Chapter 1404: Temporary Seclusion

"Oh my god, A-yang, I can't believe what I'm seeing. I never dreamed this could happen. I'm even starting to doubt if what's before my eyes is real. This guy actually reappeared in our world in such a way."

Xiaohua's voice reached Xu Yang's spiritual world as she spotted Long Kun on the Yingzhou Continent. Xu Yang had already detected Long Kun's presence because he could perfectly share spiritual power with Xiaohua, allowing their spiritual energies to operate at the same frequency. This meant that when Xiaohua identified this person's face, Xu Yang would also receive the same information in his mind.

Unknown to her, Xu Yang himself was in extreme shock. "It is quite interesting, Long Kun. Perhaps this is a great guidance for us. He should have appeared within the Great World and entered the Barren End with us. His reappearance only now indicates that the teleportation array possessed by the mysterious elder at the Barren End is absolutely random. While Long Kun's encounter is beyond what either of us anticipated, it still holds a fundamental possibility."

"So, what do we do next? Should we try to communicate with Long Kun?"

Xu Yang decisively dismissed Xiaohua's idea. "If you act rashly, it would be extremely dangerous and could expose us prematurely. More importantly, it appears that Long Kun is most likely in a spirit body state. Do not reveal your true identity yet. Subtly probe his aura, intentionally or unintentionally. If you don't detect anything unusual, then do not make close contact with him. I will tell you what to do when necessary."

Hearing Xu Yang's guidance, Xiaohua no longer rushed to immediately ascertain Long Kun's true state, and she nodded with a solemn expression. "Don't worry, without your direct order, I absolutely will not act impulsively."

After reaching this consensus, Xiaohua, for some unknown reason, felt a surge of peace and calm at the sight of Long Kun's face. She calmly approached the three Star Venerable-level powerhouses. "Greetings, Seventh Brother, Fourth Brother, and First Venerable."

Clearly, as the undisputed First Star Venerable and the strongest among the Twelve Constellations, "First Venerable" was the collective title given to this First Star Venerable with Long Kun's face by the other eleven Star Venerable-level powerhouses. In terms of both strength and status, this individual held the undisputed top position among the Twelve Constellations. Furthermore, he surpassed the other eleven Star Venerables by more than one level. In other words, while the other eleven Star Venerables were on the same level, they had to adopt a low posture when facing this individual; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. This also indirectly indicated that First Venerable Long Kun seemed to play an irreplaceable special role within the Twelve Constellations system, and this special role was the fundamental reason for his status.

Following Xu Yang's guidance and arrangements, Xiaohua did not immediately rush into close contact with the First Star Venerable, who possessed Long Kun's face, nor did she attempt any probing actions. Doing so would truly be like playing with fire, far too dangerous. Instead, she continued to play her role as the Ninth Star Venerable.

Under the First Venerable's leadership, she directly ignited the ancient tree before them, which glowed with starlight. As the entire giant tree lit up, brilliant starlight converged around its canopy, like a massive starlight halo being released. In an instant, it illuminated the entire forest. This place, unbeknownst to them, was the exclusive gathering point for all Twelve Star Venerables. And likely, only First Venerable himself could ignite this tree. Under his summons, the remaining seven Star Venerables who had not yet fallen began to meet one after another. The face of every Star Venerable-level powerhouse was filled with anger and restlessness.

"First Venerable, do you have any special orders to issue by summoning all of us here? We are now irreconcilable enemies with those damned humans; they have already killed four of our brothers. We must avenge this!"

As the Tenth Star Venerable mentioned this, the Fifth Star Venerable, one of the few women, standing not far from him, looked extremely cold. She seemed to have not yet recovered from the fact that the Third Star Venerable had fallen at Xu Yang's hand. It was clear that she felt deeply for the Third Star Venerable, but sadly, there was no longer any point in mentioning it, because the Third Star Venerable had offended Xu Yang's might, and death was the only outcome he could receive.

"The sole purpose of gathering all of you remaining Star Venerable-level powerhouses here is to respond to Empress's call. She will begin a three-month period of seclusion from now on."

The moment this news emerged, Xiaohua's expression immediately grew more solemn. She truly hadn't expected that at this critical juncture, with the final decisive battle between the two sides about to unfold, the Fourth Prince's birth mother, the ruler of the entire treasure land's Empress Star Power, would suddenly choose to go into seclusion. Although Xiaohua also found this matter very strange, she couldn't find the real reason why. No one knew.

"So, does this mean that with the Empress in seclusion, the main battlefield will be handed over to us other Star Venerable-level powerhouses to command?"

The First Star Venerable nodded. "Exactly, that is the arrangement. This is also the sole reason why I urgently gathered all of you. At least for these three months before the Empress emerges from seclusion, I absolutely forbid any defensive position of Treasure Mountain from being breached by human powerhouses!"

Clearly, several other Star Venerable-level powerhouses found it hard to agree with First Venerable's statement. "First Venerable, while you say so, and it is indeed our undeniable mission as Star Venerable leaders, putting it into practice is quite difficult. Although the human population is only a few hundred thousand, far less than one percent of ours, you must have seen their combat strength and intense desire for victory. It's no exaggeration to say they can fight one against a hundred; they are not as easy to deal with as imagined. Without the Empress's direct support, it's hard to say how long we can sustain ourselves purely with our internal star power. Moreover, the duration of the Dark Night's descent is ultimately limited. Observing the current celestial trajectory, this Dark Night's descent, even with special means, will only last for a maximum of one month."