201: Chapter 201 Ten Thousand Years Later, the Young Man Before the Monument to the Heroes

In the spring of the 9,987th year of the New Era, the peach blossoms in Yongning City bloomed earlier than in previous years.

The morning bell of the Guardian Academy had just struck three times, its sound piercing through the thin mist and echoing over the city walls for a long time before gradually dissipating.

Shen Zhao had been kneeling before the Monument of Heroes for a whole night.

His knees were long since numb, and his legs had lost all feeling, but he did not get up, nor did he move even a fraction of an inch.

The sixteen-year-old youth had a slender figure, his cyan robe stained with night dew, and a few peach petals had fallen onto his shoulders, glowing slightly red in the morning light.

The Monument of Heroes stood a hundred zhang tall, entirely cast from the Xuanhuang Stone left over from the Chaos era, its surface densely carved with countless names.

The line of characters at the very top was the largest and most eye-catching—Ancestor Bai Yunzhou.

The brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, said to have been personally written by Ling Shuang, dating back over ten thousand years.

Below that were Guardian Patriarch Ling Shuang, Realm-Guarding Great General Zhou Zhiting, and Investigation Department Head Song Xinghe; their three names were listed side by side in slightly smaller fonts, yet they were equally clear.

Further down were Guardian Lin Jingyun, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, and countless unfamiliar names, densely packed all the way to the base of the monument.

Every single line of characters was a living Life.

Every single name was a tragic and heroic story.

The Chaos-colored light at the top of the monument remained bright, never extinguishing for ten thousand years.

That was the power of Ancestor Bai Yunzhou, the original aspiration of the Guardian, and the conviction forged with the lives of countless fallen heroes.

The tricolor light beside it—interweaving gold, silver, and cyan—was slightly dimmer than back then, but it was still slowly revolving.

That was the power of Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, the final gift he left to the sea of stars.

Shen Zhao raised his head, his gaze falling upon the two rays of light at the top of the monument, his eyes filled with awe.

It was not his first time coming to the Monument of Heroes; ever since he was five years old, on the first and fifteenth day of every month, his uncle would bring him here.

"Kneel here and remember these names," his uncle would always say. "Remember why they died, and you will know why you live."

Shen Zhao had always remembered it, remembering it for eleven years.

But in these eleven years, he had never felt like tonight, as if the names on the monument were "watching" him.

That feeling was very subtle, neither an illusion nor a misconception.

It was as if someone were standing behind him, their gaze falling upon his back, gentle yet heavy.

He turned back, but behind him there was only the empty square and the distant lights of the Guardian Academy.

"Did you feel it?"

The voice came from behind. Shen Zhao turned around and saw his uncle, Shen Yuan, standing ten paces away.

He wore a gray robe, his white hair fluttering in the morning breeze, and his face looked a few fractions older than last year.

Shen Yuan was an Elder of the Guardian Academy and Shen Zhao's only remaining family in this world.

Twenty years ago, Shen Yuan carried an infant in swaddling clothes back from the battlefield and named him Shen Zhao.

That infant's parents had both died in a small-scale skirmish at the edge of the sea of stars.

It was a conflict with the Abyss Clan, as Shen Zhao learned later.

The Abyss Clan, a race from the abyss, had been sealed within the Void Abyss by Guardian Lin Jingyun ten thousand years ago.

But the Seal was loosening; everyone knew it.

"Uncle." Shen Zhao wanted to get up to pay his respects, but his legs were no longer obeying him, and with a stagger, he almost fell.

Shen Yuan stepped forward to support him, channeling a warm wave of Qi through his palm to clear his numb Meridians.

"You knelt for the whole night?"

"Mn."

"Why?"

Shen Zhao was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "I want to know why they were able to hold on until the very end."

Shen Yuan looked at him without answering.

He released his grip, turned to face the Monument of Heroes, and knelt down as well.

Shen Zhao was stunned.

His uncle was an Elder of the Guardian Academy, possessing the cultivation of the Peak Nascent Soul realm, and enjoyed great renown across various domains of the sea of stars.

He had seen his uncle look decisive and ruthless on the battlefield, and had seen him argue reasonably and forcefully in the Council Hall, but he had never seen his uncle kneel before the Monument of Heroes.

"Uncle..."

"Do not speak." Shen Yuan's voice was very low, so low that it sounded as if it were squeezed out from deep within his throat. "Kneel, and listen."

Shen Zhao closed his mouth and quietly knelt beside his uncle.

The morning light gradually brightened, and Yongning City thoroughly awakened.

From afar came the shouting of breakfast stalls, the laughter and play of children, and the morning exercise chants of the Guardian Academy Disciples.

Everything was as usual, as if nothing had ever happened.

But Shen Zhao knew that everything was different now.

On the tower of the Investigation Department, the spirit lamp representing the state of the Seal had been flickering uncertainly since three days ago.

This was the first time in ten thousand years.

Shen Yuan knelt for about half an hour before slowly getting up.

He did not speak, only looking at the names on the monument with a complex gaze.

Shen Zhao also stood up. His legs were still numb, but he gritted his teeth and made no sound.

"Zhao'er," Shen Yuan finally spoke. "Do you know why I brought you here?"

"I know." Shen Zhao's voice was very soft. "To remember them."

"Not just that." Shen Yuan turned to look at him. "It is to make you understand that the path of a Guardian is never walked alone."

He pointed to the two rays of light at the top of the monument: "Ancestor Bai Yunzhou used his body as a sacrifice to Seal the Ash-Eater Clan. Ling Shuang guarded him for ten years, waiting for him to return."

"Guardian Lin Jingyun permanently suppressed the abyss, and Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao used his body as a Formation to guard it for him for ten thousand years."

"Whenever one person falls, another person stands up."

"No one fights alone."

Hearing this, an indescribable emotion surged within Shen Zhao's heart.

He remembered when he first came to the Monument of Heroes at the age of five, seeing those densely packed names, and asking his uncle: "Are they all gone?"

His uncle had said: "They are all here—in the heavens, in the sea of stars, and in every place that needs protection."

Back then he did not understand, but now he seemed to understand a little.

"Let's go." Shen Yuan turned around and walked out of the square. "There are still lessons today."

Shen Zhao acknowledged, cast one last glance at the Monument of Heroes, and then turned to follow.

The names on the monument shone brilliantly in the morning light, like countless pairs of eyes watching over this land they had protected with their lives.

Shen Zhao's lessons were heavy.

The Disciples of the Guardian Academy rose every day at the Mao hour, began to Cultivate at the Chen hour, and only rested at the You hour.

Swordsmanship, Formations, alchemy, talismans, physical arts, and investigative techniques—all six arts were complete, and not a single one could be left behind.

His Spiritual Root Aptitude could only be considered lower-middle among the Disciples of his cohort, yet he never had any complaints.

Every day he woke up an hour earlier than others and slept an hour later, day after day, without ever stopping.

Shen Yuan never praised him, nor did he scold him, only occasionally sending a pot of hot tea to his room in the dead of night.

"Rest when you are tired; Cultivating is not something achieved overnight."

Shen Zhao nodded, but he never rested.

Because he knew that the Seal was loosening and time was running out.

That afternoon, while Shen Zhao was practicing his sword in the Martial Arts Arena, he suddenly heard a burst of urgent bell tolls.

It was neither the morning bell nor the evening bell, but the alarm bell of the Investigation Department.

Three short rings and one long ring represented "Emergency Intelligence".

All the Disciples in the Martial Arts Arena stopped what they were doing and looked at each other in dismay.

Shen Zhao gripped the sword in his hand, his heartbeat inexplicably accelerating.

Shen Yuan hurried over from the direction of the Council Hall, his expression as solemn as iron.

"All Disciples, return to your respective residences and do not go out."

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the entire area, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

The Disciples acknowledged in unison and dispersed one after another.

Shen Zhao did not move.

Shen Yuan glanced at him without reprimanding him, only nodding slightly.

"Follow me."

Shen Zhao followed behind his uncle, passing through the corridors of the Guardian Academy, crossing the square in front of the Alliance Grand Hall, and walking all the way to the foot of the Investigation Department's tower.

The tower stood a hundred zhang tall, its outer walls covered in dense runes, every single one of which was slowly revolving.

Investigation Department Director Su Yun was standing at the entrance of the tower, holding a glowing Jade Slip in her hands.

Seeing Shen Yuan, she hurried forward to greet him, her complexion as pale as paper.

"Elder Shen, the Seal... has loosened."

Shen Yuan took the Jade Slip, probed it with his Divine Thought, and his complexion instantly turned ashen.

Shen Zhao stood behind him, unable to see the contents of the Jade Slip, but he could sense the suddenly heavy aura emanating from his uncle.

"When did this happen?" Shen Yuan's voice was calm, calm to the point of abnormality.

"Starting three days ago, the runes on the Seal have dimmed on a large scale." Su Yun's voice was trembling. "The monitoring Magical Artifact of the Investigation Department captured abnormal fluctuations. Initial judgment... how much longer can the Seal hold?"

She paused, struggling to spit out a few words: "At most thirteen years."

Shen Zhao's whole body trembled.

Thirteen years.

Those names on the Monument of Heroes—Bai Yunzhou, Ling Shuang, Zhou Zhiting, Song Xinghe, Guardian Lin Jingyun, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao...

The Seal forged with their lives could only hold for another thirteen years.

Shen Yuan remained silent for a long time, so long that Su Yun thought he would not speak.

"I understand." He finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Notify the representatives of all domains to discuss matters in the Alliance Grand Hall tomorrow at the Chen hour."

"Yes." Su Yun turned and hurried away.

Shen Yuan stood beneath the tower, gazing toward the edge of the sea of stars, remaining silent for a long time.

Shen Zhao stood behind him, not knowing what to say.

"Zhao'er," Shen Yuan suddenly spoke.

"Here."

"Are you afraid?"

Shen Zhao thought about it and answered honestly: "Afraid."

Shen Yuan turned back to look at him, a trace of surprise in his gaze.

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that we cannot hold it." Shen Zhao's voice was very soft, yet very firm. "Afraid that those names were carved on the monument in vain."

Shen Yuan was stunned, and then he smiled.

That was the first time Shen Zhao had seen his uncle smile.

It was not a bitter smile, nor a sneer, but a heartfelt smile of gratification.

"Good child." He reached out and patted Shen Zhao's shoulder. "Let's go back and prepare. You will also attend tomorrow's assembly."

"Me?" Shen Zhao was stunned. "I am just an ordinary Disciple..."

"You are not an ordinary Disciple." Shen Yuan interrupted him. "You are a Disciple of the 487th generation of the Guardian Academy, the person who knelt before the Monument of Heroes for a whole night. That is enough."

Shen Zhao opened his mouth, unable to speak.

Shen Yuan had already turned and walked toward the direction of the Council Hall.

Under the setting sun, his figure was drawn out very long, his white hair fluttering in the evening breeze like a battle flag.

Shen Zhao stood in place, watching his uncle's back, an unprecedented emotion surging within his heart.

It was not fear, nor unease, but an indescribable... determination.

He turned around and walked toward the Monument of Heroes.

The names on the monument shone brilliantly under the setting sun—Ancestor Bai Yunzhou, Ling Shuang, Zhou Zhiting, Song Xinghe, Guardian Lin Jingyun, Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao...

He knelt before the monument and bowed deeply.

"Seniors, this Disciple is incompetent and has low cultivation, unable to help much."

"But this Disciple promises that no matter what happens thirteen years from now, this Disciple will guard this sea of stars."

"This is this Disciple's vow."