Demon Capital Tower.
Leng Qing was deeply worried. After learning of the disturbances along the coast, news arrived from the Tribunal headquarters requiring the urgent assembly of its members and preparation for wartime mobilization.
Even a Chief Adjudicator like her, who had just completed a major mission and was on break, was being recalled.
In addition, the major forces across the Nine Provinces were mobilizing in secret. Boundless power was gathering in the east, and the deployment was expected to last over three months. A massive war was on the verge of eruption.
It seemed the Sea Demon invasion was inevitable, seven or eight months earlier than in the original timeline. Moreover, it was no longer only Leng Jue stirring chaos; now there was also Nine Infant.
Under such circumstances, the pressure on Leng Jue and Nine Infant would be greatly reduced. They would gain more room to maneuver and might not be doomed after all.
Thus, Lu Jun silently sensed the spiritual imprint, activating his True Name Precognition, Thousand-Mile Soul Lock, Void Passage, and other methods to remotely track Leng Jue's location. Occasionally, fragments of images flickered before him.
Leng Jue had indeed met with Nine Infant, but afterward the two separated quietly. Since Lu Jun had not left an imprint on Nine Infant, he did not know his whereabouts. Leng Jue, however, could not escape.
Lu Jun constantly grasped Leng Jue's position and even guessed his destination in the north, nothing more than projecting the Great Pyramid.
"Strange. Is the Pacific Empire truly so 'obedient'? Nine Infant encounters trouble and they immediately launch an invasion, disrupting their established plans?"
Lu Jun could not understand it. He was certain the Pacific Empire had not yet made full preparations. Acting prematurely might leave hidden dangers in the deep sea.
For instance, some opposing factions might not have been completely eliminated, or certain agreements with empires of the same tier might not have been finalized.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Next, he connected his thoughts to a constellation. Dark silver radiance shimmered as a temporary Void Passage opened. Vast spiritual power surged skyward, descending remotely upon the Magic Capital once more.
At the same time, at Pearl Academy in the Magic Capital, the sky was dim. Thick storm clouds blotted out the sun, plunging the world into near-night.
Crash—
Torrential rain poured down, washing over heaven and earth. The entire city was enveloped in a hazy curtain of rain, blurred and indistinct. Water slowly accumulated on the ground, showing signs of imminent flooding.
Ding Yumian stood inside a pavilion, gazing into the distance. The dark rain curtain limited visibility to less than ten meters. Skyscrapers on the horizon were reduced to faint silhouettes.
This downpour had arrived suddenly, a once-in-a-millennium storm. If not for numerous Water Element mages being mobilized to continuously redirect the flow back into the Huangpu River and the East Sea, the city would already have been submerged.
But worse news had arrived, the Water Element mages could no longer discharge the rainwater into the East Sea.
The sea level across the entire East Sea was rising. From nearshore to the deep sea, storming waterspouts raged. Not a single fisherman dared venture out. No matter what methods mages used, they could not halt the rising tide.
At this rate, Pudong and several islands being submerged was inevitable.
The authorities had begun emergency measures, urgently relocating residents and industries from Pudong.
"Sigh. In such a short time, how much can really be relocated? Pudong is the economic core of the Magic Capital. The losses from submersion would be unbearable."
Ding Yumian frowned slightly. At present, only the power of a Forbidden Spell could restrain the East Sea's rising waters. It was unclear why those Forbidden Spell mages had yet to appear and remained silent.
Suddenly, her expression shifted. She closed her beautiful eyes as vast spiritual power surged from her brow, merging with the divine soul force transmitted through the unseen void.
At that instant, Lu Jun's consciousness descended into Ding Yumian's body. What she saw and heard became his own perception.
For Lu Jun, this was not difficult. In the past, they had conducted experiments involving soul exchange and soul possession. Now, placing a portion of his soul consciousness within Ding Yumian was effortless.
"How is the situation along the Magic Capital's coastline?"
Ding Yumian heard the cold male voice resonate within her mind. Her eyes brightened slightly as she pressed her lips together. "Not good. See for yourself."
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
With a thought, her vast spiritual power spread outward, covering the entire city and reaching the coastal boundary of Pudong.
The information Ding Yumian had obtained was not told to her by others, she had "seen" it herself.
With her Psychic Element at Super Tier Level Three and her spiritual realm at the Eighth Realm, she could be called the strongest beneath Forbidden Spell. Though she usually remained within Pearl Academy, she often extended her mind across the entire city, observing the myriad scenes of life.
And no one ever noticed.
After all, the Nine Provinces excelled most in elemental magic, especially Ice and Fire. Most Forbidden Spell achievements belonged to those types. There were at most one or two Psychic Forbidden Spell mages.
As Lu Jun descended, Ding Yumian merged with this portion of his power, approaching the Ninth Realm, and could see even farther into the deep sea.
The boundless ocean had turned pitch-black, and the endless sky was likewise shrouded in night. Heaven and sea seemed infinitely close, like a dark abyss devouring countless lives.
Thunderous roars echoed. The dark rain curtain fell as towering waves surged. One massive, violent waterspout after another swept across the sea's surface, linking the ink-black sky and waters as the sea level rose steadily and irresistibly.
Seeing this scene, a tremor passed through Lu Jun's heart. Through Ding Yumian's body, he fixed his gaze upon the even darker depths farther out, a chill shooting to his head.
He faintly sensed the entire ocean transforming into a man-eating beast, some vast existence lying dormant within.
Ding Yumian reacted as well, communicating swiftly through mental transmission. "There are powerful Sea Demons there? Monarch Level?"
Lu Jun replied, "Likely more than that."
"So that's why the Forbidden Spell mages of the Magic Capital haven't appeared?"
Ding Yumian suddenly understood. Certain supreme Sea Demons of the Sea Demon Empire were watching covetously, at least Supreme Monarch-level or higher existences, causing the Magic Capital's Forbidden Spell mages to refrain from acting rashly.
The two sides were effectively in mutual restraint, allowing battles among Monarch and below Super Tier to unfold. Only when one side lost balance would it escalate further, potentially dragging the Forbidden Spell level into disadvantage.
Lu Jun said, "Not only that. The rising sea level originates from nature's divine might. How could mere Forbidden Spell power reverse it?"
"If an Ice Element Forbidden Spell descended, it might create vast continuous ice mountains in the East Sea, storing boundless seawater and temporarily suppressing the water level."
"But how long would that last? The sea level would still rise. Pudong would still be submerged. It would only be quenching thirst with poison. Moreover, it would weaken the Ice Forbidden Spell's power, diminish the Nine Provinces' foundation, and give the Sea Demons an exploitable opportunity."
His tone was reflective. In the original timeline, the Nine Provinces and the Sea Demons had faced the same situation, retreating step by step before the encroaching sea, powerless to stop it.
To cure it at the root, one would have to deal with the Antarctic Roof Emperor.
That was even more unrealistic. Forbidden Spell, Emperor, Dominator Emperor, Roof Emperor, each tier was a separate heaven, the gap unimaginably vast.
Lu Jun had seen what he needed to see. His consciousness slowly withdrew.
No wonder, in the original timeline, after Mo Fan captured Leng Jue and spent half a year recuperating before returning, he found Pudong already submerged. The force of nature was irresistible.
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