Because it was blocked by a swarm of comets, in the eyes of everyone, the Blood Red Star only flashed six times instead of the actual nine.
Even so, it still caused an earth shattering shock.
In the human kingdoms, it was seen as a revelation from Heaven.
In the demon territories, it was seen as the will of the gods and demons.
No one dared to take it lightly. The history of the kings over the past thousands and tens of thousands of years had already proven this.
King Jiang Shang and his wife, the King and Queen of Dongli, had originally been exploring the far western end of the world, searching for the whereabouts of His Majesty the Dragon Emperor.
The far west of the human kingdoms was also a vast uninhabited region, with enormous snow mountains and glaciers stretching for thousands of miles.
King Jiang Shang knelt on the summit of a snow mountain, gazing at the stars in the sky.
His wife, Ji Yingsha, once known as the most beautiful woman in the world, knelt beside him.
After the Blood Red Star flashed six times, King Jiang Shang remained silent.
“Husband!” Ji Yingsha called softly.
Jiang Shang turned to look at her, his expression extremely complicated.
“What is wrong?” Ji Yingsha asked.
King Jiang Shang said, “The Blood Red Star flashed six times. This means that a world war will break out between the demons and humanity. If Sauron had not died, then it would have been the human kingdoms launching an attack on the demons. But now that Sauron is dead, it means the demons will attack the human kingdoms.”
The gunpowder, fire oil bombs, super warships and super cannons created by Lan Ling had all been sealed away by the Divine Dragon Temple. However, this was no secret to Jiang Shang.
“If a war breaks out between humanity and the demons, what should my Dongli Kingdom do?” Jiang Shang said. “From the perspective of humanity, Dongli should fight alongside all the human kingdoms and resist the demons. But if this is a war between the demons and the Divine Dragon Temple…”
Jiang Shang did not finish his sentence.
But his hostility towards the Divine Dragon Temple was already completely undisguised.
His Majesty the Dragon Emperor had been harmed by the Divine Dragon Temple. This had never been a secret to him either. Therefore, he had always held one determination in his heart. If His Majesty the Dragon Emperor was still alive, he would do everything possible to rescue him. If His Majesty the Dragon Emperor was dead, then he would find a way to overthrow the Divine Dragon Temple and free all of humanity.
Therefore, regarding the coming war between humanity and the demons, if the demons intended to destroy human civilisation, Dongli could only fight alongside the human kingdoms.
But if the demons intended to destroy the Divine Dragon Temple, then Dongli would have a different position.
However, in many situations, it would be difficult to distinguish between the two.
“Husband, the Divine Dragon Temple will certainly use this opportunity to infiltrate the Dongli Kingdom and establish a united human front. If Dongli resists, it will certainly be branded as anti human,” Ji Yingsha said. “The Crown Prince will have difficulty judging where to draw the line.”
Jiang Shang said, “Let us return to Li City and prepare for war!”
…
Raging Waves Kingdom, Zhi City, Duke Zhi Ao’s residence.
During the three years after Lan Ling’s death, Ling Ao returned to his ancestral family. The Divine Dragon Temple verified his bloodline and identity, confirming that he was indeed the illegitimate son of the former King Zhi Bian. He therefore changed his name to Zhi Ao.
Because the royal bloodline was weak, Ling Ao, as the Queen’s elder brother, was immediately made a duke.
Afterwards, he married Fang Qingying, the daughter of Hidden Isle.
This represented the continuation of the marriage alliance between the Raging Waves Kingdom and Hidden Isle after Zhi Li.
After the marriage, Zhi Ao was also accepted as the personal disciple of a retired Holy Priest of the Divine Dragon Temple, and his martial arts advanced rapidly.
In the second year, he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Royal Guards.
In the third year, he was appointed Deputy Marshal of the Dragon Guard Army.
Although he was only a deputy marshal, the marshal above him never opposed any of his decisions.
Therefore, in just three years, Zhi Ao had risen from an insignificant nobody to become one of the most powerful figures in the Raging Waves Kingdom.
As for Gui Xingfu, because his daughter had married Lan Ling and he himself had acted as Lan Ling’s follower, he had suffered for three whole years.
Although he had publicly revealed Zhi Ao’s identity as the illegitimate son of the former King Zhi Bian, he still spent the first year in prison.
In the second year, he was finally released and taken to the Duke’s residence by Zhi Ao to recuperate.
During this period, instead of trying to curry favour with Zhi Yan, he went all out to flatter and curry favour with Fu Lingxi.
At this time, Fu Lingxi had already become the Grand Inquisitor of the Zhi City Temple.
He clearly understood that his fate was completely in the hands of the Divine Dragon Temple. As long as the Divine Dragon Temple forgave him, he could still make a comeback.
For hundreds of days, he had flattered her relentlessly.
There was no doubt that Gui Xingfu was extremely skilled at this.
Back then, he had been able to flatter Sauron and turn himself from a mortal enemy into the Regent’s trusted subordinate.
Now, after flattering Fu Lingxi for an entire year, he finally made her delighted, and in turn received forgiveness from the Divine Dragon Temple.
After all, Lan Ling’s so called World Destroying Demon Emperor identity had become nothing more than a joke. He had been dead for three years, and all his influence had disappeared.
Now Gui Xingfu had finally made it through. The Queen’s decree had arrived, and he had been appointed Governor of the Southeastern Province.
Although he was not a member of the Cabinet, he was already extremely satisfied.
“Your Grace, thank you.” Gui Xingfu bowed deeply to Zhi Ao.
Zhi Ao stepped forward and helped him up.
“Father, please do not do this.”
“Never call me your father again. You are a noble member of the royal family, the biological son of the former King,” Gui Xingfu said, bowing even deeper.
Zhi Ao said, “Without Father, I would not have what I have today.”
Gui Xingfu looked at his former adopted son with a complicated expression and sighed inwardly.
According to his original plan, he had intended to push this adopted son onto the throne of the Raging Waves Kingdom.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Human calculations could never overcome the will of Heaven.
“Xiao Ao, has Hidden Isle said anything to you…” Gui Xingfu hesitated for a moment before finally asking.
Ling Ao’s expression became complicated, and he nodded.
Clearly, Hidden Isle had married their daughter to Zhi Ao for another purpose. They intended to continue the path that Zhi Li had taken.
However, this was impossible for now. Zhi Ao was, after all, an illegitimate son, and it had only been a short time since the entire kingdom had accepted him as a member of the royal family.
It would take several years, perhaps even more than a decade, for all the nobles and common people of the Raging Waves Kingdom to completely accept Zhi Ao’s status as a royal noble. Only then might he be able to advance further.
“What are you planning to do?” Gui Xingfu asked.
Zhi Ao smiled.
“Follow my heart.”
Zhi Ao had truly changed. There was no trace of his former arrogance. Instead, he had become extremely calm and peaceful.
He had hidden all his sharp edges so completely that even Gui Xingfu could hardly see through his thoughts.
“Father, you have one task when you go to the Southeastern Province, or rather, your only task is to establish the Southeastern Military Camp and build the Southeastern Defence Line,” Zhi Ao said. “The Blood Red Star flashed six times. This means a world war will break out between the demons and humanity. If Sauron were still alive, it would be humanity attacking the demons. Now that he is dead, it means the demons will attack humanity.”
“Yes!” Gui Xingfu bowed.
Zhi Ao said, “The profits from the Chaotic Rock Salt Field, the profits from the Magic Mirror industry, and the profits from Sauron’s former trading fleet are now all the Queen’s private property. She will allocate this money entirely to the construction of the Southeastern Defence Line. It must be built as strong as possible. Once the demon army attacks the human kingdoms, the most likely route will be through the Savage Wilderness Valley, meaning the Southeastern Province will bear the brunt of the attack. Fortunately, the people of Tianshui City have all been slaughtered, so the former territory of Tianshui City can be rebuilt into a defensive line against the demons.”
“Yes!” Gui Xingfu said.
Zhi Ao said, “There are also the cannons, fire oil and other weapons manufactured by Sauron. Although they have already been sealed away by the Divine Dragon Temple, the Queen and I will apply to the Divine Dragon Temple to lift the restrictions on these weapons of war. After all, we are going to face the powerful demon army.”
“Yes!” Gui Xingfu said.
Zhi Ao said, “When you leave for the Southeastern Province, I will have you take the first batch of gold coins with you, around three hundred thousand. For the next few years, you will have to establish yourself in the Southeast. We may not see each other for several years.”
Gui Xingfu could not help asking, “Is your wife doing well?”
“Qingying? She is doing very well.” Zhi Ao said gently, “She is due to give birth in two months. Unfortunately, you will not be in Zhi City then, otherwise you would become a grandfather.”
“I would not dare. This old servant would not dare to become the little prince’s grandfather!” Gui Xingfu said.
The way he addressed the child as the little prince said everything.
Because if Zhi Yan did not marry, there would be no heir. In that case, Zhi Ao’s son would become the only heir to the throne of the Raging Waves Kingdom.
“Father, take care!” Zhi Ao stepped forward and gently embraced Gui Xingfu.
After letting go, Gui Xingfu bowed, then withdrew from the room.
That very night, he left Zhi City and headed for the Southeastern Province to take office as governor and oversee the construction of the Southeastern Defence Line.
…
Heavenly Temple!
The six flashes of the Blood Red Star had brought an earth shattering shock to the Divine Dragon Temple.
Several Sky Priests could hardly believe their eyes.
There was no reason for this. How could a world war possibly break out?
Who could still launch a world war between humanity and the demons?
How could it flash six times?
The Divine Dragon Temple, the Motuo Empire and the demons all had powerful treaties.
Did the Motuo Empire and the demons not know how powerful the Divine Dragon Temple was?
Would they dare to defy the entire world by attacking the human kingdoms and destroying the existing order of the world?
Afterwards, several Sky Priests sat cross legged on the Moon Viewing Platform, waiting for the message from the moon.
However, no signal came from the moon.
Without an instruction from the moon, it meant that this matter had to be led by the Heavenly Temple, and the coming world war would also be led by the Heavenly Temple.
After several Sky Priests held a closed door meeting, they immediately made their decisions.
- Immediately send envoys to the Motuo Empire to question Emperor Motuo about whether he had any intention of attacking the human kingdoms, and sign a new non aggression treaty.
- Immediately send envoys to the Southern Savage Wilderness to question King Tiansha about whether he had any intention of attacking the human kingdoms, and sign a new non aggression treaty.
- Immediately send envoys to the remaining seven great demon clans to ask whether they had any intention of attacking the human kingdoms, and sign new non aggression treaties.
- Summon all human kingdom rulers to establish a united human front, form a human allied army and defend against a possible demon invasion. Build the Southeastern Defence Line and Southwestern Defence Line of the human kingdoms.
- Lift restrictions on some martial arts and some weapons of war.
- Establish the Divine Dragon Legion to defend against the possible arrival of the demon army.
The Blood Red Star had only just appeared, and the real war might still be decades away.
However, preparations had to begin now.
Otherwise, once the demon army truly arrived, it would be too late.
…
After the Blood Red Star disappeared, Lan Ling, who was on the Sea of Misfortune, still had found nothing.
He could not find the so called ruins of the Demon Capital, nor could he find the so called Heavenly Tomb.
The surface of the sea remained completely empty.
Suddenly…
Lan Ling’s heart gave a violent jolt, and he sensed an extremely dangerous presence.
“Dive into the water immediately!” Lan Ling said.
Then he and Gou Li, along with the three headed Chimera, suddenly plunged into the seawater.
The two humans and three beasts desperately dove towards the seabed.
At this moment, Ji Xiuning had just led the Divine Dragon Temple’s Heavenly Guard Cavalry into the Sea of Misfortune.
Their mounts were incredibly fast. They crossed more than three hundred miles in just fifteen minutes.
Ji Xiuning floated above the sea, smelling the energy lingering in the air.
“Someone was here not long ago. The energy aura is extremely unique and carries the scent of death,” Ji Xiuning said. “It should be the holder of the Eye of the Ghost King. We must find him and completely destroy him, leaving neither body nor soul behind.”
“Yes!” more than a hundred Heavenly Guard Knights shouted and immediately scattered, searching throughout the Sea of Misfortune.
At this moment, Lan Ling was five thousand metres beneath the surface of the Sea of Misfortune.
He and Gou Li, along with the three headed Chimera, desperately suppressed their energy auras, afraid that Ji Xiuning would detect them.
“Master, the energy aura of these people above us is extremely, extremely, extremely powerful!” Gou Li communicated with Lan Ling through their minds.
Exactly how powerful were Ji Xiuning and Zhi Yan?
For Lan Ling, this remained a mystery.
Now that he had entered the demon territories and gained a new understanding of martial arts, it was still a mystery.
Back when they were in the human kingdoms, Zhi Yan could easily kill more than twenty Dragon Warriors.
But without a doubt, that was far from her limit, because she could effortlessly use mental power to immobilise more than ten Dragon Warriors at the same time.
Both Ji Xiuning and Zhi Yan had two different ways of fighting, one against ordinary martial artists and another against super powerful experts.
In short, the Divine Dragon Temple was unimaginably powerful. What Lan Ling had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.
The reaction of the three headed Chimera alone was enough to prove this.
The creature feared nothing, yet when it sensed this terrifying energy aura, it desperately hid itself.
Its entire body was covered in flames, so diving into the water would actually cause it energy damage.
“We found nothing.” The Heavenly Guard Cavalry returned to report.
Ji Xiuning narrowed her eyes and released her powerful mental strength, beginning to observe the surrounding sea.
Immediately, traces of energy appeared within her mental vision.
She could even clearly see the outlines of Lan Ling and Gou Li.
She could also clearly see the trajectory of their dive into the water.
“They are beneath the water!” Ji Xiuning said. “Enter the sea!”
With an order, she led the Heavenly Guard Cavalry into the air.
They flew several thousand metres into the sky, then suddenly plunged downwards.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
One Heavenly Guard Knight after another plunged into the seabed like cannonballs.
Led by Ji Xiuning, a hundred Heavenly Guard Knights rapidly dived into the depths of the sea, surrounding Lan Ling from all directions.
“They are just ahead!” Ji Xiuning said. “Surround them and kill them!”