158: Chapter 158 The Aftermath of the War, the Ancestor's Worries

The corpse of the Grey Devourer Sovereign turned into specks of grey light, completely dissipating above the Meteor Minor Realm.

Those grey lights drifted to the edge of the crack and were completely purified by the Power of Creation, leaving not a single trace behind.

Bai Yunzhou stood in front of the crack, gazing at the deep fissure in silence for a long time.

Ling Shuang and Zhou Zhiting stood behind him, waiting silently.

The cheers of the soldiers gradually subsided as they began to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded.

The sky above the Meteor Minor Realm finally recovered its long-lost tranquility.

Bai Yunzhou raised his hand, and the Chaos Creation Art slowly operated.

Cyan-green light surged from his palm, transforming into countless fine threads that wrapped around the edge of the crack.

Those threads, like living creatures, drilled deep into the crack, stitching the shattered space back together bit by bit.

The crack shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, getting smaller and smaller until only a shallow mark was left.

Bai Yunzhou then took out a realm core crystal and embedded it into that mark.

The realm core crystal flashed with light, merging with the surrounding astral veins to form an eternal Seal.

From then on, nothing else could ever come out of this crack.

After finishing all this, Bai Yunzhou turned around and looked at Ling Shuang and Zhou Zhiting.

Fatigue was on both of their faces, but the joy in their eyes could not be concealed.

"Patriarch, the Ash-Eater Clan has finally been wiped out."

Zhou Zhiting's voice trembled slightly, which was the relief of surviving a catastrophe.

Bai Yunzhou nodded, but did not speak.

His brows furrowed slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

Ling Shuang keenly sensed his abnormality.

"Patriarch, what is wrong with you?"

Bai Yunzhou was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Do you not think that the Grey Devourer Sovereign died too easily?"

Ling Shuang was taken aback.

Too easily?

That was an existence that almost destroyed the entire Eastern Front, slain only after the Patriarch and the Space-Time Azure Dragon joined forces; how could it be considered easy?

Bai Yunzhou saw her doubt and continued to explain.

"I am not saying it was not strong, but rather that its madness came too suddenly."

"It could completely have waited for the Seal to loosen completely and accumulated more power before breaking the Seal."

"Yet it insisted on attacking the Seal prematurely, not even hesitating to burn its Origin to fight us to the death."

"This does not look like the behavior an old monster that has lived for hundreds of millions of years should have."

Zhou Zhiting was thoughtful.

"Does the Patriarch mean there is another reason behind this?"

Bai Yunzhou nodded.

"When I was in the Eternal Forbidden Zone, I learned from the Legacy of the Creation God Clan."

"The Ash-Eater Clan is a massive group, and the Grey Devourer Sovereign is merely the strongest individual among them."

"There is a special connection between them, allowing them to transmit information by devouring their own kind."

"Before the Grey Devourer Sovereign died, it likely already transmitted our information to other Ash-Eaters."

Ling Shuang's expression changed slightly.

"Other Ash-Eaters? Are there more?"

Bai Yunzhou looked toward the depths of the Star Sea, where the Eternal Forbidden Zone was located.

"The records of the Creation God Clan mention that back then, what they sealed was not just one Grey Devourer Sovereign."

"But a full seven."

"The Grey Devourer Sovereign is merely the strongest of the seven."

Zhou Zhiting gasped.

Seven?

A single Grey Devourer Sovereign almost destroyed the Eastern Front; if seven appeared together, what would the Star Sea Alliance use to resist?

Ling Shuang forced herself to calm down.

"Patriarch, where are the other six now?"

Bai Yunzhou shook his head.

"I do not know."

"However, the madness of the Grey Devourer Sovereign before its death gives me a bad premonition."

"It might be using its own death to transmit some kind of information to the other six."

"Or, it is summoning them."

The three of them fell silent.

Having just won a major battle and not yet having time to celebrate, they heard such news.

Anyone would feel heavy-hearted.

After a long time, Ling Shuang spoke.

"Patriarch, no matter how many Ash-Eaters are left, we must face them."

"At least for now, we have the Law of Creation, the Realm Guardian Army, and the support of various realms."

"As long as we are united as one, we will definitely be able to hold our ground."

Bai Yunzhou looked at her, a trace of gratification flashing in his eyes.

Ling Shuang was right; no matter how strong the enemy was, they could not retreat.

He took a deep breath and suppressed the worries in his heart.

"You are right; now is not the time to think about these things."

"First, handle the post-war matters properly and let the soldiers rest and recuperate well."

"In addition, send people to the edge of the Eternal Forbidden Zone to establish an observation station."

"Once any abnormality is discovered, report it immediately."

Ling Shuang nodded solemnly.

"I will arrange it right away."

She turned and left, beginning to deploy various affairs.

Zhou Zhiting stayed by Bai Yunzhou's side, accompanying him as he gazed at the crack that had already been sealed.

"Patriarch, how much longer do you think we can hold on?"

Bai Yunzhou was silent for a moment, then said slowly.

"As long as we can hold on, we will hold on."

"As long as there is still a breath left, we will never give up."

Zhou Zhiting nodded, gripping the battle blood spear in her hand tightly.

Three days later, the war in the Meteor Minor Realm had basically subsided.

The work of cleaning up the battlefield was nearing its end, and the casualty statistics also came out.

In this battle, the Realm Guardian Army lost over forty thousand men, with countless wounded.

The casualties of the commoners in the Meteor Minor Realm, Cangwu Minor Realm, and Biluo Minor Realm also exceeded one hundred thousand.

Ling Shuang looked at those numbers, unable to speak for a long time.

Zhou Zhiting stood beside her, equally silent.

Behind these numbers were vibrant lives.

Countless shattered families, countless people who could never return.

Ling Shuang took a deep breath and gave the order.

"Do everything possible to treat the wounded and properly resettle the families of the fallen soldiers."

"Allocate supplies from various realms to help the disaster-stricken commoners rebuild their homes."

"Add the names of the fallen soldiers to the Hall of Heroes to be commemorated for eternity."

The orders were transmitted down, and the various realms began to take action.

Black Stone City transported a large batch of supplies, the Artifact Hall sent new Spirit Treasures, and the Pill Hall sent a large number of Medicinal Pills.

The commoners spontaneously organized to help the disaster-stricken realms rebuild houses and restore production.

The entire Star Sea Alliance was paying a price for this major battle.

Bai Yunzhou, however, did not participate in these.

He stood alone at the highest point of the Meteor Minor Realm, gazing in the direction of the Eternal Forbidden Zone.

There, there was a faint fluctuation that he sensed.

That fluctuation was very faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Yet his Chaos Eye still captured it.

That was the aura of the Ash-Eater Clan, even more ancient and powerful than the Grey Devourer Sovereign.

Moreover, it was not just one.

There were six.

Six Ash-Eater Progenitors were awakening from their slumber.

They sensed the death of the Grey Devourer Sovereign and the reappearance of the Law of Creation.

They were hurrying toward the direction of the Star Sea Alliance.

Bai Yunzhou closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his eyes were full of firmness.

No matter how many came, he would hold the line.

This was his mission as the Guardian Patriarch.

Ling Shuang came behind him.

"Patriarch, what are you looking at?"

Bai Yunzhou did not turn back.

"Ling Shuang, do you believe in fate?"

Ling Shuang was taken aback, then shook her head.

"I do not believe in fate."

"I only believe in the sword in my hand, the soldiers behind me, and the commoners who need us to protect them."

Bai Yunzhou smiled.

"Well said."

"I do not believe in fate either."

"Even if there truly are six Grey Devourer Progenitors, we can still block them just the same."

He turned around and looked at Ling Shuang.

"Pass down the order: the Alliance enters the highest combat readiness state."

"All realms shall reinforce their defenses, and the Realm Guardian Army shall fully assemble."

"The Artifact Hall, Pill Hall, and Investigation Department shall operate at full capacity to prepare for the final decisive battle."

Ling Shuang nodded solemnly.

"Yes!"

She turned and left, beginning the deployment.