Chapter 971 - Fateful War of Two Civilizations
“I am only going to meet Uncle Zhang. It’s not like I’m going to scale a mountain of swords and plunge into a sea of flames.” Wang Zhong was very calm and stood up with a smile. “I’m setting off.”
When he met Uncle Zhang again, Uncle Zhang was no longer a hollow image. He had just rushed over from the Holy City. There was still a smile on his face, and there seemed to be no change in his aura or appearance, which was still as subtle and perfect as before. He seemed like an ordinary person. However, the worry all over his face caused him to be less unrestrained and leisurely as when they had been fishing by the lake together.
“I saw the request for transfer that you submitted.” Uncle Zhang smiled and said, “Is your girlfriend doing fine?”
“Her injuries have stabilized, but she is no longer fit for cultivation.” Wang Zhong smiled. “Uncle Zhang, let’s not go in circles. I just want to accompany Scarlet and go back to Earth. What do I need to do for the higher-ups to be willing to let me go?”
Uncle Zhang had probably never expected Wang Zhong to be this direct. He could not even use the list of excuses he had prepared. He opened his mouth slightly and then laughed out loud. “Ha ha, you are still as straightforward as before.”“Okay, let me say this. There is an important mission that you need to complete in order to end this Holy Battle.”
Wang Zhong was rather surprised. Even though many people were confused about the mysterious ceasefire from both the humans and the Octopus people, to the vast majority, this was just a rest period for both sides. They had never thought that the Holy Battle would actually end. “What kind of mission?”
“I cannot explain it to you in detail now.” Uncle Zhang sighed silently. It was not that he did not want to explain: he simply could not. After all, the information he possessed and the evaluation from the Patriarch Society was very sudden and in defiance of the natural order. Wang Zhong was one of those suspected to have “wings”. Furthermore, the suspicions against him were the greatest.
“I can only tell you that everyone who was sacrificed in the Holy Battle, no matter whether they are human or Mizobudapi, had all been sacrificed to obtain this opportunity… This mission is very important to both the Mizobudapi and us humans. It even concerns the life and death of our civilization.” He looked at Wang Zhong’s eyes and calmly explained. “Thus, if you believe me, listen to my arrangements. I will ensure that as long as you return alive, the Patriarch Society will not give you any difficulties. Then, you can accompany Scarlet and return to Earth to live the life you want.”
“Will it be very dangerous?” Wang Zhong smiled.
Dangerous? Of course, it would be dangerous. No matter whether Wang Zhong was the person who had been chosen by the wings, it would still be dangerous.
Uncle Zhang did not directly answer him. He simply said, “If you are sacrificed, I will definitely take care of all your relatives and friends, no matter whether they are in the Holy City or on Earth. If you are able to return alive, you will definitely understand the entire situation to resolve the doubt in your heart.”
“I don’t quite understand.” Wang Zhong smiled and said, “But it looks like I have no choice?”
Uncle Zhang smiled and nodded. He did not need to go in circles when speaking with a smart person. To be honest, even if they did not have this relationship, he would still like this 20-year-old very much. He had a young face, but he had a mature aura and outlook.
“When do I start?” Wang Zhong was not conflicted.
“Tomorrow morning, I will come here and bring you where you are supposed to go.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow morning.” Wang Zhong simply nodded his head. It was not that he did not want to ask more questions, but he understood Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang would not talk about things he did not plan to talk about.
“Also, Uncle Zhang, you owe me an explanation.” Wang Zhong smiled. “I will definitely return alive and hear the explanation from you.”
He did not say much to Scarlet and the rest as he did not want to worry them. An issue that made Uncle Zhang so serious would definitely not be easy to resolve. However, he had no leeway to run away.
This was a mysterious mission at an unknown place.
The natural and calm attitude that Wang Zhong displayed was not because he had blind faith in his strength, nor was it because of Uncle Zhang’s trust. It was because he had a calm moral mind.
It was part of Wang Zhong’s nature to pursue his path. He desired risks and was not a law-abiding person by nature. The month that he had spent living a peaceful and happy life with Scarlet, Lan Daier, and the rest had not changed this. Instead, he had an even stronger desire. This kind of expectation and life was a part of his moral mind. Cultivation was definitely not just to increase his power. The key to constantly pursuing a higher realm was their way of thinking. An advanced version of this could be called the moral mind.
In order to understand what one wanted, what one had to do, what one should do, and how one should face it, one would not be able to resolve these questions just with strength alone. Sometimes, taking a step back might allow you to see the boundless sea and sky.
Although his sword was sheathed, this did not mean that it was not sharp. It simply meant that the sheath had concealed its light. As long as you regularly wiped away the dust that had accumulated, the sword would be able to show off its true abilities the moment it was unsheathed!
The airship crossed the skies and traveled across a distance of several thousand kilometers. It landed at a place that Wang Zhong had never expected it to land.
Pilroni Mountain!
When the airship flew into the territory of the Octopus people, Wang Zhong did not feel very surprised. Rumors that there was an agreement between the higher-ups of the humans and the Octopus people had spread everywhere on Skylink. There were similar discussions everywhere in the base as well. Thus, this did not surprise him.
But Pilroni Mountain? Wang Zhong had come here before and climbed up the road to heaven towards the phoenix remains. There was nothing else that was special about this area. What kind of mission would be carried out here?
When he was on the airship, he could see that there were hundreds of Octopus people gathered at the foot of the mountain. They were all Saint-leveled experts. The aura that was released when hundreds of Saint-leveled experts gathered together was extremely frightening. The soldiers who were in charge of flying the airship tried their best not to look at them, but it could be seen that they could not help but tremble in fear. If Sacred Teacher Uncle Zhang had not been beside them, these ordinary Heroic Soul soldiers would have turned weak from the aura on the ground.
The airship slowly landed, and the hundreds of Saint-leveled Octopus people all looked up. There was resentment in their eyes. Perhaps their relatives and friends had died in this battle, but a majority of the Saint-leveled Octopus people maintained peaceful and calm expressions. It was as if the humans were not their enemies. Of course, the humans were still not considered their friends.
“Hello, Your Excellency Zhang Lei.” A Warlock Saint dressed in golden robes with phoenix patterns printed on it welcomed them. “Your Excellency Ceremonial God has been looking forward to meeting you.”
Uncle Zhang nodded his head. The Warlock Saint respectfully said, “Please follow me.”
Hundreds of Saint-leveled Octopus people immediately opened up a path for them and saluted to these two humans with their eyes. They controlled their emotions very well. The higher leveled the civilization was, the more they would view problems in a direct manner. The easiest way to win their respect was with strength.
Wang Zhong followed behind Uncle Zhang and could see the red token-like object in the Warlock Saint’s hand. As they walked up the mountain, the token released a gentle aura. Not only did it cause the sea of fire on Pilroni Mountain to split easily, even the massive pressure that Wang Zhong had once felt from the white jade steps had become much gentler. The steps did not feel weaker just because he had grown stronger. With Wang Zhong’s sharp senses, he could easily make this distinction.
However, Uncle Zhang did not seem to sense anything. Wang Zhong felt as if this was not Uncle Zhang’s first time visiting this place. Uncle Zhang’s realm was not something he could guess. He could predict any levels below the Great Teacher level. Simply speaking, even if one had never eaten pork before, one would have seen a pig running around. However, what happened after one conquered the major Heavenly Calamity was extremely mysterious. There was no inheritance to obtain or guide to follow. It was not much different from being blind. Thus, there were Heavenly Souls on Earth, but no one there had conquered the major Heavenly Calamity!
The three of them easily reached the mountain peak. Unlike the previous time, Wang Zhong did not need to use his blood to do random tests. The Warlock Saint activated the token, and in a short span of two to three seconds, a pillar of light descended.
“Please go ahead.” The Warlock Saint did not follow them. He did not seem to have the right to enter. He simply bowed respectfully to them.
This was a familiar path and a familiar place. However, five extremely powerful beings were gathered at the massive pillars to heaven that Simba had once described as the teeth of the phoenix.
Wang Zhong was very familiar with one of them as he had often seen him on Skylink. He was Sacred Teacher Timo, who was the commander of the south battlefield. However, this time, he did not appear as a dimensional energy body. He seemed like a middle-aged man who had shown great improvements. Meanwhile, the other four figures were all Octopus people. They either wore robes or carried divine swords with them. All of their auras were powerful enough to compare with Uncle Zhang. In particular, one of the Octopus people who was dressed in robes and had antennae that almost reached the ground had a particularly powerful aura. Even though he was standing among these powerful God-leveled experts, he was like a crane among a flock of chickens. People immediately noticed him.
These people were very familiar with one another. At that moment, the most powerful Octopus person smiled and nodded at Uncle Zhang as a greeting. Then, he looked at Wang Zhong. It was as if the light that shot out of his eyes could see through Wang Zhong’s internal organs. Then, his gaze stopped at the Nebula Sword that Wang Zhong was carrying.
It was the treasure of the Octopus people’s Sword Faction. Wang Zhong saw that his gaze had stopped and thought that he would ask Wang Zhong about the sword. However, he did not expect that he would only look at the sword for a few seconds, as if he did not care much about it. The powerful Octopus person only calmly said, “You may enter once you are ready. The mission is very simple. Only one person can survive.”
Then, he waved his hand, and the transmission array that Wang Zhong had used before appeared on the ground. He took a quick glance and recognized that this transmission array was connected to the head area. It was where the Octopus people offered sacrifices.
This situation was shrouded in mystery. Had they struggled for so long just for this? Wang Zhong smiled and did not show any hesitation. What was supposed to arrive would eventually arrive. He would understand once he entered.
He took a step forward. The transmission array dazzled, and Wang Zhong instantly disappeared from where he had been standing.
When Wang Zhong disappeared, the Octopus person standing beside Dhomiguer snorted coldly. There was obvious dissatisfaction in Uncle Zhang’s eyes. “The testing venue is a place that the Mizobudapi civilization spent hundreds of years building. The sacrificial war had also occurred in the Mizobudapi World. How many homes of the Mizobudapi have been destroyed? Furthermore, you said that the humans would sacrifice 200,000 people, but your own humans destroyed the sacrificial trap. Moreover, you killed 13 of my Saint-leveled experts!”
The Octopus person’s aura was not weaker than Uncle Zhang’s. In fact, he even seemed to have a stronger aura. The divine sword on his back seemed extremely similar to the Nebula Sword. He was the Suzerain of the Sword Faction, Dhomuta, who had conquered the Heavenly Calamity.
During the sacrificial war, the Sword Faction had been the backbone of the Octopus army, but they had suffered severe losses. Not only had they lost a large number of their disciples, his most beloved disciple, Heinrich, had also died in the hands of that young human. Furthermore, they had lost the treasure of the Sword Faction! Moreover, the young human had obtained the inheritance of the sword… Frankly speaking, Dhomuta was rather unhappy. Although he had to take the entire situation into consideration and could not retaliate, he would not hold back with his words.
Although his aura was powerful, Uncle Zhang simply replied to him calmly. “Don’t talk about these useless things. Our objectives are very clear. With the current situation, you have four people, and you have the advantage. Being long-winded is simply a display of weakness.”
Sword Faction Suzerain Dhomuta’s expression changed slightly. He was about to speak but heard Ceremonial God Dhomiguer laughing beside him, interrupting their debate.
“That’s enough, Dhomuta. Since the Angel of Misfortune has appeared, no matter whether the situation proceeds as planned, our objective will be fulfilled. We don’t have to talk about the past. Now, to us, passing the test is the only thing that we should care about.”
Before Dhomuta could reply, he stretched out his hand and flicked the transmission array lightly. It was as if he had activated an exquisite rune. The entire transmission array dazzled, and a three-dimensional projection of a field appeared in front of everyone.
There were mountains, water, forests, and trees in the field, but it was not very vast. It was only six or seven square kilometers. It took the shape of a giant bird and quietly hovered in the void.
This was a fragment world that had been refined. However, it was quite different from an ordinary fragment world. This world had been refined from the skull bones of the phoenix!
Even though it was just a projection, no matter whether it was Dhomiguer, the God-leveled Octopus people experts, Uncle Zhang, or Sacred Teacher Timo, they could sense the vastness of the small space just by looking at it. This vastness did not refer to its surface area. It referred to its depth and level.
“The material density of this boundary is just too low. It is simply impossible to refine a testing space that meets standards even if we gather the minerals that have accumulated for hundreds of years in the Mizobudapi World!” There were pride and gratification in the eyes of the Ceremonial God, Dhomiguer. “Only the skeleton left behind by the Phoenix God could meet the material standards. Furthermore, the gains we have obtained from the many external wars the Mizobudapi World has started, the wealth that we have accumulated for almost a thousand years, and the refinement done by the emperor himself allowed us to complete this incomparable piece a few hundred years ago! It is enough for a level-5 civilization to conduct a test. However, it is a pity that only a level-4 test has been issued…”
That was right. No matter whether it was Wang Zhong, Simba, or Tatamu, they had all guessed wrongly. The sacrificial altar that the Octopus people claimed to use for sacrifice was not actually a sacrificial altar. Hundreds of years ago, its only use had been determined. It was a testing space that had only been used twice!
“Long live the emperor!” When they heard their emperor’s name, several God-leveled Octopus people had tears in their eyes as they prayed in a low voice.
This was simply a testing space that was six or seven square kilometers large, but they had exhausted so much effort for this. It was said that there were some foreign territories that were built by civilizations, but those territories were many times larger and more powerful than this space. Thus, humans could not help but pursue this strength.
Uncle Zhang and Sacred Teacher Timo were emotional. In the past, the humans also had an expert that surpassed the level of the human civilization. If the humans had his guidance over the past several hundred years, they would not have stopped at this level. They might even have been able to create a similar space.
Everyone was sentimental as they saw six figures appear at the same time in different places on the projection.
…
Once again, he experienced the wormhole transmission, where his body was split up and reassembled. However, it was unlike the intense pain he had felt during the transmission as a Heroic Soul. When he reached the Heavenly Soul Stage and experienced the scorching Heavenly Soul, his body was no longer an ordinary body. His functions had become more natural and perfect. To a Heavenly Soul expert, they would be able to resist the pain from this kind of wormhole transmission. They would even feel as if they had undergone a full-body massage. After being split up and reassembled, they would be surprised that they felt so relaxed.
His body was shrouded in a pillar of light. Countless fragments of his body were reassembled, and he regained his vision. In front of him was a space that was not very large.
The space only seemed to be six or seven square kilometers in area, and he could even see the end of the space. The geography of this place was not much different from the usual as there were mountains, water, forests, and trees. However, upon closer inspection, one would realize that there was something about the spiritual influence in the air. Even ordinary people would be able to see with the naked eye the existence of this thick spiritual influence. Many colorful layers of spiritual influence were accumulated in the air.
Before Wang Zhong could take a closer look, his body had been fully reassembled. The pillar of light that engulfed his body dispersed, and he felt a powerful gravity from the ground. It was as if an extremely strong giant was violently pulling him downward!
Wang Zhong’s reactions were extremely fast. After all, he had already advanced to the Heavenly Soul Stage. He immediately controlled the spiritual influence in the heaven and the earth and wanted to pull his body to hover in midair. However, he actually failed at this task that was typically as easy as eating and drinking. It was not like there was no spiritual influence in the heaven and the earth that could be used. Instead, it was the complete opposite. Not only was there spiritual influence, it was also abundant. However, the thick spiritual influence was “stubborn” and heavy. Wang Zhong was caught unprepared and could not activate the spiritual influence. His body started to fall rapidly.