The city lord of Xiaguang City was an Eight-Awakening Half-God realm expert, Chen Miao Half-God.
He usually didn't meddle in affairs, sometimes not showing his face for years. However, Chen Miao Half-God did recall the Sunlight Welfare Institute, which had brought much honor to Xiaguang City.
During his tenure, Xiaguang City had never produced a top-tier welfare institute, which had been a lingering concern for Chen Miao Half-God.
The Sunlight Welfare Institute filled this void.
He had once commented in a meeting, "The director of the Sunlight Welfare Institute is a capable person." But no matter how capable, wasn't Sunlight just a welfare institute?
A cultivation welfare institute that housed and nurtured young boys and girls possessed a strength that seemed quite ordinary within the vast Xiaguang City.
His deputy said, "My lord City Lord, you've forgotten. Not long ago, the Sunlight Welfare Institute applied for a batch of construction funds to greatly upgrade the entire institute's cultivation and security facilities."
"Indeed, there was such a matter."
He had thought at the time that the application might be rejected, or at least partially rejected. He hadn't expected it to be fully approved, and so quickly. Perhaps the Sunlight Welfare Institute's annual assessment was exceptional?
As a Half-God, he didn't have much energy to concern himself with such minor matters, especially with the disaster now upon them.
He immediately issued an order, "Xiaguang City's grand formation shall operate at full power. However, the formation cannot completely isolate the disaster. We need to establish strongholds to confront the disaster, using these few areas as cores, and gather and resettle disaster victims!"
He spread out a map.
Feixia Business Association was a super business association renowned throughout the empire, with extremely powerful defenses; there was no need for concern.
Luohé Garden was Xiaguang City's most high-end residential area, home to many dignitaries and even mythical beings! It only required minor attention.
Filola Academy was a higher cultivation academy.
In the Kandra Empire, orphans could encounter the extraordinary in cultivation welfare institutes, and children from normal families could learn cultivation through elementary and middle schools.
As long as they were diligent, it was not difficult to awaken their extraordinary powers through the Tribulation of Awakening.
However, it was very difficult to be admitted into a higher cultivation academy; only talents selected from a thousand candidates could gain admission.
And Filola Academy was a prestigious higher academy ranked among the top in the entire Yunxia Province; even ordinary geniuses would be rejected.
Xiaguang City had dozens of cultivation welfare institutes, yet, on average, not even one student from each welfare institute could be admitted to Filola Academy.
Corresponding to the stringent assessment conditions was Filola Higher Academy's formidable faculty. Here, students of Five-Awakening and Six-Awakening were commonplace. Among the teaching staff, the proportion of Seven-Awakening myths was quite high.
Filola Academy's defense strength was even comparable to their City Lord's Mansion, providing ample reassurance. The only area requiring reinforcement was... the Sunlight Welfare Institute!
"And they hope we cooperate with reinforcements to gather nearby disaster victims." "That is natural." However, "Only the welfare institute is safe, but outside..."
"Old Li, organize the students to participate in the battle." "Yes, Dean!" "Children, the disaster has come suddenly, but there's no need to panic."
"We cultivate precisely to possess the ability to confront calamities and protect our homeland."
"Now, you are no longer weaklings, and outside, there are more ordinary people waiting for us to save."
"Xiaguang City needs your strength!" "Dean, I feel like I'm fired up too!"
Fang You glanced at him. "You... just stay behind and provide support with me."
"However, our welfare institute also shoulders the responsibility of rescuing surrounding disaster victims. After this first wave passes, you'll need to lead some instructors and students to actively attack. I'll give you two Blades of Radiance."
"Yes, sir! Dean! My sword, Old Li's sword, is already thirsty!"
"Damn it, the sky is full of filth marks, and there are many filth marks spreading on the ground, forcing us to take detours everywhere."
"City Lord ordered us to go to the Sunlight Welfare Institute, to protect it and use it as a base to rescue nearby disaster victims, but the current situation..."
"Faster! Faster! Faster!"
By the time they were nearing their destination, twenty minutes had already elapsed. Captain Hongfeng's heart was growing cold. "I hope Sunlight is alright. Can their defense system hold up?"
"I see it!"
"We're not late. Next, it's time for us to go on a killing spree... Huh?" Captain Hongfeng: "?" "Your welfare institute's children are amazing!"
"Dean Fang is a divine being!" "Isn't he? Our Dean is peerless in the world!"
"However, we never expected the filth spots to erupt directly in Xiaguang City. It's a bit tricky."
Moreover, "Xiaguang City is now cut off from the outside world, making information and communication difficult. It's hard to go out or come in. At least, most people in Xiaguang City cannot leave."
"We have to hold on for a while longer." "Don't stop me!" "Teacher said the welfare institute is safe for now."
The heroic young man Liú Fēng, carrying several swords on his back, sighed. "Senior Sister, I understand your feelings. I also want to rush back to the welfare institute, but our strength is insufficient right now. If we fall into the filth marks while trying to pass through, wouldn't it be in vain and trouble Teacher!"
"Be rational!" "Reinforcements, where are the reinforcements!"
"It's been half a month, and we haven't even seen a single hair of reinforcements!"
The high-intelligence puppet adjutant appeared very innocent. "My lord City Lord, there's nothing that can be done. Disasters have occurred all over the empire. We can only prioritize aid to the more severely affected areas, and Xiaguang City can still hold on for now."
Chen Miao Half-God: "#￥@%￥!!"
"You should also know that the empire has invested most of its manpower and resources into Project Zero."
"But Xiaguang City has a population of over a hundred million! And there are other cities. Is the empire just going to watch tens of billions of people suffer?!"
"Now, while the filth marks haven't truly spread, there's still a chance to stop them!"
"But you should also know that the importance of Project Zero is above all else. If the project fails, the empire will have difficulty... The gains and losses of one city or one region are no longer important."
"Continue, hold on!"
"As long as Xiaguang City has one soldier left, we will... choke the spread of the filth marks!" "They're coming in! Roar!" "Hahahaha—"
"Who are you!" "Dean Fang, Little..." "Roar... Woo... (.???.)" DaFeng Novel Network
"Dean, a message just came from the City Lord's Mansion asking us to hold on firmly, and that reinforcements will arrive soon. No. 1045 approached and said. Fang You nodded: Outside, a white barrier had risen, blocking the spread of the filth marks. Within the welfare institute, a pure white tower built in the core area radiated a warm golden light, dispelling the darkness surging from all directions. The disaster retreated! The young boys and girls in the welfare institute quickly recovered from their panic. Gray mist swirled, filth marks spread. Monstrous and terrifying anomalies rushed out of the mist, pouncing towards the radiant 'Sunlight Welfare Institute'. Dean Fang immediately activated the welfare institute's defense system. On the periphery, light energy towers shot out white beams, annihilating one anomaly after another. The welfare institute's security puppets and instructor puppets also immediately joined the battle. Cannons roared! Sword energy flew! However, the number of security puppets in the welfare institute was limited, and they were not designed for war in the first place. Facing the endlessly surging horde of anomalies, the security puppets and light energy towers were stretched thin. More and more monstrous anomalies reached the white barrier, continuously pounding against it. The energy reserves of the defense system were rapidly declining! These young boys and girls in the welfare institute, a few had gone out for training, but most had not, and they did not yet have the ability to train outside. These students were also the weaker batch. But even if they were weaker, the vast majority of them were at least Three-Awakening level, not truly weak! Led by some 'veterans' who had gone out for tempering and fought against anomalies, the novice boys and girls quickly suppressed their panic and rushed to the front lines. Fang You also arrived at the forefront. He borrowed the awakened ability 'Cleansing Voice of the Heart' from Yin Ling, and his loud voice quickly spread, enveloping the entire welfare institute. Power! Needed! It was as if flames ignited in their hearts, and the slumbering souls of heroes called out within. Ten-year-old boys and girls, who didn't have a dream of saving the world in their hearts? Now, Xiaguang City was in peril, it was time for them to step forward. Instructor Old Li, who was somewhat bald but much stronger, also had burning flames in his eyes. He was uneasy about this batch of fledgling seedlings who had just stepped onto the battlefield without one or two mythical beings watching over them. But as long as they experienced a few major battles, they would grow rapidly. Not only in psychological and experiential growth, but also in rank. ... Xiaguang City, East District Six. Dozens of figures were moving rapidly at low altitude. A young man in a red cloak, wielding a greatsword, furiously slew hundreds of anomalies. He was the captain of the Red Maple Special Operations Team, a direct subordinate of the City Lord's Mansion. A genius among myths! Yet, even he was extremely wary of the pervasive filth marks. He dared not charge through directly, and could only constantly detour, which was why he hadn't reached his mission objective yet. He worried that by the time he arrived at the Sunlight Welfare Institute, it would have already been breached by anomalies. The Sunlight Welfare Institute indeed had a very advanced defense system, but besides half-grown children, there were only a few dozen instructors. How could they possibly hold out! Moreover, while the defense system provided protection, it also acted like a bonfire in the night, continuously attracting nearby anomalies. The Feixia Business Association stronghold they had just passed was currently under siege by a tide of anomalies. Otherwise, why would the City Lord have dispatched him to aid the Sunlight Welfare Institute as the first priority? Even their Red Maple Special Operations Team was only the first batch of reinforcements; there would be second and third batches of soldiers departing soon for Sunlight. Turn left, turn right, turn again. Golden radiance descended, dispelling the darkness encroaching from all directions. The white barrier, like a high wall, enveloped the vast welfare institute. Captain Hongfeng breathed a sigh of relief. The white barrier slowly dispersed. It wasn't shattered by the anomaly tide, but rather... several teams of dozens of people rushed out from the dispersing barrier, annihilating the now sparse anomaly tide that had surrounded the welfare institute. They also encountered the approaching Red Maple Special Operations Team. The two groups of people locked eyes. Compared to the situation described by the City Lord, wasn't there a slight difference? ... The Sunlight Welfare Institute temporarily did not need reinforcements, so Captain Hongfeng joined the action to save the surrounding disaster victims. He also witnessed the reputedly super-excellent students of the Sunlight Welfare Institute. In two years, they had cultivated a large number of Three-Awakening children, with some geniuses already being Four-Awakening extraordinary beings and possessing exceptional combat power! Was this the teaching and cultivation level of Sunlight? "No wonder Sunlight was rated as a top welfare institute after just one assessment. Some myths used to say there were tricks involved. I think they were blind!" However, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to imagine that Dean Fang could bring about such a transformative change to Sunlight so soon after taking over. Old Li couldn't help but nod. As long as you praise our Dean, we are good friends. No, how can the Dean's greatness be called praise? The Dean is truly a celestial being. Hongfeng was a direct subordinate of Chen Miao Half-God, and the information he possessed far surpassed that of ordinary myths. This time, with the outbreak of the disaster, cities like Xiaguang City that had fallen into filth marks and dead zones were not the only ones. If it were just Xiaguang City, the empire's power could easily suppress the disaster. But if disasters occurred throughout the empire, it would be... troublesome. Reinforcements were limited. Even transporting them with White Shark-class airships was difficult, as the surroundings were filled with dense filth marks! A single mythical individual could get through, but a behemoth like an airship, no! ... Outside Xiaguang City, most of the empire's regions had not yet been affected by the disaster, but they were plunged into panic. The Dark Day was the beginning of the Kandra Empire's catastrophe. And some cities engulfed by the dead zones had already fallen, sinking into darkness. On a plain, the cold wind howled. Chi Yan, a girl about 1.6 meters tall, spoke with a voice as cold as the wind. The girl was silent, clenching her fists. She flew towards the distant end of the plain shrouded in darkness. She charged into the anomaly horde, stirring up a whirlwind of bloody rain. Liú Fēng stood on a high ground, gazing in the direction of Xiaguang City. After a while, he stepped on a sword light and vanished into the vast horizon. ... It had been more than half a month since Xiaguang City fell into darkness. Wails filled the city. Facing the impact of darkness, many survivors in Xiaguang City had survived, but the subsequent response was the trouble. The systematic arrangement of survivors, the storage of food, the resistance against the anomaly tides, etc., made City Lord Chen Miao frantic. And... Chen Miao Half-God furiously cursed at his adjutant. He continued to curse. There were not enough strong individuals, and the anomaly tides constantly seeped in. He, as a Half-God, was also stretched thin. Moreover, why had the empire become so short-handed? Chen Miao Half-God roared, "What's more, with the characteristics of the filth marks, once Xiaguang City falls, they will be unconstrained and will spread in an unstoppable manner, and the entire Yunxia Province might fall with it!" Chen Miao Half-God sighed. In the eyes of most myths, the disaster would eventually be suppressed, and they would forever be Kandra citizens bathed in glory. But in his eyes, darkness had long shrouded the land, the light had dimmed, making people... suffocating. ... Boom—! Boom—! Within the city, explosions rumbled. Ruined buildings were covered in gray dust. In just over half a month, it was as if they had experienced decades of erosion, becoming utterly desolate. On the outskirts of the city, in a place covered with dark brown blood vessels. A petite figure tore through space and broke in from outside. She moved on all fours, alert to her surroundings like an agile leopard. She sniffed and then swiftly pounced in a certain direction. Perhaps it was because she showed no concealment, or perhaps such suburban areas rarely harbored living beings. In an instant, anomalies surged towards her like sharks smelling blood. The petite girl's eyes held no fear, only a bloodthirsty glint. She lunged. The legendary anomalous weapon worn on her hand elongated, like sharp claws slashing through the surroundings. Dark brown blood splattered. She continued to kill, without tears. Once, she was a crybaby. When the disaster struck and her family's entire manor was submerged in a sea of blood, she knew nothing but to cry. Since then, Chi Yan vowed never to cry again. She wanted power! The power her teacher bestowed upon her. She now had enough power to protect herself and those around her, and no longer cry. She could laugh to her heart's content. Chi Yan stomped on the ground, and her whole body shot out like lightning, tearing through the air with a terrifying roar, directly piercing a Seven-Star anomalous being that blocked her path. She pulled with both hands. Rrrriiipp—! She tore open a huge gash and, enduring the highly corrosive black blood, plunged forward, quickly emerging from the other side of the massive body. Blood columns spurted out for thousands, tens of thousands of meters! Blood lines spread across the anomaly's colossal body, and it crashed to the ground with a rumble. Chi Yan was covered in blood, emitting scorching black smoke. A frenzied smile still played at the corners of her eyes and mouth. She continued to walk and kill like this. She had killed countless Seven-Star anomalies and finally arrived in front of the Sunlight Welfare Institute. Unable to contain her excitement, she lunged forward. A terrifying gale was stirred up. Captain Hongfeng abruptly turned his head, but even with his eyesight, he could only catch a black silhouette. Until this black silhouette landed in front of Dean Fang. He saw clearly. It was a humanoid creature bathed in black blood, emitting black smoke, exuding a terrifying aura that made people's hearts pound. Before he could speak, the humanoid creature squatted in front of Dean Fang, raised its hands in a cat-scratch pose, and let out a cute voice.