Chapter 148

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Chapter 148: Title

By the pool beneath the waterfall, Di Yun and the nine-tailed fox had scarcely landed when Di Yan’s voice rang out.

"I was beginning to wonder how much longer you’d take to arrive."

The nine-tailed fox cast him an indifferent glance, offering no reply.

Xuanfeng descended gracefully from the cliff’s edge moments before Ao Yuan materialized beside them.

Di Yun’s group exchanged glances, instinctively positioning themselves nearer the Dragon Lord’s imposing presence.

"Dragon Lord—" Di Yun faltered.

"Silence suffices." Ao Yuan’s acknowledgment came with a subtle tilt of his head.

Relief washed over Di Yun—their arrival hadn’t provoked the sovereign’s displeasure.

Kirin, his obsidian-hued hide shimmering like polished inkstone, surveyed the assembly of demon lords. "The circle is complete."

"Enough preamble, Kirin," Qiongqi interjected, restless wings rippling beneath his mantle. "Out with it."

Though the uninvited human cultivator’s presence rankled, Kirin kept his gaze averted, courtesy of the Dragon Lord’s unspoken truce.

"The Battleground tokens have reached you all."

A dark medallion materialized before him, its surface alive with the embossed vigor of a celestial kirin.

"Your counsel is required."

"Our counsel?" The nine-tailed fox’s lips curved knowingly. "You wish to go yourself, don’t you?"

Eons presiding over the Mountain and Sea Realm’s Great Wilderness had honed their mutual understanding to razor’s edge—a breath could convey volumes among these ancient powers.

Ao Yuan’s voice cleaved the silence first, unexpected as winter thunder.

"I shall enter."

Kirin’s posture softened imperceptibly. "The Dragon Lord speaks my mind. This Battleground may hold keys to shattering our celestial immortality level’s stagnation."

"Each victor claims Heaven’s Mandate reward when the arena opens," he continued.

"Ha!" Taotie’s barked laughter shook pine needles from nearby trees. "Trapped at this threshold since the last epoch? I’ll gnaw through fate itself for this chance!"

As declarations rippled through the gathering, only Xuanfeng and the nine-tailed fox remained contemplative.

The vulpine sovereign studied the slumbering kit nestled against her silken robes. "The human realm intrigues me," she mused. "The Battleground… merits observation."

All eyes turned to Xuanfeng, whose sweeping phoenix-feather sleeves stirred in the mountain breeze.

"And your will?" Kirin inquired.

A single regal nod. "I concur."

"Thus it’s decided." Kirin’s gaze sharpened. "Another matter demands attention."

Qiongqi’s talons scored stone. "Speak!"

"The Battleground’s awakening heralds the cross-border battles’ resurgence." Kirin’s voice turned grave. "None here have forgotten the Ancient Era’s cataclysm."

Taotie’s growl resonated like grinding tectonic plates. "Forgotten? That wretched war caged us in this small world for millennia!"

"I will discuss this with Bai Ze," Kirin said.

"In a sense, we lost that cross-border battle; otherwise, the Spiritual Energy of the source world wouldn’t have been severed for millennia."

"But what truly concluded that conflict?"

"Why have Empress Nuwa and the Emperor of Heaven remained absent so long? It’s as if they intentionally sealed the source world. Could the opposing realm from the World War truly be that fearsome?"

"Then there’s the fallen deities. You’ve heard humans speak of their abyssal invasion, haven’t you?" Kirin’s placid tone belied the unease his words provoked.

"The Abyss exists only in ancestral lore—a mere legend during our era."

"Yet now it resurges."

"Human cultivators dominate the source world’s population. When the World War reignites, they’ll bear the initial onslaught. Their fragile strength concerns me."

"Empress Nuwa brought us to the Mountain and Sea Realm too soon. The aftermath remains shrouded." Kirin sighed deeply.

Bai Ze stepped forward, lightening the mood. "There’s favorable tidings, isn’t there?"

"Indeed. Clashing with fractured world fragments seems preferable to confronting an intact realm." The Moon-eating Celestial Dog scoffed, rolling his celestial eyes.

"Consider this—a world fragment tainted by Abyssal aura, adrift in the void. Such massive shards inevitably teem with abyssal creatures."

"Can human cultivators possibly withstand this?"

【——World fragments? Broken realms?】

【——Why this sudden relief? At least we’re not battling the full Abyss.】

【——Hardly comforting. Since when do spirit cultivators fret over us?】

【——Victors on the Battleground gain rewards—what might they offer?】

【——Thank providence our human champions are few. Imagine the shame of losing to high-level spirit cultivators there!】

【——Premature words. The Battleground’s matching mechanism remains unknown.】

【——These demon lords overreach. The world holds more than their tier nine cultivators… Remember foreign powers…】

Special Bureau Headquarters

In the cavernous meeting room, officials hunched over documents while monitoring Xiao Tianji’s live broadcast. The screen’s glow illuminated furrowed brows and hastily scribbled notes.

Deputy Director Xi Ning’s voice cut through the analytical murmur. "Can we trust these demon lords’ claims?"

Lin Jing’s pen paused mid-character. "Ninety percent credibility. Deception serves no purpose here."

"World fragments corrupted by Abyssal aura mean legions of twisted creatures. Maximum alert status."

Xi Ning turned to his aide, jaw set. "Coordinate an emergency summit with global special departments. This transcends borders."

"At once, Deputy Director."

As the aide departed, Xi Ning’s brow creased. "How obtained they this knowledge? They’ve dwelled in the Mountain and Sea Realm since before the deities’ disappearance."

Lin Jing’s brush swept across parchment. "Recall the luminous strand entering their realm? Empress Nuwa’s legacy. Her protected spirit cultivators might inherit her wisdom."

Lin Jing’s speculation was not without reason. After hearing it, Xi Ning forced a bitter smile.

"Why didn’t Your Highness Haotian inform us? Were it not for Xiao Tianji’s live stream, we’d still be in the dark."

"Not necessarily."

Lin Jing’s eyes flickered to the computer screen as he clicked the mouse, pivoting the monitor toward Xi Ning.

"Deputy Director, observe this update from Vatican City’s official blog – published mere moments after those keywords surfaced in the broadcast."

The Vatican’s statement concerning the World War explicitly referenced "world fragments polluted by Abyssal aura," attributing this knowledge to divine prophecy.

"They’ve known for some time," Xi Ning remarked, his chuckle devoid of humor. "Too convenient, this sudden ‘prophecy’ coinciding with events. It appears my timing for convening this network meeting was fortuitous."

"Current intelligence from Eastern spirit cultivators confirms the Battleground’s critical importance. I recommend recalling field agents from non-essential operations."

"Agreed." Xi Ning nodded sharply, gesturing for his assistant to execute the order immediately.

The deities’ manifestation had become global knowledge, impossible to suppress – especially with the impending distribution of Battleground certificates across Blue Star. Since the Awakening of Spiritual Energy, countless remote regions remained oblivious to the world’s transformation, their inhabitants lingering in ignorance. If the abyssal invasion had torn away civilization’s fragile veneer, the gods’ arrival now ripped aside humanity’s final illusions.

Kingdom of England

Myers, head of the Fifth Special Operations Branch, stared at the translated broadcast. "Eastern practitioners surviving millennia? Preposterous!"

The cavernous meeting room hosted an unusual assembly – elves, wizards, and giants interspersed among human operatives. Two figures dominated the gathering: Wizard Carlyle and Elven Guide Martha, both radiating the formidable aura of tier six beings.

Martha’s emerald eyes remained locked on her counterpart as she addressed the assembly, her voice resonating with ancient wisdom. "Tier nine celestial immortality level," she pronounced, the words hanging like swordstrokes in the air. "Equivalent to an adult giant dragon’s might – power transcending mortal limits."

Myers inhaled sharply. The translated term "celestial immortality level" hadn’t conveyed its true significance until Martha’s draconic comparison. In myth, dragons rivaled deities in raw power and longevity.

Carlyle’s fingers absently traced his pendant necklace embedded with a diamond-shaped blue crystal. "This isn’t unique to the East." The luminous sphere from the heavens now gleamed around every attendee’s neck or wrist. "That small world Eastern cultivators inhabit mirrors our semi-realms. The light spheres must have penetrated those dimensions too."

"Then all qualified intelligent beings received them," Myers concluded, "including entities beyond our knowledge."

"Precisely." Carlyle’s confirmation carried gravitational weight.

Martha’s lips quirked. "None bearing these tokens will dare miss tomorrow’s gathering." Her gaze swept the room, lingering on the pulsating crystals. "The Battleground’s awakening promises opportunities beyond mortal comprehension."