Ouyang Lie laughed even more heartily.
Nearby, several newly promoted Ninth Ranks joined in the laughter. They were well aware of Ouyang Lie's fondness for bragging and were happy to play along.
All of them had witnessed the might of a Pseudo King Master firsthand. That was not an existence any Eighth Rank Open Heaven could hope to withstand — not without forming a grand formation together.
But back in the day, when the human race still had few Eighth Ranks, Ouyang Lie had indeed fought a Pseudo King Master alone. He had been beaten black and blue, yes, but the fact that he could trade blows with a Pseudo King Master by himself was still an extraordinary feat.
The boisterous hall fell silent all at once. The boasters stopped boasting. Every pair of eyes turned toward the high seat above.
From that direction, a Ninth Rank Open Heaven with a feather fan and half-white hair descended with a faint smile. His gaze swept over the crowd before he spoke: "A thousand years apart, and all of you still shine as brightly as ever. Hmm, a few new faces as well. Very good."
The assembly bowed in unison: "Greetings, Marshal Mi."
The newcomer was Mi Jinglun. Although the human expeditionary army and all the great legions had long since disbanded, the title "Marshal" had endured. In terms of raw cultivation, Mi Jinglun might not have been the strongest among all the Ninth Ranks, but in the great wars the human race had waged against the Mo Clan, the role he had played surpassed that of any single Ninth Rank — because he had been the supreme commander of all human forces. Which battle had he not agonized over to plan? Which battle had he not poured his heart and soul into directing troops and resources?
He, Ouyang Lie,
High above in the hall, Mi Jinglun returned the bow before speaking: "The time has come again for the Void Grand Ceremony. By my count, this makes the eighth. And this particular occasion — I trust you all know what it signifies."
At those words, solemn expressions settled over every face.
"For a long time, our memories have been incomplete. In so many crucial places, there are traces suggesting that a certain person once existed, yet none of us — nor anyone else — can recall who that person was. I do not know what state of mind compelled me to oversee the compilation of his biography all those years ago, but in hindsight, it was undoubtedly the most correct decision I have ever made in my life. Every sign points to the fact that this person truly did exist. The records in the biography are authentic and accurate. That person was the single greatest contributor to humanity's victory over the Mo Clan!"
Unlike those warriors of lesser cultivation, the Ninth Ranks present, though suffering from certain memory gaps, had found those gaps filled perfectly by
The root cause of their forgetting was that mysterious Spacetime Silhouette Technique.
"A great contributor must not be forgotten — otherwise, the humanity of today does not deserve to exist! Eight thousand years have passed, and now the time has come for his return. The Void Grand Ceremony was created precisely for this moment. Ladies and gentlemen, the arrangements made all those years ago must now be activated. The time to witness the truth has arrived!"
Most people knew the Void Grand Ceremony as nothing more than a grand celebration for the entire human race. None of them suspected it was in fact a contingency plan that Mi Jinglun and the other Ninth Ranks had arranged long ago.
When they had first set this contingency in motion, they might not have forgotten Yang Kai entirely. But by now, they truly remembered nothing about him whatsoever. It did not matter — as long as the contingency still functioned, that was enough.
"We await Marshal Mi's orders!" the Ninth Ranks called out in unison, fists clasped.
Mi Jinglun smiled faintly. "Then let us see whether all of this amounts to nothing more than an elaborate delusion — or whether we truly have forgotten something!"
Orders rang out one after another. The Ninth Ranks in the hall shot out through the doors in succession, vanishing completely until only one remained.
This was the sole Ninth Rank Grand Emperor still in existence — one who had been recognized and titled by the
The hall was quiet. Mi Jinglun and the Grand Emperor waited in silence.
More than ten days passed before Mi Jinglun suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at the Grand Emperor. "The time has come."
The Grand Emperor gave a slight nod and slowly closed his eyes. His consciousness spread outward, and in the next instant his very being merged with the entirety of the Star Boundary.
In every settlement where humans gathered, the statues of Yang Kai that had stood for eight thousand years suddenly blazed with a dazzling radiance, drawing countless gazes upward in wonder.
From within those statues, the sound of recitation rose. What was being recited was none other than the contents of Yang Kai's biography.
That voice of recitation carried a strange, compelling power. Every person who heard it found themselves involuntarily stopping in their tracks to listen in silence. As the recitation continued, a vast and magnificent scroll seemed to unfurl before the eyes of all — and upon that scroll was the story of a warrior named Yang Kai, growing ever stronger from humble beginnings, rising to lead the human race to victory against a formidable foe.
It was not only the Star Boundary. Across the Myriad Beast Domain, in every world where humans lived, in every settlement where humans gathered, the statues had begun to glow under the Ninth Ranks' command. The long-prepared contingency had been activated.
At this very moment, the sound of recitation echoed simultaneously in the ears of billions of humans.
Once… twice… three times…
Gradually, people began to chant along with the voices emanating from the statues. Nearly everyone had read Yang Kai's biography at some point; many scholars could even recite it from memory. But what had once been regarded as nothing more than leisure reading now carried a weight of profound significance.
Billions of humans, chanting the name of the Void Great Emperor.
Meanwhile, in the distant void — upon the battlefield where Yang Kai's final confrontation with Mo had taken place — a floating palace also held a gathering of its own.
There were not many, only a dozen or so, but apart from a middle-aged couple whose cultivation was not particularly notable, every single person among them was at least an Eighth Rank Open Heaven. Ninth Ranks Open Heaven cultivators were commonplace here.
Those who had gathered in this place were without exception the ones closest to Yang Kai's heart.
His parents. His wives. His disciples. And
These people had been waiting here for a full eight thousand years.
After the great army had returned, Xia Ningshang had assisted Mi Jinglun in compiling Yang Kai's biography and then immediately set out, bringing Fourth Master Yang and Dong Suzhu with her to this place, where she had reunited with
This waiting had lasted eight thousand years.