Chapter 364.2: War Begins?
Just then, a strange sound rang out.
The terrifying demon above the clouds bellowed, "Blood washes over Arch Star, heaven and earth dance together. War shall begin in a hundred days"
The other demons broke into frenzied roars.
"War!"
The pro-war faction on Brilliant Star joined in, howling and cheering fanatically.
"War!"
"War!"
"War!"
The voices rose like a tide and swept through the city.
The princess saw flashes of broken ships and scorched earth, the ground stained red with blood. Upon hearing the news, the intelligence agents hidden on Brilliant Star felt as though the sky had fallen. Arch Star was done for!
***
Soon, the news reached Arch Star. The Seven Martial Stars and the royal family grew anxious. Though Brilliant Star had once backed Ancient Wu, that support had been limited. Now, with actual war on the horizon, how could Arch Star hold its position?
Moreover, there were also rumors that the incomprehensibly powerful Myriad Demon World backed Brilliant Star. Not even Three World cultivators could withstand such a force!
***
In the great hall, the king sat at the head chair. The patriarchs of the Seven Martial Stars gathered around him. The last time all seven had convened like this was to deal with Qi Yuan. The seventh prince had ascended the throne since then. Nearly a hundred years had passed, yet he still appeared tall and robust.
The king said solemnly, "Brilliant Star has sent word that they are declaring war in a hundred days. Not only is their strength greater than ours, but they're also backed by the mysterious Myriad Demon World. This war will be brutal."
A sturdy, middle-aged patriarch shot back fiercely, "Hmph. Our Eyes of the Sky aren't just for decoration. If they dare come, we'll make sure none of them go back!"
Clearly, the Eyes of the Sky had given him considerable confidence.
"We must fight! What is there to debate?"
"Right, war is unavoidable. We have to get ready and prepare the entire nation!"
"Qin Yuan today is not the Qin Yuan of the past!"
Faced with the threat from Brilliant Star, the Seven Martial Stars had chosen to stand firm. As formidable as they were, surely the Myriad Demon World wasn't much stronger than the Three Worlds? On the other hand, they had over a hundred Eyes of the Sky, more than enough to defend themselves.
The king said, "We still have to report this matter to that lord."
A moment of silence fell over the hall. They all knew who exactly that meant. The most immovable rock on Arch Star, the sword hanging over all their heads.
***
By the time Qin Yuan declared a state of war, Qi Yuan had entered the outpost and was at the Black Sea. After all, the sea was the only route from the outpost to the Origin Land. All the ships bound for the Origin Land had split into twelve routes in the Black Sea.
Qi Yuan’s route just so happened to not have many people. There were just over a hundred Martial Lords. He stretched out in a deck chair in a perfectly relaxed manner.
Mu Yan walked over with a smile. "Brother Qi, life seems pretty comfortable for you."
Qi Yuan said lightly, "Not really. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit melancholic."
He had a vague premonition that this game was nearing its end. The Great Calamity awaited him. Once that was resolved, he would have to head to the upper world to meet Jin Li and find his master.
Melancholy was the only word that could describe how he felt. Once he left the game, there'd be no more civil affairs bureau. Even if he met Jin Li and his master, there'd be no way to register a marriage.
Mu Yan's words carried a faint, lonely note. "To be honest, I also feel a bit reluctant to leave the Death Qi World and head to the Origin Land."
From the moment they entered the Death Qi World, they were swamped with missions day and night. They fought hard to survive. Entering the Origin Land meant closing that. Once Qi Yuan became a Martial Lord, he would transform from a pawn into a player.
Qi Yuan glanced at Mu Yan and asked idly, "Where are your followers?"
Mu Yan once had a group of ancient martial artists at the peak of the Martial King realm following him.
A flicker of pain crossed Mu Yan's face. "They didn't make it. That's on me."
Before this official trip, there had been many previous exploratory sailings to chart the route. During one of those explorations, a number of new martial artists became stranded at a particular location. It was such an extraordinarily strange place. The Martial Kings had their cultivation suppressed until they were no stronger than Martial Spirits.
Dozens of Martial Kings had been trapped there. Only after someone discovered that the veteran martial artists suffered only slight backlash in that zone was a rescue force assembled to enter it. Even so, they suffered severe casualties.
Qi Yuan's expression turned indescribable. "Sounds a bit like summoning the steam-engine ancestor when a high-speed rail gets stuck."
The woman with a second monkey head walked over, saying softly, "Brother Qi, Brother Mu Yan is short on hands right now. Why don't you follow him? Once he breaks through to the Martial Lord Realm, the two of you can scratch each other's backs."
Martial Lords generally fell into two categories. The first were those with a Martial Lord Seal.
Once they passed the Origin Land's trials, they would receive the Ancestral Blood and step into the Martial Lord realm. The second were those like Qi Yuan, who were peak Martial Kings with no Martial Lord Seal. No matter how strong they were, their prospects simply couldn't match the former.
Qi Yuan smiled. "No thanks, I'm used to being on my own."
Mu Yan seemed a bit dejected. "Brother Qi, if you help me, I'll do everything in my power to help you reach the Martial Lord realm!"
Those entering the Origin Land would undergo a hundred-day Ancestral Blood Battle, with Martial Lords serving as examiners. Outstanding performers would be granted more Ancestral Blood. Different quantities of Ancestral Blood corresponded to different levels of potential.
Qi Yuan listened lazily. "I want to become a Spirit Martial God. Can you make that happen?"
Mu Yan blinked. "I've never heard of that, so I can't guarantee I can help you achieve it."
He was a man of his word.
Qi Yuan still had no leads on the Spirit Martial God. Even Thunder and the others in the Origin Land had found no information at all. It was like a riddle with no answer.
The young woman stared pitifully at Qi Yuan. She was about to say something when Mu Yan dismissed her.
As the two stepped down into the ship's hold, the young woman couldn't help but say, "You have no idea what's good for you, Qi Yuan! Someone of Brother Mu Yan’s talent will definitely become a Great Martial Lord someday. If you miss this chance, you'll never get to see him again."
Mu Yan's talent was good. He ranked among the top three Martial Lords aboard this ship and the top thirty among all those heading to the Origin Land.
Mu Yan said, "People have their own paths. Don't force it. We've been through so many Mountain-Sea Scrolls and so much life and death. By now, we should know better than to cling to things."
The young woman finally dropped the subject, asking humbly, "Brother Mu Yan, I heard that one of the examiners is your ancestor. Do you think you might be able to put in a good word for me?"
This time, the Ancestral Blood Battle would have thirty-six examiners, including three chief examiners. Mu Yan's Bloodline Ancestor, a Great Martial Lord, was one of them. With an examiner's favor, even below-average performers could be marked as outstanding.
Mu Yan declined, "I cannot promise that. Everything depends on your own performance."
He had little interest in getting further entangled with her.
***
Back on deck, Qi Yuan's gaze drifted between the sky above and the Black Sea below as streams of information flowed through his mind.
"This place is interesting. There are traces of time everywhere. It feels like this ship is sailing backward through a time river, moving from the present to the ancient past. It would be perfect for Canary."
Canary's Divine Domain was entwined with time itself. If he could bring her here to perceive the flow of time, she could advance rapidly in strength.