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Chapter Ninety-Five: The Baton Passes Through Yang Qiu's Hands

With everything prepared, the hands of the pocket watch continued to turn backward, and soon the scene of Kaecilius assassinating the Ancient One appeared.

Under everyone's gaze, the past Kaecilius raised his sword and thrust it at the busy Ancient One. Just as the tip of the sword was about to touch the Ancient One, the longsword suddenly turned and swung towards them.

Without a word, Artoria took a step forward, her Victory Oath sword directly blocking the longsword in Casillas's hand.

Wind King's Barrier! Break!

A gust of wind exploded from the Sword of Victory Oath, slashing towards Casillas along with Artoria's movements.

With a strange smile on his face, Casillas transformed into a thick black mist. The gale that was trapped inside was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without causing the slightest ripple.

Boom! A massive explosion erupted from Casillas's body, and the power of the Hell Law spread from him to the entire room, instantly turning the room into his domain.

"Mephisto! Prepare to die!" Morey pulled out his weapon with both hands and charged forward.

Casillas swung his sword and cut Morey's weapon in two. His next move was aimed at Morey's neck. Just as Morey's life was about to be in danger, Lam Ching-ying reached forward with his Soul-Hook Chain and pulled Morey back.

"Don't cause trouble!" Lin Zhengying scolded, then threw Morey backward and into the group of people that Blaise was protecting.

The mechanical field is now open!

As the Heimerdinger Domain unfolded, dozens of miniature turrets were deployed, with mechanical domain fluctuations covering each turret.

Turret upgrade!

A barrage of powerful artillery fire was launched at Casillas, creating ripples that spread outwards.

"Hehehe!" Casillas flashed continuously in this small space, his longsword thrusting out from all angles. He was picking on the weakest target, and his target was Lin Zhengying, who was sandwiched between Heimerdinger and Artoria.

Lin Zhengying, holding the Soul-Hooking Chain, remained unfazed by Casillas's attacks, calmly searching for Casillas's weaknesses. He knew that Artoria was by his side and would not allow such ordinary attacks to fall on him.

Hextech high-speed missile!

The miniature missiles that flew out of Heimerdinger's body rained down on the entire room.

Heimerdinger's attack method is very simple and brutal, it can be summed up in one sentence: overwhelming firepower!

Under the relentless bombardment, Casillas was like a small boat in a storm, constantly rocking back and forth, but no matter how much he rocked, Casillas did not capsize.

After Casillas was forced to the side, Artoria's eyes lit up, and with a wave of her left hand, the Crown of the Sun Never Sets on her head lit up.

The crown, symbolizing the power of the most powerful empire on Earth at a certain time, the British Empire, directly stunned Casillas, freezing him in place!

Avalon's domain also contracted in time, enveloping Casillas.

Seizing the hard-won opportunity, Lam Ching-ying thrust out his Soul Hook and pierced directly into Casillas's soul.

Just as the chains were about to retract, the statue hanging on Casillas's chest suddenly emitted a dark red light.

This light seemed to represent the darkest part of the human heart, with energy flowing upwards along the chains.

Lam Ching-ying loosened his grip and took two steps back.

Artoria blocked the still spreading energy with a backhand sword strike.

In that instant, the statue's eyes lit up, and a terrifying force slammed directly into the stopwatch floating in the air.

With a click, the stopwatch's hands snapped back to the normal time, and Casillas's figure vanished along with the statue.

"The matter is clear, Blaze! You will be stationed here on behalf of the Clock Tower, in case Casillas launches a counterattack!"

After everything calmed down, Heimerdinger spoke up, "We'll go back immediately and report this further. During this time, no mage is allowed to leave the monastery!"

“No problem.” Blaze nodded in response, and at the same time, the elemental pool in his courtyard was put into full capacity. Layer upon layer of magical defense netting covered the entire monastery, protecting it from external attacks while restricting the movement space of all mages.

The next moment, a spherical pendant on Heimerdinger's waist started spinning, instantly transporting the three of them away from the spot.

At this moment, the entire sky above the Earth was covered by a strange cloud. With sunlight unable to reach the ground, the whole world became incredibly dark.

"Gentlemen, I have to go back to the United States. If there's anything else you need my help with, please contact me then."

Seeing this, Artoria immediately bid farewell to the other two. The Heavenly Court's headquarters were in China, and the Clock Tower's headquarters were in the United States. The mortals in these two places were far more powerful than those in the United States, so she had to hurry back to protect her people.

After Artoria left, Lin Zhengying and Heimerdinger also parted ways. Now that things have developed to this point, they can no longer handle it and must contact their superiors.

Earth's current defenses are far from sufficient. If Hell were to launch a large-scale attack now, the damage would be unimaginable!

Above these clouds, Yang Qiu stood with the spirit of Gu Yi.

"I never expected that the opportunity you mentioned would be suicide," Yang Qiu sighed and said to Gu Yi.

"That's not important." Gu Yi was quite relaxed, as if she were free from official duties. "I'll remind you of something: remember to use all the energy I gave you. Since I've lost my physical body, the dissipation of this energy will be inevitable."

"I understand. When do you plan to finally leave work?" Yang Qiu then asked.

"No rush. Let's work overtime one last time to clean up the mess. I can't just leave you with a complete mess." Gu Yi stretched, looked up at the sky, and surveyed the planet she had protected for five hundred years.

Yang Qiu stood quietly to one side. This was a relay race of protection, and no amount of treatment from the previous person upon leaving was too much.

"Don't let me down. From now on, this planet is in your hands." Gu Yi extended her hand to Yang Qiu.

"Don't worry, with me here, I assure you, even Thanos can't possibly run rampant on our planet!" Yang Qiu said earnestly, holding the Ancient One's hand.

"That's good, that's good." Gu Yi smiled. "After you finish this script, I have something to tell you. After that, I can finally clock out."

"Actually, you could have said it now." Yang Qiu looked at Gu Yi and felt a little nervous. The thought of saying it at the end made her feel a bit heavy.

"The time is not right yet. Don't let me down, and don't let others look down on the world!"

When Gu Yi said her last words, she withdrew her hand. Yang Qiu looked down and saw an Eye of Agamotto lying in his palm. When he looked up again, Gu Yi had vanished.

Chapter Ninety-Six: Blessed Lands and Grotto-Heavens Equal War Stars?!

Just as Lin Zhengying returned to his father's antique shop, he saw Guan Zhen looking anxious.

"What's going on? This has been going on for over an hour. If this keeps up, the news won't be able to be contained. We don't have enough people in the entertainment industry to handle this!" Guan Zhen ran up to Lin Zhengying and asked.

"This is a serious matter. I've already reported it. The Ancient One is dead. Her disciple was bewitched by Mephisto, and the Eye of Agamotto just happened to be out of her possession. With the help of both inside and outside, Kaecilius assassinated the Ancient One," Lin Zhengying said quickly.

"Dead!" Guan Zhen was shocked. Gu Yi was a powerful figure, second only to the Heavenly Emperor and the sorcerer Kiran, according to Lin Zhengying. How could she die so silently?!

"Have we captured Casillas? What do we need to do?"

“I have a photo of Casillas here. Post it out and treat him as a top-level wanted criminal. Although he has magic powers and is difficult for ordinary people to spot, it’s better to have one than not.” Lin Zhengying waved his hand, and a three-dimensional portrait of Casillas appeared in the air.

“No problem! I’ll send the message back right away. Has he escaped into our territory?” Guan Zhen then asked.

"We're still unsure of their next move." As Lin Zhengying spoke, his father, looking grave, came out of the room. "Father, Father, I need your help!"

"Don't rush, I need to investigate the sealing point. The Yin energy in the entire world has increased by more than one level! It's possible that those sealed demons might break free!" The old man was holding an incredibly thick book. "Tru! Take the materials and come with me!"

With his father gone and Tru gone, Lin Zhengying is now the only one left in the cultivation world. He gritted his teeth and pulled Guan Zhen to his side, "You protect me, I'll calculate where he might be now!"

Guan Zhen didn't say a word; he now completely obeyed Lin Zhengying's orders.

Before Lin Zhengying could even begin divination after setting up the formation, a long sword suddenly appeared beside him, tearing open the space. A young man in a long robe reached out and ripped open the space, stepping inside.

"Sect Leader Li!" Lin Zhengying exclaimed with a hint of surprise.

Li Xiaoyao nodded, looking outside. "The concentration is even higher than what you reported. This concentration is rising far too fast!"

"Yes, but it's good that you're here. Did you come alone this time?" Lin Zhengying asked.

“Yes, the construction of the blessed land is in its final stages. Everyone else is already doing the work of two people, and they really can’t spare any more time,” Li Xiaoyao said, pointing to his longsword.

The longsword hummed, and nine afterimages appeared as Li Xiaoyao moved.

"go with!"

Li Xiaoyao let out a soft chuckle, and his longsword pointed in all directions across China.

"Nine Elements Return to One! Shake!"

The waist token on Li Xiaoyao's waist vibrated continuously, and five brilliant spirit pearls flew out from his body, swirling in the air to form a mysterious array.

"Using the Five Elements as a guide, and drawing upon the power of Heaven and Earth, come forth!"

As Li Xiaoyao spoke, the entire Heavenly Court network sprang into action, and countless illusory figures lit up across the territory of China. With their appearance, beams of light shot straight into the sky, dispelling most of the dark clouds that shrouded China. Only some dense, tangible Yin energy fell to the ground before the formation was fully completed.

"This must be the captain of the China Supernatural Response Team. I am Li Xiaoyao, the head of the Shu Mountain Sect."

After finishing everything, Li Xiaoyao finally had time to greet Guan Zhen. "With the Five Elemental Pearls, the Shu Mountain Token, and the Heavenly Court Network, there won't be a large-scale outbreak of Yin energy within China. However, the Yin energy that has settled down in advance may still cause some problems, so you'll need to strengthen your monitoring."

“Of course, we’ve activated the emergency procedures, but could you tell us where the wanted criminal Casillas is right now? We need to keep a close eye on him,” Guan Zhen then asked.

"It's uncertain. Even the immortals who are extremely skilled in divination don't have time to deal with this matter. However, before I came, the Heavenly Emperor told me that he would likely appear there in five days!"

Li Xiaoyao pointed to a map hanging in the shop, and Guan Zhen looked in the direction he was pointing. The place Li Xiaoyao was pointing to was the Middle East.

"Should we make our move early and go check it out over there?" Guan Zhen asked.

“The situation over there is complicated. I’ll discuss it with the people from the Clock Tower when they arrive. Right now, the most important thing is to protect our own people,” Li Xiaoyao said very seriously. “I came here to minimize any potential casualties.”

“I understand. We will issue an alert to all the people, telling them to stay away from remote areas, not to go out at night, and to shut down all nighttime businesses.” Guan Zhen responded without hesitation; these were all instructions from his superiors through the earpiece he wore.

“Well, if it’s hard to come up with a reason, just announcing our existence wouldn’t be a problem,” Li Xiaoyao said, his hands behind his back.

"The Ancient One has passed away, and the safety of Earth is now in our hands again. The Heavenly Emperor has activated the emergency decree and revoked the order to evade the world."

Guan Zhen did not reply immediately this time. This matter was quite significant, and even the higher-ups could not make a decision. Originally, everyone thought that there were at least a few more years to pave the way for the return of the cultivation world, but the current situation no longer allowed them to wait any longer.

“I know you are not ready yet. The Heavenly Emperor’s instructions are in this regard. I will follow your orders. If you think the time is not right, I will try to avoid the public when I take action.” Li Xiaoyao said, handing a spinning compass to Guan Zhen.

"These are some resources that everyone has managed to put together. There are instructions for use inside. Let's distribute these things. Soldiers are civilians too. People who are brave enough to stand up to protect others should receive better protection."

"Yes." Hearing Li Xiaoyao say this, Guan Zhen's goodwill towards him increased sharply. After taking the compass, he heard his leader's instructions through the earpiece.

"Sect Leader Li, there's one more thing we'd like to ask you. If it's convenient, could you tell us what the entire cultivation world is busy with? If it's inconvenient to say, of course, you don't have to."

Li Xiaoyao pondered for a few seconds, "I can tell you, anyway the ban has been lifted. We and the Clock Tower are responsible for vertical defense construction, and the other side is responsible for horizontal network construction. Vertical refers to other parallel universes, and horizontal refers to other regions of the current universe."

"This universe is far more crowded than you can imagine. There are countless cosmic forces that can crush Earth in every aspect. The construction of the blessed land we are currently undertaking is, in simpler scientific terms, the construction of a war star!"

"The chosen planet is a bit too big, so the construction is still not finished after five hundred years. In fact, according to the original plan, five hundred years would have been enough, but the construction was increased and exceeded the limit."

Blessed lands and grotto-heavens are equivalent to war stars? Planets used for battle?!

Guan Zhen's mouth was agape and he couldn't close it.

Chapter 97 Artoria's Wavering

While everyone in China was mobilized, in the United States, Heimerdinger landed in a temporary research institute.