Chapter 321 - 183: Illusion God Skill, Full-Scale Invasion
Ling Feng’s name was well-known, not just within the Xinhuo University system but among the entire new generation of Gods and Demons along humanity’s defensive line. He was an idol to many in their youth, so they had naturally heard of him.
For the already elite Changning defense force, seeing this legendary genius join their team in person was undoubtedly the icing on the cake.
Ling Feng nodded to the crowd, composing his complex thoughts.
"You’re too kind. Defending the pass is our duty. I look forward to working with all of you."
A breeze swept across the landing pad, where the two geniuses stood side by side.
A new Chapter was about to unfold at the Changning City Stargate fortress. Awaiting them was the great responsibility of holding the defensive line, the covetous watch of the Demon Realm, and the silent competition between geniuses.
...
「More than two months passed in a flash.」
Galactic Calendar, Year 235, December 28th.
[Name: Li Wen]
[Age: 28]
[Realm: Late-stage Great Sun Realm (Level 59.3)]
[Class: Scholar lv15 (16580→65180/1638400)]
[Skill: Blade Arts · Dao Realm (25%)]
[Cultivation Technique: Shocking God Stab · 7th Layer (100%)]
It was Li Wen’s twenty-eighth birthday on Blue Star.
As on many days past, he didn’t make a fuss about it.
The sky was just beginning to lighten when he left the quiet courtyard within the city walls. His figure melted into the chilly, early-winter morning mist of Changning City as he began his routine patrol.
However, given his current status and prestige in Changning City, the occasion’s influence spread silently even though he hadn’t told anyone it was his birthday.
His father and mother, living in a safe house in the core district, had been bothered since early morning by an endless stream of people coming to offer gifts and congratulations, much to their annoyance.
And this was only a small fraction of the people in Changning City who had the standing, and knew their address, to come and express their goodwill.
Of course, these people weren’t deliberately trying to curry favor; most were motivated by genuine gratitude.
The gifts they brought weren’t particularly valuable; in their eyes, it was the thought that counted.
And in Li Wen’s eyes, there was truly nothing that could be considered a "valuable gift" anymore.
Therefore, when his parents called to ask if they should accept the gifts, Li Wen simply replied calmly,
"Go ahead and accept them. They’re just tokens of goodwill from neighbors and comrades-in-arms. It’s fine."
His tone was calm.
He knew full well that with his current power—his physical body and Primordial Spirit both having crossed the threshold to the Marquis Level—there was virtually no family or individual in all of Changning City, or even the entire Jiangnan Province, capable of offering something that could be construed as a bribe.
The most powerful God and Demon family in Changning City was only helmed by someone in the Great Sun Realm, and in the entire Jiangnan Province, even the most revered family, that of Marquis Jiangling, couldn’t produce a treasure that would tempt Li Wen.
After all, Marquis Jiangling himself was just a standard Marquis Level God and Demon.
These simple gifts carried affection, not self-interest.
...
Li Wen’s figure moved silently between the high-rises and streets of Changning City, his powerful Perception Power spreading like an invisible net, meticulously sweeping over every corner of the city and confirming its tranquility.
Meanwhile, several miles outside the towering walls of Changning City, a few figures in ferocious, snake-shaped masks slowly emerged from the shadow of a barren hill.
Their eyes, piercing the thin morning mist, were fixed on the massive steel fortress in the distance.
"Ever since Li Wen took over Changning City, our moles have been almost completely rooted out. Vice-Leader Viperfang’s failed operation and subsequent death were also supposedly due to bad intel."
One of them spoke in a hushed voice, his tone tinged with a fear he couldn’t shake.
"That’s right," the person next to him chimed in. "Right now, the entire city is like an iron fortress to us, even harder to infiltrate than the provincial capital of Jiangnan."
"What kind of methods does this Li Wen use to root out our people so precisely and efficiently? It’s simply unbelievable."
A third person let out a short, helpless sigh.
"Sigh... The trickiest problem now is how we can even sneak in safely. I’m terrified just getting close."
"The higher-ups’ orders this time are strange, too. We’re to find out Li Wen’s detailed current status at all costs, down to his exact level and Cultivation Technique progress... It’s like they’re preparing for something big," the first speaker said with confusion.
"I’ve heard whispers," the second person said, his voice dropping even lower. "Supposedly, a formidable Great Demon King from the Demon Race personally requested it and issued an absolute order. It seems to have something to do with an important descendant of his who died at Li Wen’s hands."
"Hmph. If I’d known we’d end up slaving away for the Demon Race, back then I..." The third person trailed off, realizing what he was saying, and cut himself short.
"That’s enough," the first speaker cut in. "There’s no point in saying that now."
"Let’s focus on the problem at hand: how do we get someone into the city without alerting Li Wen? We can’t afford to face Great Demon King Fu Yan’s wrath. We’re running out of time."
The group fell silent again, their figures seeming to melt into the shadows. All that remained was the eerie glow from the snake eyes on their cold masks, which were fixed on the distant, impregnable silhouette of the city.
The air was thick with an invisible tension and anxiety.
...
By the time Li Wen finished his routine patrol of the entire Changning City, the morning sun had fully risen, coating the cold city in a layer of warm gold.
He did not return to the underground command center located beneath the Stargate fortress. Instead, with a subtle flicker of movement, he crossed the vast distance in an instant, appearing directly before the safe house in the city’s core district where his parents resided.