Cultivation Online

Chapter 2714: Meeting Gaia

After the powerful impact, the world fell silent once more... only to be shaken again a few moments later by an even greater force.

This time, the impact was so immense that everyone on Earth felt as though the entire world had been shoved several meters from its original position.

As this unprecedented phenomenon unfolded, countless people across the world believed the end had finally come, plunging cities into panic and chaos.

Finally, after a few more ripples, the attacks ended, the barrier that protected the world remaining intact.

"G-Gaia’s prophecy! Gaia’s prophecy is coming true! The otherworldly beings have begun their invasion!" one of Gaia’s Sanctum soldiers shouted at the top of her lungs shortly after the attacks ended.

Supreme General Tian and everyone around her frowned, but not because they thought she was going crazy.

Practically everyone from Gaia’s Heaven believed in Gaia’s prophecies, and their expressions had darkened because they were deeply concerned about what was happening.

"We have to return to our city immediately..." Supreme General Tian muttered.

However, before they could move, the Union’s representative appeared before them.

"Please return to the conference room! Due to the unprecedented situation, we’re ending the break immediately!"

"..."

Although he wanted to return to Gaia’s Heaven as soon as possible, Supreme General Tian knew he couldn’t leave without speaking with the other cities, as they would need to work together to deal with the looming calamity.

A few minutes later, everyone returned to the chamber after having their break cut short.

"What the hell was that just now?!" Rising Sun’s representative was the first to speak, questioning what had just happened.

However, nobody spoke a word, but it wasn’t because they didn’t know what was happening. They had a good idea of the situation, but they didn’t dare to voice it out loud.

"I think we all know what that was..." Supreme General Tian eventually spoke.

"Are you going to say that was the otherworldly beings’ attempt to invade our world?!" Ember City’s representative exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "This isn’t the time for jokes!"

In response, Supreme General Tian slammed his fist on the table with even greater force, responding in an even louder voice, "This isn’t the time to be stubborn!"

"You saw with your own eyes what happened! Our world was attacked! From beyond our sky! How dare you still try to deny Gaia’s prophecies?!"

"That phenomenon could have been anything! Did you actually see any invaders?!"

"Haaaa...." Heavenly Furnace’s representative sighed out loud.

"Supreme General Tian is right. We need to stop being in denial."

"I am not in denial! Has anyone here actually seen Gaia?! For all we know, Gaia could be an imaginary figure created by Gaia’s Heaven to push a narrative that benefits them! I bet they’re using this so-called crisis as an excuse to seize control of the other cities!"

RUMBLE!

The world suddenly started shaking again, repeating several times before it calmed down.

Once the tremors finally subsided, Supreme General Tian looked Ember City’s representative directly in the eyes and said, "If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t. Although it would be best if everyone worked together to deal with the invaders from the very beginning, I already expected there to be a few stubborn fools."

He then swept his gaze across the table at the other representatives and continued, "If you’re willing to work with Gaia’s Heaven to fight the invaders, say so now. Even if you refuse, you’ll have no choice but to face reality once it hits you in the face, and by then, you can only rely on yourself to deal with it."

"Spirit City will work together with Gaia’s Heaven," said their representative after a moment of silence.

"Heavenly Furnace will also work together with Gaia’s Heaven."

One by one, the representatives of each city agreed to cooperate with Gaia’s Heaven, including the Union.

Although the Union had sworn never to take sides, the entire human race was in jeopardy, and they weren’t taking one side to fight other humans.

In the end, only one party refused.

Unsurprisingly, it was Ember City.

"I need to return home and speak with Gaia first. Once we have a solid plan, we’ll let you know how we intend to proceed," Supreme General Tian said.

"That’s fine. We’ll need some time to deal with our own cities, as well. I can already imagine how panicked they are about the situation right now," said Rising Sun’s representative.

The meeting ended swiftly afterward, and everyone immediately returned to their respective city.

Even on their way home, ripples continued to appear in the sky, causing the entire world to tremble.

Eventually, Yuan and the others returned to Gaia’s Heaven. However, the place was dead silent, and not a single individual could be seen in the streets.

"Did they all go underground?" Yuan asked.

"Yes, since this is protocol," said Mei Feng.

She then lifted her head to gaze at the ripples in the sky and sighed, "Even though I knew this would eventually happen one day... I never anticipated it would be when I am still alive."

Yuan looked at the sky with her and said, "Seeing how they’re having trouble actually breaking into our world, there’s still a chance that might be the case."

"You really think it’d take them that long to invade?" Ironwoman asked. "I wouldn’t be surprised if they break through whatever is blocking them within a few days."

Eventually, they returned to the military base, and to no one’s surprise, the place was in complete chaos, with soldiers rushing about and shouting as though the end of the world had arrived.

After all, most of the highest-ranking soldiers had left for the assembly.

Supreme General Tian then said, "I am going to speak with Gaia. In the meantime, get these idiots to calm down."

"As for you, Captain Yuan... wait for further instructions. I will let you know when Gaia summons you."

"Alright."

Once Supreme General Tian left, Ironwoman asked him, "You’re meeting with Gaia?"

He nodded.

"Looks like you’ll finally achieve your goal," Mei Feng remarked.

"Looks like it."

Yuan returned to his living quarters while everyone else went to deal with the situation.

When Yuan finally arrived at his residence, he noticed a group of people standing outside. However, they weren’t the same soldiers from before. Instead, they were all people Yuan knew well.

"He’s back!" Wu Wang exclaimed when he noticed Yuan.

"What’s going on?" Yuan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why are all of you gathered outside my place?"

"The entire base is in chaos, and none of us knew what to do or where to go. Before we knew it, we’d all gathered here," Sergeant Bing said.

"I guess we all subconsciously gravitated toward the place—or person—we felt safest around," Shi Fa said.

"You were ranked second during the drill, after all," Sergeant Quang added.

"Any idea what’s happening?" Mei Xiaoyun asked.

"We know just as little as you. It started in the middle of our assembly, so we had to cut it short. That said, the other cities have decided to cooperate with our city to address the situation—except Ember City. They refuse to believe in Gaia’s prophecy."

"So it’s true... Gaia’s prophecy is becoming a reality..." Wu Wang sighed.

"Speaking of Gaia, do you think they’ll make an appearance?"

"I actually have a meeting with Gaia later," Yuan revealed.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"In any case, just wait for the military to address the situation. There’s really nothing we can do right now but hope the invasion doesn’t happen too soon—"

Yuan paused mid-sentence for a moment before continuing, "Actually, there is one thing we can do."

"What is it?"

"I can prepare you guys for the inevitable. I can train you all."

"Training...? That’s only assuming we even have enough time for that..." Shi Fa said.

"Then we better start immediately."

"Are you serious...?" Wu Wang asked him with a dumbfounded expression.

Yuan looked up at the sky and said, "I don’t know what’s protecting this world, but I can tell it’s not something that can be broken through in a short amount of time. Still, we don’t have forever. Even if we only have a few months, you need to use that time to grow stronger and increase your chances of surviving."

Li Jieyu then said, "I’ll vouch for his training. In just two months, I have managed to defeat a Void Guardian in the Orange Zone all by myself."

"What?!" Shi Fa and the others exclaimed in shock after hearing her words because even they couldn’t achieve such a feat, and they had more experience and a higher cultivation than she did.

"Follow me if you want to train."

After saying that, Yuan turned around and left, making his way to the training hall.

In the end, everyone who gathered outside his house followed him.

"There’s nobody here... I have never seen this place so empty before." Wu Wang remarked as they approached the deserted training hall.

"Who in their right mind would be training during such a situation..." Sergeant Bing sighed.

"Us?" Shi Fa said.

Once inside, Yuan taught Wu Wang and the others everything he taught the Nine Heavens squad—how, by cultivating manually, they could improve their energy reserve and recovery rate.

Then he shared the first three parts of the Limitless Cultivation Technique with them.

However, instead of letting them learn slowly on their own, Yuan shared his knowledge and experience, speeding up their progress.

A few hours later, Supreme General Tian suddenly appeared in the training hall.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"Training them."

Supreme General Tian glanced at the others, who were cultivating in silence, before turning back to Yuan.

"Come with me. Gaia wants to meet you."