Chapter 267: Do You Think This Is a Tourist Attraction?!

Blood, deep crimson blood, hangs from his neck, frozen for ten thousand years in the very posture of its flow, crystal-clear and radiant like a ruby of supreme brilliance.

Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, kneels on one knee within the temple, his head bowed low, his steel-forged hands resting upon the ground.

Blood, blood is flowing down his neck.

Calgar gazes silently at the sacred figure in the center of the temple.

Ten thousand years, Father.

The stasis field hums with operation, releasing a faint metallic tang of electrolyzed air, but it is quickly drowned out by the sacred incense burners placed near the Wang Zuo.

Roboute Guilliman, Calgar's gene-father, sits upright upon the Wang Zuo.

He has slightly curled golden hair, skin as snow-white as marble yet unyielding in hardness; his face bears the majesty and beauty of a Macraggian noble, as well as the stubbornness and glory of a soldier.

To gaze upon a Primarch is an exceedingly difficult task; even Calgar cannot do it.

With merely a glance, Calgar is overwhelmed by the aura surrounding the Primarch; he seems to see fire, light, and war swirling around his gene-father, as if the Primarch were not composed entirely of matter, but a cold storm constrained within a physical body.

It seems as though light is erupting from him, yet that too may be merely a hallucination born of Calgar's trembling awe before the Primarch's aura.

Yet, were one to slightly abandon reason, Calgar would call that aura divinity.

The Chapter Master has read the legends of his gene-father countless times, knowing him to be a rational and wise commander.

But now, the figure seated upon the Wang Zuo... the eyes of that figure hold only a death-like emptiness and sorrow.

His lips are slightly parted; until the very moment he was placed into the stasis field, he was still shouting those two words.

Father. The records of history recount that moment: when the Primarch was about to die, he shouted "Father."

Was he praying to the Hua Di Huang? Was he longing for the Hua Di Huang's salvation? Or was he grieving for his failure to complete the Hua Di Huang's work?

Regardless, he was killed by his own brother.

Fulgrim. Calgar curses that name a thousand times.

The Primarch's fallen, demonic brother severed the Primarch's throat with a sword stained by evil power, letting blood and life flow out from it.

For ten thousand years, tens of thousands of pilgrims have been fortunate enough to witness this frozen moment of the Primarch here.

But in Calgar's memory, only one person was not overwhelmed by the sorrow of that moment.

Dante of the Blood Angels, the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, was not overwhelmed by the sorrow of that moment.

"The Ultramarines need only witness this moment of sorrow here and now."

"And my brothers and I bear anger and sorrow equal to, or even greater than, that moment at all times."

That is what Dante said.

It is said that the Blood Angels buried the remains of their gene-father in the deep crypts of Baal, rarely entering to pay homage.

They have already endured too much sorrow, pain, and anger.

But the Ultramarines chose to open this moment of sorrow to all.

The figure of the Primarch brings Calgar not only sorrow, but also anger, anger at the enemies of the Hua Di Huang.

And, of course, also strength.

Calgar has never heard the words of his gene-father.

But he knows that if his gene-father were still alive, he would undoubtedly command Calgar to slay the enemies of the Hua Di Huang.

Merely gazing upon the body of Roboute Guilliman, Calgar seems to hear that command, drawing strength from it.

"My Lord." The voice sounds from behind Calgar.

Calgar raises his head slightly; he knows who stands behind him.

"Drogis, my friend," Calgar says slowly. "Have you brought me a new prophecy or a new question?"

Calgar trusts his Chief Librarian, yet he is often worried that his Chief Librarian has delved too deeply into the Warp.

He slowly rises to his feet, his metal-composed body emitting a low roar; he turns his head to look at Drogis.

Drogis's eyes always spark with psychic light, and countless cables connect to his brain.

In Drogis's hand, he holds a staff of power, a staff from the Battle of Andraxas decades ago, said to have once belonged to the hero Malcador.

Calgar hopes this scepter will protect Drogis's soul.

"My Lord, I wish to speak with you alone under the Primarch's gaze."

Drogis's gaze falls upon the Honor Guard surrounding them.

These veterans are responsible for protecting the Primarch, but for the most part, this duty is merely an honor and a symbol.

The Guilliman Temple lies at the deepest point of the Hera Fortress, almost impossible to invade.

Moreover, even without them, there are few in this galaxy who could simultaneously defeat both Calgar and Drogis.

Thus, Calgar gives a slight nod to those Honor Guards, and seven warriors of the Honor Guard exit the room.

"Tell me, Drogis, what do you see?" Calgar asks.

Drogis bows slightly instead, and asks Calgar in return: "Do you believe hope remains?"

This is Drogis's common way of answering: using a question to answer another question.

Calgar is already accustomed to it.

"Hope? Do you see that we have gained new hope?"

Calgar asks.

"Those from the Blade of Glory?"

"A Grand Sage, a Living Saint, an Inquisitor, an Alpha-level Psyker."

"I agree this is an extraordinary force, but I do not believe they can turn the tide of the current war."

As Calgar speaks these words, he cannot help but sigh softly.

"Furthermore, two of them are abominations of xenos origin."

"That Grand Sage, Belisarius Cawl, once served our gene-father ten thousand years ago," Drogis says softly.

This statement made Karja slightly startled; the Chapter Master could not help but look toward the Primarch behind him.

"Father," Karja whispered softly.

A Great Sage who had crossed ten thousand years of time. This caused the scale in Karja's heart to tilt slightly.

He even generated an unrealistic wish: that their Gene-Father had foreseen the current situation ten thousand years ago and ordered that Great Sage to bring them hope at this very moment.

But Karja also understood that prophecies could not be fully trusted. He calmed his mind and looked at Digris, saying:

"I will consider what you have said, but making a judgment must wait until I see that Great Sage Belisarius Cawl with my own eyes."

Digris nodded slightly; a hint of hesitation flashed across his expression.

He seemed to be considering whether to reveal all the prophecies and visions he had seen from the Hua Di Huang.

Such as that blue, round figure?

"The Hua Di Huang showed me the concrete form of hope. It was a blue, round figure."

Digris finally chose to speak:

"I have searched all possible relevant documents, from the 40th Millennium to the Old Night Era."

"If it is not a brand-new existence, then it must be an extremely ancient one, ancient enough to date back to the Golden Age or even earlier."

"A blue, round figure." Karja fell into brief thought, but finally shook his head: "Information full of symbolism and Warp implications is your specialty; I cannot offer any opinion."

Digris nodded slightly.

Relying on the effect of the Blind Spot Star, Hilandri Veilwalker, who stood aside unnoticed, also nodded, then looked at Zhou Yun.

She sized Zhou Yun up and down, seemingly wanting to see clearly exactly where was blue? Where was round?

Zhou Yun ignored her gaze and instead fixed his eyes on Ji Li Man.

Unfortunately, the volume of this Stasis Field was too large; moving the entire thing silently was too difficult.

Indeed, only Belisarius Cawl could come here with the Armor of Fate.

Moreover, although the defenses within the Ji Li Man Temple were not heavy, this temple happened to be at the center of the Ultramarines' Hera Fortress. With even a slight disturbance, Ultramarines from all around would flood over within a few minutes.

Zhou Yun began to calculate how to personally kill Ji Li Man, and then have Belisarius Cawl resurrect Ji Li Man.

"Do you not intend to leave?" Karja said, walking toward the temple exit while looking at Digris, who was bowing his head to pray to the Primarch.

Digris shook his head slightly: "I also hope to gain enlightenment from the Primarch."

Karja nodded slightly, did not stop him, but withdrew from the Ji Li Man Temple himself. Outside the temple, many tasks awaited him.

After Karja withdrew, the entire temple became much quieter.

Only the sound of Digris's power armor operating, the hum of the Stasis Field, and the sound of the incense burner burning remained.

Digris gently gripped the staff in his hand, which once belonged to the hero Maccus, and bowed his head to whisper a prayer to Luo Bote Ji Li Man.

Zhou Yun and Hilandri Veilwalker exchanged a glance.

Since the map was already fully revealed, there was no need for the two to linger here any longer.

After all, the effect of the Blind Spot Star also had a time limit.

Thinking this, Zhou Yun and Hilandri Veilwalker silently retreated toward the temple door—

Boom!!!

Digris suddenly slammed the staff in his hand; psychic waves rippled up from the spot.

Time, space, and even reality itself around seemed to become more solid and viscous. The entire Ji Li Man Temple seemed to instantly transform into some kind of space more independent from the outside world.

"Do you truly believe the temple of our Gene-Father is a scenic spot that allows outsiders to visit at will?"

Digris slowly turned his head. His voice carried magnificent psychic power, and burning psychic flames continuously burst forth from his pair of eyes.

In an instant, countless psychic chains appeared from the half-air, locking the temple exit layer upon layer.

"Do you truly believe your concealment is flawless and will not be discovered?"

"That would be looking down too much on the sons of Luo Bote Ji Li Man, little thief!"

(End of this chapter)