Translator: CinderTL
The night passed without incident, and the first rays of dawn pierced through the cloud layer, bathing the earth in an orange-red glow.
Sand particles swirled across the Gobi Desert, carried by the wind. Small lizards emerged from rock crevices, their eyes darting around as they searched for food.
Rumble!
The ground trembled as armored vehicles roared into view, like monstrous beasts crushing pebbles under their treads. The lizards scattered in panic, darting into rock crevices and cowering in corners, watching the billowing yellow dust.
One armored vehicle after another, followed by tanks, advanced in a straight line toward the deep-pit camp.
The crimson mountain emblem of the Luoyue Military was painted on the vehicles, signaling the arrival of reinforcements.
Armed helicopters arrived simultaneously, their rotors whirring and stirring up a fierce wind.
This display of military might should have been awe-inspiring, but it paled in comparison to the colossal fleet looming overhead like an aerial aircraft carrier, its deck constantly launching and recovering fighter jets and aircraft.
"It seems Red City and Luoyue have indeed reached an agreement," Chen Feng murmured, withdrawing his Perception from the camp and standing beside his tent bed.
As he surveyed the scene, he could clearly sense the complex emotions in the eyes of the Luoyue Military personnel.
There was still a hint of hostility and resentment, but it wasn't overwhelming, and there was no overt resistance.
Upon closer observation, one could detect faint traces of awe, even fleeting glimpses of envy.
The Red Nation stood as the undisputed strongest power on the Eastern Continent, the only nation capable of directly challenging the Platinum Federation's hegemony.
While occasional conflicts and disturbances had erupted, the nation generally maintained a state of calm stability and orderly governance.
This seemingly simple stability was a coveted luxury, a distant dream for the many nations in the southwestern region of the continent.
It was precisely this relatively moderate cooperative stance of the Red Nation that made it so valuable, allowing the Luoyue Military to assess the situation clearly and ultimately make this decision.
"With this arrangement, the joint exploration of the Secret Realm becomes a win-win scenario."
"At least, it's far better than allowing the Platinum Federation to intervene, instigate armed conflict, and seize exclusive control of the area."
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chen Feng roughly pieced together the details of the cooperative agreement.
Instead of rushing out of the tent, he stood in place and gazed at the panel before him.
[Thunderclap Art: Thunder Light—Minor Mastery (58% → 79%)+]
[Extreme Martial Fist: Polaris—Minor Mastery (39% → 57%)+]
[Limit Breaking Orbs: 816]
[Golden Day: 11]
The Dream Realm of Qinggang City had once again yielded a large number of Light Orbs, significantly advancing the progress of both the Thunderclap Art and the Extreme Martial Fist.
As for the Heavenly Aura Overlord Body, its cultivation difficulty had skyrocketed after reaching Giant Dome Mastery. Moreover, since he hadn't yet acquired the final key technique of the Overlord Body, Chen Feng decided to allocate his Extreme Martial Arts points to the Extreme Martial Fist instead.
"Golden Day's accumulation isn't sufficient yet. I'll save it for now."
Chen Feng's gaze flickered as he shifted his attention to the progress of his Perfected Golden Body.
To break through to the Undying realm, this was far from enough, let alone the fact that he hadn't even gathered all the key techniques for the Undying realm.
This left him feeling somewhat helpless.
Despite his efforts, he had yet to uncover the final layers of these transcendent true arts.
The memories contained within the Light Orbs offered no relevant records, leaving a gaping void in his knowledge.
"Perhaps... I'll have to revive those angels."
"Only beings of that caliber could possibly know the complete key techniques of these true arts."
A rough hypothesis formed in his mind as Chen Feng's gaze drifted downward, finally settling on his number of Fragments of Divinity: seven in total.
Activating the Heroic Spirit Hall and reviving the first batch of Heroic Spirits would require nine fragments.
Among them were two Martial Artists associated with the Three Great Factions, who might possess knowledge of the final key techniques for these true arts.
Huff!
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Chen Feng suppressed his thoughts for now.
He still needed two more Fragments of Divinity, urging him to accelerate his progress.
"Did you discover anything this time?" Chen Feng asked the Star Spirit through the wrist-mounted cylindrical device.
The discovery of the world ark had allowed the Star Spirit to replenish parts of its database. Perhaps it had uncovered some clues, such as the locations of other world arks that might contain Fragments of Divinity.
"I've made some discoveries, but I haven't pinpointed their exact coordinates yet," the Star Spirit responded, her voice materializing as a phantom-like electromagnetic figure in Chen Feng's mind.
The blue-robed girl with a third vertical eye on her forehead tapped rapidly at a virtual keyboard, seemingly searching through a database. "According to confidential information from the Geocore and Heaven's Fall, the Windrider and Golden Sun arks also participated in the Fragment of Divinity retrieval plan."
"However, during the subsequent civil war, both arks were attacked midway through their return journeys. Contact was lost, and their coordinates remain unknown. Their current whereabouts are unknown."
"I'm attempting to locate them by initiating backup positioning and communication links, but so far, I haven't found any traces in the trade information or Secret Realm coordinates provided by Red City. My initial hypothesis is that they may be hidden within Secret Realms of other nations, or like the Heaven's Fall, lost in another world."
The Star Spirit explained earnestly. Chen Feng pondered her words, his mind racing with speculation.
She had previously mentioned that the Fragment of Divinity was exceptionally rare, linked to Divine Technology, and a world treasure fiercely sought after by the Ancient Taiduo Civilization.
Now, considering the sequential destruction of the Heaven's Fall and Geocore, combined with the Star Spirit's recent revelations,
Were the Evil God Angel and its retainers deliberately destroying these fleets?
Or, more accurately, were the leaders of the Black Tide also seeking to seize the Fragments of Divinity?
"The Fragment of Divinity is the most perfect vessel for power in the world," the Star Spirit explained, drawing upon supplemental information from the Geocore's database. "Only through it can the Evil God Angel mitigate the Will of the World's influence, project its power, and descend across realms."
So that's why, Chen Feng realized. No wonder the angel clones' recent descents have all been connected to the Fragments of Divinity.
"What about the Serpent Spirit World?" Chen Feng asked, recalling his earlier battle against the Lava Lord's clone, which had yielded no Fragment of Divinity.
"That world has been influenced by them for centuries. Its Will of the World has already been partially assimilated, allowing for relatively unrestricted projections of power without requiring a Fragment of Divinity," the Star Spirit explained, flipping through data. A hint of puzzlement crossed her face. "But something's odd."
"The Evil Gods of Chaos typically seek only to destroy worlds, driven by primal rage. Yet their methods in the Serpent Spirit World seem... uncharacteristically restrained."
The mutated Serpentfolk were transformed from humans.
Furthermore, the Serpent God Temple and the Serpent-Folk Tribe's long-standing rule didn't seem like actions aimed at destroying the world.
Chen Feng understood the implications, but his doubts only deepened.
If the Serpent God and the angels truly intended to destroy the world, they could have annihilated the Serpent Spirit Secret Realm after the fall of the Ancient Taiduo Empire.
The current situation clearly hinted at hidden motives, even reminding Chen Feng of the faint trace of the Serpent God's will he had glimpsed during the World Imprint resonance.
Buzz!
Before he could dwell further on these thoughts, a wave of energy surged outside the tent.
An aircraft pierced through the Spatial Barrier beneath the deep pit, ascending steadily until it reached the southeastern corner of the camp.
Within moments, the landing sequence drew near, and the hatch hissed open.
A flicker of intuition prompted Chen Feng to suppress his lingering thoughts and focus his Perception.
Nangong Ling emerged first, her tall figure clad in a black jacket-style trench coat. Her black combat boots crunched softly on the flat, brown earth.
Many eyes turned toward her. The Luoyue Military knew her as the Red Nation's Legendary Flying General.
It was precisely her presence that had convinced them to cooperate, alleviating their concerns about the Platinum Federation's schemes.
Tap, tap!
The footsteps continued until they reached the entrance of Chen Feng's tent.
Nearby, Yang Wudi and Celine exchanged subtle glances. Under their collective gaze, the tent flap was lifted, and Chen Feng emerged, clad in the same black trench coat as Nangong Ling.
"Shall we talk?" Nangong Ling asked softly, her bright eyes meeting his across her cool, composed face.
"Alright," Chen Feng replied with a nod, showing no surprise at this encounter.
The Secret Realm had caused such a massive disturbance, leaving behind a trail of devastation. It was only natural that someone would be curious about the true circumstances.
At the time, Nangong Ling had been preoccupied with coordinating cooperation with the Luoyue Military, so she hadn't investigated the matter thoroughly. She had merely ordered them to withdraw temporarily and rest at the camp.
Buzz!
The moment Chen Feng agreed, Nangong Ling waved her hand, and the surrounding crowd tactfully dispersed.
An invisible barrier shimmered into existence, isolating their conversation from prying ears.
After several minutes, Nangong Ling had learned the general details of what had transpired in the Secret Realm, excluding the Fragment of Divinity.
"An Evil God Angel?" she murmured, her eyes flickering with surprise and suspicion.
Through her detailed investigation, she had indeed discovered traces left by the Crows of the Dead cultists.
An Evil God Angel had actually descended, and he had managed to stop it?
Nangong Ling focused her gaze on Chen Feng, suddenly realizing she couldn't quite see through him.
"I just took advantage of a few openings," Chen Feng said calmly, as if it were something anyone could do.
Nangong Ling fell silent for a moment, her eyes flickering with a hint of reluctant fighting spirit.
Her defeat in their previous sparring match still lingered in her mind, and she had always hoped for a chance to turn the tables.
But now, seeing Chen Feng capable of stopping the Evil God Angel's clone, she feared he had grown even stronger.
"The civilization ruins are remnants of an extremely advanced Ancient Taiduo creator," Nangong Ling said, changing the subject and suppressing her competitive urge. "We wouldn't have discovered this place without your intervention."
Amidst her thanks, she mentioned Red City's decision to formally acknowledge his contributions and offer appropriate recognition.
Chen Feng nodded, unsurprised.
This new Secret Realm was of considerable value. Even though he had exhausted all the medicinal resources stored on the Geocore, he hadn't taken the technical blueprints.
After the Red Guard arrived, the Star Spirit had released some permissions, allowing them to make their own discoveries.
"However..."
Nangong Ling paused, her gaze meeting Chen Feng's once more.
With a wave of her hand, a light screen materialized, projecting a holographic cylindrical device. Within it, golden, rhombus-shaped fragments shimmered with lifelike detail—virtual representations of the Fragments of Divinity.
"Have you encountered anything like this?"
Her tone seemed casual, but Chen Feng sensed a newfound intensity in her eyes.
It was clear that the higher-ups in Red City also recognized the significance of the Fragments of Divinity.
"I have," Chen Feng replied unexpectedly.
"Oh?"
"But unfortunately, that Evil God Angel was no pushover."
Chen Feng trailed off, a hint of regret crossing his rugged features.
Nangong Ling nodded slightly, accepting his explanation.
Fragments of Divinity were notoriously difficult to contain and conceal, and she detected no traces of them on Chen Feng. Moreover, the Evil God Angel's methods were unfathomable; even its clones or projections left behind few discernible traces.
After a few more exchanges, Nangong Ling prepared to question Yang Wudi and Celine as part of her routine investigation.
In addition to that, she added:
"Although we don't know exactly how the Roth Family's team perished..."
"I suspect the Evil God Angel was involved."
Nangong Ling spoke with a meaningful tone, her phoenix eyes withdrawing from Chen Feng.
He paused slightly, watching her turn and leave.
Chen Feng shook his head and chuckled.
He understood that the Red Nation intended to cover up all traces of his involvement in the Luoyue incident.
"A new Secret Realm? Luoyue dared to bypass us and collaborate with the Red Nation!"
Platinum Federation, Black Harbor City.
A floating blue light screen displayed over a dozen communication squares, each projecting a core member of the Roth Family. Their voices clashed in heated debate.
"This is the latest intelligence. Based on the location data, Amon and Milan are likely dead inside the Secret Realm."
"The Red Nation has already issued a public statement claiming an Evil God Angel descended."
"Bullshit!"
A frosty tension permeated the conference room. Ouna, present in her estate's study, remained silent throughout the meeting, her emotions a tangled mess.
The death of a Legendary-grade mech warrior, even for the Roth Family, was a crippling blow.
Yet, as she considered her own candidacy for succession, Milan's death undoubtedly eased the competitive pressure.
"Have any images been transmitted yet?"
An elder demanded coldly, but the answer was a flat denial.
The Secret Realm blocked electromagnetic signals, preventing any images of Amon and the others' final moments from being transmitted back.
The only visuals available were the wreckage of Zhuo Lie's camp and their last recorded location outside the Secret Realm.
"Amon and Milan's deaths demand justice."
"Even if the Evil God Angel was responsible, those Church members must pay the price!"
A senior family member set the tone, demanding a thorough investigation.
Furthermore, they called for a purge of the Evil God Cult in Black Harbor City and throughout the southern region of the federation.
No one objected to this declaration, and the meeting finally returned to its core issue.
"Negotiations between the federation and the Red Nation are progressing poorly. The Divine General in Red City has blocked Lord of Holy Light, adopting an extremely rigid stance."
"Combined with the Velatu incident, the final outcome is now inevitable."
As these words were spoken, the floating light screen projections shifted in unison, drawing everyone's attention to Ouna.
"The Red Nation people must be handed over."
"But how exactly should we do this? How can we ensure the Roth Family's authority is demonstrated? Ouna, I expect you to handle this matter flawlessly."
Ouna nodded, promising to manage the situation properly.
"Excellent."
The core family members present nodded in satisfaction, with the white-haired elder at the center smiling repeatedly.
By the time the meeting finally adjourned, Ouna, who had been struggling to process the information, barely managed to regain her composure.
"Congratulations, Miss Ouna," Longjia, the legendary-grade modified human in gray beside her, murmured softly.
Ouna nodded curtly.
With Milan's death, her position had been further solidified, allowing her to smoothly inherit the majority of his resources and authority.
In the past, she might have been satisfied with this outcome, but now...
"It's still not enough," Ouna said, shaking her head. Sunlight streamed through the carved window behind her, illuminating her white gown with shimmering light.
"Only by successfully completing Han's task can I suppress all opposition and truly become the leading candidate."
"Uncle Longjia, I'll need to rely on you for what comes next."
"No problem."
After their brief exchange, Ouna rose and gazed out at the estate grounds.
She had initially felt uncertain about her plan. After all, this involved the Red Nation. Even if they only sent a small delegation to finalize the negotiations, they would still be led by legendary-grade figures beyond the reach of ordinary power.
But now...
As she recalled the resources and consolidated authority she had inherited from Milan, a cold smile spread across her face, her swan-like chin lifting slightly.
She suddenly felt a strange sense of gratitude toward the assassin who had killed Milan.
(End of the Chapter)
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