The Meeting
"Ling Feng, have you gone mad?"
On the first seat on the left, a bald, burly man frowned and spoke in a booming voice.
"This is the Supreme Strategic Council. What are you doing bringing in a few low-level Martial Artist 've barely been weaned? Are you sending them to their deaths?"
"Third-Turn Bone Tempering Realm?" Another female Martial Artist shook her head, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes. "Has the Blackrock Guardian Zone stooped to the point of having a third-stage Martial Artist put on a show?"
Faced with these doubts and disdain, Shen Xuan snapped his folding fan shut, a smirk playing on his lips.
Tuo Bashan grinned widely and glared back fiercely, looking ready to fight on the spot.
Chen Fan didn't even lift his eyelids.
He walked straight to an empty, large chair, sat down casually, tossed a spiritual fruit from the fruit plate on the table, and took a bite.
Juice spilled everywhere, and the crisp chewing sounds were particularly jarring in the quiet hall.
Wei Yan's gaze fell on Chen Fan, a strange light flashing in his deep eyes, but he did not react. Instead, he raised his hand and pressed it down.
The hall fell silent instantly.
"Everyone is here, let the meeting begin."
Wei Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
He stood up, waved his hand, and a huge Holographic Star Map appeared in the center of the hall.
On the Star Map, countless red dots representing Alien Races are frantically encircling and pressing towards the blue dots representing humanity.
"The situation is worse than we anticipated." Wei Yan pointed to three dimly lit areas at the edge of the Star Map. "In the past twelve hours alone, we've lost three more Primary Guardian Zones. The Guardians of the Heavenly Wolf, Vega, and Giant Gate zones have been completely wiped out."
Upon hearing this, several heavy sighs echoed through the hall.
"The Alien Races have gone mad!" The bald, burly man slammed his fist on the table, sending spiderweb-like cracks spreading across the solid wood. "They don't care about casualties at all! These Overlord Races, who usually hate each other, have actually joined forces!"
"Because the Nine-Star Land of Opportunity is about to appear," Wei Yan coldly revealed the truth. "They want to increase the chances of the Land of Opportunity descending upon their territory by occupying more Guardian Zone. They want to sever the roots of our Human Race in the Core Zone!"
A sense of despair and pessimism quickly spread throughout the hall.
Outnumbered and outmatched, the disparity in strength was overwhelming; it was practically a dead end.
Therefore, we need a change.
Ling Feng suddenly stood up and strode to the center of the hall.
He didn't look at the Star Map, but turned around and pointed intently at Chen Fan was sitting in the corner eating fruit.
"Everyone, let me introduce you," Ling Feng's voice rose several octaves, drowning out all the whispers, "This is Chen Fan."
"Chen Fan?"
Someone repeated the name, finding it somewhat familiar.
"Chen Fan, who's ranked number one on the Myriad Laws Ranking, surpassing even the records of Senior White Emperor?"
The female Martial Artist suddenly realized what was happening and cried out in surprise.
A commotion immediately broke out inside the hall.
The prestige of being ranked first on the Myriad Laws Ranking is beyond doubt; it represents the hope for the future of Human Race.
"So it was him..." The bald, burly man's contempt lessened slightly, but his brows remained furrowed. "His talent is indeed unparalleled throughout history. But talent doesn't equal combat strength. He's only at the Third-Turn Bone Tempering Realm. In a war of this caliber, a third-level cultivator doesn't even qualify as cannon fodder."
"Is that so?" Ling Feng sneered, his gaze sweeping across the entire room. "What if I told you that just two hours ago, he, with his Second-Turn Bone Tempering Realm cultivation, instantly killed Qi Ming, Fourth-Turn cultivator, with a single punch?"
"Qi Ming? That Prodigies one Moon-Devouring Silver Wolf Clan?"
The commotion inside the hall came to an abrupt halt.
"Not only that," Ling Feng didn't give them a chance to catch their breath, continuing to drop bombshells, "Outside the Blackrock Guardian Zone, he killed the Fifth-Turn Windwing Tiger Race Chief with a single blow. Then, within three breaths, he successively slew two Fifth-Turn chiefs from the Netherbone Demon Race and the Naga Race."
"Furthermore, in front of nearly a thousand Alien Races troops, he devoured the Origin Source and broke through to the third stage on the spot!"
Dead silence.
A deathly silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.
The bald, burly man gaped, while the female Martial Artist froze in place.
Even Wei Yan, who had been sitting calmly on the sidelines, suddenly had his pupils contract.
Two revolutions in Fifth-Turn seconds?
Slaying three top chiefs in succession?
"Ling Feng, Battle Reports cannot be exaggerated."
For the first time, Wei Yan's voice showed a change in tone.
"I, Zhang Zhi, swear on my Martial Dao heart that Ling Feng's words are absolutely true!" Zhang Zhi, who was sitting not far from Chen Fan, suddenly stood up. "Junior Brother Chen Fan, you single-handedly cut through a thousand Alien Races allies!"
"Hiss!!"
A collective gasp filled the hall.
All the gazes directed at Chen Fan changed completely.
It's no longer about watching a genius who needs protection, but about watching a primordial beast in human skin.
"Excellent! Very good!" Wei Yan took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and his eyes blazed with intense light. "Heaven blesses our Human Race! With such a peerless genius, how can our Human Race not prosper!"
He strode up to Chen Fan and solemnly performed a Martial Artist salute.
Chen Fan swallowed the last bite of fruit, clapped his hands, and nodded casually as a return gesture.
Wei Yan turned around, walked back to the throne, and his expression became solemn again.
"Chen Fan's appearance is our biggest trump card and our hope for the future. But precisely because of this, we must be even more cautious with our next strategy!"
Wei Yan placed his hands on the table, his eyes blazing. "I've decided to completely abandon all the primary and Intermediate Guardian Zones. All troops and resources will be concentrated in the three high-level Guardian Zones: Tianshu, Heavenly Jade, and Heavenly Balance!"
"Relying on the Nine-Dragon Grand Formation of the high-level Guardian Zone, we will build an absolute defensive line! We must hold this position like a nail, wage a war of attrition against them, and drag it out until the Nine-Star Land of Opportunity appears!"
This is an extremely conservative, even drastic, defensive strategy.
Abandoning the periphery means giving up a large amount of resources and completely handing over the initiative to the Alien Races.
But it is also the safest approach at present.
"As for Chen Fan," Wei Yan looked at Chen Fan, his tone becoming unquestionable, "You are the future Martial God of War of the Human Race. Your life is more important than anyone here. You cannot stay on the front lines and risk your life."
Wei Yan pointed to a point of light in the distance behind the Star Map: "You and your squad, retreat to the Blackrock Guardian Zone immediately. It's located at the deepest part of our defense line, the safest place. As long as Tianshu doesn't fall, the Alien Races won't be able to harm a single hair on your head."
It's called protection, but in reality, it's being shelved.
In Wei Yan's view, although Chen Fan's combat power was extraordinary, his cultivation level was ultimately too low.
On battlefields where tens of thousands of Alien Races are slaughtered at any given time, individual bravery is unlikely to change the overall situation.
If Chen Fan were to die prematurely, the blow to the morale of the Human Race would be devastating.
Most of the Guardians inside the main hall nodded in agreement.
They are not afraid to die, but they must not let the hope of the Human Race perish before them.