Chapter 716: Yan Ruoyi’s Return, A One-Star Godslayer (III)

"No one is allowed near the rift! It’s dangerous!"

Military personnel intercepted the crowd from a safe distance of over ten kilometers, preventing anyone from getting too close.

"Relax, man. We won’t cause trouble. We just want to watch."

"Yeah, just watching."

Yet, even as they said this, the group sprinted at full speed toward the higher slopes hundreds of meters away, trying to secure a better vantage point. Some among them were even cultivators.

Soon, many had positioned themselves atop the hills, obtaining clear views of the rift on the distant plains. Phones were whipped out, live streams went online, and cameras snapped away as photos flooded social media.

Some even deployed drones, elevating them hundreds of meters into the sky to capture long-distance footage from various angles.

In this increasingly digital age, views meant money.

Of course, the authorities had anticipated this. To prevent mass hysteria caused by the lockdown, Tiannan City’s official TV station had already dispatched reporters to capture exclusive, up-close footage.

A female reporter stood before the camera, speaking excitedly, "Hello everyone, this is Miqi, reporting live from the southeastern outskirts of Tiannan City. As you can see behind me, a massive spatial rift has appeared.

"This gigantic passage connects to the mythical world and is extremely dangerous. At any moment, powerful and ferocious colossal beasts may emerge—just like fifty years ago.

"For the sake of public safety, the authorities have begun evacuating nearby residents and have sealed off all roads. Please remain calm and do not attempt to breach the security perimeter.

"No matter what emerges from the mythical world—be it a colossal beast or an unknown invasive species—our forces have absolute power to suppress any threat."

As the reporter continued speaking, military convoys rolled in. Soon, the commander of Tiannan Military Base, Li Qingtian, stepped forward.

Standing atop a hundred-meter-high hill, Li Qingtian gazed grimly at the massive rift ahead, then turned to his adjutant[1]. "Have we informed the higher-ups?"

"Yes, sir. Ms. Yan will also be arriving soon."

Li Qingtian’s expression darkened. "This rift’s energy fluctuations have already reached level 11. Once it stabilizes, it will be large enough for mythical-level entities to pass through. Ms. Yan alone won’t be enough to hold it off."

The adjutant nodded. "I understand. We’ve reported the situation in full. The Federation's monitoring center has already dispatched the nearest king-level powerhouses. They should be arriving shortly."

"That’s good." Li Qingtian nodded.

Just then, a brilliant silver light streaked across the sky. A moment later, Yan Ruoyi, her silver hair cascading like snow, descended gracefully from the heavens, clad in a dazzling silver armored gown.

The television cameras, distant drones, and countless independent journalists instinctively zoomed in on her arrival. In an instant, an uproar erupted.

"It’s Yan Ruoyi! She’s alive!"

"

Waaahhh!

My Ruoyi is still here! I thought she was dead after disappearing for months!"

"Same here! Even after that whole one-month online prayer campaign, she never showed up. I thought for sure she was gone!"

Across Tiannan City, thousands of people watching the live broadcast exploded in excitement. As an international superstar, Yan Ruoyi had an insane fan base in East Xia, especially after her worldwide tour. She was a role model for countless young fans.

Now, to see her return after being presumed dead for months, the impact was immeasurable.

"Wait a second... why is her hair white?"

"What do you mean white? That’s silver! She looks even more beautiful now—elegant, noble, and absolutely stunning!"

"Are you guys missing the real point here!? Didn’t you notice she just flew in!? Eighth Heavenly Realm cultivators can only hover in the air. Only Ninth Realm cultivators can fly!"

"

Gasp!

No way... Does that mean Yan Ruoyi is actually a cultivator? And not just any cultivator—a Ninth Realm powerhouse!?"

As countless ordinary people reeled in shock at Yan Ruoyi’s sudden appearance, and the revelation of her cultivation, Yan Ruoyi herself stood solemnly, her gaze fixed on the massive rift before her.

"General Li, the spatial fluctuations of this rift have already exceeded level 10. Have the higher-ups sent for a king-level powerhouse?"

Li Qingtian’s adjutant responded politely. "Ms. Yan, I just received a reply from the command center. None of the kings from the various nations are available to respond at the moment, but the Divine Might King is already on the way."

This time, five king-level powerhouses had been dispatched. Combined with the four who were already stationed on the Blue Planet, there were a total of nine kings.

However, three of them had to remain stationed at the World Passages of the Three Great Kingdoms and couldn’t be deployed easily. That left only six kings to be assigned across the world. Upon learning that Chen Chu was already nearby, the command center immediately notified him.

"The Divine Might King?" The name made Yan Ruoyi pause. She had never heard of this title within the Federation. During her recent period of seclusion, she had been fully focused on cultivating true martial arts and recondensing her transcendent true form.

Due to fusing a complete dragon-based law with her soul essence, her soul had undergone a divine transformation, making her half a king. Her cultivation had advanced in one step to the peak of the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

However, as a normal person without a proper foundation, she still needed to cultivate a compatible dragon-attribute true martial art, refine her will, and fully master her newfound strength. Thus, she had no knowledge of recent developments in the outside world.

Sensing Yan Ruoyi’s confusion, Li Qingtian smiled. "The Divine Might King is a newly ascended king-level powerhouse of the Federation. And, in fact, he’s a close friend of yours."

"A close friend...?" Yan Ruoyi stiffened. Then, realization dawned on her face, her expression shifting to pure shock. "General Li, don’t tell me... the Divine Might King is Chen Chu!?"

A newly ascended king in the past three months, who also happened to be a close friend of hers... The first name that came to Yan Ruoyi’s mind was Chen Chu.

Although she was acquainted with many high-level powerhouses, the only ones she considered true friends were Chen Chu and Li Daoyi. However, she had immediately ruled out Li Daoyi. While he was an Innate Awakener, the only person capable of such an astonishing feat was Chen Chu.

To most people, breaking through from the Seventh Heavenly Realm to the mythical level in just three months sounded like pure fantasy. For Yan Ruoyi, however, it was something she blindly believed Chen Chu was capable of.

After all, how many people could reach the Sixth Heavenly Realm within half a semester, create their own top-level secret scripture in just a month, and then use it to break through to the Seventh Realm?

Beyond that, Chen Chu’s combat strength had been outright monstrous. While still in the late stage of the Sixth Realm, he had single-handedly slain two cult god avatars, wielding power equivalent to that of the Eighth Realm.

Li Qingtian nodded. "Ms. Yan, as expected, you are quick-witted. You guessed correctly right away.

"Yes, the Divine Might King is indeed Chen Chu. Just a few days ago, he ascended to the king level at the Thirtieth Legion’s base, becoming the fastest person in human history to ever break through.

"Then, without hesitation, he immediately stormed into the Alliance of Gods and single-handedly crushed the Demon Cult Alliance—wiping out five demon-king-level beings from the Shadow, Eternal, and Demon God Cults.

"The sheer genius of the Divine Might King, his unparalleled combat power, is something unprecedented and likely never to be repeated. He is someone that we can only look up to."

Even Li Qingtian couldn’t help but marvel. Who would have thought that just three months ago, this newly ascended king had only just broken into the Seventh Heavenly Realm right at his own military base? For peerless beings like him, no cultivator could feel jealousy or envy—only respect and awe.

Every cultivator understood how incredibly difficult the path of cultivation was. To reach the king level in such a short time, Chen Chu must have endured countless deathly battles, pushing beyond his limits again and again.

Only by carving his way through endless adversity could he have ascended to the mythical level in such a short time.

As the rift in Tiannan City continued to expand, similar black rifts began to appear worldwide. Due to spatial fluctuations, these rifts were quickly detected and marked as high-risk locations.

However, monitoring over the ocean for rifts proved to be far more challenging. Because seawater interfered with detection, deep-sea rifts remained undiscovered.

Through these underwater spatial rifts, vast amounts of pure, concentrated energy surged into the ocean. Instantly, countless mutated sea creatures went into a frenzy, swarming toward the rifts.

During recent operations conducted by the Dragon Palace, nearly all high-level mutated sea creatures and colossal beasts had been eradicated, leading to a massive power vacuum.

Yet now, in the depths of the ocean, hundreds of kilometers from the Dragon Palace’s base camp, near the World of Water and Fire, a massive black rift silently tore open thousands of meters below the surface.

As the rift expanded to over a kilometer wide, a dark red mist began to rapidly seep through and spread.

Every mutated creature that came into contact with the mist froze for a moment. Their eyes turned blood-red, their bodies swelled grotesquely, and their flesh twisted, sprouting jagged bone spikes from their bodies.

Beyond the rift, in the unknown world on the other side, a pair of terrifying eyes gazed through, watching intently.

1. The adjutant is a position within the military, a staff officer who assists the commanding officer in issuing orders. ☜