Free Web NovelChapter 525: Chapter 518: A Conspiracy in the Dark
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!! The commotion from the fight seems to have died down! If we’re late, we won’t be able to collect any data."
"What was the outcome of the battle? We have to find out, and fast!"
"..."
The intelligence agencies and major media outlets of every nation, their drones having been collectively destroyed by the clash between Zhou Yuanjue and Beichuan Xuanxin, were now in a mad rush, launching backup drones to the scene with all possible speed.
In livestreams spanning the globe, every eye was glued to the screen, following the cameras of the helicopters that were rushing to the site, eager for a glimpse of the battlefield.
That terrifying explosion, that horrifying power...
What was the final outcome of this duel?
Everyone was desperate to see the outcome.
As the backup drones neared the battlefield, the situation on the ground became increasingly clear.
The vast clouds of smoke and dust kicked up by the explosive clash were gradually dissipating.
In Donghua, the Chief Commissioner and Chen Qingmu stared intently at the screen.
’Beichuan Xuanxin... Facing a being who once dominated an era, what result could Zhou Yuanjue possibly achieve?’
The Tianhe Country Martial Arts Realm.
Everyone held their breath in rapt attention.
’The great Sword Saint won, didn’t he? He must have. As the strongest being in the history of the Tianhe Country Martial Arts Realm, no one in this world could be his match... right?’
The upper echelons of nations worldwide.
’The former number one of the Far East versus the genius of today. What would be the outcome?’
The next moment, the smoke finally cleared enough for all the drones rushing toward the battlefield to capture the same scene.
Amidst the yellow sands, a tall figure stood with his head bowed, gazing down at a motionless body on the ground.
Although the standing man’s Martial Arts Uniform was in tatters, his exposed body remained completely unscarred.
It was Zhou Yuanjue!!
The observers from Donghua erupted in cheers while viewers around the world cried out in astonishment. The Chief Commissioner and Chen Qingmu exchanged a glance, unable to help but let out a sigh of relief.
But in Tianhe Country...
"Impossible!! I must have seen it wrong!! How could that legend fall at his opponent’s feet just like that!!"
"It must be staged! This is a conspiracy by Donghua Country! The legend died long ago, and this is just an actor Donghua hired to crush our national confidence!"
"It’s fake. It has to be fake. To see the greatest in all of Tianhe in such a sorry state."
"..."
For the Tianhe Country Martial Arts Realm, the impact of this image was undoubtedly like the sky falling.
Beichuan Xuanxin represented far too much to the Tianhe Country Martial Arts Realm.
His fall was like the shattering of a faith.
"Quick! Confirm Beichuan Xuanxin’s status! Is he dead or alive?"
"Life sign detectors have been activated. No signs of life are being detected from Beichuan Xuanxin."
"No obvious fatal external wounds were found, but based on the data from the life sign detectors, the target is most likely deceased."
"..."
Piece by piece, intelligence reports were transmitted back to the world’s leaders. They watched their screens as Zhou Yuanjue slowly turned, sat back down on a sand dune, and bathed in the sunlight. On his exposed skin, the Jade Radiance shone with even greater intensity and brilliance. All the leaders fell silent.
Those horrifying attacks and that terrifying collision were more than enough to prove that Beichuan Xuanxin was a fearsome opponent. But now, that opponent had fallen, and Zhou Yuanjue still seemed to be largely unharmed.
’This man... Just where are his limits?!!’
Zhou Yuanjue sat atop the sand dune, his eyes slightly closed. He ignored the drones re-gathering in the sky and the countless gazes cast upon him from thousands of miles away. Instead, he focused his mind on recovering his depleted willpower’s magnetic field while simultaneously recalling the details of the battle.
’The special technique of "Slaying the Self"... This could be my opportunity to reconstruct my body.’
’And with the Three Rivers Return Path, that special magnetic field that can pull a soul from its body... If I can master the connection between myself and it, perhaps I can repeatedly "dance on the edge" of the Ghost Gate. That would allow my consciousness to separate from my body, letting me oversee the reconstruction process from a third-person perspective...’
WHIRRR!!
Just as Zhou Yuanjue was lost in thought, the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air echoed from a distance. A helicopter touched down several kilometers away.
A middle-aged man wearing the Robes of Beichuan Destruction stepped out of the helicopter, his expression sorrowful as he gazed in the direction of Zhou Yuanjue and Beichuan Xuanxin’s body.
"Wait for me here."
Beichuan Zhenwu said to his followers. With a light push of his foot, he took off, running toward the battlefield at an extreme speed.
His body trembled uncontrollably as sweat poured from his pores.
Even from a thousand meters away, he could clearly feel a monstrous, oppressive pressure.
’So this was the opponent the Ancestor faced?’
When he was nearly five hundred meters from the battlefield, he clearly saw the figure seated on the sand dune suddenly open his eyes and look at him.
WHOOSH!!
Beichuan Zhenwu fell hard to his knees, which sank deep into the sand.
’Damn it...’
’Just from a single glance...’
’Is this a warning? Will he kill me if I get any closer?’
’Damn it, this was probably a foolish thing to do. I’m... I’m like a mortal trying to approach a Divine Spirit!!’
’But no matter what, I have to retrieve the Ancestor’s body. We’ve done too many things wrong. At the very least, I can’t let his body be left exposed to the elements...’
Panting, Beichuan Zhenwu gritted his teeth and got back to his feet. He met Zhou Yuanjue’s gaze and slowly, step by step, continued his approach.
Finally, as he neared Beichuan Xuanxin’s body, the figure on the dune closed his eyes again, and all the oppressive pressure vanished without a trace.
It was as if he had been acknowledged by the Divine Beings.
Beichuan Zhenwu gave Zhou Yuanjue a complicated look, bowed deeply, and then picked up Beichuan Xuanxin’s body, preparing to leave.
"Don’t let what happened before happen again."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a voice entered his mind.
His body shuddered. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I will."
As he watched Beichuan Zhenwu’s figure rapidly disappear, a strange sensation suddenly washed over Zhou Yuanjue.
It was... an intense feeling of crisis.
...
...
「Baiyi Organization Headquarters—In the lavish room of its leader, Bai Jiu.」
A massive, futuristic projection screen displayed the scene from the battlefield. Zhou Yuanjue’s image was reflected in Bai Jiu’s pupils, causing his eyes to narrow slightly.
"Is my ’gift’ ready?"
"It’s time to deliver it to our guest."
Bai Jiu asked the core member of the organization waiting at his side.
