194: Chapter 193 The Venerable One from Five Hundred Years Ago

Chapter 193: The Venerable from Five Hundred Years Ago

The jade pendant's light suddenly intensified, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, sending out ripples of halo.

The halo expanded gently yet firmly, gradually enveloping the seated figures one by one.

The moment they were covered by the light, it felt as if a restart switch had been pressed.

Every one of these dozen figures exuded an Aura as deep as the sea; the lowest among them was at the level of a top King-rank.

A few were particularly prominent, far surpassing their peers, their Aura fluctuations already incredibly close to the Venerable Realm.

The leader, an old man in grey-white hemp clothing, had an Aura as profound as an abyss, on par with the Principal; he was undoubtedly a true Venerable.

As the light completely encompassed everyone, subtle energy fluctuations began to circulate in the silent cavern.

"Hmm?"

"This is—"

Low murmurs of doubt arose.

The eyelashes of the seated figures trembled slightly, and eyes that had been closed for hundreds of years slowly opened.

At first, their gazes carried a hint of confusion from having slept for too long.

But their instincts as top experts caused this confusion to fade rapidly within a few breaths, becoming sharp and clear once more.

When their gazes focused on the Principal and Venerable Xingxuan at the cave entrance.

That sharpness was instantly tinged with complex emotions—a mix of nostalgia from a long-awaited reunion and a keen inquiry into the current situation.

The hemp-clad Venerable, whose Aura matched the Principal's, fixed his gaze on the Principal. His voice was hoarse with the weight of time, yet sounded exceptionally clear: "Junior Brother Ye? What time is it—now?"

Venerable Xingxuan stepped forward, his expression respectful yet tinged with excitement: "Senior Brother Hu, since you all entered the Time Cavern to seal yourselves, it has been—the year 242 of the galactic calendar."

"galactic calendar?" Senior Brother Hu frowned slightly, unfamiliar with this way of counting years.

The Principal explained: "Senior Brother Hu, time flies in the outside world; over five hundred years have passed. Blue Star has crossed from the era of spiritual energy scarcity we once experienced into the new era of spiritual energy recovery."

"Five hundred years—has it really been five hundred years?"

The old man in hemp, Senior Brother Hu, repeated in a low voice. A flash of imperceptible fluctuation passed through his weathered eyes, and then his gaze hardened. He pointed to the core: "Junior Brother Ye, you woke us all up—has the Sect suffered a calamity of collapse?"

The Principal's expression was solemn. With nothing held back, he clearly and logically recounted the key information from the past two hundred-plus years: the Yao Race invasion, the havoc caused by the Shadow Organization, the battles at the Interstellar Gate, the Human Race's strategic retreat, the awakening of Demon Saint Wujing, and the impending launch of the highest-level contingency plan, the 'Sky-Tilting Plan.'

This included the difficult support of Kindling Hall, the reinforcements from the three star alliances, and the impending final decisive battle.

As Principal Ye Qin spoke, the cavern fell into silence, with only the chaotic temporal energy flowing silently outside the light shield.

Every awakened King-rank Divine Demon had an incredibly focused and grave expression.

Senior Brother Hu listened in silence. When he heard "Demon Saint Wujing," "Sky-Tilting Plan," and "final decisive battle," stars seemed to flicker in his profound eyes.

After Principal Ye Qin's voice faded, there was a brief silence before Senior Brother Hu slowly stood up.

He looked around at the familiar faces, all equally aged yet burning with unyielding Battle Intent. His voice was steady and powerful, carrying unquestionable resolve: "Five hundred years of vicissitudes, I never expected our descendants to face such a catastrophe. For two hundred years of guarding, Kindling Hall has never retreated. Very good. You—have suffered."

"Since the Yao Race wishes to overturn the Foundation of our Human Race, then next, let us old bones stretch our muscles!"

"Fight!"

"Kill all the Yao Race!"

"Protect the Human Race!"

There were no impassioned slogans, only low and firm responses.

The dozen King-rank Divine Demons stood up simultaneously, and a massive Battle Intent that had been dormant for hundreds of years erupted.

Like a long-suppressed volcano suddenly awakening, it instantly dispersed the near-solid temporal atmosphere in the cavern; even the chaotic temporal torrent seemed to pause for an instant.

Although each of their faces bore the deep marks carved by time, and their Lifespan was mostly nearing the five-hundred-year limit of a King-rank Divine Demon.

But the bodies standing tall at this moment exuded a tempered, indestructible power.

They were the true Foundation of Kindling Hall, spanning nearly a thousand years!

They were the Prodigies who rose from the most difficult years of the spiritual energy scarcity era.

In a desperate situation without abundant spiritual energy, they relied solely on their tenacious will and supreme talent to force their way into the Realm of top King-rank and Peak King-rank.

The outside world had long forgotten them in the long river of history, believing they had long since died of old age.

Only the highest level of Kindling Hall knew that these Seniors were the last and strongest trump card of the Human Race.

It was the core reliance that Kindling Hall had the confidence to hold on to when the Demon Saint awakened and the war escalated fully.

Principal Ye Qin looked at this group of white-haired peers or Seniors with surging Battle Intent, his heart stirred and difficult to calm.

The pressure of carrying the Human Race's spine alone for over two hundred years seemed to be slightly lifted at this moment.

Adding the twelve King-rank Divine Demons supported by the three major forces, and the more than thirty King-ranks cultivated and accumulated by Kindling Hall itself over these two hundred years.

The King-rank combat power gathered by the Human Race at this moment had reached an astonishing fifty!

Among them, there were no shortage of Peak King-ranks, and even existences with Auras approaching the threshold of a Venerable.

With such a terrifying force, condensing the millennium Foundation of the Human Race and the new blood of the recent era, Principal Ye Qin knew that blocking the Yao Race's sky-tilting blow was no empty talk.

Inside the cavern, Battle Intent boiled like lava.

Outside the cavern, the final deathly silence before the storm shrouded Blue Star.

The war was about to begin.

Behind Wudao Peak, lush pines and cypresses hid a pavilion full of ancient charm.

Inside the pavilion, the newly awakened Venerable Guhe, Hu Canghe, sat opposite Principal Ye Qin and Venerable Xingxuan, Su Meng, with the calmness accumulated over time.

On the stone table, a three-dimensional defense projection covering the entire Blue Star flowed quietly, with details of mountains, rivers, cities, and fortresses appearing vividly.

Principal Ye Qin's fingers moved across the star map, his voice steady: "The current distribution of power and preset defense lines are mainly built around these ninety-four core fortress cities and the Interstellar Gate fortress groups, forming a deep defense network that supports each other."

Venerable Guhe scanned the projection and nodded slightly.

His fingers finally stopped on the areas where the sensing connection between Blue Star and the Monster Realm was most dense and spatial fluctuations were most intense. There was a hint of gravity between his brows: "These arrangements are already comprehensive. Only—Demon Saint Wujing. How should he be dealt with?"

Principal Ye Qin picked up the teacup on the stone table, his expression calm: "Regarding Wujing, Senior Brother Hu need not worry too much. He is indeed a big problem, but his situation is also quite subtle."

He set down the teacup, his tone firm: "Now, on the entire Blue Star, the strongest combat power the Yao Race can bring out is the Demon Saint Wujing who descended through Possession. And the body of Possession has great limitations; his combat power can at most be restored to the level before Possession. Even with the treasures bestowed by the Demon Emperor, he is now barely close to the level of a normal Venerable."

Venerable Xingxuan, Su Meng, took over the conversation, her voice cold and clear: "On the other hand, we already have three Venerables sitting in town. Even I, with the shallowest cultivation, have strength above a normal Venerable. Principal Ye and you, Senior Brother Hu, have both reached the level of top Venerables."

She traced an invisible encirclement on the projection with her fingertips, "As long as Demon Saint Wujing makes a full-strength move anywhere on Blue Star, the energy fluctuations he erupts are hard to hide completely. We can lock onto his position instantly. As long as we can stall him for dozens of seconds, the three of us working together will be enough to completely suppress and kill him."

Principal Ye Qin nodded and added: "Wujing knows this better himself. He is the biggest capital invested by the Monster Realm in the Blue Star battlefield, and his strategic significance far exceeds the sum of all other Yao Races. Once he falls, the 'Sky-Tilting Plan' will completely collapse. Therefore, in the upcoming comprehensive invasion, the number of times he personally takes action will inevitably be compressed to the extreme. Unless he has full confidence or is forced to, he will never take risks easily. The real main force of the attack will be the Great Yao Kings and Yao King clusters under his command."

The gravity in Venerable Guhe's eyes gradually dissipated, turning into a hint of realization: "So that's it. By using one's own 'cannot lose' to attack the other's 'dare not lose'—this Wujing has become a supervisor who binds his own hands and feet. In this way, we can focus on monitoring those top Great Yao Kings and Yao King clusters as planned."

The three Venerables stopped talking and their gazes fell back onto the star map.

The light points on the defense map and the lines representing defensive lines and power were silently adjusted, refined, and reinforced according to their will.

Within this quiet pavilion, the most critical core defensive network for the Human Race on Blue Star against the Yao Race gradually became clear and solid.

Once the strategic deployment was set, it was time for the precise distribution of power.

To prevent any possible risk of information leakage, the three Venerables adopted the most cautious method: summoning the King-rank Divine Demons one by one.

In the pavilion, the first to step in was an old man dressed in a simple grey robe.

His hair and beard were completely white, yet his eyes were as sharp as lightning. His waist and back were as straight as an ancient pine, and his Aura was as restrained as an abyss, yet it made people feel he was unfathomable.

He was none other than the person recognized as the number one under the Venerables within the Kindling Hall—Martial King.

His techniques and Primordial Spirit level had long since reached the Transcendent Realm. If it hadn't been for the trough of the psionic tide hindering the final transformation of his Physical Body, coupled with his extremely high aspirations and his obsession with creating a systematic Venerable-level ultimate technique while still in the King-rank Realm, he would have already been a Venerable.

Even so, the ultimate technique he created was terrifyingly powerful, and his strength was infinitely close to that of a normal Venerable, especially in terms of speed, which could already rival them.

Facing this highly respected and exceptionally powerful peer, Principal Ye Qin's attitude carried a respect akin to that for a teacher.

"Senior Brother," Principal Ye Qin said, cupping his hands. "In this great battle, mobile reinforcements are crucial to the success of the entire situation. Only someone with both speed and strength like you, Senior Brother, can shoulder this heavy responsibility. I must trouble you to sit in the command center and provide support to any dangerous areas as the battle situation dictates."

Martial King scanned the key nodes on the star map with a calm gaze and nodded indifferently: "It is my duty. Wherever there is danger, I shall be there."

After Martial King, the next to enter was the burly and imposing Ba Tianwang, whose Aura was as fierce as fire.

His techniques and Primordial Spirit also touched the threshold of a Venerable. Although his self-created ultimate technique was slightly inferior to Martial King's, his combat power had reached the threshold of a Venerable.

He was arranged to guard Yanjing City, the most densely populated and economic hub of Blue Star.

Immediately following him was Dang Shanwang, whose Aura was as steady as a mountain.

His techniques and Primordial Spirit had stepped into the Venerable level, his ultimate technique's perfection was slightly lower than Ba Tianwang's, and his combat power was close to that of a threshold Venerable.

He was assigned to guard Linjiang City, which had a population second only to Yanjing.

Next was Xue Yuewang, whose movement techniques were ghostly and whose sharp Aura carried a hint of bloodthirstiness.

His technique Realm had entered the Venerable level, his Primordial Spirit was at the fourth layer Day-Roaming Realm, and speed was his forte.

He was also assigned support duties, responsible for the rapid response in another vast area.

In the pavilion, one King-rank Divine Demon after another quietly left Wudao Peak, carrying the secret orders and heavy exhortations of the Venerables.

More than fifty King-rankers were precisely deployed to over fifty crucial core fortress cities based on their respective strength Foundations and specialties.

The more densely populated, strategically pivotal, or closer to high-risk areas a city was, the stronger the King-ranker stationed there would be.

This arrangement not only ensured the impregnability of the core nodes but also took into account that in times of emergency, powerful King-rankers could quickly radiate support to surrounding areas, forming a coordinated response.

As for the remaining dozens of fortress cities of humanity, they were jointly guarded by multiple Marquis-level Divine Demons.

For example, Changning City, a city that had experienced many baptisms of blood and fire, also welcomed its new team of guardians.

Changning City Interstellar Gate fortress, command center.

Li Wen had just finished a routine scan covering the surrounding ten thousand miles when his communication bracelet gave a slight vibrating notification.

The Marquis-level squad arriving for garrison duty had reached the designated arrival platform.

He turned and walked steadily toward the platform.

The aircraft landed steadily, and the cabin door slid open silently.

The first to walk out was a middle-aged man with a resolute face, dressed in deep blue streamlined battle armor, his eyes sharp and carrying the composure of one long accustomed to battle.

It was none other than Marquis of Jiangling, Marquis Lu Feng.

His gaze habitually scanned the fortress's defensive fortifications with scrutiny, finally landing on Li Wen, who was walking toward him.

The moment he saw Li Wen clearly, a trace of extremely complex emotion flashed in the eyes of Marquis of Jiangling, Marquis Lu Feng.

Time seemed to flow backward, and his memory was instantly pulled back to that sunny afternoon over a decade ago.

At that time, he was the person in charge of the Kindling Hall for the entire Jiangnan Province. It was he who personally led a group of young students, including Li Wen, whose eyes were filled with longing and anxiety, onto that aircraft flying to Kindling University.

"Li—Junior Brother." Marquis of Jiangling's voice carried an imperceptible tremor. He looked up and down at the young man before him, whose posture was upright and whose Aura was restrained yet unfathomable, feeling deeply moved. "I really didn't expect that when we met again, you would already be on par with me in the Marquis-level position."

He extended his hand, and his broad, powerful palm patted Li Wen's shoulder firmly. His movements contained both heartfelt gratification and the weight of passing years. "Back on the ship, you were still just a high school Senior who had barely met the qualification requirements. In the blink of an eye, you are already a Marquis-level Divine Demon who is famous in one region and guards the peace of one side. Time really passes so quickly."

Li Wen looked at this former guide, a sincere and respectful smile appearing on his face: "Senior Brother Lu, long time no see."

The two looked at each other; many words did not need to be spoken.

Outside the fortress, the clouds of war gathered as if they were tangible, and a heavy, oppressive Aura permeated every inch of air on Blue Star.

And within this fortress named "Changning," the old and new guardians had already converged.

Li Wen's communication bracelet vibrated again, and a new instruction clearly appeared: he was still responsible for emergency reinforcement missions within a ten-thousand-mile radius centered on Changning City.

Speed remained the fastest and sharpest sword in his hand.

He looked up at the grey, leaden sky outside the fortress, his gaze sharp and calm.

The countdown to peace had reached zero.

Monster Realm, Heavenly Fox Palace.

The towering palace was filled with a murderous Aura.

Emperor Fu sat high upon the imperial throne, looking down at the dozen or so Demon Saints lined up on both sides below.

His cold gaze swept over each Demon Saint, and his voice echoed in the great hall: "Are the deployments of all divisions ready?"

"Reporting to Emperor Fu, my Red Scale Division's Yao army has arrived at the designated Star Domain and is waiting for orders!"

"The Shadow Division's troops have finished assembling and are ready to strike at any time!"

The Demon Saints below stood up one by one, reporting in clanging voices, all revealing the certainty of having completed their tasks.

Listening to these responses, a trace of imperceptible satisfaction appeared on Emperor Fu's stern face.

He seemed to have already seen the scene of the Human Race's city gates collapsing one after another under the impact of the Yao tide, with the Yao Race's army driving straight into Blue Star.

"Very good." Emperor Fu nodded slightly.

Immediately, his gaze fell upon the Demon Saint responsible for communicating with Demon Saint Wujing, "How are things prepared on Wujing's side?"

The named Demon Saint immediately bowed and responded: "Reporting to Emperor Fu, Wujing sent a message not long ago that he has completely refined that treasure and can take action at any time."

"Hmm." A flash of brilliance glinted in Emperor Fu's eyes as he issued the final order: "Transmit a message to him to launch tonight, Blue Star time. His core task is to hold back the Human Race's Venerable-level existences, creating an opportunity for my army to enter."

Blue Star time, late at night.

A ripple that was almost imperceptible appeared in the Void Realm.

The figure of Demon Saint Wujing quietly appeared in the shadows not far from a large city gate fortress, the Black Rock City Gate.

His task was not to charge into battle, but to ensure at the critical moment that the Yao Kings, who were comparable to Marquis-level Divine Demons, could safely sneak into the Human Realm through the Interstellar Gate, establishing a foothold for the subsequent army.

Just as Demon Saint Wujing appeared.

Across Blue Star, the Interstellar Gates inside a dozen large city gate fortresses seemed to have received a unified order, instantly erupting with intense energy light.

Complex runes were fully activated, the space channel began to fluctuate violently, and the powerful space teleportation force began to operate.

Kindling University, Wudao Peak back mountain pavilion.

Principal Ye Qin, Venerable Xingxuan, and Venerable Guhe were still sitting together.

But at this moment, the figures of Principal Ye Qin and Venerable Guhe appeared slightly illusory; they were not their true bodies, nor were they Primordial Spirit Clones, but rather a type of phantom formed by a projection of consciousness.

Only Venerable Xingxuan's true body was sitting here quietly, guarding the core of the university.

The moment those dozen large city gate Interstellar Gates lit up simultaneously.

On the virtual projection screen in front of the three, a dozen clear monitoring windows instantly divided, displaying the real-time scenes of each Interstellar Gate.

"It has begun." The phantom of Principal Ye Qin had eyes like lightning, tightly locked onto the light screen.