675: Chapter 675 Humanity's Fortune is With You

At the very front of the crowd, two figures landed almost simultaneously.

Boom!

The person on the left wore a black shirt that fluttered loudly in the wind. His robes were entwined with lingering grayish-black energy, like mist and haze, emitting a deathly silence that made one's Soul tremble.

As he stood there, the air within three feet of him became chillingly cold, and a thin layer of white frost even formed on the ground!

His face was stern, as if carved by a knife, with sharp, distinct features, but what was most chilling were his eyes—so deep that they seemed capable of containing the entire Hell!

Within them, countless Souls floated and sank, and endless Reincarnation turned. Just one glance made one's Soul tremble, as if one would be dragged into an endless abyss the next moment!

It was none other than Li Jiuyou.

The Aura emanating from him was like a different person compared to before he entered the Secret Realm!

This was a heavy, solemn, and inviolable Aura of judgment—this was the unique majesty of the Underworld Emperor's Dao!

Standing there, he was like an Underworld Emperor walking out from the depths of the netherworld, holding the power of life and death, judging all living beings!

The people around him retreated involuntarily, keeping their distance, fearing they would be contaminated by the Death Qi on him.

A few who were weaker in cultivation felt their vitality draining away just by getting a little closer, scaring them so much that they were Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, scrambling to escape!

The person on the right was petite, almost drowned out in the crowd.

But she stood straight, like a cold plum blossom standing tall in the snow—though slender, she possessed an unbreakable resilience, as if she could hold up the sky even if it were to collapse!

The Qi around her was also completely different from before.

If Luo Xiaojiu was like a cup of crystal-clear spring water before, one could see to the bottom at a glance; then now, she was like a bottomless cold pool, calm on the surface, but with undercurrents surging beneath, hiding a heart-palpitating power that seemed ready to erupt at any moment and devour everything!

Her eyes had also changed.

Those eyes, which used to carry a hint of innocence and ignorance, now held an indescribable depth, as if some earth-shattering change had occurred within her—she had transformed from a girl who needed protection into an expert capable of standing on her own!

After landing, the two turned their heads in unison and exchanged a glance.

In that glance, there were no words, no communication, but they both read the same message in each other's eyes—

They had both become stronger.

And, they had become very strong!

And the Realm fluctuations emanating from the two of them were actually—

Void Refining Late Stage!

These four words were like a thunderclap, smashing heavily into the hearts of everyone present!

Boom!!!

Immediately, countless gazes from around them shot over, as if pulled by an invisible thread, nailing themselves firmly onto the two figures.

The emotions in these gazes were extremely complex—shock, disbelief, bitterness, fanaticism, awe... A hundred flavors mixed together, almost solidifying, making the air feel a bit heavier!

"Void Refining... Late Stage?!"

The first person to speak had a voice as dry as sandpaper rubbing together, as if a stone were stuck in his throat, and every word he spat out was trembling.

"If I remember correctly, weren't they only at Nascent Soul Perfection before they went in?!"

Another Cultivator widened his eyes, his pupils contracting violently, the veins on his forehead throbbing, as if they were about to pop out from under his skin!

"Three months... it only took three months... from Nascent Soul Perfection to Void Refining Late Stage?!"

Someone counted on their fingers over and over again, their face turning paler with each count, until finally, they seemed to have their strength drained, stumbled back two steps, and sat down on the ground with a thud!

"That's a full major Realm leap! No, wait, two major Realms!"

A white-haired old Cultivator slapped his thigh hard, wincing in pain, but he didn't notice, just staring fixedly at the two, his lips trembling, "This old man has cultivated for three thousand years, and I'm only at Void Refining Middle Stage... How old are they?! Barely twenty? Not even thirty?!"

"Comparing people only leads to death..."

It was unclear who said this, but it was like a knife, accurately piercing the hearts of everyone present!

Some were so envious their eyes turned red, wishing they could take their place; some were so jealous they ground their teeth, their nails digging deep into their palms, bleeding without realizing it; some shook their heads bitterly, letting out a long sigh, as if they had suddenly aged ten years; others silently clenched their fists, their knuckles cracking, with flames of unwillingness burning in their eyes!

But no matter what they thought, no one dared to step forward and say anything—because at this moment, the oppression of the Underworld Emperor's Dao around Li Jiuyou surged out like an invisible tide, making everyone instinctively feel a tremor from the depths of their Soul!

This feeling was like ants looking up at the sky, or a Mortal facing a god, making even breathing involuntarily become cautious, fearing to disturb some existence that should not be disturbed!

And although Luo Xiaojiu still looked petite and exquisite, as harmless as a neighbor's girl, the flash of golden light that occasionally swept across her eyes when she opened them made those who knew their stuff feel their scalps tingle—this was the Aura of the supreme blood energy of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body!

This blood energy was ancient, overbearing, and as scorching as the sun! Just a trace of its lingering effect caused the surrounding air to distort and steam, and those with weaker cultivation even felt their own blood resonating and trembling, as if it were about to burst out of their bodies!

A few skeptical Cultivators tried to take a few more looks, but as soon as they made contact with that flash of golden light, their eyes stung like needles, and they screamed, covering their eyes as tears streamed down!

Just as everyone's gazes were gathered on Li Jiuyou and Luo Xiaojiu, a figure appeared silently in the sky.

Half-step Earth Immortal Jiang Wuya, this guardian of the Human Race, the true anchor of Yuyao Pass!

He stood there, his gray robes fluttering, his white hair like snow, with no Aura radiating from him, yet he naturally became the center of heaven and earth!

It was as if he were the sky, he were the earth, he were the Dominator of this world!

He just stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, finally landing on Li Jiuyou and Luo Xiaojiu.

The corners of his mouth first twitched slightly, as if he were suppressing something; this curve was so subtle it was almost invisible.

But then, this smile grew larger and larger, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, ripples spreading layer by layer, eventually turning into a monstrous wave—

"Hahaha!!!"

A laugh of extreme joy exploded from the city wall, shaking the dust in the crevices of the wall so it fell, and even the clouds in the distance were dispersed by this sound wave!

Half-step Earth Immortal Jiang Wuya laughed so hard he leaned back and forth, one hand slapping the stone parapet, cracking the city bricks that had withstood ten thousand years of wind and frost and countless Yao Race attacks without breaking, causing rubble to fall; his other hand pointed at the young people below, his eyes full of terrifyingly bright light, a light so hot and scorching that it seemed to ignite the entire sky!

"Successors have appeared! Successors have appeared!!"

His voice was rough and loud, carrying an undisguised ecstasy, like a lion that had slept for a thousand years finally waking up, letting out a roar that shook the mountains and rivers: "Heaven will not destroy my Human Race! Heaven will not destroy my Human Race!!!"

These two sentences, each louder and more powerful than the last, were almost roared out by the end, carrying all the heaviness, all the worries, and all the expectations accumulated in his heart over thousands of years, fully released at this moment!

The sound rolled like thunder, spreading throughout the entire Yuyao Pass, spreading across the plains for a thousand miles, and even the distant Yao Race camp could hear it clearly!

The garrison on the city wall looked at each other in dismay; they had never seen this guardian laugh so uncharacteristically.

In their memories, Half-step Earth Immortal Jiang Wuya was always that existence as silent as a mountain and as unmoving as a peak—even if a million-strong Yao Race army were at the city gates, he would only lift his eyelids faintly and say, "It is fine." Even if the sky fell, he would not frown.

But today, he laughed like a child.

No one thought it strange—because they also felt what these returning young people below carried, something that made people excited!

This was a flame, a hope, a seed capable of starting a prairie fire!

Half-step Earth Immortal Jiang Wuya laughed for quite a while before his laughter gradually subsided, but the smile between his brows could not be hidden, as if it were carved into his bones and melted into his blood.

His gaze shifted from Li Jiuyou and Luo Xiaojiu and landed on Chu Changsheng, whose Divine Sense had already returned.

Chu Changsheng had a slender figure and a handsome face, wearing a moon-white long robe, his sleeves fluttering, like an immortal descending to the world.

No astonishing Aura radiated from him; he was plain and ordinary, returning to simplicity.

But after the initial trance, his eyes quickly recovered their clarity and composure—these eyes were as deep as an ancient well and as clear as a cold pool, as if they could reflect all things in the world, yet remained unmoved by all things!

Half-step Earth Immortal Jiang Wuya's figure flickered, and the next instant, he appeared in front of Chu Changsheng.

When he landed, he brought up a breeze, blowing Chu Changsheng's hem gently and lifting a few strands of hair scattered on his forehead.

Chu Changsheng raised his head, looking at the old man in gray robes before him, feeling the Aura on the other party that was as vast as the starry sky yet well-contained—this Aura was deep, broad, and warm, like the heaven and earth that encompasses all things, and like the earth that nurtures everything. He did not hesitate at all, cupped his hands, and bowed—

"Human Race junior Chu Changsheng greets Senior."

His voice was not loud, but clear and steady, carrying a just-right respect, neither humble nor arrogant.

Every word seemed to have been carefully polished, not a bit more, not a bit less, just right.

Half-step Earth Immortal Jiang Wuya looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on his brow for a moment—in that instant, his pupils contracted slightly, as if he had seen something extraordinary!

Immediately, the smile on his face deepened a bit, and even the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out, as if the whole person had become ten years younger!

"Rise, no need for formalities."

He gestured to help him up; this hand was covered in calluses, rough like tree bark, yet it carried an irresistible, gentle power.

His tone carried an undisguised appreciation, just like looking at a rare treasure, satisfied no matter how he looked at it: "With you, the Human Race is fortunate."

A short sentence of eight characters, yet it weighed a thousand jun!

Chu Changsheng straightened up and smiled slightly, a smile clean and warm, like the spring breeze of March brushing over the frozen earth: "Senior is too kind."