Chapter 626 - 619: Self-Doubt
At this very moment, in a large conference hall at the Secret Inspection Bureau Headquarters, an unprecedented meeting was being held.
Dozens of figures were seated in the conference hall.
In addition to top experts from the older generation, like the Chief Commissioner, Chen Qingmu, and Lei Yi, there were also the mainstays of the younger generation—individuals who had once been considered Zhou Yuanjue’s peers and were immediately recalled from abroad after the great upheaval began.
Ji Yunzhou, Zhang Zhizhen, Jiang Jiushan, Dong Wanming, Daoist Bailong...
There were also representatives of the younger generation of Spirit Guardians: experts such as Hong Miao of the Xuan Clan, Yu Yajie of the Moon Race, and Ge Honglin of the Qi Clan.
Finally, there were twenty-five newly ascended individuals at the Saint Awakening Level, all gathered together. They had only recently broken through the limits of the human body during the movement initiated by Zhou Yuanjue and were still in Shangjing Prefecture, consolidating their new realm.
In ancient times, a person at the Saint Awakening Level might only appear once every few hundred years, making it rare for them to meet within the same era.
Even just a decade ago, the number of Saint Awakening masters in Donghua could be counted on two hands. Yet now, so many individuals at the Saint Awakening Level were gathered that they could fill a hall.
It was a scene once thought unimaginable.
In addition to those physically present, a massive screen hung at the front of the conference hall, displaying video feeds from other locations.
Beisha, Bosha, Tai Lan, the Silan Countries...
The feeds also showed those who couldn’t attend in person, such as the Four Symbols Form.
All members of the Far East Alliance had joined this meeting of unprecedented scale to discuss strategies for responding to the sudden, drastic change in the global situation.
For such an immense force of over a hundred individuals to gather in one place was nothing short of a miracle.
And it had all started two years ago, with the North-South Martial Dao Summit—and with the meteoric rise of that one man.
A decade ago, this would have been a power terrifying enough to dominate the world. But now, everyone in the conference hall wore only grave expressions.
That man was gone. Even with all this power, they still seemed weak before the terrifying enemies they now faced.
’Even that man—who seemed like a god, who constantly worked miracles, who carried the entire era on his shoulders—had fallen and vanished in the fight against the Celestial Demons. What could the rest of them possibly do?’
It was undeniable that Zhou Yuanjue’s disappearance had dealt a crushing blow to everyone in the Far East Alliance who relied on individual power.
It shook their conviction in just how strong humanity could become and made them doubt whether they could ever defeat the Celestial Demons.
After all, the man who had first proposed this philosophy and had consistently been turning it into reality was gone.
And it was precisely because he had fallen that the Celestial Demons now dared to launch this brazen plan of conquest.
"Let me repeat this one last time: We still cannot confirm Zhou Yuanjue’s true whereabouts. He vanished without a trace. This so-called ’fall’ is very likely a lie fabricated by the Celestial Demons. I’m more inclined to believe he has merely encountered some difficulty and is trapped somewhere. I believe that with his abilities, he will return, sooner or later."
"For now, the task before us is to figure out how to stop the Celestial Demons’ insane plan. Daoist Bailong will start by presenting the current intelligence."
The Chief Commissioner had been the first to break the heavy silence. He had wanted to offer some words of encouragement, but when the moment came, he found he couldn’t bring himself to say them.
Without realizing it, even he had succumbed to a feeling of despair.
After all, he had always seen Zhou Yuanjue as the hope for a new era, and his earnest feelings for the young man surpassed even those he had for his own kin.
"Everyone," Daoist Bailong began, "The intelligence we’ve gathered isn’t exactly optimistic, but it’s not entirely pessimistic either."
"First, our observations indicate that our greatest threat, the Master of Nightmares, has been weakened. He had previously broken free of his Seal and recovered his power to the peak of a Primordial Ancestor, but his Power of Nightmare has since diminished. It appears he suffered a devastating blow not long ago, forcing him into a state of dormancy. As a result, he has not fully participated in the current chaos."
"We can surmise that the Master of Nightmares’s power was severely damaged during his battle with Zhou Yuanjue, and he will be unable to recover in the short term. This is fantastic news for us."
"There’s another thing. Spurred by the actions of the Master of Nightmares and the other Celestial Demons, the Ancestral Power has returned to the Spirit Guardians. This time, it is even more potent than before. It may be able to give rise to more than ten King Level—or even stronger—individuals among the Spirit Guardians in a short period, greatly boosting our strength."
"Combined with the power all of you in the Far East Alliance have gathered, we may just have a fighting chance."
At this, Daoist Bailong paused for a moment, as if to give everyone time to process the information.
Hearing this good news from Daoist Bailong, the grave expressions on the faces of the attendees eased slightly.
In such a chaotic situation, this was indeed a massive boon.
"However, there is bad news."
"After confirmation from the Spirit Guardians and other powers, we’ve determined that the source of the chaotic phenomena occurring around the world is likely not an ordinary Celestial Demon King."
"They are likely Ancestral Incarnations of the Twelve Primordial Ancestors. This was probably a contingency plan left behind by the Celestial Demons before their sealing, one that was activated when the Master of Nightmares escaped."
"These incarnations possess the will, memories, and experience of the Twelve Primordial Ancestors, as well as the essential nature of all their abilities. In a sense, apart from their power level, they are identical to the Primordial Ancestors in every other respect."
"And from what we’ve seen so far, their current power level is likely on par with an Ancient True King. However, because they are Ancestral Incarnations, their true combat strength and the bizarre nature of their abilities far exceed that of an actual Ancient True King."
After the good news, Daoist Bailong delivered another piece of heavy news.
’Ancestral Incarnations... Ancient True Kings...’
Everyone present already had the corresponding data on Ancient True Kings.
They knew these were beings far stronger than an ordinary King Level. Even the Ancient Heroes had been unable to kill them completely, which was why they had to be sealed away alongside the Primordial Ancestors. Although also considered King Level, they were vastly more powerful than their ordinary counterparts.
The difference was akin to that between a Celestial Phenomenon and a Saint Awakening Level expert.
And the true combat prowess of an Ancestral Incarnation was even greater than that of an Ancient True King.
’What kind of terrifying power was this?’
"What we know so far is that their goal in appearing on every continent is to break their own Seals and reclaim the terrifying power they once wielded. This is something we absolutely cannot allow. The Master of Nightmares is dormant, but if the other Primordial Ancestors are restored to their complete forms... it will be an apocalyptic disaster for humanity!"
"However, it is not easy for them to attack a Sealing Realm Image guarded by a King Level Spirit Guardian using only their own individual strength. Therefore, the chaos they are now sowing across the world is a means for them to absorb essential power that is compatible with their own."
"Our goal cannot be to merely defend our territory. More importantly, we must stop their power from expanding!" Daoist Bailong said gravely.
However, when the people present heard this, they fell silent.
’Could they really do it?’