Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

11:55 p.m.

A mine in the western suburbs of Shanghai.

This mining area is not far from the Dawn headquarters base. Xiao Cheng's analysis report shows that the concentration of spiritual energy around the mine is the highest among all the areas invaded this time, and the spatial fluctuations are also the most intense—which means that this will be the area with the most dense rifts and the highest level of monsters.

Shen Bai arrived here ahead of time.

He was wearing a dark gray combat uniform, with a tactical mask covering the lower half of his face, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.

Emergency response teams have been deployed around the mine, with armored vehicles blocking the main entrances and exits, and some personnel armed with heavy weapons crouching behind temporary shelters.

All the workers in the mining area had been evacuated during the day.

The entire mining area was silent at this moment, with only the searchlights of the emergency response team occasionally sweeping across the area.

In Shen Bai's hand was the weapon he had brought back from the research institute last time, a two-meter-long dragon-patterned halberd.

The halberd has a thick, heavy head with four conical protrusions on both sides. In the center is a 20-centimeter-long halberd tip, with wide, crescent-shaped blades on both sides that extend outwards. The blades are sharp and can be used for thrusting, slashing, and heavy blows.

The halberd is entirely black, with a gilded dragon pattern winding from the tail to the tip. The dragon scales are layered and shimmer with a dark golden luster under the searchlight. The tail of the halberd tapers into a sharp, three-edged cone shape, which can be used for backhand thrusts.

The entire halberd is steady and domineering. When held in the hand, it has both the oppressive feeling of a long weapon and the destructive power of a heavy weapon.

This was created by Gu Weijun over eight days using the best monster bones and scales, combined with three strengthening and fusion processes.

  

Shen Bai tried it once and found it to be very good.

He carried his halberd, walked to the open space in the center of the mining area, and looked up at the night sky.

There are no stars tonight; the city lights obscure everything. But in a little while, this place will be illuminated by the crimson light of the rift.

Zhou Ming, the captain of the ninth squad, and four reserve members were already in position. Their mission was to provide support and containment.

Zhou Ming reported in his mind: "Prophet, the emergency response team said they will provide heavy firepower support at critical moments."

Shen Bai said in a low voice, "Unless it's a tank or a missile, ordinary heavy firepower can only deal with apprentice-level monsters. But monsters are too fast, and tanks and missiles need someone to hold them off if they want to hit them, so we still have to go in on the first-tier monsters."

"Received," Zhou Ming replied in his mind.

"Xiao Cheng, are all the groups in position?" Shen Bai asked in his mind.

"Master, all squads are ready in the predicted area. They are all currently on standby."

Shen Bai nodded.

Tens of thousands of people, scattered across thousands of rift points worldwide. Tonight, they will all face monsters simultaneously.

At that moment, Li Zhou's voice rang in his mind: "Sir, Chen Zhengping has sent a message that the emergency response forces are all in place. The outer defense line of the city's core area has been completed. Armored vehicles and emergency response forces have been deployed in rural areas and near the fissures in the suburbs. All relevant personnel have been evacuated, and all public places have been cleared."

"understood."

Shen Bai closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the system panel. The cultivation method was running at its peak, and the barrier of the ninth level of apprenticeship was slightly loosened by the warming of spiritual energy.

Time ticked by. The only sounds in the mining area were the wind and the occasional, indistinct whispers of the emergency response team in the distance. Shen Bai remained standing, as if he had become one with the mine beneath his feet.

It was exactly 2:00 AM.

Shen Bai opened his eyes.

The full moon overhead was shrouded in a thin red mist.

A sudden gust of wind arose from the ground, surging in from all directions, whipping up sand and gravel from the mine, and causing the armored vehicles of the emergency response team to sway slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the entire mining area with a ghastly white light, followed by a thunderclap that shook the earth.

Then, the world went silent.

But Shen Bai sensed something in the air rapidly increasing, surging from nothingness, rising from the depths of the earth, and permeating his body through every inch of space.

Reiki.

It was as if a riverbed that had been dry for millions of years had finally received its first drop of water. An ancient tree that had withered for countless eons had sprouted its first new bud.

Heaven and earth came alive.

Shen Bai took a deep breath, and spiritual energy flowed into his body with each breath.

In their consciousness, two thousand green dots on the apostle panel flashed simultaneously—the apostles sensed the arrival of spiritual energy at the same instant.

In his mind, he commanded all his disciples: "The spiritual energy revival has begun. All members who have reached the peak of the ninth level of the Apprentice realm, immediately attempt to break through according to your respective cultivation methods!"

Shen Bai himself also began to attempt to reach the first level. He had already completed the foundation of the three cultivation paths, which corresponded to body refinement, qi refinement, and spirit refinement, respectively.

He plans to cultivate all three paths simultaneously. Although the difficulty will increase exponentially, the three paths of essence, energy, and spirit are complementary. His golden aptitude gives him the possibility of mastering all three paths at the same time.

He absorbed spiritual energy extremely quickly, and the spiritual energy entered his body in three streams.

A surge of energy entered his mind, helping him open his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness and nurture his spiritual power. Another surge entered his middle dantian, transforming into a thin mist that condensed into a vortex of spiritual energy. The final surge spread throughout his body, circulating through his limbs and bones, refining his qi and blood.

The breakthrough was progressing steadily when Xiao Cheng's voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Master, violent spatial fluctuations have been detected; a rift is forming."

Above the mining area, a dark red light tore through the night sky.

Without warning or sound, three dark red cracks opened simultaneously in the center of the mine, above the stockpile area, and at the entrance to the mine tunnel, instantly illuminating the entire mining area with a dark red light.

At the same time, thousands of rifts opened around the world one after another, and a dark red halo dyed the night sky, adding an eerie pale red hue to this planet that had just been revitalized.

Monsters began to pour out of the rift.

Shen Bai gripped the dragon-patterned battle halberd tightly. His cultivation level was still at the peak of the ninth level of the Apprentice Realm. Spiritual energy was still surging into his body, but there was no time left for him to break through.

"Xiao Cheng, start real-time data synchronization for all Apostle panels."

"Activated, Master."

"All squads, prepare to move out according to the plan!" he ordered in his mind.

Zhou Ming's ninth squad split into two teams, rushing towards the mine entrance and the stockpile area respectively.

Shen Bai, carrying the dragon-patterned halberd, strode towards the crevice in the center of the mining area.

The first monster to emerge from the crevice was an apprentice-level Blackscale Demon Hound. Shen Bai swung his battle halberd, sideways, and slashed down, the blade cutting across its neck—black blood gushed out, and its head rolled to the side.

He didn't stop, turning to strike the second monster that charged out. The halberd was heavy, and using its momentum, it smashed the monster's skull.

Monsters kept pouring out, and Shen Bai stood guard beside the rift, not retreating an inch.

Black blood splattered on his combat uniform, turning it black.

Just as he slew the tenth demon, a deep roar came from the depths of the rift, shaking the ground.

A figure twice the size of an ordinary monster emerged from the dark red light—it was a Bone Spike Wolf, its body covered in jet-black scales, with a row of sharp bone spikes growing backwards along its back. Its head was enormous, its mouth split open to reveal two rows of serrated teeth, and its eyes, unlike the dark red of ordinary monsters, were an eerie, ghostly green, appearing particularly chilling in the dark red light emanating from the rift.

Tier 1 monster.

Shen Bai was not surprised. He gripped the dragon-patterned halberd and charged towards the ferocious giant wolf.

The spiritual energy within his body was still circulating wildly, and the breakthrough was not yet complete, but his steps did not falter in the slightest.

The battle began from the very first second.