Above The Sky
Chapter 1027 - 1027 115 The Chosen Ian 22

1027: Chapter 115: The Chosen Ian (2/2) 1027: Chapter 115: The Chosen Ian (2/2) “Huh…

when did another Second Energy Level pop up in the city?

And there are so many nimble figures too…”

The Deceased Monarch Researcher blinked in puzzlement, tilting his head as he observed the Nightwalkers conducting their covert operations: “I’m not familiar with the aura of these people…

are they all outsiders?”

Under his keen gaze, the Nightwalkers ran through the streets with smooth and inhuman movements.

Because the Xiawei Territory recently abolished the curfew, researchers like him, who were far removed from the normal lives of Humans, found it hard to decipher whether these individuals were engaging in nighttime group parkour or attempting to infiltrate key areas.

However, as the group of Nightwalkers approached the high-tech development zone guarded by Knights—an area strictly off-limits to Ordinary people—the situation became clear.

“Could it be…” Adalbert’s eyes widened in shock.

“Are these the hostile forces Ian mentioned to me—the ones here to wreak havoc?!”

Truth be told, with Adalbert’s moral perspective, Ian had a hard time making him grasp the concept that in this world, there exist those who “hate you openly, simply because you’re thriving.” To Adalbert, imagining people as malicious as this was borderline impossible.

After all, even the Spirit Wisdom Institute wouldn’t harbor animosity toward a neighboring institute for developing new technology—they’d at most try their best to steal that technology!

But now, Adalbert had witnessed it firsthand.

“Wait a minute, how was Ian instructing me…”

Pondering this, Adalbert’s body gradually shifted into a Nether form, slipping into the shadows.

Then.

Just as the infiltrating team was nearing the high-tech development zone, they suddenly noticed a faint light emerging at the dark end of the road ahead.

The light emanated from a figure that seemed frail and delicate.

With white hair and crimson eyes, he possessed the refined appearance of a Scholar.

Yet his blood-red gaze radiated an unsettling aura, while the void beneath his feet and behind him seemed to be filled with countless threads of scarlet creeping into the shadows.

“Who is this…?”

The team leader froze for a moment, his steps instinctively slowing.

He couldn’t make sense of why someone would appear here so suddenly…

Was this a Researcher from the institute?

But at four in the morning, no matter how overworked they were, this couldn’t be the time to just finish a shift, right?

Think about it—the Lord had left the territory.

Who in their right mind would voluntarily work overtime without oversight?

But shortly, the leader sensed something amiss.

The surroundings had grown eerily quiet…

unnaturally so.

Previously, faint chatter from distant streets and whispers of the wind carried through alleyways, but now, all of it had vanished.

A deathly silence enveloped the group.

“Captain, look down!

Your feet!!”

The captain heard his teammate’s alarmed shout and instantly looked down – his breath caught in his throat.

At some unknown point, the solid rocky street beneath their feet had transformed into a flowing blood-red river.

The ice-cold waters of this crimson river lapped against their ankles, arresting their movements and leaving them frozen in place.

—A localized Subspace expansion?!

But isn’t this a high-level technique only usable by those possessing Third Energy Level Spirit Energy Inheritance?

Why…

Warning bells blared in the captain’s mind.

Eyes wide open, he stared toward the end of the road.

The man cloaked in a white researcher’s robe gave them a friendly smile.

And in that instant, the blood river surged violently.

Countless shimmering phantasmic lights illuminated the entire street, and in that flash of light, the infiltrating group instinctively held their breath—they saw countless soul phantoms floating behind and beside the man, unknowingly encircling them completely!

And then…

The Phantom illusions descended upon them.

…

“Gu Ying?

Someone just reported that there seemed to be Spirit Energy Fluctuations over at the high-tech development zone.

Did you discover anything?”

At City Hall, Scott—newly promoted to Sublimator and voluntarily working overtime until 5 a.m.—rubbed his bleary eyes as he queried Adalbert, who was attempting to contact Ian through the communicator: “Were you all conducting some experiment over there?”

Scott had seen Gu Ying’s ability to monitor the Rebel Highlanders’ troop movements before and knew this Researcher was far from the simple soul his appearance suggested.

While kind by nature, his capabilities spoke of something far beyond ordinary.

As such, Scott always consulted Gu Ying whenever issues arose.

And true to form, this brilliant Researcher always provided accurate answers…

Even beyond that, the Green Tide Knights would often seek advice from him about swordsmanship techniques.

Of course, those swordsmanship questions essentially boiled down to biomechanical and trajectory problems in spatial geometry.

Thanks to Gu Ying, the Green Tide Knights had made significant progress in both biology and mathematics.

“Well…”

Adalbert hadn’t expected Scott to still be working overtime, feeling a bit bad for disturbing him.

Avoiding eye contact, he mumbled sheepishly: “Someone tried to attack the institute earlier…

I detained them all but don’t know how to handle the situation, so I’m reaching out to Ian for advice.”

“An attack?”

This revelation jolted Scott awake.

Taking a closer look at the seemingly innocent Researcher before him, he noted no signs of battle.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he commented, “You’re right to notify Ian—but how capable were the attackers?

Should I summon Sio?”

“One of them had Second Energy Level powers.” Adalbert thought for a moment.

He hadn’t paid much attention earlier and casually subdued them, so he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Given that I must keep my abilities concealed, it’s better to have Sio come over—but isn’t He currently in hibernation?

I suspect that group deliberately chose Sio’s hibernation period to strike.”

“It’s no big deal.”

Swallowing hard, Scott grasped a glimpse of the Researcher’s unassuming yet overwhelming strength through his tone.

His respect for Ian grew instantly.

—To think Ian managed to find such a brains-and-brawn powerhouse whose personality was impeccable as well…

my admiration knows no bounds.

Some time later.

Ian received the news from Xiawei Territory.

“Huh?

Someone attacked the institute?

That’s strange—I wasn’t aware of this beforehand.”

Ian was quite astonished.

As a Prophet, he found it inconceivable that he hadn’t foreseen an assault on his territory.

How was this possible?

He had conducted a thorough review of all his facilities before stepping out!

A Prophet’s priority is avoiding low-grade errors—mistakes that can theoretically be predicted should always be eliminated altogether.

Anything less, and one doesn’t deserve to call themselves a Prophet!

Yet upon understanding the full details, Ian chuckled: “So they ran directly into Gu Ying, were completely wiped out, and now all of them are detained in the subterranean cavity beneath the Dragon Nest by Sio?”

“Alright, I get it.

You’ve all done great work.

Inform Gu Ying that his requested budget is fully approved—take the funds from my personal reserve for immediate allocation.

Please, don’t micromanage—I’ll handle it.

This entire territory is my property; I know what I’m doing.”

Ian ended his call with Scott and, amidst the Great Redwood Forest, shook his head with a smirk: “Looks like my prophetic abilities have limitations…

Even if an attack occurred, if there’s no resultant harm, I remain unable to foresee it beforehand.”

“While the absence of damage technically equates to no attack, events still occurred.

Witnesses alone can trigger panic, requiring future precautions in this regard.”

Ian was already on his way deep into the Great Redwood Forest based on intelligence collected by Elder Pude.

He was searching for the ‘Foreseeing Bifoliate.’

Yesterday, he instructed Green Tide to visit taverns and other areas to inquire about activities of the Retrospection Sect team.

Despite his scholastic excellence, Green Tide never disappointed in execution either.

He swiftly gathered pertinent information: the Retrospection Sect team consisted of five people—two servants, two students, and a mentor who led the formal observational squad.

The local Retrospection Sect personnel held the mentor in high regard; she seemed backed by formidable connections.

After leaving the Huai Guan Cathedral, this group headed straight toward Ivorybone Mountain.

According to Harrison Port’s folk tales, the Foreseeing Bifoliate was located in the Ancestor’s Forest behind Ivorybone Mountain, a sacred site for the Redwood Natives.

It was said to reveal itself only to chosen brave or wise individuals, which explained why Harrison Port, despite absorbing the majority of Redwood Natives, failed to secure the artifact.

Anyone seeking the Foreseeing Bifoliate would invariably go to Ivorybone Mountain…

But per Elder Pude’s accounts—a synthesis derived from years of conversations with ancient clan Shamans and Chieftains—the Ancestor’s Forest behind Ivorybone Mountain contained nothing but ancestral remains, including those of old Chieftains and Ritual Masters.

The Foreseeing Bifoliate’s true location lay within the ‘Forest Sea Holy Spring’—an underground spring nestled beneath the roots of the Great Redwood Forest.

Its pristine vitality essence held miraculous healing properties, capable of curing life-threatening wounds, even for Magical Beasts of Beastmaster stature.

The problem lay herein.

“The Forest Sea Holy Spring isn’t stationary.”

Ian murmured to himself: “It moves along with the natural flux of the Great Redwood Forest.”

Records from the Mountain People indicated that the Redwood Natives—once equals to the Mountain People—could directly commune with the Great Redwood Forest during their prime.

Though the forest’s strength paled in comparison to True Dragons, it still served as an ample protector of its domain.

Later, however, the consciousness of the Great Redwood Forest seemingly ‘disappeared’…

or perhaps ascended, ceasing communication with the offerings and prayers of the Redwood Natives.

This indirectly and directly led to their decline in power and loss of technology.

Even absent its divine consciousness, the Great Redwood Forest left imprints of its strength—symbols such as the sacred altar tree safeguarding Ivorybone Mountain and the surrounding Forest Sea territories.

The Forest Sea Holy Spring was undoubtedly one such legacy.

Armed with this knowledge, Ian would not mimic the Retrospection Sect team by wandering aimlessly around Ivorybone Mountain.

His original plan was to soar into the air and use the Foresight View for a full-fledged scan across the Great Redwood Forest Zone.

If the Foreseeing Bifoliate truly held foresight capabilities, then it would likely mark an unobservable zone—a space devoid of predictive insights.

Alternatively, if it was simply a treasure enhancing Spirit Energy sensitivity, its material composition at the Third Energy Level as an ascended artifact made detection even easier.

And yet, ‘original plan’ implied abandonment of that straightforward, effective approach.

Because Ian suspected he himself was the ‘chosen one.’

Last night, while sleeping next to Elan, Ian heard a voice in his shallow dream.

[Prophet]

The voice was ethereal and resonant, drifting from all directions and emerging from deep within his soul.

[Are you seeking us?]

[Then come.]

[We wish to meet you, too.]