Dawn City, Observatory Tower.

As the machines operated, beams of holographic projections lit up the pitch-black conference room. These projections, composed of red light, signified an emergency wartime meeting with the highest priority.

Only Chen Bojun sat at the far end of the long table, staring at the Ether Association higher-ups.

"What's going on, Bojun?"

Chen Xingli, the head of the First Department, overseeing thirteen districts along with numerous operations, wore a poker face that made him look like a corporate worker tormented by endless overtime: "Has something major happened?"

The other department heads all exhibited perplexed expressions, unsure why they had been summoned.

The elderly Commander Lu frowned and cast a puzzled glance. As the supreme commander in charge of all warfare within the Ancient God Realm, he too clearly didn't know what was happening.

The two titans of the Ether Association remained silent.

Since the failed reform years ago, Lin Dong had fallen out of favor with the President. Over the years, he rarely participated in such meetings, merely acting as a tool for combat.

Now, this titan and the Night Watchers had reappeared in the conference room, signaling something special.

Rhein stared expressionlessly at this elder—or perhaps rival—with golden heavy eyes devoid of emotion.

Behind him, projections of Saints appeared one after another.

Six Divine Generals were also projected, although they largely remained silent observers.

"Regarding the Silent Wilderness, where our Vanguard was ambushed by the You Ying Group."

Chen Bojun didn't mince words: "The good news is that Instructor Wan and his team have already secured the Ancient God's Blood and are currently recuperating at the camp. Meanwhile, the Eastern Front, led by the Profound Yin Saint, is advancing toward the Silent Wilderness. They've decided to position the battle near Balensa City's outskirts, intending to leverage its flat terrain to annihilate the forces of the You Ying Group."

No one spoke.

Under the premise of no external interference, this strategy was flawless.

Even Gu Jianlin had strongly endorsed this plan at the time.

"But the issue is, Gu Jianlin, an Omega Sequence second-tier B-level investigator, raised an objection."

Chen Bojun paused briefly: "He claims there's a problem with Balensa City."

"What kind of problem?"

"Isn't Balensa City supposed to be a dead city?"

"King of Qing's student? If that's the case, we must treat this seriously."

"Is there any credible evidence? This matter is too significant to take lightly."

The upper echelon began to discuss intensely.

Chen Bojun gave a wry smile, his expression troubled: "No evidence whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking individuals fell silent. Several wore dark expressions.

"Calling an emergency meeting for such a trivial matter? Is this a joke?"

Silence lingered for a few seconds.

Chen Bojun said seriously: "The Profound Yin Saint refused the order to retreat because there's no evidence. But, as someone pointed out earlier, if it's the King of Qing's student, his concerns must be taken into account."

"Xiao Gu believes that during this battle, the Eastern Front might face unforeseen circumstances that could prevent them from achieving strategic objectives. Worse, they could end up sacrificing themselves. Furthermore, exploratory vanguard teams might sustain severe losses, potentially triggering irreversible consequences."

He added, "That's all I have to say. The rest is up to you."

The Ether Association's higher-ups turned their eyes toward one person.

Commander Lu.

"Huai Yin's student, is it?"

He pondered for a moment and ordered, "Better safe than sorry. I'll allocate additional reinforcements to ensure the safety of the Dawn Combat Sequence and the vanguard teams in this mission."

The top officials of the Ether Association nodded in agreement.

Some expressed the need for caution.

Others showed disdain, voicing demands for severe punishment if the concerns turned out to be unfounded.

·

·

Amid the cold winds enveloping Balensa City, a massive explosion soared skyward!

Gu Jianlin plunged headfirst into this magnificent city.

He scrambled for his life with four beautiful companions, darting through the desolate and barren streets of the Ancient God Clan's city. The thoroughfares were impossibly wide, not designed for ordinary vehicles, and littered with enormous footprints.

"Haha! Never seen this before, have you? Ancient God Clan cities are like this. During certain religious ceremonies of significance, they manifest gigantic, primordial mythical forms. These roads are freshly trodden by massive beasts. Have you ever seen the mythical forms of the Ancient God Clan? They look just like Godzilla!"

Old Gu's imagined persona rambled on incessantly beside him: "It's exhilarating!"

Gu Jianlin shot him a cold glare.

Old Gu froze: "You're asking me about this city's anomaly? Uh... I have no clue!"

How unlucky!

With a deafening roar—boom!

A sniper bullet zipped toward them.

Ji Xiaoyu, fully revitalized, swung the enormous nine-zhang-long Fiery Fire Blade and brought it crashing down!

Blade versus bullet!

"Nice move."

Even Gu Jianlin had to applaud this Duobao Child; losing her in the team would be a disaster.

This desolate city gave off a strangely familiar vibe, with temples scattered everywhere, inverted pyramids, colossal statues, and even decayed spaceships!

Had they not been under relentless pursuit, this would've been an archaeologist's dream come true.

Meanwhile, the Stone Bead on his wrist trembled violently.

Within his Life Perception, countless overwhelmingly powerful entities invaded, causing his expression to shift slightly.