High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 251: Chapter 160: The Bright Moon Arrives, Qingshi in Peril

"Oh? A Stargate to Blue Star?" Shi Li’s deep, majestic voice rumbled, tinged with a hint of interest.

The words had barely faded when the massive figure on the throne vanished in an instant.

When he reappeared, a giant claw covered in stiff, golden fur had clamped firmly around the Mouse Demon’s tiny neck.

Shi Li took a single step, and space itself seemed to warp slightly as he vanished with the Mouse Demon, as if by teleportation.

「Two hours later.」

Shi Li stood deep underground in the spot where the Mouse Demon had discovered the gate.

Looking at the freshly dug earth and rock, and at the quietly spinning Stargate connecting two worlds, a savage glint flashed through Shi Li’s eyes.

"Very good." The cold words had just been spoken when the giant claw clutching the Mouse Demon’s neck tightened abruptly.

CRUNCH!

Following the soft sound of breaking bones, the Mouse Demon didn’t even have time to let out a scream before it was crushed into a bloody pulp and tossed aside like trash, leaving only a jarring splash of crimson on the ground.

’The gate’s location is delicate,’ Shi Li thought. ’While it’s on the edge of my territory, it’s far too close to the lands of two other Demon Kings of comparable strength.’

This was an opportunity for immense glory, one he would never share.

Shi Li strode to the Stargate and reached out a huge, scale-covered finger, carefully touching the edge of the frame to sense the gate’s size, the stability of its spatial matrix, and the characteristics of its energy fluctuations.

A moment later, he reached a conclusion. "A small-to-medium permanent gate, stable... Current passage limit: Late-stage Bright Moon Realm."

Having made his assessment, Shi Li activated his exclusive cross-spatial communication treasure.

"Relay my royal command: All of my elite, direct subordinates at the Peak of Flying Star Realm or above are to immediately cease all activities and gather at the spatial coordinates marked by my brand at maximum speed!"

The deep, majestic command spread throughout his territory via the secret treasure.

A few hours later, the silent underground space was filled with a dense and motley demonic aura.

Nearly twenty Demon Race generals of various forms but all exuding ferocious auras, their cultivation ranging from the mid- to late-stage of the Bright Moon Realm, knelt in unison before Shi Li. Alongside them were nearly a hundred grim-faced Demon Race elites from the Flying Star Realm. All awaited his orders.

Shi Li’s cold gaze swept over the elite force he had urgently summoned. His deep voice carried an unquestionable authority and an unconcealed temptation.

"On the other side of that passage is the world of the weak Human Race! It’s flesh and blood for the taking! And even more... it is unparalleled glory!"

He paused, his tone suddenly rising. "For your King, go and slaughter them all! Whoever brings me the head of a powerful Human Race God-Demon, I shall not be stingy with territory, treasures, or a Supreme Secret Skill! But if anyone shrinks back in fear and misses the chance to strike—"

A terrifying killing intent instantly filled the air, enveloping all his subordinates. "—your body and soul will be annihilated!"

A low, bloodthirsty roar echoed through the underground passage: "YES, MY KING!"

The demons’ eyes instantly turned crimson, their greed and bloodlust utterly ignited.

Satisfied, Shi Li watched his subordinates’ ferocity being stoked. He raised a giant claw, pointed at the swirling Stargate, and gave a clear order to attack.

"In waves, by rank! Target—the world behind the gate! Attack!"

...

「Dozens of miles west of Bluestone County.」

Deep in the once-silent underground, the Stargate, outlined by fragments of starlight, began to vibrate without any warning.

HUMMM—!

A low but extremely piercing hum reverberated through the thick rock strata.

The next moment, the outline of the Stargate suddenly lit up, erupting in a blinding glare powerful enough to tear through the absolute darkness.

A ghastly white light instantly flooded the massive cavern, illuminating the cold, jagged rock walls in minute detail.

At the center of the light, the Star Map on the Stargate’s surface, which had been flowing slowly, suddenly accelerated, twisted, and morphed, its complex patterns churning like boiling lava.

Immediately after, the brilliant light abruptly contracted inward, collapsing and disappearing as if swallowed by a giant beast.

In the instant the radiance vanished, a tall, burly figure abruptly appeared before the gate.

The figure was covered from head to toe in dark-gold scales and shaped like an upright monitor lizard. The tip of its thick tail resembled a siege hammer, and the sharp claws on its four limbs glinted with a cold, metallic light.

Most striking was the single horn on its forehead, spiraled and sharp as a spearhead.

An aura unique to a Bright Moon Realm expert exploded outward—a savage ferocity originating from a primeval wilderness, carrying with it a naked desire for destruction.

Like a tangible storm, it instantly filled the entire underground space, completely crushing and dispelling the musty, earthy smell.

「Downtown Changning City.」

In the core monitoring hall of a heavily guarded modern building responsible for tracking spatial fluctuations across hundreds of miles, a crisis erupted.

WEE-OO—WEE-OO—WEE-OO—!

A piercing, shrill alarm, with no preamble, exploded from the hall’s central speaker system like a clap of thunder, the deafening sound waves nearly tearing at their eardrums.

The instant the sound blared, on a massive electronic monitoring screen that covered an entire wall, the soft green light marking the coordinates of "Bluestone County" began to flash erratically, shifting in a fraction of a second to a glaring bright yellow!

"Bluestone County! Yellow alert! High-energy spatial invasion signal detected!" A monitoring officer on duty turned deathly pale and cried out, his voice cracking from extreme tension.

That alarm was the call to assemble.

Almost at the same instant the alarm sounded, a heavy alloy door on the side of the monitoring hall was violently slammed open with a loud BANG!

Six powerful figures, wrapped in gale-force winds, shot into the center of the hall like cannonballs.

Their movements were agile, their auras condensed and formidable. They were the six Bright Moon Realm God-Demons stationed in the Changning District, always on standby for emergencies.

Their leader, Captain Lin Zhan, had a resolute face that looked as if it were carved from rock. His cultivation had impressively reached the Peak of Bright Moon Realm.

His sharp, hawk-like eyes locked onto the flashing yellow dot on the screen in the very first second, and his thick, sword-like eyebrows knitted together instantly.

’A yellow alert triggered near a mere county?’ Lin Zhan was deeply puzzled. ’That doesn’t make sense.’

The standard threat assessment for a county-level area usually maxed out at a pale yellow warning, triggered by a Flying Star Level threat.

However, in the instant the thought raced through his mind—

BEEP!!!!!!!!

The eardrum-piercing alarm suddenly escalated to a new, terrifying, heart-stopping frequency, becoming an almost continuous shriek.

And on the screen, the light representing Bluestone County exploded like oil thrown into a boiling furnace. Its color instantly erupted from bright yellow into a blinding, fluid crimson that screamed of extreme danger.