Recalling the Past

Following the high-profile gathering of top-tier forces by the Heavenly Azure Hall, another explosive piece of news swept across the Heavenly Azure Continent like a whirlwind.

"What? There are actually beings known as the Extraterrestrial Evil race outside the Heavenly Azure Continent?"

This is the first reaction of most people upon hearing this.

It must be admitted that the barrier outside the Heavenly Azure Continent protects the creatures within it quite well.

As a result, the vast majority of people who first heard this news showed a naturally naive and uninformed look.

No secrets stay hidden forever. With the leading forces intentionally opening up the information, more and more news about the Holy Clan, or rather, the Extraterrestrial Evil race, spread rapidly to the ears of ordinary people.

For a time, the Extraterrestrial Evil race became the most discussed hot topic, and various public places were filled with arguments and battle scenes, adding a unique liveliness to the stagnant Heavenly Azure Continent.

The sudden emergence of the Extraterrestrial Evil race has had two-sided effects.

Upon learning that a group of wolves and tigers were eyeing the outskirts of the Heavenly Azure Continent, many hot-blooded men were enraged and vowed to fight them to the death. They then rushed to the recruitment offices set up by various sects to join the Heavenly Azure Allied Forces, which was in the preparatory stage.

Some fell silent upon hearing about the other side's strength, and a few even considered defecting early.

Another group did not hysterically shout and fight against enemies they had never met, nor did they harbor any ill intentions.

All he did was leverage his network of connections to reach out to major powers, hoping to gather more information, adjust his strategy, and prepare for the big battle.

Most of them are exceptionally talented young people, while others are powerful but have no future. This great battle is both an unprecedented crisis and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Overall, the atmosphere in the Heavenly Azure Continent remains relatively positive, and the optimism that leaves many elderly people feeling helpless has temporarily created an atmosphere of great victory.

"Forgetting war is dangerous!"

Within the Mount Tai Sect.

Upon hearing the report from his disciples about the number of Allied Forces that had arrived, Yang Jiuxiao sighed deeply.

Although the numbers were terrifying, he knew without even looking that most of them treated it as an easy game, not a brutal war, and that such a mentality would cause the Allied Forces to suffer extremely heavy losses.

"Sect Master, surely it can't be that bad? After all, the Heavenly Azure Continent is a place where hidden talents abound!"

Clearly, they were not optimistic about the future of the Allied Forces at this time.

An Elder was quite close to Yang Jiuxiao was puzzled.

He naturally had no doubt about Yang Jiuxiao's judgment, as the latter's abilities had been fully proven over the past few thousand years.

However, this didn't stop him from having doubts. He had a feeling that his Sect Master was making a mountain out of a molehill, a practice that seemed to be called... by the younger generation in recent years.

"Gou"?

"You think this force is very strong?!"

Yang Jiuxiao glanced at the Elder had spoken and asked in a cold tone.

The former's changed attitude did not deter the Elder; this type of debate had already occurred between the two many times.

"Sect Master, the Allied Forces are now more than twice as strong as our Mount Tai Sect. Isn't that powerful enough?"

During this time, the Elder have come to realize just how wise the Sect Master's often-quoted saying was, "The Heavenly Azure Continent is full of hidden talents; do not underestimate anyone in the world."

He originally thought that his sect, as one of the few first-class forces in the Heavenly Azure Continent, was powerful enough to dominate the surrounding hundreds of thousands of miles, and he couldn't help but feel contemptuous of it.

A draft shattered his pride.

Hundreds of Seven Star and Eight Trigrams Realm experts, who were rarely seen in the past, suddenly appeared, exceeding the entire foundation of the Mount Tai Sect, and he didn't recognize a single one of them!

Even more remarkably, a cultivator at the Nine Palaces Realm, who could be considered a top expert in the entire Heavenly Azure Continent, has appeared. When his disciple came up tremblingly to report this, he initially thought it was fake news. After all, throughout the entire Mount Tai Sect, there were only four cultivators at the Nine Palaces Realm.

He tried to extend an invitation to the other party.

"Don't waste your time. I fought for the sake of all living beings in Tian Lan this time. After the battle, I will naturally continue to live in seclusion and cultivate."

His arrogant words shut him down.

Given the current rate of growth of the Heavenly Azure Allied Forces's strength, it wouldn't be a problem for it to double in size again by the time the great war begins. Can such a force still be considered weak?

Do you think they are truly prepared for a major war?

Yang Jiuxiao gestured to the list in the Elder's hand.

Do you know how brutal that great war was thousands of years ago?

The unprecedentedly solemn tone startled the Elder, who quickly replied:

"Your disciple is dull-witted."

"Actually..."

"I don't know either."

You don't know either?

The sudden turn of events left the Elder somewhat bewildered as he listened to Yang Jiuxiao recount his experiences.

"I am somewhat ashamed to be called the person closest to that era."

"Because my era is nearly a thousand years away from that time, I have never seen the full picture of that era."

"But..."

Yang Jiuxiao paused slightly.

"You should know about the Mingshen Palace, right?"

"That's natural."

The Elder immediately replied that if even the Mingshen Palace, another first-rate power, was unaware of this, he would rather commit suicide to atone for his sins.

Is the Mingshen Palace powerful now?

"Certainly."

The Elder said with a face full of admiration,

"Palace Master Huangfu truly lives up to his reputation, having transformed the Mingshen Palace, which had fallen to the bottom of the first-rate forces, into a state comparable to our sect."

"Do you know how powerful the Mingshen Palace used to be?"

"I mean forces excluding Lord War God."

"This..."

The Elder was speechless. The glorious history of the Mingshen Palace was widely known in the Heavenly Azure Continent, but it was only known to the legendary powerhouse Battle Venerable Mingyu. As for the others, they had long been washed away by the river of time.

A look of longing appeared in Yang Jiuxiao's eyes.

"When I was young, the legend of the Mingshen Palace's 'One Venerable One, Three Kings, Seven Stars, Twenty-Eight Constellations' was still circulating on the mainland."

"One Supreme Being, Three Kings, Seven Stars, Twenty-Eight Constellations?"

The Elder cautiously speculated:

"The one being referred to should be the legendary Battle Venerable Mingyu. The Three Kings are the strongest beings under the current Palace Master of the Mingshen Palace, but the Seven Stars Twenty-Eight Constellations after them..."

"Forgive my ignorance."

Yang Jiuxiao continued speaking, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"When I was young, my Mingshen Palace also had a Three Kings, Seven Stars, Twenty-Eight Constellations, but those people were a complete joke. A few trashy people at the Eight Trigrams and Seven Stars Realm dared to call themselves kings and even constellations?"

"Even the three kings of the Mingshen Palace are not strong enough now."

"In the era of the War Venerable, the Three Kings were all experts of the Ten Directions Realm, while the Seven Stars were the strongest experts of the Nine Palaces Realm below the Ten Directions Realm."

"Even the Twenty-Eight Constellations Mansions are only attainable by those at the Nine Palaces Realm."

"Compared to the former Mingshen Palace, its current power is not even worthy of carrying its shoes, and even the Heavenly Azure Hall is no exception."

Do you understand?

The Elder was stunned. The Mingshen Palace of the past was too far removed from the present era, so far that it was hard to imagine that such a force existed in the past.

"I... I understand!"

Having just recovered from the shock, the Elder suddenly realized what was happening, and his expression changed drastically.

"Sect Master, could it be that even the Mingshen Palace of yesteryear was no match for the Extraterrestrial Evil race?"

"How do you think Bright King City came to be?" Yang Jiuxiao glanced at the Elder sideways.

"Back then, the War Lord was in his prime, a time of great pride and arrogance. If he had a way out, why would he have joined forces with other powers?"

"Even so, in that great battle, all three kings perished, the fate of the War Venerable is unknown, and only one of the Seven Stars Twenty-Eight Constellations survived with severe injuries. The Mingshen Palace was directly reduced to Second-rate Force, and it has only recently begun to recover."

"That's still considered good. At least the lineage was preserved. Countless Nine Palaces Realm experts perished in that great battle, and countless forces were completely wiped out."

"Now, do you still think we're strong enough?"

"Sect Master, can we still win...?"

"Wrong!"

"Please speak plainly; I will be extremely cautious."

The Elder was initially immersed in the panic brought about by Yang Jiuxiao, but then he suddenly thought, "Wait a minute, if the enemy is so powerful, the Sect Master should have arranged for them to prepare a way out long ago. Why would he need to educate him on the history of Tian Lan?"

"Good lad, you've figured it out pretty early this time."

Yang Jiuxiao chuckled, then waved his hand.

"I'm saying this so you won't underestimate your opponent."

"You just need to remember that in this war, the ultimate victor will be Tian Lan."

"Go and get ready!"

"Yes!"

Watching the Elder emerge from the main hall, having regained their composure, Yang Jiuxiao's smile vanished.

"We all have to survive!"