Physical mage, challenge me to a solo duel!

Wang Yi followed Xu Jun into the tunnel, and the door disguised as a rock formation behind them closed with a rumble.

Xie Yuanming slowed down a couple of steps, walking alongside the two of them while explaining to Wang Yi:

"The nickname 'Little Marshal' isn't just for show. Although we people here rarely show our faces, we still know quite a bit about what's going on outside."

"I heard that Marshal Chu Zhaoding held a meeting with all the marshals before and applied for fifteen super-grade magic crystals for you. Giving such a large number of super-grade magic crystals to an individual at once is unprecedented in the military."

"Forehead······"

Wang Yi raised his hand and touched his nose, looking slightly embarrassed.

He did indeed have the intention of attracting venture capital, and he obtained a lot of super-grade magic crystals from the military.

Chu Zhaoding did this because the Candlelight Army alone certainly couldn't produce that many super-grade magic crystals, so he tried to crowdfund them.

If distributed among the nine armies, apart from the special-duty torchbearers, the other strong armies can easily collect two from each army.

Even if some powerful armies are unwilling to contribute, as long as four or five marshals are willing, it's fine. In this way, if an army contributes three to five marshals, there won't be too much pressure.

Xie Yuanming chuckled, then continued:

"After Marshal Chu Zhaoding of the Candlelight Army spoke, the first to respond was Marshal Tang Jinxuan of the Night Watch Army, followed by Marshal Qin Zhen of the Pioneer Army, Marshal Sun Shixue of the Death Army, and Marshal Yu Hao of the Blood Burning Army."

"Among the nine armies, apart from the Torch Army which is not responsible for defense, five marshals directly agreed, so the matter was basically settled."

"But the remaining marshals of the Feipeng Army, Xingchen Army, and Huaxia Army also agreed to this matter. It's hard to imagine how you, someone who hasn't even joined the military yet, could have earned the unanimous praise of eight marshals."

Upon hearing Xie Yuanming's words, Wang Yi also raised his arm and scratched his head.

To be honest, he wasn't quite sure where he got such a big reputation.

Of the nine marshals, Wang Yi had only met Chu Zhaoding and was also quite familiar with the Candlelight Army.

Although Wang Yi was more familiar with the Night Watch Army and had met many of its lieutenant generals and major generals, he had never met Marshal Tang Jinxuan of the Night Watch Army.

All matters concerning the mobilization of the Night Watch troops were handled directly through Xu Jun.

In fact, given Xu Jun's current status as a retired soldier, mobilizing the Night Watchmen is definitely a bit of an overreach.

However, Xu Jun was, after all, a forbidden mage who came from the Night Watch Army and had countless military achievements throughout his life. Even Marshal Tang Jinxuan could only be considered a junior in front of Xu Jun.

Moreover, Xu Jun did not bypass Tang Jinxuan; he had applied for permission from Tang Jinxuan for some of his actions.

However, Wang Yi was not surprised that Marshal Tang Jinxuan of the Night Watch supported him.

In addition, the Fei Peng Army and the Xing Chen Army had received help from Wang Yi in the previous event of clearing out the invading monsters from the interdimensional passage, so they had a bond of kinship.

As for why the other marshals agreed, it was probably out of recognition of outstanding juniors and respect for the explorers.

Lin Qingyu back then, and Ren Tianque later, probably didn't receive this kind of treatment.

Of course, this was also because at that time, the two of them had already joined the Tianfu Army and the Huaxia Army, and it was their duty to defend the territory. However, Wang Yi was just a freshman at the time.

It could be said that he took advantage of his status, and perhaps also had a little bit of ability.

The three of them walked along the passage, and along the way they encountered several soldiers who came up to salute Xu Jun.

They were all lieutenant generals and extraordinary masters.

Moreover, Wang Yi noticed that Xie Yuanming's previous choice of words and tone suggested that he did not belong to any particular faction.

Just as Wang Yi guessed, the several lieutenant generals here, including Xie Yuanming, were independent of the Nine Armies and worked under Qing Yuanzhong, specifically responsible for Li Yuan's extraordinary abilities.

There aren't many of them, and they don't usually show off, but each and every one of them is an extraordinary and exceptional master.

The three quickly reached the end of the tunnel. Xie Yuanming completed fingerprint and iris verification in front of the massive metal door, then turned to Wang Yi and asked:

Have you ever seen a Star Gate of the 'Abyss' level?

Wang Yi shook his head; he had never been to any of the abysses.

"That's perfect, we can take a look."

As Xie Yuanming pressed the open button, the massive metal door slowly opened to both sides after a series of clicks from the locks inside.

Then Wang Yi saw a platform extending out in front of him.

After taking a few quick steps onto the platform and leaving the tunnel, Wang Yi entered a completely hollowed-out mountainside, where his field of vision instantly widened.

All that could be seen was the vast, empty mountainside, supported by hundreds of enormous stone pillars. In the center of the mountainside, there was only one enormous vortex, probably close to a thousand meters in diameter, slowly rotating.

Dense magical energy continuously surged out from the Star Gate, then rapidly spread outwards through countless ventilation openings, each about one meter wide, in the mountain's rock wall.

"This mountain exists specifically for the Star Gate. Otherwise, a military base alone wouldn't be able to conceal the Star Gate at all. Even if it could be built, a building over a thousand meters tall would be too conspicuous no matter where it's placed."

Xie Yuanming explained, and then, with Wang Yi and Xu Jun, he leaped to the platform built in front of the Star Gate.

"Master Qing is waiting for you, so I won't go in."

After saying that, Xie Yuanming teleported back into the tunnel and closed the tunnel door.

"Uncle Xu, didn't they say that Li Yuan collapsed? How come the Starry Gate looks much bigger, but there's nothing wrong with it?"

"What's collapsing is the interior of Li Yuan. If the Star Gate also collapses, then the entire Li Yuan will cease to exist."

After Xu Jun finished speaking, he pulled Wang Yi forward and stepped directly into the Starry Gate of Li Yuan.

"Let's go, Elder Qing has been guarding Li Yuan all along."

After experiencing a familiar yet more intense teleportation, Wang Yi truly stepped into the Abyss.

Feeling the solid rock beneath his feet, Wang Yi looked around and the first thing he saw was the gloomy sky pierced by several black cracks.

After that, there was a desolate scene of collapsed mountains.

Wang Yi felt that he was on the edge of a high platform. Looking down, the ground was undulating, devoid of any vegetation and life.

Countless torn canyons crisscross the earth, and in the craters that look like they were made by falling meteorites, the exposed red rock layers look as if they were soaked in blood.

Looking up straight ahead, thin black lines appear and disappear intermittently in the distant sky.

Wang Yi had witnessed such a scene once before.

When Lin Qingyu forced him into a spatial rift in Oran City, this was the scene that unfolded when the entrance to the spatial rift completely disappeared and the space inside began to collapse.

However, the threads back then were indeed very thin; if you touched one, you'd at most lose an arm or leg.

The thin line on Li Yuan's face was only because Wang Yi was far away; in reality, it wasn't thin at all.

When it appears, devouring a few people is effortless; it's a crack created when space truly collapses.

"Xiao Jun, Xiao Wang Yi, you've arrived."

Just as Wang Yi was stunned by the scene of Li Yuan, an old and peaceful voice appeared behind him.

Wang Yi quickly turned around and saw an elderly man dressed in black casual clothes, with black and white hair and a slightly hunched posture.