“I wish… it were a lie,” Xie Jinshuia answered.
As he looked at the dumbstruck crowd, Xie Jinshui was unable to utter more words. The five family heads were fierce and powerful warriors; even they had difficulty hiding their fear!
The Otherworld Heavenly King! Any titled battle pet warrior would tremble upon hearing that name, because it was a synonym for terror! “The Otherworld Heavenly King?” Su Ping looked at them in confusion.
He noticed that, as composed as Qin Duhuang had always been, he was visibly afraid. That could not be good.
The others were pulled back to reality by Su Ping’s words. Their fear disappeared for a tiny bit when they turned to look at Su Ping, but their minds were still clouded.
“Mr. Su, you don’t know?”
Mu Beihai was unable to believe that. All the titled battle pet warriors knew about that entity. Still, it didn’t seem that Su Ping was faking Su Ping shook his head. Xie Jinshui jumped in. “Mr. Su, have you heard about the four Heavenly Kings?” The Four Heavenly Kings?
Su Ping nodded. “I know, Andy Lau Tak-wah, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau, Aaron Kwok Fu Shing, and Leon Lai Ming?” Xie Jinshui: “…”
“I don’t know what you’ve just mentioned, but the four Heavenly Kings I was just referring to are the four most powerful beast kings on the Blue Planet!”
Xie Jinshui explained, “The Heavenly Kings of Otherworld, Seven Sins, Abyss and Good and Evil!” “The most powerful beast kings?” Su Ping wondered if they were beast kings at the Fate State.
“That is correct.
Zhou Tianlin added with fear in his eyes, “The Tower pointed out that the four are the most powerful beast kings! Even a legendary battle pet warrior would have to flee when running into any of the four when alone! “The Good and Evil Heavenly King is the most formidable for the four, their leader!
“But this Heavenly King is secretive in the way it moves, barely leaving a trace. It rarely causes any disasters. Unlike the Good and Evil Heavenly King, the other three beast kings would come out every now and then. Decades ago, the Seven Sins Heavenly King went past a base city and leveled it to the ground overnight. Two legendary battle pet warriors went after this Heavenly King but failed.” “The Four Heavenly Kings are not only terrifying but scheming. They are more savage and cruel than the other beast kings!” The others felt their minds were being weighed down with anxiety after hearing Zhou Tianlin’s introduction.
Su Ping was no longer in the mood to make any jokes.
Not even two legendary battle pet warriors had been able to kill that beast king. It was very likely that the four most powerful beast kings of the Blue Planet were at the Fate State, or the Void State at the very least! The Little Skeleton’s bloodline awakening had yet to finish. The most powerful pet Su Ping had at the moment was the Swamp War Beast which was merely at the peak of the Ocean State. It would never compare against a beast king of the Void State! “Of the four, the Otherworld Heavenly King is the weakest, but it has even killed three legendary battle pet warriors!” Qin Duhuang added.
The cloud over their minds thickened.
They could count on Su Ping fighting the average beast kings. But when a beast king was able to kill a legendary battle pet warrior… Su Ping would not have the strength to defeat it! Liu Tianzong and Zhou Tianlin were thinking.
If the Longjiang Base City was doomed, then leaving in time would be the best choice for their families.
They would abandon the base city, but at the very least they would keep their families safe. Xie Jinshui looked up and became even more frustrated after noticing the complicated looks that Qin Duhuang, Mu Beihai and the others were wearing. He had only shared the news to the five and Su Ping because he knew there would be a surge of panic once the public learned about it. The fact that five beast kings were there was enough to create chaos, not to mention the arrival of the Otherworld Heavenly King. However, the public would know when the war broke out. He could only hide the news for this long. Xie Jinshui had made up his mind to tell Su Ping and the five family heads because he wanted them to make the decision beforehand. That would be better than them escaping in a panic in the middle of the battle.
He was also showing his sincerity. He didn’t have high hopes but he still wished that Su Ping and the five major families would stay to power through this together!
Xie Jinshui was the only one who couldn’t turn his back on the Longjiang Base City! He was the mayor, the leader of the base city, the guardian!
He would never leave as long as he was still breathing! “Sir, how credible is the information?” Su Ping asked. He understood that the information was most likely real when Xie Jinshui was willing to share it, knowing that it could create panic. Even so, Su Ping thought he had to ask. Xie Jinshui looked at Su Ping and then at the other five who were gazing at him with hope. After a moment of silence, Xie Jinshui answered, “The ground surveillance took a picture. The image was blurry but the computer was able to analyze it. It is very likely to be true.”
The last glint of hope was gone. Qin Duhuang, Mu Beihai, and the others felt desperate. Very likely?
That was a nice way to soften the blow. There was a picture. It was a fact! There were five beast kings!
What else could command the five beast kings, apart from the Otherworld Heavenly King?!
Su Ping stood up slowly and said, “Sir.”
Xie Jinshui felt his heart skip a beat. Su Ping said slowly, “I cannot make other promises. But I, Su Ping, shall never leave the Longjiang Base City!” Xie Jinshui and the other five family heads were stunned.
The young man was serious. Xie Jinshui felt a lump in his throat.
Qin Duhuang and the others were touched.
A moment later, Zhou Tianlin announced his position as well. “The Zhou family is willing to live and die with the Longjiang Base City!” The others turned to him. Zhou Tianlin was serious and solemn. He was not joking. They could tell that he meant it.
He wasn’t only saying those words to please Su Ping or Xie Jinshui. After all, with the five beast kings and the Heavenly King to consider, pleasing Su Ping would not benefit him at all.
Zhuo Tianlin indeed planned on staying in the base city!
Qin Duhuang heaved a sigh all of a sudden. “The Qin family has been in the Longjiang Base City for hundreds of years. My father and my grandsons are people of this base city…” There was a sharp look in his eyes. “Since we are people of the Longjiang Base City, we shall be souls of the Longjiang Base City after we pass away! The Qin family shall never flinch from a battle!”
Inspired by his passionate words, Mu Beihai made up his mind. “The Mu family will keep you company!” “The Ye family has never known what giving up means!”
“Since you’re staying, the Liu family will not stand down. Anyway, Xie, have you sent out the information? Do we have any reinforcements? Have you notified the Tower?”
The others turned to Xie Jinshui for answers. The mentioning of the Tower had given them another glint of hope. Xie Jinshui nodded. “I’ve sent out the information. But I don’t know… if anyone is coming to help us. I will visit the Tower in person. We have just learned about this today and the wild beasts are still gathering. The beast kings are on their way, summoning more wild beasts. I suppose we have one or two days before the strike begins, so there’s still time for me to drop by the Tower!”
“Yes!”
“If we can invite over some legendary battle pet warriors, adding Mr. Su and that female legendary battle pet warrior in his store, we shall not be afraid even when Otherworld Heavenly King is here!”
“Indeed!”
Finally, there were glimmers of hope for them. They could win this after all!
The Otherworld Heavenly King was powerful, but it was nowhere near as powerful as the Good and Evil Heavenly King, the leader of the four Heavenly Kings. They would have escaped by then if it were the actual leader. Fighting the Heavenly King of Good and Evil was equal to smashing an egg to a rock. Even if half of all the Tower’s legendary battle pet warriors were there, they would be defeated by the Good and Evil Heavenly King! The Tower had once tried to battle this Heavenly King; several legendary battle pet warriors passed away. The legendary battle pet warriors were tightly cooperating and yet, the Good and Evil Heavenly King had won; one could imagine how terrifying it was. It was way more powerful than the Otherworld Heavenly King which had killed three legendary battle pet warriors by itself. “Since you’re willing to stay and fight for the Longjiang Base City… There isn’t much I can add, other than saying that I’ll never forget your kindness!” Xie Jinshui stood up. He looked at Su Ping, Qin Duhuang, and the other four and bowed to them.
“Xie!”
“Don’t do this!”
Qin Duhuang helped him up.
“Right. We’re all doing this voluntarily, not for your sake. You don’t have to do this.” “Xie, you’re older than me. I won’t accept your bow!”
Zhou Tianlin, Mu Beihai, and the others spoke in a hurry. Xie Jinshui’s eyes reddened as tears were about to course down his cheeks. He took a deep breath and pushed down his strong emotions. “Guys, I’m going to the Tower tonight. Go back and get ready. We’ll talk after I come back.” “Good.”
They nodded.
Their short meeting had reached an end. After they went out, Xie Jinshui flew away from the Longjiang Base City on his ninth-rank bird to request reinforcements from the Tower.
The base city was under attack. It was the Tower’s obligation to help; that was why Xie Jinshui was heading there. “I’m going to find my old friends.” Qin Duhuang was about to leave as well. Mu Beihai darted him a look. “Aren’t you worried that you’d be unwittingly luring your old friends into a trap? This time… I understand we still have hope but we could also fail!” He left something unsaid. Even if they could succeed in the end, there was no telling if any of them would die in battle. The Longjiang Base City might still stand but the warriors might never come back.
Battles required blood!
Qin Duhuang didn’t turn around. “I won’t force them to come. As a matter of fact, I hope they don’t get into this mess. That being said, now that the Longjiang Base City is in trouble, I shall do everything within my abilities to try and fight for more hope!” With that said, he left at once.
“That man…” Mu Beihai said nothing else.
“I won’t call anyone. I don’t have many friends.” Liu Tianzong shook his head and produced a forced smile. Zhou Tianlin cast him a disdainful glance. “How sad that is. I wonder what gives you the courage to say that out loud.” “Go to hell.”
“You two are tweedledum and tweedledee. Don’t taunt each other,” the head of the Ye family interjected. They chatted for a bit more, but no one was in the mood to prolong their conversation. They soon went back to their respective families. Su Ping left as well. He went back to his store. He thought of Venerable the Blade and called him.
“Mister Su?”
Venerable the Blade was surprised to receive a second call.
Su Ping went straight to the point, “Longjiang Base City is in trouble. The wild beasts are coming back and there are five beast kings. It is said that the presence of the Otherworld Heavenly King was detected. Are you willing to come and help?” Venerable the Blade was stunned still. He didn’t interrupt Su Ping, although he couldn’t help but shout after processing the last bit of Su Ping’s sentence, “the Otherworld Heavenly King?” “That is correct.”
“Of the four Heavenly Kings?”
“That is correct.”
The answer Su Ping received was silence. Venerable the Blade thinking things through and Su Ping didn’t push him. He waited quietly. After all, Venerable the Blade didn’t owe him anything After that moment of silence, Venerable the Blade asked, “Are you sure about that? What… are you planning to do?” Su Ping answered with determination, “Stay! Stay till the end!” Venerable the Blade once again replied with silence. Staying till the end? This might just as well be the end of them when Otherworld Heavenly King arrived! “I’ll go!” Venerable the Blade answered. He answered resolutely, without any hesitation. That quick reply surprised Su Ping. He didn’t expect that Venerable the Blade could be so determined. “Are you sure? Be noted that not even I can promise anything this time!” Su Ping reminded him.
He was indeed afraid. He had no idea what the Otherworld Heavenly King was like. Not even Qin Duhuang knew much about it. The four Heavenly Kings would only make contact with humanity every ten or dozens of years. They would inflict great harm in the world each time they appeared. No one was aware of their actual capabilities.
Venerable the Blade produced a forced smile. “I understand but I will still go. If you’re going to stay till the end, I just hope I can help you save some lives.”
It would be preposterous for Su Ping to say he could promise to save everyone when the Otherworld Heavenly King of Otherworld arrived.
Who could have the confidence to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings? Venerable the Blade was not going to help for Su Ping’s sake. He was going there to save lives!
The many inhabitants!
Since they weren’t giving up on the Longjiang Base City, Venerable the Blade merely hoped to reduce the number of casualties, even if it only meant saying thousands or hundreds of people! Su Ping was moved. He was able to understand Xie Jinshui’s mood for a moment. “Thank you!” Su Ping said solemnly. Venerable the Blade laughed. “No need to thank me. Why, Mr. Su? Do you think I’m that much of a coward?”
Su Ping laughed as well.
“Since you’re coming, I’m going to give you a little present after the battle,” Su Ping added. Venerable the Blade was interested. “Really? What is it?”
“It’s a secret,” Su Ping replied. Venerable the Blade didn’t press Su Ping for the answer.
They ended the call. Su Ping then called Lin Ziqing, the one who was searching materials for him.
He heard some sort of noises from Lin Ziqing’s side when Su Ping said that the Otherworld Heavenly King was heading to the Longjiang Base City. Soon, Lin Ziqing said that the signal was breaking up and he hung up. Su Ping didn’t mind. He knew that disturbing the signal was possible when one had enough astral powers.
There was nothing wrong with people not wanting to go there and take the risk.
Su Ping called someone else but Han Yuxiang said that he could stay at the academy and take care of Su Lingyue. At the same time, Su Ping was worried that Han Yuxiang would tell Su Lingyue about that strike; that would only worry her. It would be more troublesome if she were to insist on going back home, that would be more troublesome.
Finally, Su Ping called the Tang family and Xie Gange from the Star Organization. They weren’t friends but they were the most powerful forces that Su Ping knew.
Tang Mingqing received a nasty shock. He wondered if something had happened to Su Ping’s mind. They were enemies! Why would Su Ping ask them?
But as he remembered his performance at the Supremacy League, Tang Mingqing didn’t immediately turn him down. He only said that he would report back to his family head and call Su Ping back.
Xie Gange was just as dumbstruck when he received the call. It was odd that Su Ping would turn to the Star Organization. Xie Gange refused without any hesitation when he heard the name of the Otherworld Heavenly King. No kidding. It had already been hard for the Star Organization to maintain their status after their legendary leader had passed away in the Deep Caves; they had no extra hands to help Su
Ping.
Besides, they were mutually bearing grudges. Su Ping’s performance at the Supremacy League was stunning but that was a completely different matter.
Su Ping was neither surprised nor disappointed. He called everyone that he could think of. Afterward, he went back to the elementary cultivation site to cultivate, at the same time hoping that the Little Skeleton could wake up before the battle. Time zipped by. Soon, the crisis that would soon befall the Longjiang Base City was learned by other base cities.
The general public of the other base cities remained oblivious, but the more informed higher-ups had heard about the Longjiang Base City. Five beast kings! The Otherworld Heavenly King! Both pieces of news were stunning. Some underground trains bound to the Longjiang Base City were suspended. On the second day, many people suddenly showed up by the outer wall of the Longjiang Base City.
The guards that were standing on the outer wall, albeit somewhat nervous, were surprised to see those advanced battle pet warriors, as well as titled battle pet warriors arriving on ninth-rank battle pets. “We heard that the Longjiang Base City is in trouble. We’re here to help!” “Bro, get us some random place to settle down. The Fire League will advance and retreat together with you!” Some of the battle pet warriors arrived alone, while others were explorers’ groups from other base cities.
Some titled battle pet warriors were also there to help out. The guards on the outer wall were so excited and moved that they burst into tears. The Longjiang Base City was not alone! Humans were not alone!!
The entire Longjiang Base City was in a state of emergency. The kids and women that had just gotten out from the shelters went back there again.
Some elders voluntarily stayed outside so that more kids could stay in the shelter, stating that they wanted to save more hope for the future.
Beauty also bloomed in the face of disaster and darkness.
Only in darkness could light break through!
Many people emptied their houses so that the people arriving to help could have a place to stay. Under Qin Duhuang’s leadership, the five major families mobilized their connections and wealth to purchase goods and materials that were provided to the reinforcements and the government troops for free. This day, everyone worked as one for a single purpose!