Chapter 133: Crisis

The night grew increasingly heavy, deepening as the six-hour mark neared. This duration marked the arrival time for the vanguard of the otherworldly monsters. From his vantage point on Mount Tiantan, Lu Sheng observed the arrival of several factions.

Beneath the massive rift, six factions had gathered—all from Luzhou: the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, the Know-All Society, the Mobile Fortress, the Frost Valley, the Nine Nether City, and the Yama Hall. Among them, the Mobile Fortress stood out, appearing as a literal fortress capable of flight, far surpassing the prestige of the others.

The members of the Yama Hall were clad in blood-red robes—a shade so deep it looked black. Their attire resembled that of the Mad God Sect, yet it was clearly of a higher caliber. They were few in number, only ten, and called themselves the "Ten Yama Kings," the strongest of their organization. Yama Hall operated as an assassination guild; as long as the price was right, they would kill anyone.

The people of Nine Nether City looked sinister, a result of the dark secret arts they practiced. The members of the Frost Valley were like ice sculptures, wearing expressions of cold indifference and warning others to keep their distance, yet their strength was undeniably formidable. The Mobile Fortress personnel carried a sci-fi aesthetic, standing imposingly in modern combat armor. The Know-All Society specialized in intelligence, but their strength was not to be underestimated; anyone foolish enough to think an intelligence network lacked combat power would soon meet a tragic end. The Wind and Thunder Pavilion members dressed as traditional martial artists, their figures upright and athletic.

While the major factions of Luzhou had all arrived, the atmosphere was far from harmonious. The Wind and Thunder Pavilion was subjected to constant mockery, as the others had learned the cause of the crisis. Everyone agreed that if not for the Pavilion's negligence, this disaster would not have occurred—or at least, not now. The members of the Pavilion flushed with embarrassment but dared not speak out; being targeted by five factions of equal standing, and knowing they were in the wrong, left them without a retort.

Finally, the Master of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion could bear it no longer. "Enough! You would do well to stop!" He scanned the gathered factions with eyes cold as ice. He was furious at the constant taunts, and though he had initially remained silent out of guilt, he could no longer tolerate the insinuations.

A member of the Yama Hall sneered, "What, are we not allowed to speak? We are merely stating the truth. Master Yunlei, do not be so agitated." Seeing the Yama Hall show no respect, Yunlei’s face darkened. Yet, he dared not retaliate. He did not fear the other factions, but the Yama Hall was different. They had killed Eighth-Rankers before—not just one or two. Facing them, Yunlei lacked the confidence.

"Hmph, I will say no more. If you continue to mock us, then you can handle this yourselves. I am withdrawing the Wind and Thunder Pavilion."

The Know-All Society representative chuckled, "Master Yunlei, don't be so upset. We’ll stop, won't we?" The others, seeing Yunlei pushed to the brink of losing his composure, decided not to press further. Going too far could backfire; if they goaded him into a frenzy and he started a fight, it would be disastrous. A greater enemy was approaching, and the consequences of internal strife before the battle were unknown.

Lu Sheng, from Mount Tiantan, could not see these details, only that people were gathering beneath the rift. Especially the conspicuous Mobile Fortress; if it were any larger, it would exceed the size of the floating continent that had appeared in District 13.

Lu Sheng was curious about the strength of these factions and the monsters to come. They would not have dared to come if they weren't at least Eighth-Rank. But how many Eighth-Rankers did they have? And how many did the monster vanguard possess? The Will of the Blue Planet had stated the vanguard's ceiling was Eighth-Rank, but what if every single one of them was Eighth-Rank?

Lu Sheng felt a chill at the thought. The monster world was incredibly powerful, with beings of the Eleventh-Rank. If the Will of the Blue Planet limited their entry to the Eighth-Rank, there was nothing stopping them from sending an entire army of them. He hoped these factions possessed enough Eighth-Rankers, or perhaps some Ninth-Rankers, otherwise, he doubted they could suppress the invasion.

Time passed quietly. The rift in the sky began to change. Once as still as a calm lake, it now rippled as if a stone had been tossed into it. After a moment, beams of light shot out—the same kind seen six hours prior. But this time, they erupted from the rift itself.

When the light faded, monsters appeared on the ground. They were nearly two meters tall, lean and muscular, with black skin covered in dark fur and heads resembling dogs. They brandished jagged black blades and scanned their surroundings, looking at the six factions with disdain.

The factions felt a sense of dread. Their senses could not determine the rank of these monsters. They instinctively turned to the Know-All Society, who were usually the most adept at scouting. They were met with the sight of the Know-All leader shouting in despair, "These monsters... they are all at the Eighth-Rank Perfection!"

The others were stunned. Eighth-Rank Perfection? The Will of the Blue Planet hadn't mentioned how many monsters there were. If these ten thousand monsters were all Eighth-Rank Perfection, was there any point in resisting? Despair spread. In under three seconds, the six factions reached a unanimous decision: Run!

The Know-All Society led the retreat. If they, with their Eighth-Rank leaders, couldn't defeat even a handful of these monsters, there was no hope. The scene, once relaxed, descended into chaos. The monsters, moving in a disciplined, military formation, began their hunt. Their purpose was simple: slaughter the inhabitants of this world, saturate the land with blood, and break the planet's final defensive barrier to allow the full otherworldly army to invade.

High in the void, five figures watched the scene in shock, though they quickly recovered. "It seems we must intervene. I did not expect them all to be at the Eighth-Rank Perfection."

"Let us strike together. A single person cannot stop nearly ten thousand of them."

"Agreed. Each take a position. Do not let them escape."

On Mount Tiantan, Lu Sheng watched the factions flee, speechless. His fears had come true. Just then, the five figures from the sky descended to block the monsters. Lu Sheng watched with anticipation. Surely, those who dared to stand against such a force were not weak.

His expectations were met with astonishment. One person summoned a thousand-meter-tall beast, which swept through the monsters, crushing swathes of them. Another froze everything in their vicinity, turning any monster touched by the frost into an ice sculpture. A third unleashed flames infused with the Laws of Fire; while the monsters didn't perish instantly, they shrieked in agony as their bodies burned. The remaining two waded into the fray with weapons, fighting with terrifying efficiency.

In Lu Sheng’s eyes, these five were undoubtedly Ninth-Rankers. However, their initial success was only due to the element of surprise. Once the monsters organized, they unleashed a storm of Law-based power. Even from his distance, Lu Sheng could feel the shockwaves. He began to doubt: could these five Ninth-Rankers truly prevail? The five Ninth-Rankers themselves were beginning to feel the strain, realizing they might have bitten off more than they could chew.