234: Chapter 234 The Divine Beast is Invincible, the Dust Has Settled!

Ten minutes.

From the Fusion with Future Lu Chen, to the nine great Divine Beast legions sweeping the battlefield, to the fall of Adam and the death of the West Sea Overlord, the entire process took only a suffocating ten minutes.

For the coalition of The Beautiful Country, the remnants of the Tianxiao Guild, and all the invading Invading Monsters, these ten minutes were a nightmare from which they could not wake, a one-sided massacre and crushing defeat.

Over thirty Rank 9 powerhouses from various Western nations were completely wiped out; not a single one survived!

Adam, President of the Eden Guild of The Beautiful Country, was lost in the [Illusionary Dream], instantly frozen by the cold air of the Ice Prison Demon Ant. Then, with a light touch from its glowing blue mouthparts, the ice sculpture, along with the terrified expression within, turned into a sky full of ice crystals, dying silently.

President Lin Tianxiao of the Tianxiao Guild, this ambitious traitor, felt his heart shatter the moment his Blood Flame Domain broke, and he attempted to tear open space to escape.

However.

The Space-Time Divine Earthworm merely twisted its body lazily, and the surrounding space became as solid as divine iron; no matter how he activated his space-cracking ability, it remained unmoved.

The next moment, the clear cry of the Burning Heaven Vermilion Bird rang out, and the holy Purifying World Flame swept over, purifying him along with his unwilling roars into dust. He died aggrieved and thoroughly, as if he had never existed.

Other Rank 9 powerhouses were torn into a rain of blood under the claws of the World-Extinguishing White Tiger, crushed into powder by the dragon claws of the Four Symbols Azure Dragon along with their legendary equipment, had their Souls silently devoured by the God-Devouring Rat and fell as mummified corpses, or were blasted to death by the Mountain-Shaking Qilin, with miserable ends...

Their pride and their strength were as fragile as paper in the face of the absolute power of the Rank 9 Divine Beasts.

As for the other massive sea monster legions and coalition armies, in the face of the destructive torrent formed by the hundreds of millions of SSS-Rank legendary beast pets, they could not even organize decent resistance, dissolving and collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

When the ten-minute time limit arrived.

The vast, star-sea-like Rank 9 aura on Lu Chen that eclipsed the heavens receded like a surging tide.

Before leaving, Future Lu Chen told Lu Chen: "The heaven-stealing time bead is not omnipotent; it can at most summon a future self two Ranks higher than one's own, and there are risks!"

As for what the risks were, Future Lu Chen did not say.

Afterward.

The nine Divine Beasts that dominated the world, as well as the torrent of over two hundred million SSS-Rank legendary beast pets emitting terrifying Evil Qi across the mountains and plains, dissolved into points of flowing light along with the dissipation of Future Lu Chen, vanishing between heaven and earth.

From beginning to end.

Apart from expanding his Domain to prevent the enemy from escaping, Lu Chen did not lift a finger.

The sky returned to its original color, though the blue was veiled by a faint layer of blood mist.

The air was filled with an intense, inseparable smell of blood and burnt matter.

The broken corpses, shattered equipment, and collapsed building debris scattered across the battlefield silently recounted the short yet extremely cruel slaughter that had just taken place.

All of Jin City.

Fell into an eerie silence of survival after a disaster.

The few The Beautiful Country class-holders and sporadic sea monsters who were lucky enough not to die in the first wave of the beast tide had long since lost their courage and Battle Intent, fleeing in panic among the ruins like headless flies.

However, the beast pets under Lu Chen responsible for clearing the field, like the most efficient grim reapers, easily and precisely wiped out these remaining enemies one by one!

Lu Chen slowly descended from the sky, his footsteps slightly unsteady as they touched the ground.

After the effect of the [heaven-stealing time bead] ended, the thirty-day, uncleansable negative rule effect of mental weakness began to manifest violently.

An extreme sense of exhaustion, originating from the deepest part of his Soul, pierced into his sea of consciousness like hundreds of millions of fine needles, making his vision go black as if he had been fighting continuously for years without sleep, his Mental Energy almost drained, leaving only depletion and stinging pain.

But he forced himself to stand, his back still straight.

His gaze swept over the devastated battlefield, quickly locking onto the positions of his parents and Sister Linglong and the others. Confirming that although they were injured and their spirits were a bit weary, they were safe and sound, the huge stone hanging in his heart finally fell, and a profound sense of exhaustion rushed in even more fiercely.

"Little Chen!"

Chen Rou was the first to rush up, ignoring the bloodstains on her priest robe and her own over-consumed Mental Energy, and hurriedly supported her son's arm, a holy and gentle healing light instantly enveloping Lu Chen.

However,

There was no effect.

That weakness was like bone-attached gangrene; the rule-level negative effect made her healing spell useless.

"Mom, I'm fine, just a bit tired. I'll be fine after a rest."

Lu Chen squeezed out a comforting smile, his face pale as paper, with fine cold sweat even seeping from his forehead.

Dong Tian, Yuan Feng, and others also quickly gathered around, looking at Lu Chen's weak appearance, their eyes filled with indescribable excitement and gratitude for surviving the disaster.

And a hint of shock that had not yet completely dissipated regarding the earth-shattering scene from before.

"Son, just now... what was that?"

Lu Sen's voice trembled; even having seen it with his own eyes, he found it difficult to understand or believe everything that had happened before, which felt like a miracle.

Two sons?

Nine Divine Beasts?

Hundreds of millions of legendary beast pets?

This completely exceeded his cognitive scope of "power."

"It was just the effect of a rule treasure, summoning a future version of me to help in battle."

Lu Chen explained concisely, without elaborating on the terrifying thirty-day side effect of the [heaven-stealing time bead].

Hearing this, everyone gasped, looking at each other, and saw horror in each other's eyes.

Summoning a future self?

Borrowing power across time and space?

What a Heaven-Defying, unimaginable rule treasure this was!

This completely exceeded their understanding of items.

"Brother Chen, as long as you are okay!"

Yu Linglong stepped forward, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, watching Lu Chen's pale face, feeling heartbroken and wishing she could bear this weakness for him.

The Crimson Radiance Bow in her hand tightened, and she secretly determined that she must become stronger to share more for Brother Chen in the future.

Not long after.

Sounds of breaking air and powerful energy fluctuations came from afar.

The main force of the Dragon Radiance Guild led by Guild Master Xuanyuan Jing finally arrived at the Jin City battlefield after resolving the crisis in the Eastern Territory.

When they stepped onto this land that looked like it had been ravaged by an ancient giant beast, everyone was so shocked by the scene before them that they were speechless.

The scorched earth was covered in bottomless ravines, solidified lava and frost coexisted strangely, and the Soul-trembling Rank 9 Divine Beast pressure lingering in the air had not yet completely dissipated.

And the wails and cries caused by the fall of numerous Rank 9 powerhouses formed a depressing and terrifying atmosphere.

Severed limbs, broken armor and weapons, huge sea monster corpses... formed a bloody doomsday scroll.

After learning everything that happened in Jin City from the Wasteland Guardian, Xuanyuan Jing finally made a decision—the return of the Eastern Territory!

Guild Master Xuanyuan Jing took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stormy waves in his heart.

He adjusted his robes, walked to Lu Chen with a solemn expression, bowed respectfully, and bent low: "Little Friend Lu Chen, today you turned the tide, saved our Great Xia from collapse, and spared millions of people from suffering! This grace is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea! I, Xuanyuan Jing, on behalf of all class-holders and citizens in the Eastern Territory, formally announce the lifting of the closed-border policy, return to Great Xia, and await the orders of Little Friend Lu Chen!"

Behind him, Great Elder Long Bayun, Vice President Zhuge Yuan, and all other high-level powerhouses of the Dragon Radiance Guild, no matter how majestic or arrogant they were on a daily basis, were now sincerely and collectively bowing to Lu Chen, their movements uniform and full of respect.

After this battle, the terrifying strength, the courage to turn the tide, and the righteousness of protecting the nation shown by Lu Chen had completely convinced this group of Eastern Territory big shots who had been in seclusion for a hundred years and were usually arrogant.

The return of the Eastern Territory to Great Xia, the unification of the five territories, and the shared respect for Lu Chen had become an irreversible, inevitable trend!

Lu Chen endured the dizziness and stinging pain attacking his brain, slightly turned to the side to accept half the bow, his voice sounding tired but clear and firm: "Guild Master Xuanyuan, you are too kind. Seniors, you need not do this. Protecting Great Xia is the duty of our class-holders."

His gaze swept over this devastated precious land again, crossed the broken city walls, and looked toward the distant horizon.

This seemingly unstoppable joint invasion led by The Beautiful Country had been declared a complete failure with the total annihilation of its top powerhouses and the death of its greatest reliance, the West Sea Overlord.

All obstacles standing in the way of Great Xia's unification had been swept away by his battle today!

The return of the Eastern Territory!

A truly unified, complete, and powerful Great Xia class-holder nation was about to stand at the pinnacle of Blue Star with unstoppable momentum!

And Lu Chen also clearly knew that after this battle in Jin City, his name, "Lu Chen," would no longer just be a legend within Great Xia, but would sweep across the entire Blue Star like a storm, shaking the high-level officials of all surviving nations.

It would even inevitably reach the ears of those behemoths hidden behind the curtain, manipulating fate, such as the "gods," "Divine Cavalry Order," "New God Society," and "Otherworlder Kingdom."

The road ahead is destined not to be smooth; perhaps it will be even more difficult, full of unknown challenges and dangers.

But at this moment,

The smoke of gunpowder gradually dissipated, and the sunlight pierced through the blood mist, shining on this land that had suffered but become even more resilient.

Victory belongs to Great Xia!

Glory belongs to all who fought unyieldingly!

And the new chapter of the era has already been opened by his own hands!

Lu Chen took a deep breath of the air carrying the scent of blood and scorched earth, suppressed the weakness in the depths of his Soul, and his voice was not loud, but it clearly spread all around, with unquestionable determination:

"Clear the battlefield, treat the wounded, and count the battle losses."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every companion beside him, every warrior who came to support, and finally looked at the rising sun symbolizing rebirth, declaring word by word:

"Then... prepare to welcome a brand new, complete, and no-one-dares-to-invade-again—Great Xia!"