Yes, he had to be strong.
A man who only knew how to run away was a coward.
What had happened could not be changed. Even the Clairvoyant couldn't change it.
Hera was dead, and all he had to do was avenge her.
Zhou Qianlin was still alive. He had to protect her, to wake her.
Paragons were a whole new world. He believed that if one day they were both Paragons, then she would wake up.
From now on, he would work toward that goal.
Their blood was connected, and they were one. She would always be a part of him.
He would never let her leave him again. He would protect her, until the day she woke up. Then he would make her his wife.
When Lan Jue exited the Skyfire Museum, he saw that the sky outside was dark.
It was daytime, but it felt like night.
A beam of starlight trailed behind it as it soared off into the distance.
The Wine Master, the Keeper, the Bookworm, and the Gourmet were all watching.
Skyfire Avenue had long since been filled to the brim with people.
No one said a word, though. They looked solemnly up at the sky, silently sending him off.
The third of the ten Paragons, the Clairvoyant, the Eye of Tomorrow!
Humanity's greatest prophet, the founder of Skyfire Avenue.
Dead!
A day later, Skyfire Avenue was a sea of white, both above and below ground.
All shops were closed for the day.
Every member of Skyfire Avenue mourned in silent remembrance.
The whole of Skyfire Avenue was silent.
… …
The Dark Citadel.
"He's gone," Satan muttered to himself. There was an indescribable sadness in his voice.
"I should be happy, but why?
Why is it that my heart hurts?
Why is it that when he's gone, I feel like I've lost my backbone?
Clairvoyant, you bastard who only knows how to run. Why do you have to leave now?
Are you trying to play dirty? "
For a long time after that, the Demon King's temper grew.
He was a strange man.
No one in the Dark Citadel dared to touch him.
… …
Pontiff's Castle.
The Pope held the scepter in his hand and looked at the starry sky. "Everyone will die and go to another world. Is it heaven or hell?
I won't see you out! "
…
Major League.
The Terminator and the Spacetime Hegemon sat facing each other.
The Terminator frowned. "He's gone."
The Spacetime Sovereign said, "I know."
The Terminator smiled bitterly. "Shouldn't you be sad?
Why was there no reaction at all?
I'd rather you cry. "
The Spacetime Hegemon, however, stood up.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Davis. I have to go back."
The Terminator paused. "He asked you to send him on his last journey.
You didn't want to, so why do you want to go back now? "
The Spacetime Sovereign smiled sadly. "I won't go because I don't want to see him one last time. I don't want him to bring up my sad past.
Since I had decided to completely forget that period of lovesickness, I didn't want to give myself a chance to recall it.
But now I want to go back. I want to go back to Skyfire Avenue. He's gone.
After all, I'm the Clockmaker of Skyfire Avenue. "
The light in the Terminator's eyes flared. "You!"
The Spacetime Sovereign's voice was soft. "I told you when I first came that if I wanted to leave, don't stop me.
Don't stop me. "
The Terminator's voice was crestfallen. "Do you really have to go?
I thought that day would never come. "
"I've missed a lot," she said. "There are some things I don't want to miss.
I want to go back.
That's where I belong. "
The Terminator was irritated. "But they won't see it that way.
They won't accept you if you go back! "
The Spacetime Hegemon smiled.
"Does it really matter if they accept me or not?
I have to go back.
Because I have to go back.
I have to go back. "
… …
Ziluo.
Chi Bupang drained his glass of whiskey and rose to his feet, cigar in hand.
"The trickster is gone. A toast to you!"
… …
Three days later, the Paragon rankings were updated.
Celestial Master Qian, who had been missing for many years, was disqualified. The Eye of Tomorrow had fallen.
Jue Di was second. The Terminator was third. The God of Time was fourth. The Pontiff (Faith). Fifth, Satan (Dark Faith). Sixth, the Arcane Magnate (Science). Seventh, the Cosmagus (Space). Eighth, the Astral Phantom (Speed, Poison). Ninth, the Karmic Scholar (Science). Tenth, the Infernal Vanguard (Death Faith).
They were still the Paragons, but they were different.
Of the ten Paragons, Skyfire Avenue had the sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth Paragons.
Their numbers had increased, but their overall strength had declined.
A week later, the Epochrion returned to Skyfire Avenue and reopened her shop.
Skyfire Avenue had five of the ten Paragons. Once again, they had the upper hand.
… …
The Wine Master had stood in front of the Gothic Winery for a long time.
But he hadn't stepped out.
The wine glass in his hand had changed from a round glass of white wine to a glass of red wine. Then a glass of cognac.
The more he drank, the stronger it became. But still he stood there.
On the other side of the street was the Zeus Jewelry Shop.
But on the other side, farther away, was a small shop. It was the focus of his attention.
She was back, just like that.
There was no explanation, no words. But she was back.
Years ago, she had left because of the Clairvoyant. Now he was gone, and she had returned.
No one questioned her, because none of the Paragons of Skyfire Avenue questioned her. They allowed her to enter the shop that had been closed off for many years.
The Wine Master had seen her the day she returned.
She had left the shop open, alone, using the simplest of cleaning tools to clean the dusty shop.
The Epochrion had returned. The Wine Master's eyes lit up.
He wanted to go, just like he had done so many years ago. He wanted to invite her for a drink and a chat.
They didn't talk about cultivation, just wine and clocks. Half a day passed naturally.
Every time he thought about it, he couldn't help but fall into a trance.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that ever since he saw her on Luo, he'd been in a trance.
He'd thought he could forget, but now that they were together again, he found it was just a suppressed volcano. Now that it had erupted, it was impossible to control.
The Clairvoyant was gone, and she was back.
The Wine Master was shaken even more.
If the Clairvoyant were still here, perhaps he would have been a little braver. But now, without a rival, his heart was in a daze.
"What are you looking at?" A calm voice spoke in his ear.
The Wine Master didn't need to turn his head to know who it was. "You're still so free?"
Lan Jue walked to his side. "I'm on my way to West Hill. Why would I be free?
If you want to go, then go. The way you're dawdling isn't at all like the Wine Master I know. "
The Wine Master feigned ignorance. "What do you want to go?"
Lan Jue: "What's the point?"
The Wine Master was silent.
Lan Jue patted him on the shoulder. "I'm going to work. You do what you want.
I'll be busy from now on, I won't have time for you.
It's only when you're alive that you'll have the chance to appreciate it. "His last words were spoken, and a look of anguish flitted across his eyes.
The Clairvoyant left. He shut himself away for three days.
Every day he watched videos of Hera, Zhou Qianlin.
Three days later, he walked out the front door. He was like a new man, like a man at peace.
On the surface, at least.
At home, he meticulously took care of Zhou Qianlin. He changed her clothes, massaged her to keep her healthy, bathed her, fed her.
When he left the house, he melted her into his body. She became a part of him.
His heart seemed to have calmed down in this state.
From that day forth, his life changed.
Things began to get busy!
No one left the ARC class. They all joined Skyfire Avenue, becoming a part of the Star Division.
It took another three days for Star Division's numbers to be confirmed.
Eight hundred and twenty-three in total.
There were more of them than he had imagined.
Among them was a Paragon, the Gourmet!
The Pharmacist, a Paragon, was among them.
There were many familiar faces as well.
In a short time, Star Division was comprised of the best of Skyfire Avenue's younger generation.
The National Eastern University's West Hill base had been set aside for them. A thousand new sim pods had already arrived.
All the new recruits were given the task of customizing their mechas.
Lan Jue's next course of action was an internal test, conducted through the simulation pod.
It was essentially an internal competition.
He needed to understand everyone's abilities before he could plan the next step.
They were all Adepts, and that was the most troublesome part.
Almost every Adept had their own unique traits, and he needed to understand them all.
Different Adepts had different ways of controlling their mechas, and that was something he needed to understand.
He needed to put all the data together to come up with a training plan.
It was a tedious process.
Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone.
The Accountant had been forced to join Star Division, and all the calculations and calculations were left to him.
The internal competition was about to begin. There was no need to test Adepts, just mecha combat.
The Eastern Alliance was in charge, and DreamNet approved it.
All of Star Division's soldiers were equipped with the exact same mechas they'd been given.
Of course, these suits could only be used in designated areas, not public areas. They were there specifically for testing and training purposes.
It was these advantages that gave Lan Jue some confidence in his ability to train them.
The DreamNet data had been entered, and the mecha customization process had been completed. Today was the day to begin the mock battle, the internal competition and selection.
(To be continued)