Chapter 665 - Throbbing Heart of Eternity (II)
Chapter 665: Throbbing Heart of Eternity (II)
Translator: GravityTales
As the Holy War was on the verge of ending, her Demon Hunt Squad’s captain Luc Xi had died in an enemy ambush, and her Demon Hunt Squad consequently dissolved. After the termination of the Holy War, the other members went off on their own way, returning to their Temples. Only Li Xin remained here, waiting for Lin Xin’s return.
Over these four years, she remained cultivating in the Mage Temple, accompanying Lin Chen to accomplish Lin Xin’s filial duty. Lin Chen urged her many times, but she still did as she ought to, and never consented to leave.
Lin Chen really loved dearly this girl who should originally be her granddaughter-in-law, but he felt that he couldn’t be so selfish! Lin Xin had disappeared for over four years, appearing for the last time in the Spiritual Temple’s Myriad Beast Mountain Pass. After having spent so long fighting in the depths of demon territory, the odds of survival were just far too low. Lin Chen had to admit that he didn’t want to keep wasting Li Xin’s future like that.
“Grandpa Lin, stop with that. I won’t leave. I have to wait for him and Haochen. They will surely be back.” Faint tears gushed out from Li Xin’s eyes. Even if she acted tough, she had a weak side deep inside. She obviously knew very clearly that the odds for Lin Xin and the others to be still alive were very low, but even if there were only small odds, that was at least some chance. As long as she didn’t see their corpses, Li Xin wouldn’t admit their deaths.
“Ai. What a foolish girl you are! Okay, stay down here for now. After a few days pass, we will leave for the Temples’ Great Gathering which takes place once in ten years in Holy City. After it terminates, you will have to at least stop by home. You already know about the numerous letters your father has sent over there already.”
Li Xin nodded silently. Right, even if she was resolute to wait for Lin Xin and Long Haochen here, she had to at least come by home sometime.
Lin Chen smiled to her, “Xin’er, you have already broken through the eighth step, and have plenty of fighting experience. The dual swords your grandfather has called to be custom made for you should arrive soon. After the Temples’ Great Gathering ends, do you feel confident in contesting a Golden Foundation Armor from your Knight Temple?”
Li Xin was not the girl from back then anymore. After four years of single-minded cultivation, she broke through the bottlenecks of the seventh and eighth steps, becoming a powerhouse of the first rank of the eighth step. After surviving this Holy War as a Demon Hunter, her cultivation had made considerable progress, and she was even a Mythril Foundation Armor wearer already. Although the challenge for a Golden Foundation Armor was still be difficult, Li Xin had already ordered a pair of heavy swords of epic tier to be custom-made for her! That was using the riches Lin Chen had originally kept prepared for his only grandson, but Lin Xin having yet to return until now, these resources went instead for Li Xin.
The Holy War of those years was a massive calamity for the Temple Alliance in that time. An incredible count of soldiers from the Temple Alliance had died during these two years of war in all Temples included, but in the same way, the demon side suffered disastrous losses.
Four years had already passed since the end of the Holy War. During this time, the several thousand years of accumulated superiority came on display; although the steep decline in manpower was not an issue that could be resolved in a flash, the other aspects recovered very fast. In particular, after experiencing that Holy War, the surviving powerhouses from all Six Great Temples almost all experienced a qualitative rise in strength. Cases like Li Xin were very frequent: after two years of Holy War, and four years of stabilization, the number of powerhouses in the Temple Alliance was even higher than before the Holy War. Only, there were far fewer ordinary soldiers than before.
The Temples’ Great Gathering’s start was an event occurring once every ten years. The Six Great Temples’ greatest powerhouses would assemble on this grand occasion to exchange blows, while establishing new rankings.
Almost all the higher-ups from the Six Great Temples knew that this one Great Temples’ Gathering was really out of the ordinary. Being the first Great Temples’ Gathering since the end of the Holy War, it would not only create a brand new ranking, but moreover determine a lot of strategic policies.
Two years of Holy War had enormously depleted the Alliance, but the demon side also suffered a great loss of strength, and two demon god pillars were even destroyed. The Temple Alliance became like a sharp sword sharpened on the demons, which had grown incredibly in sharpness. The human side did not weaken on par with the Demon God Emperor’s expectations, but became instead more and more prosperous every day. Although the Temple Alliance’s side was still short compared to the global demon strength, this gap was not that wide anymore. If the younger generation that experienced the Holy War were to grow, it would be hard to say for how many years the demon side would be able to keep pressuring the Temple Alliance.
For the sake of preserving the demon superiority, the Demon God Emperor threw himself onto the eastern side and southern sea. Although some magical beasts inhabited the sea, it was even more filled with food. Highly nutritive food was extremely important to raise the demon side’s strength. Never had they been short of powerhouses, but they always had to plunder humans to gain pitiful amounts of food. So, shifting their sight to the sea was an incomparable solution, as they had so much more to obtain in there. This matter was now under the responsibility of the Moon Demon God Agares, proving the high importance attached by the Demon God Emperor onto it.
The Temples’ Great Gathering was on the verge of starting, and that was not just simple battle, but the greatest grand occasion for the Six Great Temples, a great contest in all kinds of aspects, to finally establish a final ranking of the Great Temples.
Although such a contest couldn’t possibly be a hundred percent fair, the Temple Alliance having been developed for so many years, the utmost was already done to ensure the greatest fairness. Li Xin would naturally be taking the arms on behalf of the Knight Temple at that time.
Hearing Lin Chen ask her how she felt about challenging a Golden Foundation armor, Li Xin couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile on her face, “Grandpa Lin, I’m still a ways behind. Talents came forth in large numbers in the Alliance, and so many young powerhouses have sprang out in our Knight Temple. With the few Golden Foundation armors that are available, I don’t want to fight for them. Let’s discuss this after my strength becomes sufficient.”
Lin Chen responded proudly, “How could your strength be insufficient? After my Vulcan’s Swords are completed for you, even challenging a junior powerhouse of the ninth step may not be impossible. I think that we should take advantage of this Temples’ Great Gathering to directly pick a Golden Foundation Armor for you.”
Li Xin stayed silent.
Seeing the look on her face, Lin Chen naturally knew what she was thinking about, “Foolish girl, don’t tell me you are still unwilling to accept it? You are not my granddaughter by blood, but in my eyes, you are far stronger than that little Lin Xin. To say nothing about his complete disappearance, even if he comes back alive, I don’t have any assets to leave for this little bastard. If you still recognize this grandfather, stop rejecting me, or I am going to get angry. Don’t tell me you want me to bring my things alongside in my coffin when I go? And since a knight sword is already being made, what would I even keep it for?
Li Xin’s eyes reddedned, “Grandpa Lin, you’re really so good to me.”
Lin Chen smiled in response, “Don’t tell me your not treating your grandfather just as well? Don’t overthink it. Strive your best during this period to make a good show in the Temples’ Great Gathering: it’s different from the different sessions because, due to the Holy War of four years ago, I’m afraid that there will be many more variables . It is also a great chance for the Alliance.”
Li Xin felt moved, nodding lightly. Lin Chen was a higher-up of the Mage Temple, but in the end, as she was from the Knight Temple, there were many matters Lin Chen was not allowed to communicate to her. He could only give her obscure warnings, which was already sufficient given her intelligence.
Holy City.
There is a simple small wooden cabin, with all the chairs and tables inside made of the simplest wood. Only, this wooden material was very special, with beautiful wooden designs, and dispersing a faint flowery flavor.
This Heavenly Incense Wood’ was a very precious material. Its smell brought great benefits to the human body, extending one’s life while having invigorating effects.
In front of a simply designed wooden table a girl sat calmly. This girl was clad in a white skirt, and had pure and flawless looks. Only, traces of sadness were visible in her eyes.
A pile of red splinters was visible on the wooden table in front of her, from the curves on those shards it was clear their shape had once been close to spherical.
“It’s been four years, you baldie. What a bastard! Why aren’t you giving me any news? The Scarlet Dragon Bead has broken so your Scarlet Dragon Armor is already in pieces, but you know, I am still waiting for you. I believe that you must still be alive. You’re still alive right?”
As she spoke so, a deep purple pearl appeared in her hand. This pearl dispersed a very special power, like faint coiling electricity. Although these fluctuations of spiritual energy were faint, that was still a fantastic phenomenon to behold.
“It’s been four years, and you’re definitely still alive, but just where are you? Why are you still not coming back after so long. Don’t you know how I...”
At this point, tears flowed and splashed onto the table.
In these past months, Holy City was especially lively, because the Great Alliance’s Gathering which took place once every ten years was beginning soon.
If the Demon Hunt Competition was the grand occasion for the younger generation, the Temples’ Great Gathering was the most important occasion for the whole Alliance.
For the sake of this gathering, the Six Great Temples had gathered the great majority of their powerhouses there, for the sake of having manpower ready for this Temples’ Great Gathering. A lot of ordinarily secluded elder had come to Holy City one after another, and although there were still a few days left before the event, the Temple Alliance had meetings underway every day. The higher-ups of the Six Great Temples unceasingly consulted each other, though the content of the discussion was a top secret, only known to the top of the higher-ups.
Any sharp person would realize that this gathering was different from all previous sessions. The atmosphere was also a lot more tense, as if something big was about to take place.