Chapter 1098: Ancient Spirit Leaf

On the Giant Leaf Plaza, as time went on, more and more renowned students holding seats in the Upper Academy of the Celestial Star Academy appeared one after another, pushing the atmosphere on the plaza to a climax.

Students of the Celestial Star Academy normally faced very few restrictions in their daily lives; some even went to Outer Shenzhou to train, so it was rare to see them gathered together in such an orderly fashion. Thus, to catch a glimpse of and learn from these legendary seniors, students from the lower-star academies packed the outer perimeter of the plaza so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through, and waves of exclamations and gasps kept rising.

And Li Luo was finally seeing with his own eyes the true foundation of an ancient academy.

It could be said that the elite bloodline accumulated by the entire Tianyuan Ancient Academy over the years had now gathered on this plaza, and in the future, some Marquis-level strongmen would surely emerge from among them.

Some of these Marquis-level strongmen would leave the Tianyuan Ancient Academy and travel the vast world, but no matter where they went, they would always carry the mark of the Tianyuan Ancient Academy on them; others would choose to stay and become instructors, continuing to strengthen the academy's foundation.

As for whether anyone among those present could reach the King level, that was hard to say, because at that level, talent, potential, and opportunity were all indispensable; even if you bore a Nine Grade Aspect, whether you could ultimately claim the throne was still unknown.

While Li Luo was sighing inwardly over all this, a bell chime suddenly rang out across the plaza, and then he saw streaks of flowing light descend from the sky, transforming into flying leaves that hovered in midair.

Upon those flying leaves, the three Vice-Principals and many of the academy's higher-ups had all arrived.

"All students participating in the summoning mission, return to your respective teams!" Lan Lan Lingzi's gaze swept across the entire venue, her voice ringing in everyone's ears.

A slight ripple stirred among the countless figures on the vast plaza, and moments later, neat ranks formed into orderly lines.

Among them were also some incomplete teams with missing members; many of these were students from the Holy Academies who had ultimately failed to find a suitable leader. Seeing this, Lan Lan Lingzi gave an order, and academy instructors immediately descended, forcibly merging these students into some of the teams.

"Students, this summoning mission is ten thousand times more dangerous than any mission you have experienced before. To put it simply, this is a war between our Tianyuan Ancient Academy and the 'Zhongsheng Guipi Yu.'" Lan Lan Lingzi's face was solemn as she spoke.

All the students' expressions turned grave. Although ordinary low-grade Otherlings were bizarre, they possessed no self-awareness and acted only on instinct. Yet deep within the Dark World, there existed many powerful, high-grade Otherling organizations, and some of the most terrifying of these organizations were bestowed the name "Yu."

The leader of every "Yu" was at least a "Three-Crowned King" level existence, and the Three-Crowned King was already the pinnacle of King-level strongmen, long hailed as the "Lesser Li Li Tianwang." When Li Li Tianwang did not appear, the Three-Crowned King was already the absolute peak of the world.

The students present had, over the years, gained some experience dealing with Otherlings, but going to war against a "Yu" was still a first for them.

Although what they faced was only a projection descended from the "Zhongsheng Guipi Yu," the danger within was already enough to make one's heart tremble.

"Right now, our Principal and the other Vice-Principals, along with many Elders, are locked in a contest of magical arts with the 'Zhongsheng Demon King' and the many Kings under his command. The two sides are currently in a stalemate, so our actions may well determine the success or failure of this endeavor."

"Your specific mission is very simple: destroy all the 'Evil Heart Pillars' within the 'Zhongsheng Guipi Yu.' This object is the main scheme of that Zhongsheng Demon King, forged from human skin. The more human skins used, the stronger the 'Evil Heart Pillar' forged, so its grades are also divided into 'Hundred-Skin,' 'Thousand-Skin,' and 'Ten-Thousand-Skin.'"

"Also, you must remember: within the 'Zhongsheng Guipi Yu,' protect your bodies well, and do not let any Otherling touch your skin! The moment there is contact, cut away the skin and flesh at once; otherwise, if your fleshly shell is contaminated, you will face even more terrifying changes!" At this point, Lan Lan Lingzi's Expression Turns Solemn.

And a chill ran through the hearts of the many students. Their skin could not be touched? These damned Otherlings were sometimes truly bizarre enough to make one's scalp tingle.

After delivering her stern warning, Lan Lan Lingzi swept her sleeve, and countless emerald-green spiritual lights descended like a rain curtain, landing directly on the backs of all the students' hands, forming an emerald-green leaf badge there.

"This Ancient Spirit Leaf uses the Aspect Power Tree as its hub to form a vast perception matrix. After you enter the 'Zhongsheng Guipi Yu,' you can obtain a great deal of intelligence from this 'Ancient Spirit Leaf,' and at the same time, it will guide you to find 'Evil Heart Pillars' within a certain range."

"The Ancient Spirit Leaf has many functions; it will even probe the area you are in and issue temporary missions for you. At the same time, you can check the Merit Board through the Ancient Spirit Leaf. The more merit you earn, the richer the final reward you receive will be."

Li Luo lowered his head to stare at the emerald-green leaf on the back of his hand, flowing with mysterious light patterns. He channeled a wisp of Aspect Power into it, and emerald-green radiance flowed out, weaving into a light screen above the back of his hand—except the screen was blank now, with no intelligence to probe.

However, looking at Feng Lingyuan, Jiang Jiang Wanyu, and the others, they didn't seem to find it novel, clearly not their first time seeing this "Ancient Spirit Leaf."

"Students, this mission is extremely dangerous, and there will inevitably be casualties. But as members of the Academy Alliance, this is our duty. Since the Academy Alliance was founded, countless predecessors have been buried in the Dark Caves and the Dark World, but we have always believed that one day, the darkness will be ended."

Lan Lan Lingzi's face was solemn, her voice ringing across the sky above the Giant Leaf Plaza, causing the expressions of all the students to gradually turn Solemn.

"My heart knows no fear!"

"Our kind endure forever!"

All the students placed their fists over their chests, and their heavy voices rang out.

Lan Lan Lingzi formed a seal with one hand, and the Giant Leaf Plaza suddenly trembled violently. In the center, emerald vines grew out, then gathered ring after ring, forming what looked like a passage, filled with mysterious fluctuations within.

The vine passage continued to layer and stack, finally causing the void to shatter. One end of the passage plunged directly into the void, not knowing where it connected to.

Lan Lan Lingzi, Qing Man, and Wu Yu simultaneously inspected and stabilized the vine passage at this moment, and only after everything was completely in order did they exchange glances and nod.

"All teams, enter the passage. Beyond the passage lies our destination!" Lan Lan Lingzi said.

All the students' expressions grew somewhat tense at this moment.

Feng Lingyuan gently exhaled, turned to stare at Li Luo and the others, and said, "Let's move out. Stay alert. No one knows what's on the other side of the passage. Remember, don't touch anything."

Everyone nodded with solemn expressions.

Then, Feng Lingyuan stepped out first, walking directly into that massive vine passage suspended in the air like a giant python under the gaze of countless eyes.

Li Luo, Jiang Jiang Wanyu, Lu Ming, and the others immediately followed.

After their figures entered the passage, space twisted, gradually causing them to vanish.

And more teams, maintaining a solemn atmosphere, streamed into the passage in an endless flow.

At the outer perimeter of the plaza, the students from the lower-star academies who had not participated in the mission watched this scene, all slightly bowing their heads and softly murmuring the creed that circulated within the Academy Alliance.

"My heart knows no fear."

"Our kind endure forever."