Chapter 509: Chapter 374: Doubt?_1
"I am Ji Xiaozhong, Clan Leader of the Phoenix Clan. Supreme Li, please, this way!" the towering man gestured, his face brimming with a welcoming smile.
Such an enthusiastic attitude combined with the self-address "I" indicated to Li Cheng that Senior Sister Bai Qingming must have already visited the Phoenix Clan; therefore, as he arrived, the Phoenix Clan\'s Clan Leader personally came to greet him, even adopting a stance of humility.
Li Cheng clasped his fists in response, "Thank you for your efforts, Clan Chief Ji, after you!"
Ji Xiaozhong led Li Cheng towards Sky-covering Canyon. "Supreme Li, is the Netherworld Ancestor doing well?" he asked.
Indeed, the Senior Sister had visited, and the power of the Supreme Realm had forced the Phoenix Clan into submission.
"Senior Sister is doing well. Clan Chief Ji, how stands the situation here?" Li Cheng inquired.
Senior Sister?
Ji Xiaozhong\'s eyelids twitched, the Netherworld Ancestor was Li Cheng\'s Senior Sister?
This was explosive news indeed!
Gathering his composure, Ji Xiaozhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had personally come to welcome the visitor.
Before this, he only knew that the Netherworld Ancestor would request the assistance of Supreme Li in Formation; he had no idea that the Netherworld Ancestor\'s so-called Li Cheng was actually her junior brother!
"I have summoned the nearby Monster Race to defend Sky-covering Canyon with all our might, but the damage is substantial, and we are almost unable to hold on," Ji Xiaozhong admitted somewhat helplessly.
If it weren\'t for the Netherworld Ancestor\'s strict orders to defend Sky-covering Canyon at all costs, the nearby Monster Race might have fled long ago.
Li Cheng nodded silently, reasoning that the powerful being who had escaped from the Ancestral Temple of Confucianism back then hadn\'t come here.
After being suppressed for who knows how many years, it must be difficult for that being to recover so quickly. He must be somewhere trying to recuperate and not participating in the matters of the God Race.
"How many are there at the level of Divine Emperor\'s Realm?" Li Cheng continued to ask.
Ji Xiaozhong sighed, "There were originally twenty-seven; twelve have fallen in battle, leaving only fifteen."
Such tremendous losses hadn\'t been witnessed in countless years; how could Ji Xiaozhong not be disheartened?
Li Cheng looked at Ji Xiaozhong, not sure how to offer comfort; such a loss was unbearable for any power.
However, the fact that the Phoenix Clan could gather so many warriors at the level of Divine Emperor proved their undeniable strength.
"Fortunately, the transformation of the Divine Realm has reduced the advantage of the God Race. Otherwise, we probably wouldn\'t be able to hold them off," Ji Xiaozhong said, taking a deep breath before adding, "But now that Supreme Li has arrived, stalling the God Race should be no trouble at all."
The might of a Supreme expert in Formation, Ji Xiaozhong didn\'t doubt at all.
"I need to understand the situation in Sky-covering Canyon first, Clan Chief Ji. Please take me directly to inspect it," Li Cheng said.
Li Cheng was somewhat curious; Sky-covering Canyon was incredibly vast, and logically, the God Race\'s avenues of attack should be too numerous to defend against – yet, twenty-seven Divine Emperors had managed to hold them off.
It didn\'t take long for Li Cheng to find out why.
Sky-covering Canyon was indeed exceptionally vast, yet there was a mysterious force pervading the place, a heart-palpitating power surging through both the clouds above and the earth below!
As they approached Sky-covering Canyon, Ji Xiaozhong pointed to the clouds and earth in the distance, "This place shares similarities with the Outer Great Wall; there is a powerful force protecting the heavens and the earth. Only within this million-li area is the force somewhat weaker, allowing the God Race to pass through here."
Li Cheng had noticed as well; the Sky-covering Canyon spanned across the heavens and the earth, with the safe area being only that million-li vast corridor.
Defend that million-li space, and the God Race could do nothing.
"What\'s the story behind Sky-covering Canyon? How can there be such astonishing power protecting it?" Li Cheng asked curiously.
A look of reverence flickered in Ji Xiaozhong\'s eyes, "It was formed from the sacrifice of an ancestor of our clan. That ancestor\'s true form was the Sky-covering Divine Phoenix, and upon his death, his power turned into the Sky-covering Canyon you see before you."
"The era of that ancestor is tremendously ancient, so ancient that the specific time period is beyond investigation – but it\'s said he had visited even higher worlds," Ji Xiaozhong continued.
Li Cheng nodded slightly, "There\'s usually truth behind legends; I believe he transcended the Divine Emperor\'s Realm. Hence, even after death, he could manifest such a formidable power to protect this land."
Ji Xiaozhong nodded, his eyes shining with immense satisfaction, as if Li Cheng\'s agreement was a matter of great pride.
Li Cheng surveyed the passage before shifting his gaze to the clouds, "I plan to use the power left by this ancestor as a guide to set up a Divine Array that covers the corridor. The next time the God Race attacks, we\'ll capture them all in one fell swoop."
Ji Xiaozhong did not harbor the slightest doubt, his eyes gleaming, "That would be excellent! If we could exterminate those Divine Emperors of the God Race, it would also avenge the fallen twelve."
Li Cheng looked at Ji Xiaozhong and, after a few seconds of hesitation, said, "Senior Sister said that the God Race still has its uses; we should avoid killing them if possible."
Li Cheng\'s intention to set up the Formation was to trap all the invading God Race members without planning to slaughter them.
"Useful?" Ji Xiaozhong appeared puzzled. It took the effort of countless races a trillion years ago to drive out the God Race. Now that they were preparing to return, eliminating them seemed logical; why leave any alive?
Li Cheng nodded, "I\'m not clear on what medicine Senior Sister is selling in her gourd."
Ji Xiaozhong internally sighed but didn\'t show it, simply nodding, "The Netherworld Ancestor surely has her reasons; we\'ll follow the orders of the Netherworld Ancestor to the letter!"