupted period was not only inefficient but would also place a serious burden on his body, and could even leave irreversible damage.

Therefore, when executing missions, Li Wen usually adopted an intermittent explosive method—using the Divine Ability at key nodes to instantly cover long distances, while maintaining high-speed flight in between to recover his consumption.

Even so, his average support speed far exceeded the traditional aircraft or the travel methods of King-level Divine Demons.

This time, Hongxi City was raided, and it was only two thousand miles away from Changning City.

For an ordinary Peak King-level, it would take at least four or five minutes to cross this distance.

But for Li Wen, who had mastered "Body Transforming into the Nine Heavens," the moment he received the alarm signal, he decisively unleashed his explosive power.

With a few key acceleration flickers, like that bolt of lightning tearing through the sky, he crossed the vast distance in just over a minute, descended onto the battlefield, and turned the tide.

May 1st, 236 galactic calendar.

Deep in the unknown, dark underground of Blue Planet, the true core lair of the Shadow Organization.

Inside that grand hall, forged from strange alloys and styled with a bizarre yet luxurious flair, a solemn atmosphere shrouded the huge circular conference table.

At this moment, the true high-level members of the Yao Race who were lurking in the Human Realm were holding their routine monthly meeting.

Sitting at the head of the table was Yao Saint Wu Jing, still wearing the appearance of a young human, his expression carrying a trace of imperceptible laziness and deep, hidden majesty.

To his left, they were not physical entities, but several projected virtual images.

Seated on the left were the heads of the existing departments of the Shadow Organization; they cautiously maintained their concealment, their heads shrouded in mask-like light symbols representing different zodiac signs.