Chapter 935: All Present, Before the Final Battle (I)

Eight thousand kilometers from the Thirty-First Legion stronghold of the Human Federation’s Expansion Division, on the edge of a forbidden zone where white lightning surged ceaselessly, a colossal red battleship hovered high in the sky.

At nearly fifteen kilometers long, it far surpassed the size of standard orbital battleships. On the deck of the vast floating island of a vessel, many human cultivators stood gazing curiously into the distance.

Among them were several familiar to Chen Chu. Ji Wuji, who had advanced to the middle stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm; Bardas, the beast king of North Lin, now at the beginning stage of the Ninth Realm; and Lin Mei, a past third-year student who had already graduated. There were also Zhang Tianlong, Fu Jiangtao, and other geniuses from the southern battlefield who had once entered the Void Continent and gained some harvests there.

Half a year had passed. Most of them had broken through to the Seventh Realm. A few had reached the late stage, making them standouts among the rising talents of the human race. Included among them were geniuses from other empires who had also ventured into the Void Continent.

Aside from these graduates, Xia Youhui and the Lin Sisters, Lin Xue and Lin Yu, were also among the crowd. Over the past two months, the three of them had made rapid progress thanks to the inheritances gained in the ruin. With additional resources provided by Chen Chu, they had each advanced to the beginning stage of the Seventh Realm.

This cultivation speed placed them within the top hundred of the entire Federation's younger generation, even when including Innate Awakeners. Chen Chu, Luo Fei, and An Fuqing, being special cases, were not counted in that ranking.

At the edge of the battleship’s deck, Xia Youhui crouched down out of boredom. "Why hasn’t that alien envoy arrived yet? Weren’t they expected today? If I’d known it would be this boring, I wouldn’t have come."

Wearing red battle armor with her long red hair tied behind her head, Lin Xue leaned against the railing and coolly replied, "Stop complaining. You’re only here because I went out of my way to get someone to pull strings for you. This alien reception is being led by Heavenly King Zhenwu and the Primordial King. Just think how grand the occasion is. Most people will never witness something like this in their lives. When you get back, you can boast to Liu Feng and the others that you were part of the youth delegation greeting an alien envoy. Besides, the mythical world is filled with danger. A delay of a day or two is nothing unusual."

The Human Federation had attached great importance to the Heavenly Feathered Race’s arrival of the remnants of the Heavenly Feathered Race. While they were only the remaining remnants of the population, they were bringing with them three divine kings, more than ten chief gods, and over forty mythical-level beings. In terms of advanced combat power alone, they were on par with the current human race.

This wasn’t even mentioning their nearly five million troops at the Fifth Heavenly Realm or higher, which was more than the Federation's own high-level cultivators. Only by factoring in technological superiority could the two sides be considered equal.

This was why the Primordial King and Zhenwu had come in person to welcome them. First Councilor Qian Tian and the Celestial King had remained behind to guard the Sky Battlefield and couldn’t leave.

To show sincerity, as well as to build a presentable group, the Primordial King had summoned elite cultivators and young geniuses from nearby divisions. Among them were the now-mature Bardas and others. Xia Youhui, having entered the division later, had almost missed the opportunity.

While Xia Youhui and the others waited in boredom, the Primordial King and Heavenly King Zhenwu stood silently above the battleship in a dimensional rift.

The Primordial King, who looked like a small old man, gravely said, "The Alliance of Gods has responded. Their troop realignment will still take a few more days. To keep the Heavenly Feathered Race's arrival a secret, we may need to have them wait here for several days. I'm not sure if that will cause resentment on their end. They've come from afar, bringing all that remains of their strength to form an alliance. And now they are being kept at a distance..."

Zhenwu, with a black stele in his hand, shook his head. "I don’t think so. I’ve dealt with many of their divine kings and chief gods. None of them are narrow-minded. For them, if there’s a chance to destroy two Purgatory Empires in a single strike, waiting a few days or even a few years means nothing."

The Primordial King nodded slowly. "That would be best."

A brief silence fell between them. Suddenly, a gleam flashed in the Primordial King’s eyes. The entire surrounding space trembled faintly, and a smile appeared on the Primordial King’s weathered face. "I’ve completed taking control over the laws of this realm. From now on, if any being steps into this area, I’ll sense it immediately."

"You’ve worked hard," said Zhenwu with a smile.

There had always been traitors within the human ranks. To prevent leaks, news of the Heavenly Feathered Race’s arrival had to be sealed before the war began. Using this area as the center, a range of several thousand kilometers had been blocked off by Zhenwu's and the Primordial King's principles.

Even those with clairvoyance, or abilities to peer into other worlds and conduct specialized divinations, would n’t be able to detect anything. That included hidden traitors.

Those aboard the battleship had all been personally reviewed by Zhenwu and the Primordial King. Their identities, backgrounds, and recent activities had been thoroughly investigated. Most of them came from three generations of reliable lineage, with no signs of disloyalty.

Even so, for the next few days, no one on this battleship would be allowed to leave. Not until the great war began.

On the top deck of the central bridge, Ji Wuji stood tall and broad-shouldered, still dressed in his signature white robes. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down from above. The long black hair he had deliberately kept flowing whipped in the wind, making him appear effortlessly suave.

Xia Youhui wandered over out of boredom and looked up, shouting, "Hey, Old Ji, stop pretending to be cool. Come down and chat!"

Though Xia Youhui was two realms weaker in cultivation, they had gotten familiar during their time stationed at the passage's base, and he had become used to Ji Wuji’s habit of posturing.

Up on the bridge, Ji Wuji's mouth twitched slightly. "Pretending? I’m clearly surveying the forbidden zone and keeping watch for the envoy’s arrival."

Roar!

White radiance flared from Ji Wuji’s body as he transformed into a white divine dragon over two hundred meters long. From the bridge’s top, nearly a thousand meters high, he swooped down in a grand descent.

Those who knew him couldn’t help shaking their heads. This guy couldn’t even come down the stairs without putting on a show. However, just as Ji Wuji landed, the distant forbidden zone suddenly trembled. Countless white bolts of lightning surged violently in one direction.

Boom!

Amid a dazzling explosion of lightning, the colossal phantom of a Black Tortoise descended, blotting out the sky and suppressing all under heaven. Beneath the heavy, earthen-yellow glow that radiated from it, the lightning scattered, forming a stabilized region spanning several hundred kilometers. Behind it, a massive black rift tens of thousands of meters long opened up.

From that pitch-black rift emerged a towering orbital battleship, followed by a second, then a third...

"They’re back!"

"The expeditionary force has returned!"

"Look, that’s the Heavenly Feathered Race’s main fleet. There are so many of them!"