NOVEL NEXT Chapter 309: 304
In fact, things did not go as Bai Chaojin had predicted. After leaving Central Island, Jiang Ling did not go looking for Fang Ren.
After the appearance of the Black Snake, the tragic scene on the battlefield made Jiang Ling realize that this was a war concerning the lives of countless of her own kind. If they couldn't win, the entire Tianjiang, where the human elites gathered, would fall.
Now that Central Island was completely destroyed, if many more soldiers were to die, what capital would humanity have left to resist the Void in a prolonged struggle?
Moreover, since Central Island had shattered, and she hadn't seen any traces of the Indra Sky organization, Bai Chaojin wasn't worried about the island breaking apart. Hence, Indra Sky must have moved before the island's destruction, and Fang Ren must have been taken away by them.
Without any information, looking for someone became truly difficult.
Given the current situation, compared to seeking the now untraceable Fang Ren, she knew all too well what she ought to do.
————
Deep within a forest on the outskirts of Yangming City.
Following the battle in Linglong Bay, all members of the Nightfall Organization began to scatter to avoid scrutiny from the Central Area, temporarily moving the organization's headquarters to this location.
If not for special circumstances, members would not return to headquarters, especially since, even up to the present, the investigative group's watchers from the Central Area had not left Yangming.
The fierce wind howled as a black streak of light crossed the sky, descending deep into the forest.
After landing on the ground, Jiang Ling withdrew the black Spiritual Energy surrounding her.
Her clothes were somewhat disheveled at this point, her cheeks and hair bore many bloodstains, and one of her arms was twisted, having been broken in the fight against Xia Mo.
Jiang Ling approached a large stone wall, where she tapped her long sword against the wall several times. Immediately, the wall split open in the middle, revealing a passageway that extended underground. On either side of this passageway stood two men from the Nightfall Organization, constantly surveying the entrance.
Seeing Jiang Ling covered in blood, the two men quickly approached.
"Leader! What happened to you?"
Jiang Ling waved off their concerns, there was no time for that, and asked, "Is Yanzhu here?"
"The Vice Leader is in the central room."
Hearing this, Jiang Ling's form turned into a blur as she passed through layer upon layer of passageways to reach a vast underground chamber.
The chamber was surrounded by soil, not as lavish as Indra Sky's underground space. The Nightfall had just moved not long ago, and with one event after another occurring, they didn't even have the energy to tile the underground room, nor to fix proper lights; they used temporary Fire attribute talismans instead.
However, in this underground chamber, various high-tech devices and equipment were fully equipped, with rows of computers occupied by the organization's tech personnel, constantly probing for various pieces of information around the world.
At the front of the laboratory, on a mud wall, was a large screen displaying the defense battle of Tianjiang, relayed by war correspondents. The screen showed countless human Practitioners clashing with the overwhelming Void beasts, but the giant Black Snake was nowhere to be seen, nor were Mu Huanqing and the other top-tier human combat force groups.
They were all blocked from view by the human soldiers and Void beasts on the periphery.
Everyone in the underground chamber was fixated on the screen. Standing on the side of the screen was a woman in business attire, her face filled with worry, her hands tightly clasped, her heart exceedingly tense.
This woman was Luo Yanzhu, the Vice Leader of the Nightfall Organization.
Her preference for business attire wasn't usually for fashion; she typically preferred sportswear since it was more convenient for the organization's missions. Her reason for wearing business attire was due to her second identity in Yangming City, where she was a department director at a company, and this was her usual dress code.
With the Void's sudden major outbreak, coupled with the Leader's abrupt disappearance, she had had no time to attend to other matters, let alone change her clothes.
"Yanzhu."
Jiang Ling didn't have time to tend to her wounds and called out to the woman in business attire.
Luo Yanzhu, upon hearing Jiang Ling's voice, had her tense expression freeze for a moment before turning around.
Seeing Jiang Ling covered in blood, her entire being panicked, confirming the worries she had earlier. Jiang Ling must have gone to the Central Area; otherwise, no place else could have inflicted such injuries on Jiang Ling.
"You actually went to the Central Area! Do you know what the consequences would be if you died!" Luo Yanzhu couldn't help feeling angry. The Nightfall Organization lived in constant fear every day, and yet Jiang Ling, the Leader, still dared to take such risks. If Jiang Ling died, the Nightfall Organization would be no more. Without Nightfall, who else could stop Indra Sky?
However, what Luo Yanzhu didn't know at that moment was that Indra Sky's plans had already succeeded.
Everyone seeing Jiang Ling in such a wounded state had a rough idea in their hearts; the Leader's strength was not as it once was. It must have taken the combined efforts of the various commanders from the Central Area to injure the Leader to this extent. Discover secrets at m-vlem|p-yr
Now, with a great enemy before us, those commanders in the Central Area actually still have the mind to deal with us, which is utterly detestable!
Jiang Ling stopped whatever he was doing, asking somewhat anxiously, "Now is not the time to talk about this, what stage has the Nine Yin Gathering Spirit Array reached now?"
Luo Yanzhu frowned, "Why are you asking this? The Void has erupted, and the entire Human Race is under threat. You can't possibly be thinking of using it against the Central Area now, can you? If that's the case, if we ignore the jeopardy to our race to deal with Indra Sky, then how are we any different from Indra Sky?"
"You're overthinking it."
Jiang Ling strode to the large screen and tapped it with his finger at the chaotic battlefield, saying, "At the very core of this battlefield, there is a monster that has surpassed the Ninth Order. The entire Human army has no way of dealing with it. This time, we are going to help, to kill this monster."
"Help? But, Chief, the battlefield is filled with people from the Central Area..."
"Yes, Chief, even if we help them out, it's hard to say how they will treat us afterward!
"Moreover, if you activate the Nine Yin Gathering Spirit Array, that is our last trump card against Indra Sky. If we use it now, how will we save the Practitioners who have been harmed by Indra Sky in the future?"
…
Upon hearing that Jiang Ling was going to help on the battlefield, everyone's faces instantly turned grim.
It was not that they didn't want to help their own race overcome the crisis, but aside from whether their ability could significantly help, even if they could help Tianjiang's army through the crisis, what about afterward? Whether the others would be grateful or not aside, it would be considered lucky if they didn't wipe them all out at that point.
After all, in everyone's heart, the Nightfall Organization is seen as a malevolent group.
Luo Yanzhu also spoke with furrowed brows, "Chief, I did say that we shouldn't confront the Central Area at this time, but that doesn't mean we should lend them a hand! Even if we help them, would they be grateful? I suspect that once the Void beast is defeated, they will just kill us all!"
Jiang Ling was silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded and said, "It's right for us to consider our matters deeply. But have you thought about what the consequences might be if Tianjiang falls in this war?"
As that sentence was uttered, everyone in the basement fell silent, watching the battle on the screen. Tianjiang and all the combat zones had been mobilized; everyone knew that if Tianjiang fell this time, the Human Race's resistance against the Void would be as fragile as paper.
"The central battlefield is right above the Central Island, and I can see the situation very clearly. Thousands are dying every second, and I'd wager that no fewer than a hundred thousand have died in the time I've been speaking with you," Jiang Ling said with a heavy tone.
Luo Yanzhu's brows furrowed even deeper, as conflicted and embarrassed expressions surfaced on the faces of those below. To go would mean they might be killed by their own race; not to go risked the fall of Tianjiang and the future of all Humans living under the shadow of fear from the Void.
"Everyone here already knows what has happened to me," Jiang Ling continued without pausing. "Twenty years ago, I was a very selfish person, my heart covered with overwhelming hatred and brutality. I killed many innocents, including my own flesh and blood. Over time, one finds answers to many things. Bai Chaojin—I must kill; but civilians—I will also save, even if they support Bai Chaojin."
"When I first brought you into the organization, I told you, we are called Nightfall because no one will understand us, and we should not hope to be understood by others. People always love the light and only fear the dark. It will be the same this time; no matter what we do, the outcome is something we have to shoulder on our own," said Jiang Ling.
After a severe internal struggle, Luo Yanzhu finally let out a heavy sigh and said, "Our lives were saved by you, and every one of us here will undoubtedly follow you, no matter what. After all, nothing we say will change your actions; we can't just watch our benefactor go alone."
"If we don't act, Tianjiang will likely fall, and I suppose after Tianjiang's fall, our fate will still be death. Death being equal, we might as well contribute as members of the Human Race. As for whether it's good or bad, we can leave that for posterity to talk about."
"Originally, my life should've ended early. Chief gave it to me, and I will do whatever Chief commands."
"Even if Nightfall gets the blame again this time, at least the world will remember for what cause Nightfall fought this battle."
"We all live on the same land; we can't just let others' armies indirectly protect us and keep dying without end."
…
The members all rose from their seats amidst the tumult.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling glanced at Luo Yanzhu next to him and then began to circulate his True Qi to heal his wounds.
"The Nine Yin Gathering Spirit Array has only gathered up to the eighth layer; it has not reached its strongest state yet. But it is enough to destroy an island the size of the Central Area," said Luo Yanzhu.
Jiang Ling frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Hopefully, the power of the Formation will be enough to break through that Black Snake's fog."
—
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Moments later, above the forest on the outskirts of Yangming City, tens of thousands of Nightfall Organization members soared into the sky, heading straight for Central Island.
Behind their ranks, a colossal white Formation consumed the surrounding Spiritual Energy, emitting a cold and sinister aura.