Zhang Yu held the Cicada Cry Sword in hand, his sleeves billowing as he slowly walked forward beneath everyone's gaze.
The countless ghostly things were still relentlessly battering the light, roaring all the while.
Yet their efforts were futile. Though separated by only a thin veil, they could not pass through the curtain of light.
The starkly contrasting sight left everyone deeply shaken.
Elder Ying patted the shoulder of the stunned soldier in front of him and said, "That is Profound Rectifier Zhang of the Profound Residence. With him here, we should be safe. Let me go speak with him."
The soldier did not move. He glanced at Captain Li, who nodded to him. Only then did he make an opening, quickly closing it again after Elder Ying left. The young man and Shuhua within the circle watched from behind with some concern.
Elder Ying stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Zhang Yu. "Greetings, Profound Rectifier Zhang. I am Ying Ke of Yantai Academy, an old friend of Old Lu's. I have often heard Old Lu speak of you."
Zhang Yu nodded. "So it is Academic Commissioner Ying. Old Lu has also spoken of you, saying that you are one of the few scholars who have made achievements in the study of divine anomalies."
The study of divine anomalies was a specialized field devoted to researching ancient alien gods. It had first been established by the Military Prefecture to deal with alien gods. Its scholars were in fact two sides of the same coin as scholars of ancient artifacts, except that they leaned more toward researching the divine and anomalous aspects, and had more dealings with the Celestial Mechanisms Bureau.
Elder Ying hurriedly said he did not deserve such praise. "I have been studying these ruins for a long