Chapter 665: They are finally back (I)
“I hope that each of you will support me in this unification. I don’t wish to hear any unharmonious voice. To repell demonkind, a new Alliance needs a sufficiently powerful and capable commander. This is a responsibility that cannot be passed to any others: the Knight Temple is already getting aged, and I am confident in being able to lead a new holy war against demonkind. During my living years, I am resolved to command the Alliance, and command humankind to retake our land.”
Li Zhengzhi’s speed was very relaxed, but contained an unquestionable might. Hearing him, although some elders furrowed their brows or showed some dissatisfaction, most of the rest had fervent looks. The Mage Temple was so far always the number two of the Alliance, having been suppressed for far too long by the Knight Temple. That was because they hadn’t had a genious mage such as Li Zhengzhi, wind element master mage, who recently started to secretly change this situation. And now was finally the time to mobilize. How could they not get excited?
“Auxiliary Head Lin.” Li Zhengzhi raised his head to look at the nearby Lin Chen.
Lin Chen nodded to him, “All the preparations are ready”
Li Zhengzhi had a faint smile, “Alright, let’s announce some candidates for the Temples’ Great Gathering next.”
The Knight Temple and Mage Temple were not the only ones to convene meetings. The other Temples also convened similar meetings; the establishment of a new Alliance was imminent. The higher-ups from the Six Great Temples were acting exactly as though authority over the new Temple Alliance was a prize to be won.
The atmosphere in the Warrior Temple’s gathering was a lot more relaxed than the Mage Temple.
Qiu Yonghao was seated on the main seat, and a total of more than thirty elders were reunited inside of the Warrior Temple.
“Okay, let’s settle things this way. We are giving our full support to the Mage Temple. Li Zhengzhi has already given us his promise to give the Warrior Temple an important status after a new Alliance is established. I have already prepared most arrangements; do you have some more suggestions? This meeting will be the last one before the Temples’ Great Gathering starts. If anyone has any objection, raise it right now, otherwise, I will take it that we are all agreed to move as one.”
There had already been a lot of meetings in the Warrior Temple, and the objections and suggestions were raised since long before. Right now, Qiu Yonghao made the elders from the Warrior Temple nod in succession, expressing their final words of approval.
Right at this time, an abrupt objection broke the harmony in the room.
“I have an objection.” This declaration was really just too sudden, and was formulated by an illusory figure, appearing without warning beside the Warrior Temple’s Head Qiu Yonghao: a warrior appearing from nowhere clad in full silver body armor.
The elders present were all startled. No one had expected someone to actually dare stir up trouble in a meeting between the elders, let alone using an ability similar to teleportation.
Qiu Yonghao was also greatly startled, but responded fast. He was fully certain that this person was none of the elders from the Warrior Temple, yet that person appeared right beside him, bringing a terrifying feeling of might to the whole assembly. Almost unconsciously, Qiu Yonghao riposted with his left hand, striking straight on the chest of the silver armored warrior that had just appeared.
This punch was not to be underestimated: that strike drew in the air within a meters range, briefly covering that area in a near vacuum, and locked that silver armored warrior in place, removing any avenue of escape.
As a powerhouse of the ninth step, Qiu Yonghao had made huge progress thanks to the sword intent that Long Haochen had left behind. His move combined a great skill with great simplicity.
That silver armored warrior didn’t even avoid it, but confronted Qiu Yonghao’s punch, aiming a punch too. Her hand wrapped in silverlight met Qiu Yonghao’s hand as well.
When the two parties struck each other, a fantastic scene came to sight. Qiu Yonghao’s body trembled slightly, repelled one-third of a meter back. That silver-armored warrior’s shoulders swayed, drawing backward immediately.
The miraculous thing was that even a clash at their level of power did not let out any leak of spiritual energy nor any huge explosion.
After the two punches collided, no other changes followed.
For a moment, the elders of the Warrior Temple all had shocked faces, flashing out to surround that silver-armored warrior at once.
The most shocked was naturally Qiu Yonghao himself, who couldn’t possibly annihilate any leak of spiritual energy. This was done by this silver-armored warrior: it looked like the opponent suffered a loss in the exchange, but she had still annihilated all his spiritual energy, using the spatial attribute to cause it to vanish. There’s no way this warrior’s cultivation could be inferior to his. And furthermore, he was able to feel that the opponent had no ill intent from this exchange of blows.
Qiu Yonghao raised his hand, planning to block the Warrior Temple’s elders present. Straightening his posture, he questioningly looked at the other warrior, having felt a kind of clear sense of familiarity in the previous clash.
“Who are you?” Qiu Yonghao asked in a grave tone.
The silver-armored warrior did not remove the equipped helmet, but calmly stood there without movement. However, the perspicacious people were able to see Qiu Yonghao’s ear fluttering lightly, clearly from a sound transmission by this silver-armored warrior.
Hearing this uninvited guest’s sound transmission, Qiu Yonghao’s expression of shock intensified greatly. He suddenly waved his hand to the elders, “The meeting is to be temporarily paused. I have a matter to talk with this warrior about. Everyone head back first, this matter needs to be kept strictly confidential.” Saying that, he nodded to that silver-armored warrior, and headed out with large strides.
This suddenness shocked all the higher-ups of the Warrior Temple present here. From that armor, she really was a warrior, but was only slightly disadvantaged against Qiu Yonghao’s blow, and moreover, she was clearly a master at using spatial abilities with great suddenness. For a moment, none of them were able to recall when such a powerful warrior could have risen up in their temple, and moreover, at the time she interrupted Qiu Yonghao, it could be heard from her voice that that was a girl.
The silver-armored warrior followed Qiu Yonghao to a private room inside the Warrior Temple’s quarters of the Alliance.
Qiu Yonghao closed the door, and a golden light dispersed from his body, condensing to form metallic lusters that covered every corner of the room. Using Spiritual Highland to shut every possible awareness out of this room was only achievable by a powerhouse of Qiu Yonghao’s level.
“Yuanyuan, is it really you?” After Qiu Yonghao’s use of Spiritual Highland completed, he asked this with great impatience.
Taking off her helmet, the silver warrior revealed a face of great beauty, with a look filled with great determination and calm, “Wang Yanyuan reports to Temple Head.”
Right, the one who had suddenly broken inside the Warrior Temple’s meeting and interrupted Qiu Yonghao was Wang Yuanyuan who was supposedly missing for over four years.
Although Qiu Yonghao became aware of her identity with the previous sound transmission, recognizing Wang Yuanyuan’s face still caused his body to shake in terrible excitement.
“Yuanyuan, you are finally back! Just where were you during these four years?” Originally, Qiu Yonghao had felt unwell for a very long time after learning about Wang Yuanyuan’s disappearance alongside Long Haochen. Not only was she one of their people, but moreover she had a great talent and temperament.
During the Holy War, Wang Yuanyuan had gained herself the title of Bloody Goddess of War; some of the powerhouses of the ninth step hadn’t even necessarily contributed in the war as much as her. In the Southeastern Fort, the Bloody Goddess remained for a long while. At that time, Qiu Yonghao had already decided to train her well, and even prepare her as his future successor.
Maybe Wang Yuanyuan’s talent was not comparable to Long Haochen’s, but Qiu Yonghao could tell that she was incomparably resolute, and had an unwavering willpower. Such a determination would hardly be found in men, yet was found in Wang Yuanyuan.
But regrettably, Wang Yuanyuan had followed Long Haochen in departing from Southeastern Fort without any second thoughts, rejecting all Qiu Yonghao’s recommendations. Afterwards, no other news came of her. Qiu Yonghao had even obtained the information that Wang Yuanyuan was not the only one to have gone missing, but that the same went for their whole Demon Hunt Squad. This matter had shocked the highest higher-ups of the Temple Alliance for a very long time, after all, Long Haochen’s existence was really extraordinary in itself. The Alliance’s head Yang Haohan was greatly criticized for this matter by the other Temples’ heads, who condemned his decision of letting Long Haochen reform his Demon Hunt Squad.
No one thought that after four years passed, Wang Yuanyuan would actually be back, and that her strength would actually progress to such an extent in four short years.
Bowing deferentially, Wang Yuanyuan’s eyes dispersed a dazzling brilliance, “Head, I’m not the only one to be back. All my comrades are also back.”
Qiu Yonghao became greatly surprised once again, “Are you saying that Long Haochen and the others…?”
Wang Yuanyuan nodded, “Captain gave me a message to pass to Temple Head. With our status as a Titled Demon Hunt Squad, we want to challenge this Temples’ Great Gathering. If we manage to show a sufficient performance, we hope to gain the Warrior Temple’s support, and yours as well.”
Qiu Yonghao was slightly shocked, “Are you saying that you want to take part as a Titled Demon Hunt Squad?”
Wang Yuanyuan replied, “According to the rules of the Temples’ Great Gathering, Titled Demon Hunt Squads, being groups that made extraordinary contributions, are qualified to participate independently in the Temples’ Great Gathering and gain full credits. If they can finish with a rank in the top three, they will be qualified to make the Alliance accept one of their terms.”
Qiu Yonghao wrinkled her eyebrows, “Yuanyuan, you have been gone for so long, but want to directly take part in the Temples’ Great Gathering right after returning! Don’t you know that this Temples’ Great Gathering has a very special meaning. Just what is Long Haochen planning?” He understood very clearly that Long Haochen was the true core of Bright Glimmer of Hope.