Translator: CinderTL
"A junior?"
Alliance Leader Qi Tian paused, but quickly dismissed the topic.
He turned to Chen Jiuxuan and asked slowly, "Old Chen, how is your health?"
Qi Tian was far more concerned about Chen Jiuxuan's condition than the "junior" he had mentioned.
He knew Chen Jiuxuan's time was drawing near.
But exactly how much time did the man have left? Only Chen Jiuxuan himself knew.
"Alliance Leader, please rest assured," Chen Jiuxuan replied softly. "I can still hold on for the rest of this year."
"This year?" Qi Tian sighed.
This meant Chen Jiuxuan could fall at any moment within the next year.
The death of a demigod would have a catastrophic impact on Blue Star.
Including the transcendent families, Blue Star's demigod population numbered fewer than ten.
These demigods were the last line of defense against the ultimate shadow calamity that loomed on the horizon.
Losing even one could drastically worsen the situation.
Suddenly, Qi Tian asked gravely, "Old Chen, do you plan to enter the Shadow Clan Nest?"
He realized that Chen Jiuxuan, knowing his end was near, had entrusted a junior to him. The unspoken implication was clear.
This was a deathbed entrustment.
"That was my original plan," Chen Jiuxuan said with a smile. "But since the alliance leader needs time, I'll wait a while longer."
Qi Tian frowned slightly.
After a long silence, Qi Tian sighed. "Old Chen, you don't have to do this. You've already done more than enough for Blue Star. If you stay, your physical body can still be preserved."
The so-called "great limit" referred to the dissipation of the divine soul.
However, demigod-level experts had repeatedly shattered life's shackles, making their physical bodies as solid as gold and extremely resistant to decay.
According to records from some first-tier civilizations, the physical bodies of demigod-level experts could remain intact for thousands of years after death.
But if Chen Jiuxuan chose to enter the Shadow Clan Nest?
He would face endless hordes of Shadow Clan warriors, including formidable demigod-level enemies, inevitably leading to his complete annihilationโbody and soul.
"What use is a preserved body once the divine soul is gone?" Chen Jiuxuan asked. "Just for future generations to gawk at?"
He shook his head. "If we can destroy a Shadow Clan Nest, Blue Star will have ten years of peace."
"Even killing a few Shadow Clan demigods would at least make them think twice."
"Ten years of peace for Blue Star, all for the price of one man's life." Chen Jiuxuan chuckled. "Isn't that a worthwhile bargain?"
"Of course."
"I'm not leaving immediately," Chen Jiuxuan said. "I'll wait until the alliance leader achieves his breakthrough before departing with peace of mind."
Since the outbreak of the Shadow Calamity, a delicate balance of power had formed between the Shadow Clan's demigods and Blue Star's demigods.
Neither side had yet made a decisive move.
Breaking this equilibrium would inevitably trigger a 7.9-magnitude Shadow Calamity, or even the ultimate shadow calamity, a catastrophic scenario for Blue Star.
Thus, to this day, most Blue Star demigods remained stationed on the planet, refraining from direct combat.
However, the recent losses of numerous Blue Star geniuses on the battlefield posed a significant threat to the civilization strife crossing scheduled for several years from now.
This was why Chen Jiuxuan had volunteered for this mission.
"It shouldn't be you," Qi Tian sighed softly, knowing Chen Jiuxuan had already sacrificed enough for Blue Star.
"No one is better suited for this than I am," Chen Jiuxuan chuckled.
Qi Tian fell silent.
Indeed, all the other demigods were younger than Chen Jiuxuan.
The Zhou Family demigod, for instance, still had at least fifty years to live.
After a long pause, Qi Tian asked, "Who was that junior you mentioned earlier?"
"Jiang Ye," Chen Jiuxuan replied. "He's from White Dragon University."
"Jiang Ye?" Qi Tian's expression flickered with surprise.
He had heard that name before.
When Jiang Ye first entered the Star Realm Sea, Principal Qian Feng of Heaven's Gate University had mentioned him to Qi Tian.
Qi Tian remembered that Jiang Ye was the second person on Blue Star to possess an invincible dao bone.
"Alliance Leader, please see," Chen Jiuxuan said with a wave of his hand.
Whoosh! A massive amount of light converged, forming a projection.
The projection displayed Jiang Ye's personal information.
"It's indeed him," Qi Tian nodded slightly.
He recalled that while Jiang Ye was the second to possess an invincible dao bone, his performance had surpassed even Chen Zilu's.
"Jiang Ye originally had a Primitive aptitude," Chen Jiuxuan explained.
"Yet his combat prowess has reached the level of an invincible dao bone," Qi Tian nodded slightly. "He's truly a remarkable talent."
"But surely he doesn't warrant the level of importance you're suggesting?" Qi Tian asked, looking at Chen Jiuxuan with skepticism.
Chen Jiuxuan had just claimed that protecting Jiang Ye meant securing the future of Blue Star.
If Jiang Ye had a Transcendent Aptitude, such a claim might be reasonable.
But a Primitive aptitude? That seemed like a gross exaggeration.
"What if he were to clear the ninety-ninth level of the Hundred Cosmic Refinements?" Chen Jiuxuan asked.
"What?" Qi Tian's expression shifted.
"Not long ago, he attended my longevity banquet at the Chen Clan," Chen Jiuxuan said. "I had him try the hundred cosmic refinements."
"The result? The boy triggered nightmare difficulty."
"And he reached the ninety-ninth level," Chen Jiuxuan marveled. "After emerging, he leaped from the late stage of the fourth breakthrough to the fifth breakthrough. This young man's monstrous talent is unparalleled in history."
Quickly, Chen Jiuxuan detailed the entire hundred cosmic refinements incident.
"The ninety-ninth level? On nightmare difficulty?" Qi Tian's expression finally shifted, his shock palpable.
He fully grasped the weight of those words.
Though Qi Tian had never participated in the Chen Clan's hundred cosmic refinements, he knew that even Chen Jiuxuan himself had only cleared thirty levels on nightmare difficulty in his prime.
Ninety-nine levels? Unimaginable.
Moreover!
"Jiang Ye has already reached the fifth breakthrough?" Qi Tian exclaimed in astonishment.
He remembered clearly:
Just six months ago, when he first learned of Jiang Ye, the young man was only at the third breakthrough.
To advance from the third breakthrough to the fifth in just half a year? Such rapid progress was simply terrifying.
Suddenly.
"Alliance Leader," Chen Jiuxuan suddenly said, "do you know what Jiang Ye encountered on the ninety-ninth trial?"
"What did he encounter?" Qi Tian asked curiously, unaware of the specific trials.
"Jiang Ye faced seventy fifth breakthrough experts."
"And all of them possessed invincible dao bones," Chen Jiuxuan marveled. "At the time, he was only at the late stage of the fourth breakthrough."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Qi Tian stood motionless, as if deep in thought.
After a long pause, he exclaimed, "No wonder!"
"Old Chen, you came all this way just for him," Qi Tian marveled. "Even Chen Zilu never mentioned Jiang Ye. If he continues to grow at this rate, he might surpass demigod status and even reach divinity in the future."
As for his Primitive talent?
Reaching the fourth breakthrough with Primitive talent was already a miracle; achieving the fifth breakthrough was a miracle beyond miracles.
Now, who could possibly predict Jiang Ye's true potential?
Even Qi Tian couldn't.
"Very well."
"I'll assign someone to protect him secretly," Qi Tian declared immediately. "I'll also keep a close eye on him myself."
"Thank you, Alliance Leader," Chen Jiuxuan finally smiled.
Protecting Jiang Ye wasn't just about safeguarding Blue Star's future.
It was also about securing the Chen Clan's future.
After a moment, Chen Jiuxuan turned and departed.
Qi Tian stood in place, pondering for a moment, before retrieving a jade token and crushing it on the spot.
(End of the Chapter)
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