The conference room was now packed with people.
Dozens of seats were occupied by martial artists from various regional departments—some exuding sharp, piercing auras from their very demeanor, while others remained as calm as still water.
Gu Yan and Old Gao sat in the section designated for the Jianghai Region, surrounded by familiar faces in their row.
Liu Jianxing, seated to Gu Yan’s right, glanced at the little girl on the stage who was dragging a small stool over and couldn’t help whispering to Gu Yan, “Whose kid is that? Some higher-up’s daughter?”
He had witnessed the same little girl throwing a tantrum earlier.
Gu Yan tilted his head slightly in response. “No, she *is* the higher-up.”
“...?”
Liu Jianxing froze.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Shangguan Miaoyin, Mei Xue, and the others joined their private communication channel.
**[Murong Ci, do you sense it? That little girl… she’s strong!]**
**[Mmm… At least mid-level Grandmaster, if not higher…]**
**[Mid-level, huh… As expected of a century-old monster…]**
**[Why does she still look like this after all these years?]**
**[Oh? Mei Xue, you’re curious? Fine, I’ll tell you. Rumor has it that Lin Yinyin, the head of the Peace Faction, was an experimental subject for the Martial Arts Department when she was just a child. Her appearance is the result of those experiments.]**
**[E-Experiments… That’s terrifying… Will we be taken away as test subjects too…?]**
**[Shut up, newbie. Stop acting all pitiful. And don’t barge into our conversations, you worthless minnow.]**
**[Uu… S-Sorry…]**
You Xingxue lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes.
S-So scary…
**[Bai Lian, stop bullying the rookie.]**
Shangguan Miaoyin gave Bai Lian a gentle yet firm look.
The latter scoffed.
**[Fine.]**
The conference room was equipped with the most advanced audio and visual systems, ensuring every sound was transmitted clearly and every image displayed in high definition.
On stage—
Lin Yinyin, her eyes still slightly red, placed a small stool behind the conference table and climbed onto it so she could reach the microphone.
She cleared her throat and addressed the crowd. “Now that everyone’s here, before we begin the meeting, please direct your attention to the projection.”
With that—
Bai Jun pressed a switch nearby, and an image of the current state of the ancient ruins materialized in the air above the conference room.
Instantly, a hellish landscape unfolded before them, eliciting a wave of hushed gasps.
The sky in the projection was dyed a deep crimson, as if the entire firmament were ablaze. Thick clouds churned like rolling fire, with lightning occasionally tearing through, leaving ghastly fissures in the blood-red expanse.
The ground was no less apocalyptic—cracked and sundered, rivers of magma spewing from the fissures, staining the earth a dark, bloody hue.
Ruins and debris littered the land, but most unsettling of all were the indistinct black shadows drifting through the air. Their forms shifted unpredictably, emitting eerie, otherworldly murmurs that clawed at the deepest recesses of one’s soul.
Amidst this nightmare stood a towering obsidian spire, its surface etched with bizarre sigils and totems that pulsed with an ominous, overwhelming power.
At the tower’s peak, a faint ring of light hovered, starkly contrasting the surrounding crimson and darkness.
The entire scene exuded an overwhelming sense of doom.
A chorus of sharp inhales filled the conference room.
Gu Yan stared, dumbfounded.
What the hell?
How did the Peach Blossom Gathering turn into *this*?
This…
This is way over the top—no, wait, over the *limit*, right?
His shoulders began to tremble as he watched, and he hastily covered his mouth.
Ah, no—
He was about to laugh out loud…
Liu Jianxing’s heart pounded, his pupils shaking.
A wasteland like this? He’d believe it if someone told him this was *actual* hell.
And yet—this was an ancient ruin?
Just how potent was that ancient aura supposed to be?!
“Gu—”
Liu Jianxing turned to Gu Yan, seeking comfort—
Only to freeze.
Because Gu Yan was *literally* covering his mouth in terror, his entire body trembling.
…Is that how it is? Even Gu Yan gets scared?
Liu Jianxing took a deep breath and forced himself to stare directly at the projection.
If that’s the case… then I *can’t* afford to be afraid. Last time, during the Night King incident, Gu Yan was the one who pulled us together.
This time… I won’t falter!
Shangguan Miaoyin was equally stunned.
This…
This ruin seemed to be mutating by the minute.
It had grown even more horrifying since the last update.
Even through the projection, she could almost *feel* the sinister energy radiating from it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. *This* is an ancient ruin??”
“Yeah, just looking at it, the danger level already meets the criteria for a **[Forbidden Zone]**!”
“We’re supposed to explore this place?? No way, man—we’d *die* out there!”
“Tch. And here I thought you were martial artists. If we don’t go, who else can? This is clearly beyond what any mundane organization can handle.”
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Typical of the conservative faction—always cowering in the back when things get tough.”
“You—!”
As the conference room descended into chaos—
Lin Yinyin scanned the room and barked, “*Silence!*”
In the next instant—
**BZZT!**
An overwhelming pressure engulfed the entire room.
Every person’s ears rang as if thunder had exploded beside them.
Immediately, the room fell dead silent.
“Tsk tsk. So this is the power of that old monster? Shutting up a room full of Innate Realm martial artists in an instant?”
Gu Yan lowered his hands from his ears, musing silently.
Perhaps due to his training in the Pure Love Technique—
He could clearly see the countless minuscule particles of silver qi floating invisibly in the air around them.
Dense, imperceptible to the naked eye, these silver motes were all extensions of the monster on stage.
If even a single disguised demon lurked in this room, these silver particles would instantly reduce it to ashes.
Once order was restored—
Lin Yinyin nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good. No fighting—that’s how good children behave.”
She then looked at the assembly sternly. “Now, I’ll explain the specific plan.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Several minutes passed.
The crowd blinked.
…Plan? Where was the plan?
“Um…”
Lin Yinyin’s expression stiffened before she teared up and turned to Bai Jun. “I forgot. *You* explain it.”
Bai Jun facepalmed. He’d *known* this would happen.
Since the microphone was still on, everyone heard her loud and clear.
The entire room: **？？**