Chapter - 3296

Indeed. Regardless of whether you are the chosen one, you are the most promising human to attain the Demi-Emperor Class. Once you advance to the Demi-Emperor Class, the hopes of humans will rest upon your shoulders."

Zeke nodded in determination.

"All right, I won't let you down, Mr. President. By the way, when I was barely conscious earlier, I vaguely heard Lord Wilder ordering warriors of all races to attack the Dragon's Vein of the humans. Is it true?"

Heavenly God confirmed, "Yes, it's true. Currently, warriors of all races are on their way to attack the Dragon's Vein of the humans."

"We must hurry to the Dragon's Vein, Lord Heavenly God! My master, Pietro, won't be able to defend the Dragon's Vein alone!" Zeke exclaimed in alarm.

However, Heavenly God waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need to do so. Even if we all go, we wouldn't be of any help. In fact, we might even hinder important matters."

"Hinder important matters? Is there anything more important than the humans' Dragon's Vein right now? If we don't go, it will surely fall. But if we do go, there's a chance we might be able to defend it," Zeke argued.

Heavenly God explained, "There are too many warriors besieging the Dragon's Vein this time. Even a few Eternal Class warriors are secretly involved. That's why I said we wouldn't be able to change the overall situation even if we went. Moreover, is the humans' Dragon's Vein so easily breached? Our Dragon's Vein is protected by no less than ten layers of protective shields. The Secret Realm of Mount Kush's barrier is merely the first layer. This first layer alone has foiled the world for tens of thousands of years. The difficulty they would face in trying to break through the subsequent protective layers is immense. Even if all Eternal Class warriors in the world join forces, they would need to launch a joint attack for over a month to achieve it."

"At the moment, our top priority is to gather sufficient forces to withstand the enemy," Heavenly God declared.

Zeke let out a soft sigh. "Most of the strongest individuals of the human race are already gathered here. Where else can we go to amass more forces?"

The president responded, "There are two options. First, we can awaken the Demons and enlist their help in dealing with the external enemies. Second, we still have numerous formidable warriors lying in wait. As the saying goes, it takes ages to build an army, only to use them for a moment. Now, it's their turn to enter the battlefield and protect humanity."

With great interest, Zeke asked, "Oh? May I know who these people are, Mr. President?"

Initially, he had thought that the formidable warriors mentioned by the president were similar to the organization he had personally established, Nightingale Squad.

However, the president's response left him dumbfounded and completely changed his perspective.

Heavenly God said, "Zeke, let me ask you this. Did you believe that the ancient martial houses had long disappeared?"

"Isn't that the case? As early as 210 BC, the ancient martial houses had already declined. By the 1600s, ancient martial arts were barely surviving. After the 1600s, ancient martial houses also vanished," Zeke replied.

Heavenly God shook his head.

"No, you're mistaken. That's completely incorrect! The so-called decline of ancient martial arts is merely a superficial perception. In reality, ancient martial houses only disappeared from the public eye. They have not truly vanished. They have thrived in a place inaccessible to ordinary humans, growing and developing. We were well aware that all races have been coveting humans, so how could we not cultivate some core forces to counterbalance and control them?"

Zeke was utterly astonished. "Really? I had no inkling of it at all.”

Chapter 3297

"Your ignorance is quite understandable. The location of the ancient martial houses is secluded. It is even more difficult for outsiders to enter and for those inside to leave than attaining Eternal Class. Less than five people in the outside world know that ancient martial houses still exist, including me, Canopus, and Polaris."

"Although Eurasia is vast and rich in resources, its population is also large. One could say that people are scattered in every corner of the country. Even if the ancient martial houses hid well, they couldn't have gone unnoticed. We are living in the information age now. As soon as one person discovers the existence of the ancient martial arts houses, the news will spread rapidly throughout Eurasia," Zeke remarked skeptically.

Heavenly God clarified, "The Secret Realm of Mount Kush has a barrier that isolates it from the outside world. The ancient martial houses also have a barrier set up. It seals off their territories and prevents outsiders from entering. However, the barrier is not as strong or impenetrable as the one in the Secret Realm of Mount Kush."

Zeke suddenly understood.

Heavenly God continued, "Currently, only eight major martial houses remain. The Sect Master of each martial house is an Eternal Class warrior. Canopus and Polaris are the Sect Masters of the Southern Martial House and the Northern Martial House, respectively."

Zeke gasped. "Whoa! I never imagined that there could be so many Eternal Class warriors left in this world. With the Eight Great Martial Houses, there are eight Eternal Class warriors."

"Human Eternal Class warriors are not limited to just these. In total, there are probably around twenty-three or twenty-four of them. However, most of them are from the past. Over the past millennium, very few have managed to attain Eternal Class. Canopus and Polaris are the only ones in the past millennium," Heavenly God explained.

Zeke frowned. "Only two in a thousand years? That seems quite scarce, doesn't it?"

"Indeed, the numbers are far too few. We strongly suspect that a powerful warrior is interfering, suppressing humans, and preventing the birth of warriors of Eternal Class and above," Heavenly God revealed.

Zeke was shocked. "Someone could suppress the entire ancient martial houses? Wouldn't that require a Demi-Emperor Class warrior?"

Chapter 3298

Heavenly God nodded silently, his expression solemn.

Zeke continued, "To our knowledge, there are only two warriors of the Demi-Emperor Class in this world. One is the God Emperor, while the other is Vassilios. Vassilios was also human. He wouldn't oppress his own kind, would he? So... is it the God Emperor secretly suppressing humans?"

Canopus lowered his voice and said, "You should know that the God Emperor has only recently become a Demi-Emperor. However, the oppression of humans has been in existence for tens of thousands of years."

Zeke's heart skipped a beat. "So, you mean... it is actually Vassilios suppressing humans-"

Before he could finish speaking, Heavenly God immediately covered Zeke's mouth with his hand. "Shut up. Don't speak nonsense."

Zeke quickly zipped his mouth.

Vassilios was all-powerful, to the extent that he might have been able to eavesdrop on Zeke.

Therefore, one must never dare to gossip about Vassilios behind his back.

Otherwise, one could face a terrible death with a single thought from him.

Zeke looked at the president with a questioning look in his eyes.

He was curious as to why Vassilios would oppress his own kind when the man was also human.

Heavenly God said, "A powerful warrior has his own way of thinking. The mindset of those in that class is not something we, the weak, can understand. Alright, let's not discuss this any further. Now that you've caused such a commotion, I'm afraid a great war among all races is about to begin."

Then, he ordered, "Inform all ancient martial houses to send their warriors over as soon as possible, Canopus and Polaris. In the event that a war breaks out among all races, we won't be caught off guard."

Canopus and Polaris nodded. "Okay. We will llnotify them right away."

The two of them went to the side and began notifying the ancient martial houses.

Zeke asked the president, "Mr. President, can you tell me the class of warriors generally nurtured by the ancient martial houses?"

"Why not? Apart from the Eternal Class, every martial house can cultivate dozens of Nebula Class warriors and hundreds of Sun and Moon Class warriors. As for the Celestial Class and below, they are simply too numerous to count," Heavenly God answered.

"How many martial artists are there in total among all the ancient martial houses?" Zeke asked.

After pondering briefly, Heavenly God said, "I suppose a few hundred thousand."

Zeke was astonished. "That many?"

Heavenly God nodded.

Each martial house typically recruits a few thousand martial arts prodigies from outside every year, integrating them for cultivation."

Zeke was taken aback. "So, you're saying that I don't even qualify to be chosen by the ancient martial houses?"

Heavenly God shook his head and said, "Given your qualifications, there should be no issue for you to be selected into an ancient martial house. As for why you weren't chosen, I'm not sure. After all, I'm not in charge of that."

At that moment, Canopus approached.

He interjected, "After you came of age, you spent most of your time in Oakheart City. Coincidentally, I was responsible for selecting martial arts prodigies from that city. Back then, you must have just been released from prison, wandering and drifting. It was understandable that I didn't seek you out. Moreover, as the chosen one, your destiny is arranged by the heavens themselves. It's not something we can forcibly alter. The heavens intended for you to gain experience among ordinary people. Only then could you achieve what you have attained today, possibly reaching the Eternal Class and even the Demi- Emperor Class. If we had taken you to the ancient martial houses, you might not have achieved what you have today, let alone reach the Eternal Class and Demi-Emperor Class."

Zeke nodded thoughtfully.

He was well aware that everything he had achieved was the result of his relentless hard work and risking his life. It had little to do with luck.

As for whether he was the so-called "chosen one," that was still up for debate.

Polaris also walked over. "We have already notified the ancient martial houses. They are prepared for teleportation."