Translator: CinderTL
Whoosh!
Several days later.
The Golden Stone Wings sliced through the sky, the wind howling past Chen Feng's ears. A squadron of massive Flying Eagles trailed closely behind, soaring through the high-altitude clouds.
A dozen elite warriors, clad in silver armor and cloaked in verdant vines, wore grim, bloodthirsty expressions, tinged with excitement.
Once constrained by the Three Great Tribes, they had rarely dared venture far from the Holy City. Now, almost without realizing it, the balance of power had shifted decisively in their favor, and they were on the offensive.
"Master Feng Chen, Heaven's Fall Mountain is just ahead," Molly called out from her Flying Eagle, her long brown hair fluttering in the wind. She unfurled a parchment map, her voice carrying through the turbulent air.
Chen Feng nodded, his black armor gleaming atop the Holy Shield Colossus's shoulder. The restless Force within him settled back into stillness.
They had been traveling for seven or eight days straight, passing through the territories of various Serpentfolk tribes. Each encounter had been swiftly dealt with, liberating countless enslaved humans along the way.
Yet...
"Not a single Serpent Spirit Fruit," Chen Feng muttered in disappointment, recalling their recent encounters with the Three Great Tribes.
His earlier assassination of their three Saint-level Great Priests had dealt the tribes a devastating blow to their Life Energy. But unfortunately, the Serpent God's watchful gaze had forced them to delay their pursuit, preventing the tribes' complete annihilation.
This time, Chen Feng happened to pass through the territory of the Silver Wood Tribe.
To his dismay, the once-powerful, top-tier tribe was completely deserted. Even the Serpent Spirit Tree within the barrier appeared to have been uprooted and vanished without a trace.
Chen Feng suspected that the surviving members of the Three Great Tribes had migrated north, seeking refuge near the Serpent God Temple to avoid annihilation.
"But there's still a chance," he thought, his eyes gleaming with renewed purpose as he recalled his original objective.
He would travel to Heaven's Fall Mountain and beyond, into the far northern lands, to investigate the situation. If he persisted in his pursuit, he might yet completely annihilate the Three Great Tribes and seize the Serpent Spirit Fruit.
Moreover, five other major tribes resided in the north: Windchill, Thunder Gorge, Frost, Ironrock, and Giant Spear.
They occupied a vast expanse of northern plains and possessed greater foundations than the Three Great Southern Tribes.
According to intelligence from the Holy City, the Three Great Southern Tribes had long resented this disparity, leading to numerous conflicts with their northern counterparts. Only the Serpent God Temple's forceful intervention, demarcating territories, had managed to enforce a fragile peace.
Since then, the Three Great Southern Tribes had become a strategic thorn in the Holy City's side, while the Five Great Northern Tribes formed the deeper, more dangerous coils of the serpent.
Venturing deep into their territory might yet yield the Serpent Spirit Fruit.
Whoosh!
The Holy Shield Colossus burst through a thick layer of clouds, closely followed by several enormous Flying Eagle Beasts.
The view suddenly widened, and Chen Feng gazed down at the distant earth.
The Greenfield Mountains stretched as far as the eye could see, teeming with exotic beasts. Giant crocodiles, camouflaged as sunken logs, floated motionless in a vast lake. Packs of wolves and herds of stags roamed through the forests, occasionally startling birds and small animals into flight.
But these details held little interest for Chen Feng.
Because...
"Heaven's Fall Mountain."
His gaze shifted to a distant peak. The lake originated from a mountain stream, and the Greenfield Mountains were merely a verdant extension of this colossal natural formation.
A majestic mountain range dominated the horizon, spanning nearly ten thousand meters like a slumbering leviathan nestled between heaven and earth. Clouds drifted past its midsection, revealing a rugged, multi-tiered landscape.
Mountain paths were almost nonexistent, replaced by sheer cliffs and the lairs of predatory birds and exotic beasts.
"This place truly is a natural fortress," Olon remarked from atop his Flying Eagle Beast, his voice tinged with awe. "No wonder the Five Great Tribes of the north have been hesitant to descend south and unite."
"And who would have imagined we'd one day venture so far north ourselves?" Molly and the others echoed his sentiments with sighs of wonder.
The Holy City, once confined to the southern frontier, had faced a precarious existence with limited mobility. Few dared to venture this far north.
Now that the Three Great Southern Tribes had been virtually annihilated, they could finally throw caution to the wind and commit to a decisive gamble.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The group sped forward, steadily closing in on the strategically vital Heaven's Fall Mountain.
During their journey, Chen Feng surveyed the surrounding terrain from above.
At the base of the majestic mountain, colossal canyons stretched for thousands of meters, resembling gaping wounds torn into the earth. These geological features transformed Heaven's Fall Mountain into a formidable barrier between the northern and southern regions of the Serpent Spirit Continent. Bypassing it would add months to their journey.
Yet...
"Could the rumors be true?"
As the Holy Shield Colossus pierced through the clouds, Chen Feng gazed at the rapidly approaching Heaven's Fall Mountain and recalled the legend Molly and the others had shared.
Thousands of years ago, Heaven's Fall Mountain had plummeted from the Star Realm. Observing its surroundings now, he found the legend increasingly plausible.
The canyon fissures resembled fractures caused by a massive impact, while the surrounding lakes appeared like deep craters left in its wake. As for the towering mountain itself, it seemed to be a massive extraterrestrial meteorite, forever embedded within the Serpent Spirit Continent.
The celestial calamity earned it the name "Heaven's Fall Mountain."
"But this legend doesn't tell the whole story," Chen Feng mused, remembering the diary he had discovered in Qinggang City.
Wang Yu, the Spirit Tamer Talent, had mentioned that Heaven's Fall Mountain was actually a powerful construct created by another civilization.
It was precisely this mystery that piqued Chen Feng's curiosity, leading him to accept the Holy City's trade request and investigate the area firsthand.
Yet as he gazed upon the mountain, he saw only lush green forests and craggy cliffs, devoid of any trace of human intervention.
It was hard to believe that this was truly a creation of civilization.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar from a massive ape echoed from the mountain peak, startling birds and beasts into panicked flight, their wings beating like muffled thunder.
Chen Feng, who was soaring overhead, felt a jolt of awareness. Olon and the others tensed as well.
They exchanged glances.
At Chen Feng's silent command, they accelerated their descent toward the mountain's lower reaches.
Thud!
A colossal black ape-like beast lay bleeding among the shattered rocks, a spear piercing its chest.
Behind it, the verdant forest had been reduced to splinters. Dozens of smaller black apes fleeing in terror had been shot down by arrows, their blood forming crimson puddles that stained the mountain's floor.
"These blood-fodder creatures still dared to run?"
A cold voice echoed through the mountains. A Serpentfolk clad in mottled gray-black scale armor with brown patches emerged from the ape's corpse, withdrawing his spear.
His cruel expression mirrored those of the other Serpentfolk behind him, their forked tongues flicking as they greedily eyed the blood seeping from the apes' wounds.
"Go, process the food," the Serpentfolk hissed, turning to address the dozen pale-faced human slaves cowering behind him.
Clad in tattered hemp robes, a human slave pushed a wooden cart laden with snakeskin bags, as if transporting supplies.
Someone lagged behind.
Crack!
A leather whip lashed out, instantly raising a bloody welt.
No cry dared escape, for a quick glance revealed this was merely a corner of Heaven's Fall Mountain.
A long, ragged line of human slaves crowded the muddy mountain path, their feet crushing withered leaves underfoot.
Patches of green foliage and loose stones were shoved aside, as if a treacherous road was being forcibly carved through the perilous terrain.
Every five or six steps, an armored Serpentfolk warrior cracked his whip and barked orders. Behind them lumbered over a dozen lizard beasts, each carrying a wooden saddle upon which sat a pure-blooded Serpentfolk Master—likely someone of high status.
"The Temple has decreed: we must cross Heaven's Fall Mountain tonight!"
"I heard the Southern Lands are in turmoil."
"Hmph, the Black Blade and Huorong Tribes are truly useless. And the Silver Wood Tribe too..."
Low voices drifted from the backs of the lizard beasts. Even the Serpentfolk warriors shook their heads in dissatisfaction, whipping the slaves harder to vent their frustration on the wretched creatures.
Slaves who collapsed from exhaustion and pain were trampled underfoot, sometimes even becoming food for the lizard beasts.
The noisy procession continued, its passage marked by the clatter of shifting rocks.
Yet amidst the chaos, one particular area remained eerily silent.
At the center of the procession lumbered an immense lizard beast, towering over ten meters tall. Each step left deep, crater-like claw marks in the ground, crushing green trees beneath its weight.
A wooden camp perched atop the beast, housing several Fifth-Tier Serpentfolk Elders with scales of varying hues, seated comfortably on wooden chairs.
"Elders, a message has arrived from the Serpent God Temple," announced a Serpentfolk Elder with brown scales. Despite the lizard beast's relentless march below, their bodies remained perfectly steady, undisturbed by the constant movement.
"The Outlander, suspected of being a Pseudo-Angel, possesses immense power and has once again descended upon our world."
"We must infiltrate the Southern Lands swiftly to gather intelligence while awaiting reinforcements from the main army."
"Agreed."
"Then let us hasten our advance."
Most of the Serpentfolk Elders nodded. Several glanced at the blue-scaled Serpentfolk woman seated in the lead position, her eyes closed in apparent meditation.
"Saint Bing Lin," one said, "we've heard the Outlander possesses keen perception and boundless cunning. As we prepare to traverse Heaven's Fall Mountain, we humbly request your assistance in concealing our movements."
The plea hung in the air.
The alluring blue-scaled Serpentfolk Elder, clad in a flowing water-patterned robe, opened her vertical pupils.
"Very well."
With a casual nod, a soft blue Spirit Light began to emanate from her body.
The aura of a Sixth-Tier Saint subtly radiated outward, drawing expressions of reverence from the Serpentfolk Elders.
A circle of blue light expanded outward, instantly transforming into an invisible water curtain rippling with faint patterns. It passed through the mobile wooden structures and enveloped the marching column.
As it fused seamlessly with the air, the curtain refracted all light and suppressed all sound. Looking down now, one would see the Greenfield Mountains of Heaven's Fall Mountain in their usual tranquility, devoid of any human presence or trace.
"Excellent," a Serpentfolk Elder breathed in relief. This extensive concealment method, affecting a large number of people, would require considerable energy even for a Saint. Their extreme caution stemmed from concerns that the Holy City might have planted spies nearby.
"But what if the Outlander comes to Heaven's Fall Mountain?" another Serpentfolk Elder blurted out, his voice laced with lingering doubt. Though the Three Great Tribes were somewhat weaker, each had a Saint at its helm. Their near-total annihilation served as stark proof of the Outlander's formidable strength as a Pseudo-Angel. If he were to stumble upon their tracks here, even Saint Bing Lin might struggle to withstand him.
"Fear not," the blue-scaled Serpentfolk in the water-patterned robe said unexpectedly, waving his hand dismissively without reproach. All eyes turned to her, meeting her serpent's head and indifferent vertical pupils.
"A Pseudo-Angel is ultimately not a true Angel."
"The Temple Envoy carries genuine Angelic Power. If that Outlander dares to show himself, we'll simply crush him."
Her voice was calm, her gaze indifferent. Beneath her flowing, water-patterned robes, her serpentine form exuded a captivating allure.
The assembled Serpentfolk Elders' eyes flashed with renewed resolve as they nodded in unison, their earlier anxieties completely dispelled. They all understood the significance of Angelic Power. Without thorough preparation, why would the Five Great Tribes risk such a large-scale southward expedition?
"Then victory is assured."
"Indeed. With Elder Bing Lin and the Temple Envoy accompanying us, this southern march is foolproof."
"I'm suddenly looking forward to that despicable Outlander walking into his own grave! Hahaha! The moment he shows his face, he'll find there's no turning back!"
Boom!!!
A sudden, earth-shattering roar shook the heavens, instantly silencing all chatter. The unfinished words died in their throats as the ground trembled violently. A colossal platinum fist descended from the sky like a collapsing mountain, obliterating the invisible water barrier with a deafening crash.
"No!!"
Saint Bing Lin's serpentine form convulsed violently as she suffered a violent backlash. Her scales shattered, and she coughed up a thick cloud of bloody mist. All composure vanished, replaced by horror and disbelief.
The ear-splitting explosions of the collapsing water barrier echoed through the air. The Fifth-Tier Serpentfolk Elders stared skyward in terror, their bodies trembling.
A crushing pressure locked everything in place, the roofs of the wooden huts in the camp ripped away by the raging winds.
They found themselves utterly immobile, their snake scales and flesh pressed so tightly against their bones that they felt as if they were caving in.
In horrified astonishment, they saw a massive golden crown emerge from the cliff face of the mountain, hovering in mid-air.
Rhomboid crystals refracted the sunlight, and the majestic platinum giant rose higher and higher in silent grandeur.
Until finally...
It stood as tall as the heavens, supporting the very sky!
(End of the Chapter)
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