Chapter 80: Keeping Pace with the Times…

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves!

It wasn’t only the staff of the Net of Heaven Management Association—among the million viewers gathered in Catherine’s live broadcast, countless people suddenly realized that the aged voice now ringing out was identical to the one that had previously chanted the “Orbital Ion Cannon.” And since Ling Mo had directly called out the name “Antuen,” it meant that Antuen, an eighth-tier magical beast, possessed human magical Net of Heaven control permissions—and not just any permissions, but the highest level imaginable!

This revelation sent a bone-chilling terror coursing through everyone, a horror so absurd it rose from the depths of their hearts. What did this mean? Humanity’s fourteen hundred magical satellites in the sky, each capable of unleashing a seventh-tier spell—some satellite arrays, when charged, could even fire eighth-tier magic, what people called “forbidden spells.” If Antuen’s mental strength was strong enough, and if it could influence enough satellites, it could destroy half the world in an instant!

The broadcast room had become pure madness. The viewers’ emotions were nearly out of control, flooding the chat with wild, frantic messages to vent their excitement, confusion, and fear.

“I suddenly feel it’s a miracle anyone’s lived this long!”

“Is human society really this fragile?”

“It’s not just living in a dangerous house—it's like living right on the edge of a cliff!”

“Hell, what’s the point of making money! Who knows if tomorrow will bring the apocalypse!”

“I suddenly feel like life has lost all meaning!”

“How could the Net of Heaven be controlled by a magical beast? What on earth did the Archmage Dīshìtiān do?!”

“The man’s dead—show some respect!”

“My family’s in East Siberia. Just thinking about the satellites overhead capable of launching the ‘Gaia Energy Cannon’ makes me want to cry!”

“You guys are lucky! Try living under the ‘Grand Disintegration Spell’ above Magic City!”

“What’s so bad about the Grand Disintegration Spell? At least it’s painless and silent, right? The coordinates in New Jinshan have ‘Inferno Burning the City’ overhead!”

“Are you here to compare tragedies? Magic City, what are you doing here? You’re ten thousand kilometers from Antuen—I don’t believe it can control satellites that far away!”

“Exactly! Why be so pessimistic? Antuen must have found some loophole! If the Net of Heaven had such a big flaw, humanity would've gone extinct several times already!”

“Maybe Antuen can only control that one satellite?”

“Do you believe that yourself?”

“A Saint Mage can control at least fifty satellites—it’s written in the textbooks! How could Antuen, an eighth-tier magical beast, be weaker than a Saint Mage?”

“Didn’t Teacher Ling say Antuen is incredibly kind-hearted? It’s held down that volcano for tens of thousands of years; controlling a few satellites shouldn’t matter, right?”

“Kind-hearted, my foot! Didn’t you see the broadcaster roasted alive?!”

“It was more than roasting! Sister Catherine’s burned so badly she’s nowhere to be found!”

“And even if Antuen is truly kind, what then? Pessimistically, if Antuen can control satellites, could other eighth-tier magical beasts do the same? Are they all so kind?”

“The Golden Fortress says it’s really kind, just stepped on a few more ants than average!”

“You’re all just guessing! The fact Antuen can control satellites was from who knows how many years ago. Without Teacher Ling’s broadcast, you’d never have known, and didn’t we all live peacefully for years?”

“Why worry so much? If the sky falls, can you fix it?”

“Forget these national issues—just enjoy the spectacle, look at your own anxious faces!”

“You act like you’re national leaders—wake up! The foreman’s calling you to haul bricks!”

“……”

After the initial shock, the chat split clearly into two camps, frantically arguing. The Net of Heaven Management Association was urgently relaying the news to the higher-ups. All the major media outlets, though they had received this explosive scoop, dared not make any moves. None of the influential platforms dared publish the story; all waited quietly for official instructions.

None of this had much to do with Ling Mo. He gripped Mediel’s throat, right hand tightening, left hand formed into a blade, a cold gleam flashing along its edge, ready to dismember Mediel, to execute him by a thousand cuts. Just as he was about to act, Antuen’s aged voice sounded again:

“Old friend, your apprentice is still alive. I haven’t harmed her.”

Ling Mo’s face showed obvious disbelief, but Antuen wasted no words. On the ground, an energy arrow appeared, pointing directly toward the Source Lake. Ling Mo followed the arrow’s direction—the flames inside the lake were receding like a tide, and the whole lake became a tranquil, deep blue once again. Catherine, cross-legged in meditation, was revealed. Her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful, breathing steady, her entire body suffused with elemental energy, in perfect condition.

“Well, old friend? Do you believe me now, you muscle-brained idiot who knows nothing about magic?” Antuen’s words were harsh, and Ling Mo didn’t dare retort. He felt deeply embarrassed: his apprentice was not only unharmed, but absorbing pure energy, while he had killed two of Antuen’s children and crippled another…

He muttered defensively, “It really isn’t my fault, anyone would have thought…”

Antuen cut him off, somewhat angrily: “Can you put my child down now?”

Oh, he was still holding one! Ling Mo gave an awkward laugh, quickly set Mediel down, and even helpfully brushed the dust off Mediel’s white bodysuit. Mediel, however, was far from grateful; he slapped Ling Mo’s hand away, turned aside, ignored his wounds, and instead pulled his much-shortened hair before his eyes, gazing at it with white eyes full of pain.

“Now can we have a proper conversation?” The awkwardness lasted only a moment; Ling Mo quickly regained his composure and spoke calmly. “Why did you have your children try to stop me? Why insist my apprentice drink more? If she had to drink, so be it, but what was the point of revealing the Source Fire?”

Antuen didn’t answer immediately. “Old friend, you shouldn’t be sitting on my back. Come in front of me, it’s easier to talk. Little Di, open a portal for our guest and bring him a drink to settle his nerves. I have some matters to attend to.”

Mediel conjured an ice cup, scooped up some water from the Source Lake, and handed it to Ling Mo with ill humor, opening a portal in front of Ling Mo’s face and gesturing for him to enter, then vanished.

Ling Mo strode through the portal, and the scenery shifted. He found himself before Antuen, beneath its enormous head. He took a sip of the Source Water, smacked his lips, and asked casually, “Aren’t you sleeping every day? What business could you possibly have?”

“I’m replying to posts.”

“What?” Antuen’s answer was odd; Ling Mo didn’t understand at first. He took another sip of water and looked up in puzzlement—what he saw shocked him to his core. Perhaps it was the most astonishing moment since arriving in this world. The cup slipped from his hand, water spilling everywhere unnoticed.

Before Antuen’s massive chest, there was a gigantic screen hundreds of meters high! Antuen stared at it, eyes fixed upward, much like a person gazing at a phone screen. In front of the screen, a huge “stylus” formed from spiritual energy was poking and tapping at the display…

(P.S.: Staying here tonight, so only posting via phone. If there are typos, please forgive them. The author will fix them later.)