Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

The sound traveled through the tender leaves of the Jianmu tree and entered Chu Zhou's consciousness.

Between the Black City and the Guardian Star, lie numerous shattered worlds.

But the man seemed to be able to sense Chu Zhou's presence.

He reached out and pressed down on the city wall.

An ancient human totem lit up on the armor: "How many men are left in the Ninth Border Guard?"

Chu Zhou did not hide anything: "One hundred and nine complete remnant souls."

The man on the city wall fell silent.

The lights still burn in the black city.

But no one came out of the city gate.

After a long silence, the man spoke again: "Tell Ning Yue that Chenxing City still exists."

"We can wait a little longer."

Chu Zhou's divine sense swept across the black city.

The space there is enclosed.

Beneath the city walls, a great deal of life still lies dormant.

Since the other party did not immediately request help, it means that there is no danger in the short term.

The remnant star guarding the boundary has just stabilized.

The ancestral realm also needs time to digest the legacy left behind by the 40,000 guardian soldiers.

Chu Zhou did not venture further into the ancient road.

A lotus root fell onto a tender leaf of the Jianmu tree, leaving behind the coordinates of the ancestral boundary.

"Once I have dealt with the matters of the Ancestral Realm, I will send Ning Yue there personally."

The man gazed at the Ninth Guardian Army flag, which had been raised again: "Alright, I'll wait for him in Chenxing City."

The tender leaves of the Jianmu tree closed up, and the black city receded from Chu Zhou's consciousness, bringing this matter to a temporary end.

Chu Zhou handed over the location of Chenxing City to Ning Yue.

One hundred and eight remnant souls of the border guards took turns monitoring the ancient road.

When Ning Yue learned that Chenxing City still existed, his soul fire trembled violently, but he did not go there immediately.

The remnant star guarding the boundary had just been fixed by the roots of the Azure Lotus, and there was still a large amount of pollution from the Hunting Court in the ancient road that had not been cleared away.

Leaving now might actually bring danger to Chenxing City, so Ning Yue replanted the broken flag at the highest point of Liexing Star.

"Once the remnants of the Guardian Star stabilize, I will personally go to pick them up."

Chu Zhou withdrew his divine sense.

Attention has returned to the ancestral realm.

The Kunlun Heavenly Gate has opened.

More than 40,000 ancient border guards' remains returned to the ancestral realm.

Such a huge commotion could not be kept secret from the outside world.

Satellites from various countries have captured images of the anomaly in the direction of Kunlun.

The star-patterned armor of the First Guardian Legion also recorded the entire process of Ning Yue leading the border guards onto the Kunlun Ice Plains.

Less than half an hour.

The footage then spread across the global internet.

At the beginning of the video.

Kunlun Tianmen stands in the center of the ice field.

An ancient general, clad in tattered armor and carrying a broken military flag, emerged from behind the door.

Behind him.

These are the remains of more than 40,000 border guards, now reduced to skeletons.

At the end of the video, the remnants of souls transformed into pale soul flames and ascended into the ancestral realm sky.

The video title consists of only one sentence.

They guarded the ancestral realm for ten thousand years.

The global internet fell silent for a brief moment.

Subsequently, the number of comments began to increase dramatically.

"Humans have indeed ventured out into the stars before."

"They waited 100,000 years for the ancestral realm to reopen."

"If it weren't for Qinglian, would they have never returned?"

"The First Guardian Legion only has three thousand men. Next time the Hunting Court comes, will they have to keep these remnant souls guarding the gates?"

The Dragon Kingdom did not block the news.

Instead, Elder Ye ordered that the complete video recording of Kunlun Tianmen be made public to the world.

That evening.

All cities in the Dragon Kingdom will turn off their landscape lights for three minutes.

The Northern Bear Kingdom, the Europa League, and the cities of Tokyo Bay also joined in succession.

The cities went dark.

Only on the Monument to the War of Ten Thousand Spirits, more than forty thousand names still shine in the darkness.

A soldier who lost both legs in the battle to defend the ancestral realm sits in a sanatorium.

After watching the Kunlun video, he submitted a second application to the First Legion, the gatekeepers.

He was rejected on his first application because of his physical disability.

This application contained only one sentence.

"Even if the ancient border guards were reduced to bones, they could return."

"I still have two hands."

"He can also handle a gun."

Similar applications are emerging in countries around the world.

Through the Myriad Spirits Battle Merit Monument, Chu Zhou sensed the countless human wills that were gathering.

When Xuanweizi broke through to the King Realm, humanity only knew that the Ancestral Realm had its first Human King.

After the 40,000 border guards returned.

They only truly realized it then.

Protecting the ancestral realm should not be just a matter for Chu Zhou and a few powerful individuals.

……

White Eagle Country.

Underground strategic command center.

The image of Kunlun Tianmen was projected onto the central screen.

On the left side of the screen is the Wanling War Merit Monument.

On the right side of the screen are detailed information about the First Guardian Legion and the Lunar Defense Line.

The president of the White Eagle Kingdom sat at the very front of the conference table.

The military, the biological research department, and the Awakened Association were all present.

A military general pointed to three documents.

"Kunlun Tianmen is located within the territory of the Dragon Kingdom."

"The Monument to the Ten Thousand Spirits' Battle Achievements is located at Black Dragon Lake."

"Three thousand guardian warriors are also preparing to enter the first legion of the gatekeepers, which is mainly composed of people from the Dragon Kingdom."

"If the Dragon Kingdom were to control all three thousand battle spirits and the ancient military formation, the balance of power within the Ancestral Realm would be completely altered."

The head of the biological research department said, "The problem is not just about ancient heritage."

"The evolution of the flame, the star-patterned armor, the Azure Lotus Purification Array, and the Jianmu Root Network are all inseparable from the Azure Lotus."

"The evolutionary path of all humankind is now converging in the hands of a single life form."

"This is not a safe structure for any civilization."

Beside the conference table.

Harrison remained silent.

He is currently the strongest Awakened One in the White Eagle Kingdom.

Peak of the eighth rank.

He was just one step away from reaching the King Realm.

A general looked at him: "If we clash with the Dragon Kingdom over the inheritance, can you stop Xuanweizi?"

Harrison stared at the sword mark that stretched across the starry sky on the screen.

"cannot."

"What about Qinglian?"

"Absolutely not."

The meeting room fell silent.

Harrison was not embarrassed by either of the answers.

"The Ancestral Realm has just buried the Seventh Hunting Court Fleet."

"Competing with the Dragon Kingdom for Kunlun Tianmen now is no different from shooting at each other with a gun in the trenches."

"Ancient traditions can be discussed, but the ancestral boundary defense line must not be compromised."

After much deliberation, the president finally made a decision: "Propose to the Dragon Kingdom to convene a joint defense conference of the ancestral realm, and demand that the ancient heritage be opened to all participating nations."

"At the same time, we will continue to advance our own evolutionary research. We are grateful to the Azure Lotus for saving our ancestral world, but a civilization cannot place all its hopes on a single lotus."

End of the meeting.

Harrison did not return to the Awakened Society.

He had someone retrieve the battlefield records from the final stage of the Ancestral Realm Defense War.

At that time, Elder Ye requested that the strongest legion of the White Eagle Kingdom support the moon.

He refused the request in order to protect his country's city.

Now I see that record again.

Harrison remained silent for a long time.

Finally, write your name on the Gatekeeper Legion application form.

……

Northern Bear Country.

After Kunlun's video was released.

The military of the Northern Bear Kingdom did not discuss the distribution of succession beforehand.

They immediately compiled a list of participants in the battle to defend the ancestral realm.

Lunar defense, city defense, fleet repair, and casualty rescue.

The battle achievements of all participants were recalculated.

A tall, imposing commander of the Northern Bear Kingdom placed the list on the table.

"It doesn't matter who inherits the legacy."

"The important thing is that when the Hunting Court descends next time, we can't let Qinglian and the Dragon Kingdom people be at the forefront again."

The Northern Bear Kingdom quickly submitted a cooperation proposal to the Dragon Kingdom.

They are willing to provide the materials needed for three large energy bases.

And open the northern mining area.

in exchange.

Three hundred awakened individuals from the Northern Bear Kingdom entered the lunar base to receive training from the Gatekeeper Legion.

The cooperation proposal was issued on the same day.

Three hundred awakened individuals then gathered at the northern airport.

No one asked how much of the ancient heritage they would receive.

They carried only weapons and basic equipment, waiting to go to the moon.

……

Europa League.

Representatives from various countries debated endlessly about the ancient heritage.

Some believe that the border guards belong to all of humanity.

The three thousand guardian warriors should be distributed according to the population of each country.

Some also believe that the Dragon Kingdom bore the brunt of the pressure in the battle to defend the ancestral realm.

Equal distribution is the real injustice.

Cassian sat in the corner of the conference room.

After listening for half an hour, I finally stood up.

"You may continue your discussion."

One of the delegates asked, "Where are you planning to go?"

"Black Dragon Lake".

"The alliance has not yet determined the terms of the negotiations."

Cassian stopped in his tracks.

"The border guards died in the starry sky for 100,000 years."

"Yet you're here discussing which country a remnant soul should be assigned to."

"If the Monument of Ten Thousand Spirits' War Merit recognizes me, I will naturally receive its inheritance."

"If it doesn't recognize it, no matter how many meetings you hold, it won't make a difference."

Cassian left the meeting room.

They boarded a warship that day and headed to the Dragon Kingdom.

The debate over the Europa League has thus come to a temporary end.

Countries decided to participate in the lunar conference first.

Further arrangements will be determined later.

……

The land of cherry blossoms.

Tokyo Bay has not yet been rebuilt.

Traces of the Lunar War can still be seen along the coast.

They dared not contest the Kunlun Heavenly Gate.

They were even less willing to lose the ley line node that Chu Zhou left in Tokyo Bay.

The top leadership of Japan quickly proposed a new exchange plan.

They are willing to open the port of Tokyo Bay, the seabed mineral deposits, and the warship manufacturing line.

Exchange for 300 slots for the Fire Evolution.

The proposal has not yet been submitted.

There was a lot of opposition from the public in Tokyo Bay.

Why must the government allocate the quotas?

"Didn't those who participated in the Lunar War have any military achievements?"

"If joining the Gatekeeper Legion will give me the opportunity to evolve, I'm willing to sign up."

Long lines quickly formed outside recruitment points throughout Tokyo Bay.

It contains more than just Awakened Ones.

There were also ordinary doctors, sailors, engineers, and survivors of the Gulf of Tonkin war.

The Japanese government has finalized its revised plan.

They will no longer directly request 300 evolution slots.

Instead, they applied to form a marine gatekeeper legion, jointly supervised by the Tokyo Bay node and the Azure Sea Dragon Whale King.

Plans from various countries were successively sent to the moon.

The first large-scale negotiation within the Ancestral Realm regarding the ancient inheritance also began.

……

Three days later.

Lunar base.

Dozens of aircraft from different countries were parked around the perimeter of the circular base.

Outside the conference hall.

The remains of the Hunter's Court warship, which had not yet been completely dismantled, can still be seen.

Mr. Ye did not hold the meeting in China.

It's so that everyone will remember it.

They weren't arguing about ordinary resources.

Rather, it's about who will be qualified to stand in front of the Ancestral Realm in the next interstellar war.

The representative from the White Eagle Nation spoke first.

"The Ancient Guardians belong to all of humanity."

"The three thousand guardian warriors should not only enter the first legion of the gatekeepers."

"We recommend a comprehensive allocation based on population, military strength, and contributions to the defense of the ancestral border."

The representative from the Northern Bear Kingdom sneered.

"Guardian Spirits are not food."

"Allocated by population?"

"Will the next time the Hunter's Court's main cannons fall, will the number of times each country has to endure be allocated according to its population?"

The European representative proposed: "It can be distributed entirely according to the contributions made in the defense of the ancestral border."

Some small countries that were unable to participate in the lunar war immediately objected.

"Our country does not have starships."

"There are no seventh or eighth-tier awakeners either."

"If we only look at our contributions in war, we will never have the opportunity to evolve."

The debate raged in the conference hall.

Mr. Ye did not interrupt.

Until above the moon.

A phantom image of a blue lotus slowly appeared.

The hall finally fell completely quiet.

Chu Zhou's voice reached everyone's ears through the Azure Lotus Mark.

"The Guardian Souls are not supplies."

"They were soldiers of the ancestral border in their lifetime."

"They also have the right to choose their successor after death."

"I will not distribute them to any country."

The representative from the United States asked, "Then who decides?"

"Monument to the Triumphs of All Souls".

The lotus leaves of Chuzhou unfold.

A phantom image of a pale blue stone tablet appeared in the center of the conference hall.

"Regardless of nationality, identity, or level of attainment."

"Only those who truly fight for the ancestral realm are qualified to receive the inheritance."

"Military achievements do not come solely from killing the enemy."

"Rescuing the wounded, protecting civilians, building defenses, researching evolutionary technologies, and restoring the ancestral lands can all be recorded."

"Small countries that lack the ability to access space can provide resources."

"Ordinary people without awakening can participate in the construction."

"But no country can use population and political negotiations to take away what the border guards left behind with their lives."

Chu Zhou established three rules.

First, ancient traditions must not be permanently monopolized by any country.

Second, the Guardian Spirits can choose their own successors, and no country may interfere.

Third, the quota for the Flame Evolution and the resources for guarding the realm can be exchanged based on the merits of the Ancestral Realm.

Three rules appeared on the Wanling War Merit Monument.

Then, through Jianmugen.net, it was projected to major cities around the world.

Everyone can check their ancestral realm battle achievements.

The debate in the conference hall came to a complete halt.

Some representatives were dissatisfied but had no way to refute it.

Because the War Merit Monument does not belong to the Dragon Kingdom government and is not subject to the control of any country, it only records what actually happened.

The representative from the United States of America paused for a moment, then said, "We accept."

Both the Northern Bear Kingdom and the Europa League have issued statements.

Other countries have also agreed.

The Ancestral Realm United Defense Council was officially established.

This meeting did not decide who would receive how many Guardian Souls, but it did establish a new global order.

To evolve and pass on the legacy, one must first make contributions to the ancestral realm.

……

The next day, on the outskirts of Black Dragon Lake, the first batch of candidates from various countries arrived at the Wanling War Merit Monument.

Cassian walked at the front, reaching out to press his hand on the stone tablet.

The experiences during the battle to defend the ancestral realm quickly appeared on the monument.

European cities were attacked by remnants of the Huntsman army.

Cassian once single-handedly held off a frigate.

He also led the Awakened Legion to protect millions of people as they retreated into the defensive array.

A battle spirit clad in ancient armor emerged from the stone tablet and stopped in front of Cassian.

He merged a broken battle axe into Cassian's body.

[The ancient guardian spirit chooses its successor.]

[Cassian obtains: The Legacy of the Star-Splittering Battle Axe.]

Representatives from various European countries witnessed this scene.

No one mentioned equal distribution anymore.

The second candidate was a soldier from the Dragon Kingdom who had lost both legs.

He arrived at the monument to his war achievements in a wheelchair.

The stone tablet displays images of the final stage of the battle to defend the ancestral border.

His legs were broken by debris from the warship, but he remained at the lunar gun emplacement to complete the final three main gun calibrations.

An ancient, heavily armored warrior spirit emerged from the stone tablet.

It did not leave even though the other had lost its legs.

Instead, he knelt down on one knee, placed his palm on the soldier's shoulder, and the Azure Lotus Mark lit up.

The Star Marrow Tempering Chamber was then activated.

A large amount of life force surged into the soldier's body.

The fractured bone regenerates.

A pair of brand-new legs, restored under everyone's gaze.

The soldier stood up from his wheelchair.

The ancient heavy armor battle spirit merged into his star-patterned armor.

[Inheritance complete, obtained the Boundary Guardian Heavy Armor Battle Formation.]

The third person to receive recognition was not a high-level awakener.

She was a female military doctor from the Northern Bear Kingdom.

She did not kill any of the Hunter's Court soldiers.

However, he treated hundreds of wounded soldiers during the battle to defend the ancestral realm.

An ancient physician's battle spirit chose her voluntarily.

The fourth place goes to a fifth-level firefighter from the White Eagle Kingdom.

When the Hunters arrived, he stood alone at the entrance to the sanctuary, protecting more than three hundred children.

A guardian spirit wielding a giant shield emerged from the monument of merit.

More and more battle spirits are finding their successors, and realm is not the only standard.

Nationality has no influence on choices; they choose those who are truly at risk.

Harrison waited until the very end.

As the strongest in the White Eagle Kingdom.

His record far surpassed that of most candidates, but when he placed his hand on the monument of merit...

No battle spirits emerged, and the monument displayed the final stage of the Ancestral Realm Defense War.

Elder Ye requested the strongest legion of the White Eagle Kingdom to support the moon.

Harrison refused the order in order to protect his city.

His choice protected many people, but it also meant that he chose the nation over his ancestral homeland.

Harrison stood before the monument for a long time, neither angry nor questioning the outcome. He gazed at the ten-petaled blue lotus in Black Dragon Lake.

"In the next war, if I were standing at the very front of the moon, would they choose again?"

Chu Zhoulianye swayed gently: "The monument to merit records the past, and it also records the future."

Harrison nodded and turned to leave Black Dragon Lake.

On that day, he officially joined the Second Guardian Legion. The three thousand Guardian Souls spent seven days choosing their respective successors.

No country received all the available spots, and no country came away empty-handed.

Ultimately, the Dragon Kingdom received the most inheritance because it bore the brunt of the two main battlefronts on the Moon and Kunlun during the Ancestral Realm Defense War.

The Northern Bear Kingdom, the Europa Union, and the White Eagle Kingdom followed closely behind.

People from some small countries have also gained recognition from the War Spirits, and the rules of the Monument of Ten Thousand Spirits' War Merits have thus been recognized globally.

……

After the three thousand battle souls completed their inheritance, the Gatekeeper Legion began to expand. The Gatekeeper Second Legion was mainly composed of awakened individuals from the Dragon Kingdom and the Northern Bear Kingdom.

The Third Legion is composed of awakened individuals from various European countries, while the Fourth Legion is mainly composed of awakened individuals from the White Eagle Kingdom.

Tokyo Bay, the East China Sea, and maritime awakeners from various countries jointly established the Gatekeeper Coastal Defense Legion.

All legions retain their original nationality and organizational structure during peacetime.

When the ancestral realm encounters external enemies, it accepts unified command from the lunar defense line.

Qin Zhenyuan served as the chief instructor, while Ning Yue used the lotus stalks on the remnant star of the border defense to project a phantom image of the border defense army formation onto the moon.

During the first training session, the powerful figures from various countries clashed over command. The awakened individuals from the White Eagle Nation believed that modern armor and warships were far more advanced than the ancient military formations.

The powerful figures of Europe were unwilling to fully accept Qin Zhenyuan's command.

The soldiers of the Northern Bear Kingdom believed that the people of the White Eagle Kingdom were overly reliant on equipment.

Ning Yue did not try to persuade him. He simply led 108 remnant souls of the guardians to form a dilapidated military formation on the surface of the moon.

"Break the formation."

Thirty thousand awakened individuals from various countries acted simultaneously.

Star-patterned armor, modern weapons, and various awakened abilities all fell upon the army.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the 108 remnant souls of the guardian realm suppressed all 30,000 awakened beings on the lunar surface.

Ning Yue stood beside the broken flag: "If you can't even break through a single remnant of the Ninth Border Guard Army, do you even deserve to compete for the position of commander?"

There was no more arguing on the lunar surface. Qin Zhenyuan stood up and picked up the black knife again.

"Again."

The training lasted for a full month, and the awakened individuals from various countries gradually learned to combine modern armor and long-range firepower with ancient military formations.

During this period, Shen Xinglan also completed the second upgrade of the Torch Evolution System.

The ancient body-refining method has been integrated into the Star Marrow Tempering Chamber, allowing ordinary people to undergo basic body tempering as well.

The first stage clears away hidden injuries and strengthens the physical body; the second stage allows the body to adapt to the spiritual power of the ancestral realm; and the third stage merges with the star marrow, officially becoming an awakened one.

The first batch of slots available to each country will be prioritized for military personnel, doctors, researchers, firefighters, energy engineers, and border builders.

Global Capital Group quickly offered an exorbitant price.

He wanted to buy the qualification for evolution, but Chu Zhou was not short of wealth, and the Myriad Spirits Battle Merit Monument did not accept money.

The wealth that once enabled the purchase of most resources has lost its power for the first time in the face of the evolution of the flame.

More and more ordinary people are beginning to enter the ancestral realm construction system.

The lunar base expanded rapidly, and the number of gatekeeper legions grew from three thousand to thirty thousand.

The nations of the Ancestral Realm no longer rely solely on the Azure Lotus and a few powerful individuals for protection.

Humanity is truly beginning to prepare for the next interstellar war.

Just as the global goalkeeping system was gradually taking shape.

The legacy left behind by the 40,000 border guards merged with the fate of the human race and into the ancestral land.

Ancient ruins buried beneath the earth in various countries have begun to show unusual activity.

Beneath the Siberian ice sheet, a jar containing the remains of an ancient legion of monstrous beasts rises from the ice.

Deep in the Alps, a furnace for forging weapons, extinguished for 100,000 years, has reignited its flames.

In the Egyptian desert.

A golden temple, absorbing the sun's spiritual energy, burst forth from the ground.

Deep in the South American rainforest.

An ancient tree, covering hundreds of miles, stretches its branches and leaves for the first time.

The bottom of Mount Fuji.

A stone door, sealed by flames, was constantly being struck.

Below the White Eagle Kingdom's Grand Canyon, the ground collapsed, exposing an ancient building made of black megaliths to the sunlight.

The White Eagle Kingdom initially believed it to be an ancient armory.

Harrison personally came to Black Dragon Lake and proposed to exchange three lunar energy bases for Chu Zhou's entry into the Grand Canyon ruins once.

But when the totem transmitted back from the Grand Canyon appeared on the Wanling War Merit Monument.

A slumbering guardian spirit suddenly awoke, staring at the black dragon pierced by nine spears in the center of the totem, its soul fire flickering violently.

"That's not an armory."

Harrison asked, "What's that?"

The remnant soul guarding the boundary slowly turned towards the direction of the White Eagle Kingdom.

"The First Prison of the Ancestral Realm, in ancient times, imprisoned all things that could not be killed."