Chapter 683 - 676: Appearance
As the start time of the conference drew nearer, the bustling crowds on the streets gradually quieted their discussions. They either found places to sit or open spaces to stand, and everyone looked up at the sky.
They knew that on such an important day, there would definitely be a "live broadcast" from the Celestial Eye.
About ten minutes before the opening, just as expected, a seven-colored aurora, like a rainbow, suddenly shimmered and drifted in the sky. As the aurora expanded, a huge image slowly unfolded, and then, an immersive scene appeared before the crowd.
"Here it is! Here it is!! The sky screen is finally here!!"
"This ’camera’ seems a bit far out, doesn’t it? I can’t really see what’s happening on stage. I can’t see the Martial Artists!"
"Where’s Mr. Zhou? I want to see Mr. Zhou! I heard he’s making an appearance this time and even giving a speech for the conference? That’s so rare!"
"Yeah, Mr. Zhou has appeared in public so few times. He’s been practically invisible lately."
"I heard Mr. Zhou is a cultivation maniac. He pours all his time into his Cultivation, so how would he have time to appear in public?"
"That’s true. Without incomparable suffering, how could one possess such immense power?"
"..."
When the image appeared, countless discussions erupted in an instant.
Countless people were waiting for Zhou Yuanjue to appear. Unfortunately, ever since the battle with the Celestial Demon, he had made almost no public appearances, which made his presence this time particularly noteworthy.
Soon, the conference officially began. All attending representatives entered and took their seats. And in the seats of honor, the audience finally saw the Martial Artists from various nations, led by Zhou Yuanjue.
ROAR!!
The moment Zhou Yuanjue appeared, thunderous cheers erupted across Shangjing Prefecture and all over the world. The fervent atmosphere instantly shattered the silence of the night sky.
"For a guy who’s a completely hands-off boss, you’re still this popular. It’s infuriating."
Ji Yunzhou, sitting next to Zhou Yuanjue, heard the cheers from outside, glanced at him, and grumbled.
"Not happy about it? Want a match after the conference?"
Zhou Yuanjue said to Ji Yunzhou.
"I’d love that."
Hearing this, Ji Yunzhou’s eyes lit up.
"Oh, give it a rest. You should calm down. You’re a King Level, for crying out loud. Isn’t it embarrassing to be lying on the ground waiting for someone to save you?"
Zhang Zhizhen said with exasperation.
After the situation stabilized, they had all sparred with Zhou Yuanjue in private and knew that they were not on the same level at all. But Ji Yunzhou was headstrong and insisted on using his Forbidden Secret Skill, saying he wanted to see just how far he could go.
As a result, Zhou Yuanjue was unharmed, but Ji Yunzhou himself was thrown back by the protective Power of the Sacred Lotus and was nearly on the verge of death. In the end, it was Zhou Yuanjue who used a corresponding technique of the Sacred Lotus Structure to help him recover quickly.
"I don’t care about that. How am I supposed to improve if I don’t fight the strong? Besides, with Zhou around, it’s not like I’ll die. And if I can’t die, then I’ll go all out. If this guy wasn’t hiding all day, I’d go look for him every single day."
Ji Yunzhou said nonchalantly.
"You’re really..."
Zhang Zhizhen shook his head helplessly.
Just as the few of them were chatting, the conference finally reached its starting time.
The Chief Commissioner, as the conference initiator and representative, was the first to take the stage and give a brief opening speech. Afterward, he turned and invited Zhou Yuanjue to the stage.
Zhou Yuanjue, still seated, ended his idle chat, stood up from the conference table, and slowly walked to the front of the stage.
On the sky screen, the focus shifted to Zhou Yuanjue as he walked step-by-step to the front of the stage.
This elicited even more fervent cheers from the people of the world.
After the brief cheers, everyone fell silent. They all wanted to hear what humanity’s number one would say at this critical moment for Earth Civilization.
And at that very moment.
「In outer space, beyond Earth.」
GURGLE GURGLE!!
In the endless void, space suddenly twisted, and a vortex dozens of meters wide, like a black hole, appeared.
A pointed black shell emerged first from the black vortex, followed by the streamlined body of an entire aircraft carrier.
Just like that, such a behemoth abruptly appeared in outer space.
「At that exact moment, in the aerospace agencies of every nation.」
The sudden appearance of this bizarrely-shaped foreign object was immediately detected by the space stations and probe satellites of every nation.
Images were transmitted back to the various national aerospace agencies. The aircraft carrier’s terrifying, semi-biological appearance and its miraculous, sudden arrival instantly put all relevant government departments on high alert.
"An unidentified flying object has appeared in the space beyond Earth!"
"Report to the higher-ups immediately and issue the appropriate warnings! And ask whether we should make contact with the target."
"Quickly, relay the message to the Martial Artists and the high-level officials from all nations currently attending the alliance conference, especially... *him*!!"
"..."
Countless departments sprang into action. Everyone stared at the unknown flying object that had suddenly appeared, their minds tightening as they recalled the Calamity warning that had previously circulated among the higher-ups.
’Could this be the precursor to the Calamity’s arrival?’
「Meanwhile.」
「Inside the aircraft carrier.」
"Mm, so we’ve arrived? A pretty decent Life Planet. This level of vibrant life... it seems the state of its ’True Origin’ is acceptable."
The barbed creature "saw" the entirety of Earth through a neural link, using the aircraft carrier’s detection methods.
"Hm? There are some little bugs around, and they seem a bit restless. Hmm, are they just some kind of outer space probes? The aircraft carrier’s supercomputer analysis indicates their technology and Energy Level content are quite low. They have no offensive capabilities at all. This planet’s level of civilization really is nothing special."
The winged creature nodded and said.
"Let’s have the aircraft carrier’s supercomputer run an Energy Level analysis on the planet’s surface lifeforms first. Let’s see what level the creatures on this planet have reached."
The barbed creature said.
"Alright. Their level of civilization seems low, but it’s still best to be cautious."
The winged creature nodded. A wave of Energy emanated from its body and, through the neural link, seemed to activate some of the aircraft carrier’s abilities.
HUMMM!!
The aircraft carrier’s body vibrated slightly. A peculiar Energy wave suddenly spread out at extreme speed, instantly covering the entire surface of the planet in less than five seconds.
Countless points of corresponding data were instantly scanned as the Energy wave spread and were fed into the aircraft carrier’s supercomputer for immediate analysis.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!!
A burst of static entered their minds, followed by a series of analysis results and statistical data.
"Mm, as expected, there are no creatures that have reached Type One. Hm? But... there’s one being whose life structure perfection is at ninety-nine percent? It’s just one final step away from transformation?"
The winged creature’s voice faltered for a moment.
"Which means it hasn’t transformed yet. What’s so surprising about that? In the end, it’s just a weak, lowly creature. Since that’s the case, we can just go with a more casual method of contact."
The barbed creature said dismissively.