Chapter 1, The Catastrophe of Humanity

"The divination mirror has no ears; no matter how loudly you call, it is meaningless." The girl sighed, and suddenly a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind

"It should be the spirit that opens my eyes, allowing me to roam freely in the void." After trying dozens of incantations, the girl finally realized that this one was the most likely to succeed

The first to emerge from the hexagram formation was a procession of magnificently armored knights, their imposing figures mounted on powerful steeds. The tall, colorful plumes on their helmets swayed like the beautiful tail feathers of a phoenix, shimmering with brilliance. Behind them was a golden chariot drawn by pure white unicorns, filled with men and women clad in azure robes, draped in cloaks, and holding staffs. Their long, golden hair cascaded down their shoulders, and their handsome faces resembled those of divine offspring. Following them was a formation of robust soldiers clad in silver heavy armor, wielding long shields and great swords, resembling a silver tide that could engulf mountains and rivers, sweeping across the entire southeastern coastline. These illustrious divine armies hailed from the homeland of the gods, a magical continent separated from the world by a tumultuous stormy ocean, visible from afar. Their sole purpose in coming here was to bring everything on the world continent under the dominion of the divine race.

"Young people, have you never felt despair in your life, believing you have lost the reason to live, thinking that existence has no meaning?" Night Soul lamented, "When I was young, I experienced this. Drifting alone on the sea, with no horizon in sight, surrounded by sharks greedily lurking beside me, I went three days and nights without a drop of water, feeling as if my entire body was being roasted into jerky by the sun, and the nearest coastline was a thousand miles away. I once thought about ending it all; in such an empty sea, it was impossible to encounter a ship, and in such clear weather, there was not a drop of rain. With my strength, it was utterly impossible to swim to the shore. Why struggle any longer? Dying would be the end of it all, how wonderful that would be."

"Having lost the last city, the brilliance of humanity has lost its foundation for continuity. Why must I retain unachievable dreams after losing all hope? Why must I beg for the strength to survive in the bottomless abyss of despair? Such a struggle for survival is a humiliation to me," said Luotian Lei in a deep voice.

In the last city of the Kingdom of Liancheng—Xiadu—fierce battles raged for seven days and nights, with the bodies of soldiers from the Southeast Alliance and the Tiandu Alliance filling every stronghold and every wall of Xiadu

"Spiritual insight is my vision, and the vast void is my playground!" the girl shouted loudly at the crystal square mirror

But you have never truly listened in.

The first strike of the divine army completely shattered the human forces defending the southeastern coastal city of Donghai Mingzhu. The entire battle felt as if a divine hammer had violently smashed an egg belonging to humanity, with the human army being crushed so thoroughly that the soldiers who died on the battlefield could no longer be referred to as the fallen. They should be called the annihilated, for their fragmented and incomplete remains can never be recovered. The soldiers who died on the battlefield could no longer be referred to as the fallen. They should be called the annihilated, for their fragmented and incomplete remains can never be recovered

There should be no problem; this spirit mirror should be able to communicate with that place. Which incantation could it be? The girl grasped her head full of black hair tightly, constantly pondering.

"No, it is you who will lead the army away, the legendary general Falling Thunder." Night Soul said loudly: "I am too old and no longer suited to survive in the jungle. You are in your prime and still have a chance to survive"

Deep within the Xiadou Liancheng Palace, a girl who has just turned twelve sits cross-legged in a basement filled with ancient books. The ancient texts, written in strange characters, are being flipped through by her, their pages flying about and scattered chaotically on the ground. In the center of the basement stands an elegantly adorned crystal square mirror, its edges covered with water-patterned designs, and the frame is crafted from a unique blue copper found only in Tiandu. According to ancient lore, blue copper is a magical metal formed from the remnants of materials left by the celestial beings when they created the sun, moon, and stars. The value of one gram of blue copper is enough to purchase a town in the world. This ancient mirror's frame is made from no less than ten kilograms of blue copper, making its worth sufficient to topple a nation.

Although her voice was loud, the priceless crystal square mirror remained completely still, and the girl could only see her pale and weak face helplessly shaking on the mirror's surface

"King of Liancheng, as the leader of the Southeast Alliance, I have decided to hold our ground in the last bastion of human glory until the end of my life. Please lead the remaining forces of the Tiandu Alliance to evacuate from Xiadu immediately!" Luo Tianlei adjusted his armor and said solemnly

***

The numerous coalition forces ultimately played the role of covering the highest leaders and residents of various countries in their large-scale retreat to the northwest during this Southeast Campaign. Although they accomplished only this one task, the soldiers of the Southeast Alliance suffered countless casualties, leaving some countries with only the palace guards as their remaining armed forces

"Absolutely not, Lord Liancheng, this is the only command that I cannot obey. I should remain here." Luo Tianlei trembled with excitement.

The old king's night spirit, steadfast on the city wall, silently gazed at the silver tide of the divine silver-armored warriors below. He let out a weary sigh, turned his head, and quietly said to the legendary general of the Lily Kingdom, Falling Thunder, who stood beside him: "Enough, my friend, we cannot hold on any longer. Let everyone prepare; we shall retreat."

Gazing intently at the ever-changing scene in the mirror, the little girl felt as if she were embarking on a journey through the vast expanse of space. A sense of joy surged within her like a warm spring flowing wildly throughout her body, and she knew she had finally succeeded

We must preserve the last vestiges of human resistance until we have the opportunity to reclaim all that we have lost. A resolute and solemn expression appeared on the face of the Night Soul

Then you encountered the mother whale that had just lost her calf," Luo Tianlei interrupted him mercilessly, "She nourished you with her milk and then took you to roam the seas. Since the first time I became a mercenary, you have told me this thousands of times

It was an unforgettable dawn when the first rays of light illuminated the southeastern coastline of the Tianxia Continent, while another more brilliant and dazzling spectrum of colors completely obscured the sun's brilliance. Accompanying this radiant light, a gigantic hexagram formation, spanning several miles, bloomed along the coastline of the Tianxia Continent like a flower. The residents of the Tianxia Continent, witnessing this extraordinary sight, were all in a state of panic, kneeling in prayer, believing that the messenger of heaven had arrived. Accompanying this radiant light, a gigantic hexagram formation, spanning several miles, bloomed along the coastline of the Tianxia Continent like a flower. The residents of the Tianxia Continent, witnessing this extraordinary sight, were all in a state of panic, kneeling in prayer, believing that the messenger of heaven had arrived

As fierce and brave as a falling thunderbolt, he did not dare to show even the slightest resistance. He tightly shut his eyes for a moment, stifling the tears that were about to surge forth, and in a hoarse voice, he softly said: "As you wish, my esteemed king, I shall depart, but my heart will sink along with the fall of the city of Xiadou"

"Oh, child, this is my city, my country, my people, and it should be I who stands with them until the end. Or do you believe you are more suited to be the king of Liancheng Kingdom? If so, you must challenge me. Do you have the courage to do so?" The tone of the King of Liancheng was solemn and imposing.

In the northwestern human realm, the supreme leader of the Liancheng Kingdom, the old king Ye Hun, who once gained renown across the continent by participating in hundreds of battles as a mercenary, convened an alliance conference in Tiandu, the highest city in the northwest of the continent. Forty percent of the human kingdoms on the continent joined the Tiandu Alliance, led by the Liancheng Kingdom, and formed the Tiandu Volunteer Army to reinforce the human forces of the Southeast Alliance. In Tiandu, the highest city in the northwest of the continent, the alliance conference was held, with forty percent of the human kingdoms on the continent joining the Tiandu Alliance, led by the Liancheng Kingdom, and forming the Tiandu Volunteer Army to support the human forces of the Southeast Alliance.

She hurriedly straightened up on the ground, wanting to stand tall, but her feet gave way, and she knelt before the square mirror. However, in her moment of excitement, she could not care about these things. She placed her left hand on the surface of the crystal square mirror and forcefully etched out the incantation.

"Child, cheer up a little; life is like the ocean. In that seemingly hopeless abyss, you never know what might surface." The voice of Wang Liancheng was long and melodious, like the distant rumble of spring thunder, devoid of any sadness

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The battle continued in despair, as the human coalition was repeatedly defeated. Many countries abandoned their resistance and chose to surrender to the divine race. The surrendered humans were not slaughtered by the divine race; instead, they were driven to the mines and forced to toil in the fields, struggling painfully on the brink of death each day. In contrast, those countries that fought to the end were mercilessly slaughtered by the divine race

It is unclear whether it is the spell taking effect or if the divination mirror is truly intimidated by the resolute demeanor of this little girl, but the blue copper frame of the crystal square mirror suddenly emitted a dazzling and blinding blue light. The water patterns on the crystal surface began to rotate in a clockwise direction, and the speed of the rotation increased. Within the cylindrical water patterns, countless trajectories of the sun, moon, and stars suddenly appeared like a revolving lantern, while innumerable flocks of birds whizzed past in the crystal square mirror. Fiery orange clouds swirled like flames around the rotating water patterns, and occasionally, a dragon would sweep through the air, making a turn in the mirror before vanishing into the clouds.

That was the first time the human race, or all the advanced intelligent races on the continent, witnessed the terrifying power of war magic. The war magic masters of the divine race, heavily guarded by holy knights and silver warriors, gained widespread fame due to this campaign. The kingdoms located near the southeastern coastal area of the human alliance formed a coalition, including the Lily Kingdom, which possesses the Pearl City of the East China Sea, preparing to launch a counterattack against the invading forces of the divine race

"Retreat?" A trace of sadness appeared on Luotian Lei's face. "King Liancheng, we have no way to retreat. Behind us lies the wild southwest, with no cities and no supplies. Our people will rot and die in the jungle like decaying flesh."

"If it doesn't work this time, I will smash this broken mirror of yours!" the little girl said fiercely