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Chapter 209 Reunion of the Younger Generation
……

Twenty-five years later, Joan of Arc had undergone many changes. For example, the armor she always wore had been replaced by a standard military uniform that offered no protection. Her hair had also turned much whiter, and several distinct wrinkles had appeared on her forehead.

But many things remain unchanged.

For example, her eyes were filled with faith, and she showed great respect for Chen Xuan.

All the soldiers had left, leaving only Chen Xuan, his two companions, and Joan of Arc in the large room.

The latter personally prepared a few chairs for them to sit on, then brewed fresh black tea with hot water from a thermos and handed it to them.

"Did I disturb you?" Chen Xuan asked, slightly embarrassed.

It's clear that she remains a key figure in the French army, but she's unlikely to be personally leading the charge in battle anymore.

“How could that be?” Joan of Arc smiled. “I am overjoyed to see Your Excellency the Divine Envoy on the eve of the great battle. I was initially a little uneasy about this battle, but now I have no worries at all.”

She paused slightly before continuing, "Of course... I know that you may not be here to see me, so I have also sent people to inform the sect leaders of the Allied Forces. They should receive the message soon."

"A war with Britain?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

“Indeed.” Joan of Arc nodded. “Although you have not shown yourself, I guess you must have seen everything on the battlefield through the eyes of the gods.”

Uh... no, actually.

“The truth that the Lord has seen will not be easily revealed to the world. Even if I know some of the inside story, I still hope to learn it from you,” Chen Xuan said slowly.

"That's how he used to fool you, wasn't it?" Lin Qing whispered to Liu Shuyue.

Liu Shuyue smiled gently, "Luckily, I believed him back then."

Joan of Arc had no doubt whatsoever and immediately replied, “I understand. Here is the situation: In the past, our strategy was mainly defensive, building watchtowers in the long coastal cities, giving up the beach areas, and fighting them on land with artillery and cavalry. Although we were exhausted from running around, at least we were able to slow down the invaders.”

She said with great emotion, "If it weren't for the support of the Eastern cultivators, we definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on. They used arrays to establish highly efficient communication facilities, which were even faster than the witches' flying magical pets. Their various enemy-killing spells were also very effective. In just five years, we gradually turned the tide."

"We are now preparing to cross the English Channel and attack the British mainland to completely annihilate the British army and those demons. The floating fleet you see is a masterpiece built by Eastern monks and French craftsmen! There are currently sixteen windships, capable of carrying six thousand soldiers to land in Britain for combat at a time."

Chen Xuan was speechless.

Faced with such a large amount of information, he didn't know what to say.

A floating fleet… such a fantastical thing, I never imagined it would become a reality in this world first. They've skipped the Age of Exploration and gone straight into the Age of Flight!
However, the Age of Exploration was indeed unrealistic.

After all, the sea is full of demons.

"How does it fly?" Lin Qing was more concerned with the technical aspects.

“Well… I’m not too sure either,” Joan of Arc said frankly. “Most of the technology for windships was developed by the Lotus Cloud Sect, while France was responsible for the development of various cannons.”

Is it the Lotus Cloud Sect again...?

"You guys seem to be using different guns now?"

"This one?" Joan of Arc took out her sidearm and handed it to Lin Qing generously. "It's much more sophisticated than a long-barreled musket, isn't it? Inspired by the spiritual energy devices of the monks, we had the witches' council participate in all the weapon development projects. Many ministers in the palace had some doubts about this, but the fact is that the gunpowder and metal parts made by alchemy are more than ten times better than those old-fashioned ones."

She spoke of this with great pride.

If saving France was a mission given to her by God, then the witches' guild she helped establish was the foundation she created herself.

"Lord Chen Xuan! Immortal Master!" A joyful voice came from the doorway.

Chen Xuan turned his head and looked, and who else could it be but Malena?
Compared to her appearance twenty-five years ago, she had clearly developed considerably, growing taller and more voluptuous, exuding the allure of a mature beauty. Wearing a black, slit robe resembling a nun's habit, and a black veiled hood that completely concealed her stunning figure, she only drew more attention. Liu Shuyue was stunned for a moment before realizing who this person was… a girl who had once been a disciple of the Sovereign Sect, roughly her age, was now in her forties, a fact that shocked her considerably.

“Lady Malena is now the chief witch of the Coven and has always missed her studies in Chang’an, so I informed her as well,” Joan of Arc said with a smile.

"I've been asking Xu Xuanling and Ajiu about you, but it seems you've never returned to Chang'an," Malena said with some complaint. "Didn't we agree... you would activate the teleportation array every now and then?"

“Uh…” Chen Xuan scratched his head. “The celestial phenomena are wrong. That’s right, it’s a problem with the celestial phenomena.”

"I see... Ah Jiu and Ah Hua told me the same thing."

"By the way, how did the cultivators from the Immortal Alliance come here to fight later?" Liu Shuyue asked with concern.

“The first few years were tough; we relied mainly on horse-drawn carriages, boats, or walking…” Malena replied. “Later, they created four-wheeled vehicles powered by spiritual energy, and even the wind-powered boats we have now, which made things much better.”

"Do you know what happened with the disbandment of the Immortal Alliance?" Chen Xuan asked.

Malena and Joan of Arc exchanged a glance and shook their heads. "This is an internal matter of the alliance, and I shouldn't pry too much. Since you asked, I have nothing to hide... I heard it was Ajiu, Ahua, and Xu Xuanling who proposed it. One side established the Lotus Cloud Sect, and the other side took control of the Ascension Platform. Then they joined forces to dismantle the Immortal Alliance."

"Huh?" Lin Qing exclaimed in surprise, "They caused this?"

Chen Xuan was also greatly surprised. He had initially thought that the Immortal Alliance had been broken up by demons.

“However, they are impeccable as allies, even more reliable than during the Immortal Alliance era, so there’s nothing wrong with that,” Malena added.

No sooner had she finished speaking than the leader of the Allied Army arrived.

The five people entered through the door amidst the guards' salutes.

At the very front were clearly Ajiu and Ahua, or rather… Ji Yun and Ji Lian. Compared to their previous childish appearances as teenagers, the two had undergone a tremendous transformation. Ji Yun wore a light purple robe embroidered with cloud patterns and a jade crown, looking every bit the part of a highly skilled cultivator. Ji Lian, on the other hand, had grown from a little girl into a beautiful young woman with bright eyes and white teeth, draped in green gauze and adorned with a gold chain on her forehead, accompanying her brother.

Based on their actual ages, both of them should be over thirty, but they look more like they are in their mid-twenties.

"Greetings, Immortal Master! Immortal Lord!"

Even though the Wei siblings had become the leaders of a sect, when they saw Chen Xuan and the others, they still greeted them with the same respect as before, bowing and clasping their hands in greeting, their eyes sparkling with familiar joy and reverence.

"Greetings, Sect Leader! Greetings, Master!" Xu Xuanling was much more casual. After nodding to Chen Xuan, she rushed to Liu Shuyue's side, grabbed her hand, and exclaimed, "Wow... Master, are you really not getting old? So many years have passed, but you still look the same as when we parted! Could you also teach this kind of technique to your disciple?"

That being said, Xu Xuanling's perceived age was younger than Ji Yun and Ji Lian, yet she looked as if she had just turned twenty.

Just like her name suggests, she now has a clear, bell-like voice, and two silver bells hang from her earlobes, jingling as she runs.

"Greetings, Immortal Master!" The two of them bowed in the same manner as the Wei siblings.

They were a man and a woman, and they both looked very young, at most in their early thirties.

Ajiu introduced them, "This is Luo Huizhi, the sect leader of Fengtian Academy. The other is Sun Qian, the sect leader of Medicine King Pavilion. The two of them have long admired the immortal master, and this time they are finally able to see the immortal master's face."

Chen Xuansuan discovered that if the five people were grouped together, their most significant difference from the Immortal Alliance would be that all the sect leaders of this generation were rising stars, with none of them over forty years old.

He also noticed that although Luo Huizhi and Sun Qian maintained their bowing posture, their eyes were curiously scrutinizing him. Chen Xuan subconsciously scanned everyone with his Heavenly Cloud Technique, and was immediately taken aback—Xu Xuanling, Luo Huizhi, and Sun Qian's spiritual energy was already comparable to Liu Shuyue's, while Ajiu and Ahua's spiritual energy radiance far surpassed Liu Shuyue's, and could even be said to be about the same as the rest of them combined!

Although the amount of spiritual energy fused cannot truly reflect a cultivator's strength, it still speaks volumes as a hard indicator. It's worth noting that during the Immortal Alliance era, none of the top cultivators from various sects could surpass Liu Shuyue in this aspect, let alone those three or four times stronger!

Ultimately, the more spiritual energy one integrates, the more powerful spells one can use in battle, and the more extraordinary one's physical functions will become. The cultivators who travel thousands of miles to slay demons and monsters do so precisely to absorb the spiritual energy of their enemies and strengthen themselves.

Is this the true strength of a "cultivation genius"?
(End of this chapter)