Zhou Yang's emotions churned, a tempest raging within him.
He couldn't fathom how Lin Yu had become so strong.
Did geniuses truly exist in this world?
But wasn't he already a genius?
As for Lin Yu, perhaps 'prodigy' was a more fitting term.
He looked at Lin Yu, whose face remained calm, and took a deep breath, calming his turbulent heart.
He sighed, "You've actually surpassed your senior brother without a word. I am ashamed. Therefore, I've decided to cultivate diligently. By the time you return from Donghai City, I will be at the ninth order!"
This defeat had opened his eyes. Compared to ordinary awakened individuals, his strength and talent were considerable, but against a prodigy like Lin Yu, the gap was immense.
He felt spurred on, determined to cultivate diligently and surpass Lin Yu.
He believed his own talent was not inferior to anyone's and that his usual laziness and disinterest in cultivation were the main hindrances. He was confident that with diligent effort, he could overtake Lin Yu.
To maintain his authority as the senior disciple, he had to work harder!
Lin Yu smiled, "Senior brother, I look forward to that day."
Just then, Lin Fan approached, chuckling, "Senior brother, I bet you're just having a three-minute craze. Once we leave, you'll be back to your old self. Just wait for us to return; I'll discipline you myself, no need for my elder brother to lift a finger."
Zhou Yang's heart lurched, followed by an outburst of rage, "You brat, you're asking for a beating! Stop right there!"
Lin Fan, being mischievous, didn't actually stop. He zipped away and vanished.
Along the way, he even used the Sumeru Buddha Steps a few times, teleporting. Zhou Yang chased for a while but, unable to catch up, gave up, panting heavily.
Suddenly, Lin Fan reappeared behind him, patted his shoulder, and chuckled, "Senior brother, you better work hard, or you won't even be able to beat me."
Zhou Yang felt a sense of oppression. He was starting to question his life. What was the deal with these two brothers?
One possessed immense power, and the other moved with incredible speed.
At this moment, Lin Yu seemed to cross space, instantly appearing before them.
Lin Yu said, "Senior brother, it's getting late. We need to depart. When we return, we'll explore that world together again!"
Lin Fan secretly peeked out, offering a determined look and encouragement, "Senior brother, keep it up, cultivate well."
This scene made Zhou Yang want to laugh and be angry simultaneously, but seeing their sincere eyes, his anger instantly dissipated.
He smiled and said, "Alright, I'll await your return. This journey is perilous; be extremely careful!"
"Understood!"
"Let's go!"
"Farewell, and may you return safely!"
.........
In a desolate area of the Guixu.
The surroundings were wild, with only low shrubs and broken sand and stones scattered on the ground.
On a small peak, a Daoist priest in a robe stood with a grave expression.
Suddenly, the sound of a void train echoed through the sky, followed by announcements that reverberated through the void.
[Awakened individuals of tier seven and above, please proceed to where His Excellency Fu YaOzi resides. Awakened individuals below tier seven, please take the void train to Donghai City.]
[This journey is perilous, take utmost care!]
[Thank you all!]
Upon hearing the news, Lin Yu disguised himself and Lin Fan to ensure they were unrecognizable, then immediately flew towards Fu YaOzi.
Upon reaching the small mountain, he found it already crowded with people.
He made a rough estimate; besides the Blood Tiger Army and Blood Dragon Army, there were at least ten thousand lone cultivators heading to support Donghai City.
His heart sank slightly. Ten thousand tier seven powerhouses were being dispatched, not including subsequent reinforcements. Such a large number indicated the dire situation in Donghai City.
At this point, Fu YaOzi said solemnly, "I will soon open the spatial gate. You can all reach Donghai City through it. I thank you all in advance for your efforts in this defense of Donghai."
"Senior Fu YaOzi is too kind. You have contributed so much to our human race; we should be thanking you."
"Senior Fu YaOzi, could you please inform us of the situation in Donghai City beforehand?"
"Senior Fu YaOzi, we are departing now; please open the spatial gate immediately!"
"I've been waiting for this! I want to kill enemies!"
"........"
The murmurs of the crowd echoed through the void, but only a few reached Fu YaOzi's ears.
The scene was boisterous, and he couldn't hear everyone's discussions clearly. He stood calmly.
He was waiting for the order from above.
And at this very moment.
The events in Donghai City of the human race spread to all corners.
Netizens, witnessing the support being mobilized through live broadcasts, felt both heartache and self-reproach.
They had just finished one battle and were now rushing to another.
How tired must they be?
And here they were, protected behind the lines, unable to do anything.
Their hearts were filled with mixed emotions, pity for their hardships and guilt for their helplessness.
"I almost want to cry. They are all heroes!"
"If anyone dares to criticize them again, I'll fight them."
"Who is criticizing them? Don't make baseless accusations."
"Someone here has confessed; don't let them get away with it."
"I will definitely cultivate hard and fight on the battlefield to protect the human race in the future."
"............"
The internet was abuzz. The events in Donghai City had tightened the heartstrings that had just begun to relax.
Not long ago, they had been in despair.
The strength of the alien beasts was too great, and the human race was far from their match. At that time, many had lost hope.
They had even considered fleeing, but with enemies surrounding them, where could they go?
Thus, despair festered and spread in their hearts.
That feeling was unbearable; they did not want to experience it again.
But the outcome of the war had been unexpected; the human race had won.
This dreamlike conclusion had stunned everyone, and they began frantically searching for the reasons behind their victory.
When they discovered the two critical turning points of the battle: the self-detonation of Lin Yu's clone and the Sword God's destruction of the space channel, everyone began to worship them fervently.
They regarded the Sword God and Lin Yu as heroes. Some sang their praises, while others erected monuments in their honor.
In essence, they became the spiritual pillars of the human race.
After identifying the key figures, they started to uncover new ones, such as the Elder and other ninth-order powerhouses, and the sacrificed human adventurers and soldiers.
Upon uncovering this information, everyone was moved to tears.
Death was the most profound shock to the soul.
And they, merely 'rice worms' in the rear, were unwilling to remain so. They wanted to prove they weren't useless.
Therefore, they would sing their praises and prepare a grand welcome banquet for them upon their return.
This was a celebration of their victory, and an attempt to alleviate their inner debt.
Preparations were underway in many places for all of this, but the sudden events in Donghai City disrupted everything.
They hadn't returned home; instead, they were rushing to Donghai City once more.
All of this made everyone feel an even greater sense of indebtedness, coupled with overwhelming emotion.
At this moment, the entire human race was united.
Meanwhile.
The emissaries of various alien races who had not yet departed, upon receiving the news, had their own thoughts.
"The alien races in the sea, compared to the alien beasts, don't seem much weaker."
"Heh heh, the sea races are just a rabble. Their races are too numerous, lacking unified command. They are a scattered mess and cannot defeat the human race."
"That statement is debatable. The sea races are vastly numerous. If they were to launch a full-scale invasion of the human race, the human race would be unable to resist."
"The human race was able to resist the sea races before. Now that half of their elites are dead, they are almost no match for the sea races."
"The human race has the Sword God; extinction is impossible."
"Heh heh, let's wait and see. However, matters of trade with the human race should be put on hold for a while."
"Well said. Esteemed sirs, farewell!"
The emissaries of various alien races departed, sending the news back, causing further ripples.