In this moment of extreme peril, only one thought remained in Starlight’s mind.
Driven almost entirely by instinct, he pulled Moen, who was beside him, into a tight embrace. He shielded her with his own body, intending to take the brunt of the imminent, devastating shockwave for her.
Moen was startled by Starlight’s sudden movement, but she immediately felt the warmth and strength radiating from him. She looked up resolutely, facing the front, and used all her strength to conjure a green shield.
However, just as everyone prepared to meet an unknown fate, a miracle occurred. The old man, who had been at the bottom of the hollow all along, suddenly took a step forward and appeared in front of them.
His tall, thin figure now stood like a towering mountain, firmly blocking that devastating force.
The shockwave, which should have annihilated everything, weakened significantly for some mysterious reason upon contacting the old man’s body. Finally, it dissipated into the air in a rather eerie fashion.
The six people who had been fighting just moments ago were stunned, staring at the scene before them in disbelief.
After neutralizing the devastating shockwave, the mysterious elder’s form clearly wavered, and he faltered slightly.
A faint trace of blood quietly seeped from the corner of his mouth, staining his snowy white beard red.
“Lord You! Are you all right?!” Ryan finally snapped out of his shock. He rushed toward the elder, reaching out to support him, but the old man gently stopped him with a hand.
“It is no matter... I truly did not expect this little fellow to be able to use a trace of the Power of Destruction. Although it can only be considered a prototype, it is quite terrifying given his age.”
The elder called You had a flash of fatigue in his eyes. He turned to look at Starlight and the other two, who had already given up their resistance, and spoke softly.
“Truly, the youth are to be feared. No wonder Lian was drawn to you... Now then, can we have a proper talk?”
...
Starlight silently locked eyes with the elder. With his mana nearly depleted, he had basically no strength left to counterattack, unless the other party was bored enough to engage him in a fistfight.
Indeed, despite the friction between the three of them and the others earlier, he didn't detect much malice in the elder’s tone. Thus, they were brought back to the bottom of the hollow by the four Saint Rank powerhouses.
When the three were gently placed on the flat ground to one side of the hollow, they all breathed a sigh of relief. If the other party wanted to harm them, they wouldn't have gone to such trouble.
Just as Starlight was about to open his mouth, full of confusion, to ask why the four Saint Rank powerhouses had brought them here, a sudden event interrupted his thoughts.
A lithe figure descended from the sky, landing steadily beside them. Along with the thud of a heavy object hitting the ground, a figure bound hand and foot was tossed ruthlessly onto the floor.
The three quickly looked down, only to discover that the figure was Po Kong, who had just sounded the alarm for them.
Po Kong was currently tied up tightly with a black rope, lying on the ground without a word. Judging by the small wounds on his body, he too had been through a fierce battle not long ago.
The newly arrived figure glanced back at the group, clapped her hands, and removed the black mask covering her face, casually brushing the dust off her clothes.
As the mask fell away, a young and beautiful face was revealed. Her pale blue skin seemed to emit a faint luster.
She spoke in a relaxed tone: “Looks like I arrived just in time. You’ve already settled things on this side! I have to say, for a human, that little fellow was quite troublesome. If I hadn't dragged him into the air, the city streets would have suffered~”
“Hmph. Wu Hua, as a Saint Rank powerhouse, you actually ended up in such a sorry state just by taking action against a junior? How embarrassing.”
El’s response carried a hint of disdain and mockery. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, as if he could see through everything.
Under the faint, mysterious glow of the magic formation, her originally tight-fitting black stealth suit now appeared tattered, with several tears and holes exposed—undoubtedly the marks of a fierce battle.
The female Saint Rank called Wu Hua only frowned slightly at his words, but she quickly regained her composure, seemingly unbothered by El’s mockery.
“Give it a rest, El. Things weren't much better over here just now. If Lord You hadn't stepped in, we probably would have been injured as well.”
The Saint Rank powerhouse holding the short spear finally broke her silence. Her voice was calm and clear as she succinctly described the previous situation for Wu Hua.
“Ha! Well said, Liu Ye! It turns out everyone is just the pot calling the kettle black. But speaking of which, are the youngsters outside all this fierce nowadays? Even though I didn't use my full strength, it’s a fact that he held his own against me for dozens of moves.”
A smile appeared at the corners of Wu Hua’s mouth. After glancing at El and the others, she turned her attention to Starlight and his three companions.
“All right, stop this pointless bickering. Lord You has something to say.”
Facing her three squabbling companions, Ryan lightly rubbed his wrinkled forehead and spoke up in time to stop them.
Upon hearing You’s name, the three Saint Rank experts, who had been acting like petulant children, stopped simultaneously and looked toward the elder standing at the edge of the magic formation.
“If I’m not mistaken... you were the one who helped Lian obtain that trace of Night God’s power, weren't you? I believe your name is... Starlight. Starlight-White.”
After taking a deep look at the pool of water in the center of the magic formation, You walked slowly to Starlight and asked in a meaningful tone.
“Are you... the person in the prophecy?”
The elder’s voice was low and resonant. His gaze was incredibly deep, as if it wanted to pierce through Starlight’s soul to uncover everything within his heart.
Upon hearing this, a wave of emotion surged in Starlight’s heart. He suddenly thought of the prophecy he had learned in his dream not long ago. He hadn't even shared this with his companions yet, but now it was being spoken so casually by the elder before him.
Although he wasn't sure if the question You asked was a simple coincidence, facing the elder’s gaze that seemed to see through everything, he felt he could not lie. He could only nod hesitantly.
“I... I don't know if we’re talking about the same thing, but there is indeed a prophecy related to me.”
After hearing this, a subtle smile curled the corner of You’s mouth. He reached out, patted Starlight’s shoulder gently, and whispered, “Oh? It seems you already know part of it. This proves that I, this old man, was not mistaken.”
“Um... Senior You, how did you know about me? Does the power I used just now have anything to do with this so-called prophecy?” Starlight couldn't help but press for answers after hearing You’s cryptic words.
“Well, that isn't hard to explain. I’m just an old man with a bit of foresight, that’s all. I don't let any information regarding Lian slip by; after all, her bloodline is the purest in ten thousand years, and I cannot allow anything to happen to her,” You replied casually.
“While I was tracing the trajectory of Lian’s future, I discovered that she would encounter a youth chosen by prophecy, and that this would be a key step in her transformation.”
“As for what you unintentionally used just now, that is the prototype of the Power of Destruction, which is also a type of Transcendent Power.” You began to speak slowly as he paced leisurely.
After listening to the elder’s explanation, a flash of realization suddenly crossed Starlight’s mind.
He finally understood why, despite Lian’s noble status, she had no true experts escorting her on the mourning cruise. It turned out that this entire path had already been calculated by You.
Rate on N.U.
