Chapter 288 - 172: Lying Low for Two Months

Chapter 288: Chapter 172: Lying Low for Two Months

He spent one last day at home with his parents.

Faced with his parents’ worry and reluctance to see him go, Li Wen comforted them with gentle words, saying only that it was a normal change of duties.

Li Wen’s mother, her eyes red, endlessly reminded him to be careful, while his father just clapped him hard on the shoulder. Everything was left unsaid.

The next morning, before the house where his parents stood watching for a long time, Li Wen didn’t delay any further.

He took one last, deep look at the home that held his childhood memories, and his figure transformed into a faint, almost imperceptible beam of purple light, silently vanishing into the horizon.

His new assignment was the Panshi Underground Fortress, located on the eastern front thousands of kilometers from Bluestone County.

Its scale was far beyond anything Bluestone County could compare to; it was a true medium-sized combat fortress that was under immense defensive pressure year-round.

When Li Wen arrived, the Panshi Fortress was being temporarily overseen by a Marquis Level Godfiend named Marquis Guyue.

Just as Zhao Mingyu had found suspicious, the Demon Race made no unusual moves during the few short days when the fortress was changing command. Its defenses were weak, and Marquis Guyue was stretched thin looking after two places at once. The other side of the Star Gate remained unnervingly calm, as if they were quietly waiting for the Human Race’s defenders to assemble.

Three Godfiends at the Peak of Great Sun Realm had already arrived at the fortress.

When Li Wen’s figure appeared in the main control hall, the three who were in conversation immediately focused their gazes on him.

Their expressions showed no trace of contempt despite Li Wen’s relatively young appearance and the aura of someone who had just entered the Great Sun Realm. Instead, they were filled with obvious enthusiasm and curiosity.

"You must be Li Wen, right?" one of them, a burly, resolute-looking middle-aged man, said as he proactively extended his hand.

"I’ve heard a lot about you—number one on the Flying Star Chart and the Bright Moon Chart. I also heard you killed several peak Bright Moon Demon Race members as soon as you got to Bluestone County. My name is Wang Qiang."

"Lin Jing," said another woman with a somewhat cold and aloof air, giving a slight nod.

"Zhou Tong," another steady-looking man introduced himself concisely.

"A pleasure to meet you all. I’m Li Wen." Li Wen shook hands with each of them, his attitude calm and humble, without a hint of arrogance.

Clearly, his achievements in Bluestone County and Nanzha County had already spread among these experts of the same level, and his strength had earned their respect.

Another day passed, and the last two Godfiends at the Peak of Great Sun Realm arrived, weary from their journey.

At this point, the Panshi Fortress defense team, composed of six Great Sun Realm Godfiends, had preliminarily assembled: Wang Qiang, Lin Jing, Gao Yuan, Zhou Tong, Liu Kun, and Li Wen—the only one at the Early-stage of the Great Sun Realm, but whom no one dared to underestimate.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Marquis Guyue finally summoned the six for a formal meeting.

The atmosphere in the main control room was solemn.

The Marquis Level Godfiend’s expression was grim, his gaze as sharp as lightning. He briefly explained the strategic importance of the Panshi Fortress and the severe situation it currently faced.

"Everyone," Marquis Guyue said in a deep voice, "the Panshi Fortress has just suffered a grievous loss, and its defensive forces are in urgent need of rebuilding. The command headquarters has decided that the six of you will form the new core of the garrison. The position of captain will be filled by Gao Yuan."

Gao Yuan, having been named, stood up straight.

He was an old man with white hair and a white beard, his face weathered by time, but his eyes were still sharp, exuding a profound and unshakable steadiness.

Marquis Guyue looked at him and added, "Gao Yuan’s skill has reached the Dao Realm. He is highly experienced and has a long and distinguished history of service to the Human Race, guarding many of our most critical strongholds."

Gao Yuan bowed slightly, accepting the command.

Many people knew his story. It wasn’t a lack of talent that held him back. Rather, after experiencing too many brutal battles in his youth, his physical foundation had decayed prematurely by the time he tried to form the base for his Primordial Spirit. He had missed the chance to advance to the Marquis Realm, and his Cultivation remained stalled at the Peak of Great Sun Realm for his entire life.

"Li Wen will be vice-captain." Marquis Guyue’s gaze fell upon Li Wen, and a rare, warm smile touched his lips.

"Your breakthrough speed across different realms is remarkable. I expect you to continue your rapid growth here and become one of Panshi’s strongest shields."

He spoke quickly, concisely laying out a few basic rules for the fortress’s daily operations and handover procedures, and then stayed no longer.

As the core fighting force responsible for the security of the surrounding region, he needed to immediately return to the more important hub he was in charge of guarding. Time was of the essence.

After Marquis Guyue vanished in a streak of light, the slightly tense atmosphere in the room relaxed a little. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

The new captain, Gao Yuan, cleared his throat. His gaze swept over his five teammates, lingering for a moment on Li Wen’s face before he spoke.

"Fellow comrades, from now on, the safety of this place rests on the shoulders of the six of us. Though I may be a few years older and have been entrusted by Marquis Guyue to temporarily lead, the heavy burden of defending this fortress will rely on everyone’s full cooperation. I hope you will all feel free to introduce your individual strengths so that we can better coordinate our defenses in the future."

All five were battle-hardened veterans and understood the importance of complementary abilities.

What followed were detailed introductions from each member.

Wang Qiang: Possessed immense strength. Cultivated the Upper Grade *Profound Crystal Battle Body*. Specialized in frontal combat and defensive interception.

Lin Jing: Extremely fast with an exquisite Sword Technique. Specialized in rapid mobile support and reconnaissance.

Zhou Tong: A master archer with keen Spiritual Sense. Wielded a High Tier Pupil Technique. The core of their long-range precision strikes.

Liu Kun: Possessed vast and enduring True Essence. Primarily cultivated the Super Grade Godfiend technique, the *Undying Divine Body*. His defense was exceptional.

Gao Yuan (Captain): Blade technique at the Dao Realm. Primarily cultivated the Super Grade Godfiend technique, the *Star Inference Divine Body*. Specialized in domains, focusing on entrapment and annihilation. The team’s stable core and commander.

Finally, it was Li Wen’s turn.

"Li Wen, Early-stage Great Sun Realm," he said in a flat tone. "I primarily cultivate the *Nine Heavens Divine Body* Cultivation Technique. My blade technique is at the late Soul Realm. My specialties are speed, breaking through heavy defenses, and burst power."