Translator: CinderTL
Boom!!
A searing beam of energy tore through the sky, completely engulfing the silver-gray aircraft.
The abandoned base within White Cloud Mountain remained in ruins. At the peak of the split mountain stood a white man, the Peak Flying General, his chest-mounted energy cannon turret crackling with arcs of power as it unleashed its maximum-output, lethal strike.
Simultaneously, several other figures and specialized devices were visible within the dilapidated base.
Almost the instant the Energy Cannon fired, the advanced shield generator activated, forming an invisible barrier that sealed off the area's energy fluctuations.
Every step of the operation had been meticulously calculated. The only unexpected development was that their plan had been discovered in advance.
"These Red Nation Martial Artists actually have some brains," one of the team members operating the control devices sneered. "But it's all over now."
Just then, the data feedback on the monitors began to fluctuate erratically.
"Hmm?"
The Peak Flying General's expression darkened as the illusory beam from the Energy Cannon dissipated.
White smoke drifted through the scorched air high above, distorting the straight line of space stretching several hundred meters.
Yet, at the very edge of their vision...
The silver-gray aircraft, which should have been obliterated, remained intact. This was because a figure had appeared outside its hull.
Liu Duanyun, his thick brows and broad face framed by a white ancient robe that billowed in the wind, stood suspended in mid-air outside the open hatch of the silver-gray aircraft.
His raised right palm gathered a white, luminous Force, the air around it shimmering and solidifying into a visible haze.
The Peak Flying General of White Cloud Mountain frowned. The scanning instruments clearly showed that Liu Duanyun's bio-energy field had not yet reached the legendary level.
Yet how could he possess the same extraordinary abilities as the strongest martial artist?
"So it was you after all," Liu Duanyun's calm voice echoed, as if in response to the unspoken question.
With a flick of his right arm, a thunderous roar erupted from the sky.
The solidified air before him trembled violently, transforming into a compressed wall of raging wind.
As the Force dissipated, the gale intensified, scattering clouds and causing the Greenfield Forest below to rustle violently.
The Utopia personnel within White Cloud Mountain exchanged startled glances.
The Peak Flying General's frown deepened.
"The power of the New Martial Arts?"
His mind raced, recalling the New Martial Arts mentioned in intelligence reports.
Before he could confirm his suspicions, Liu Duanyun slowly lowered his palm, his gaze sweeping across the earth below.
"You can't harm me with just that."
"Why continue hiding?"
As his steady words landed, the Greenfield Forest near White Cloud Mountain fell silent.
Soon after, mocking laughter echoed across the wilderness.
"Hahaha! How amusing! Truly worthy of being the former number one martial artist of the Red Nation."
The laughter revealed a distortion of light in a clearing below. A figure materialized from the seemingly empty space—a burly, muscular man clad in black bio-armor, also Caucasian.
Their eyes met, and Liu Duanyun recognized him as the peak sixth-tier Biological Cyborg who had visited the Saint Sect days earlier to propose a collaboration.
"I intended to grant you a swift end, but you've proven yourself remarkably uncooperative."
"Why prolong your suffering?"
Whoosh!
As the words left his lips, the peak sixth-tier Biological Cyborg on the ground instantly shot into the air.
Boom!
The air exploded as Liu Duanyun blocked the incoming kick with a single arm. Layers of elemental energy coalesced on his forearm, forming a sturdy brown armguard that deflected the flying kick.
The aircraft behind him shuddered violently, buffeted by the raging shockwave.
Glancing down, Liu Duanyun saw the attacking Cyborg had undergone a drastic transformation. A pair of black cicada wings had materialized on his back, and his bio-armor shimmered, subtly shifting to gradually morph him into a cicada-human hybrid.
"Oh?"
The Biological Cyborg's eyes flashed with surprise at Liu Duanyun's strength.
In an instant, the two black antennae on its head flickered slightly, and dark energy converged, erupting in a lightning-fast blast.
Boom!!
An explosion shook the air, distorting the space around it.
The lightning-like black energy erupted with overwhelming force, consuming everything in its path.
Inside the aircraft behind them, Zhang Hengshan's expression grew grave, while Grandmaster Zhou Wuren and the other Grandmasters finally snapped out of their daze.
The critically injured and unconscious old Grandmaster had already been secured. They all vaguely sensed the unexpected turn of events and anxiously peered out at the battlefield.
Then, just as quickly,
Buzz!!
The lightning-like black energy dissipated, leaving Liu Duanyun standing unharmed in his original position.
The peak sixth-tier half-human creature's expression hardened, its brow furrowing as it stared intently.
An invisible gale had once again coalesced around Liu Duanyun, forming a Round Shield of absolute defense that enveloped his entire body.
"It can even neutralize bio-energy blasts?"
The creature was inwardly surprised, completely abandoning its earlier contempt.
At the same moment, the Peak Flying General atop White Cloud Mountain sensed the anomaly. With a roar of its thrusters, it launched into the sky, hurtling toward the battlefield.
Whoosh!!!
The two assailants converged on Liu Duanyun simultaneously.
The half-human creature's black wings shuddered, its body locking into a battle stance as every muscle cell in its body was perfectly synchronized.
The right fist, encased in armor, gathered black light and shot out in a straight line.
The other Peak Flying General, trailing a blinding afterimage, instantly appeared behind Liu Duanyun. His metallic right leg, charged with energy, erupted in a side kick that transformed into scorching Molten Flame.
The air exploded, and a circular shockwave swept outward.
Two lethal attacks converged simultaneously, yet Liu Duanyun remained unnervingly calm.
"Showoff!" the two white men snarled, intensifying their assault.
The Molten Flame kick and black-light fist instantly surpassed Mach speed, vaporizing the air as they hurtled toward their target.
But then—
Boom!!
The world shuddered, resonating with martial arts energy.
A deep, resonant heartbeat suddenly echoed through the sky. Unseen, strands of white Force materialized in Liu Duanyun's palm, swirling into a vortex.
A primal tremor ran through the crowd. The peak sixth-tier half-human and Flying General froze mid-motion, as if paralyzed.
Though the sky was azure, a layer of mist silently rose, enveloping the battlefield.
As if time itself had frozen, the two peak sixth-tier Cyborgs clearly felt their bodies locked in an invisible vise.
"You—"
The half-human creature cried out in alarm, but its question was answered by a dragon's roar.
Roar!!
The dragon's roar reverberated through the air, and water coalesced into form.
As Liu Duanyun unleashed a palm strike, atmospheric moisture rapidly condensed into two Flood Dragons.
Boom!!!
A muffled explosion erupted, sending water droplets scattering across the sky.
The two peak Flying Generals plummeted from the heavens. One crashed atop White Cloud Mountain, shattering several massive boulders and embedding itself into the cliff face.
The other slammed into the ground, snapping thick trees and leaving a hundred-meter-deep crater.
An eerie silence descended. Within the White Cloud Mountain base, the faces of the Utopia members twisted in shock.
"Kill me prematurely and frame Grandmaster Chen."
"This would ignite conflict within the Martial Arts World, dividing north and south, and destabilize Red City."
"Simultaneously, it would plunge Nanjiang Central City into chaos."
Liu Duanyun gazed down at the figures below, his body wreathed in mist like swirling clouds.
"This... is your true objective, isn't it?"
Buzz!!
As his words fell, the mist above suddenly solidified into a peculiar phantom of true intent.
It bore antlers like a deer and a dragon's head.
Its body resembled a tiger's, covered in pure white fur.
The creature bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Divine Beast Baize.
Instantly, Zhou Wuren and the others in the aircraft behind them finally grasped the situation. On the ground, the two Peak Flying Generals wore grim expressions as they struggled to rise.
Crack!
Rock shattered as the Peak Flying General on the Dwarf Mountain's cliff face crashed to the ground, landing in a crouched stance.
His metallic body was visibly battered, his Force Field light shield flickering erratically, having narrowly prevented a fatal blow to his chest.
"Cough, cough..."
The half-human Sixth-Tier creature staggered, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he glanced down at his chest.
The black bio-armor, formed from his bio-armor, was cracked, a palm-shaped dent nearly half an inch deep radiating searing pain.
"I underestimated you," he growled, his voice dark with surprise.
Before Transcendence, the opponent had been barely at the level of an ordinary Sixth-Tier.
Yet now, he had surpassed even a Peak Flying General.
"I don't know how you achieved this."
"But..."
The grimness on his face vanished, replaced by a mocking smirk.
"You're still not a legend."
Buzz!
The ground trembled as the mountain's rocky surface shattered.
A figure materialized in mid-air, hovering above White Cloud Mountain, his feet treading empty space.
His black trench coat billowed in the wind, revealing a towering, muscular frame.
The moment his face came into view, Liu Duanyun's eyes narrowed from his vantage point high above, while Zhang Hengshan and the others in the aircraft below felt their pupils contract in shock.
"We've put a lot of effort into this plan," the half-human said mockingly. "And now... the main event is just beginning."
Thump!
The black-clad figure stepped through the air, sending ripples of energy radiating outward.
His short, buzz-cut hair framed sharply defined, masculine features. Beneath his angled brows, his eyes burned with icy indifference. Were it not for the crimson markings etched across his cheeks, he would have been a perfect double for Chen Feng.
"What kind of cyborg is this?" Zhang Hengshan's expression darkened, completely unprepared for the Roth Family's trump card.
Before they could react, the black-clad figure vanished in a crimson arc of light.
Boom!!
The sonic boom pierced the air, tearing through the cloud layer and water vapor.
Scarlet Gold flames evaporated the moisture, surging a hundred meters like a molten pillar unleashed from a single punch.
Boom!!
Liu Duanyun parried with a palm strike, his body wreathed in white light.
The full force of the attack crashed down, shattering his wind shield and causing the veins on his arm to bulge.
Hum!!
Another punch.
The unfamiliar youth, resembling Chen Feng, struck with his left arm, igniting the heavens and earth once more.
The Scarlet Gold flames compressed into a high-energy shockwave, completely vaporizing the surrounding water vapor and defying any attempt to contain them.
Liu Duanyun's eyes narrowed. Behind him, the Baize True Intent soared into the air and merged with his body.
Boom!!
Fist met fist. He neither dodged nor retreated, his body coalescing into a blinding white light.
The explosive roar echoed again as their fists and palms clashed repeatedly in mid-air.
Elbow strikes, thunderous punches, knee thrusts, and side kicks.
The devastating shockwaves ravaged everything. A corner of White Cloud Mountain was sheared off by the stray fist winds.
Trees on the ground exploded one by one, while aircraft in the sky were forced to retreat to a safer distance.
"What kind of monster is that?" Zhou Wuren murmured, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Sect Master Liu had clearly reached a superhuman level beyond the peak sixth-tier, yet he was being completely suppressed.
Beside him, Zhang Hengshan's expression grew grave, sensing the situation spiraling out of control.
Glancing down, he saw two Peak Flying Generals rising from the ground, preparing to attack them.
With the situation growing increasingly urgent, he hastily stowed his communicator and channeled his Force.
Simultaneously, several kilometers away in the Nanjiang Suburbs, the cloud layer parted as a red maple leaf aircraft streaked toward White Cloud Mountain.
"The signal disappeared near White Cloud Mountain," Han Chao reported solemnly from the cockpit. "Based on our prior discussions and the plan, Sect Master Liu and the others should have already drawn out the enemy."
Chen Feng nodded slightly, his expression grim. This was the cooperative proposal Xia Mingyuan had suggested.
Liu Duanyun had anticipated retaliation for rejecting the Roth Family's demands and proposed luring the enemy into a trap, collaborating with the Military.
In the end, this request for cooperation had landed in Chen Feng's hands.
"The electronic interference near White Cloud Mountain is extremely strong, making detailed signal acquisition impossible for now."
"The other Flying Generals have been notified and are en route."
"At our current speed, we'll reach the target area in two minutes and complete the encirclement."
Han Chao glanced at the communication screen, reporting the situation truthfully.
But almost immediately, the cabin darkened as Chen Feng rose from his seat, his massive frame blocking part of the light.
Confused glances turned toward him as he strode to the hatch without looking back.
"Too slow," he said. "Open the hatch."
(End of the Chapter)
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