By evening, the sky had burned to red, with twilight casting its dim hues.
The three had unknowingly spent most of the day inside the tomb.
Although nearing autumn, the campus was still brimming with the splendor of spring, its gardens filled with rare and exotic plants, the air fresh and pleasant.
Young martial artist men and women could be seen in various corners of the campus, engrossed in romantic banter and deep conversations, savoring the beauty of youth.
Completely oblivious to the crisis about to befall Great Xia, none could escape unscathed.
Luo Yu flew straight back to his Villa No. 1.
He discovered two groups of people waiting for him at the door.
One side included Cheng Jinjin, Li Zhenyue, Huo Tongtian, and others.
The other group consisted of seven men he didn't recognize, dressed in black suits and shoes, exuding an aura of solemnity, one of them holding a black leather case,
"Boss, you're finally back!!! Where have you been all this time?" Cheng Jinjin's chubby face looked as if it had been struck, swollen and bruised.
"Did they do this?"
Upon seeing this, Luo Yu's eyebrows furrowed immediately, turning his gaze towards the group of men in black suits.
A barely perceptible killing intent began to spread from Luo Yu, and even though the seven suited men were battle-hardened martial artists, they couldn't help but shudder.
"It wasn't them, boss!!" Cheng Jinjin immediately stepped forward to explain, simultaneously moved by Luo Yu's concern for him.
"Then who did it?"
Luo Yu's expression darkened, this Little Fatty may not be the strongest, but others should know he was with him, wasn't attacking him akin to slapping his face?
"This…" Little Fatty touched his nose with a guilty expression, "It's nothing serious, boss. You go deal with important matters first."
"These are Qin Family men, here to redeem someone!"
The lead suited man stepped forward immediately. He was a bald man with a scar near his eye, radiating a fierce aura.
He took off his sunglasses, not with an aggressive stance, but rather displaying a congenial attitude:
"Mr. Luo, hello, I am here following the master's orders, bringing a treasure to redeem our Young Master."
"Wait a second."
Luo Yu stopped him mid-sentence, fixating on Little Fatty.
"Who did it?"
"Well…" Cheng Jinjin seemed to find it difficult to speak up, and Li Zhenyue from behind could not help interjecting: "Our Martial University recently enrolled two freshman girls who have declared their intention to challenge you, and their words were rather provocative, Little Fatty retorted in anger and made some sarcastic remarks."
"And he ended up getting beaten pretty badly."
Luo Yu raised an eyebrow, and Cheng Jinjin scratched his head, his face full of embarrassed apologies:
"Getting trashed by two girls of the same year looks too embarrassing, so I figured it wasn't worth complaining about, boss."
Luo Yu nodded but did not inquire further. Turning to everyone present, he said:
"I have urgent matters to attend to now, so please wait for me in the living room."
With that, Luo Yu did not wait for a response from the others, he went straight through the door and up the stairs to his room.
Compared to the survival of Great Xia and his grandfather, everyone else's problems were trivial.
Once inside, he immediately called Luotian Tiance.
The call was quickly connected.
The projection of Luotian Tiance appeared in the room, his usually unsmiling, stern face revealing a gentle smile upon seeing Luo Yu.
"What's the matter, Xiao Yu? It is rare for you to call your grandfather."
When he noticed Luo Yu's serious and solemn expression, he immediately became earnest, saying:
"What has happened?"
"Could it be the Qin Family giving you trouble? Let grandpa handle it and take action for you."
Luo Yu shook his head and said, "Grandpa, I have acquired an item that can predict the future, this prophecy…"
He quickly relayed the existence of Zhen Fu'er and the entire process of exploring the ancient tomb to Luotian Tiance, having nothing to hide from his grandfather.
Luotian Tiance listened with growing alarm; he had not expected that shortly after the troubles at Tiger-Dwelling Mountain Secret Realm had subsided, his grandson had quietly undertaken such a unique endeavor.
He didn't doubt Luo Yu's words, even though they sounded more far-fetched one after the other.
Such as the awakening of Zhen Fu'er from a thousand years ago, the unknown white-haired Goddess in the ancient tomb, and the prediction from the Bagua Mirror.
Luotian Tiance stood there quietly, as if lost in thought. Seeing Luo Yu's puzzled look, he smiled and asked:
"Xiao Yu, what's that expression for?"
Luo Yu was surprised and said, "Grandpa, aren't you being too calm about this? And you just believe all this so readily?"
He wondered to himself that if someone else told him these things, he would have to verify them over and over before daring to believe them.
Luo Tiance glared and said, "You're my precious grandson, who else would I trust if not you?"
"As for this prophecy, when it comes, then deal with it calmly. Panicking is useless; only a calm response might solve the problem."
"How can decision-makers themselves be in disarray? What would that leave the people below to do?"
Luo Yu had actually been in a state of restlessness since he heard the prophecy.
He had many worries. What if the gods from outside this realm were all to revive at this moment? What if all the powers were to join hands and attack?
His current strength allowed him to easily defeat Qin Qi, but that did not mean he could fight all the forces of countless major powers by himself.
But seeing Luo Tiance's calm demeanor, Luo Yu's heart couldn't help but be influenced and gradually stabilized.
"Grandpa, I suspect this prophecy is related to the world youth martial arts competition sixty-five days from now."
Luo Tiance nodded and said, "There's no need to doubt. When so many coincidences come together, it's no longer a coincidence, but the truth."
"This time, when the world's great powers suddenly proposed to hold a competition together, I was already suspecting there might be a catch, and your prophecy just confirms it."
Luo Yu sighed, "It's just a pity that such prophecies can only happen once every three months, otherwise we could obtain more useful information."
Luo Tiance shook his head.
"No, just this one piece of information already proves a lot. It's enough to keep us on our toes."
"When you know the opponent's ultimate goal, then based on some of their current actions, you can guess some of their setups."
"You only need to ensure that you and I know about this. Don't tell anyone else."
After pondering for a moment, Luo Yu understood the hidden meaning, "Do you think there's an inside saboteur among us?"
"Don't doubt it, there definitely is." Luo Tiance scoffed, "If others have placed an inside saboteur on our side, don't you think we might have someone on theirs?"
Luo Yu voiced his concerns, "Grandpa, you have to be extra careful this time. It's going to be very dangerous."
"Hahaha."
Luo Tiance laughingly said,
"Rest assured, a prophecy is just a prophecy, not reality."
"If the events of a prophecy cannot be changed, then what was the purpose of the sage who created this Bagua Mirror at the beginning?"
"It was obviously to bring about change!"
Luo Yu's previously subdued gaze reignited with a brilliant sparkle.
"I understand now."
Luo Tiance nodded in satisfaction: "Don't worry, Grandpa will be careful."
"And you're still young, don't put such heavy pressure on yourself. If the sky were to fall, I'd hold it up for you, so don't be afraid."
Luo Yu shook his head.
"No, you've done enough over the years. It's time I shielded you from the wind and rain."
"Hahaha, my Xiao Yu, having this intention is enough for me," Luo Tiance changed the subject, "I didn't expect you to find the other half of the Tiger Talisman so quickly."
"Have you tried the fusion?"
Luo Yu shook his head: "No, not yet. Things were urgent, so I came back to inform you of this important news first."
"Try the fusion. Since you said that the ancient Cao Xiaoxiong placed a great value on the Tiger Talisman, it must be very important," Luo Tiance's eyes also showed curiosity.
"Right."
Luo Yu nodded, took out the two halves of the Tiger Talisman, and brought them together.
"Squeak—"
A strange phenomenon occurred; countless purple lightning sparks seemed to be generated between the seams of the two halves of the Tiger Talisman, flashing dazzling purple light.
The two halves of the Tiger Talisman fit perfectly together, instantly fusing into one. A noble streak of purple light flitted across the seam like a carousel.
The seam miraculously disappeared, as if it had never been broken.
At the same time, thousands of miles away in the Great West Province, within Mt. Li, countless loud noises came from underground, shaking the earth!