Chapter Nineteen: This Divine War Is Doomed for the Dragon Kingdom

Before Ji Ling could get a clear look at Nangong Lingyue’s military ID, she snatched it back in a huff and silently returned to the ranks.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to speak.

Ji Ling looked at Nangong Lingyue’s stubborn little face, not knowing what to say. In the end, he remained silent and chose to continue moving forward.

...

In the United States, at the Capitol.

President Blanco sat before a computer, video-chatting with Yuki Eguchi, the director of the Bureau of Deities in the Sakura Kingdom.

Yuki Eguchi wore an ingratiating expression, looking every bit like a dog wagging its tail before its master. "Mr. President! The Ji family of the Dragon Kingdom has accepted our challenge to the Divine Battle! The date is set for seven days from now!"

"Rest assured, our Sakura Kingdom is sending a top genius from the Otogi family, Takara Otogi. He is the contractor for the Sea God, Watatsumi! He is a genuine throne-level deity, and his affinity with the Sea God reaches ninety percent!"

"With him fighting, the Dragon Kingdom is sure to lose!"

Blanco smiled faintly, lit a cigar, took a small puff, and said slowly, "Very good, you have done well. With black fog spreading globally, we have neither the opportunity nor the energy to deal with the Dragon Kingdom ourselves. Since your two nations are not far apart, the task of suppressing the Dragon Kingdom and preventing its rise is entirely in your hands."

"The Dragon Kingdom awakened twenty-eight of their own national deities overnight, which forces us to be vigilant. Therefore, you must win this Divine Battle! Seize their national destiny with all your might!"

"No problem, Mr. President!" Eguchi replied. "Rest assured! I will make sure the job is done perfectly!"

...

A few days passed.

The expansion of the black fog safe zones by the twenty-eight divine contractors proceeded quite smoothly. The divine powers of the contractors were of immense help in purging the grotesque creatures. In just a few days, the black fog had been pushed back over a hundred kilometers. Although the "boss" had yet to be found, thousands of grotesque creatures had been slaughtered, and the scope of the safe zones was gradually growing, giving the soldiers a glimmer of hope.

Throughout these days, the live broadcast of the military program continued, though since the contractors with the "All-Seeing Eye" and "All-Hearing Ear" abilities also needed rest, it was not a twenty-four-hour continuous stream.

Because of this, and because the safe zone in the Eastern Theater, while expanded, remained cut off from the outside world, the viewers were left in the dark regarding the progress, leading to widespread speculation.

Thus, the production team invited Ji Tianxing back onto the show today.

As a military expert who had personally led teams to carry out purging missions, he was the most suitable person to analyze the situation and clear up the audience's confusion.

...

Ji Tianxing was currently on his way to the television station, his guard sitting in the driver’s seat in silence.

His phone rang.

"Hello?" Ji Tianxing checked the caller ID; it was his youngest son, Ji Yun. "Don't worry, I’ll just tell them you’re at home training for the upcoming Divine Battle against the Sakura Kingdom. Nothing will go wrong."

"With only a few days left, you must hurry and improve your affinity with Yinglong! At the very least, you need to reach fifty percent. Even if you can only summon a divine shadow, it will be enough to keep up the charade! Do you hear me?"

Ji Yun replied with a pained expression, "Dad! I can't do it! That damn Yinglong is targeting me on purpose! No matter how I pray to him or try to summon him, he won't let my affinity increase even by a fraction!"

"Forget a divine shadow! I can't even have a conversation with him!"

"You!" Ji Tianxing was so frustrated he was momentarily speechless.

Even he couldn't understand it.

Why was it that the Yinglong summoned by Ji Ling had an immediate one-hundred-percent affinity with him, yet when it came to his own son, there was not a single point of increase?

After all, Ji Yun possessed the same Heavenly-grade divine space as Ji Ling!

In the days since Yinglong’s awakening, quite a few divine contractors in the Dragon Kingdom had seen their affinity with the deity increase. One contractor had even managed to summon a divine shadow of Yinglong in a bustling city district!

Yet, it just wouldn't work for Ji Yun!

Ji Tianxing was at his wit's end.

After hanging up, Ji Tianxing’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the seat back. After a moment of thought, he opened a betting app on his phone.

Since the resurgence of the grotesques, black fog had covered the globe. Often, no sooner had one wave been repelled than the next would arrive. This had led to widespread paralysis of global transportation. Many people, fearing the encroaching fog, no longer dared to leave their homes, hiding instead within the safe zones protected by national borders. After all, the black fog only appeared at the borders of each country and had never encroached into the interior.

Consequently, all kinds of global sporting events, such as soccer matches and the Olympics, had been suspended.

However, the suspension of these events had given rise to a new form of betting: the Void Divine Battle between nations.

Many large financial groups offered various odds daily, taking bets on the outcomes of these battles. The upcoming Divine Battle between the Dragon Kingdom and the Sakura Kingdom had garnered the most attention.

This was partly because the two nations held a historical grudge, and partly because this was the first time the Dragon Kingdom had awakened an Ancestral-level deity.

The global interest in this Void Divine Battle was unprecedented, and the betting markets opened by major consortiums were booming.

Ji Tianxing tapped his finger on the screen, looking at the project.

Currently, global support for the Dragon Kingdom and the Sakura Kingdom was neck-and-neck. The reason was simple: while the Dragon Kingdom’s deity had just awakened, Ji Yun’s demonstration of remote control on the show had convinced many that his affinity with Yinglong was quite high. More importantly, Yinglong was an Ancestral-level deity.

Those supporting the Sakura Kingdom, however, reasoned that while Yinglong was an Ancestral deity and Ji Yun could command him remotely, the deity had just awakened. The history of the Dragon Kingdom had been fragmented for years, and even its own citizens knew little about Yinglong. How much faith could they possibly generate in just a few days?

Therefore, they were certain that even if Ji Yun reached a high level of affinity, Yinglong’s true power would not be fully realized.

Thus, the outcome remained uncertain.

But only Ji Tianxing and Ji Yun knew the truth.

The Dragon Kingdom was destined to lose this battle.