Translator: CinderTL
Thud! Thud!
Atop a towering, sheer cliff, where the scorching sun beat down relentlessly, a small, gray-white Stone Statue landed silently, its back to the blazing light. It stood among the jagged rocks, blending almost seamlessly with the cliff face.
Looking out from this vantage point, the massive mountain rose thousands of meters into the sky, its slopes blanketed in lush Greenfield Forest.
A corner of the collapsed mountain peak revealed a brown spire, seemingly crafted from metallic materials.
Below, near the cliff's edge, lay a deep crater nearly a hundred meters across—a battlefield scar from the clash that had annihilated a Saint and Angelic Power.
Cracks radiated outward from the crater, snaking through shattered stone and churned earth, now overgrown with moss and wild grasses.
Rainwater had pooled in the crater's depths, forming a stagnant pond.
As the Small Stone Statue watched silently,
Splash!
A serpentine creature stirred in the pond, while figures emerged from the distant Greenfield Forest.
Serpentfolk warriors, their human bodies topped with serpentine heads, wore black armor, carried long spears, and bore quivers on their backs.
A patrol of Serpentfolk warriors followed the steep mountain path, their heads tilting instinctively toward the collapsed corner of the peak.
"Is this what remains of the Ancient Taiduo Empire?" one warrior murmured. "I heard even the Divine Envoy Master couldn't unravel its mysteries."
"That vile Outlander is still hiding inside. I wonder if he's even dead."
"Uncertain. The Divine Envoy said his life force has vanished. That damned wretch slaughtered so many of our kin. I hope he's buried here for good."
Low, sinister whispers echoed across the ground, followed by the rustling of a sudden gust of wind.
The patrolling Serpentfolk glanced up to see several massive Winged Serpents soaring overhead, carrying elite Serpentfolk warriors. They circled nearby.
The roars of strange beasts pierced the air above Heaven's Fall Mountain, but the Serpentfolk quickly silenced them with arrows, turning them into fresh meat.
The Small Stone Statue, having suppressed its life force fluctuation to the bare minimum, lay motionless among the rocky debris, its presence as faint as if it had turned to stone.
Only after the two squads of Serpentfolk warriors had departed did it stir again, vibrating its stone wings to reach the cliff face.
From its vantage point, it gazed down through the mist clinging to the mountainside.
A long, straight line composed of countless black dots stretched across the earth, as if cleaving the land in two.
The Serpentfolk Army of the Five Great Tribes was on the march.
Having bypassed the natural barrier of Heaven's Fall Mountain, they were using Winged Serpents to force their way across the thousand-meter-deep chasm that split the northern and southern territories.
Giant lizard beasts carried elite warriors, conserving the army's stamina as much as possible.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The wind howled, whipping up dust and sand.
The Serpent-Folk Tribe's vast army surged southward, raising clouds of dust in its wake.
Within the advancing army, a small group of elite warriors moved independently, flanking the base of Heaven's Fall Mountain.
Several camps had been established around the mountain's base, each teeming with hundreds or even thousands of Serpentfolk. Their powerful auras pulsed intermittently, stirring the wind and clouds, leaving no doubt that these were no ordinary soldiers.
The Winged Serpent patrol that had been circling the mountain peak earlier was now descending, returning to one of the camps.
At the same moment,
Rustle!
The Small Stone Statue tilted its head, noticing movement in the nearby Greenfield Forest.
A flock of birds flew past, seemingly attempting to leave Heaven's Fall Mountain and find new roosts elsewhere.
But then—
Boom! Boom!
Two of the birds exploded less than a hundred meters into the air, dissolving into crimson mist.
A blood-red rune flashed briefly across the azure sky as the exploded flesh vanished rapidly, as if absorbed by some unseen force.
"A specialized sealing Barrier?"
Inside the steel structure of the floating orbit in Radiant Light Inner City, Chen Feng processed the mental link's visuals, his expression thoughtful. He sensed trouble brewing.
The Serpent God Temple clearly wouldn't give up so easily.
Though they hadn't deployed many visible defenses on Heaven's Fall Mountain, the exploding birds proved the existence of a sealing Barrier.
Moreover, the advancing Serpentfolk Army was deliberately bypassing Heaven's Fall Mountain, choosing instead to force a crossing of the great earth fissure.
Judging by their current pace, the Serpent-Folk Tribe was likely preparing to attack the Holy City once more.
Moreover, after so much time had passed, a new war might have already broken out.
"It seems I can't delay any longer."
His eyes flashed as Chen Feng thought of his acquaintances in the Holy City and the rewards they hadn't yet claimed.
He also hoped to obtain the complete key to the Divine Awakening Method.
If the Holy City were truly annihilated by the Serpent God Temple, it would certainly be detrimental to him.
"However..."
His gaze shifted slightly as he glanced at the Star Spirit floating before him, standing by the window and gazing out at the sea of clouds.
The Barrier surrounding Heaven's Fall Mountain appeared invisible, yet it concealed extraordinary power. He wasn't sure about the weapon systems of the world ark named Heaven's Fall—whether they could breach the Barrier.
He summoned his status panel and checked the progress of his True Arts:
Golden Dawn Art: Golden Body (81% → 92%) +
Thunderclap Art: Thunder Light - Minor Mastery (46% → 58%) +
Extreme Martial Fist: Polaris - Minor Mastery (29% → 39%) +
Heavenly Aura Overlord Body: Giant Dome - Minor Mastery (13%) +
He had once again absorbed a portion of Qinggang City's Dream Realm Light Orb, further refining several True Arts. The Golden Dawn Art, in particular, was nearing the threshold of Golden Body Perfection.
The two days he had promised the Star Spirit were for this purpose.
With another night, he should be able to complete the breakthrough of the Golden Dawn Art.
And when that happened...
As his Perception expanded, he sensed a new set of shackles approaching, drawing ever closer.
Retracting his spiritual awareness, he turned his gaze inward to his spiritual world.
The reflected Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder stood pristine and translucent, while the Legendary Imprint, now transformed into a sun, radiated brilliant light.
Each successful self-verification of a legend after achieving Transcendence made this sun burn hotter and brighter, dispelling more of the darkness within his heart and further solidifying the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
The third trial of that Heavenly Ladder—speed and momentum—was approaching the Pinnacle of Speed of a Lower-Ranking Angel.
Once the Golden Dawn Art broke through, he should be able to shatter this new limit on his potential in one fell swoop.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, his spiritual awareness returned to the present.
Soon...
"The envoys from your civilization have finally arrived."
"Two Legendary-grade individuals in their first stage—quite impressive."
Standing by the window, the Star Spirit's eyes gleamed brightly. Chen Feng followed her gaze, activating his Perception.
Several aircraft approached from another direction, emerging from a star ring channel within Radiant Light Inner City.
For Red City's leaders, the former site of Radiant Light City was undoubtedly closer than Nanjiang, allowing them to arrive within a single day.
The sword-and-shield insignia clearly marked the newcomers as members of the Red Guard. The aircraft landed on the platform of the floating orbit.
High-ranking officials such as Li Yun and Nangong Ling stepped forward to greet them, flanked by rows of military leaders.
As the hatch opened, Chen Feng recognized a familiar face.
A man in a black Tang suit, appearing middle-aged, stepped out. His square face radiated authority—none other than Xia Mingyuan, the Councilor Representative of the Red Capital General Federation and a member of the Royal Family.
Two figures followed closely behind him, each radiating an energy field comparable to Nangong Ling's.
Without delay, the delegation, surrounded by their entourage, immediately headed toward the end of the orbit, intending to communicate directly with the Star Spirit's intelligent avatar.
"Legendary-grade."
His gaze flickered as he watched the group's retreating figures, Chen Feng once again felt the profound depth of the Red Nation's foundation.
The realization of Legendary-grade technology had progressed far more rapidly than he had imagined. In just a month or two, he had already encountered no fewer than five legendary-grade modified humans.
And these were merely the results of the first phase.
According to Chen Yun, the subsequent two phases had already been conquered, but their implementation was hindered by the insufficient quantity of higher-grade rainbow iron.
"What do you plan to trade with them?"
A thought struck Chen Feng, and he turned to Star Spirit's intelligent phantom.
Legendary-grade modification technology was the highest-tier core resource within her database. To truly impress the Red Nation's leadership, something of this caliber would undoubtedly be required.
Or perhaps, some deeper, more hidden secret.
"Heh heh, of course, it's something good."
Without hesitation, Star Spirit snapped her fingers, and blue light flickered within the room, coalescing into new holographic projections.
They depicted an even more magnificent and colossal floating warship, along with several other schematics.
"Here are the blueprints for the Legion-Class Main Battleship, far superior to those massive vessels hovering outside."
"If fully charged and firing at maximum power, its laser cannon could severely damage even High-Ranking Angels."
"And this..."
The Star Spirit smiled, gesturing to several other blueprints that appeared to depict metallic structures.
"I actually held back a trump card. This is a far more efficient method for refining advanced rainbow iron."
"If all goes well, your nation should be able to achieve the Second and Third-Tier Legendary breakthroughs much faster."
As her words faded, Chen Feng thought to himself, So that's it, and gave her another deep look.
He had known this seemingly simple intelligent avatar was more complex than she appeared.
Her seemingly generous gift of Legendary-grade technology to the Red Nation was merely bait to lure him into this situation.
His arrival, the Red Nation's high-level cooperation—all were likely part of her plan.
"Don't look at me like that."
"This refining method requires many precision instruments and large-scale facilities. The prerequisite is still the old refining method as a foundation."
Sensing Chen Feng's suspicious gaze, the Star Spirit's humanoid form, a small girl, quickly widened her eyes, adopting a pitiful expression.
Seeing this, Chen Feng remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"I'm grateful for your willingness to help our civilization. I won't interfere with your dealings with Red City's leadership."
"But I hope you won't forget that the Black Tide remains our common enemy."
With these words, Chen Feng, wearing the black wristband, turned and left.
He knew he could use the power of the Second Dream as leverage to force the Star Spirit to reveal more advanced technology or even demand a portion of the resources from her Red City transactions for his martial arts advancement.
But that would be like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs, and it went against his principles.
Moreover, he wasn't the Star Spirit's master; their relationship was merely a form of cooperation.
If he could threaten her, she undoubtedly had ways to retaliate.
Tap, tap.
He slowly walked out of the floating structure's room.
He glanced at the azure sky before looking down at the bustling city beneath the cloud layer.
Though his figure was tiny against the vast landscape, he felt as if his spiritual world had expanded, as if it were gradually encompassing all things.
Unaware of his thoughts, the Star Spirit blinked her luminous blue eyes, her gaze fixed intently on Chen Feng's retreating figure.
Startled by his words, she soon smiled.
"He seems more reliable than I expected."
Hum!
The blue arc of light dissipated, and she vanished from her spot, merging into the black wristband Chen Feng had taken with him.
(End of the Chapter)
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