Chapter 693: The World Needs You to Save It

Inside the academy, both students and teachers watched the two mysterious newcomers with great surprise. These two mysterious figures seemed to possess an innate aura of mystery; simply by standing there, they exuded a powerful sense of pressure.

Gu Junye was not particularly surprised to see the two men find him. He sighed softly, "So you've finally found me."

One of the mysterious figures spoke with a hoarse voice; though he had the appearance of a young man, his voice belied his youthful looks. "Fellow Daoist," he said, "I know that ever since that incident, you lost trust in the organization and have been living in seclusion here, but please, trust the organization."

The mysterious man's words seemed to strike a forbidden chord within Gu Junye. He clenched his fists tightly, suddenly raised his head, and in his eyes, an ultimate true dragon seemed to roar. "Trust the organization?" he scoffed. "If I trusted the organization, why would it send us on such a mission—a mission of certain death! Can you imagine? One moment, my friends were laughing and talking, and the next, they were pierced through by tentacles, turning into mummified corpses! Endless enemies surged like a tide; the Saint Lord, who claimed to embody eternal light, died; Pangu, who had the power to create heaven and earth, died... They all died, everyone died, and only I am left alive! Didn't the organization know the situation there? Where was the organization when we were in peril? Where was the support?!"

The other mysterious man's face was covered in scars, as if he had endured countless bloody battles. He had fought innumerable battles, his Dao heart as firm as iron, but when he looked into Gu Junye's eyes, his own heart trembled. The mysterious man recalled the various deeds of the person before him, which to them were like myths and legends. He had walked through the long river of history, leaving his legend at every significant point, enduring nine cycles of reincarnation, conquering immortals with might, and balancing the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man by himself.

The mysterious man explained, his tone laced with bitterness, "The organization was held back by enemies from the heavens and couldn't support you." He pointed to the scars on his face. "These scars were left then. Fellow Daoist, the monsters from the Abyssal Depths have climbed out again. The organization needs your help; this world needs you to save it!"

Gu Junye stared at the two mysterious men, as if he saw the figures of his old friends in them. He slowly rose, sighing with a sense of resignation. "Very well then," he said, "I shall go."

Seeing Gu Junye agree, a smile involuntarily appeared on their stern faces. "This way, Fellow Daoist!" they urged.

Gu Junye showed no intention of explaining himself to the crowd. Amidst the stares of everyone present, he was escorted by the two mysterious men out of the classroom. He looked up at the sky, leaped, and vanished into thin air.

"So, you'll just stay here for half the day, and then go straight home after school?" the two mysterious men said. They had taken Gu Junye outside the city, where their faces changed, revealing their true appearances. The two mysterious men were none other than Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou!

"Thank you, Senior Brothers," Gu Junye said, clasping his hands in greeting, his face flushed with excitement. Meng Jingzhou waved his hand. "It's a small matter," he said. Lu Yang patted Gu Junye's shoulder. "You must come next February; I have high hopes for you!"

With that, the two got into a carriage and headed to their next destination. "You know," one said, "this was quite fun." "Right?" the other replied, "I thought so too."

About half a day after they left, two figures flew from a distance and landed at the ruins of the Immortal Temple. Staring at the collapsed temple and the shattered clay sculptures scattered on the ground, the two figures frowned deeply.

"The life tablet wasn't wrong," one said, "Wang Chuan has truly fallen." "But how is that possible?" the other mused. "Even though he was in the body-reconstruction phase, he was still at the Integration Stage. The most powerful cultivators in this city are only at the Nascent Soul Stage; how could they possibly harm Wang Chuan? Could it be that an Integration Stage cultivator from Great Xia, passing by coincidentally, discovered him? That shouldn't be either. Wang Chuan's strength is immense; unless he encountered a peak Integration Stage cultivator, he should have been able to escape. How strange."

"Let's see what happened then, and everything will be clear," one said. One of them silently recited an incantation, and the scattered power of faith in the surroundings began to re-condense. While it couldn't revive Wang Chuan, it could use the power of faith to replay the events of last night. A fragment of last night's events appeared in their palm: two Nascent Soul stage prodigies discovered Wang Chuan. Wang Chuan tried to strike, but was suppressed by a white horse descending from the sky. In a flash of lightning, Wang Chuan was utterly annihilated by the white horse.

Even through the illusion, the two figures shuddered at the sight of the white horse unleashing "Dragon-Horse Fusion, Dragon Battles in the Wild." If it had been them, they likely wouldn't have been able to withstand that move either.

"These two Nascent Soul stage cultivators look a bit familiar..." one of them mused, then suddenly realized, "Ah, I remember now, aren't these the two rising stars from the Wen Dao Sect? This one is Lu Yang, who once fought to a standstill with the Young Leader of the Heavenly Court Sect." If it hadn't been for the Heavenly Court Sect, they wouldn't have even paid attention to Lu Yang's existence. "Who was that white horse?" the other asked. "I don't know, I've never seen it before."

"Take this intelligence back and show it to the Elder," one instructed. The two immediately flew back to headquarters.

The headquarters was located in a newly created space. The two knocked on the door, verified their identities with spiritual power, and entered. Inside, powerful cultivators were abundant; each possessed unique formidable techniques and had left their mark on history. Although the two of them were at the Integration Stage, they were at the bottom of the ranks among these individuals, serving as errand runners.

"Elder," one said, "this is the footage from before Wang Chuan's demise." The two respectfully presented a magical artifact, temporarily refined from the power of faith.

The leader was a young boy, appearing even younger than Lu Yang. Wang Chuan was quite influential among Integration Stage cultivators, and his demise came as a complete surprise to everyone. Therefore, Wang Chuan's fall made them extremely concerned, and they intended to avenge him if possible. Otherwise, if their subordinates died haphazardly outside and the leader remained indifferent, it would discourage his followers, who might then defect to Wu Youdao.

This was the headquarters of the Great Yu Alliance, aimed at gathering all the slumbering cultivators from the Great Yu era. Great Xia's unexpected strength led some to advocate for strength in numbers and collective action. Furthermore, believing that following the Sixth Yu Emperor, Wu Youdao, offered no future, they formed a separate faction. They had not heard from Wu Youdao for a long time and did not know what he was secretly planning. The Imperial Advisor always planned thoroughly before acting, so such a long silence might mean he was preparing something earth-shattering.

The young boy carefully watched the footage of Wang Chuan's final moments. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he even temporarily cast aside the thought of avenging Wang Chuan. He stared at the sword in Lu Yang's hand, filled with excitement, and a greedy expression appeared in his eyes. "The Yu Emperor's personal sword!" he exclaimed. Although its appearance was different from the original sword, he immediately recognized the origin of the Azure Edge Sword.