202: Chapter 202 The Investigation Division's Alarm

When Shen Zhao left the Monument of Heroes, the sky had completely darkened.

In the streets and alleys of Yongning City, lights lit up one after another, resembling a galaxy on the ground.

He walked past the corridor of the Guardian Academy, past the Martial Arts Arena, and past the courtyard of the Pill Hall, returning all the way to his residence.

The moment he pushed open the door, he saw the pot of tea on the table.

It was still warm, just sent over by his uncle.

Shen Zhao poured a cup, the tea clear and carrying a faint medicinal fragrance—it was calming tea, as his uncle knew he wouldn't sleep well tonight.

Holding his teacup, he sat by the window, gazing into the distance toward the tower of the Investigation Department.

That spiritual lamp representing the status of the Seal was still flickering.

Flickering on and off, resembling the breathing of the starry sea.

Shen Zhao did not sleep, not for the entire night.

He sat by the window, watching the sky change from pitch black to deep blue, and then from deep blue to the pale white of dawn.

When the first ray of morning light shone into the window, he got up, changed into a clean cyan robe, and walked toward the Alliance Grand Hall.

On the plaza in front of the grand hall, many people had already gathered.

Representatives from various domains rushed over through the night; some rode star skiffs, some used teleportation arrays, and some walked step by step from the most remote domain settlements.

No one complained, and no one cried out of fatigue.

Because everyone knew that what was to be discussed today was a major matter concerning the survival of the starry sea.

Shen Zhao stood on the outer periphery of the crowd, looking at those unfamiliar faces.

There were white-haired old men, middle-aged people with resolute expressions, and youths around his age.

Everyone's expression was grave, and the air was filled with a repressive atmosphere as if a storm was about to arrive.

"Shen Zhao."

Director Su Yun's voice came from behind. Shen Zhao turned his head and saw the director of the Investigation Department walking over briskly.

Today, she had changed into a formal black robe, with the Investigation Department director token hanging at her waist. Her complexion was even paler than yesterday, obviously having not slept all night either.

"Director Su."

"Follow me. Your uncle told you to sit inside the Council Hall." Director Su Yun said, turning and walking away.

Shen Zhao was stunned for a moment and quickly followed.

Inside the Council Hall, representatives from various domains had already taken their seats.

Shen Zhao was arranged in the corner of the last row, with a small table placed in front of him and a cup of clear tea on the table.

He sat very upright, placing his hands on his knees, looking straight ahead without glancing sideways.

Shen Yuan sat in the front row, whispering about something with several Elders.

His expression was very calm, showing no emotion.

At three quarters past the hour of Chen, the bell rang.

The new Guardian Patriarch—a middle-aged Cultivator named Patriarch Lu Chen—walked out from behind the hall and took his seat in the primary position.

Patriarch Lu Chen was a Disciple of Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao, and had succeeded as the Guardian Patriarch for three hundred years.

His face was thin and gaunt, his gaze gentle, and his cultivation had reached the Void Refining Early Stage. Among the past Guardian Patriarchs, he was not the strongest, but he was publicly recognized as the most steady one.

"Everyone." Patriarch Lu Chen spoke, his voice not loud, but it clearly spread across the entire venue. "Summoning you all today is for a major matter."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the venue.

"The monitoring data of the Investigation Department shows that the spacetime Seal at the edge of the starry sea has loosened."

Silence fell within the grand hall.

Although everyone already knew this news before coming, hearing the Guardian Patriarch confirm it with his own ears still made everyone's heart sink.

"Director Su, please explain the situation in detail." Patriarch Lu Chen looked at Director Su Yun.

Director Su Yun stood up and walked to the star map in the center of the grand hall.

On the star map, the situation of various domains in the starry sea was clear at a glance.

At the very edge of the star map, an area was marked in grayish-black—that was the direction of the Seal.

"Three days ago, the monitoring Magical Artifact of the Investigation Department captured abnormal fluctuations." Director Su Yun's voice was very calm, but the hand holding the star map pointer was slightly trembling.

"The runes on the Seal have dimmed over a large area, and cracks are spreading."

She raised her hand, and real-time images of the Seal emerged on the star map.

That Seal spanning across the Void Realm was originally interwoven with golden, silver, and azure runes, dazzling like a galaxy.

Now, those runes had dimmed by more than half, and visible cracks had appeared in many places.

Within the cracks, grayish-black mist continuously gushed out, resembling blood flowing from a wound.

A sound of collective gasps echoed within the grand hall.

"How much longer can it hold?" An elderly representative stood up and asked in a hoarse voice.

Director Su Yun was silent for a moment and spoke with difficulty: "According to the current speed, at most... thirteen years."

Thirteen years.

This number was like a huge boulder pressing down on everyone's heart.

A young representative stood up with a pale face: "Thirteen years? Back then, Guardian Lin Jingyun said that the Seal could protect for ten thousand years. Now only nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven years have passed, how could it..."

"It has loosened prematurely." Director Su Yun interrupted him. "According to the monitoring data, the weakening speed of the Seal has suddenly accelerated within the past hundred years. It is not natural aging, but an external force actively impacting it."

"External force?" Patriarch Lu Chen frowned slightly.

Director Su Yun raised her hand, and another set of data emerged on the star map.

That was the record of energy fluctuations at the edge of the Seal, with densely packed curves resembling an electrocardiogram, rising and falling without any pattern.

"These fluctuations are not generated by the Seal itself." Director Su Yun pointed at those curves. "They come from inside the abyss. Something is striking the Seal."

The grand hall fell quiet once more.

Everyone's eyes stared at those curves, watching them rise and fall, jump, and become increasingly violent.

"What is it?" someone asked.

Director Su Yun shook her head: "I don't know. The Investigation Department's Magical Artifact cannot penetrate the Seal, so we cannot see the situation inside the abyss. But judging from the intensity and frequency of the fluctuations, that thing... is very powerful."

She paused and added: "It is stronger than the Mother of Void Evil Spiders back then."

This sentence exploded in the grand hall like a thunderclap.

Stronger than the Mother of Void Evil Spiders?

The Mother of Void Evil Spiders, that was an existence that almost destroyed the starry sea back then.

Guardian Lin Jingyun used his body as a Formation to suppress the abyss forever before sealing it.

Now, beneath the Seal, an existence even stronger than it was striking the Seal.

"Is there any way to reinforce the Seal?" Patriarch Lu Chen asked.

Director Su Yun shook her head: "The Investigation Department has checked all ancient books and consulted all Formation Masters, but found no method to reinforce the Seal."

This Seal was forged by Guardian Lin Jingyun using his body as a Formation, and it integrated the Origin Power of the Three Great Spirits.

Unless there is an equally powerful force, it cannot be reinforced.

The grand hall fell into silence.

Everyone was thinking of the same question—where to find an equally powerful force?

The Legacy of the Three Great Spirits is scattered among three talismans, kept by the three chief Elders of the Guardian Academy.

But that was only the "Legacy," not the "Origin."

To gain power equal to Guardian Lin Jingyun, someone needed to bear the power of the three talismans simultaneously and gain their recognition.

Such a person had never appeared in ten thousand years.

"There is one more thing." Director Su Yun's voice broke the silence, her expression becoming even more grave.

"At the same time as the Seal loosened, abnormal energy fluctuations appeared in various domains of the starry sea."

She raised her hand, and countless tiny points of light emerged on the star map, scattered everywhere across the starry sea.

"These are abnormal fluctuations captured by the Investigation Department in the past three days. They appeared near the core of the Spiritual Vein, lasting for a very short time, but their frequency is accelerating."

A representative from Lingxi Realm stood up with a panicked expression: "The spiritual spring of Lingxi Realm suddenly became turbid for a split second three days ago. We thought it was a normal fluctuation and didn't care."

A representative from Cangwu Domain also stood up: "On the sword peak of Cangwu Domain, all long swords chimed simultaneously. It was just one sound, but we heard it clearly."

The Yao Race representative of Qingmang Mountain followed up and said: "The spiritual wood of Qingmang Mountain was covered in fallen leaves overnight. It is spring now, and they shouldn't be shedding leaves."

Representative after representative stood up, speaking of the anomalies in their respective domains.

Turbid spiritual springs, chiming long swords, fallen spiritual wood leaves, trembling star veins, spacetime wrinkles...

All the anomalies occurred three days ago—the exact moment the Seal began to loosen.

Patriarch Lu Chen raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Director Su, are these anomalies related to the loosening of the Seal?"

Director Su Yun nodded: "The analysis of the Investigation Department shows that these anomalies completely match the frequency of the Seal's fluctuations. Every time the Seal trembles, an anomaly will appear in various domains of the starry sea."

"What does this mean?" Patriarch Lu Chen's tone was very heavy.

Director Su Yun was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "This means that the existence in the abyss is not only impacting the Seal, but also influencing the starry sea."

"It is probing, searching for weaknesses. It is waiting for the moment when the Seal shatters."

The grand hall was dead silent.

Everyone stared at those flashing light points on the star map, watching them grow denser and brighter.

Those were not just light points; those were the tentacles extended by the abyss toward the starry sea.

Probing, groping, waiting.

Shen Zhao sat in the last row, his palms full of sweat.

He looked at those light points, looked at those curves, and looked at the ever-widening crack on the Seal.

Thirteen years.

Only thirteen years.

He thought of the names on the Monument of Heroes and the words his uncle had said.

"Why were they able to hold on until the very end?"

"Because they knew that behind them lay the sea of stars."

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails sank into his palms.

Patriarch Lu Chen remained silent for a long time—so long that people in the hall began to whisper among themselves.

"Everyone." He finally spoke, his voice calm yet firm.

"Thirteen years is neither long nor short. We can use it to feel fear, to despair, and to await our doom. Or we can use it to prepare, to fight, and to protect."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire gathering.

"I choose the latter."

"The Investigation Department will expand its monitoring range, focusing on the edges of the Seal and anomalies across all domains. Report any changes immediately."

"The Realm Guardian Army will fully mobilize, and the defensive Formations across all domains will operate at full capacity. The civilian evacuation plan shall begin drafting as of today."

"The Guardian Academy will accelerate talent cultivation, especially Disciples in the fields of Formations and talisman arts. The Legacy of the Three Great Spirits will be open to all Disciples starting today."

He issued orders one after another, his voice growing increasingly resolute.

Representatives from various domains stood up one after another, acknowledging in unison.

No one questioned him, and no one raised any objections.

Because everyone knew this was the only way out.

After the meeting ended, Shen Zhao followed his uncle out of the grand hall.

In the plaza, the representatives from various domains dispersed in twos and threes, each of them wearing a grave expression.

Director Su Yun hurried forward and called out to Shen Yuan.

"Elder Shen, there is something I would like to discuss with you."

Shen Yuan stopped in his tracks. "Director Su, please speak."

Director Su Yun glanced at Shen Zhao, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "The Investigation Department needs to send someone to the edge of the Seal to monitor its condition at close range. This task is extremely dangerous, but someone has to do it."

"I want to send Shen Zhao."

Shen Zhao was stunned.

Shen Yuan's brows furrowed. "He is still just a child."

"I know." Director Su Yun's voice was very soft. "But he has something that other Disciples do not."

She looked at Shen Zhao, her gaze carrying a sense of scrutiny as well as a hint of expectation.

"Three days ago, when the Seal experienced its first anomaly, all the Magical Artifacts of the Investigation Department captured the fluctuations. But the first to discover the anomaly was not a Magical Artifact."

"It was Shen Zhao."

Shen Yuan turned his head to look at Shen Zhao. "What is going on?"

Shen Zhao shook his head blankly. "I... I don't know. That night, I was kneeling before the Monument of Heroes when suddenly my chest felt tight, as if something was pressing down on it. Then the light on the monument dimmed for a moment."

He paused and added, "It was only for a split second, but I saw it."

Director Su Yun nodded. "The records of the Investigation Department's Magical Artifacts show that the anomaly of the Seal and the dimming of the Monument of Heroes occurred at the exact same moment. The time Shen Zhao perceived it was a full three breaths earlier than the Magical Artifacts."

Three breaths.

In the world of Cultivators, three breaths are enough to determine life and death.

Shen Yuan remained silent for a long time.

He looked at Shen Zhao with a complicated gaze.

"Director Su, do you suspect that Shen Zhao has some kind of connection with the Seal?"

Director Su Yun did not answer directly; instead, she took out a palm-sized crystal stone from her robes.

The crystal was completely transparent, with a faint glow flowing inside it.

"This is a replica talisman used by the Investigation Department to test Three-Spirit Resonance." She handed the crystal to Shen Zhao. "Shen Zhao, hold it."

Shen Zhao looked at his uncle, and Shen Yuan nodded slightly.

He reached out and grasped the crystal.

The crystal was ice-cold, showing no reaction whatsoever.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Director Su Yun's eyes, and she was about to retrieve the crystal—

The crystal suddenly lit up.

It wasn't an ordinary glow; three colors lit up simultaneously.

Gold, silver, and azure lights surged from the crystal, illuminating Shen Zhao's palm until it looked translucent.

Shen Zhao was startled and almost threw the crystal away.

Director Su Yun grabbed his hand and stared fixedly at the crystal.

The three-colored light lasted for about five breaths before slowly dimming and finally returning to its original state.

Director Su Yun released his hand, took a step back, and her look at Shen Zhao changed completely.

That was no longer scrutiny, but rather a kind of... shock.

"Elder Shen." Her voice was trembling. "Your nephew can trigger Three-Spirit Resonance simultaneously."

Shen Yuan's expression also turned grave.

Three-Spirit Resonance is the prerequisite for obtaining the Legacy of the Three Great Spirits.

For ten thousand years, the Guardian Academy has used this replica talisman to test countless Disciples. There were 3,700 people who could trigger single-color resonance, and 43 people who could trigger dual-color resonance.

But not a single person could trigger three-color resonance simultaneously.

Until today.

"This... This is impossible." Shen Yuan's voice was somewhat dry. "Zhao'er's Spiritual Root Aptitude is only mediocre to low, and his cultivation is only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. How could..."

"I don't know either." Director Su Yun interrupted him. "But the facts are right before our eyes. There is something inside Shen Zhao that resonates with the Origin of the Three Great Spirits."

She looked at Shen Zhao, her gaze burning.

"Shen Zhao, you knelt before the Monument of Heroes for an entire night. What did you feel?"

Shen Zhao thought for a moment and slowly spoke. "Those names... were looking at me."

"What else?"

"And..." He closed his eyes, recalling the feeling from that night. "And a voice. Very soft, very distant, as if it were coming up from a very, very deep place."

"What did it say?"

Shen Zhao opened his eyes, a trace of confusion in them. "It said... 'Latecomer, you have finally come.'"

The plaza quieted down.

The wind passed through the colonnade, making a low, sobbing sound.

Shen Yuan and Director Su Yun exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Latecomer, you have finally come.

This sentence had appeared three times in the records of past guardians.

The first time was when the patriarch Bai Yunzhou heard the Spirit of Chaos say it in the ruins of Chaos.

The second time was when the guardian Guardian Lin Jingyun heard the Spirit of Causality say it in the sea of Karma.

The third time was when the guardian Path Guardian Ancestor Qin Hao heard the Spirit of Taichu say it within the Gate of Taichu.

Every single time represented the beginning of a Legacy.

Every single time meant that a new guardian was about to be born.

Now, these words were spoken to Shen Zhao.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath, squatted down, and looked directly into Shen Zhao's eyes.

"Zhao'er, listen to me." His voice was soft yet very serious.

"From now on, no matter what happens, you must remember today's feeling."

"Remember that voice, and remember the feeling of those names looking at you."

"Because that may become the most important thing for you in the future."

Although Shen Zhao didn't fully understand, he still nodded solemnly.

Director Su Yun put away the crystal and said to Shen Yuan, "Do not make this matter public for the time being."

Shen Yuan nodded. "I know. Making it public now will only bring him danger."

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning.

Once the news that Shen Zhao could trigger Three-Spirit Resonance spread out, how would the various domains view him? How would the Abyss Clan treat him? What would those who coveted the power of the Three Great Spirits do?

He was only a sixteen-year-old youth, and his cultivation was only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

He could not bear all of this.

"Let him Cultivate normally for now." Director Su Yun said. "The Investigation Department will secretly observe his condition. If he truly has a connection with the Seal, he will perceive every change in the Seal."

Shen Yuan was silent for a moment and slowly nodded.

He turned to look at Shen Zhao and reached out to pat his shoulder.

"Zhao'er, go back. Your lessons for today are not finished yet."

Shen Zhao acknowledged and turned to walk in the direction of the Guardian Academy.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at his uncle.

"Uncle, that voice said 'Latecomer, you have finally come.' Was it waiting for me?"

Shen Yuan remained silent for a long time.

"Perhaps." He finally spoke. "Perhaps it has waited for many years, waiting for many generations of people. Perhaps it was not waiting for you, but for something within you."

"But regardless, it has waited. And you have heard it."

"That is enough."

Shen Zhao nodded thoughtfully and turned to leave.

Under the setting sun, the youth's figure was drawn out very long.

Shen Yuan stood in the plaza, watching that figure grow farther and farther away, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

Director Su Yun walked to his side, likewise gazing in that direction.

"Elder Shen, do you think Shen Zhao can become the next guardian?"

Shen Yuan did not answer.

He simply watched the youth's back, watching him walk farther and farther into the setting sun, walking more and more firmly.

"I don't know." He finally spoke, his voice very low.

"But I know that the names on the Monument of Heroes will not choose the wrong person."