[Vol. 6] Chapter 222: The Wall of Protection
Hearing this, Violet couldn't help but interrupt.
"Wait a second, you just mentioned 'unstable factors'... Are you referring to the Evil Spirits hiding in the Ancient Spirit Realm and the [Void Prison] sealed with destructive power?"
The young girl, who appeared no older than eighteen or nineteen, gave her a surprised glance. It seemed the mention of that term caught her off guard.
"You even know the name [Void Prison]? You're quite a remarkable person. It seems Ming Lan wasn’t wrong about you. Yes, the [Void Prisons] are indeed one of the critical threats, but they’re not the only issue."
"These [Void Prisons] are scattered throughout the Ancient Spirit Realm. Our goal is not just to prevent the sealed disasters from resurfacing, but more importantly, to block even greater threats from infiltrating from the outside."
The envoy gestured upward with her hand.
"I’ve heard, Miss Violet, that you came to this world from another realm. You must have noticed that the Ancient Spirit Realm is completely enveloped by a powerful spatial barrier. Do you know what it's for?"
Violet furrowed her brow, and suddenly, a realization struck her.
"To stop the power of [Destruction] from invading further?"
The fox-eared girl smiled lightly.
"Exactly. You're absolutely correct."
"So that’s how it is…"
Violet finally understood.
This powerful seal that completely enveloped the Ancient Spirit Realm, even cutting off her ability to temporarily contact the outside world, was undoubtedly far beyond anything humans could create easily.
Over the past six months, she had pondered countless times about who could have built such a barrier, similar to the world shield in the [Origin Realm], and why. She had imagined many possibilities but couldn’t confirm any of them.
But now, it was clear. She had overcomplicated the matter.
The Second Invasion of Destruction.
If the power of [Destruction] could invade the Ancient Spirit Realm once, it naturally could do so a second time. Unless the source of this power is completely cut off, the Evil Spirits will never be truly eradicated. That’s why Spirit Veil Immortal Island and other powerful entities stepped in to create the barrier, isolating this world from the outside.
Following this logic further…
With this thought, Violet frowned slightly and asked, "So, even after paying such a heavy price, the power of [Destruction] still hasn’t been completely eliminated?"
The envoy, who also had sleek black hair, smiled and shook her head.
"[Destruction] is just a term. It represents a force, a threat. But as for what lies behind this power, I honestly have no idea."
"Even though I’m called an envoy, you can probably tell that I’m just a capable member of the Spirit Veil Tribe. As for the true source of this calamity, only those who have reached another level of existence, our leaders, know the full truth."
"At the very least, the external influence still persists. To protect the Ancient Spirit Realm, the Immortal Island has been closely monitoring and guarding against it. That’s why we’ve had to remain so isolated most of the time."
"I see… I think I understand now."
The envoy was surprisingly honest. Violet had initially expected her to speak in cryptic riddles, leaving her completely baffled.
"So, the purpose of holding this [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony] is related to these threats you’ve mentioned, isn’t it?"
As Violet asked the question, something seemed to cross her mind, and she raised her hand slightly.
"By the way, I haven’t asked for your name yet… Calling you ‘envoy’ all the time feels too formal. And that veil, should I assume it’s some kind of special equipment?"
The fox-eared girl nodded and replied with the same frankness.
"It’s a tool that prevents identification and analysis. Our Spirit Veil Tribe has a relatively small population but possesses near-immortal lifespans. Because of that, we avoid forming unnecessary ties with anything non-living unless absolutely necessary."
She casually removed her veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, and smiled warmly.
"But Miss Violet, you are no ordinary person, so there's no need for too much formality. My name in the tribe is Ming Lianyun. You can just call me by my name."
"Back to your earlier question: under normal circumstances, the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony] is simply a grand event to select strong and talented individuals, with Spirit Veil Immortal Island helping them grow further. The last ceremony was held only a few years ago, so logically, it shouldn’t have been time for another one so soon."
"But as I mentioned earlier, Spirit Veil Immortal Island is usually too self-contained to deal with external matters. To address an imminent crisis and handle all the troubles at once, our only choice is to rally as much of the Ancient Spirit Realm's strength as possible."
The priestess considered this thoughtfully.
"So, you're saying… you're using the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony] to gather enough strong individuals and organize them to face the upcoming crisis? But there's something I've been curious about. This 'crisis' you’re all talking about. What exactly is the catastrophe you refer to as the [Great Era]?"
Ming Lianyun smiled and responded with a question of her own.
"Miss Violet, you must have seen the recent prophecy spread through the so-called [Heaven’s Eye], correct?"
"Of course. Are you saying it’s true?"
The envoy shook her head.
"Predictions about the future are never absolutely true or false. But this one does represent a possible future and is consistent with what the Immortal Island has foreseen."
"Our Spirit Veil Tribe worships the [Supreme Sacred Fox God], who explicitly instructed us on this. She set up twenty-four nodes for the space-sealing formation that protects the Ancient Spirit Realm, placing them across various corners of this land."
"The cycle of rise and fall, growth and decay, is an unchanging law of nature. Even divine power is no exception. Therefore, over time, the formation's nodes inevitably enter periods of weakness. During these low points, the nodes can be damaged, and the destructive forces from beyond will reach their peak influence."
"The seals and restrictions set up in the past to counter the Evil Spirits will become unprecedentedly fragile during this period. The monsters will grow restless, and the entire world will be thrown into chaos. This is what we call the [Great Era]."
"The destructive force surging from the outside has been suppressed for a thousand years. But no matter how strong a dam is, it can’t hold back a flood forever. Once the seals are completely broken, the Ancient Spirit Realm will fall into an irreversible catastrophe. Whether we act or not, we are destined to face the return of that power soon."
Ming Lianyun's expression grew thoughtful.
"Miss Violet, what do you think will happen when that time comes?"
"The nodes of the World Formation…?"
When Violet heard this, her mind immediately went to the positions she had seen during the preliminary selection of the literary competition. Back then, Eastern Kingdom's Saint, Shangguan Qiuyue, had intentionally instructed his subordinates to mark out six or seven scattered locations across the nation using formation plates, likely to test her.
Could those locations be where the nodes are distributed? Was he trying to gauge the response here to determine his goal?
It wasn’t surprising that Shangguan Qiuyue had this information. As a Saint, he had access to an extensive intelligence network. Moreover, as Ming Lianyun explained, under normal circumstances, the nodes of the grand formation, protected by divine power, couldn’t be destroyed, so knowing their locations wouldn’t pose any immediate danger.
Wait…
The Evil Spirits’ earlier attempts to destroy the [Heaven’s Eye] to sever the Four Nations’ control over information. Could that have been part of their plan to target the nodes during this vulnerable period?
Noticing the subtle changes in Violet’s expression, Ming Lianyun, a seasoned envoy from the Immortal Island who had lived countless years, immediately read her thoughts. With a knowing smile, she nodded.
"Miss Violet, you’re quite perceptive. It seems you’ve already pieced together the key points of this entire situation. But there’s no need to worry for now. Since we knew the Four Nations of the Ancient Spirit Realm wouldn’t abandon their so-called [Heaven’s Eye], do you think we wouldn’t have taken precautions?"
"Let’s wait a little longer. News from that side… should be coming in very soon."