Chapter 778: Coordinates and Defense Lines

When Li Yi saw Zhang Tianxing's bizarre head, his expression turned strange; it was less like Zhang Tianxing had become an Evolver and more like he had become a demon god himself.

"Zhang Tianxing, I never thought you'd sink to this." Li Yi spoke.

Zhang Tianxing remained stubbornly alive; even with only his head left, he showed no sign of dying, and his mind was clear, speaking calmly: "I merely chose another path of evolution—nothing to be alarmed about. It's you who attacked me without cause."

Beside him, Ye Jingtian gripped his purple sword, pointing it at Zhang Tianxing's head and demanding: "You conspired with the demon gods of the Dark World, manipulated others to serve you, and collected Evolver blood—what is your purpose?"

"I intend to become a new god, so I need my own servants. Collecting their blood makes it easier for them to fall into darkness later. Though their bodies will change slightly, they gain immortality—this is a blessing for them."

Zhang Tianxing did not hide his goal—he stated it plainly.

"So that's it." The other cultivators' hearts leapt at the words.

If Zhang Tianxing succeeded, countless people would become parts of the Dark Demon God, monstrous beings neither human nor ghost. And Zhang Tianxing's ambition was vast—he collected only the blood of powerful Evolvers.

If those powerful Evolvers fell, Earth would truly be finished.

Fortunately, we stumbled upon this traitor by accident.

"So once the demon gods obtain blood, they guide the bearer into darkness? It seems you've fought the demon gods before, lost, and were then corrupted—no wonder the Sixth-Gen AI failed to detect your corruption."

Ye Jingtian sighed.

He believed Zhang Tianxing had not willingly become this way—he had been cursed by the demon gods and slowly corrupted. Otherwise, why would a promising Evolver ally himself with the demon gods of the Dark World?

"Kill him. End his suffering," Li Yi said calmly. "This is the best course."

"True."

Ye Jingtian made no hesitation—he brought down his purple sword. A burst of violet light erupted, instantly reducing Zhang Tianxing's remaining head to dust, erasing it from sight.

"We need to inspect this place again," Li Yi suggested. "When I fought the demon gods before, I found that as long as even a scrap of flesh remains, they regenerate rapidly—nothing like normal life."

"Agreed. We must check thoroughly—no letting the tiger return to the mountains." Ye Jing said.

The others decided to help search.

After all, if Zhang Tianxing revived, countless lives might suffer in the future.

Upon re-inspecting, they indeed discovered many living flesh fragments—now shaped like human forms, resembling infants, deeply eerie.

Everyone immediately destroyed the flesh fragments, leaving no trace.

"Li Yi, thanks to you, this threat might have erupted any day and wiped out the entire survival base," Ye Jingtian said after the cleanup.

"Minor matter. The demon gods of the Dark World are Earth's enemies—whenever we encounter them, we must eliminate them. What were our losses after this battle?" Li Yi glanced around.

Though protected by the great array and aided by other Evolvers absorbing the battle's residual force, the area was still affected.

"It's the best outcome possible. Some areas were damaged, but casualties were light—we had emergency plans, people evacuated promptly, and the demon god fled immediately without lingering in the base, greatly reducing our pressure." Ye Jing said.

Li Yi said: "Good. Since this is resolved, I have no further business here—I won't disturb you."

He turned to leave.

"Li Yi, wait." Ye Jingtian called out.

"Is there something else?" Li Yi asked.

Ye Jingtian smiled: "Su Mu said you're looking for a man named Wang Dongtian. I had Xiao Fei, the AI, check—he was once the head of a Cross-Domain Base. After its anomalous artifacts were requisitioned, the base became useless, so he was reassigned elsewhere. Currently, Wang Dongtian resides in Survival Base One, with S-class clearance."

"But I suspect you're not just looking for him for his own sake."

Li Yi had no reason to hide: "I need a Cross-Domain Coordinate. I must cross into another world to accomplish something."

"I see. But this won't be easy. Every Cross-Domain Coordinate is classified, one of our nation's most precious assets since the Heavenly Collapse—each corresponds to a world, and regardless of danger, holds vital strategic value." Ye Jingtian paused. "And though Wang Dongtian was once a Cross-Domain Base head, he had no authority to access Coordinate data."

"So even if you find him, you may not obtain the Coordinate."

Li Yi frowned: "If Wang Dongtian doesn't have the data, who does?"

"The official database, of course. That database is stored separately—possibly no longer in our world at all." Ye Jing said. "But backups should exist. I advise you not to seek Wang Dongtian—go to Xiao Jianguo instead."

"Xiao Jianguo? The one who once commanded the Demon God Realm frontline?" Li Yi immediately recalled the name.

"Oh, you've met him? Better still. Xiao Jianguo oversees Earth's defense lines and holds high rank. Cross-Domain Coordinates are critical strategic assets—he must know something. If he helps you, obtaining a Coordinate will be no problem." Ye Jing said.

Li Yi asked: "Which survival base is Xiao Jianguo in?"

Ye Jingtian smiled: "He's not in any survival base—he's on Earth's Defense Line."

"Earth's Defense Line?" Li Yi asked. "What's that?"

"A war base gathering nearly all of Earth's top experts. You don't think our survival bases are peaceful because the Demon God Realm and the Immortal Continent are kindly sparing us, do you? The real battlefield has simply moved elsewhere." Ye Jing said.

"That battlefield is Earth's Defense Line—located near the former Tianqing City."

Li Yi was surprised: "This was never mentioned before."

"Not just you—most people don't know. For most, knowing serves no purpose. This is a clash among top-tier experts, deciding the rise or fall of a realm. Only when you gain S-class clearance will you learn of it." Ye Jing said.

When ten survival bases produce new S-class experts, some are transferred to the Earth's Defense Line, but we must still station experts in each base—the Demon God Realm and Immortal Continent harbor dishonorable types who seek to ambush and destroy our bases, severing our roots.

"I'm revealing this to you now because your strength is sufficient to know it—even if I hid it, you'd find out soon enough."

Li Yi fell silent.

He hadn't realized most of Earth's top experts were gathered in one place, carving out a separate battlefield to decide Earth's fate.

No wonder he'd never seen the Demon God Realm's Demon Kings or the Immortal Continent's Immortals—they'd all gone there.

But who on Earth could stand against such powerful invaders?

No, not quite.

Earth might lack such strength—but other worlds might not.

Perhaps someone had summoned reinforcements.

So many Cross-Domain travelers exist—miracles aren't rare. The world isn't unique to him; he'd found a Daoist from the End-Dharma world as an ally before.

"Looks like I need to go to Earth's Defense Line," Li Yi said.

Ye Jing said: "Not just you—I've received orders from Earth's Defense Line too. I plan to depart next month. But I'm uneasy leaving—without me, this base loses a top expert. I'd hoped to keep you here temporarily to fill the gap, but now..."

He shook his head.

With Zhang Tianxing dead, and both Li Yi and himself leaving, the base's defense would plummet. If a Great Demon-level force attacked, survival would be in jeopardy.

Li Yi said: "Don't worry. I can bring several people to garrison the base—strong enough to handle Great Demons."

He saw the man's concern.

Out of gratitude, he had no objection to helping.

After all, many Third-Flower Realm experts still wait to cross over from the End-Dharma world. This time, bring another batch—now's the chance; later, there may be none.

"Excellent," Ye Jingtian's face lit up.

If experts could fill the gap, he could leave with peace of mind.

Li Yi said: "Give me a few days—I'll go fetch them."

"Very well. Thank you, Li Yi," Ye Jing said.

The two quickly settled the matter.

To reach Earth's Defense Line as soon as possible and obtain the Cross-Domain Coordinate, Li Yi made no delay—he fabricated an excuse and temporarily left the survival base.

He needed a place to open the Cross-Domain Gate and return once more to the End-Dharma world.

(End of Chapter)