CHAPTER 1594: CHAPTER 338: WOW... SO BRIGHT!

"High-risk targets?"

Milton, intrigued by the words, asked curiously, "For example?"

"Many," Su Shijun replied calmly as she gazed ahead, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. "For example, demons featured on the arrest warrant, or the Black Wizards unwelcome in the academy; and also certain existences in the depths of the Starry Sky... like the black tide sweeping out from the Silent Forest and crashing into the campus."

She thought about Korma, whom she had recently encountered; thought about the Outer God projection Zheng Qing had encountered in the North District; and visualized Poseidon, perhaps still curled up in bed indulging in his laziness. Worried shadows flickered through her eyes.

Milton laughed awkwardly.

He remembered the wizards from the Dark Council who maintained ties with the Moon Council, and that sneaky Big Mouse. Feeling nervous, he glanced around cautiously.

Heavy with thoughts, the group fell silent, the steady sound of clear footsteps filling the corridor.

A moment later, William Tapott’s voice broke the silence, "Do we need to notify the academy?"

"I only have temporary control," Su Shijun shook her head, feeling it unnecessary. "Since I already know, the academy surely knows as well."

"This doesn’t stop us from notifying the academy," replied Silent Souls, who appeared more experienced. Floating slightly ahead, he leaned down to address the guiding Messenger Witch: "...Please notify them, if you will."

"Yes!"

The witch bowed her head in acknowledgment, drawing out a faint yellow talisman paper, chanting a spell.

With a flick of her fingers, a paper crane with a detailed beak and pattern on its eyes, trailed in firelight, disappeared from her fingertips.

...

...

On the opposite side of the ancient castle, far from the Moon Council’s resting chamber.

Professor Yao, the dean of Jiuyou Academy, was walking down a dimly lit, elongated corridor, accompanied by several Black Robe wizards. Among them, a blue-haired witch was holding a memorandum and reading aloud at lightning speed:

"The timeline-preceding warfare is nearing its end. On forty-eight out of forty-nine main timelines, our side has established dominant positions, repelling thirty-one demon squads, crushing seventeen demon squads, occupying critical timeline nodes, and capturing fifteen A+ level demons listed on arrest warrants. This includes Near-Big Wizard tier individuals such as the Prophet of Death, Nun Hepton, as well as Misty Toro, Misty Carter, Misty Norse, Iceberg Frankent, Vortex Ghostsaw, and Poseidon Huang Yue—six demon squad captains in total..."

"Hold on." Old Yao raised a hand to interrupt the blue-haired witch’s report. "I just went out to catch up with an old friend for a short chat, and it feels like I’ve missed so much... The battle hasn’t even started yet, and we’ve already sunk the Mist Ship? How could we capture three squad captains of the Mist Ship all at once? Are we sure they aren’t scheming something?"

A sallow-faced warlock with deep forehead lines quickly responded, "The command headquarters shared similar concerns, so the captives were immediately sent to the Midcourt upon detachment from the timeline. They’ve been fed to the Xuanhuang Wood... Additionally, due to absorbing such an excessive amount of demon blood essence, the Xuanhuang Fruit has ripened prematurely."

"So you rushed to call me back." Professor Yao nodded in sudden realization.

The blue-haired witch paused, then added, "However, according to the divination by Yangmingzi, the Grand Wizard, these captured demons are ’bait.’ They were deliberately offered as ’sacrifices’ by the Sea Demon and Witch Demon to precisely pinpoint the location of the Xuanhuang Wood. As a result, while the Xuanhuang Fruit has matured, the Demon Alliance Army simultaneously obtained the corresponding coordinates and information."

"Tch," Old Yao shook his head and snorted disdainfully. "The Mist remains as ruthless as ever. To him, perhaps only Big Wizards count as peers... All other demons are disposable resources. Little does he realize that petty gains can lead to greater losses—abandoning the battle for control of the timeline means half the war is already lost."

"If he fails to precisely anchor Xuanhuang Wood’s location, the entire war will be a failure before it even begins," came another familiar voice from behind Old Yao. "Trading the lives of a few registered wizards for a shot at the Xuanhuang Fruit—this is a highly calculated gamble... Not ruthless at all."

The professor turned around; it was Professor Yi JiaZi from the Divination department.

"Only diviners have hearts so tainted." Old Yao bit down on his pipe, gave Yi a disdainful glance, and snorted heavily. "Perhaps in your eyes, this world is nothing but a chessboard produced by the interweaving lines of destiny, while the pieces are the lives scattered along those lines."

The pale bluish smoke lingered around the two professors, yet it couldn’t conceal the sparkle in Professor Yi’s eyes.

"An excellent metaphor." Yi smiled faintly, entirely unperturbed by Old Yao’s critique. "Still, most diviners, including myself, are far, far away from the level you’re describing."

"I’m very busy," Old Yao dismissed Yi’s philosophical musings tiredly. "I just got back—let me hear the briefing without interruptions... Why aren’t you in the command headquarters strategizing but instead dropping by here?"

"Destiny’s arrangement." Professor Yi shrugged, lightly twirling an ancient copper coin between his fingers. "I’m simply chasing the most prominent variable, and it happens I found you... Want to know anything? I can answer for you."

The blue-haired witch, hearing this, tucked away her memorandum, bowed slightly, and stepped back. The accompanying Black Robes also retreated, leaving the two Big Wizards the space for their exchange.

Professor Yao took a deep puff from his pipe and exhaled a dense cloud of smoke.

"This is truly absurd," he muttered as he continued walking toward the corridor’s end, asking while moving, "Earlier, Xiaoyu mentioned that in the timeline-preceding warfare, we’ve secured dominant positions on forty-eight out of forty-nine main timelines... What about the one remaining timeline?"

"No idea." Professor Yi replied crisply. "Whether it’s them or us, introducing too many variables into that timeline has caused it to become obscured by the Mist of Destiny. The only confirmed fact is that a higher-tier ’Rule Power’ has emerged within that timeline."

At the mention of ’Rule Power,’ Professor Yao quickly turned his head to glance behind him. His Black Robe followers kept their heads low and seemed indifferent to the professors’ discussion.

"Relevant authorities?" Professor Yao redirected his gaze and asked Yi softly for confirmation.

Professor Yi shook his head.

"That’s exactly the reason I’m pursuing that variable," he said, the copper coin in his fingers flipping nimble and alive as his gaze fixed in a hollow manner down the shadowy corridor. "Bound by specific agreements, the ’relevant authorities’ did not participate in this Black Prison campaign arrangement. So everyone’s trying to figure out where that power comes from..."

Before he finished his sentence, a delicate yet sharp crane croon rang suddenly.

Instantly, a burst of firelight streaked past as a paper crane etched with intricate patterns emerged from the void. Circling Professor Yao twice, it finally landed on his fingertips.

Pop.

The firelight extinguished, and the crane unfolded its wings, lying flat as a letter.

Old Yao lowered his head, carefully reading the message conveyed upon it.

Professor Yi raised his brows slightly and chuckled lightly, "Oh... what a dazzling revelation!"