The next morning, as the sun rose, its golden rays cascaded down, bathing Mount Everest in a brilliant golden hue.
Jiang Wuming sat cross-legged on the platform of Mount Everest, his body enveloped by surging true qi, resembling a sculpture of ice.
He had been on Mount Everest for nearly twenty-four hours, observing the great curtain and comprehending the world's rules.
During this time, he had neither eaten nor drunk. Except for a brief moment when he stood up to converse with Daoist Tianlong, he had remained motionless.
Once a martial artist reached the War God realm, they could enter prolonged seclusion, relying on their internal true qi to sustain bodily functions.
Scientifically speaking, it was the law of conservation of energy – true qi was a form of energy that could sustain the necessary functions of the human body.
Furthermore, his protective true qi had also helped Jiang Wuming withstand the extreme cold. The temperature at the summit of Mount Everest was incredibly low, making it difficult even for professional climbers, fully equipped, to remain there for long.
Beside Jiang Wuming, Daoist Tianlong stood like an ancient pine tree, standing tall and shielding Jiang Wuming from the wind and rain.
*Swish!*
Suddenly, the great curtain experienced another surge of immense energy, startling Jiang Wuming awake.
He opened his eyes once more and discovered that the blurry figures within the curtain had become clear.
Spanning several miles, the curtain contained tens of thousands of extraterrestrial enemies.
The five leading figures wore black robes, each adorned with different patterns representing their origins from the five major extraterrestrial families.
They exuded powerful and terrifying auras.
Especially the elder standing at the forefront of the army, his black robe bore the emblem of the Mu family, and his aura was even more formidable than the other four!
As if sensing Jiang Wuming’s gaze, the powerful individuals from the five extraterrestrial families within the curtain shifted their attention from Daoist Tianlong and looked towards Jiang Wuming.
In that instant, Jiang Wuming felt suffocated. His thoughts and consciousness seemed to freeze, his body felt paralyzed, unable to move.
Even through the curtain, the pressure and killing intent emanating from the powerful figures of the five extraterrestrial families were too much for Jiang Wuming to bear!
Just then, Daoist Tianlong took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Jiang Wuming, shielding him from the pressure and killing intent of the extraterrestrial powerhouses. He then said,
“The enemy is about to emerge from the curtain. You may leave now. However, when they truly descend, you can feel the changes in the curtain and the world from the foot of the mountain.”
“Understood, Master.”
Jiang Wuming nodded, then stood up. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Master, you must be careful.”
“Good.”
Daoist Tianlong smiled faintly, reached out to stroke Jiang Wuming’s head, and then gently patted his shoulder.
This scene warmed Jiang Wuming’s heart, and he felt a sense of déjà vu.
He recalled the first time the elder had met him, with the same benevolent smile, affectionately stroking his head.
Daoist Tianlong then withdrew his hand. Jiang Wuming took a deep breath and turned to descend the mountain.
However, after walking only a few dozen meters, he couldn’t help but look back. He saw the elder standing at the edge of the Mount Everest platform, waving to him with a smile.
Behind the elder was the great curtain, within which were thousands of extraterrestrial enemies, as well as true Celestial God realm powerhouses.
This scene was captured by drones hovering above Mount Everest and synchronized to the live broadcast on the Divine Network.
At that moment, almost everyone who witnessed this scene felt immense admiration for the elder.
A bad premonition surged through Jiang Wuming’s heart. His chest tightened, as if his heart was being clutched in a hand and squeezed, causing him to gasp for breath!
At this moment, an ominous feeling suddenly arose within him!
“Hoo…”
Jiang Wuming took another deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and resolutely turned, leaving quickly.
Though he desperately wanted to stay and fight side-by-side with his master, it was merely a wish.
With his current strength, staying would only make him a burden and hinder Daoist Tianlong.
Following this, Jiang Wuming’s figure disappeared from the Divine Network live broadcast. The camera refocused on Daoist Tianlong.
Daoist Tianlong turned around, stood with his hands behind his back, as before, looking down at the extraterrestrial enemies within the great curtain, awaiting their descent.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wuming descended the mountain, arriving at a platform a thousand meters below Mount Everest.
This had once been a peak, but due to the immense energy fluctuations caused by the appearance of the great curtain above Mount Everest, the peak had collapsed, triggering an avalanche and landslides, which also formed a platform.
“Wuming.”
As Jiang Wuming reached the platform below Mount Everest, he heard a familiar voice.
Zhuge Lingjun was sitting cross-legged not far from the platform, covered in snow and ice fragments, his entire being resembling a statue of ice.
“Grandpa Zhuge, why are you here?”
Jiang Wuming’s figure flickered, and he immediately glided over.
He had been preoccupied with Daoist Tianlong’s impending battle and hadn’t noticed Zhuge Lingjun.
Moreover, today’s Zhuge Lingjun was different from usual. He possessed no martial aura whatsoever, making him undetectable.
“I am waiting for the extraterrestrial enemies to descend, so I can join forces with your master to fight them,” Zhuge Lingjun said with a smile.
“Grandpa Zhuge, do you have confidence?” Jiang Wuming couldn’t help but ask.
“Yes.”
Zhuge Lingjun nodded with a smile, then looked at Jiang Wuming and said, “Before, I always thought Tianlong was lucky to have found a good disciple like you. Now, I believe it is you who is lucky to have found such a good master as Tianlong.”
“Master is indeed very good.”
Jiang Wuming nodded.
Regardless of how the outside world viewed Daoist Tianlong, in his heart, Daoist Tianlong was the best master and the best elder.
“Alas… looking at everything Tianlong has done for you, and then thinking about your father’s affairs back then, I feel ashamed.”
Zhuge Lingjun was moved by the scene, recalling Jiang Zhan from years ago.
Back then, before Jiang Zhan joined the Martial Department, he was the senior disciple of the Dragon Gate and a direct disciple of Zhuge Lingjun.
Although Zhuge Lingjun had led many powerful individuals from the Dragon Country’s martial arts community to protect Jiang Zhan after he massacred the War God Temple’s hunting team base and broke ties with the War God Temple, Zhuge Lingjun felt he hadn’t provided sufficient protection for Jiang Zhan in subsequent matters, and he now felt regret and remorse.
“Of course, I also lack your master’s great wisdom and courage. But enough of that. The extraterrestrial enemies are about to descend, you should go down quickly.”
As he spoke, Zhuge Lingjun let out a wry smile.
His trip to Longhu Mountain had been incredibly rewarding.
Apart from the martial arts realm, in other aspects as well, he was completely convinced by Daoist Tianlong.
“Alright, Grandpa Zhuge, you and Master must be careful when facing the enemy.”
Jiang Wuming nodded, his unease growing stronger. He had a feeling that the two elders were saying goodbye to him in a way.
With his words, Jiang Wuming wasted no further time. He quickly left the platform below Mount Everest and descended the mountain towards the frontline command center.
Like Qi Wufu and the others, he intended to watch the upcoming battle through the live broadcast on the Divine Network from within the frontline command center.
Inside the frontline command center, Qi Wufu and the others had concluded their meeting and made all necessary arrangements. They were watching the large screen in the conference room.
*Swish, swish, swish…*
As Jiang Wuming appeared at the entrance of the conference room, everyone’s gaze collectively turned towards him.
Jiang Wuming remained silent, walked into the conference room, and noticed that in addition to the elders and core members of the Martial Department and personnel from the military, Qin Xiaozhi was also present.
This was a suggestion from Li Rui, a staff officer of the Martial Department, to involve Qin Xiaozhi in the command of this war.
“Wuming, did Master Tianlong mention the strength of the enemy leader within the curtain? Is he truly at the Celestial God realm?”
Seeing Jiang Wuming enter the conference room, Li Rui hesitated and then asked.
“Yes, Director.”
Jiang Wuming nodded softly.
*Thump!*
Although everyone had already heard the host in the Divine Network live broadcast, and knew that the monitoring equipment on the drones had detected the aura of the extraterrestrial enemy leader surpassing the limit value, hearing Jiang Wuming’s confirmation sent a shock through their hearts!
Because this confirmation came from Daoist Tianlong – the true strongest individual of this era!
Daoist Tianlong’s confirmation was far more authoritative than the information detected by the drone’s monitoring equipment!
“Wuming, do Master Tianlong and Master Zhuge have confidence?”
Immediately, Li Rui spoke again, voicing the concern on everyone’s mind.
In an instant, all eyes were on Jiang Wuming, their hearts pounding in their chests!
However—
Before Jiang Wuming could speak, the host on the Divine Network live broadcast exclaimed in terror:
“The… the extraterrestrial enemies have emerged from the curtain! The war has begun!!”
…