Chapter 223: If I Don't Kill Her Now, It'll Be Too Late

Chapter 223: If I Don't Kill Her Now, It'll Be Too Late

After class, Song Haitang went to Ms. Shen's office.

"Haitang, I called you here to talk about the 15th Layer Spirit Realm," Ms. Shen said.

Ms. Shen asked, "On the first of next month, you'll be heading to the 15th Layer Spirit Realm, right?"

"Yes!" Haitang nodded.

She and Zhao Zheng both had a strong sense of crisis, believing that the monster devouring the star might descend upon the Blue Star very soon.

Therefore, before that, they wanted to improve their strength as quickly as possible.

As long as the Spirit Realm was open, they would definitely not stop.

"I won't say much about your decision," Ms. Shen said, "but this time, I hope you'll be cautious and prioritize safety above all else!"

"Although your current strength is formidable, even surpassing mine, a battlefield like that is still too dangerous for you."

Haitang nodded and replied, "I understand."

Ms. Shen could tell that Haitang was just humoring her.

She sighed and said, "It's not that I want to dissuade you, but some advisors from above believe that you might face unprecedented danger in this Spirit Realm!"

Upon hearing this, Haitang finally showed some interest. "What kind of danger?"

Ms. Shen explained, "Some combat experts believe that on the battlefield of the Summit War, there might be many Extraordinary Beings targeting you!"

Without waiting for Haitang to ask, Ms. Shen continued, "Due to the immense difficulty of the 15th Layer Spirit Realm, many young Extraordinary Beings get stuck at this level. Some have been stuck here for almost five years, using this time to train and reach their current maximum strength, increasing their chances of survival in the 15th Layer Spirit Realm and even obtaining a good mission evaluation."

"These individuals may not have your natural talent or the foundation you've built, but after nearly five years of training, their strength is not to be underestimated! If they launch a joint attack on you, you might face trouble as well, after all, it's hard to fight against multiple opponents."

"If they were to directly attack you, it would be easier to defend against, but I fear they might have some underhanded tricks up their sleeves..."

Hearing this, Haitang nodded.

She knew that Ms. Shen's words made sense.

With her current strength, encountering such a situation would indeed be dangerous.

However...

The truly formidable member of her team had never been her; she was the one who relied on others to win.

With Zhao Zheng by her side, she didn't need to worry about this.

Ms. Shen added, "The recommendation from above is that your best option is to avoid entering the Spirit Realm on the opening day next month!"

"Many believe that you're highly likely to enter the Spirit Realm world next month. Those who want to target you are probably already preparing. If you choose to avoid it, they'll be left empty-handed."

"The forces targeting you will have to pay a significant price to convince their members to act, only to gain nothing. Next time, they won't dare to guess when you'll enter the Spirit Realm."

Haitang found this reasoning sound, but she couldn't make the decision herself.

"Teacher, you make a good point. I understand, and I'll give it some thought."

"Great! Let me know once you've decided. The people above are waiting for your response."

Ms. Shen thought she had convinced Haitang and smiled.

Haitang agreed and turned to leave.

...

After leaving Ms. Shen's office, Haitang thought for a moment and invited Zhao Zheng to her dormitory.

It was almost noon, so she decided to treat him to lunch.

"Haitang, did your teacher say something to you again?" Zhao Zheng asked with a smile as soon as he saw her.

Haitang nodded and repeated Ms. Shen's concerns.

Zhao Zheng listened intently and agreed, "Your teacher is right. If those people were to join forces against you, it would be a big problem."

"But that's assuming I'm not there!"

As he said this, Zhao Zheng exuded confidence from head to toe.

And he had every right to be confident!

The strength of a King Rank Powerhouse was terrifying; lower-level Extraordinary Beings would be no match for him.

Seeing Zhao Zheng's confidence, Haitang couldn't help but smile.

"So, we're sticking to our plan?"

"Of course!" Zhao Zheng replied. "Lately, I've been feeling restless, probably because my Extraordinary Sense is alerting me. We must improve our strength without delay."

This wasn't an empty statement.

As his spiritual attributes increased, his Extraordinary Sense also grew stronger.

Zhao Zheng had indeed been feeling restless lately.

Haitang nodded, and her pretty face turned serious.

The two continued their conversation, and by 11 o'clock, Song Haitang got up, preparing to cook for Zhao Zheng.

She insisted on cooking herself.

Although she could have meals delivered from the cafeteria or even have a special menu prepared, Song Haitang took joy in personally cooking for Zhao Zheng.

Seeing him enjoy her food brought her immense happiness.

From this, one could tell that deep down, Song Haitang was a homely, family-oriented woman.

...

In the afternoon, Song Haitang called Ms. Shen.

"Teacher, after careful consideration, I've decided to enter the Spirit Realm again next month."

"Why?" Ms. Shen couldn't help but ask.

"Because I have a premonition that an unprecedented crisis is about to unfold, and time is not on my side. I must quickly enhance my strength to face this crisis."

Her words made Ms. Shen's heart skip a beat.

"Haitang, what crisis are you referring to?"

"Teacher, just pass on my words to the higher-ups."

With that, Song Haitang hung up the phone.

On the other end, Ms. Shen stood frozen, listening to the dial tone.

She wasn't foolish; she knew something was amiss with the world.

Taking a deep breath, Ms. Shen wasted no time in reporting Song Haitang's words to her superiors.

The higher-ups quickly issued a new directive: "Do not interfere with Song Haitang anymore!!"

...

That evening, a secret meeting was suddenly convened in a conference room in the West.

The attendees were all individuals of extraordinary status, including political elites, tycoons, celebrities, powerful parahumans, and even members of a cult.

The meeting began.

A middle-aged white man with a hooked nose and a gloomy expression spoke first, "I've received news that the target has made a clear response and will enter the Spirit Realm next month!"

Hearing this, a black woman sitting next to him exclaimed with joy, "Excellent! Then our sniping plan can commence!"

The man with the hooked nose hesitated, "There's more. The upper echelons of the Flame Nation tried to persuade the target to avoid the Spirit Realm next month, but she refused. She claims to have a premonition of an unprecedented catastrophe that will befall our world, and she wants to enhance her strength to face the crisis..."

These words caused a subtle change in the expressions of many in the room.

As the human elite, they were well aware of the existence beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

"Can we trust her words?"

"How can a mere girl who can't even achieve elemental transformation be so certain?"

"I believe we should be cautious. You know that parahumans with exceptionally high spiritual power often have peculiar psychic abilities. Perhaps her premonition is genuine."

"What do we do now? She's considered the Flame Nation's hope for all humanity. Can we just give up?"

"Given her accomplishments, if we give her enough time, she might truly be able to stop the threat out there..."

...

In the conference room, a heated discussion ensued.

For the first time, a divide emerged among the group regarding the decision to kill or spare Song Haitang.

Initially, they thought the entity in outer space might need a long time to consume a star.

They believed they had ample time to enjoy their lives and pass the problem on to future generations.

Song Haitang's words, however, were like a bucket of cold water poured over them.

They might not have much time left...

To safeguard their own lives, they had to carefully consider whether killing Song Haitang was worth it.

As the debate raged on, a figure shrouded in a black robe, a member of the cult, spoke up, "What are you afraid of? Don't forget, you are all followers of the True God. No matter the crisis, the True God will provide you with sanctuary and lead you to the Eternal Kingdom!"

The voice was crisp and belonged to a woman.

However, her words were hardly convincing to these astute individuals.

Someone asked, "Honored Servant, may I inquire when the True God will descend upon the Blue Star?"

The robed figure shook their head, "The time is not yet right. When the conditions are met, the True God will descend!"

This response caused everyone's brows to furrow.

To be honest, if they hadn't witnessed the power of the True God themselves, they would have gotten rid of this god-obsessed woman long ago...

Another person asked, "Honored Servant, I'm curious, is there a connection between the being on the star and the True God?"

Unexpectedly, this question angered the robed figure.

"Foolish! How dare you compare the lowly demon god, a mere devourer, to the True God?

The group exchanged glances, unsure of what to say. If it were an ordinary person, they would have methods to force the truth out of them.

But this black-robed individual was a true follower of the True God, bearing the mark of the True God, and they dared not act against them.

If they did, even if the True God didn't appear in person, they could unleash a mysterious curse, making life unbearable.

This made the black-robed figure seem like a hedgehog in everyone's eyes, leaving them at a loss for how to approach the situation.

"My apologies, waiter, I asked a foolish question..."

The previous person had no choice but to apologize.

The black-robed figure didn't take offense, as before the True God's arrival, they still needed these people's help.

"According to the True God's divine proclamation, that woman named Song will become a false god and hinder the True God's descent. Therefore, she must be eliminated as soon as possible!"

Everyone frowned.

They wanted to ask how reliable the divine proclamation was, but they dared not speak...

Finally, the elder in the main seat spoke up, making the final decision.

"Gentlemen, do you really want to witness the rise of a Godly Power in the Flame Nation? If that happens, our Western civilization will have to live under the shadow of the Flame Nation until the Godly Power falls!"

"Just thinking about this makes me restless."

"Our Western civilization is the greatest on this planet."

"I'd rather die than let a bunch of yellow monkeys ride on our heads!"

"We must trust the divine proclamation. Even if a lesser demon god from outer space has entered our world recently, it's only a temporary rule. When the True God descends, we will welcome the light!"

"So, we must stop the target's rise."

"Haven't you all built shelters for refuge? Let's stay in them for now!"

As the elder spoke, everyone fell silent.

It seemed they all agreed with the elder's opinion.

It wasn't that the elder's words were particularly persuasive, but his status was not to be taken lightly.

The elder had many sons, one of whom was a King-Class Powerhouse, and a daughter who was a Seventh Rank Powerhouse. Additionally, the elder himself was the de facto head of a powerful conglomerate, wielding immense wealth, power, and influence.

Even the President of the Ugly Federation would bow and greet this elder with respect.

"Let's vote by a show of hands!" said a man next to the elder, raising his hand. "Those who agree with this plan, please raise your hands."

The group hesitated but eventually raised their hands one by one.

The decision was unanimous.

The black woman spoke up, "Since we've all made a decision, we must execute this plan thoroughly. This is the best opportunity, and it might be our last!"

Everyone frowned, thinking the black woman was being overly dramatic.

As if reading their minds, the black woman continued, "Do you know how high the target's spirit attribute is now?"

"I've calculated it!"

"The target's average monthly training gain is 70 attribute points, and in the previous 14th Spiritual Realm, the target received an SSS-rank mission evaluation for each layer, with an average gain of approximately 400 spirit points..."

"Calculations show that the target's spirit attribute may have reached 7,000 points!"

The number seven thousand startled everyone.

Only then did they realize that Song Haitang had become so powerful without them noticing.

The black woman continued, "Do you know what this means? It means that woman is close to achieving Elemental Transformation with the Natural Devil Fruit. If her talent is good enough, she might achieve it after this Spiritual Realm!"

"If we fail this time and let her reach the Elemental Transformation stage, it will be almost impossible to kill her!"

"With her current progress in the Spiritual Realm, no one at her level can match her!"

The group finally took the matter seriously, as the black woman's words made perfect sense.

Missing this opportunity might mean they'd have no chance against her in the future.

"I need you to give it your all and do whatever it takes to succeed in this assassination plan!" The black-robed figure said, "I assure you that if the mission is accomplished, the True God will bestow the Elixir of Immortality!"

With the mention of the Elixir of Immortality, the atmosphere in the conference room changed abruptly.

The group's breathing grew heavy.

After all, their faith in the True God was for the promise of immortality.

"Since it's the True God's divine proclamation, let's give it our all!"

Even the elder joined in, "Gentlemen, it's time for you to step up!"

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end