18: Chapter 18 [The Veil of Star Slayers] Shangguan Yunshu

"What do you all think? Do you think he can beat the final boss?"

Feng Lide swept his gaze across the room.

Outside the window, the faint clamor from the dungeon hall drifted up, sounding like muffled thunder rolling in the distance.

Everyone in the room had a different expression.

Robert shrugged, his usual lazy smile hanging on his lips.

"I think it's doubtful. He's at Rank 8 now, which is pretty much his limit. Fighting a Heroic boss when he's two full Ranks lower—the Rank suppression is just too severe."

Old man Ian grinned. "I've got high hopes for this kid. He can definitely do it!"

The others didn't respond, turning their eyes to Advisor Jiang Lan instead.

Advisor Jiang Lan leaned against the long metal table, her arms still crossed over her chest.

She thought for a moment, then smiled. "I don't know either. But... everything Lu Yang has done so far has already exceeded my expectations. Who knows, maybe he really can pull off a miracle?"

Hearing this, the others nodded slightly.

After all, Lu Yang had indeed created quite a few miracles up to this point.

To be honest, ever since the Withered Forest dungeon opened, only a tiny minority of teams had been able to defeat the first boss, Kezhi.

And all of them were elite teams backed by players with Gold Legendary-grade Soul Talents!

Yet Lu Yang was the only one who had soloed the boss!

Not to mention Lu Yang's unnaturally terrifying monster-clearing efficiency.

In the entire history of the Blue Star Alliance, nothing this absurd had ever happened!

If it was him, perhaps he really could create another miracle?

Just then, a communication came through on Feng Lide's personal terminal.

After taking a look, his expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly stepped out of the room.

A moment later, he walked back in, a look of nervousness gracing his face.

Seeing this, everyone else's expressions turned grave.

They all stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a few sharp, muffled thuds.

Ian spoke first, asking with a tight frown, "What happened? Has a traitor passed the news back, causing unusual movements among the other three races?"

Given Lu Yang's current performance, they had no doubt that the other three Milky Way factions equal to the Blue Star Alliance desperately wanted Lu Yang dead!

Only something of this magnitude could make a Vice President of the Professionals Association like Feng Lide so nervous.

Feng Lide shook his head, his Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke. "No, someone from above has arrived!"

Everyone was stunned.

Why be so nervous about someone from above?

However, they quickly realized.

Who had come?

Could it be some big shot?!

Advisor Jiang Lan couldn't help asking, "...Who came from above?"

Feng Lide swallowed hard, his voice somewhat dry. "It's the [star-slicing veil], Shangguan Yunshu."

At those words, the entire observation room fell silent.

Everyone widened their eyes in utter shock.

"What?!"

"Lord Shangguan Yunshu came in person to act as his dao protector?!"

"This... Lu Yang's talent seems to be even stronger than we imagined! Could it really be a Demigod Rank talent??"

One had to know, Shangguan Yunshu was a Fifth-Stage powerhouse!

Fifth-Stage powerhouses were also known as Stellar-level powerhouses!

While powerhouses of this Rank were not as terrifying as Sixth-Stage Galactic-level powerhouses, going all out, they could still extinguish a star!

In the entire Blue Star Alliance, Fifth-Stage powerhouses were among the very few at the apex of power, each an upper echelon member of the Blue Star Alliance!

Most importantly, Shangguan Yunshu was still very young!

She wasn't even fifty years old yet, and she was already a Fifth-Stage powerhouse!

Her Soul Talent was also said to be Gold Legendary-grade, exceptionally formidable.

In addition, Shangguan Yunshu not only possessed incredible talent and power, but her combat record was equally staggering.

Back when she was still Fourth-Stage, she led a pioneer team to defeat the pioneer squads of the other three major factions, securing the first clear of the Hell-difficulty dungeon [Abyssal Corridor] in the center of the Milky Way, obtaining extremely precious first-clear rewards and resources.

Right after entering the Fifth-Stage, she joined the Alliance's highest decision-making body, the [Star Pivot Hall], officially becoming one of the decision-makers of human civilization.

Five years ago, during the war against the Zenuo Alliance—one of the four top factions in the Milky Way—Shangguan Yunshu single-handedly defended the outpost star system [Azure Pass], blocking an entire assault legion of the Zenuo Alliance. This included a staggering three thousand combat professionals above the Third-Stage, countless starry fleets, and even three Fifth-Stage powerhouses!

It was precisely that battle that cemented Shangguan Yunshu's position as one of the top young powerhouses in the Milky Way.

At the same time, it put her on the must-kill list of the other three major factions!

Under normal circumstances, Shangguan Yunshu would continue leveling up and complete her advancement quest to become the eighth Sixth-Stage powerhouse of the Blue Star Alliance!

Yet now, Shangguan Yunshu had actually come in person to be Lu Yang's dao protector?!

This left Advisor Jiang Lan and the others dazed for a moment, almost doubting their own ears.

A newly awakened novice professional, a teenager who hadn't even reached the First-Stage—was he really worth having such a top Genius protect his Dao in person?!

Listening to everyone's exclamations, Feng Lide's lips twitched, and he shook his head. "I don't know the specifics either. Let's go quickly to the teleportation array to welcome Lord Shangguan Yunshu."

The others snapped out of it and hurriedly nodded.

Ian nearly knocked over his chair, Robert frantically fumbled with his collar button, and even Zhu Changye, usually the most composed, instinctively adjusted the angle of his armor's pauldrons.

Advisor Jiang Lan suddenly spoke up, "Wait! Lu Yang's side is also very important. No one knows when he'll come out, so someone has to stay here and guard!"

Only then did Feng Lide realize.

He gave Advisor Jiang Lan a grateful look, feeling a surge of lingering fear in his heart.

If Lu Yang stepped out of the dungeon while they were away and something happened to him, he would truly be unable to redeem himself even with ten thousand deaths!

He immediately made a decision. "Jiang Lan and I will go welcome her! You guys stay here and keep watch over Lu Yang!"

Zhu Changye and the others exchanged glances, feeling a bit disappointed in their hearts.

That was Shangguan Yunshu!

A big figure like her was someone they had only ever seen from afar at best.

Given a rare opportunity to welcome her face-to-face, they naturally wanted to go too.

However, what Advisor Jiang Lan said was right—Lu Yang's side was indeed vital.

Even Shangguan Yunshu had come in person to act as a dao protector; one could imagine how much the Blue Star Alliance valued Lu Yang.

They all clearly understood what took priority.

Robert shrugged. "Alright, you two go quickly."

Feng Lide nodded, and he and Advisor Jiang Lan quickly left through the observation room's exclusive passage, one after the other.

The lights in the hallway were cool white. Their footsteps bounced back and forth in the narrow corridor as they walked at a rapid, hurried pace.

Passing through several security access gates and heading down two flights of stairs, the two entered an exclusive elevator and quickly reached the third underground level.

The Teleportation Hall was located on the third underground level.

The Teleportation Hall utilized the Blue Star Alliance's most cutting-edge spatial warp technology, which was a first-clear dungeon reward from many years ago.

This was also one of the reasons the Blue Star Alliance had risen so rapidly.

Basically every planet's Professionals Association possessed a Teleportation Hall like this.

The only difference was the size.

Because teleportation required massive amounts of resources, under normal circumstances, this Teleportation Hall was not activated.

Because it was very cost-ineffective.

It was only activated in truly emergency situations.

Just like right now.

The Alliance had discovered a top Genius, and even a Fifth-Stage powerhouse had come to act as a dao protector.

This was more than enough reason to arrange the use of the teleportation array.

Feng Lide and Advisor Jiang Lan walked briskly into the heavy alloy door, and the hall spanning over three hundred square meters unfolded before their eyes.

It was spacious.

And quiet.

The floor was paved with dark gray alloy plates, and a row of faint blue indicator lights was embedded in the wall, flickering gently as if breathing.

In the direct center of the hall stood a metal platform about half a meter high, its surface densely covered with intricate, complex circuit patterns.

Under the faint blue lights, those patterns gleamed with a dark silver luster, stretching out finely in all directions like some silent circuit totem.

Feng Lide walked up to the control console and pressed his palm onto the permission recognition panel.

A faint blue light swept over the back of his hand, and the circuit patterns on the platform flickered softly before dimming down.

The teleportation array was now in a state ready for activation.

The two stood side by side in front of the platform, waiting quietly.

In less than a minute, the dense lines on the metal platform suddenly stirred.

One after another, silver rays of light rose from deep within the patterns—at first just a few scattered strands, then more and more connected into a sheet until all the patterns across the entire platform were lit up.

The faint blue hall was illuminated as bright as daylight, the wall indicator lights overwhelmed by the silver glow, leaving only a faint halo.

The silver light gathered, condensing into a straight pillar of light that enveloped the entire platform.

A low hum reverberated through the air. Immediately following that, the surrounding space distorted for a moment; the air around the pillar of light rippled like water when a stone is tossed in, fanning out invisible ripples.

The humming reached its peak, then abruptly ceased.

The pillar of light slowly dissipated, fading layer by layer from top to bottom, with delicate specks of light floating in midair like scattered pollen.

A figure now stood on the platform.

It was a young woman who looked to be around twenty-five years old.

Her long black hair hung straight down to her waist, the strands glinting with a faint, cool sheen in the slowly dissipating residual glow.

Her face was exquisite to the point of being almost surreal—gorgeous yet cold as frost and snow, with skin fairer than porcelain, and a tall, slender figure.

She stood on the platform, surrounded by the silver glow that had yet to fade entirely, the light outlining her straight shoulders and long neck.

She wore a plain white robe.

The robe was extremely simple, devoid of any superfluous patterns, tied at the waist with an equally plain white sash.

Tied tight, her slender waist could be held in a single grasp, emphasizing the high curve of her chest.

The hem of the robe rested quietly just above her ankles, revealing a small glimpse of white boot collar.

The woman raised her eyes, her gaze falling upon Feng Lide and Advisor Jiang Lan.

Her gaze was not sharp, nor did she intentionally exert any pressure.

Yet Feng Lide and Advisor Jiang Lan straightened their backs almost simultaneously.

Feng Lide's palms went damp in an instant, and Advisor Jiang Lan's fingers at her sides unconsciously clutched her sleeves tight.

The [star-slicing veil], Shangguan Yunshu!