295: Chapter 295 Challenge!

"It seems our continuous clearing operations over these past few days have had an effect."

Zhuge Jinyu shook her repaired vermilion bird feather fan, a flash of relief crossing her eyes.

"This natural disaster should be coming to an end soon."

"Those disgusting monsters had better know what's good for them. If they dare come again, I'll drown every single one of them."

Cang Mingyue proudly lifted her fair chin.

It was not just Su Chen and his group of seven.

Everyone believed that this apocalyptic catastrophe, which concerned the survival of humanity, had finally seen the dawn of victory thanks to everyone's desperate resistance.

However.

In a distant place that no one could see.

In that Spirit River world, hidden in a different dimension and serving as the incarnation of Blue Star's spiritual veins.

At the parched and cracked source of the Spirit River, no one knew when, a trickle of clear vitality had begun to seep out once again.

Although the water flow was not large, it was continuous and crystal clear, just enough to flow slowly through this dead riverbed, preserving the last breath of vitality for this world.

And in a hidden little hollow at the bottom of the Spirit River's source,

lay two small, weak, and lifeless snakeskins, quietly resting.

One white, one green.

Yes, the sacrifice of the dying Bai Suzhen alone was ultimately unable to make the Spirit River water surge again.

In the end, it also cost the life of Xiaoqing, who could have lived for a very long time.

They exhausted their lifelong, vast cultivation that was enough to shake the heavens and earth, abandoned their transcendent, heaven-defying great demon bodies, and transformed into this endless water of the Spirit River.

All just to forcibly stitch together the shattered cracks in the world.

To block this world-ending catastrophe for that man far away on Blue Star.

With their strength exhausted, they fell into an endless slumber.

No one knew of their sacrifice, nor did anyone know what a tragic price had been paid for this peace that was "slowly subsiding."

Even if all of this was merely drinking poison to quench thirst.

...

And in the present world of Blue Star.

Under this false dawn where the natural disaster was slowly subsiding,

some people could finally no longer sit still.

On the outskirts of Qiantang City, inside a dark underground altar shrouded by layers of secret formations,

the high-ranking members of the Fake White Snake Cult gathered together.

Each of their faces was terrifyingly gloomy.

The leader was none other than the daughter of The Needleman.

The leader of the Fake White Snake Cult who hoped to introduce alien demons from the alien demon plane to destroy the human race.

"What is going on?"

"Why are the dimensional rifts suddenly starting to heal on their own?"

The female cult leader violently crushed the cup in her hand, her eyes full of madness and unwillingness.

They had racked their brains and spared no cost to betray the entire human race, all just to lure high-dimensional monsters into the game and use the hands of the alien demons to completely cleanse Blue Star, thereby completing their crazy "New World" plan.

But now, the rifts were closing, and the flood of alien demons was drying up.

Their plan, which they claimed was flawless, was about to go down the drain.

"Leader, the main resistance force is the people from the official Hall of Valor."

In the shadows, a Man in Black knelt on one knee and reported.

"They are resisting desperately on the front lines everywhere. Several large-scale rift clusters were forcibly closed by them at the cost of their lives."

"Additionally, according to rumors, our 'Savior' has also played a significant role in this."

"That Su Chen was actually able to bring together the most difficult women in Great Xia."

"Their speed in clearing out monsters is too fast, and they rarely show off in public. Up until now, those people from the High Martial Families outside all think that the few Transcendent Heroic Spirits around him died in the East Sea."

"Moreover, apart from these human factors, there is some kind of power beyond reason secretly repairing this world."

"However... once the 'Node' is dead, all of this is just a flash in the pan."

"The official Hall of Valor..."

The female cult leader gritted her teeth and sneered repeatedly.

"People who protect an evil order, even if they are not afraid of sacrifice and give their lives, are essentially evil themselves."

"Since that's the case, don't blame me for using unscrupulous means."

The people of the Fake White Snake Cult were not stupid.

They knew very well that with their current remaining forces,

to directly confront the official Hall of Valor and the uncontrollable variable that was the Huayu Association would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Therefore.

They thought of those High Martial Families that had preserved a great deal of strength during the natural disaster, harbored long-standing grievances against the authorities, and were filled with ambition.

Especially since the name "Su Chen" was also notorious among the High Martial Families.

Of course, the Fake White Snake Cult would never be stupid enough to expose their true purpose of "destroying humanity."

They put on the disguise of a secret organization, bringing with them a large amount of mouth-watering cultivation resources.

And that rumored "Longevity Secret Technique" that could allow people to break through the shackles of lifespan.

They quietly infiltrated the deep courtyards of these High Martial Families.

"Esteemed family heads, the authorities are incompetent, and natural disasters occur frequently. Now is the time of great contention, and it is the perfect opportunity for a reshuffle."

"In that battle at the East Sea, those high and mighty Transcendent Heroic Spirits had long since perished together with Cthulhu."

"The current authorities are nothing more than a paper tiger that is strong on the outside but weak on the inside."

"With our resources and secret techniques, why shouldn't the vast lands of Great Xia be jointly governed by your families?"

Driven by the temptation of immortality and the ambition to carve up the world,

those High Martial Families, who were already resentful and arrogant, had their minds completely bewitched.

Greed burned away the last shred of reason and bottom line in their hearts.

They openly tore up their agreements with the authorities and announced their defection while the natural disaster had not yet been completely resolved.

For a time, undercurrents surged, and murderous intent lurked everywhere.

These allied family forces, under the banner of "restoring order to Great Xia," launched large-scale attacks on the martial artists of the Hall of Valor who were resisting the invasion of the alien demons.

And as the biggest thorn in their side,

that Su Chen, who had repeatedly humiliated the dignity of the families and even wiped out most of the elite of the Qiu Family,

naturally and without question became the primary target for all the High Martial Families to focus their fire on.

...

On this day.

A sporadic drizzle was still falling over the sky of Jianghai City.

In front of the Huayu Association branch building, Su Wanyue and Teacher Wang Jin were chatting and laughing while clearing the rubble in front of the door.

Suddenly, a piercing sound of breaking air tore through the curtain of rain.

"Whoosh—!"

A pitch-black dagger shot toward the gate of the Huayu Association like lightning from an unknown corner.

"Is there an enemy attack?"

"No, it's not an enemy attack, it's..."

"Clang!"

Teacher Wang Jin reacted extremely quickly; without even drawing her blade, she just flicked her finger, and a sharp blade aura knocked the poisonous dagger to the ground.

The dagger bounced twice on the bluestone slab, revealing a letter pinned to it.

At this moment, Su Chen also heard the commotion and walked slowly out of the hall with Zhuge Jinyu and the others.

He bent down expressionlessly and picked up the letter that had been dampened by the rain.

It was a declaration of war.