All living beings in the Sada's Divine Realm felt a wave of heart palpitations. They lifted their heads to the sky, feeling incredibly uncomfortable, while the envoys of various races collapsed to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
"Our God has fallen!"
In the Sada's Divine Realm, all temples dedicated to him displayed strange phenomena, with the divine power of the statues vanishing and beginning to crack.
At this moment, nothing felt more desperate to the beings in the Sada's Divine Realm. The life and death of the gods were caused by their own choices, but their followers had no choices; they could only follow their gods to the bitter end—either to victory and cheers or to death and wails, with no third path available.
These beings were worried about their future fate.
But Luo Luo paid them no mind. Instead, he began to carefully study his own gains. As a ninth-tier demigod, the Sada's Divine Realm was extraordinarily vast, twice the size of Luo Luo's realm. After the victory in the divine battle, all these divine realms would be refined by Luo Luo. He not only gained enormous land but also a wealth of resources and a large group of strong laborers. Although the lionmen lost their magical power and their combat effectiveness plummeted, their strong bodies were still an essential labor force for societal development.
Moreover, every race had its own characteristics, and Luo Luo did not discriminate against the weak.
The abilities of the gods did not simply mean choosing powerful races while abandoning the weaker ones. Instead, they should highlight the strengths of each race, complementing each other and promoting healthy and stable development of the divine realm.
Aside from the immense population benefits and the vast lands and resources, the most important aspect was the divine title of Sada. Although it was only at the demigod level, it was still a valuable asset.
Item Name: Divine Title (Ninth-tier Demigod)
Level: Planetary
Effect: Can be used directly to forcibly elevate a lower-tier god to the level of the divine title, but they will lose all their potential and their combat effectiveness will be lower than that of others at the same level.
Description: Although slightly flawed, it remains the last hope for those who have severed their path to divinity.
Luo Luo simply glanced at the attributes of the demigod divine title; he had more important matters to attend to. This entire attack incident had left him feeling bewildered. To prevent any remaining enemies, he should return home immediately and report this matter to the elder residing there; perhaps his father and grandfather would know something.
As soon as Luo Luo exited the divine realm, Lin Dehou, who was anxiously waiting outside, and the business partners immediately spotted him, but they did not see Sada's figure.
Lin Dehou sighed in relief, glad that the victor was Young Master Luo, which spared him some punishment. After all, it was his oversight for not realizing the other party's identity before rashly bringing Young Master Luo to the banquet. If anything had happened to Luo Luo, his whole family would have faced misfortune.
The business partners, however, were far more terrified. Since Luo Luo emerged without Sada, it was clear that Sada must have fallen, which felt like the sky was collapsing for them. Similar to Lin Dehou's situation, if Sada was dead, they would not have a good outcome upon returning to the business. But they had never anticipated encountering such a situation and wouldn't even make it back to the business. Upon seeing this person, Luo Luo immediately subdued him, brought Lin Dehou back to the Luo family's residence, and reported the matter in detail to the elder stationed at the family residence. The elder, understanding Luo Luo's importance, dared not delay and promptly relayed the information to Luo Zhenguo, who was at the frontlines in the northern region.
A little later, Luo Zhenguo's magical image stone was finally connected. The elder immediately reported the situation Luo Luo encountered to the patriarch.
Upon hearing that his grandson had been attacked at the Luo family's stronghold, Luo Zhenguo was furious, leaving his sons, Luo Zhiyong and Luo Zhiyuan, astonished. As the patriarch of the Luo family and one of the leaders at the northern front, Luo Zhenguo was usually very calm and composed, but he seemed somewhat out of sorts this time. Clearly, there was a significant problem, and it must have touched upon Luo Zhenguo's reverse scales; otherwise, based on their understanding of their father's character, he would never have been this angry.
When Luo Zhiyuan and Luo Zhiyong arrived, Luo Zhenguo gradually calmed his anger and informed the two brothers about what the elder had just said.
As soon as he finished speaking, both brothers displayed the same furious expressions. The importance of Luo Luo to the Luo family needed no further explanation. Moreover, even without that relationship, Luo Luo was also the son of Luo Zhiyong's brother. Anyone encountering such a situation would be enraged. The fact that they hadn't rushed out to drag that person named Sada out to whip him was already a display of restraint.
Of course, the main reason was that Luo Luo had triumphed in the divine battle and had not suffered any harm. The losses in the divine realm were minor issues for the Luo family and were not worth mentioning.
Furthermore, through this incident, Luo Luo's status became even more significant in their eyes. Just by defeating a ninth-tier demigod like Sada while still only a third-tier demigod, it was clear that Luo Luo was formidable in terms of divine title, divine authority, and followers.
This further solidified their resolve to strongly cultivate Luo Luo.
However, before that, they needed to figure out who was behind the attempt to eliminate Luo Luo.
It was important to note that Luo Luo had been in the Luo family since birth, never exposing himself to the outside world or getting into conflicts with others. If this was the enemy of the Luo family, then with so many younger generations, why would they specifically choose Luo Luo? Furthermore, after hearing the details of the incident, it became evident that this person named Sada was targeting Luo Luo with intent. Not only had he lured him to the outskirts, but he had also prepared a forced war token, meaning he had known from the start that Luo Luo's level was lower than his.
In this context, it was likely that this was not an enemy of the Luo family but someone specifically looking for Luo Luo.
The three of them realized this and exchanged glances, arriving at a common conclusion: the Light Race.
It was known that the Light Race had a history of such offenses; previously, during battles against them, they often sent small teams to infiltrate the Earth Source Continent to forcibly initiate divine battles against their promising descendants. At that time, due to a moment of negligence, many prodigies fell, resulting in irreparable losses. After discovering the problem, the Earth Source humans initiated a massive purge, expelling many unidentified beings and strengthening protection for their younger generation. Over time, similar incidents had ceased, and everyone had started to let down their guard. It seemed that this person named Sada might be a fish that slipped through the net, or even an agent of the Light Race using new abilities to invade the Earth Source Continent, which must be guarded against. How many enemy pieces are hidden in the Earth Source Continent? This is currently unknown.
Upon reflection, it was terrifying. In recent years, could it be that the fallen prodigies were victims of schemes orchestrated by the Light Race?
This matter was of great importance, and even Luo Zhenguo did not dare to conceal it, immediately reporting the situation to the Earth Source Council. This council was established by all the true gods and supreme god families on the Earth Source Continent to manage all affairs of the continent.
The highest leadership of the Earth Source Council consists of three chairpersons, followed by representatives of the supreme god families and then representatives of the true god families. They govern the formulation of all rules on the Earth Source Continent and the direction of wars, as well as the execution of human policies.
The three chairpersons are the only three ninth-tier supreme gods on the Earth Source Continent.
The council was also established under their leadership, aimed at better developing and strengthening the Earth Source civilization to make its voice heard in the universe. Therefore, if it were confirmed that the Light Race's infiltration activities on the Earth Source Continent were ongoing, or had lasted for many years, the chairpersons would certainly take this issue seriously, even investigating various past incidents. The Light Race would also have to pay a price for this.
At that moment, in the centre of the Earth Source Continent, the Three Holy Cities served as the headquarters of the Earth Source Council. The fifth-tier supreme god, Hailora, on duty, immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation upon receiving Luo Zhenguo's message and submitted the matter to the three chairpersons.
In the evening, the three chairpersons simultaneously signed orders to convene the highest council and summoned all the leaders of the true god and supreme god families to discuss.
This meeting is held every hundred years, usually to discuss the overall direction of the Earth Source Continent's development or to amend some outdated policies and directives. It is only convened to resolve disputes between conflicting families or to hold significant events.
The next day, the family leaders began to arrive one after another. Some who were stationed at the front lines and could not return sent their family elders to participate in this meeting.
It should be noted that ninety-three years had passed since the last meeting, and in seven years, another meeting would be called. The fact that this meeting was convened early indicated that there must be some issue on the Earth Source Continent. This could significantly affect the interests of various families; hence, missing such an important meeting could lead to irreparable losses for the families. Therefore, no one would be absent or even late; everyone arrived early at the Three Holy Cities, waiting for the meeting to begin.
At noon, after confirming that all personnel had gathered, the three chairpersons invited the family leaders to lunch before convening in the central conference room to discuss the incident involving Luo Luo.
The three chairpersons first activated the shielding magic of the conference room, a customary procedure for every major meeting.
Gulardo, the God of Death and one of the three chairpersons, made the opening remarks.
"Everyone must be very curious as to why we are holding the Earth Source Council ahead of schedule. This is primarily because someone has discovered a significant oversight on the Earth Source Continent and has submitted a request to the highest council. After our joint investigation into all the anomalies, we have confirmed that this oversight does indeed exist and has already had a very serious impact on the Earth Source Continent. Therefore, we are convening the Earth Source Council early to discuss solutions to this issue. Is there anyone present who has objections?"
There were certainly no objections from the family leaders. Since the three chairpersons stated that the issue was severe, it seemed they were discussing a grave topic today.
After surveying the room and seeing no one objecting, Gulardo continued, "Very well, then the meeting begins. Now, let the representative of the Luo family recount the events."
The representative of the Luo family present was Luo Luo's aunt, Luo Xinlan.
She calmly walked up the steps and faced the audience, observing the representative who was only a ninth-tier demigod; the others began to murmur.
Gulardo, seeing this situation, furrowed his brow and said, "Silence! This is a serious Earth Source Council. Please do not behave in ways inconsistent with your status."
Gulardo's words were very authoritative. Everyone fell silent and looked at Luo Xinlan, who also cast a grateful look at Gulardo, as she was the lowest-ranked individual present. Having the God of Death stand up for her was a significant help.
"As everyone knows, ten thousand years ago, the Light Race sent a large number of assassins to infiltrate the Earth Source Continent. They attacked the talented individuals on the continent, and due to our momentary negligence, the entire era fell into a gray state. Numerous promising younger generations were assassinated, and the reserve forces could not sustain themselves. The combat power of the Earth Source Continent in external conflicts faced a significant vacuum. This was also one of the important reasons for establishing the Earth Source Council. Ten thousand years ago, we protected the Earth Source Continent, expelling all life that could pose a threat to us. We even took revenge on the Light Race for thousands of years. Only then did the shadows above the Earth Source Continent dissipate, leaving a favorable development space for our younger generations. But now, our Luo family's young master, the genius Luo Luo, has suffered a forced divine battle from a ninth-tier demigod. Although he ultimately escaped danger due to his strength, this still serves as a massive warning for us."
Upon hearing Luo Xinlan mention the assassination actions of the Light Race ten thousand years ago, everyone suddenly grasped the main issue of this meeting. It was worth noting that over eighty percent of the families that established the Earth Source Council were still active in the meeting. They had all experienced the dark times ten thousand years ago and were among those who loathed the Light Race the most. As soon as they heard that the Light Race was moving again, they immediately began to discuss it with righteous indignation.
"How dare the Light Race engage in such petty actions again?"
"Isn't this how they are the most disgusting race in the universe? Doing filthy things while draped in a shiny exterior is simply their nature!"
"I still think we should investigate this matter carefully. After all, it is significant, and we must be cautious."
"Cautious about what? Just hit them until they don't dare lift their heads. It's best to wipe out the entire Light Race as quickly as possible."
"That's easy to say, but we've been fighting the Light Race for millions of years. We're still in a stalemate and haven't been able to swallow them. Moreover, we still have to face the threat of the Zerg. What power do we have to fight them?"
"I say you're just cowardly. We face the threat of the Zerg; don't they? They have the Zerg in the northern region, too. If they don't use strong measures to counter us, wouldn't they be inviting disaster?"
"A full-scale war is definitely impossible. To be fair, the pressure from the Zerg is increasing on us. We can't invest more precious combat power into a war with the Light Race; this will only benefit the Zerg, resulting in a lose-lose situation."
"You're being rational, but the Light Race is not rational. They're constantly scheming against us on the Earth Source Continent, even while facing a more severe Zerg crisis. Can today's issue be easily resolved?"
"That's true. If they don't understand the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold,' then we can't keep yielding to them. They're already riding on our heads and shitting on us; if we don't retaliate, won't they bully us at will? How will we stand in the universe in the future?"
"Ugh, let's wait and see what results come from this council. I didn't expect things to be this serious."
As the discussions gradually quieted down, a family representative stood up and questioned Luo Xinlan: "You say that the one who initiated the divine battle against your family's younger generation was arranged by the Light Race. Do you have any evidence?"
Gulardo understood the gravity of the situation. He took over Luo Xinlan's words to respond to this family leader: "After our investigation, we found that the person who initiated the forced divine battle against Luo Luo was a student from the Star Academy named Sada. After receiving the report about the incident, we conducted a detailed investigation of the entire event's background and found that Sada's actions were indeed quite abnormal. During his years at the Star Academy, he had engaged in divine battles with several well-known prodigies in the area. Previously, Sada had used various pretexts or disguises to initiate forced divine battles against talented individuals, which is why we didn't immediately discover this new assassination method. However, after studying all of Sada's behavioral patterns, it became evident that he was likely sent by the Light Race."
"Alright, I have no issues with that, Chairperson." Seeing that Gulardo personally vouched for the integrity of this investigation, the representatives from various families firmly believed him. After all, he was one of the strongest three individuals on the Earth Source Continent, and his words carried significant weight. Moreover, everyone reviewed the behavioral data they had on Sada and found him highly suspicious, as his actions did not resemble conflicts arising from the disagreements among the families of the Earth Source Continent; rather, they appeared to be deliberately targeting talented youngsters. Only a psychopath or an undercover agent from the Light Race would behave in such a manner.
With this confirmation, the council erupted in chaos. The birthrate of gods was already low, and having two or three offspring over endless years was considered prosperous. If a family produced a prodigy, it was truly exhilarating. In recent years, many talented individuals from various families on the Earth Source Continent had fallen. Who could know how many of them were killed by undercover agents from the Light Race? They had not thought about this before, but now all families began to doubt the reasons behind the deaths of their once-great prodigies.
If it hadn't been for Luo Luo successfully killing the opponent this time, they would not have known the situation at that time and might have been deceived by Sada's story, neglecting the danger faced by their younger generation.
Seeing that everyone had pondered the matter for a while, Gulardo nodded to Luo Xinlan, signaling her to step down, and then addressed the assembly: "Now, the first agenda item for the Earth Source Council is to conduct a thorough investigation of all personnel within the Earth Source Continent and to re-evaluate all the gifted younger generations who have died previously. Leave no doubts unexamined and eradicate all undercover agents from the Light Race lurking within the Earth Source Continent."
"For this operation, the three chairpersons have decided to name it 'Operation Cleansing.' Are there any objections to the execution of this operation?"
Of course, there were no objections. Everyone was eager to return to their families and investigate the causes of the deaths of their talented individuals, aiming to unearth the hidden hand behind the Earth Source Continent.