188: Chapter 188 The Fall of the Galaxy, the Final Warning

Residual Light of the Star Sea, Guardianship Never Ceases

The star skiff sailed slowly through the Void Realm, heading in the direction of Yongning City.

Ling Shuang stood before the porthole, gazing at the Void Realm slowly receding behind her.

The golden light from Zhou Zhiting's self-detonation had long since dissipated, and the silhouette of the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders had also vanished deep into the darkness.

Only the star skiff wreckage and the remains of the soldiers floating in the Void Realm proved the existence of that fierce battle.

In her hands, she cradled the fragment of the battle blood spear picked up from the battlefield.

The fragment was only the size of a palm, and a faint golden light still lingered on it—that was Zhou Zhiting's final Origin imprint.

Ling Shuang pressed the fragment against her chest, feeling its faint warmth.

Tears silently slid down, dripping onto the fragment and making a faint sound.

Song Xinghe sat behind her, remaining silent.

His left leg had already been simply bandaged, but every step still hurt excruciatingly.

In his hand, the chief token of the Investigation Department was glowing slightly, and the names on the token were dimming one by one—those were all soldiers who had sacrificed themselves in this battle.

Zhou Zhiting's name was among them as well.

He stared at that name, remaining silent for a long time.

That name had once been so bright, like the most dazzling star in the star sea.

Now, it had dimmed, dimming to the point of being almost invisible.

But he knew it had not been extinguished.

As long as the Origin was still there, as long as someone still remembered, it would never be extinguished.

"Xinghe." Ling Shuang's voice came from beside the porthole, hoarse and weary, "Has Guardian Lin Jingyun's Origin flown towards Yongning City?"

Song Xinghe nodded, trying to make his voice sound a bit calmer: "Yes.

I can perceive its location; it is near the Monument of Heroes.

There is the Power of Chaos left behind by the Ancestor there, which can nourish the Origin."

Ling Shuang was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Guardian Lin Jingyun said that back then, after the Ancestor dissipated, the Origin was preserved for ten years before reshaping the Physical Body.

We must do it as well."

"We can do it." Song Xinghe's voice was very soft yet firm, "The Monument of Heroes has the Ancestor's power, and the Guardian Academy has the Legacy of past Guardians.

As long as we are here, Guardian Lin Jingyun can come back."

Ling Shuang nodded and said no more.

The star skiff continued to sail.

Along the way, remnant forces of the Realm Guardian Army continually joined them.

Some of them were injured, some had lost their comrades-in-arms, and some even had only a single person left.

But no one retreated, and no one feared.

They silently followed behind the star skiff, like tired birds returning to their nests.

Ling Shuang looked at these soldiers, and a sour ache surged in her heart.

Many of them were still very young, and some were even children.

But they had already experienced the most cruel war and lost their closest comrades-in-arms.

She recalled back then, when she was also this young and also followed the Ancestor like this, experiencing one bloody battle after another.

At that time, she thought the war would eventually end and peace would eventually arrive.

Now, the war was still continuing, and peace was still far away.

But she would not give up.

Because this was her mission, her promise to the Ancestor, to Guardian Lin Jingyun, and to Zhiting.

Three days later, the star skiff arrived at Yongning City.

Looking from afar, the outline of Yongning City was still familiar.

On the city walls, the flags of the Guardian Academy fluttered in the wind.

In the streets and alleys of the city, the common people were still busy.

They did not know what had happened on the front lines, they did not know the threat of the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders, and they did not know that Guardian Lin Jingyun had dissipated and Zhou Zhiting had sacrificed herself.

They only knew that with the Realm Guardian Army around and the Ancestor present, they were safe.

Ling Shuang looked at all this, and an indescribable emotion surged in her heart.

She was both comforted and sorrowful.

What comforted her was that the common people could still live and work in peace and contentment; what grieved her was that this peace was exchanged for the lives of countless people.

The star skiff landed on the plaza in front of the Alliance Grand Hall.

Shen Qiuyu was already waiting there with the Disciples of the Guardian Academy.

Seeing Ling Shuang and Song Xinghe walk down from the star skiff, her face instantly turned pale.

"Senior Ling Shuang, the Ancestor, he..." Her voice was trembling.

Ling Shuang did not speak, simply taking out the fragment of the battle blood spear from her bosom and handing it to her.

Shen Qiuyu looked at the fragment, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She knelt on the ground, deeply kowtowing toward the fragment.

"Senior Zhou..."

The Disciples of the Guardian Academy also knelt down one after another, kowtowing in unison.

Ling Shuang helped Shen Qiuyu up, her voice hoarse yet firm: "Qiuyu, Guardian Lin Jingyun's Origin has flown back to Yongning City, right near the Monument of Heroes.

Take people to look for it, and you must find it."

Shen Qiuyu wiped away her tears and nodded solemnly: "Senior, rest assured, I will definitely find it."

She turned around and ran with the Disciples toward the direction of the Monument of Heroes.

Ling Shuang watched their backs, praying silently in her heart.

Guardian Lin Jingyun, you must be there.

You must come back.

Song Xinghe leaned on the chief token of the Investigation Department, walking over to her side with a limp.

"Ling Shuang, I am going to the Investigation Department."

Ling Shuang turned to look at him: "Your injuries..."

Song Xinghe shook his head: "It doesn't matter.

Although the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders is heavily injured, it will definitely come back.

I must prepare a warning and cannot let the star sea be completely unprepared."

Ling Shuang looked at him, and a sour ache surged in her heart.

Song Xinghe had also grown old; his hair was completely white, his face was covered in wrinkles, and even walking was difficult for him.

But he still did not stop; he was still fighting.

"Xinghe, you..." She wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Song Xinghe raising his hand.

"Ling Shuang, say no more.

Zhiting is gone, and Guardian Lin Jingyun is gone as well.

All we old bones can do is make sure they didn't die in vain."

He turned around and walked toward the direction of the Investigation Department with a limp.

Ling Shuang gazed at his back, tears once again blurring her vision.

The grand hall of the Investigation Department was located on the east side of Yongning City, being a nine-story-high pagoda.

The outer walls of the pagoda were engraved with dense runes, which were the essence accumulated by the Investigation Department over hundreds of years, capable of monitoring any abnormal fluctuations in all domains of the star sea.

When Song Xinghe walked into the grand hall, the Disciples inside were busy.

Some of them were organizing intelligence, some were tuning Magical Artifacts, and some were analyzing data.

Seeing Song Xinghe enter, everyone stopped the work in their hands and stood up uniformly.

"Chief!"

Song Xinghe waved his hand, signaling them to continue working.

He walked to the star map in the center of the grand hall and embedded the chief token of the Investigation Department into the groove in the center of the star map.

The token lit up, and countless points of light instantly emerged on the star map.

Those points of light represented all domains of the star sea, and every point of light was beating slowly, like a heartbeat.

Song Xinghe stared at the star map, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

At the edge of the star sea, in that region where the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders was located, a huge grayish-black point of light was slowly expanding.

At the edge of the point of light, countless tiny tentacles were spreading outward, and every single tentacle represented a fold of space-time.

The Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders was recovering.

Its speed was even faster than expected.

According to this trend, at most in a month, it would be able to recover all its power.

By then, it would launch a total offensive against the star sea.

Song Xinghe took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Transmit the order to all domains to strengthen monitoring.

Especially the regions at the edge of the star sea, report data once every three hours."

The Disciples responded in unison and returned to their posts one after another.

Song Xinghe stood before the star map, staring at that grayish-black point of light without moving.

One day, two days, three days...

He hardly closed his eyes; when hungry, he would bite into a few mouthfuls of dry rations, and when thirsty, he would drink a few mouthfuls of cold water.

His left leg hurt more and more, and the wound began to fester, but he did not stop.

Because he knew that every minute and every second, the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders was recovering.

He had to get ahead of it and make all preparations.

On the seventh day, Shen Qiuyu sent news: Guardian Lin Jingyun's Origin had been found, right beneath the pedestal of the Monument of Heroes.

That wisp of golden light was very weak, but it was still beating and still emitting warmth.

Ling Shuang had already built a small courtyard beside the Monument of Heroes, guarding that wisp of Origin day and night.

She used the green lotus jade talisman left by the Ancestor to gently nourish it, and used the Power of Chaos to nurture it.

Although the point of light was weak, it had already stabilized and would no longer dissipate.

Hearing this news, Song Xinghe let out a long sigh of relief.

This was the only good news he had heard these past few days.

On the tenth day, urgent intelligence came from the edge of the star sea: The Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders had begun to move, heading in the direction of Yongning City.

Its speed was not fast, but every step was accelerating.

According to the current trajectory, twenty days later, it would arrive at Yongning City.

On the fifteenth day, the speed of the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders accelerated once again.

It seemed to be devouring stardust and Void Realm energy along the way, continuously recovering its own power.

Its size was even more massive than before, and its aura was even more terrifying.

On the twentieth day, the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders was only five days away from Yongning City.

Song Xinghe stood before the star map, looking at that grayish-black point of light getting closer and closer, his complexion as pale as paper.

His left leg had completely lost sensation, and he could only rely on a cane to support himself.

His eyes were bloodshot, his lips were dry and cracked, and his voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

But he still stood before the star map, still commanding, still fighting.

"Transmit the order to all domains: all Realm Guardian Army troops are to assemble at Yongning City.

The common people are to be evacuated to underground shelters, and the defense Formations of all domains are to be fully activated."

The Disciples accepted the order and left, leaving only Song Xinghe alone inside the grand hall.

He slowly sat down, leaning against the side of the star map.

His body could no longer hold out; every inch of his bones hurt, and every breath felt like being cut by knives.

But he could not fall down yet.

There were still too many things undone, and too many people needed him.

He took out the chief token of the Investigation Department, cradling it in the palm of his hand.

The runes on the token were slowly circulating; that was his painstaking effort of hundreds of years, the pride of his entire Life.

He recalled back then, when the Ancestor created the Investigation Department, he was still a young Disciple.

At that time, the Investigation Department had only a few people, a few broken houses, and a few crude Magical Artifacts.

Now, the Investigation Department had thousands of Disciples, a monitoring network spread across the star sea, and the most advanced detection Magical Artifacts.

All of this was exchanged with his Life.

He smiled slightly, pressing the token against his chest.

"Ancestor, this Disciple has not failed your expectations.

The Investigation Department, this Disciple has guarded it well."

He closed his eyes, wanting to rest for a moment.

Just at this moment, the token suddenly trembled violently.

On the star map, that grayish-black point of light suddenly expanded, and countless tentacles gushed out from the point of light, spreading toward all domains of the star sea.

The Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders had acted ahead of time.

Song Xinghe abruptly opened his eyes and struggled to stand up.

His left leg no longer obeyed him, and he could only support himself with his right leg, barely standing by leaning against the star map.

He stared at the star map, quickly analyzing the movements of the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders.

Its target was not Yongning City, but the Spiritual Vein cores of all domains in the star sea.

It wanted to devour the Spiritual Veins, accumulate power, and then destroy Yongning City in one fell swoop.

Song Xinghe's expression changed drastically.

If the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders succeeded, the Spiritual Veins of all domains in the star sea would all dry up, hundreds of millions of common people would be displaced, and the Realm Guardian Army would lose all supplies.

By then, the star sea would collapse without a fight.

He had to stop it.

But he no longer had any strength.

His left leg was crippled, and his right leg could not hold out for much longer either.

His Qi was almost exhausted, and he could not even stand steadily.

He could only do one last thing.

He raised his hand and removed the chief token of the Investigation Department from the star map.

The token glowed slightly in his hand, and those runes grew brighter and brighter, increasingly dazzling.

He was going to burn the token and activate the ultimate warning Formation of the Investigation Department.

That Formation was designed with his lifelong painstaking effort.

Once activated, it could transmit the movements, weaknesses, and trajectories of the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders to all domains of the star sea.

Anyone, as long as they saw that Formation, would be able to know everything about the enemy.

But activating the Formation required all of his power.

Including his Life.

Song Xinghe looked at the token in his hand and smiled.

He thought of Ling Shuang, of Zhou Zhiting, of Guardian Lin Jingyun, and of those comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side with him.

"Old brothers, I have come to keep you company."

He held the token high, and his final strength poured from the palm of his hand into the token.

The token exploded, transforming into countless golden points of light.

Those points of light rushed out of the grand hall, soaring into the sky, exploding above the airspace of Yongning City and turning into a huge star map.

On the star map, the position, movements, and weaknesses of the Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders were clear at a glance.

The Spiritual Vein core it wanted to attack, the route it wanted to take, the location of every single wound on its body—everything was clearly visible.

The entire Yongning City saw this star map.

The entire star sea saw this star map.

At that moment, everyone knew—the enemy had come.

Song Xinghe stood in the empty grand hall, looking at that star map, and smiled.

His body began to dissipate, starting from his feet, turning bit by bit into golden points of light.

Those points of light drifted toward the star map, merging into one with it and becoming a part of eternity.

"Ling Shuang, the star sea is left to you."

His voice was very soft, so soft that no one could hear it.

But his intent spread throughout the entire star sea.

Ling Shuang stood in the small courtyard beside the Monument of Heroes, raising her head to look at that star map.

Her tears silently slid down, dripping onto the fragment of the battle blood spear in her hand.

"Xinghe..."

She knew that Song Xinghe was gone as well.

Of the three old ones, only she remained now.

She lowered her head, looking at that wisp of golden light beneath the pedestal of the Monument of Heroes.

The point of light beat gently, as if responding to her sorrow.

She wiped away her tears, gripping the fragment in her hand tightly.

"Xinghe, rest assured.

I will guard the star sea and wait for Guardian Lin Jingyun to come back.

When you all return, we will drink together, chat together, and curse those blind enemies together."

She turned around and walked out of the small courtyard.

In the distance, the soldiers of the Realm Guardian Army were assembling.

Reinforcements from all domains were hurrying over.

The common people were evacuating in an orderly manner.

That star map was still shining above the airspace of Yongning City.

That was Song Xinghe's final warning, the hope he exchanged with his Life.

Ling Shuang stood before the Monument of Heroes, raising her head to look at that star map, looking at those familiar names.

The Ancestor, Guardian Lin Jingyun, Zhiting, Xinghe...

And the countless sacrificed soldiers.

They were all gone, but their spirit would forever remain in this star sea.

She took a deep breath and turned to face the assembled Realm Guardian Army.

"Soldiers, the enemy has come."

Her voice was hoarse, yet it spread throughout the entire plaza.

"The Ancestor of Void Evil Spiders is devouring our Spiritual Veins and destroying our homeland.

It has killed our comrades-in-arms, killed our loved ones, and killed our most respected Guardian."

"But we will not retreat, and we will not fear.

Because we are Guardians, and because behind us is everything we must protect."

Half a million soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

"Guard the Dao! Guard the Dao! Guard the Dao!"

Ling Shuang raised her hand, signaling for quiet.

"Set out!"

Half a million troops of the Realm Guardian Army boarded the star skiff, surging majestically toward the depths of the star sea.

Ling Shuang stood on the foremost star skiff, her white hair fluttering in the Void Realm.

In her hand, she clutched the fragment of the battle blood spear and that wisp of Guardian Lin Jingyun's Origin light point.

Before them was the impending decisive battle.

Behind them was Yongning City, the star sea, and everything she swore to protect.

She raised her head, looking at that eternal star map.

"Xinghe, are you watching?

This time, it's my turn to protect."