The disaster in Xiaguang City had truly ended, with no further unexpected events. However, for the vast Candela Empire, the disaster was only just beginning.
Destroying the source of the calamity and preventing the blight from spreading throughout the province were merely superficial remedies. Facing the surging torrent of darkness, these meager measures were of no avail. For this burgeoning disaster, this gradually withering world, was merely the byproduct of some beings' innate influence.
The high-level existences of the Candela Empire already knew. The Radiant Emperor, the Eight Pillars of Heaven, and numerous top researchers were pouring all their efforts into perfecting the seemingly impossible Plan Zero.
These matters had little bearing on the young men and women of the Sunlight Welfare Home.
"Teacher is definitely waiting for us somewhere!"
Following the arrangements of the City Lord's mansion, they quickly evacuated Xiaguang City and relocated to a large city several hundred kilometers away, a place untouched by the disaster. Here, they rebuilt the Sunlight Welfare Home, even replicating its original site at a 1:1 ratio.
Before leaving, Chi Yan had dismantled and taken away all movable equipment and structures from the welfare home, as they carried a familiar aura. Liu Feng also approved of this action, believing it held the teacher's residual power. However, dismantling and transporting the entire welfare home was a monumental undertaking, and he had to request the help of City Lord Chen Miao to complete this arduous task.
The rebuilt Sunlight Welfare Home saw further improvements in its welfare benefits, and Chi Yan, Liu Feng, and others caught the attention of the empire's high-ranking officials. Yet, the position of Director of this welfare home, boasting over a dozen mythical beings, remained vacant.
Several years later, the young men and women of the welfare home welcomed their graduation day. This graduation ceremony was unprecedented in scale. According to historical records, on that day, countless streaks of mythical light tore through the sky and descended before the gates of the Sunlight Welfare Home. Among the arriving guests were City Lord Chen Miao, Dean Philora, and other demigods. Whispers claimed that even some high-level imperial existences graced the occasion with their presence in the form of consciousness projections.
It was only then that many mythical beings, who had already heard of the Sunlight Welfare Home, were stunned to discover... the number of Seven Awakening Mythical beings among the graduating youths of the Sunlight Welfare Home far exceeded their imaginations!
You call this a welfare home?
Years passed, and the youthful immaturity had almost vanished from the once-young children. Liu Feng, with his large sword box on his back and clad in white robes, was handsome and dignified, his eyes shining brightly, drawing the admiring glances of many female mythical beings. An old instructor at the welfare home remarked, "Many of these children learned true skills from the Dean, but only Liu Feng inherited the Dean's talent and appearance, possessing such a distinguished bearing."
However, after this batch of children graduated, what would become of the Sunlight Welfare Home? According to custom, as these students graduated and left the welfare home to enter society, they would recruit a new batch of fresh blood for continued training, ensuring the legacy would endure. This was the operating principle of top-tier welfare homes. The difference was that top-tier welfare homes could attract the most promising students from their region.
But Sunlight could not be considered a top-tier welfare home, though even with Dean Fang gone, many dignitaries would still try to send their children here.
"We cannot close the welfare home!" Chi Yan stated, twitching her ears, allowing no room for argument. Here lay the memories of over two thousand people from the welfare home, and indeed, no one wished to close it. With their current strength and status, maintaining a welfare home was not difficult. They not only had to maintain it but also to perpetuate their teacher's beliefs and legacy forever.
"Let's establish a higher cultivation academy!" Liu Feng proposed. "Some of the younger brothers and sisters are not yet strong enough. Rather than sending them to the battlefield too early, let them cultivate for a while longer." He continued, "Furthermore, having a higher academy that recruits students from welfare homes across various regions would be more suitable for spreading our teacher's legacy."
"Teacher's legacy is the strongest legacy!"
Chi Yan was quite pleased with this statement and cast an affirmative vote. Third Junior Brother Zhou Bao looked at the two and said, "Second Senior Brother is right, Senior Sister is right."
The others naturally agreed, their eyes already envisioning the academy developing into the strongest in the Candela Empire. Wait, they hadn't named the academy they were about to create yet?
"How about Sunlight Cultivation Academy?" Liu Feng suggested.
Chi Yan stared at the azure sky and, for the first time in her life, expended an extraordinary amount of brainpower. She declared unequivocally, "No, it shall be called the Spark Academy!"
...
The Spark Academy was established. In the Candela Empire, three or more mythical beings jointly signing a petition were qualified to establish a higher cultivation academy and receive loans and financial support from the empire. However, that was in the past. The empire was now ravaged by disasters everywhere, resources were extremely scarce, and often one had to find their own solutions. Liu Feng came up with a solution: funding it themselves. They were young and not wealthy, but they were not destitute either.
"Before Teacher left, besides this Book of Destiny, he also left behind a great many resources..." Before Chi Yan could glare at him, Liu Feng quickly added, "Of course, these resources are for the younger brothers and sisters to cultivate with, and we will never sell them. However, over the years, we've ventured into various trial grounds and obtained many treasures. Selling just a few of them would be enough to cover the initial funding for establishing a higher academy."
"Affirmative vote," Chi Yan raised her hand.
Zhou Bao glanced at the two and also raised his hand. The young mythical beings stacked their palms together, standing under the azure sky, making a vow.
The establishment of the Spark Academy caused quite a stir. After all, the three mythical beings who jointly founded the academy were all top-tier, peerless geniuses. Thanks to this, the Spark Academy attracted a considerable number of students, and the academy's operations were maintained in a healthy state. The position of Dean was held by Liu Feng, the Sword Wielder. He was the second Dean of Spark Academy. As for the first Dean? The mythical beings from Xiaguang City needed no guessing; they would never forget that pure, revered, and majestic figure in white robes. May heaven be free from disaster.
...
The disasters in the real world grew increasingly frequent. The great Candela Empire was like an elderly person entering their twilight years, with gray spots appearing one after another on their body. Some gray spots, like Xiaguang City, were successfully excised, but even after removal, scars remained. And more and more gray spots grew rampantly across the land of Candela. The world beyond Candela had long been corrupted by darkness, with calamities everywhere and the populace suffering. Mortals were like ants. Even gods wailed.
Inheriting their teacher's will, the Spark Academy's purpose was to "continue humanity's legacy" and "combat sinister calamities." The powerful individuals who emerged from the academy did not hesitate to plunge into the fierce war against the disasters. This war had no retreat!
In the third year after the Spark Academy's founding, and the eighth year since the welfare home's youths began their cultivation, the disaster war intensified. The empire's border had to be pushed back by over a thousand kilometers, and most of the transportation networks between provinces were paralyzed. In this precarious time, Spark Academy produced more powerhouses. Six-Awakening experts and young mythical beings were active on various battlefields across the empire, slaying countless evils and achieving great merits.
However, battlefields are places where life withers; calamities are blind, and danger lurks everywhere. In the autumn of the eighth year, on the second front line to the east, three Spark Academy mythical beings and dozens of Six-Awakening experts fell in battle, their souls returning home. In the summer of the ninth year, during the defense of Tianmen City, two Spark Academy mythical beings fought to the death without retreat, sacrificing themselves magnificently. In the winter of the tenth year, the Blood Demon Lord descended upon Dongning Port, resulting in the sacrifice of dozens of Spark heroes and two Spark mythical beings.
Year eleven, year twenty-one, year one hundred and eleven, year one hundred and sixty-seven. A slender figure, clad in gray robes and with long hair tied back, stood before a black monument, gazing at the names inscribed upon it.
"Old friends, two more have departed," Liu Feng sighed. His face appeared to be in his early thirties, with a short stubble of gray beard. Time had not left many marks on his face; he still possessed a visage capable of captivating countless young women, but his eyes were filled with the weariness of ages.
"You must remember, this monument is the history of Spark Academy. Do not forget history, do not forget... the Spark's philosophy. The spark is passed on, humanity endures forever!"
He turned around, facing two youths and one maiden before him, their faces still bearing a hint of youthfulness. They were his disciples, his youngest and most promising disciples. He placed great hope in the three disciples, but in the current era, there was no time left.
"Seeing you reminds me of the past, when I was very much like you – naive, energetic, fearless, aspiring to be the strongest in the world." He scoffed at himself. But in his disciples' eyes, Teacher Liu Feng was the strongest. In just over a hundred years, he had built Spark Academy into the foremost higher academy in the Candela Empire.
"No, your teacher was never the strongest. Your Senior Martial Uncle possessed combat talent that was beyond reach; I always felt inferior. Even your Third Martial Uncle was actually slightly stronger than I am. I only took on the position of Dean because I was too ordinary."
Speaking of his most familiar companions, a smile, a memory, and... endless sorrow flickered in Dean Liu Feng's eyes. "It's normal that you don't know them well. Your Senior Martial Uncle went to the northern part of the empire thirty years ago to participate in a top-secret plan, and I haven't seen her in thirty years. As for your Third Martial Uncle..."
"He's an idiot! A fool!"
"What did Teacher teach us back then? Safety first, learn to protect yourself, survival is the future! But this fool actually stood his ground against a high-level existence! How could I have such a stupid junior brother! Stupid!" As he cursed, tears welled up in his eyes.
The Dean, who still appeared youthful and distinguished, looked up at the azure sky. "Alas, when one gets old, they tend to ramble. The wind is also a bit noisy."
A gust of wind brushed past his cheek, and a mythical being descended from the wind. This mythical being was from the Ninth Legion, not a graduate of Spark Academy, but facing this young Dean, who was much younger than him, the mythical being's face held only respect.
"General Liu Feng," the newcomer saluted in the Candela military style. "This is a confidential battle report from the front lines."
The young Dean took the secret stone and probed it with his divine sense. After a long pause, he said, "Let's go."
He paused for a moment, then took out an ancient book from his storage artifact, which had only a cover and not a single page left. He handed it to his disciple. "This book should not remain in my possession; it belongs in the academy's exhibition hall." He laughed heartily and strode away. The mythical being followed closely.
Hesitating for a moment before speaking, he said, "General, the Shadow Lord may descend outside Gu Yuan Fortress at any moment. The Legion Commander's intention is... for you to go to Feiyun Port to take command."
"Gu Yuan Fortress needs me more."
"But..." the mythical being paused, "you have a broader future."
"Many people do. My junior brother's potential is higher than mine." He looked at the sky. The sky was azure blue, and it seemed to hold a face. Memories from over a hundred years ago surfaced in his mind. He felt a sense of regret.
"Perhaps I am also a fool." He rode his sword into the sky, piercing the long night, casting the afterglow of the Spark people.
...
Sun rose and set, autumn turned to spring. The previously unchanging world environment was rapidly transforming. Vegetation withered, the sky darkened, the earth turned gray and dead, and thick gray mist drifted in the sky. The world wailed. Only by desperately maintaining the last vestiges of life could pockets of life be preserved in the desolate world, resisting the pervasive darkness.
Sentient beings were also resisting. Humans, Spirituals of Illusion, Spirits of Nature, marine creatures. New Gods, Ancient Gods. True Gods, Evil Gods. Mountains shifted and continents collapsed. As the sun slowly set, the 'Land of Brilliance,' humanity's pillar of support, continued to shrink.
One day, the setting sun never rose again. Instead, a red moon hung high in the sky. Under the red moon's glow, the land was filled with shadows, and dark silhouettes bared their fangs and claws, seeming to cover the entire world. From the Candela Empire northward, to a very distant land, the earth was covered with thick permafrost, the ice as if eternal. Upon this immortal ice, the setting sun cast its afterglow, as if dragging the whole world into decay and decline.
Black rivers, eternal night, reincarnation, despair... Unnameable, immense horrors gradually awoke, and the world seemed to be torn apart.
Until... the world fell silent once more.
Swish—
Waves surged, droplets of water splashed up and then fell, reflecting countless vast and profound scenes. At first, scenes of the Sunlight Welfare Home's reconstruction and the Spark Academy's founding could still be seen, but soon, the speed of the river of time surged faster. These vast scenes flashed by like fleeting images, pushing his consciousness body back to its original origin.
His consciousness gradually froze. Perhaps an instant had passed, or perhaps he had drifted in the river of time for tens of millions of years. What startled his consciousness was a long, lingering echo reverberating in his mind.
"Ding—!"
"Notification: Dungeon 'Twilight Ember' ended, timeline returned to normal, now settling..."
Clack~
Fang You stepped onto solid ground. Gradually returning from his daze, he opened his eyes with slight difficulty. This glance was ten thousand years.
I was so excited after finishing writing yesterday that I couldn't sleep, so today is a bit short, which should be reasonable... right?
(End of this chapter)