...

Twenty-five years have passed, and Joan has undergone many changes, such as her armor that never left her side, which has now transformed into a standard military uniform without protective power. Her hair has whitened considerably, and several distinct wrinkles have appeared on her forehead.

But many things remain unchanged.

For instance, her eyes filled with faith, and her respect for Chen Xuan.

All the soldiers have left; the spacious room now only contains Chen Xuan, the other three, and Joan.

The latter personally arranged several chairs for them to sit down, then brewed fresh black tea with hot water from a thermal jug and handed it to them.

"Am I bothering you?" Chen Xuan asked, somewhat embarrassed.

It was clear that she was still a core figure in the French Army, albeit likely no longer needing to personally lead charges.

"How could it be." Joan chuckled, "To see the Divine Envoy before the great battle makes me more than happy. I was somewhat uneasy about this battle, but now I have no worries."

She paused slightly before continuing, "Of course... I know you may not be here for me, so I’ve also sent word to several sect leaders of the Alliance Army, they should be receiving the message soon."

"The war with the United Kingdom?" Chen Xuan inquired curiously.

"Precisely." Joan nodded, "Although you have not appeared, I suspect you must see everything on the battlefield through the eyes of the divine."

Uh... actually, not really.

"The truth the Lord witnesses is not easily revealed to the world, even if I know some inside details, I still hope to hear from you." Chen Xuan said leisurely.

"He used to deceive you this way, didn’t he?" Lin Qing whispered to Liu Shuyue.

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

Joan showed no doubt and replied immediately, "I understand. Here’s the situation: in the past, our strategy was mainly defensive, building watchtowers along the long coastal cities, yielding beach areas, and engaging the enemies on land with cannon and cavalry. Though exhausted, at least we could slow down the invaders’ pace."

She expressed with emotion, "If not for the support of the Oriental cultivators, we wouldn’t have lasted; they established efficient communication facilities with arrays, faster than the witches’ flying familiars. Their various spells for killing enemies were also very effective, and within five years, we gradually turned the tide."

"Now we are preparing to cross the English Channel, attack the United Kingdom’s mainland, and completely eliminate the British Army and those demon fiends. The floating fleet you see is a masterpiece jointly built by Oriental cultivators and French craftsmen! Currently, there are sixteen Wind Ships, which can carry six thousand soldiers to land in the United Kingdom for combat at once."

Chen Xuan was speechless.

Faced with this vast amount of information, he didn’t know what to say.

Floating fleet... such a miraculous thing, who would have thought it would first become a reality in this world? They have skipped over the Age of Exploration and directly entered the age of flight!

However, the Age of Exploration was truly unrealistic.

After all, the sea is full of demon fiends.

"How does it fly?" Lin Qing was more interested in the technical aspects.

"This... I’m not too sure either." Joan said frankly, "Most of the technology for the Wind Ship was developed by the Lotus Cloud Sect, while France was responsible for the development of various cannons."

Lotus Cloud Sect again...

"I noticed your guns seem different as well?"

"This one?" Joan took out her sidearm and handed it to Lin Qing openly, "It’s much more sophisticated than the long-barreled muskets, right? Inspired by the cultivators’ spiritual energy devices, we involved the Witch Gathering Hall in all weapon development projects. Quite a few ministers in the palace had doubts about it, but the truth is that gunpowder and metal parts made with alchemy are dozens of times better than those old items."

Speaking of this, her tone was full of pride.

If saving France was the mission given to her by the Lord, then establishing the Witch Gathering Hall was her self-created foundation.

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

Chen Xuan turned to look; who else could it be but Marina?

Compared to her appearance twenty-five years ago, she had clearly further developed a lot, taller, with a more voluptuous figure, giving off the vibe of a mature beauty. Coupled with her black slit long robe resembling a nun’s attire, a black veil hood covering her impressive figure, she became even more attention-grabbing.

Liu Shuyue froze for a moment before realizing who the other person was... once a fellow disciple of the Only I am Venerable Sect, a girl about the same age as herself, now a person in her forties, which brought quite a shock to her.

"Ms. Marina is now the chief witch at the Witch Gathering Hall, and she has always cherished her learning experience in Chang’an City, so I informed her as well." Joan said with a smile.

"I’ve been asking Xu Xuanling and Jiu about your whereabouts, but it seems you have never returned to Chang’an City." Marina said with some complaint, "Didn’t we agree... that you’d open the teleportation array once in a while?"

"Uh..." Chen Xuan scratched his head, "The celestial phenomena weren’t right, yes, it was a matter of the celestial phenomena."

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

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

"The first few years were quite difficult, relying mainly on carts, ships, or walking..." Marina replied, "Later, they created four-wheeled vehicles driven by spiritual energy, and now with the Wind Ship, the situation improved significantly."

"Do you know what caused the dissolution of the Immortal Alliance?" Chen Xuan asked.

Marina and Joan exchanged a glance and shook their heads, "It’s a matter within the alliance, and I dare not inquire too much. Since you asked, I have nothing to hide... Word is it was spearheaded by Jiu, Hua, and Xu Xuanling, who established the Lotus Cloud Sect on one hand and managed the Ascension Platform on the other, then jointly dismantled the Immortal Alliance."

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

Chen Xuan was greatly surprised as well; he initially thought the Immortal Alliance was scattered by demon fiends.

"But as allies, they are impeccable, even more reliable than during the Immortal Alliance period, so there’s nothing bad about it." Marina added.

No sooner had she finished speaking than the sect leaders of the Alliance Army arrived.

Accompanied by salutations from the guards, five people walked in from outside.

Clearly leading the way were Jiu and Hua, or rather... Ji Yun and Ji Lian. Compared to the youthful appearances of their teenage years, the two have undergone significant transformation. Ji Yun was dressed in a light purple robe embroidered with cloud patterns and adorned with a jade crown, exuding the aura of a cultivation expert. Ji Lian had grown from a little girl into a beautiful young woman, attired in green silk, her forehead wrapped in gold chains, accompanying her brother’s side.

In terms of actual age, both should be over thirty, yet their appearances seemed closer to being in their mid-twenties.

"Greetings to Immortal Master Lord, Immortal Master!"

Even though the Wei siblings were already sect leaders, upon seeing Chen Xuan and the others, they greeted respectfully, clasping their fists and bowing, eyes sparkling with familiar joy and respect.

"Greetings, Sect Leader! Greetings, Master!" Xu Xuanling was more casual, nodding to Chen Xuan before darting to Liu Shuyue’s side, clasping her hands in excitement, "Wow... Master, you truly do not age, do you? Even after all these years, you look the same as when we parted! Could this cultivation technique be taught to your disciple too?"

Although Xu Xuanling seemed playful, she appeared even younger than Ji Yun and Ji Lian, as if she had just turned twenty.

Like her name, not only was her voice as clear as a bell, but her ears were adorned with two silver bell earrings that jingled as she moved.

"Greetings, Immortal Master Lord!" The last two also followed the example of the Wei siblings and bowed.

A young man and a woman, both appearing very youthful, seemingly in their early thirties.

Jiu proactively introduced, "This is the sect leader of Fengtian Academy, Luo Huizhi. The other is the sect leader of Medicine King Pavilion, Sun Qian. Both have admired the Immortal Master for a long time, and now they finally have the chance to meet your honor."

Chen Xuan noticed that if the five were grouped together, the most notable characteristic compared to the Immortal Alliance was that all sect leaders of this generation are emerging talents, none of them over forty.

He also observed that while Luo Huizhi and Sun Qian maintained their greeting posture, their eyes curiously assessed him. Chen Xuan instinctively scanned them with the Celestial Mist Skill and was stunned—Xu Xuanling, Luo Huizhi, and Sun Qian’s Spiritual Qi matched Liu Shuyue’s, whereas Jiu and Hua’s Spiritual Qi brilliance greatly surpassed Liu Shuyue’s, even comparable to the sum of the others!

Although the fusion volume of Spiritual Qi does not truly reflect a cultivator’s strength, as a hard indicator it still reveals quite a bit. It’s essential to remember that during the Immortal Alliance period, the top cultivators of each sect did not surpass Liu Shuyue in this aspect, let alone exceed her three to fourfold!

Ultimately, the more Spiritual Qi fused, the more powerful spells can be utilized in battle, and a cultivator’s physical abilities become extraordinarily transcendent as well. The cultivators ventured thousands of miles here to slay demon fiends, precisely to absorb the enemy’s Spiritual Qi and enhance themselves.

Is this the true power of a "cultivation genius"?