Chapter 1364: A Torturous Night!
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Xia Fei was startled. “Not one of ours? Then who is it!?”
Mu Feng shook his head, indicating that he wasn’t sure.
The Night Owl landed with a boom. Countless Dragoons had already gathered around the Seven Star Steles, speculating as to who the challenger might be.
Nalan Wufa and Yangguang were waiting for Xia Fei. Going to the conference room, Xia Fei first reported on the situation with the four Soul Familiars, which news caused everyone to sigh in relief. Those four monsters really knew how to mess around. They got bored, so they decided to kill a dragon!?
But it also showed off the personalities of these four, which were truly similar to the Four Sky Devils. It was no wonder they refused to obey the Fiend Race. After all, they had a piece of the Sky Devils’ soul! The Sky Devils had truly made a mistake when they decided to leave the defense of the Fiend Race to the four Soul Familiars.
!!
Changing the subject, Xia Fei quickly asked, “Why did the Seven Star Steles activate? And I heard it wasn’t one of our people? Then who entered the Seven Star Steles?”
Nalan Wufa shook his head. “Please hold on a moment. Raksha has already gone to investigate. At present, we cannot determine who entered the Seven Star Steles.
“A similar situation happened before. A dragon warrior took advantage of a gap in our defenses to infiltrate the Seven Star Steles. The dragons seemed to have an abnormal desire for the Seven Star Steles and the t.i.tle of Domain Lord. Of course, The G.o.d-Surpa.s.sing Stairs cannot be overcome simply because one wants to. The dragons that have infiltrated the Seven Star Steles all ultimately died.
Xia Fei nodded. He then reported how the dragons were a.s.sembling at the forward outpost, and the mood in the command center became oppressive. The older Dragoons knew how powerful the dragons were, while the newly-added warriors had never fought the dragons before and were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with concern.
“Other than the mysterious nature of the Seven Star Steles, the reason we’ve been fighting for so long over the Seven Star Steles is because the steles have a defensive formation! Xia Fei, do you know why you had to come in from the south?” Nalan Wufa asked him.
“Because you can only enter the area of the Seven Star Steles from the south?” Xia Fei quickly conjectured.
“Correct!” Nalan Wufa looked at Xia Fei in satisfaction. Yangguang had told him some time ago that Xia Fei had been the one doing all the a.n.a.lysis and planning, and that Xia Fei was a tactical genius. Nalan Wufa had barely asked the question when Xia Fei had come up with the answer, leaving Nalan Wufa amazed.
“The Seven Star Steles can only be entered from the south, but there is no limit on what direction you can exit from. Thus, anyone holding the Seven Star Steles will have the defensive advantage. We simply need to concentrate all our forces at that chokepoint.
“The dragons have the advantage in numbers, which is why we have to hold the Seven Star Steles at all costs. This is the only way to increase our chances of victory!” Nalan Wufa explained.
Xia Fei nodded. “It seems like the Seven Star Steles truly are very important and can’t be so easily abandoned. Moreover, I’ve brought G.o.d’s Eden with me this time. The garden is a wars.h.i.+p, the fastest wars.h.i.+p! Whether it’s retreating or transporting soldiers to the rear of the dragons for an ambush, the G.o.d’s Eden can be very useful.
“In my view, we should be drafting a battle plan based around the Seven Star Steles, focusing primarily on defense, and drafting tactics for dealing with various different situations.”
“Correct!” Nalan Wufa said. “You and I are on the same page. But G.o.d’s Eden has far too many plants that are important to us, so it’s best to not put it in danger.”
As they were all talking, Raksha came in with a dour look. Slamming the table, he said, “It really wasn’t one of ours. I’ve already done a full count, and we’re not missing a single person. It was probably one of the accursed dragons! They caught us off guard and sneaked into the Seven Star Steles.”
Raksha sat down and seethed, and at this moment, a great clamor came from outside.
“No way! The second stele has lit up!”
“Impossible! They reached the second level that quickly!?”
“Is it one of ours? Is it one of ours or not!?”
The Dragoons were very well-trained and did not panic because of this, but some private chatter was inevitable.
Xia Fei and the others hastily exited the conference room to go and see. Sure enough, the second stele had lit up! It indicated that the evil dragon had reached the second level!
Frowning, Xia Fei asked, “How long has it been since the first stele lit up?”
“It’s been a little less than eight hours,” Nalan Wufa said grimly.
“Is that speed fast?” Xia Fei pressed.
Nalan Wufa, Ding Hai, and Raksha all scowled. Nalan Wufa said, “It’s not just fast, but extremely fast! In truth, I’ve never seen anyone get through the first stele in eight hours! Our brother that managed to reach the fifth stele was the fastest in the history of the Dragoons, and also the fastest on record, but even he still needed twelve hours to get through the first level.”
Everyone sighed. It seemed like the Seven Star Steles had a powerful challenger this time!
Even worse was that the Dragoons had no idea who was inside the Seven Star Steles. It could be a dragon, but it also could be something else!
In short, anyone besides a Dragoon who overcame the G.o.d-Surpa.s.sing Stairs and became a G.o.d boded ill!
—
The conference silently dispersed. Xia Fei returned to G.o.d’s Eden, his eyes occasionally drifting toward that illuminated stone stele.
It was late at night, so the stars on the steles were particularly dazzling!
Autumn Erudite was sitting in a corner of a garden, drinking by himself. Upon seeing Xia Fei, Autumn Erudite somewhat bitterly nodded at him.
Over the course of this entire journey, Autumn Erudite had, barring times when Chu Jingfeng came to treat him, kept to himself, and had not taken one step out of the garden.
Xia Fei suddenly felt some sympathy for Autumn Erudite. Although he was one of the Five Ancient Apexes, none of this was what he had hoped to see, nor was it something he could control. He had not committed any grave crimes.
Smiling, Xia Fei walked over. Taking the bottle from Autumn Erudite’s hand, he took a swig from it.
Wiping his mouth, Xia Fei said, “Not bad. High-quality Jade Sunset Pearl grapewine. Don’t you always drink tea? When did you suddenly start drinking wine?”
Autumn Erudite sighed. “Tea and alcohol have no difference to a warrior of my level. It’s just that tea leaves are too fragrant. I currently need something that stimulates my throat more.”
Xia Fei frowned. “No one actually blames you. You should understand that everyone treats you as a comrade-in-arms. With a great foe before us, we need an expert like you to step forward. You cannot let yourself sink to the bottom.”
Autumn Erudite nodded. “Relax. I’ve already thought everything through. Every person has something they should do, and I will step forward when the time comes for me to do what I need to do, using these old bones to redeem myself for the souls who were unjustly slain.”
Xia Fei was startled. Autumn Erudite sounded like he wanted to die! It was like he was tired from all the endless battle and found no meaning in life, wanting to use his death to prove himself!
“Why go through all that? Isn’t it better to live as long as you can?” Xia Fei said softly. He knew that a person’s mind was not easily changed once it was set, particularly someone as strong and intelligent as Autumn Erudite.
Autumn Erudite bitterly smiled. “This is the place I belong, my destiny. Trust me. The dead can’t feel, but a living person like me enduring all the condemnation in my heart? Would you be able to stand to live in the shadows, never able to sleep again?”
Xia Fei could say nothing. The most painful wounds of all weren’t those of the flesh, but those of the mind!
Autumn Erudite had been betrayed by his friends, and his most trusted subordinates had died because of him. Those were all unhealable wounds! His heart was already dead, so he only still lived because he still needed to settle some things.
Patting Autumn Erudite on the shoulder, Xia Fei stood up and said, “No matter what other people think, you will always be Old Ye to me, my friend.”
Autumn Erudite’s eyes teared up, and he hastily turned away so that Xia Fei wouldn’t see his sorry appearance.
—
Xia Fei pensively made his way to Avril’s room. Lighting a cigarette, he muttered, “Every person has their place, every person has their place.”
Avril didn’t know what Xia Fei meant, but lying on Xia Fei’s shoulder, she said, “Yes, I understand. That’s why I’ve always been quietly supporting you from the rear, being a good wife. What I should do is listen to your orders and not give you extra trouble.”
Xia Fei stroked Avril’s golden hair and smiled. “I’m not talking about you. You’ve already done a lot. I’m just thinking about what my own place is.”
“Wherever you’re needed, like with me!” Avril moved up to Xia Fei’s ear and blew lightly into his earlobe, her face blus.h.i.+ng.
The bedroom was soon filled with the sounds of soft grunting as two figures intertwined.
—
Dawn neared, but Xia Fei still couldn’t get any sleep. He walked out of his room, a robe draped over him. Lighting a cigarette, he looked out at the Seven Star Steles.
Avril put on her pajamas and walked out drowsily. Grabbing Xia Fei’s arm, she asked, “Are you still thinking about that problem?”
“Mm.”
“It’s so simple. You need to lead everyone against the dragons! After all, you’re the fastest! In a real fight, there are many places where you’ll be needed,” Avril said softly.
Xia Fei shuddered, and once more cast his gaze at the Seven Star Steles.
“When an army that numbered in the millions arrives, no matter how fast my speed is, it might not be able to decide the battle. But there is one mission that needs me, and only I have a hope of completing it,” Xia Fei replied firmly.
Yesterday’s conversation with Autumn Erudite had reminded Xia Fei that every person needed to find their place. Xia Fei had extraordinary speed, but in a melee involving millions, the advantage of speed was greatly reduced. After all, if there were too many enemies, he could keep killing and never reach an end to them!
But the Seven Star Steles were different. Only the fastest speed could overcome this challenge, and Xia Fei was currently the fastest person in the universe.
A ray of sunlight penetrated through the early morning fog. The sun was on the verge of rising.
In the sky, black and white intertwined in a primordial muddle. For many people, this had been a torturous night.
At that moment, the third stone stele silently lit up!
That dragon had reached the third level!
It had taken twelve hours! A new record of only twelve hours!!!!