The entire Eighth Ring Police Station quickly mobilized, forcing the evacuation of all residents near the academy. Hundreds of large projection devices were activated, creating an illusory light curtain that completely obscured the Giant Academy. The vastness of the light curtain was so immense that even some areas of the Ninth Ring could catch a glimpse!
**Ninth Ring.**
"Something major has happened... this is an opportunity," murmured Director Wang of the Happy Orphanage atop a tall building.
"Little Lin, relay the message: The Great City is in chaos, unable to attend to anything else. The divine descent begins in eleven days... Is Saint Luo Square ready?"
"Everything has been prepared," Lin Yulang replied steadily. "The Anti-Cross has been set up, and the sacrificial animals are ready, but..."
A look of confusion crossed his face. "Why do those students and assistants seem like they were delivered right to the academy?"
"They were delivered right to the academy," Director Wang's gaze deepened.
Lin Yulang swallowed hard. "You... You have a partnership with the academy's upper echelons?"
"Not exactly; it's more of a tacit understanding, a mutually beneficial understanding... We're just missing the final sacrificial offering, a favored one from the outer gods, and the gods will be delighted!"
Pausing, he emphasized, "Send out the order for the believers in the Great City to create chaos. Help Su Luo stir things up as much as possible! The bigger the disturbance, the better!"
"This is the best opportunity!"
...
**Inside the Giant Academy.**
The old president stroked the silver fox head embedded in his cane, his eyes shining with intensity: "The Great City is about to fall into chaos, which is my best chance to enter the Ninth Ring... Professor Su, you must, you must hold on a bit longer..."
At that moment, a phone call came in, with a voice demanding: "Old Chu, why can't you block the network of the Giant Academy? Block it immediately and stop the broadcast!"
"The staff seems to be encountering some technical issues; I will oversee it... Actually, contacting the Spirit Network team directly should be faster."
"You don't know those guys from the Spirit Network? They dare to broadcast anything; just block the academy's network!"
After hanging up, the old president dialed another number: "Continue to maintain the network operation. Remember, this is the work of the Old Council's cultists. Afterwards, silence all engineers... Yes, they are cultists, discovered by you, killed by you."
Ending the call, he took a deep breath, his face visibly pale and his spirit waning. "I feel weak, unable to take action."
The old president leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the rolling waves of energy rushing toward them. "Let it stir; let it stir more, even more..."
...
**In the Assembly Hall.**
The ancient altar fell before Professor Su Luo. Chen Xiang stared intently; the altar was about the size for ten people, presenting a half-black, half-gray color, heavily marked by the passage of time.
In the center stood a pillar, etched with cryptic and convoluted symbols that induced a sense of disorientation just by looking at them...
Professor Su Luo knelt before the altar, his voice low: "This is the altar of the Lord of Dusk, the altar that leads directly to the Lord of Dusk!"
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After a pause, he began to chant: "Great Dusk, you are the God who still burns, the unreachable God, the God adorned in red..."
"You are the source of war, and the end of war..."
"In that midday sunset, when the gods fell like rain..."
"You wear a shattered crown, accompanied by silent attendants, along with illness, blood, aging, hunger, wounds, restlessness, fear, fascination, ease, and fleeting memories..."
Suddenly, snow began to fall in the assembly hall, snow with no roots or source, yet it burned with fire!
A translucent golden fire with no warmth!
"Interrupt him!" someone shouted in alarm; everyone knew that a major upheaval was beginning!
The altar trembled, and before the terrified eyes of countless spectators, a rift in time and space split open above it, dark and expanding, quickly growing to over ten meters high!
Wei Qingqiu's breath quickened as she stared at the altar, suddenly feeling the assembly hall tremble. In the next instant, the entire dome of the hall shattered and tore apart!
Sunlight poured in, and four figures appeared in the sky.
"It's the four deputy directors from the Secret Commission!" the noble from the Inner Third Ring raised his arm.
"Su Luo!"
Among the four deputy directors, the first deputy director was furious: "You've got some nerve!"
This elder acted decisively, gathering the True God particles like a tide, the fire elements raging, coalescing into a massive wave of flames rushing toward the rift in space!
The intense heat swept through the assembly hall; even a trace of its residual force caused many to show signs of scorching, as the roaring flames surged!
Professor Su Luo remained kneeling, throwing forth a golden badge that illuminated the hall, countering the overwhelming tide of flames and causing the high temperature to dissipate.
"Forbidden Object 126, the Divine Protection Badge..." Wu Mengling's expression soured as she and the other three deputy directors struck back with an explosive burst of light!
The Divine Protection Badge held its ground against three saints and one celestial envoy.
"Great and Supreme Old One!"
The rift in space fully formed, revealing a massive shadow beyond imagination, obscuring the limits of sight!
Amidst frenzied colors and boundless murmurs, layered prayers rose and fell!
"This is bad!!"
The first deputy director, standing at the level of the celestial envoy, changed color, truly unleashing all his strength, as thousands of meters of flames twisted into a giant serpent, opening its gaping maw toward the entire assembly hall!
The brilliance of the Divine Protection Badge dimmed.
Ignoring everything, Su Luo stared at the fully opened rift of the ancient altar, speaking with utmost reverence: "The world is listening, awaiting your words; your realm awaits your return!"
"Are you there?"
No response, no movement.
The light of the Divine Protection Badge extinguished completely, and the fire serpent surged downward, chaos erupting in the assembly hall as countless people began to flee.
"Lord!"
Su Luo cried out hoarsely: "Your faithful await your words! Please..."
Still, the altar remained silent.
He appeared to age decades in an instant; his hair, once half black and half white, turned completely white—a mockery of all he had hoped for.
"There's still a chance; perhaps the Lord is merely sleeping... there's still a chance!"
Su Luo soared into the air, confronting the fire serpent, placing his body in its path!
...
"Ultimately, no response?"
Lu Salengg stood far away, quietly observing the assembly hall, letting out a soft sigh.
Should he save Su Luo? The gaze of the Lord of Death, the Titan of Death, was about to descend; if the ancient altar returned to the Great City, he would surely come to collect it himself...
Lu Salengg closed his eyes, caught in hesitation. "I need an opportunity; as long as the altar gives even a slight response, as long as everything falls into a stalemate!"
"Where... is the opportunity?"
Lu Salengg couldn't find it. He saw Su Luo crying out in despair, saw him standing before the fire serpent, nearly burned to death, falling to the ground. He witnessed Su Luo desperately trying to banish the ancient altar into the void, only to be firmly restrained by the four deputy directors.
This farce seemed destined to end here.
...
**In the Assembly Hall.**
Many began to flee, the farce nearing its conclusion.
"Old Chen! Let's go!"
Wei Qingqiu grabbed Chen Xiang's hand but found him shaking his head.
"In a situation like this... how can anyone sleep peacefully?"
He stared at the miserable Su Luo, feeling the overwhelming terror emanating from the four powerful figures above, his spirit trembling slightly. He turned to Wei Qingqiu and said, "Little Wei, give me a punch, the kind that knocks me out!"
"What?"
"Just do it!"
Wei Qingqiu didn't have time to think. After a moment's hesitation, she brought her fist down hard. Chen Xiang grimaced, and when he saw her follow up with an even harder punch, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
"I've never seen such a strange request!"
Wei Qingqiu grumbled, shouldering Chen Xiang as she rushed toward the exit of the assembly hall.
Before leaving, she glanced back and saw Professor Su Luo, half-charred, the altar dimming, the rift in space swaying...
There was still no response.
Does the Lord truly exist?