Lu Yin was still drunk off his joy at receiving so much money, but a single notification instantly plunged his mood to an all-time low.
‘In the name of Yuan Shi, the Hall of Honor is conscripting cultivators from all seventy two weaves of the Outerverse to reinforce the defense of Endless Weave’s border and assist Elder Daggs in protecting the Human Domain.’
Before Lu Yin could even react to the news, another notification appeared.
‘The Hall of Honor orders Lu Yin to accept the draft order. You must head to Endless Weave’s Ironblood Lavazone to assist the commander in protecting the border. You must arrive at your designated station within one month, and you will be punished if you arrive late.’
The Endless Weave bordered the Technocracy, and to assist in rebuffing the Technocracy’s innumerable probing attacks, the Human Domain’s border consisted of a defensive line that was made of dark lava spread across the entire expanse of the border. This magma had a special characteristic that prevented the Technocracy from deploying their probes. As a result, all of the border defense members were unable to use any sort of firearms without exception, and even gadgets did not have any signal there, rendering them equivalent to trash.
The defensive line was further divided into smaller Lavazones that each made up a length of the border, and powerhouses would gather in these zones to hold the defensive line.
Initially, the line of defense had consisted of fifteen Lavazones that spanned the entire border between Endless Weave and the Technocracy. However, ever since the Human Domain’s great defeat in the past, half of Endless Weave’s territory had fallen under the Technocracy’s control, and the line of defense had been pulled back. Now, there were only six Lavazones remaining, and they were known as the Dark Phoenix, Greatwood, Endless, Tri-Platform, Honor, and Ironblood Lavazones.
Lu Yin stared at the notification in shock. It had come without warning, which was exactly the same way the draft notice from Ironblood Weave had come before.
The main difference was that Ironblood Weave had only drafted cultivators from the eastern region of the Outerverse. Back then, many of the Outerverse’s weaves had still been cut off from the rest of the Outerverse, so it had been more difficult to gather reinforcements. This time, however, the draft notice had been sent to the entire Outerverse, making the situation seem even more severe.
Also, who was Yuan Shi?
Lu Yin immediately called Elder Lohar.
Unfortunately, Elder Lohar did not answer, and half an hour passed before he called Lu Yin back.
Elder Lohar’s solemn face appeared on Lu Yin’s screen, and when he saw Lu Yin, he immediately said, “You must have received the draft notice.”
Lu Yin nodded. “Who is Yuan Shi?”
Elder Lohar had a respectful expression. “My teacher.”
Lu Yin was shocked. “Your teacher?”
Elder Lohar nodded. “Not only is he my teacher, but he has also mentored many other people in the Hall of Honor. Although Yuan Shi himself has never admitted to it, he has guided many powerhouses, and they all refer to him as ‘Teacher.’”1
“What’s Yuan Shi’s power level?” Lu Yin asked. He had immediately realized that Yuan Shi was the Hall of Honor’s true hidden strength in the Outerverse. Elder Lohar was an expert with a power level that was over 300,000, so if there was someone who he called teacher, then it was possible that Yuan Shi might be an Envoy.
Elder Lohar serenely answered, “Alliance Leader Lu, this is not the time to discuss such things. Hurry and start heading towards Endless Weave’s Ironblood Lavazone. In war, status is useless. If you arrive late, you might really be punished by military law. Commander Da Gu is an elder from the Hall of Honor, and he holds the same status as me.”
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, and then he cautiously asked, “Are things very serious this time?”
Elder Lohar’s expression became complex. “Yuan Shi will talk to all of the Outerverse’s top-notch powers, as nobody can avoid this war. Nobody.” And with that, he ended the call.
Elder Lohar’s words were enough for Lu Yin to understand the severity of the situation this time. When Ironblood Weave had sent out a draft notice before, things had been quite serious, but Elder Lohar had never reached out to any of the colossal organizations, such as Shamrock Enterprises or requested Yuan Shi to take action. But this time, Yuan Shi had personally stepped forward, which meant that perhaps even those super powerhouses like Chairman Yu would not be able to escape the draft.
His suspicions had turned out to be valid; the Sixth Mainland was indeed trying to invade the Outerverse through the Technocracy.
Just three of the Sixth Mainland’s realms had been enough to force the remnant spiritual force of that Progenitor in the Innerverse to take action, which showed how powerful these invaders were. And now, the realm moving to invade the Outerverse was most likely the Bloodburn Realm. According to what Lu Yin knew, there were three powerful families in the Bloodburn Realm, and the Autumnfrost family was one of them. Each of these families had a World Imprinter among them, and though he did not know exactly how powerful a World Imprinter was, an Imprinter was already the equivalent of an Envoy. Thus, a World Imprinter definitely surpassed an Envoy. It would be incredibly difficult for the Outerverse to resist this invasion.
But no matter what, Lu Yin could not run from this battle.
At that moment, Aden arrived. “Your Highness, I’ve been conscripted.”
Lu Yin frowned. “Go and find out who else aside from you and me has been drafted.”
Right when he spoke those words, Wendy Yushan sent Lu Yin a message informing him that she had also received a draft notice.
Lu Yin grew worried that all the Great Yu Empire powerhouses were being conscripted. The battlefield was emotionless, and even Envoys might participate in this war. If the Outerverse successfully defended itself but at the cost of the Great Yu Empire’s experts, then Lu Yin’s future would become extremely difficult.
After checking with each other, they found that, fortunately, only the three of them had been conscripted from the entire Great Yu Empire. Of course, there was also the Great Eastern Alliance’s Rapid Response Team. They had been extremely eye-catching on the battlefield in Armament Weave, and they had also been drafted.
In another weave, Wei Rong also received the same notification as Lu Yin’s, though he was ordered to head to the Dark Phoenix Lavazone to assist Commander Zax Phoenix to protect the border.
Wei Rong was stunned; could things really be so severe? It shouldn’t be the case, as he had only sent someone to irritate the Technocracy. At worst, they should have only provoked a few skirmishes, so why were they drafting even him to the border? Besides, he was no military genius, so what use was there in sending him to the border?
He did not want to go, but he could not go against the Hall of Honor’s draft notice.
Wei Rong was left completely speechless. Could something have happened out there without him knowing? Speaking of which, Lu Yin had withdrawn his forces from the war extremely decisively when news of the Technocracy’s invasion had first appeared, which had drastically exceeded Wei Rong’s expectations. He had wanted to use the pressure of the border battles to force Lu Yin into giving up on his war with Armament Weave. Instead, Lu Yin had completely withdrawn his forces. Wei Rong did not believe that Lu Yin cared about a skirmish at the extreme border of the Outerverse or about protecting the Human Domain. This all made him absolutely certain that Lu Yin was privy to some secret information that Wei Rong was not aware of.
Wei Rong wasn’t the only one feeling depressed at this time; Qiong Xi’er’s face was also quite bitter.
How was this border war related to her in any way? Why did they have to conscript her as well?
“Xi’er, this border war is not some trivial matter, especially this time. Even Yuan Shi from the Hall of Honor has revealed himself, which means that things are not simple,” Qiong Shanhai solemnly explained.
Qiong Xi’er was puzzled. “Who exactly is this Yuan Shi?”
Qiong Shanhai shook his head. “I’m not entirely certain, but…” He took a moment to carefully recall some old memories before continuing, saying “His name is in our Qiong family’s ancestral records, so he should be a very ancient character.”
“Bring out the ancestral records for us to check,” Qiong Xi’er said.
Qiong Shanhai was helpless. “They were destroyed in the previous great war.”
Qiong Xi’er grudgingly asked, “Exactly how long ago did he appear in those records?”
Qiong Shanhai replied in a serious tone, “Conservatively, a million years ago.”
Qiong Xi’er was horrified. “A million! You’ve got to be joking!”
Qiong Shanhai shook his head. “I only remember this: there was a page in the ancestral records mentioning Yuan Shi, but it was almost completely worn out. It must have been at least a million years old.”
Qiong Xi’er’s hair stood up on end. Each generation would take over the previous one in the universe, and no matter how ancient one’s history was, they would inevitably vanish into the river of time. Even the powerful clans of the Innerverse that had passed down their inheritances since ancient times had only maintained the concept of time. However, this Yuan Shi was practically jumping out of the river of time. It was impossible for him to live for so long, so he must have been in cryostasis this whole time. Even so, it was still absolutely terrifying for someone to have lived for more than a million years.
It was no wonder why this old man was so decisive that he had drafted her after making an appearance. When facing this kind of monster, not even Millions City was safe.
In the Outerverse, there were very few who qualified to receive a mandatory draft notice, and even fewer of them were a part of the younger generation. Wei Rong and Qiong Xi’er had been forcibly drafted, but that was all because of Wang Wen. Wang Wen’s presence in Ironblood Weave had been very useful for the Human Domain’s defense, and the Hall of Honor was hoping that the equally famous Wei Rong and Qiong Xi’er would not be bad to use either.
In particular, there were high expectations placed upon Wei Rong, as his methods in conducting the defense of Armament Weave in the war against the Great Eastern Alliance had surpassed themselves one after another. In the end, he had successfully stalled an enemy that was ten times stronger than his own forces. The Hall of Honor could not ignore such a talent.
Still, they were just a part of the younger generation. On the other hand, Neo-Vestige Sect’s Sect Leader Gong Ling also received a draft notice from the Hall of Honor. Neo-Vestige Sect was even ordered to send out an additional Enlighter to participate in the border’s defense.
Gong Ling could not refuse these summons. Regardless if he was facing the virtuous call to defend humanity or Yuan Shi’s overwhelming pressure, he did not dare refuse the conscription.
The three great powers of the Outerverse and the top four conglomerates of the Outerverse also all received notices from Elder Lohar under Yuan Shi’s name.
In Shamrock Enterprises, Yu Mu personally met with Yuan Shi, though, of course, they met virtually through their gadgets.
Facing Yuan Shi, Yu Mu bowed deeply. “Senior, you have awakened.”
Yuan Shi calmly looked at Yu Mu. “The border is facing a crisis. Report to the Tri-Platform Lavazone to protect the border.”
Yu Mu dared not utter even a single extra syllable. “Yes.”
At a branch of the Mavis Bank, Yuehua Mavis also met with Yuan Shi.
“Our elder has tasked me with representing her to send you her regards,” Yuehua Mavis respectfully greeted.
Yuan Shi sighed. “Hundreds of thousands of years have passed with just one retreat. Time does not hold much meaning to those like us. However, if the opportunity presents itself, I will go back on a trip to see her.”
Yuehua Mavis knew that Yuan Shi was not speaking to her and that he was actually just speaking his mind out loud.
“Report to the Ironblood Lavazone and protect the border,” Yuan Shi calmly ordered.
Yuehua Mavis respectfully acknowledged his words.
“Be careful. Our enemy this time is from the Sixth Mainland,” Yuan Shi added.
Yuehua Mavis’s expression instantly changed. “Understood, Senior.”
In the Outerverse headquarters of Aurora Enterprises, Blaze Engineer moved underground and activated his gadget, causing Yuan Shi’s image to appear.
An elder appeared from beneath the ground, faced Yuan Shi, and bowed deeply towards the screen. “Teacher.”
Yuan Shi faintly responded, “There’s no need to call me that. Report to the Endless Lavazone and defend the border.”
The elder respectfully answered, “Yes, Teacher.”
Yuan Shi’s image then vanished.
Blaze Engineer stared at the elder and asked in a respectful tone, “President Qi, who was that?”
The elder had a reminiscing look as he responded, “An esteemed senior who deserves a great deal of respect and who has guided countless experts. He is one who has truly enlightened numerous cultivators, and you may call him Yuan Shi.”
The Outerverse was like the opening to an abyss; no matter how much it was stirred, its bottommost layer could never be clearly seen, and there would always be something hiding in the depths. However, with Yuan Shi’s appearance, the depths of the abyss had become fully clear, and nobody could shirk their responsibility to defend the border. Perhaps some would arrive late, but they definitely would not be able to escape from their responsibilities. Not even Neo-Vestige Sect’s Arrow Mountain Elder, the mobile fortress that was Millions City, Endless Borders’ expedition crews that were exploring the Astral Wilderness, or the ancient assassins of Aegis that were frozen in cryostasis were exempt from this. It was even possible that some of the Enlighters who were stationed in Ironblood Weave might move over.
Lu Yin entered a spacecraft with Aden and Wendy Yushan that then headed towards Endless Weave.
With the speed of a radiant-grade Aurora, they would arrive in twenty days, as long as they did not encounter any mishaps. This was Lu Yin’s third time participating in a border war, but this was also going to be the most desperate war he had ever witnessed.
1 In this context, Yuan Shi means Teacher/Leader of many since ancient times.
