Chapter 245

In the direction of the storm belt that Wen Jing watching, inside a small, stealthy aircraft, the monitor was intermittently playing the live broadcast that had captivated the entire nation.

Little Ye stared at the screen with bright eyes. "The emperor is so young, but his aura is so strong!"

Heli, another leader of the Ten Star Group, smiled slightly and said, "Whether she's strong or not is none of our business; she's not our target."

"Tomorrow's opening ceremony will proceed as planned."

Xie Ming's gaze pierced through the storm belt as he addressed the group via Mental Link: "Remember, do not linger in battle, do not be greedy for glory. Our objective is to achieve our attack target by drawing the Empire's attention to the major financial groups, and then retreat immediately."

Little Ye looked at him with some concern. "Mentor, I think you should come with me."

Xie Ming smiled.

"Don't worry, since I've chosen to cover the rear, I naturally have a way to escape."

Little Ye stared at him, trying to read something from his face, but Xie Ming had already turned around and was looking in the direction of the academy.

"It'll be soon," he murmured to himself.

The attack on the Emperor's visit was more likely to alarm the Prophet than any of the scenarios he had previously envisioned.

Chapter 245

The opening ceremony of this year's Federation Academy League was held in the main stadium of the Mystic Radiance Academy.

This building, large enough to hold a million spectators—even bigger than the Freshman League stadium—is currently packed to capacity.

A giant holographic projection floated above the stadium, broadcasting everything inside to every habitable planet, every city, and every corner of the Federation.

All the contestants for this year's competition have arrived. The Awakened from the three academies are wearing their respective academy uniforms, their young faces filled with pride and nervousness.

Their gazes frequently drifted towards the central dais.

On such occasions, even powerful figures like members of parliament and tycoon heads can only sit in the VIP section outside the main stage.

The only ones qualified to go on stage were the deans of the three academies that were the organizers of this event, and the emperor who was visiting as a special guest judge.

While the official league in previous years was also an important event for the Federation, none of them had ever achieved such a grand scale, with attention reaching its peak at all levels.

Some contestants who originally planned to participate next year also chose to participate this year for various reasons.

Time passed by, and before we knew it, it was 8 o'clock, the opening time.

The deans of the three colleges took turns giving their routine encouraging speeches.

Finally, Dean Ailin said, "Let us welcome our special guest judge, Her Majesty Emperor Weiluo Thran."

All eyes in the room turned to the center of the stage.

The empty seat was suddenly occupied by a figure.

The live stream camera zoomed in instantly, projecting her face onto the giant light screen above the stadium.

The entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

In such an occasion, with such an important person, there's no way the atmosphere would be dull. Even if the audience's reaction isn't enthusiastic enough, background music will automatically play to fill in the gaps.

However, this time there was no need for technological means. The Emperor himself visited and attended the official league, which made the Federation people feel very proud, so of course they would give him face.

At the same time, various information and intelligence about this emperor were also transmitted to the Federation, becoming known to everyone present.

"I heard she only awakened her powers a little over a year ago, and she's already become empress? Is her Wilderness Body an S-rank?"

"That's what makes this special. It's said that this person is an A-rank, but they've entered the Icon Council, which only S-rank individuals can enter in the Empire. Even if they are an A-rank, they're definitely not simple..."

"Of course she's extraordinary. Even before she ascended the throne, she was the most talented person in the empire for nearly a century, and she passed all the top-level trials there before she was fully awakened."

"Hehe, but I've heard that this emperor's personal love life is even more fascinating..."

The audience discussed all sorts of things, but the most enduring and fastest-spreading topic was still gossip...

Compared to the ordinary spectators, the seeded players who were expected to win the league looked at Wen Jing, who was currently in the highest position, with curiosity, resentment, and a desire to challenge him.

"If only I could fight her..." Shen Lan thought to herself as she stood among the players.

He is currently the First in the Grade year at the Mystic Radiance Academy, an A-level Awakened, and a favorite to win this year's championship. The only regret in his resume since awakening is that he still cannot break the record of the Trial Tower that has been erased from his name in his most proficient combat skills.

Now that we're participating in the official league, we naturally want to know how good the talent pool is on the Empire's side.

Not to mention that the other side has only been awakened for a year, and now they are standing on the judges' panel commenting on their competition.

At this moment, there were quite a few other contestants who shared the same thoughts as Shen Lan, but everyone understood that this idea was destined to be impossible to realize during this visit that was related to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two great civilizations.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wen Jing on the stage scanned the entire audience before speaking:

"I hope that after today, I can witness the future of humanity."

She only said that one sentence.

However, when these words reached the ears of the audience at the scene and the Federation members watching the live broadcast, many of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The future of humanity? Shouldn't we be talking about things like lasting friendship and peaceful development?"

"Perhaps the Imperial side has a different style of address..."

"But it's too... too high. It's not like it's a turning point in history. It's just one league season on our side. To make it the future of humanity... Isn't she afraid of public discontent in the Empire?"

Not to mention the other audience members, even the Federation dignitaries in the VIP seats and the accompanying members of the delegation had different reactions.

When the emperor says such things on such a occasion, it's no exaggeration to say something like that; is there a hidden meaning in his words?

Dean Ailin's expression also changed slightly, and she was about to speak to ease the tension—

"Boom!!!"

Violent explosions rang out from all four corners of the venue.

Flames shot into the sky, metal fragments flew everywhere, and alarms and screams instantly drowned out everything.

"Everyone back off!" the captain of the Federation Guard shouted.

The next second, the ground cracked open.

Dozens of thick energy vines burst through the ground and grew wildly. Their surfaces were covered with sharp thorns, and they would pull the surrounding matter into their own parts. As they surged toward the central podium, they also wantonly destroyed the venue.

"It's the Ten Star Group! Protect the Emperor!"

The Military Department's security detail immediately went to stop them.

As Federation event of the highest caliber, the on-site security forces were extremely strong, and the outer defense system was fully activated immediately after the attack.

Dean Ailin was already next to Wen Jing, quickly created a tidal shield that covered the entire platform. Fu Yuan, who was standing nearby, also changed his expression and used his mental power to sense the surrounding anomalies.

Even knowing that the emperor is also a top-tier expert, the necessary protection must still be provided without fail; this is a matter of commitment.

Moreover, if anything happens to the Emperor of the Empire in the Federation, it will be war.

The Military Department's guards have taken the initiative to search for the source of the chaos.

Heli, the leader of the Ten Star Group, stood in a corner with his hands clasped together. Whenever a squad member was surrounded, he would gently pull them, and they would instantly be moved to another location.

Heli is a rare Awakened with the ability to teleport long distances. The Awakened of the Ten Star Group can move around in various places and successfully cultivate a new generation of Awakened. His special ability is indispensable.

The operation consisted of ten members, all dressed in the uniforms of the three major colleges, making them inconspicuous in the crowd.

Seeing the scene descend into chaos, and with the attack being broadcast live across the entire Federation, he knew the objective had been achieved. Remembering his plan, he didn't linger and, via Mental Link, ordered, "Prepare for retreat!"

Their surprise attack came via the Ancient Wilderness Traversal – only this method could create a true surprise attack, as other spatial transfers would be detected and blocked by protective facilities. After using the Ancient Wilderness Traversal, it would take some time before they could re-enter the Ancient Wilderness.

Therefore, the key to their attack was not the assault route, but the retreat route, which required the use of Heli's spatial abilities.

"Little Ye, use the vines to cover everyone as they get to my side!"

"Yes!" Little Ye agreed, then added, "But I didn't see my mentor."

Heli paused upon hearing this, then said, "You all retreat first, I'll stay behind to cover him."

"But..."

Little Ye was about to say something, but Heli interrupted her, "This is an order!"

"Yes."

However, just recently, one of the members approached Heli, preparing for a spatial transfer.

Heli's pupils suddenly contracted, realizing that his superpower had failed!

The body still has energy and doesn't feel any external pressure, but it just can't perform its original functions.

The next moment, he glanced around and realized that he wasn't the only one whose superpower had failed.

The dozens of vines released by Little Ye disappeared, as did all the destructive abilities released by the members of this operation; even those who were originally capable of flight were no longer able to fly.

What's going on?

The guards who came to intercept them were stunned for a moment when they saw this scene.

However, they quickly realized that a powerful figure had made a move and stepped forward to capture the members of the Ten Star Group.

However, when they tried to make a move, a faint halo appeared around each of the ten people, preventing them from breaking through.

Then the ten people floated up and drifted in a common direction.

Everyone looked in that direction and saw the emperor slowly raising his hand on the platform.

The woman's gaze was calm and emotionless, as if she had only done something insignificant.