Chapter 634: 632 on standby
Within the arena of Central City, Zheng Wentian waved vigorously toward Yun Chonghe and Ying Hui, "Teacher! Over here."
When he saw the Sword Box on Yun Chonghe's back, he was slightly taken aback, "Principal, what is this?"
"It's nothing. Just watch the match." Yun Chonghe, holding the Sword Box, sat down. Inside the Sword Box lay the Heavenly Sword Elder, who had fallen into a deep sleep.
To delay his own mutation for the last time, he had entered a final slumber.
Once awakened the next time, it was possible for him to enter an irreversible state of complete mutation.
And the decision of when to awaken lay with Yun Chonghe and Ying Hui. They had to choose the critical moment to wake the Heavenly Sword Elder to protect Zhou Bai, to protect humanity.
Thinking about this, Yun Chonghe felt the weight on his heart grow heavy, as pressure bore down on him.
After all, the decision-making concerning the timing was of utmost importance and might even change the future of mankind.
He looked at Ying Hui by his side and saw a similarly solemn expression, faced with tension.
Yun Chonghe thought, 'Old Ying must also feel the tremendous pressure. The timing of awakening the Heavenly Sword Elder, the grasp over the situation, judgment of friend and foe, timing... must not be mistaken, must be clear.'
Ying Hui thought, 'I've hit the jackpot this time... If I settle with the Ice Heart Pills eventually, it could fill up an entire building... I really wish the Heavenly Sword Elder could help me transport them...'
'What am I thinking... Better let Zhou Bai handle it. No one should be trying to rob him right now.'
...
Jue Ji walked towards the players' seating area, his eyes filled with conflict, clearly still unable to make a firm decision after what Yan Zhen had said yesterday.
As he moved through the crowd, a voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Jue Ji, I'm afraid Yan Zhen didn't make himself clear due to his age, let me explain it to you once more."
Jue Ji looked up, scanning in all directions, but couldn't distinguish where the voice was coming from or who was talking to him.
"If you can't kill Zhou Bai today, then Ye Bingqiu will be eaten by a monster."
"If anyone else finds out about this, she will be eaten too."
"Zhou Bai and Ye Bingqiu, only one of them can live."
"Do you understand now?"
Jue Ji clenched his teeth, his body trembling uncontrollably as a violent killing intent was released, causing everyone around him to freeze, enveloped by a primal fear, as if death could come at any moment.
Jue Ji abruptly looked toward the high platform and saw Zi Yang True Monarch smiling at him as if greeting him.
"Heavenly gods..." Jue Ji struggled to suppress the rage in his heart, then a sense of helplessness washed over him.
Even without trying, he knew he stood no chance against a heavenly god.
And it wasn't just one or two—it was a group of heavenly gods' schemes.
At that thought, a sense of despair filled his heart.
...
On the other side of the planet, under a dark night sky.
Breaking through the atmosphere and entering the dark void of space, one could see the densely packed Heavenly Demons assembling, their numbers stretching beyond sight.
They were pitch-black, their surfaces extremely smooth, seemingly merging with the darkness of space, making it hard to discern their exact form.
Yet one could vaguely see huge shadows like continents floating in the darkness.
Xing Jun watched this astonishing scale and felt a genuine sense of alarm at the terrifying military might of the Heavenly Demons.
"While mankind is still fighting among themselves for trivial benefits, the Heavenly Demons have grown their power exponentially over the years."
Xing Jun looked towards the ground, and he could see dots of light twinkling on the earth. Those were the numerous bases the Heavenly Demons had left on the surface, operating at full capacity. At this moment, there was still a constant stream of low-level Heavenly Demons surging into the sky, which from a distance appeared like vast clouds of dust, continuously converging on this side.
"So much activity, could it be a full-scale assault on humanity?" Xing Jun watched the scene and pondered, "Who is the target this time?"
At the same time, streams of information flooded into their bodies through the Heavenly Demon network.
"The first, second, third, fourth... the ninety-seventh army corps have assembled."
"In 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 55 seconds, the operation will commence."
"All units enter standby mode."
...
Zhou Bai stood in the competitors' area, waiting in silence for the match to begin.
Christina said in his sea of consciousness, "Hey, Zhou Bai, look at that kid. He seems a bit off."
Zhou Bai turned his head to look in the direction of Jue Ji. The opponent's complexion was icy, and his eyes seemed to be filled with blood vessels, with a barely concealed murderous intent lurking within.
Zhou Bai slightly narrowed his eyes, "He does seem a bit off."
Just then, two incredibly vast forces descended from the sky, one blue and one purple, their light covering the space between heaven and earth as if the entire sky had become a duality of purple and blue light.
Looking up at the lights in the sky, it seemed as if they were the heavens themselves, they were destiny—intangible, elusive, yet illuminating the world, eternal and unchanging, invoking a profound sense of reverence from deep within countless people's hearts.
At the same time, accompanied by the shine of the blue and purple lights, waves of tremendous power enveloped the whole venue, making everyone feel as though their Primordial Spirits and physical bodies no longer belonged to themselves.
"The Sky Emperor, Supreme Heavenly Venerate, did they really all come?"
Zhou Bai let out a deep breath. If one spoke of the Four Righteous Gods, or even the top-tier Demon Slaying Deities, although they were powerful, they still gave Zhou Bai a tangible sense of strength, as if he could one day catch up to them through the Nine Calamities of Heaven and Man.
However, the feeling given by the Sky Emperor and the Supreme Heavenly Venerate was truly unfathomable, formless, and incorporeal... He couldn't even perceive where their strength lay or what kind of power they were using.
Within the blue light, a voice of overwhelming dignity emerged.
The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present, giving the sensation that their Primordial Spirits were trembling and their hearts were being directly addressed.
"Daluo Heaven's debate on the Dao reconvenes today, and we will finally determine the champion. Everyone has worked hard."
From within the purple light, an ancient voice resonated, sounding as if it had persisted through eternity, as if it came from the distant past, invoking an irresistible sense of the passage of time and the transformation of worlds.
"Today, the one who attains the first position in Daluo Heaven will inherit the Human Emperor Sword, become the Human Emperor of this era, gather the luck of the human race, confront the Heavenly Demons, and revitalize the human race."
Zhou Bai bowed his head, musing internally, 'Can a single word or action really change one's feelings?'
With the words of the Sky Emperor and the Supreme Heavenly Venerate, the final day of the debate in Daluo Heaven slowly unfolded.
Due to the absence of competitors, the other four matches could not proceed, so the final showdown commenced immediately.
Zhou Bai faced Jue Ji.
As the two stepped into the spacetime of Daluo Heaven, countless people held their breath, watching the projected scene with nervous anticipation.
...
In the depths beneath Central City, a Heavenly Demon girl covered in spikes made a gesture, and with the morphing of light and shadow, a map of Central City appeared before her and the Lady of Mystery.
On the map, countless tiny spots were moving around relentlessly, representing the Heavenly Demons that had infiltrated Central City or the humans who had pledged allegiance to the Heavenly Demons.
The Heavenly Demon girl couldn't help but claw at her own body, impatiently gazing at the map and exclaiming, "How much longer! How much longer before I can start killing!"
A male voice from the map announced, "In 58 minutes and 21 seconds, the operation will begin."
The Lady of Mystery, who was watching this, was inwardly shocked, "The Heavenly Demons are planning to attack Central City?" The next moment, she burst into laughter within her heart, "Good, let both sides beat each other to death, and it would be best if Zhou Bai, that scum, were to die too!"
----