Flatten the Abyss of the Void
Immediately afterwards, a calm yet supremely majestic voice emanated from the Sacred Temple that had appeared out of nowhere, like a divine decree, resounding directly in the ears of every Ninth Tier expert.
"Commanders of the Ninth Tier under the Tianyuan Defense Line, please enter the hall for a meeting."
The dozen or so Ninth Tier powerhouses guarding the various Star Gates were all horrified.
As they felt the familiar yet unfamiliar pressure of the Martial God, and the Divine Soul cleansing brought by the Sacred Temple bells, the last trace of doubt in their hearts completely dissipated.
The next second, streaks of dazzling Stream of Light, tearing through the Void, shot up from every corner of the defensive line, rushing toward the Martial God Sacred Temple that floated atop the fortress with utmost awe and barely suppressed excitement.
When the dozen or so Human Race commanders stepped into the Sacred Temple, the scene before them all stunned them.
The young Martial God stood quietly in the center of the hall, his aura as restrained as that of an ordinary person, like a boy next door.
Upon seeing their arrival, Chen Fan's face revealed a gentle smile.
He was the first to solemnly and deeply bow to this group of predecessors who had fought bloody battles on the frontier for countless years.
"Esteemed seniors, you have worked hard guarding Tianyuan."
"Chen Fan greets everyone."
This gesture, like a spring breeze, instantly dispelled the tension and restraint felt by all the Ninth Tier experts due to the pressure of the Martial God.
They were terrified, they were moved, and they were even somewhat at a loss.
The one-armed old man at the head of the group, Wang Pojun, the commander-in-chief of the Tianyuan Defense Line, quickly stepped forward and led the group in returning a more solemn military salute, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"You flatter us! All soldiers of the Tianyuan Defense Line respectfully welcome the Martial God!"
Chen Fan's humility instantly won the heartfelt respect and support of these veteran warriors.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the atmosphere inside the hall had become harmonious.
Chen Fan glanced at everyone, then cut to the chase without further ado.
"Esteemed seniors, I require all information about the Void Insect Race, especially regarding that Void Mother Nest."
Upon hearing the words "Void Mother Nest," Wang Pojun's excitement vanished instantly, replaced by a deep-seated solemnity and exhaustion.
He raised his hand and waved it, and a vast Star Map unfolded in the hall.
He pointed to the end of the Star Map, an area completely shrouded in endless darkness and twisted laws. There, even light could not escape, like a festering sore in the universe.
"The Abyss of the Void."
Wang Pojun's voice was hoarse and heavy.
"The Mother Nest is here. It is the Insect Race, and the Insect Race are it. Immortal and indestructible, its Insect Tide are endless. For millennia, we have been forced to passively erode its strength, and every attempt to launch a proactive attack has ended at the heavy cost of several of our comrades."
"His wisdom is unfathomable; the entire Abyss of the Void is His body, His trap. Anyone who steps into it will become nourishment for His evolution and sustenance."
His words conveyed endless helplessness and despair forged in blood and tears.
The atmosphere inside the hall became as heavy as iron once again as Wang Pojun recounted his story.
All the commanders turned their attention to Chen Fan.
They hoped that this newly ascended Martial God, who brought miracles and hope to the defense line, could propose a completely new, or even just a more effective, defensive strategy.
Chen Fan listened quietly to all the intelligence, then slowly withdrew his gaze from the Star Map that represented despair.
He glanced around at everyone, sensing the almost frozen, heavy atmosphere in the hall, but his expression remained calm.
He spoke.
He uttered a sentence that was enough to overturn the ironclad rules of the Tianyuan Defense Line for ten thousand years, and to make the Divine Souls of all the Ninth Tier powerhouses tremble.
"I have understood your suggestions."
"Now, let me offer my suggestion."
He paused slightly, and in his dark eyes, it seemed as if two universes were being born and dying in a cycle.
Every word and phrase is clearly imprinted deep within everyone's soul.
"Take a headcount of the troops."
"Three days later, launch a preemptive strike."
"Target..."
"Crush the Abyss of the Void!"
Six words, a simple and understated description.
Led by Commander-in-Chief Wang Pojun, more than ten Ninth Tier Immortal Realm commanders who had fought their way out of Corpse Mountain and Sea of Blood stood there completely stunned, like statues whose Divine Souls had been ripped out.
The light in their eyes went out at that moment.
After a long while, Wang Pojun's only remaining arm suddenly trembled, as if he had been awakened from a nightmare.
Horror surged in his bloodshot, cloudy eyes.
He thought he had misheard.
Perhaps this young Martial God simply didn't understand what that darkness represented.
"Martial God..."
Wang Pojun's lips moved.
Are you... joking?
He stepped forward, his hunched back seemingly bearing the blood debt of Human Race for millennia.
"Ten thousand years ago, the Sword Saint led thirty million elite troops into the Abyss of the Void. Three days later, all the Soul Lamps were extinguished, and not a single person survived."
"Eight thousand years ago, the Thunder Emperor attempted to purify the Abyss Eye with the Myriad Laws Divine Thunder, but he and nine of his Ninth Tier subordinates were directly devoured by the Mother Nest and turned into nourishment for the Insect Race."
"The most recent instance was three thousand years ago, when we mobilized seventy percent of the Tianyuan Defense Line in an attempt to destroy one of the outer hatching grounds of the Mother Nest... In that battle, Ninth Tier comrades perished! A fleet of billions of ships couldn't even create a ripple before it was completely evaporated!"
"My lord, that's not a battlefield, that's... a graveyard! A forbidden zone that our Human Race can never set foot in!"
As he finished speaking, the old general, who had lived a life of iron-fisted courage, choked up, and tears welled up in his fierce eyes.
The atmosphere inside the Sacred Temple was so heavy it almost felt tangible.
On the faces of every commander, the same pain and despair as Wang Pojun's was evident.
Chen Fan listened quietly without interrupting.
Only when Wang Pojun's breathing became disordered due to the intense emotional turmoil did he slowly raise his hand.
A gentle yet immensely powerful aura, like the weight of the universe, gently supported the old general's trembling body.
"Senior, I'm not joking."
Chen Fan's gaze swept over every face filled with despair, his eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness.
"I will never forget your sacrifices, the blood and Chen Fan of Human Race."
"That's precisely why," he changed his tone, his voice suddenly becoming firm and powerful, "This endless cycle of attrition, this bottomless pit filled with the lives of our Human Race heroes, must be ended by our generation!"
After saying that, Chen Fan offered no further explanation.
He simply extended his right hand calmly, palm facing up.
The next moment.
A scene that transcended all descriptions in this world and overturned the lifelong understanding of all Ninth Tier powerhouses appeared.
A miniature universe slowly emerged and rotated in the palm of his hand.
That is not a simulation of laws, nor a construction of energy.
That was... a real world!
Wang Pojun and the others stared intently at that universe, their pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
They could see that in that world within the palm of their hand, dust gathered and ignited the first Star.
Nebulae swirl and give birth to brilliant Star System.
On a desolate planet, the first fragile life form was born, and a civilization even rose to prominence, only to vanish into Annihilation over time...