Chapter 259: The Principal Welcomes, A Demigod Questions (Last day for monthly votes)

*Hum~* Li Yuan only felt a blur before his eyes, followed by countless streams of five-colored light flashing past. His entire body felt as if it were being swept along by a current, and he even experienced a sense of weightlessness.

He couldn't even project his spiritual sense outward.

"This shouldn't be the legendary spatial displacement, but rather traveling along a passage," Li Yuan thought to himself.

After only ten seconds or so, Li Yuan felt the flowing light before his eyes dissipate. An invisible force supported him from beneath his feet, and he had already risen rapidly from the passage, as if buoyed by an intangible buoyancy.

His entire body drifted down gently onto a metal landing platform.

He had already returned to the initial entry passage, located within the war fortress of the Lieyu Star Realm.

Directly above his head was a massive dome constructed of metal.

"Li Yuan."

"Li Yuan, you've finally returned."

"Li Yuan, I am Tavares." A group of figures exuding powerful auras had been waiting for a long time; they greeted him one after another, smiles on their faces as they each called out to him.

"Senior Wu."

"Senior... Senior Yu." Li Yuan looked at the group of people before him, feeling slightly dazed.

He only recognized Wuma Nong and Yu Jinghe.

In reality, this was his first time meeting Yu Jinghe in person. As for the others? He knew them by name, but couldn't match them to their faces.

But this didn't hinder Li Yuan from using his Divine Palace to probe, confirming the strength of this group at the first opportunity.

... Two Sky-Flying Martial Artists, and the rest were top-tier Source Martial Artists... And from their self-introductions, Li Yuan understood that these top-tier Source Martial Artists were absolutely the most terrifying group of Source Martial Artists in the Seven-Star Civilization.

Every one of them possessed the strength to battle Sky-Flying Martial Artists.

Quickly, through mutual introductions, Li Yuan got to know these powerful existences one by one... Rudnev, An Yongya, Tavares, Dorthy... Each of them was a legendary peerless powerhouse in the eyes of ordinary people, their destructive power akin to human-shaped nuclear weapons, their deterrent force extremely strong.

At this moment, however, they were all incredibly courteous toward Li Yuan.

"Seniors," Li Yuan couldn't help but say, "Why have you all come?"

"Li Yuan, didn't you send a message saying the passage was closing and you were preparing to return?" Wuma Nong laughed. "You are the greatest contributor to this Great War of the Inter-Realm, so naturally, we had to come to welcome you."

When they first met, Wuma Nong had been quite indifferent toward Li Yuan, as if looking at a junior.

Now, however, he was quite enthusiastic.

"It is because you seniors were fighting outside that the war base remained as stable as Mount Tai, allowing for an easy victory within the Inter-Realm," Li Yuan said quickly. He had always known the general situation outside.

"Haha, alright." Rudnev, whose hair was a mess, wore a smile on his face. "Li Yuan, there's no need to be humble. We have all seen your contributions. To say nothing else, merely killing three demigod-level geniuses is a massive contribution."

"Moreover, you led the team for the last two days and killed nearly a thousand Gu Yue Divine Kingdom martial artists; that, too, is a great merit."

"In terms of merit, you are number one," Rudnev said with a smile. "It has already been detailed in our alliance's report, so there is no need for further dispute on this matter."

Li Yuan was speechless. His leading the team to kill in the last two days had been done by following the map provided by the 'Inter-Realm Exploration Authorization' given to him by the Realm Spirit... It was equivalent to using a full-map hack.

He had ferreted out those Gu Yue Divine Kingdom martial artists who couldn't return because the passage had closed, one by one.

In reality, these martial artists could be considered innocent... but in a war for the survival of a civilization, there is naturally no room for pity.

This also allowed Li Yuan to obtain a large amount of spiritual nourishment, and his degree of spiritual awakening reached 45% in one fell swoop, hitting the current upper limit.

"Let's go."

"Li Yuan, we have already set up a banquet to wash away your travel dust," Tavares laughed. "Also, don't call us seniors anymore. You have now become a Source Martial Artist yourself; just call us by our names."

After the banquet, Rudnev, Wuma Nong, and the other top-tier geniuses left one by one.

The Seven-Star Civilization side already knew that the passage to the Gu Yue Divine Kingdom had closed, and the entire Great War of the Inter-Realm had completely come to an end.

Naturally, they would not linger in the Lieyu Star Realm.

Sky-Flying Martial Artists like Yan Yunhu and Dorthy had other matters to attend to and would be permanently stationed in the Lieyu Star Realm from now on... Just the aftermath of this great war alone would keep them busy for a long time.

Only Yu Jinghe remained to accompany Li Yuan.

"Li Yuan, today is our first time meeting, right?" Yu Jinghe laughed.

"I have heard of you like thunder, Brother Yu," Li Yuan laughed. "Come to think of it, you are my uncle's savior. I have always kept it in my heart, but there were too many people earlier, so it wasn't convenient to say."

Brother Yu—this was the form of address Li Yuan had changed to during the banquet.

"Oh?" Yu Jinghe was surprised.

Li Yuan immediately recounted the time his uncle, Li Zhangzhou, was trapped in the Luo Bu Sea.

"If Brother Yu hadn't held the war fortress back then, my uncle would definitely have lost his life," Li Yuan said.

"That battle, huh." Yu Jinghe immediately recalled it. To him, that battle at Luo Bu Sea had only been about a year ago, and he couldn't help but smile. "I believe that in the future, you will also do the same, making the contributions you ought to for the entire civilization."

For a genius Source Martial Artist like Jinghe.

They enjoyed a large amount of the civilization's resources and were highly valued by the high echelon.

But many great crises involving Tier-Two Star Realms required them to charge at the very front.

"Also, congratulations are in order for being able to obtain the inheritance of a demigod-level powerhouse," Yu Jinghe laughed. "The legendary Contemplation Method is truly magical."

He also knew a thing or two about Li Yuan's gains.

"It was also my good luck," Li Yuan laughed.

"That is because your strength is strong enough," Yu Jinghe looked at Li Yuan. "The demigod-level geniuses of the Xianxu Civilization are all very formidable... yet they all fell at your hands, which is enough to explain everything."

Li Yuan stopped refuting and then asked curiously, "Brother Yu, is the Contemplation Method very rare?"

"Very rare," Yu Jinghe said. "The Contemplation Method can only be used by martial artists after a deity expends their mental energy to condense a 'True Image Will' within special treasures... For a deity, it is not easy to refine even one. If they didn't value you, why would they bestow it?"

"Moreover, our Seven-Star Civilization hasn't given birth to any deities at all," Yu Jinghe said with quite a bit of emotion. "As far as I know, except for a few demigods and Star Lords who obtained it by chance, even some demigods and Star Lords probably haven't obtained a Contemplation Method."

"Many demigods and Star Lords don't have a Contemplation Method?" Li Yuan was secretly shocked.

In an instant, Li Yuan realized the value of the 'Contemplation Method' in his hands.

Of course, no one knew yet that he still had a Contemplation Method in his possession.

"I'll accompany you back."

"Star Lord Fang Hai, as well as Demigod Yan Cheng, are currently rushing to the entrance of the Lieyu Star Realm," Yu Jinghe laughed. "They are coming specifically to welcome you."

"The Principal is coming?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up. He wasn't surprised that Demigod Yan Cheng would come.

Because this was something Li Yuan had specifically sent a message to notify them about before he came out, as it involved the life and death of Lin Lanyue.

But the Principal?

"Don't be surprised. If it could be said that your title as the contemporary number one genius of the civilization was still in dispute during the Blue Star Tournament virtual battle, then after this battle in the Inter-Realm, it has basically been solidified," Yu Jinghe laughed. "Rudnev and Wuma Nong are such proud people, yet they treated you with extreme courtesy. What do you think that's based on?"

"It's because they believe that in the future, you will definitely be able to catch up to and even surpass them," Yu Jinghe said solemnly.

Li Yuan nodded slightly. So that was it.

Strength!

It is always powerful strength that truly convinces others.

"Therefore, no matter how much the high echelon values you, it is normal," Yu Jinghe laughed. "I also look forward to the day you make a name for yourself at Mount Qixing."

"Mount Qixing?" Li Yuan was puzzled; he had never heard of it.

"You will understand when you enter the Martial God Hall in July," Yu Jinghe laughed. "That is the place where the top geniuses of our entire civilization gather."

Li Yuan understood immediately.

The so-called Mount Qixing must be the place where those who obtain the Martial God inheritance quota can arrive.

"July, huh?" Li Yuan thought to himself.

Today was already March 29th.

It wasn't far from July.

"Brother Yu, before I go back, I would like to sell off some of the spoils of war I harvested in the Inter-Realm first, if that's alright?" Li Yuan asked.

His two magic storage treasures were already more than half full, and he needed to clear them out.

"Fine."

"Star Lord Fang Hai and the others are still on their way, so selling some things won't delay us for too long." Yu Jinghe naturally had no objections.

Within this war base, there was already a huge treasure appraisal room built, and with Li Yuan's arrival, the group of appraisers became busy.

*Clatter, clatter~ Bang! Bang! *

Li Yuan waved his hand, and the large amount of treasures he had collected fell rapidly to the ground. They were mainly some weapons... except for the demigod-level genius with the alluring face who had been killed, who was suspected of having spiritual power reaching the Sky-Flying level and possessed one magic storage treasure.

Like Mo Hu and the others, they didn't have magic storage treasures, so naturally, they carried very few treasures.

But many a little makes a mickle.

After nearly half an hour of detailed testing.

"Two seniors," the middle-aged man who was the chief appraiser said respectfully, "For all the treasures, we are willing to give a total of approximately 59.3 billion Blue Star coins."

"Oh? That much?" Yu Jinghe, standing to the side, felt slightly surprised.

After all, from his perspective, most of them were weapons used by ordinary Source Martial Artists.

"It's mainly because of some life-saving items left behind by those few demigod-level geniuses that drove up the price," Li Yuan laughed. He had already checked them in advance, so he wasn't surprised by this price.

"Hmm." Yu Jinghe nodded slightly.

With his strength and status, he wouldn't care too much about tens of billions of Blue Star coins.

In reality, Li Yuan didn't care either. 60 billion Blue Star coins was indeed a massive fortune that ordinary people couldn't imagine.

But money alone? It didn't mean much to Li Yuan anymore; most of the treasures he would cultivate with next couldn't be measured by money.

The most important point.

"This time, excluding the treasures obtained from the Inheritance Hall and the Realm Spirit," Li Yuan thought to himself, "the biggest gain is the storage treasure left behind by that demigod-level genius, which is actually 6 cubic meters in size, equivalent to the size of my own storage treasure."

"And, there is actually a Tier-Four treasure inside."

A magic storage treasure 6 cubic meters in size would be enough to sell for over 60 billion Blue Star coins in the Seven-Star Alliance, and Li Yuan wouldn't sell it at all.

As for the Tier-Four treasure? It was even more impossible to measure with money.

In short, this trip to the Inter-Realm had brought Li Yuan huge gains. If one were to count the semi-divine artifacts, the Five-Element Divine Crystals gifted by the Realm Spirit, and the like... Li Yuan's wealth was already no less than that of many peak Sky-Flying level powerhouses.

After handing over all the treasures that could be sold.

Li Yuan and Yu Jinghe boarded the underground train for the return journey, the train shuttling through the underground of the breeding area.

"Directly killed over a million people? The total number of casualties exceeds six million?" On the way, Li Yuan listened to Yu Jinghe recount the casualties in the breeding area caused by this Star Realm Great War, and his heart trembled slightly.

That was over a million living people.

"It couldn't be avoided."

"The great battle of Sky-Flying Martial Artists has too wide a range of influence, and those bastards from the Xianxu Civilization were deliberately killing. Even if we gave it our all, we only barely managed to block them," Yu Jinghe said, his low voice filled with anger.

"If you hadn't killed those few demigod-level geniuses in the Inter-Realm, making them feel hopeless about competing, and they had retreated now, the actual casualties would only have been greater," Yu Jinghe's eyes were cold. "We have already found out that the leader is called Kui Jiu, a genius Source Martial Artist of the Chi Clan Divine Race."

"Kui Jiu?"

"Chi Clan Divine Race?" Li Yuan recited these two names silently, firmly memorizing them.

When he became strong in the future, if there was an opportunity, Li Yuan wouldn't mind taking revenge.

... Six hours later.

The train shuttled for thousands of kilometers, and Li Yuan and Yu Jinghe finally arrived at the entrance and exit between the Lieyu Star Realm and Flying Star.

"Time to leave."

"The next time I return, it will be when I cultivate the second rank of the 'Earth Star Pulse True Explanation'," Li Yuan took one last look at the vast land of the Lieyu Star Realm.

In the last few days in the Inter-Realm, besides slaughtering a large number of Gu Yue Divine Kingdom martial artists, Li Yuan had also gone to that mysterious stone room to try and continue cultivating this supreme star technique.

It still ended in failure.

This also made Li Yuan understand that in a short period of time, he couldn't cultivate this supreme star technique to the second rank extreme.

He had to wait until his physical fitness, spiritual power, and skill realm were higher before there would be hope.

*Whoosh! *

The two crossed the two-realm passage. The road had long been under martial law, and accompanied by waves of uncomfortable invisible fluctuations, the two had already arrived at the great hall on the other end.

Back to Flying Star.

Truly back to his hometown civilization... When passing through the breeding area in the Lieyu Star Realm, it was also a highly developed human society, but Li Yuan still felt a trace of alienation in his heart.

!.

"Hmm?" Li Yuan saw several figures walking over from a distance at a glance.

One of them was Fang Hai, and the auras of the other two were even more ethereal and unfathomable.

Subconsciously, Li Yuan activated his Divine Palace probe.

All were—beyond the probe's limit.

"It seems the Principal's life layer should have reached 36.9, or even the legendary 37," Li Yuan thought to himself.

Only with Seven Star Pulses can one cultivate to 37.

Regarding Fang Hai's strength and foundation, Li Yuan still couldn't grasp it.

"Principal," Li Yuan took the initiative to greet him, bowing slightly and respectfully. "Two seniors."

"Star Lord, two seniors," Yu Jinghe also bowed slightly, but much more casually.

"This time, you both did well." Fang Hai, dressed in black, walked up to the two, his sharp gaze falling on Li Yuan as he smiled. "Li Yuan, having made such a great contribution and obtained a demigod inheritance, I don't know what would be appropriate to reward you with."

"Principal, just give whatever you see fit," Li Yuan grinned.

"Haha." The middle-aged man in red clothes revealed a smile. "What a slippery kid."

"You kid are not polite at all." Fang Hai revealed a trace of a smile; compared to the past, his attitude was much gentler.

Li Yuan also noticed that the man in green robes had no expression on his face.

"Let me introduce you. This is Demigod Yan Cheng, and this is Demigod Qinghe," Fang Hai introduced the two beside him.

Li Yuan bowed again, but was secretly shocked in his heart.

As expected, those who came were all demigods.

"Let's go, let's talk in the conference room first," Fang Hai laughed. "The two demigods coming here indeed both have things to ask you."

"Yes," Li Yuan nodded.

He had been prepared for this in his heart. It involved a deity's inheritance, and in the end, even the passage to the Xianxu Civilization was closed... If the Alliance high echelon just let it go so easily, that would be abnormal.

"Jinghe, you go back to Mount Qixing first," Fang Hai looked at Yu Jinghe. "We are already calculating your contributions. Once it's all calculated, we will notify you and count it into your 'Seven-Star Points'."

"Alright," Yu Jinghe nodded slightly. They also had their contributions calculated for participating in such a great war.

Inside the conference room.

Only Li Yuan, Fang Hai, Demigod Yan Cheng, and Demigod Qinghe were present.

"Li Yuan, I am here representing the Alliance to question you," Demigod Qinghe, dressed in green robes, still had no smile on his face, getting straight to the point. "This is not an interrogation; the Alliance just hopes to understand more, so please answer truthfully."

"Alright," Li Yuan nodded.

"According to intelligence, you killed two demigod-level geniuses in one move. How did you do it? As far as we know, the most formidable among these demigod-level geniuses already had Fifth-Stage High-Tier skills," Demigod Qinghe asked directly. "Did you obtain any special authorization in the Inter-Realm?"

"No authorization," Li Yuan shook his head. "I was able to kill them because my physical fitness improved very rapidly... My physical fitness has already reached 26."

"26?"

"So fast?" Demigod Yan Cheng and Demigod Qinghe were both somewhat surprised.

They both carried life detectors... but with Li Yuan's current strength, it wasn't difficult to restrain his own aura.

Therefore, the probe wasn't accurate.

"How did you do it?" Demigod Qinghe frowned. "According to intelligence, you only obtained one Myriad Life Extension Fruit... In any case, it shouldn't have improved to 26."

His eyes were sharp, attempting to see through Li Yuan, and he was also faintly suppressing Li Yuan.

"Luck," Li Yuan said easily. With his spiritual power, although far inferior to a demigod opponent.

But just resisting a bit of mental pressure was easy.

"You need to tell us everything you..." Demigod Qinghe was just about to press Li Yuan.

"Demigod Qinghe," Fang Hai, who had been silent on the side, suddenly spoke. "There is no need to press Li Yuan on what he is unwilling to say. He has this authorization."

"Authorization?" Demigod Qinghe frowned. "Where did it come from? How come I don't know?"

Demigod Yan Cheng also revealed a trace of surprise.

"This authorization was applied for from my Master before I came," Fang Hai said slowly. "Li Yuan is a core member of the Starfire Martial Hall and is also a Xia Nation citizen."

In an instant, the conference room went quiet.

"The Alliance Leader?" Demigod Qinghe choked.

Fang Hai's Master, that was Dongfang Ji... He had issued this order, which was a form of special protection for Li Yuan.

Both were demigods.

But Demigod Qinghe knew the gap between himself and Dongfang Ji... Dongfang Ji was also a terrifying existence that many powerful civilizations feared and could do nothing about.

Back then, in the battle when the Myriad Demon Civilization invaded Flying Star, how many demigods died at Dongfang Ji's hands?

It could be said!

In the Seven-Star Civilization, Dongfang Ji was equivalent to a deity. With one word from him, even all the demigods in the Alliance's highest meeting had to comply.

Since he had issued the order that Li Yuan had the authorization not to answer.

Then, Li Yuan had it.

"Principal, actually, I can tell you," Li Yuan laughed. "In the Divine Palace ruins, I obtained the inheritance of a demigod under that fire-element deity. Among the inheritance treasures, there were special treasures that could rapidly improve physical fitness."

This was the excuse Li Yuan had thought of long ago.

He had also asked the Realm Spirit... Except for himself and Lin Lanyue, no one knew about the earth-element deity, not even Demigod Yan Cheng.

Back then, although Demigod Yan Cheng had fused with that incomplete True Phoenix bloodline, he was still a little short of the standard... therefore, he didn't become a named disciple.

And Li Yuan believed that Lin Lanyue would not leak the secret.

"Obtained from a demigod inheritance?" Demigod Qinghe frowned. He didn't quite believe it in his heart.

"Li Yuan, can you tell us about the experience of obtaining that demigod inheritance?" Demigod Qinghe asked.

"I can. It required going through multiple tests..." Li Yuan slightly modified his three tests and said them out, half-true and half-false.

"But my tests were slightly different from the intelligence of the Flame Family, so latecomers can only use them as a reference..." Li Yuan said. "Regarding the secrets of the Inter-Realm, I don't know much."

This was a disclaimer clause, not guaranteeing the authenticity of the information.

Time passed.

Demigod Qinghe asked one question after another, and Li Yuan mostly answered that he didn't know.

Some he really didn't know, some he had to not know.

"Alright."

"The last question: the other passage of the Inter-Realm closed. Do you know the reason?" Demigod Qinghe looked at Li Yuan. This was the question the high echelon was very concerned about.

"I know."

"I once asked the Alliance to check information about the 'God God Chiyan Deity'," Li Yuan said. "It is because that fire-element deity in the Inter-Realm and this God God Chiyan Deity were enemies. Naturally, it wouldn't let the descendants of its enemies obtain its inheritance."

"Actually enemies with the God God Chiyan Deity?" Not only Demigod Qinghe, but even Fang Hai and Demigod Yan Cheng revealed looks of shock.

Li Yuan was very calm.

This was also the real reason... Otherwise, in the eyes of the Realm Spirit, everyone who entered the Inter-Realm was a potential 'successor'. How could it be so biased?

It was precisely because the 'Chi Clan Divine Race' were enemies.

That was why the Realm Spirit chose to close that passage.

Li Yuan even suspected that the sudden appearance of the second passage in the Inter-Realm was because the Realm Spirit wanted more fire-element and earth-element martial artists to participate in the inheritance tests.

"Li Yuan, you asked me to come, was it because of Lanyue?" Demigod Yan Cheng suddenly spoke.

"Yes."

"As far as I know, Lanyue, because of her bloodline, has become a named disciple of the fire-element deity," Li Yuan said. "In the depths of the ruins, Lanyue told me... you know the specific reason."

"Named disciple? She succeeded?" Demigod Yan Cheng's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but reveal a smile.

Of course he knew the reason.

More than a hundred years ago, he had luckily fused with an incomplete True Phoenix bloodline... although he didn't become a deity's disciple, the Realm Spirit also told him his mission.

It was to reproduce and see if any 'True Phoenix bloodline concentration' higher than his could emerge among his descendants.

Then, going to the Inter-Realm again to fuse with another incomplete True Phoenix bloodline would give hope of reaching the minimum requirement to recognize the inheritance artifact as master.

For this reason, the Flame Family came to be.

Demigod Yan Cheng originally hadn't held such high expectations for Lin Lanyue... he hadn't expected that she would really succeed.

"A deity's named disciple?" Fang Hai laughed. "Demigod Yan Cheng, congratulations, congratulations."

"Good thing." Demigod Qinghe also rarely revealed a trace of a smile.

Their status and vision were extremely high, and they knew what the concept of a deity's disciple was.

Even if it was just a named disciple, even if this deity had already died... the probability of becoming a demigod in the future was extremely high.

Just like a Sky-Flying Martial Artist, if one wanted to cultivate another Sky-Flying Martial Artist, it was very difficult, but if one wanted to cultivate a Source Martial Artist, it was very easy.

And in fact.

The gap between a demigod and a deity... was far greater than the gap between a Source Martial Artist and a Sky-Flying Martial Artist.

"Li Yuan, thank you for the news you brought," Demigod Yan Cheng said with a face full of smiles. "This is my V-message number... If you need my help with anything in the future, just find me."

Demigod Yan Cheng took the initiative to release goodwill.

"Thank you, Demigod." Li Yuan naturally accepted this goodwill. A demigod was already the highest echelon of the Seven-Star Civilization.

Demigod Yan Cheng and Demigod Qinghe left.

"Don't take Demigod Qinghe's questioning too much to heart," Fang Hai looked at Li Yuan. "He wasn't deliberately targeting you, but just following procedure... many demigods are actually unwilling to do such things that offend people."

"I understand," Li Yuan nodded. "Thanks to the orders from you, Principal, and Senior Dongfang Ji."

"My Master didn't issue an order; I just said it casually just now," Fang Hai said with a faint smile. "Anyway, he wouldn't dare to verify it with my Master."

Li Yuan was stunned. One could play it like that?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 260 =====