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Translator: CinderTL
Over the past two months:
Donghai Province, East Mountain Province, and Nanyang Province had successively suffered fifth-tier or higher shadow calamities.
Donghai Province was the worst affected, experiencing a seventh-tier shadow calamity.
These three provinces, after all, were prosperous and densely populated, with numerous strong individuals capable of mounting a timely defense.
But now...
The Western Ten Provinces, a remote and underdeveloped region, was also experiencing a sxth-tier shadow calamity? This was undoubtedly a catastrophe.
"The civilization strife crossing is imminent," the blurry figure said. "Our Blue Star Civilization has a very high chance of advancing this time. Therefore, the Shadow Clan will spare no effort to stop us."
"Before the civilization strife crossing begins, they will undoubtedly launch even larger-scale operations."
"We must prepare ourselves."
"Understood," Qian Feng replied, saying no more.
He hung up the call.
Whoosh! Qian Feng's figure vanished from the spot, accelerating toward the federal headquarters at full speed.
Federal Headquarters.
Great Conference Hall.
Figures sat in the conference hall, some present in their true forms, others as projections—nearly a thousand in total. Their expressions were solemn.
Suddenly,
Whoosh!
A figure materialized in the front row—Qian Feng, who had just arrived.
He, too, had arrived as a projection.
"Alliance Leader," Qian Feng greeted the blurry figure at the head of the table.
"Everyone is here," the blurry figure said. "You are all seventh breakthrough powerhouses or higher from our Blue Star Civilization."
"Today's gathering is to address the impending sxth-tier shadow calamity in West Mountain Province."
"We must deploy at least ten seventh breakthrough powerhouses," the blurry figure continued slowly, "to reinforce West Mountain Province."
As the words fell, a wave of murmurs swept through the conference hall. The assembled powerhouses leaned in to whisper among themselves, their voices rising in a low hum of discussion.
"The Western Ten Provinces are too remote. The round trip would take at least an hour."
"With Shadow Calamities erupting so frequently, any province could be the next target."
"I need to remain at my family's headquarters."
"I need to stay at the university."
"..." The strong individuals exchanged glances, but none volunteered to step forward first.
At that moment, one of the strong individuals asked, "Doesn't West Mountain Province have several eighth breakthrough powerhouses stationed there?"
"Those eighth breakthrough powerhouses have been deployed to reinforce Donghai Province and Nanyang Province," the indistinct figure replied calmly.
"..."
A brief silence fell over the conference hall.
After a moment, a voice rang out from a corner at the back of the hall: "Alliance Leader! I'm willing to go to West Mountain Province."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As if on cue, all eyes turned toward the corner.
In the back row, a figure slowly rose to his feet. He had a full head of crimson hair and a weathered face.
It was Zhu Honglie from Penglai University.
"Hmm."
"With Zhu Honglie, we still need nine more," the indistinct figure said.
The nearly thousand strong individuals present exchanged glances.
With the first volunteer, others soon followed suit. A second powerhouse stood up, then a third, and a fourth...
"Old Zhu!" Chen Yuntian, seated next to Zhu Honglie, transmitted telepathically. "Are you sure about going to West Mountain Province? A sixth-tier Shadow Calamity is extremely dangerous."
A seventh-tier Shadow Calamity was the highest level, spawning powerful Shadow Clan members comparable to eighth or even ninth breakthrough powerhouses.
Although a sxth-tier shadow calamity is one level lower than a seventh-tier one, it still spawns a large number of Shadow Clan members at the seventh breakthrough level or higher.
The danger level is extremely high.
"West Mountain Province is Jiang Ye's hometown," Zhu Honglie replied telepathically. "I can't stand by and watch it fall."
"Old Chen, I'm entrusting my students to your care."
"As for me," Zhu Honglie chuckled, "don't worry. I've already reached the peak of the seventh breakthrough. Perhaps this opportunity will allow me to reach the eighth breakthrough."
Life and death trials aren't just beneficial for students.
For veteran powerhouses like them, they also represent opportunities for breakthroughs.
However, their life and death trials carry far greater risks than those faced by students. At the seventh breakthrough level, any life-or-death battle ends in either survival or annihilation.
"You old fool," Chen Yuntian shook his head.
Knowing Zhu Honglie's resolve was unshakable, he didn't try to dissuade him further.
"Alright, I'll take care of your students," Chen Yuntian transmitted.
"Thank you," Zhu Honglie smiled faintly.
He withdrew his gaze, but a flicker of worry remained in his eyes.
I hope West Mountain Province is the last province to suffer a Shadow Calamity, Zhu Honglie thought silently.
Jiang Ye remained completely unaware of the turmoil unfolding outside.
Jiang Ye had already arrived at the Azure-Yellow Plateau.
Whoosh! Like a streak of flowing light, he soared directly toward the tallest mountain.
"Azure-Yellow Mountain," Jiang Ye murmured, spotting it in the distance.
A majestic peak, towering over ten thousand meters high, stood deep within the plateau.
The civilization key leading to the Third Star Ring was hidden within Azure-Yellow Mountain.
Jiang Ye rapidly approached.
In just over ten seconds, he reached the mountain's vicinity.
At that moment, Jiang Ye's expression shifted, and he glanced in a particular direction.
"What a coincidence," he remarked.
"You're here too." A white-robed girl flew over, stopping a hundred meters away.
Whoosh! A pitch-black long spear materialized in Jiang Ye's hand.
"Want to fight?" he asked calmly, his gaze fixed on the stunningly beautiful girl.
Wang Zilu's delicate features stiffened slightly. "Why do you always want to fight right away?" she retorted, exasperated.
"This is the area for contesting the civilization key," Jiang Ye replied evenly. "Only one of us can claim it."
"If you didn't want to fight, why didn't you leave when you saw me?"
Jiang Ye maintained his steady gaze on the beautiful girl before him.
"Who wants to fight you?" Wang Zilu rolled her eyes. "I'm not after the civilization key."
"Fine," Jiang Ye said, preparing to leave with his spear.
"Wait!" Wang Zilu called out urgently. "What did you mean by what you said last time?"
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Ye frowned slightly, as if annoyed by her persistence.
Wang Zilu gritted her teeth, clearly irritated by his attitude.
But the girl, who bore a striking resemblance to Chen Zilu, said nothing more. She merely furrowed her delicate brows and quickly asked, "You know, when you mentioned something about a 'true form'?"
"You must be mistaken. I never said that," Jiang Ye replied, shaking his head.
"Impossible!" Wang Zilu clenched her small, pale fists. "You did say it."
"Then let me ask again: is this your true form?" Jiang Ye asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Wang Zilu fell silent.
She realized that no matter what Jiang Ye said, he always managed to leave her speechless.
"See? You won't answer when I ask," Jiang Ye chuckled.
"How did you know?" Wang Zilu finally asked, looking up at him earnestly.
"Why do you always answer my questions with more questions?" Jiang Ye frowned.
"This isn't my true form," Wang Zilu said, her eyes still holding a flicker of hope. "Alright, now it's your turn."
"I never said I'd answer," Jiang Ye replied.
Wang Zilu completely lost her composure, standing speechless for a long moment.
Finally, she blurted out, "Can't you be a little more polite?"
"For a foreign race, not drawing my spear is the height of my courtesy," Jiang Ye said coldly, glancing at her before turning to fly toward Azure-Yellow Mountain.
Wang Zilu stood frozen, as if stunned by Jiang Ye's final words.
What she didn't know was that Jiang Ye had always harbored deep animosity toward foreign races.
This wasn't merely a matter of temperament; it was the culmination of his experiences.
The Shadow Clan Civilization, the Fire Ember Civilization, the Black Abyss Civilization—every alien civilization Jiang Ye had encountered had been steeped in malice.
Even their first encounters had devolved into mortal conflicts.
The universe is filled with darkness.
Zhang Jianwu's words now resonated with Jiang Ye more profoundly than ever.
The only reason Jiang Ye hadn't shown Wang Zilu any hostility was because she resembled Blue Star humans and bore an uncanny resemblance to Chen Zilu.
But these similarities only prevented him from drawing his spear—they were far from earning her his goodwill.
(End of the Chapter)
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