Sasuke looked at his brother, whom he had once relied on and admired so much, his expression still indifferent and cold, but the emotions in his eyes had become complicated.
It was clear that Itachi's words to him when he was about to dissipate after Edo Tensei had made him completely forgive Itachi. However, at the same time, Itachi's act of killing their father and mother made it impossible for him to call out "brother."
"Sasuke, you've gotten stronger!" Itachi looked at him with relief, a smile appearing on his usually calm face.
"Itachi, there's no need to get close to me. I resurrected you to atone for your sins. You will personally resurrect Father and Mother, and after you resurrect them, you will personally apologize to them!"
Uchiha Sasuke said coldly.
After the clan massacre, he had been in a state of lonely darkness. Although Naruto's appearance had brought warmth to his world, he had ruthlessly severed his bond with Naruto. Therefore, Uchiha Sasuke had a cold heart, but for some reason, under Uchiha Itachi's gentle gaze, his inner strength crumbled instantly.
As he spoke, his eyes began to redden slightly.
"I know, Sasuke!" When the Edo Tensei was released and his soul ascended, Itachi had already figured everything out. Now that there was an opportunity to resurrect their parents, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
He looked at the stubborn and wronged Uchiha Sasuke, smiled slightly, walked forward, knelt down, and embraced the latter, saying softly, "You've worked hard!"
Uchiha Sasuke's body trembled slightly. His hands, resting on his knees, clenched silently. He suppressed the urge to hug back, merely saying indifferently, "The mission will commence in twelve hours. Your room is in the bedroom to the left of the main hall. Go and rest first!"
Saying that, he straightened his back and closed his eyes.
"I understand!" Itachi released Sasuke and stood up. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and ruffled Sasuke's hair before walking away.
After the door was closed, Sasuke reopened his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and looked in the direction Itachi had left with his peripheral vision, remaining silent.
...
The Antarctic ice sheet is the place on Earth that receives the shortest duration of sunlight. Some areas are even perpetually shrouded in darkness, so the ice never melts, making it one of the coldest regions in the world.
Above the ice sheet, a Gate of Hell spanned the void, thousands of feet in size. It was the largest among the 86 known Gates of Hell in the world. Dense and sinister ghostly energy was exhaled from the portal, and occasionally, ferocious ghosts as large as mountains leaped out, roaring across the heavens and earth.
However, these behemoths were quickly beaten down to twenty feet by two blue-faced, fanged demons wielding large clubs studded with spikes, and then driven into the Ghost Country to reside.
At this time, the Antarctic ice sheet was permeated with ghostly energy, as if it were enveloped in a world of gray mist. It was covered with tens of thousands of ghost realms, within which stood houses formed from ghostly energy. The roofs were adorned with various grotesque ghost statues, making them resemble ghost cities.
And at the very center of Antarctica, a terrifying grand hall, a thousand feet tall, stood ominously and majestically on the ice sheet.
Heavy and low breaths emanated from the hall, accompanied by surging ghostly energy. Outside the hall, the atmosphere was eerie and spectral, with mist constantly rolling and churning, so dense it was like unresolvable ink.
Compared to the Lighthouse Nation and the Dragon Country, the Ghost Country occupied the entire Antarctic continent, surrounded by the Southern Ocean. On the edges of the ice sheet, countless fearsome ghosts were locked in battle with sea beasts, devouring their vital energy and souls to strengthen themselves.
Under the day-to-day slaughter, the ghostly energy began to spread outwards. The original seawater, affected by the ghostly energy and the baleful energy generated by the battles, began to form thick ice. Thus, the territory of the Ghost Country began to expand rapidly in all directions.
In addition to battling the sea beasts of the Southern Ocean, ferocious ghosts occasionally soared into the sky, their lower halves turning into gray mist, beginning to conquer farther seas. Ghost armies also marched in orderly formations, their drums resounding, flying towards the direction of the Dragon Country. Their purpose was to hunt down the transcendent cultivators from the Dragon Country who were out for training, and to deplete and harass the Dragon Country's luck-protecting golden shield.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a colossal metal warship, over four hundred feet long, flew at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters. The Dragon Country's flag fluttered gallantly in the wind on the warship.
This metal warship was captained by Jin Da Shu, the head of the Transcendent Abilities Department of the Kyoto University of the Dragon Country, and Zhong Xuan Jun, the head of the Transcendent Architecture Department. They were ranked as Divine Tier 40 and Divine Tier 41 respectively. Their mission this time, besides training, was to search for and occupy the numerous secret realms in Australia.
Secret realms, once fused with transcendent beings of B-rank or higher, could automatically close their entrances, making them difficult to discover even for those below rank 70. They held significant strategic importance in the Dragon Country's development plan.
At this moment, Jin Da Shu stood on the high platform of the flying warship and addressed the many transcendent cultivators in transcendent attire on the deck: "Below us is Australia. Everyone, prepare for battle. Check your packs for enough Evil-Repelling Pills. Lightning ability users, pay attention to protective measures. If any comrade has ghostly energy enter their body, they must immediately undergo electrotherapy."
After speaking, he looked at Zhong Xuan Jun, who stood beside him.
Zhong Xuan Jun nodded slightly, bent down, and covered the metal deck beneath his feet with his open palm. Instantly, the metal warship plummeted straight down. Finally, when it was about three hundred meters from the ground, its speed slowed, and it became lighter and lighter, eventually landing on a ruin ravaged by sea beasts, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Yeeheeheehee~"
As the warship landed, a ferocious ghost that had opened a ghost realm nearby let out a triumphant laugh and lunged forward. This ghost was the manifestation of a resentful spirit from Australia. As it flew, a semi-transparent gray light shield unfurled behind it. Buildings that were enveloped by this shield seemed to be eroded by endless time, rapidly decaying and turning into dust.
Under the terrifying pressure, some of the lower-ranked students' expressions changed.
"A mere twelfth-rank vengeful spirit dares to show off, die for me!"
Jin Da Shu snorted coldly. A mass of metal suddenly protruded from the warship, transforming into a heavily armored metal warrior who stepped out, wielding a long spear, and charged directly at the A-rank ghost.
The corrosive power of the ghost realm, when facing the metal warrior, caused a divine light to appear on the warrior's body, neutralizing the corrosive force. The long spear was wielded with impenetrable defense, engaging in a fierce battle with the ghost.
"This is a ferocious ghost, I can defeat it with a flick of my finger, but to allow you to observe, I must use my weakest means. All of you, watch carefully!" Jin Da Shu was a man with a square face, his hands behind his back, his expression nonchalant.
Beside him, Zhong Xuan Jun couldn't help but curl his lips. He stomped his foot, causing the void around eight ghosts preparing for a sneak attack in the distance to collapse, crushing them into nothingness.
Meanwhile, the metal warrior fought with increasing vigor. The ghost had no physical entity, yet under the attacks imbued with primordial power and spiritual energy by the metal warrior, it could not evade them. Under the metal warrior's long spear, it was quickly beaten thinner and thinner, eventually annihilating completely.
Under the admiring gazes of everyone, Jin Da Shu calmly said, "On this desolate land, there are both native ferocious ghosts and those that have flown over from the Ghost Country. You will form groups of three and advance in all directions according to the formations practiced earlier. If there are any unexpected situations, immediately crush your teleportation talismans to return to the deck. Now, depart!"
"Yes!" The crowd responded, and dozens of powerful individuals, either A-rank or B-rank, carrying two lower-ranked transcendent beings, shot out in all directions.
After watching them leave, Jin Da Shu sat down cross-legged on the spot, while Zhong Xuan Jun floated up and stood beneath the clouds, observing the surrounding movements to prevent any accidents.