The monsters' doom

July 1, 2058.

It was the blazing heat of summer.

In Virtual Space, a meeting that would affect all humanity was underway in the War God Palace.

War Gods, Councilors, and even senior officials from various countries who ordinarily lacked the qualifications to enter the War God Palace gathered in the conference hall on its top floor.

"This meeting will mark a major turning point in humanity's fate."

Standing at the front, Hong set the tone for the meeting with his opening words.

"First, let me introduce someone."

Though curious, everyone present was either a powerful fighter or a senior official, and they all remained silent.

"Dongguan."

As Hong spoke his name, Dongguan stood and faced the crowd.

"He will serve as the Third Speaker. The previous Third Speaker, Fourth Speaker, and the others will each move down one position."

Everyone looked toward Mohanderson, Ister, and the others, only to find them sitting in silence.

Aside from the representatives of Huaxia Country, who looked pleased, the people from other nations wore unhappy expressions.

The First Speaker, Hong, was Chinese. Though he operated independently, his ties to Huaxia were closer than those to other nations.

The Second Speaker, Thunder God, had Huaxia ancestry.

Previously, the Third Speaker, Mohanderson, had been from the United States, while the Fourth Speaker, Ister, had been from the European Union. That had made things somewhat better.

Now the new Third Speaker was from Huaxia too.

Did that mean Earth belonged to Huaxia?

Mohanderson and Ister felt bitter.

Hong had informed them of this decision several days earlier, and naturally, they had been unwilling to accept it.

But after meeting Dongguan in the real world, they could only agree.

The intensity of Dongguan's life aura surpassed even Thunder God's.

If he wanted, he could even challenge for the position of Second Speaker.

Seeing the previous Speakers remain silent, no one else offered any further objections. They waited to hear what came next.

"Now, let's get to the main topic."

Everyone sat up straight.

The change in Speakers had major implications, but it hardly counted as a turning point in humanity's fate.

"The plan to wipe out the monsters and reclaim Earth."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Is that possible?" someone soon questioned.

"Before the Great Nirvana, humanity had always been Earth's master. Though places such as the deep seas and underground remained beyond our exploration, everyone believed that was only temporary."

The screen began showing images of the past, from slash-and-burn farming to the development of Eastern and Western civilizations, then the Industrial Revolution and towering buildings.

"The emergence of the RR Virus changed all that."

Surging monster hordes, ruined cities, and crowds of refugees appeared on the screen.

Everyone knew these were recordings from the Great Nirvana Period.

"Humanity began to evolve. Aside from those who died, everyone who survived experienced a tremendous improvement in physical fitness. But the animals improved even more. Not only the seas, but even humanity's former settlements on land were swallowed by monsters."

"Humanity did not lack heroes. With the help of newly risen fighters and technological weapons such as Laser Cannons, humanity endured its greatest crisis. Though many nations fell, humanity still built Base Cities and survived."

On the screen, Base Cities rose one after another, and a new balance was established between humanity and the monsters.

"Fighters pressed forward, one after another, and all humanity worked together. We all believed that one day, humanity would reclaim Earth."

"Honor the heroes."

"Long live humanity."

"God bless humanity."

Those seated below voiced their respect for the heroes and their blessings for humanity as a whole.

"But we all thought that day was far away. Now, however, that day has arrived," Hong said.

"What?"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Have Hong and Thunder God broken through?"

"It probably has something to do with the new Third and Fourth Speakers."

"Let's hear what they have to say."

The crowd began discussing it.

"Now, let's invite the Third Speaker to explain."

Hong stepped aside.

Everyone looked at Dongguan.

Dongguan walked to the front and met their eyes without the slightest fear.

The screen changed again.

"I disappeared over the past few months. I believe all of you heard something about it."

Everyone nodded.

Intelligence agencies naturally kept track of a Councilor. Though they had done nothing about Dongguan's disappearance, they had indeed known of it.

"The truth is, I obtained an inheritance from the Ancient Civilization Ruins. It contains Secret Arts that I cannot pass on. However, I can retrieve some of its resources and devices, as well as certain knowledge, and I can share a portion of those."

"Among them are methods for manufacturing detection devices used in the universe and more advanced Laser Cannons. Limited by materials, Earth can manufacture Laser Cannons of A9 Grade at most, but that is enough to deal with the monsters."

"A9 Grade? Really A9 Grade? We can manufacture them using materials found on Earth?" an elderly professor asked excitedly.

"Of course." Dongguan nodded. "Gold on Earth is an A3 Grade metal, Blue Gold on the moon is an A6 Grade metal, and Mars also has A8 Grade Black Iron. None of these meet the material requirements for manufacturing a standard A9 Grade Laser Cannon. In an ordinary A9 Grade Laser Cannon, the critical components must at least be plated with B Grade metal."

Everyone caught the word "standard."

If the standard approach would not work, they would use a nonstandard one.

"Materials are one consideration, but energy is more important. For a Laser Cannon, energy is ammunition. There is a device that can convert electrical power into a higher form of energy, reaching an energy level sufficient to fire an A9 Grade laser. As for the material limitations, if we cannot manufacture a standard cannon, we can make a disposable one. After all, once it fires, the device will be destroyed, but the monster will be dead too. There aren't that many Beast Emperors on Earth."

"Besides, we don't necessarily have to manufacture A9 Grade cannons. A3 Grade and A5 Grade cannons are enough for ordinary King-level Monsters."

Naturally, this technological information came from the legacy left by Xia Lan, Dongguan's mother in this life.

As a Domain Lord with an extensive range of interests, she had studied technologies such as Laser Cannons, and the information was stored within Qiong.

He selected some of it to teach the nations of Earth, both to deal with the monsters and to ensure this knowledge did not languish in obscurity.

He was destined to pursue the path of strength, so research into other disciplines would inevitably have to wait.

The revival of the Qiong Luo Race remained a distant prospect. Passing down some of its knowledge on Earth was no great problem.

He shared only a portion rather than more because they would not be able to digest any more.

Nearby, Luo Feng watched Dongguan speak confidently while communicating with Babata.

"Babata, do you have this information?"

"Of course I do. My master was an immortal. Knowledge like this was nothing to him," Babata replied proudly.

"Then could you..."

"Don't even think about it. You are my master's disciple. I will follow his instructions and guide you step by step along the path of strength, until you reach Universe Level, Domain Lord, or even World Lord. As for these Earthlings, they are nothing but a burden. Once I finish building the spaceship and we head into the universe, you will understand just how vast it is."

"But that knowledge isn't important, right? Look, Brother Dongguan is passing it on."

"It may not be important, but it is still knowledge belonging to Meteorite Star. As for Dongguan, I suspect that intelligent entity he has is somewhat defective, actually agreeing to something like this. Still, if you really want to pass knowledge on to Earthlings, you can obtain it after entering the universe. I can't stop you from doing that. But let me remind you: cultivating diligently is the right path. If you were already at Universe Level, you could wipe out Earth's monsters with a wave of your hand. At Star Level, it would merely take a little more time."

Listening to Babata, Luo Feng sighed inwardly. It seemed there was nothing he could do.

Through Babata, he had learned that Dongguan was not actually an Earthling. Perhaps his inheritance was related to that.

Yet even though Dongguan was not a true Earthling, he was willing to share his knowledge, while Luo Feng, a genuine Earthling...

At the front, Dongguan continued speaking.

"This knowledge will be given to you afterward. Next, let's discuss the plan."

"There are two known Beast Emperors in the seas: the Nine-clawed Beast Emperor and the Thunder Dragon Emperor. Beyond them, there are numerous King-level Monsters and Lord-level Monsters on both land and sea, along with countless ordinary monsters."

"In terms of top-level combat power, we have no reason to fear them. The only problem is the sheer number of monsters."

Everyone agreed.

If the Nine-clawed Beast Emperor and the Thunder Dragon Emperor came onto land, Hong and Thunder God would kill them.

But they hid in the seas. Though human Planetary Grade fighters could enter the ocean, their combat power would be reduced, and even Hong could not kill a Beast Emperor there.

As for the others, monsters had an advantage at the lower levels. Monsters were tougher than humans of the same level, and even with intelligence and technique to make up the difference, humans still fell somewhat short.

After reaching Planetary Grade, Councilors were no weaker than King-level Monsters, while Hong and Thunder God were stronger than Beast Emperors.

But there were simply too many monsters. Those on land alone were endless, never mind those in the seas.

"Once you receive the information, you can study it, but don't rush to understand it thoroughly. First, follow the instructions and manufacture the various weapons and instruments."

"Then we will use the detectors to locate every monster at King Level or above while preparing the defenses of the Base Cities. All fighters will temporarily refrain from entering the Wilderness Zone."

"After that, Hong and I will deal with the two Beast Emperors. Thunder God will work with the other Councilors and the Laser Cannons to hunt down King-level Monsters across the globe. Everyone else will oversee the defenses and deal with any monster hordes that might erupt. Once the Planetary Grade monsters have been eliminated, the Councilors will hunt down the Lord-level Monsters, while everyone else deals with the remaining monsters."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Aside from Dongguan and Hong, no one's assignment was particularly difficult. Against King-level Monsters, the Councilors only needed to keep them occupied until Thunder God arrived to kill them.

"Of course, when the time comes, we can preserve some monsters as appropriate," Dongguan suddenly said.

"Hm?" Everyone froze.

"Monsters are also part of Earth's ecosystem, much like the cats and dogs we domesticated before the Great Nirvana, or the animals in zoos and wildlife reserves. As long as we ensure they cannot threaten humanity, there is really no need to eradicate them completely."

Everyone applauded, and many exchanged knowing smiles.

Indeed, after being suppressed by monsters for so many years, they had almost forgotten that when humanity ruled Earth, wild beasts, though fierce, had still bowed beneath humanity.

His words filled everyone with powerful confidence.

"Of course, that is the bright future we hope for. Until the monster-clearing operation is complete, we must still exercise caution. High-level monsters possess intelligence and may even send spies into the Base Cities. Before we actually begin, maintain the status quo and don't let them discover anything. Though our victory is certain, we must still minimize our losses."

After finishing, Dongguan yielded the floor to Hong.

Next came discussions of various details and questions about certain issues in the information.

In truth, although Dongguan had selected the information, he did not understand much of it himself. He merely relayed Qiong's answers to those questions.

Finally, the meeting drew to a close.

"Today is July 1, 2058. You will have three months to study the information and manufacture equipment. We will hold another meeting on October 1, 2058. At that time, the operation will officially begin. The monsters' doom will arrive. Earth will return to humanity's hands."

"The meeting is now adjourned."

At Hong's announcement, everyone began to leave.

With only three months, the researchers and officials, and even the workers who were not present, had heavy tasks ahead of them.

The fighters also needed to seize this opportunity to improve their strength one last time.

Although the data showed that their victory was inevitable, no one knew whether there might be a third Beast Emperor in the seas. Unexpected developments were commonplace in battle.

Every increase in strength meant a little more safety and a little more certainty of victory.

Some had asked why they were being given only three months. With six months or a year, they would have greater confidence.

But Dongguan insisted that they had to act in three months. Since he was also the one sharing the technological information, they swallowed their objections.

Back in the real world.

At the Sand Sea Villa, Dongguan looked up at the sky.

"Three more months, and everything will be different."

"Actually, why leave only three months?" Qiong asked, puzzled.

Dongguan shook his head.

The end of 2058 was when the Golden-Horned Behemoth had been born in the original story.

In theory, even after a year had passed, the Golden-Horned Behemoth would only reach Star Level after consuming its eggshell, and only then would it emerge.

But what if something unexpected happened and it was born early?

Even if the Golden-Horned Behemoth reached Star Level, he could still kill it using the technological equipment his mother had left behind. Capturing it, however, carried the risk of complications.

At that point, the Golden-Horned Behemoth would just barely be capable of crossing the starry sky.

"By the way, Qiong, does the inheritance contain any possession Secret Arts?"

"Possession?" Streams of data refreshed in Qiong's eyes. "No."

"Why? Possession Secret Arts shouldn't be particularly rare, should they?"

"As a race with a third-tier bloodline in the universe, members of the Qiong Luo Race have no need for possession."

A third-tier bloodline was indeed inferior to those of the first and second tiers, but it was still powerful enough. Even if they truly had a chance to obtain a body with a first- or second-tier bloodline, most members of the Qiong Luo Race would be unwilling to abandon their own bodies and undertake a dangerous possession. It was not worth it.

"What about a Starry Sky Behemoth or a Special Lifeform? Surely those would be worth possessing?"

"For ordinary Starry Sky Behemoths, enslavement is preferable to possession, unless they possess one of the peak bloodlines among Starry Sky Behemoths. There are records of a member of our race encountering a Huisuo Giant Beast, but at the time, the other party was a World Lord capable of rivaling an immortal. Capturing that beast was impossible, and even if we had succeeded, possession would have been difficult. As for Special Lifeforms, they exist only in legends."

"On the contrary, there have been cases of outsiders possessing members of the Qiong Luo Race. When that happens, the race sends people to hunt them down if circumstances permit. Our people generally despise possession, let alone deliberately collecting possession Secret Arts."

"Young master, are you interested in possession Secret Arts because there's someone you want to possess?" Qiong asked in confusion.

Of all the living beings Qiong had seen on Earth, Dongguan had the highest bloodline.

Zhang Gui was his son, but because the extracted life seed had been stored for some time, combined with his mother's bloodline, his bloodline had fallen to the bottom of the fourth tier. He would only just be able to break through to Star Level upon reaching adulthood.

"Nothing. I was just asking."

After spending some affectionate time with his wife and son, Dongguan resumed cultivating.

Domain. After his battle with Hong, he had begun to gain a faint sense of how to proceed.

Zhang Gui had already broken through to Planetary Grade, so naturally, he would no longer attend the Elite Training Camp. He had been cultivating at home during this period.

Qiong had also selected Secret Arts for him.

In three months, as a newly appointed Councilor, he would also participate in the decisive battle against the monsters.

As for Zhang Yu, she would not participate directly. She was not registered as a fighter, and unless she met a Councilor face-to-face, no one could recognize her cultivation level.

During this time, she established a laboratory at home and began studying Domain Lord Xia Lan's Potion Master inheritance.