Translator: CinderTL
Crack!
The sound of air exploding from Chen Feng's clenched fist echoed in his ears.
The Golden Dawn Art had successfully broken through, and Chen Feng clearly felt another enhancement to his physical body.
Focusing his mind, he saw the system panel floating before him, displaying the progress of his four primary attributes:
[Strength: 90 → 94]
[Agility: 76 → 79]
[Constitution: 85 → 91]
[Willpower: 84 → 87]
"A total increase of 16 attribute points."
Clenching his fists tightly, Chen Feng could clearly sense that he had completely surpassed that critical threshold.
In terms of physical prowess alone, he had reached the peak of the Sixth-Tier.
His body's durability, in particular, was comparable to Stellar Titanium alloyed with a trace of Rainbow Iron, based on his Perception.
In a sense, this surpassed the capabilities of all ordinary Titanium alloys.
Against Earth's current military technology, only high-caliber energy cannons, plasma cannons, or other ultra-heavy weaponry, such as long-range missiles designed for direct impact, could pose a significant threat to him.
Otherwise, very little could seriously harm him.
Furthermore...
Buzz!
Focusing his will, Chen Feng instantly activated the full power of his physical body.
A brilliant white light erupted from Chen Feng's body, swiftly transforming into a pale golden aura.
This was the Body-Protecting Qi unique to the Golden Body realm, its effects akin to Daylight but with vastly amplified power.
At full strength, it could extend a foot beyond his body or compress into a half-finger-thick layer against his skin.
Appearing as an invisible force field, it significantly enhanced his combat prowess, both defensively and offensively.
"Let's test this," Chen Feng thought, extending his hand.
The Body-Protecting Qi materialized as a golden sword beam, effortlessly piercing the steel-forged Iron Puppet as if it were paper.
With a casual swipe, he cleaved the puppet in two.
"Not bad," Chen Feng mused, comparing his perception. Even a heavy sniper cannon couldn't breach this golden defense.
This technique was unique to Martial Artists, yet it bore a striking resemblance to his Steel Bones ability.
Intrigued, Chen Feng couldn't help but anticipate the further enhancements of the Golden Dawn Art as he reached the Golden Body's peak and, eventually, the legendary Imperishable Realm.
He had already acquired the True Art Key for the former. As for the latter...
Each time he picked up a Skill Light Orb, it felt like a gamble, fraught with uncertainty. He had yet to obtain any relevant memories about achieving the Imperishable Realm.
Moreover, would a powerhouse who had reached the Imperishable Realm truly fall so easily, leaving behind a Light Orb?
As this doubt arose, another thought quickly surfaced in Chen Feng's mind.
"The Heroic Spirits?"
He recalled the Heroic Spirit Hall within the Qinggang City Dreamscape.
Could it be that all Martial Artists and Extraordinary Ones above the Envoy Rank in the High Command Alliance became Heroic Spirits after death?
If true, perhaps future Martial Arts True Skill Keys could be obtained from them.
As these ideas swirled, Chen Feng shook his head helplessly.
Reviving Heroic Spirits required something called a Fragment of Divinity, and he still had no clue how to acquire it.
"Hah!"
Exhaling another breath of stale air, Chen Feng finally dispelled his golden Body-Protecting Qi and relinquished the power of his physical body.
He picked up his phone and checked the latest news from Nanjiang City.
Yesterday's emergency council meeting had specifically addressed the relocation of the Radiant Light Secret Realm. In addition to security measures, they had also proposed numerous plans to reassure the city's residents.
Looking at the comments now, many were filled with excitement and astonishment.
"Central City! Nanjiang is actually becoming a Central City!"
"Unbelievable! So yesterday's strange phenomenon was just a projection!"
"I even took a picture at the time."
The secret of Central City could no longer be contained, so authorities decided to release partial information to the residents of Nanjiang City.
The response was generally positive, with excitement outweighing concerns.
Chen Feng glanced over the news again, nodded lightly, and was about to put his phone down and start cleaning up when it buzzed.
A new message popped up.
He tapped it open and read the contents.
Chen Feng's eyes narrowed, a wave of disbelief and unease washing over him.
"How is this possible?!"
"Something that massive just vanished!"
"What on earth happened?!"
Meanwhile, within the Yun Port Secret Realm Space, in the Cloud Dream Forest, colossal warships resembling steel behemoths hovered in the air, their blue light Force Field shields nearly obscuring the sky.
Military camps and sprawling corporate complexes lined the landscape below, as aircraft hurried to land among them.
Flying Generals, their chest crystals gleaming, soared overhead on Flying Shuttles, their expressions grim.
Senior military officers on the ground shared similar expressions, staring upward in disbelief.
"It's really gone."
"This is going to cause trouble."
"We've searched the entire Cloud Dream Forest, and there's absolutely no trace of it."
The anxious murmurs continued as everyone turned to gaze at the sky.
The massive Inverted Pyramid that had once floated upside down high above had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the vast blue sky dotted with white clouds and the intangible expanse of space.
News of the pyramid's disappearance spread like wildfire, shaking even the Outer City of Yun Port and prompting even tighter security measures.
"How could such a massive pyramid just vanish into thin air?" Lin Hao muttered, frowning inside his aircraft, still clutching the communicator he had just used to send his report.
"Liu Bo, what do you make of this?" he asked, turning to the elderly gentleman impeccably dressed in a suit and overcoat.
Liu Bo shook his head helplessly. "Young Master, this defies my understanding as well," he said, equally astonished by the news.
After all, the pyramid had been under heavy military lockdown, with numerous mega-corporations actively exploring the area.
And now...
"Could the Platinum Federation be behind this?" Chen Feng wondered, setting down his phone with a furrowed brow.
According to the information Lin Hao had gathered, the preliminary exploration phase of the Inverted Pyramid had concluded the previous day.
After everyone had evacuated, an anomalous magnetic field storm enveloped the pyramid, disrupting all nearby electronic devices and obscuring visibility.
When the disturbance subsided, the Inverted Pyramid had vanished without a trace.
"Impossible," Chen Feng muttered, immediately dismissing the thought. "If they truly possessed such power, the Platinum Federation would have long dominated Earth."
Suppressing his stray thoughts, Chen Feng pushed open the courtyard gate.
Following his instructions, Cao Tong, clad in loose, ancient robes, hurried toward him.
Cao Tong had been staying at the Mountain Gate these past few days, preparing for the upcoming Dharma Transmission Assembly and seeking to exchange for cultivation methods for High-Grade True Arts.
"A Fragment of Divinity?" Cao Tong paused, startled by Chen Feng's question.
"Yes. Investigate whether the Evil God Cult has any records on it," Chen Feng confirmed, eager to learn more about the matter. He had previously tasked Lin Hao with gathering intelligence as well.
"Understood."
Though puzzled, Cao Tong wisely refrained from asking further questions.
After Cao Tong left, Chen Feng made a point of seeking out the three Pinnacle Realm experts stationed at the Mountain Gate.
"Fragment of Divinity? I've never heard of such a thing," one of them said.
"Chen, why are you asking about this?" Celine inquired, her curiosity barely contained. She never could hide her thoughts.
"Just a random thought," Chen Feng replied casually, fabricating an excuse. "I recall reading about it in some old Black Tide records."
He wasn't worried about anyone discovering his true purpose. His immense strength bred confidence, and the looming threat of the Black Tide propelled him forward without hesitation.
"I think I might have heard something about it," Yang Wudi interjected, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He had noticed Chen Feng's serious expression.
"Oh?"
"When I first reached the Pinnacle Realm, I traveled through the Luoyue Nation for a while. There, I encountered an Apostle of the Evil God Cult. Before he died, he murmured something about regretting not receiving the blessing of a Fragment of Divinity."
Yang Wudi recounted the incident in detail, and Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
The power of the Evil God Cult's believers primarily stems from the Evil God Power, which they obtain through gruesome Blood Sacrifice rituals. In these rituals, they exchange lives for blessings from the Evil Gods and their subordinate angels.
Though disguised as blessings, these rituals are brutally bloody and steeped in malice.
"Where exactly was this place?" Chen Feng asked.
"A cave in the mountain cliffs of eastern Luoyue Nation," the man replied.
Chen Feng nodded, committing the information to memory, and thanked him. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind investigating the area for any lingering traces.
Just as he thought his information gathering had reached its end, Old Leader Zhang suddenly spoke up.
"Now that you mention it, I recall something from the ancient records," he said, his brow furrowing slightly as he donned a loose, cyan robe embroidered with cloud patterns.
Chen Feng turned to him in surprise.
"Duanyun and I once visited a member of the Red City Royal Family who had extensively researched these matters."
"According to him, the Ancient Taiduo Civilization left behind records stating that when an individual's Life Energy Field reaches a certain level, they undergo a profound transformation."
"Especially after surpassing the Sixth-Tier, they inevitably acquire some extraordinary, legendary traits that defy simple physical explanations."
Old Leader Zhang's expression turned wistful as he recalled Chen Feng's open and candid sharing of the Method of Transcendence. Without hesitation, he continued, "Based on this record, the Red City's high command conducted experiments on the Primordial Creature Blood Essence of Legendary-grade Ancient Creatures."
"They even tasked Divine Generals with hunting down several Legendary-grade Ancient Creatures residing within Secret Realm Spaces."
"The results revealed that their genes contained an extraordinarily potent energy, fundamentally different from ordinary human genetics. It was as if their very life force had undergone a profound evolutionary leap."
"Even cyborgs who absorbed this essence experienced a transformation at the consciousness level, gaining extraordinary power in their neural reflexes and spiritual will."
"Therefore, combining all records and experimental data, we hypothesize that once an individual's life tier surpasses Sixth-Tier, they undergo an Origin Transcendence."
"Legendary-grade beings call it the Legendary Trait. Those who surpass this tier, like Divine Generals, may possess a Divine Trait, also known as Divinity."
As his words faded, a profound silence descended. Celine, hearing this explanation for the first time, wore an expression of utter astonishment.
Yang Wudi frowned slightly, and Chen Feng fell deep into thought.
Divinity? A Divine Trait?
Could the so-called Divine Fragments be the life essence of powerhouses at the Divine General level? Or perhaps fragments from Demigods like the King of Angels, or even the origins of Evil Gods?
Chen Feng's eyes flickered with countless speculations.
Until finally...
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the landscape, startling him. Yang Wudi and the others were jolted from their contemplation, turning their attention beyond the Mountain Gate.
There stretched a vast green plain, where a faint gray-black line emerged on the horizon—a colossal wall rising from the wilderness.
Everything seemed ordinary enough, yet inexplicably, a pillar of fire soared into the sky from the distant wilderness, suggesting some kind of explosion. Burning trees and deep craters scarred the landscape.
Simultaneously, earth-shaking tremors shook the ground, as if armored vehicles were charging recklessly forward, or cyborgs were sprinting at full speed, snapping trees in their path.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At that moment, crimson maple-leaf-emblazoned military flying cars sliced through the white clouds overhead. Red Guard Modified Humans, their faces grim and determined, soared in pursuit.
Chen Feng's gaze sharpened as he noticed more explosions erupting near the gray-black high wall in the distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Missiles streaked through the air, and it seemed even sniper cannons had been deployed.
Yang Wudi and the others frowned, while many disciples from the Flame Tiger Mountain Gate were drawn to the commotion, peering at the distant wall with suspicion and alarm.
"What's going on?"
"Could it be an attack?"
Amid the murmurs of speculation, Chen Feng's pocket vibrated. His Councilor-issued communicator flashed with multiple urgent messages.
Frowning, he saw an urgent request from the military:
[Connect?]
"Yes."
Beep!
A mechanical tone sounded, followed by a frantic shout:
"Councilor Chen!"
"A small-scale riot has broken out near the high wall! Utopia cyborgs are launching suicide bombing attacks!"
"The situation is under control, but we request your assistance in intercepting the fleeing enemies!"
The urgent communication alert blared, drawing the attention of everyone present. Their expressions varied as they turned to look.
There was no response. The stern-faced man merely narrowed his eyes slightly before lowering the communicator.
An eerie silence fell over the Mountain Gate, while the commotion in the distant green fields grew increasingly intense.
Yang Tian's dust cloud seemed almost arrogant as a relentless series of thunderous explosions shook the air.
The enemy had apparently evaded all missile lock-ons and was rapidly escaping the Nanjiang Suburbs.
"Councilor Chen—"
Boom!
The communication request was brutally cut off.
A golden light erupted, like a protective aura of Body-Protecting Qi.
The tall, black-robed youth stomped forward, then leaped into the air.
The hundreds-of-meters-high cliffside whizzed past, the whistling wind roaring in his ears.
Thud!
He landed with a heavy, muffled impact that reverberated across the landscape.
A deep crater exploded into existence, shattering nearby trees.
All eyes froze, transfixed by the golden figure as he charged forward in a straight line, like a roaring war chariot!
(End of the Chapter)
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