Chapter 129 (Part II): The Fall of a Semi-Immortal Powerhouse

"According to the latest news from the Southern Alliance, that Half-Celestial-grade fiend has already slain a powerhouse of the human race and is currently heading straight for Star City."

"What?!"

The higher-ups of various major factions were utterly shocked.

Not long after, the battle report spread throughout Star City.

"A Half-Celestial-grade powerhouse has fallen. A Half-Celestial-grade fiend is sweeping toward Star City!"

"Sea Capital is also under siege, and the Celestial-grade powerhouses cannot break away."

At this moment, whether it was the Ideal Island, the Technology Association, the Light and Shadow Cult, or the Seven Cities Allied Army, all fell into a deep silence.

The joy of having just eliminated the fiends vanished like smoke in the thin air.

Sirens wailed loudly across the skies above Star City.

"Meeting! We must hold a meeting!"

The leaders of the four major factions came to an immediate consensus and decided to hold an emergency meeting.

"All Awakened ones of Diamond rank and above, please come to the conference hall in the center of the city immediately."

Thus, inside the conference hall, Lin Qiye, Chen Fan, Wen Shuhong, two other Diamond-rank Awakened ones from Ideal Island, along with the Diamond-rank Awakened ones from the Seven Cities Allied Army, the Technology Association, and the Light and Shadow Cult, all gathered together.

"Mr. Lin, we meet again."

"Mr. Lin..."

Chief Zheng gestured in acknowledgment to Lin Qiye.

Alliance Leader Wang gestured in acknowledgment to Lin Qiye.

Other clan heads and powerful figures did the same.

Lin Qiye merely gave a slight nod.

"We truly have Mr. Lin to thank for rooting out the lurking fiend; otherwise, we would likely have faced attacks from both within and without today, plunging everything into chaos," Chief Zheng said with a solemn expression.

"However, a Half-Celestial-grade fiend is simply too terrifying."

Alliance Leader Wang sighed, "Indeed, a Half-Celestial-grade fiend—who could possibly block it?"

"The Half-Celestial-grade fiend has slain Star City's original Half-Celestial guardian, and now the situation at Sea Capital is also critical... No one can send reinforcements to us."

After a group of people discussed for a while, Chief Zheng stood up.

"Mr. Lin, how about I chair this meeting? What do you all think?"

"No problem," Lin Qiye nodded.

The others chimed in agreement.

"Chief Zheng is the president of the Star City branch of the Technology Association; it is only natural for him to chair the meeting."

Consequently, Chief Zheng stepped up to the podium.

"Everyone, Star City's greatest crisis is coming! The current situation is that an extremely fierce battle has broken out in Sea City, and Celestial-grade powerhouses are engaged in a chaotic melee there, suffering casualties..."

"Furthermore, the roads for Sea City to reinforce Star City have been completely blocked off."

"The powerhouses of other cities may not necessarily come to Star City to help us weather this difficulty..."

"Therefore, Star City finds itself completely isolated and helpless!"

"We must save ourselves! However, a Half-Celestial-grade fiend cannot be stopped by Diamond-rank Awakened ones. As you have all felt, the fiends have disrupted the spacetime near Star City, and we can no longer travel into the minor worlds..."

"We don't even have a place to hide."

"Our only option is to fight to the death and hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent.

Lin Qiye also furrowed his brows tightly.

"Is there truly no other way? Can we not even put up a defense?"

"Doesn't that mean we are dead for sure?"

Chief Zheng narrowed his eyes.

"Dead for sure? Not necessarily. The Northern Alliance of our Technology Association also has Half-Celestial-grade powerhouses heading south."

"Additionally, our branch possesses a Lesser Celestial Artifact; if we activate it, we can hold out for ten days to half a month!"

"However, this item consumes an enormous amount of resources, and I hope the major factions will not be stingy."

"Very well!"

"For the sake of our survival, we certainly won't be stingy. If everyone dies, what use is hoarding worldly possessions outside of our lives?"

Amidst the discussion, Chief Zheng nodded.

"In addition, within a single city, there must be a backbone to stabilize military morale and serve as a guiding beacon."

"The original Half-Celestial-grade powerhouse of Star City has already fallen, and now a powerful figure must step up to take that place. Even if they cannot quite reach the Half-Celestial level, we must let all the Awakened ones in the city know that there is hope for us! Otherwise... with morale scattered, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sustain this Lesser Celestial Artifact."

The group looked at one another in dismay.

"Who is the most suitable candidate?"

After a brief moment of doubt, all eyes turned unanimously toward Lin Qiye.

Lin Qiye: "..."

"Mr. Lin is the most suitable candidate. Having just eliminated the fiend that lurked for many years, his fame and prestige are at their absolute peak. If Mr. Lin steps forward to serve as our backbone, I doubt anyone would raise a second opinion."

"Indeed, Mr. Lin also resolved such a massive hidden danger; I suppose the higher-ups of the four major factions won't overly antagonize Mr. Lin, right?"

"Mr. Lin is simply the best choice."

Lin Qiye: "...Is this really a good idea?"

Lin Qiye prepared to decline.

The opponent was a Half-Celestial-grade fiend!

Someone who had transcended the peak Diamond realm!

If he stepped up to the front line, he might just become the prominent target everyone aimed at.

Lin Qiye had no desire to be hunted down all over again.

However, the gazes of the crowd were full of eager anticipation.

Lin Qiye found himself unable to even refuse.

For the sake of helping Star City withstand this disaster, Lin Qiye could only nod.

"Very well, I shall reluctantly step into the role."

Thus, within a single day, the Technology Association's Lesser Celestial Artifact was activated.

The people of the major factions were unprecedentedly united, unreservedly spreading the word throughout the city about how Lin Qiye had cleared out the fiends over the past few days.

They were determined to forge Lin Qiye into a guiding beacon in the hearts of Star City's citizens.

Only in this way would the entire Star City unite as one to fend off the onslaught of the fiends outside the city.

For a time, the various factions flaunted their methods, striving to rally the hearts of the people.

All eyes were focused entirely on Lin Qiye.

"Have you heard? Hundreds of fiend skulls are hanging from the watchtower on South Street! Every single one of them was slain by the great Lin Qiye!"

"I knew that ages ago. You have no idea—even in death, those fiends look terrifying. I truly have no clue what kind of divine being Lin Qiye is to be so fiercely powerful!"

"Tsk, what you're talking about is nothing. I just got some inside information: Mr. Lin obliterated three terrifying fiends of the Apotheosis peak realm with just a blink of his eyes! I even have the video right here!"

"Holy crap! That awesome? Hurry up and show me!"

Under the propaganda of the major factions, the populace within Star City was soon filled with surging morale and excitement.

At this moment, everyone's fear of the fiends rapidly receded.

Overnight, Lin Qiye became an object of deep reverence for the Awakened ones of Star City.

Although most people remained somewhat skeptical, nearly half of them were utterly awed by him.

Two days later, the citizens' discussions regarding Lin Qiye reached a peak level.

It was precisely at this moment that urgent alarm bells suddenly rang out from the outer city defense zone.

"Fiends! Fiends are invading!"

"The concentration of black mist has exceeded the limit! It's an army of fiends! The fiend army has arrived!"

The messengers swiftly reported the situation outside the city to the authorities.

The major factions had been prepared for a long time; the moment they received the news, they immediately organized personnel to head to the outer city defenses.

"Quickly transmit the message to all Diamond-rank Awakened ones! This battle requires us to go all out!"

"Understood!"

While hurrying toward the outer city defense zone, the various bigwigs did not forget to relay the news to Lin Qiye.

However, Lin Qiye had sensed the impending attack before the fiends even struck.

Before the message could even reach him, he and Chen Fan had already arrived at the city wall.

"Mr. Lin, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

The moment they saw Lin Qiye appear, a group of Diamond-rank Awakened ones looked somewhat surprised.

Lin Qiye didn't bother with pleasantries; he merely cast his gaze toward the boundless black clouds outside the city and asked, "What is the current situation?"

"It doesn't look good. The concentration of the black mist has exceeded the measurement limits. This time, it's not eighteen peak-Diamond fiends—the number is even greater, and their momentum is far more terrifying!"

The faces of the few Diamond-rank Awakened ones who had arrived earlier looked extremely grim.

They had originally thought that clearing out the lurking fiends within the city would cause the enemy to hesitate for some days, but they hadn't expected the fiends to launch a full-scale assault directly.

"Report!"

"Bad news, my lords! A large number of fiends have suddenly appeared at the North Gate!"

"A large number of fiends have also appeared at the West Gate!"

"Eleven peak-Diamond fiends have manifested at the East Gate! We need reinforcements!"

A large number of fiends had simultaneously appeared across all four major defensive lines of Star City.

The South Gate, where Lin Qiye and the others were located, served as the primary main force of the fiends.

No fewer than twenty peak-Diamond fiends were stationed right in their midst.

Precisely because of this, Star City's main combat forces were all concentrated in the South Gate area.

The remaining defense zones temporarily lacked sufficient garrison forces and had all fallen into bitter struggles.

Looking up, the firmament was choked with black mist, completely obscuring the sun.

The wails of fiends and an inescapable sense of despair enveloped Star City.

"Such a terrifying siege! Are these fiends launching an extermination plan against us humans? Are we humans about to suffer another massive collapse?"

"Can anyone go and reinforce the other sectors?"

"Mr. Lin, can you go and provide support? Your strength is the most formidable; how about you go and slay a few peak-Diamond fiends?"

Lin Qiye nodded.

"Can this side hold out?"

"Yes—we will defend it to the death, there is no problem."

"Since that is the case, I'll go play the role of a fire-fighter."

Lin Qiye was quite straightforward.

Although these factions had offended him previously and he had heavily extorted them in return, Lin Qiye held no lingering grudges now.

After all, he had made a killing and profited immensely.

Lin Qiye floated up into the air.

"However, before I go put out fires, I'll give these fiends a little warning."

As he spoke, his [Thunder God Domain] spread outward.

Accelerated by his [Celestial Sense and Soul], the thunder particles surged toward the fiends at extreme speed.

The peak-Diamond fiends sensed that something was amiss.

They immediately retreated wildly by several thousand meters.

Even so, the terrifying lethality of the thunder particles remained.

Three peak-Diamond fiends were instantly annihilated by the thunder particles, reduced to mere rubble.

"An ambush!"

"Watch out for those thunder particles! Use the black mist nests to block them!"

A peak-Diamond fiend turned pale with fright as a massive, evil eyeball shattered the firmament, casting its eerie light all around them.

Thick, evil black Qi entangled with the thunder particles.

Although the thunder particles possessed a restraining effect against the black mist and evil Qi, there was simply too much black mist.

A thousand wisps of black mist could extinguish a single thunder particle, making it impossible for Lin Qiye's Thunder God Domain to launch successful surprise attacks anymore.

Lin Qiye furrowed his brow slightly.

He let out a cold snort.

"They certainly have plenty of treasures!"

"Still, killing three fiends is enough to serve as a deterrent."

Lin Qiye shook his head.

Behind him, however, the human powerhouses felt their scalps tingle.

"Holy cow, as expected of the big boss, he's so strong!"

"He literally vaporized three peak-Diamond fiends in an instant. Did someone record the video?"

"If this video is released, it will definitely stabilize military morale!"

The crowd of powerhouses was immensely excited.

Lin Qiye, however, remained expressionless.

He turned and headed toward another sector.

"Brother Ye, I'll go with you. My combat power is pretty decent; if we resolve the other sectors early, we can free up our hands and return to the South Gate. Aside from that Celestial-grade fiend, the rest of this fiend invasion is nothing to be feared!"

Little Fan was brimming with boldness and fighting spirit, his aura suddenly turning razor-sharp.

This time, he was going to fight side by side with Brother Ye.

To slaughter the enemy wildly!

The two of them flew shoulder to shoulder toward the other sectors.

Just as they were on their way,

Boom!

A ball of black flame suddenly bombarded Star City's defensive barrier.

The barrier trembled violently in response.

"Don't worry, the Half-Celestial-grade fiend cannot get in."

"However, in order to fully block the Half-Celestial-grade fiend, other fiends can slip through the barrier—everyone must be careful of the lesser fiends! They can burrow through the black mist and invade Star City. Although we have the city walls for protection, don't let your guard down!"

Amidst the shouting, the fiend black mist surged toward Star City like a tidal wave, slamming against the city walls.

Though much of it was beaten back by the city walls, a multitude of fiends were still hurled into the city like towering breakers.

Three-meter-long leech fiends wriggled through the urban districts.

Centipedes with a thousand legs frantically burrowed into the crowds.

Face-hugger fiends.

Strange, serpentine fiends.

Toad fiends with poison sacs endlessly bursting open.

Other grotesque masses of flesh spat out bizarre things resembling horsehair worms.

The sight made one's scalp tingle and hair stand on end.

"Fellow compatriots! Follow me and slaughter the fiends!"

"Kill!!!"

Thousands and tens of thousands of Awakened ones soared into the sky, frantically massacring the fiends that had breached the walls.

The Awakened ones maintained a strict formation.

The experts at the front formed the first line of defense, engaging only the Diamond-rank fiends.

If platinum-grade fiends broke through, they wouldn't specifically bother with them.

The platinum Awakened ones formed the second line of defense, dedicated to handling platinum fiends, while any gold fiends that broke through were treated as mere stray fish.

The third line of defense...

The fourth line of defense...

Screening layer by layer.

Each net performed only its own designated task.

In the end, every single fiend would be slain!

"Brother Ye, it seems our Star City's combat capability against fiends isn't half bad."

Chen Fan nodded slightly.

Before long, the two of them landed at the East Gate.

On his body, his shield, Dragon God Armor, Ancestral Dragon Frenzy, and other combat buffs were all fully stacked.

Furthermore, the Dragon Tooth long-blade in his hand shone with dazzling brilliance, spitting out dragon breath.

"Brother Ye, I'll kill four peak-Diamond fiends, and you kill seven. How about that?"

"Deal!"

"I'll first watch your combat prowess to see if you can actually kill four peak-Diamond fiends."

"Does Brother Ye look down on me?"

Chen Fan let out a deep breath, instantly transforming into a fierce, majestic dragon as he plunged into the battlefield.

Wielding his Dragon Tooth long-blade, he slashed outward, sending blazing dragons forged from fire erupting from the blade edge, beating the peak-Diamond fiends back step by step.

"Who is that guy? Such a ferocious beast!"

"He looks like the Dragon God reincarnated!"

Along the battle line, Chen Fan went on a wild rampage of slaughter, terrifying the surrounding fiends into retreating frantically.

The participants who witnessed his gorgeous yet crazed skills were left completely dumbfounded.

"H哈哈哈! Brother Ye, the first peak-Diamond fiend has already fallen. I'm not doing too badly, am I?"

Chen Fan laughed heartily.

All around him, aside from the peak-Diamond fiends, every other fiend had already been turned into a corpse.

Lin Qiye smiled faintly and didn't rush to make a move.

"Little Fan, your speed is too slow. Go faster; you need to kill at least one peak-Diamond fiend for it to truly count."

Lin Qiye stood quietly in the distance.

Watching silently.

He merely spoke to provoke Chen Fan, showing no intention of joining the fight yet.

Chen Fan: "..."

"You really look down on me, don't you?"

"Instant—Blooming—Resplendence!"

Chen Fan abruptly unleashed his most terrifying finishing move.

In the blink of an eye, the world lost all its color.

Two peak-Diamond fiends felt their bodies lose all control.

Following that, Chen Fan appeared directly behind the two peak-Diamond fiends.

With a single sword strike,

The bodies of the two peak-Diamond fiends shattered.

They crashed heavily to the ground, instantly sustaining severe injuries.

Though there were signs of their flesh attempting to stitch back together and heal,

Chen Fan exhaled a mouthful of dragon breath.

Golden flames engulfed the fiends' bodies.

The fiends writhed frantically within the flames, their auras growing weaker and weaker.

"Hmph! Even if I'm not as savage as Brother Ye, I'm still doing pretty well."

"Who's next?!"

Chen Fan stood proudly in the void, his long-blade pointing outward, causing the remaining peak-Diamond fiends to tremble with dread.

The fiends looked at one another in dismay.

The next moment, nine peak-Diamond fiends converged simultaneously in front of Chen Fan.

The crushing, immense pressure made even Chen Fan feel a trace of panic in his heart.

"Brother Ye, save me! I acted too arrogant!"

Lin Qiye smiled calmly.

"When fighting them, don't be afraid. Use life-and-death combat to stimulate your own potential."

Lin Qiye still had no intention of making a move.

Instead, he urged Chen Fan to fight head-on.

It wasn't that Lin Qiye was afraid.

Rather, Lin Qiye was waiting.

Waiting for the opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.