Chapter 601 - Emergency Meeting

Chapter 601: Chapter 601 - Emergency Meeting

"Leyvi, this isn’t something you can say lightly, especially in front of me. Even during the chaotic period a thousand years ago, when hundreds of millions of people died, it was nowhere near an extinction-level event."

Gandolf paused, studying Leyvi’s expression carefully before continuing. "Tell me one more time. Are you certain this could become an extinction event?"

As he asked the question, the aura of a peak Soul Transformation Realm cultivator suddenly erupted from his body. It was directed entirely at Leyvi without affecting anyone else around him.

Such a terrifying aura would have frightened almost anyone. Under that kind of pressure, few would dare to lie.

Leyvi, however, remained completely calm.

At his current level, he doubted that any aura below the Divinity Realm without genuine killing intent could frighten him.

He slowly stood up and met Gandolf’s gaze directly. "Yes. I believe it could become an extinction event."

Leyvi’s voice remained steady. "I only reached this conclusion earlier today, so I could still be wrong. Hopefully, I’m completely wrong about this."

"But I don’t want to take any chances. That’s why I used the fastest method available to summon a Protector here. I need to report what I discovered as soon as possible."

Gandolf stared at him for a long moment before slowly closing his eyes.

Part of him had hoped Leyvi would laugh and admit that he had exaggerated the situation. Even being told that it was all a misunderstanding would have been far better. But he couldn’t detect any hesitation in Leyvi’s soul fluctuations.

Whether Leyvi was ultimately right or wrong, he genuinely believed what he was saying. That made the situation even more serious.

If this really was an extinction-level threat, Gandolf couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of disaster could possibly bring Cloud Continent to that point.

After calming himself, Gandolf opened his eyes and sat back down properly.

"Then tell me everything from the beginning. I want to know exactly how you reached this conclusion."

Leyvi nodded and sat down as well.

Leyvi then described everything that had happened that day, leaving nothing out. He even openly admitted that he had used a soul searching technique to investigate the crazed demonic beast’s sea of consciousness.

Soul searching wasn’t inherently an evil technique, although many people naturally became more cautious around those who practiced it, especially those proficient enough to use it effectively.

Gandolf, however, had lived long enough to understand that a technique itself wasn’t good or evil. Its nature depended on the person using it and how they chose to use it. There were exceptions to almost everything, but soul searching certainly wasn’t one of them.

Leyvi continued explaining how his spiritual sense had encountered the mysterious repelling force and how he eventually managed to overcome it before entering the deeper consciousness.

Gandolf was visibly shocked by this revelation.

After his conversation with Newton all those years ago, Gandolf had occasionally visited the headquarters to keep himself updated on the latest developments. He was therefore well aware of the Protectors’ ongoing investigation into the Red Eye Craze phenomenon.

So far, every attempt to enter the deeper consciousness of a crazed demonic beast had ended in failure. The mysterious repelling force was simply too powerful, and nobody had possessed enough mental power to overcome it.

Even the Protector with the strongest spiritual sense and the greatest proficiency in soul searching among them had failed.

Yet somehow, Leyvi had succeeded.

Gandolf couldn’t help but look at the young man before him with a completely different expression.

Could his mental power already be the strongest in the entire continent?

Even if this only applied to the specific circumstances of entering a crazed demonic beast’s deeper consciousness, it was still an achievement so extraordinary that Gandolf found it difficult to comprehend.

Gandolf calmed himself and continued listening to Leyvi’s explanation.

Of course, Leyvi had no idea what had been going through Gandolf’s mind. He simply continued from the point where he had discovered the foreign memory hidden among the countless memories in the deeper consciousness, then described the brief glimpse he had seen before the memory self-destructed.

"They were speaking in the ancient language? Are you certain?" Gandolf asked.

"Yes, Senior. I remember the memory clearly. That woman was filled with overwhelming hatred toward humanity, and she screamed with all her heart that she would eradicate humanity. Considering what happened to the ancient civilization, I’m sure you can understand why I reached my conclusion."

"Wait, wait. Something doesn’t add up."

Gandolf raised a hand.

"If she was speaking in the ancient language, how do you know what she was saying?"

He didn’t think Leyvi was lying, but this particular detail bothered him.

Leyvi sighed inwardly. He had known this question would eventually come up, and there was no way to explain it without revealing at least part of his ability. He had already decided from the beginning that this was something he would have to disclose.

"To tell you the truth, I have an ability that allows me to understand other languages, whether they’re written or spoken. They are automatically translated in my mind, so I can understand them without actually knowing the language."

"It’s the same with demonic beasts and demonic plants. I can understand them as well. That’s how I knew what that woman was saying."

Gandolf was quite surprised by this revelation.

Where did such a convenient ability come from?

His first thought was a Unique Heavenly Body, but he quickly dismissed the possibility. He had already confirmed through his ocular technique that Leyvi didn’t possess one.

Then he remembered something.

There was another extremely rare category of special abilities that scholars had identified. Unlike abilities originating from Unique Heavenly Bodies, these abilities appeared to be innate characteristics of the mind itself.

The known examples included mind reading, mind control, illusions, dual minds, and several other unusual abilities.

There had even been an ongoing debate among scholars over whether hyperphantasia, the extraordinary mental ability required to become a Formation Master, should also be classified as one of these innate mind abilities. No conclusion had been reached yet.

If Leyvi’s claim was genuine, then his ability to understand and translate every language would most likely belong to the same category.

An innate mind ability.

Gandolf couldn’t help but look at Leyvi with renewed curiosity.

Although Gandolf didn’t believe Leyvi would lie about something like this, he still needed to verify it himself.

The next moment, he brought out a large, exquisite jade tablet covered in ancient carvings and held it up for Leyvi to see. The inscriptions were written entirely in the ancient language.

"Can you read this?" Gandolf asked.

"The Tomb of the Altimet Family." Leyvi answered immediately.

Gandolf nodded and put the jade tablet away.

"This is something I obtained a long time ago from a well-preserved tomb belonging to an ancient family. I have no doubt about your ability now."

After saying that, Gandolf fell silent.

He really didn’t like where this was heading.

If Leyvi’s theory about an extinction event was true, then it was almost certainly connected to the Red Eye Craze phenomenon.

Could every demonic beast on the continent eventually become infected and turn against humanity at the same time?

That alone could explain how an entire civilization might be wiped out.

Humans might be spread across the continent, but their settlements occupied only a small portion of the land. Most of the wilderness belonged to demonic beasts, with demonic plants making up a much smaller portion of the population.

But there was an even more terrifying possibility.

There had already been numerous cases of marine demonic beasts being affected by the phenomenon and coming onto land to attack human settlements. If the phenomenon continued to spread, the threat wouldn’t come from the wilderness alone. It could come from both land and sea simultaneously.

Gandolf imagined the scene for a moment.

Countless demonic beasts emerging from every corner of the continent, all driven by the same overwhelming hatred toward humanity.

A chill ran down his spine.

He might be a powerful Soul Transformation Realm cultivator, but even he had limits. Against an overwhelming number of crazed demonic beasts attacking from both land and sea, his strength alone would never be enough.

For the first time in a very long while, Gandolf felt genuinely helpless.

"Senior Gandolf, what should we do now?"

Leyvi’s voice pulled Gandolf back to reality.

He looked at Leyvi’s determined expression, and the helplessness weighing on his heart gradually faded.

That’s right. Even this young man was doing everything he could to prevent the disaster before it happened. Why was he already feeling helpless?

The disaster hadn’t happened yet. They still had time to find a solution. There might even be a way to stop the Red Eye Craze phenomenon before it could spread to every demonic beast on the continent.

"Hohohoho!"

"HOHOHOHO!"

Gandolf suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly.

Everyone around him stared in confusion.

Even Leyvi couldn’t help but blink speechlessly. What’s going on with this old man?

After laughing for a while, Gandolf finally looked back at Leyvi with a broad smile.

"Leyvi, are you sure you don’t want to become a Protector? I’m starting to think you’re more qualified for the position than I am."

"No, no, no. I’m only doing this because it involves my family. I’m really not interested in becoming a Protector." Leyvi immediately waved his hands.

"Alright, alright. I understand."

Gandolf chuckled before rising from his seat.

"Leyvi, we’re going to the headquarters immediately. I’ll summon all the Protectors and call for an emergency meeting to discuss this impending disaster. I want you to be there as well."

Everyone’s eyes widened. A meeting with all the Protectors?