The sky was not yet dawn, and only a few lingering stars remained.
Dozens of blinding electrical streaks suddenly tore through the silent night sky of Hedong. They whistled through the air, their final destination a mountain ridge on the outskirts of the Japanese encampment.
At this moment, the Great Elder of the Tang Sect, hoisted on Zhang Chulan's shoulder, was as pale as paper. The Head of the Zhao Family, carried on Zhang Lingyu's back, felt his stomach churning with such intensity he nearly vomited. He struggled to maintain a steady expression, but a tidal wave of shock had already crashed through his heart.
Three thousand li! They had truly covered the distance in less than five hours! This was nothing short of a miracle!
Just as the group touched down and began to steady their breathing, Ian, far above in the heavens, lightly snapped his fingers.
Snap! The sound was barely audible, yet it seemed to contain the mighty power to reshape heaven and earth.
In an instant.
From the snow-covered lands beyond the Great Wall to the miasma-filled southwestern borders. From the fallen, prosperous coastal metropolises to the dust-blown, impoverished hinterlands of the interior. Across the vast land of China, above countless towns, villages, and the heads of millions of citizens—without warning, immense light screens appeared out of thin air.
The screens were as clear as mirrors, vividly reflecting the scene of Zhang Chulan's group on the Hedong mountain ridge, capturing every minute detail.
The silent dawn was utterly shattered. Countless commoners, awakened by this celestial phenomenon, pushed open their doors and walked out of their courtyards. They looked up at the sky, staring at the unheard-of, never-before-seen screens suspended in the heavens, their faces masks of terror, curiosity, and confusion.
The sound of discussion spread like a rising tide across the land.
"What is that?"
"How can there be pictures in the sky?"
"Is it a hallucination? It's all my wife's fault for tossing and turning so much last night!"
When they clearly saw the figures within the light screen—especially when they felt the electrical arcs faintly coiling around them and witnessed their inhuman presence—many simple folk instinctively knelt on the ground, kowtowing toward the screens.
"Immortals!"
"The immortals have descended to earth!"
"The Heavens have finally opened their eyes!"
Pious prayers, mingled with sobs of excitement, rose and fell across the suffering land.
At the same time, outcasts from major sects and hidden families were also alarmed by this sudden phenomenon. They stepped out of their secluded cultivation chambers, halted their techniques, and looked toward the sky. Sensing that terrifying electrical power that seemed to leak out of the screens and observing that logic-defying movement that covered hundreds of meters in an instant, every outcast, regardless of their cultivation level, paled in horror.
"What level of cultivation is this?"
"The mere image alone makes our hearts jump in fear!"
"Unheard of! Unseen!"
"What kind of divine beings have descended?"
The Lu Clan.
A young Lu Ci, with a defiant expression and sharp eyes, was currently in a secret clan chamber. He was hunched over a map, planning the next hunt against the Japanese ninjas. The sacrifice of his elder brother felt like an incredibly heavy burden on his shoulders.
Suddenly, the panicked shouts of his clansmen came from outside. He walked out with a frown and looked up to see the massive light screen. When his gaze locked onto the man in the screen—a middle-aged man with blood-red eyes, a killing intent so thick it had practically solidified, and a face that was ninety percent identical to his own—he shuddered violently!
This man looked too much like him! Could it be an elder of the family living abroad? But... this power! This suffocating, violent killing intent! He had never seen it on anyone in the Lu Clan!
The Lu Clan elders gathered around him, pointing at the screen and whispering in shock and confusion.
"This person looks exactly like the Clan Head did when he was young!"
"But this power style is definitely not from our Lu Clan's heritage!"
"Who exactly is he?"
Dragon-Tiger Mountain, Celestial Master Mansion.
As the first light of dawn appeared, the purple Qi rose from the east. The young Zhang Zhiwei was currently participating in morning drills on the square with his master, Zhang Jingqing, and his fellow disciples. The sudden appearance of the massive screen halted everyone's movements.
Zhang Jingqing's brow furrowed, his gaze solemn as he watched the middle-aged Taoist in the screen—a man built like a mountain with a presence as deep as an abyss. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at the equally shocked Zhang Zhiwei.
"Zhiwei."
"Yes?"
"When did you... get an elder brother who looks like that?"
Zhang Zhiwei looked completely blank. An elder brother? Where would he get an elder brother?
But for some reason, looking at that middle-aged Taoist in the screen, his heart throbbed with a strange resonance. Especially the familiar yet strange Dragon-Tiger Mountain robes the man wore and the thunder faintly hidden in the depths of those calm eyes gave him an inexpressible sense of kinship.
Ian's mischievous streak flared up, and with a flick of his will, the perspective shifted.
Inside the screen, the middle-aged Zhang Zhiwei, who had been as still as a mountain, seemed to sense something and turned his head slightly.
Across time and space, through the invisible light screen, the Old Taoist Master's deep, calm eyes—which seemed to carry the weight of ages and the infinite power of thunder—happened to lock eyes with his young, arrogant, and peerless self on Dragon-Tiger Mountain!
With just that one glance, the young Zhang Zhiwei's body shook as if struck by lightning! In the unseen depths, a powerful resonance transcending bloodlines and originating from the very source of the soul exploded in his mind!
This person! This was his future self!
That sea-like stability! That world-destroying power! That weight of responsibility and the weariness of having seen it all in his eyes! All of it caused this young Celestial Master, who feared nothing in heaven or earth, to lose his composure and stand frozen on the spot.
Just as countless viewers inside and outside the screens were wondering what these god-like figures intended to do, Ian manipulated the perspective to zoom out sharply. The "camera" moved away from the group and cast its gaze toward the mountain ridge below.
A heavily guarded, massive Japanese military camp suddenly appeared in everyone's sight!
Countless mustard-yellow tents infested the land. Cold barbed wire reflected the morning light. Japanese soldiers armed with rifles patrolled the interior and exterior. Behind sandbag bunkers, the muzzles of machine guns glinted with a metallic chill. Under camouflage nets, the heart-stopping silhouettes of infantry and field cannons were visible.
A murderous, cold, and aggressive aura rushed toward the viewers!
At this moment, Ian's voice rang clearly in the minds of Zhang Chulan, the Old Taoist Master, Lu Ci, and all the participants.
"Now, your every move will be broadcast live to the entire land of China."
"Remember, strike after sunrise."
"I want everyone who sees this light screen to see clearly."
"How these invaders, these Japanese dogs, are crushed into dust by my Magnetic Field Sect under the brilliance of the sun!"
Ian's words instantly ignited the long-suppressed fury and battle intent in the hearts of every participant!
National enmity! Family vendettas! The thirst for newly acquired power! The pressure and glory of being watched by millions! All these emotions intertwined, finally converging into an unparalleled, violent battle intent that threatened to incinerate everything!
Hum... Hum... Hum...
The electrical light around everyone could no longer be suppressed; it overflowed and erupted outward!
Crackle! Crackle!
Blinding electrical arcs leaped wildly across their bodies. The mountain rocks beneath their feet could not withstand the force and began to crack inch by inch! The surging electrical power within them began to rush, rotate, and climb at an unprecedented speed!
Especially for the Old Taoist Master, Zhang Zhiwei! He already possessed a profound foundation, and now, under the dual stimulation of national hatred and a sense of mission, it felt as if some shackle within him had been completely shattered!
BOOM!!!
A terrifying aura, far exceeding anything before, exploded outward!
Magnetic Field Rotation!
10,000 HP... 20,000 HP... Magnetic Field Rotation: 50,000 Horsepower Power!!!
The boundary of the realm was instantly smashed through. His power soared wildly, stepping directly into the realm of Magnetic Field Rotation, and relying on his unfathomable foundation, it instantly stabilized at the terrifying level of 50,000 HP!
In this moment, he became the undisputed strongest creature on the planet, second only to Ian!
Ian's final words, carrying a hint of icy cruelty, echoed in their minds.
"Remember what I said."
"Don't let them die too easily!"
"Surround the camp. I'll give you a few minutes to adjust your status."
"After sunrise, attack together!"
The command was issued.
Nearly a hundred figures transformed into violent electrical streaks, shooting out from the mountain ridge and instantly surrounding the Japanese camp below!
Inside and outside the screens, countless eyes were now fixed dead-on at that mountain ridge and that besieged military camp. The commoners prayed fervently. The outcasts watched in suspicious wonder. The young Lu Ci watched the figure in the screen, his heart racing with excitement.
In the eastern sky, the horizon had begun to turn white. The first ray of sunlight, symbolizing light, was about to pierce the darkness.
A "Bright Killing" that would shake the entire era and change the fates of millions was about to begin!