Translator: CinderTL
Mist shrouded the ruined city.
Chen Feng stood atop a towering building, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"Has your game truly ended?"
Recalling the information he'd received earlier that day, he hadn't expected Luo Wantao's transfer order to come so quickly.
Chu Shihong had passed on this news as a warning, urging him to be cautious.
Just this morning, the Red Capital General Federation had issued the order, which had reached Yun Port.
It officially confirmed Luo Wantao's appointment as the future Council Speaker of the Radiant Light Secret Realm and demanded he complete the handover as soon as possible.
As a result, the transfer of command over the Cloud Dream Forest Secret Realm had already begun, and the blocked passages might be temporarily reopened, allowing a limited number of civilian slots to be released again.
As this thought crossed his mind, Chen Feng couldn't forget his own karmic ties.
Before setting out, however, he needed to verify a certain hypothesis.
Roar!!!
Instantly, a Blood Moon cast its crimson glow over the ruins.
Black shadows swarmed from all directions—creatures of the Qinggang City Dreamscape, which had long infested this place like an endless tide of Black Tide creatures.
Hellhounds, Black-Faced Spiders, Grey Wolf Bone Eagles, Demonic Human-Bats...
The creatures swarming Chen Feng were like grotesque mutations, covered in festering sores. Various sickly green fluids oozed from their bizarre wounds, a dense, nauseating flow.
Simultaneously, an overwhelming stench erupted from their blood-red maws, as if they were about to swallow him whole.
Bang!
At the critical moment, the azure mark on the back of Chen Feng's hand suddenly flashed.
His arm, now covered in a black-and-azure carapace, blocked a Hellhound's bite. Chen Feng raised his arm to shield himself, and the black-and-azure color rapidly spread, engulfing most of his body in an instant.
Boom!
He threw a punch, a straight jab.
The raw power tore through everything, instantly obliterating the Hellhound.
At the same moment, a series of Dark Flash Bursts erupted, instantly annihilating all the Black Tide Creatures charging at him.
The surrounding roars and hisses momentarily ceased, and the dense encirclement briefly cleared.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, having already activated the Heart of Life. He could clearly feel the power that had been trying to escape this place now surging into his body.
A chilling coldness unlike the warm comfort he had experienced when absorbing the Admiral of the Infernal Prison's essence washed over him.
If he had to make an analogy, it was as if a unique space existed within the Life Mark on his chest.
The Admiral of the Infernal Prison's Life Essence flowed gently, like a tranquil lake, readily available for use at any moment.
In stark contrast, the power derived from the Black Tide Creatures was murky and constantly bubbled with rising impurities, causing him considerable discomfort.
"#¥%#..."
"&&##..."
Continuous murmuring echoed in his mind, as if demons were whispering in his ear.
He couldn't understand the characters, but he could clearly sense an unsettling corruption and decay emanating from them, along with a chaotic force eroding his body.
In an instant, Chen Feng's expression turned grim. He decisively stopped activating his talent, abandoning the Life Essence of the other dead Black Tide Creatures.
During this pause, more Black Tide Creatures swarmed to attack. He used his Steel Bones to crush them.
With another brief respite, he carefully examined himself again, focusing on the murky, chaotic Life Essence of the Black Tide Creatures that remained within his Life Mark.
For no reason, he suddenly remembered a term he'd heard countless times in the Dead Crow Secret Realm:
"Corruption."
"The Black Tide Creatures look like they've undergone a mutation. Could it be because they were exposed to the Corruption of an Evil God, which then allowed them to be controlled?"
"And because of this, their Life Essence isn't pure. It's chaotic and impure, so absorbing it would also expose me to the Corruption?"
A series of speculations flooded his mind, and suddenly Chen Feng felt a warmth in his chest.
He retracted his Perception and quickly looked down.
He saw a hazy emerald glow had appeared within his Life Mark.
Under its radiance, the turbid and chaotic Life Essence of the Black Tide Creature was slowly transforming from murky to clear, albeit at an extremely slow pace.
Chen Feng was slightly stunned at this sight, but then it clicked.
This was the emerald glow purifying the Life Essence of the Black Tide Creature!
Though the process was slow, it offered a glimmer of hope.
"So, as long as I don't exceed a certain limit, I can still rely on Black Tide Creatures to slowly accumulate enough Life Essence?"
The thought flashed through his mind. Looking further, he saw more Black Tide Creatures charging towards him from the distance, including two Sixth-Tier mutated creatures.
Without hesitation, he broke through the air again.
Buzz!
Three days later, a white shockwave erupted, and a Flying Car streaked across the sky.
The Great Ocean stretched endlessly, its azure waters meeting the horizon. Rows of gray-and-white steel warships were docked along the shore.
Seagulls soared from the distant sea, but were quickly startled away by the increasing number of Flying Cars and aircraft.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of air being torn apart echoed repeatedly as the Flying Cars and aircraft raced towards the center of Yun Port.
A towering gray-black wall stood firm, its massive turrets protruding from above. A colossal Force Field shield separated the city from the outside world.
Below, soldiers were stationed, with teams of five or six Modified Humans and Cyborgs patrolling the perimeter.
The solemn scene was awe-inspiring, and nearby, large groups of people from various corporations waited anxiously.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More and more tearing sounds filled the air as white shockwaves swept across the sky, and Flying Cars and aircraft continued to descend.
It was as if they were verifying a certain rumor.
The Force Field covering the wall was visibly weakening and fading.
At the same time, a crack slowly appeared in the center of the wall. The metal structure contracted into a concave shape, and the blue light of the Force Field gradually receded.
Finally, the square metal tunnel fully formed. Those below looked up to see fully armed Yun Port guards standing within.
"It's open! The tunnel has opened!"
"The blockade has indeed been lifted!"
"Quick, quick! Notify everyone immediately!"
Exclamations erupted from the large groups that had been waiting near the inner city walls for an unknown amount of time.
Even some Mega Corporations were still circling the area, having yet to leave.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Immediately, Flying Cars and aircraft shot through the air, racing toward the tunnel.
Below the hundreds-of-meters-tall wall, the stationed army remained vigilant. Modified Humans and Cyborgs kept their scanning devices active.
But something was different.
As they approached, no one made any attempt to stop them.
"Looks like all the treasures inside have already been claimed," someone muttered from within their aircraft.
"I think so too. Otherwise, why would they let us in?"
Others in the aircraft frowned, but some disagreed, countering, "No, I heard a rumor. It seems that person is about to leave Yun Port."
"And I also heard that there are still a few dangerous areas within the ruins that haven't been completely cleared. They need enough power to deal with them."
Similar discussions continued to erupt. A Jadeite Biotech Flying Vehicle slowly joined the queue, awaiting its turn to enter the metal tunnel.
"Young Master, you seem troubled," Liu Bo said, his voice gentle. He stood in the cabin, watching Lin Hao, who sat by the window with a somber expression. The young man was dressed in a gentleman's suit, his graying hair neatly parted.
"The order has come down," Lin Hao replied, his voice heavy with worry, the smile gone from his face. He gazed out the window at the bustling metal corridor, where Flying Cars jostled for position, his eyes filled with concern and gloom.
Liu Bo fell silent.
While the news hadn't been officially announced to the public, the major conglomerates of Yun Port had already received the results.
A single order had sent the city into turmoil, even briefly altering the atmosphere within this sealed-off Secret Realm under military guard.
"Perhaps it's not as bad as it seems," Liu Bo said earnestly. "After all, Chairman Li Yun greatly admires Grandmaster Chen."
This wasn't a secret. Many had noticed the signs during the nomination of the Nanjiang Councilor candidate.
Lin Hao nodded reluctantly but offered no further explanation. Liu Bo didn't know the full truth, so he couldn't gauge the other person's resolve.
His worry deepening, Lin Hao turned away from the window and began to consider whether he could gather more details to confirm if the other person truly knew the truth.
As the thought crossed his mind, he remained unaware.
In the city streets below the high walls, a figure stood in the shadows of a tall building, a few hundred meters from the military garrison. The figure, cloaked in loose black robes, with bandages wrapped around their neck and a lion mask concealing their face, quietly withdrew their perception.
A figure draped in loose black robes, with bandages wrapped around their neck and a lion mask concealing their face, stood silently in the shadow of a tall building, quietly withdrawing their Perception.
"Lin Hao, that guy..."
Chen Feng's eyes flashed. He hadn't expected Lin Hao to be heading into the Cloud Dream Forest.
He didn't call out to him, knowing the magnitude of his own mission and the vast network of connections it involved.
To prepare, he had made extensive preparations, even sacrificing his Life Essence early to slowly deplete it. He had already altered his appearance and aura.
He focused his mind, sending his Perception to the Life Mark on his chest.
The Life Essence belonging to the Admiral of the Infernal Prison remained calm and stable, like a tranquil emerald lake.
At its edge, strands of purified and clear Black Tide Life Essence were slowly merging into it at an extremely slow pace.
If one looked even further, they could see a chaotic, turbid mass of energy enveloped in a hazy green glow.
"Even the Heart of Life has its limits, especially for Black Tide creatures."
The thought arose. After days of experimentation in the Dream Realm, Chen Feng had finally grasped the Heart of Life's purification capacity.
Within the same timeframe, it could only withstand a total amount of Black Tide creatures equivalent to two to three times his own life force.
If the amount exceeded this limit, the purification process would be obstructed, causing Chen Feng to experience a sense of corruption and distortion, as if he had been contaminated. His condition would deteriorate, his mind would warp, and he might even lose control of himself.
This made Chen Feng recall the legend of the Dead Crow Secret Realm.
The Life Sequence had been cursed and corrupted by an Evil God, turning crimson and twisted.
Initially, he had dismissed this as an exaggeration, but now, he realized it was entirely possible.
Perhaps even the God of Life had fallen to corruption.
"The Black Tide..."
Suddenly, Chen Feng was reminded of the formidable nature of this disaster. He abandoned his plan to rely solely on Black Tide Creatures to replenish his Life Essence.
The purification process was simply too slow.
To fill the Heart of Life to its maximum capacity, he would need to slay Saints like the Admiral of the Infernal Prison.
As this thought crossed his mind, he turned his gaze toward the distant gray-black high wall.
The metal passage was open but not fully extended, and all the Flying Cars and aircraft were still waiting near the exit.
Whoosh!
Just then, two aircraft descended from the sky. One of them bore the emblem of the Red Guard: a sword and shield.
All eyes were drawn to the scene. The aircraft door opened, and an elderly figure emerged, wearing a gray wool coat and carrying a suitcase.
"Sixth-Tier Mech Warrior?" Chen Feng narrowed his eyes.
His Perception could penetrate Fifth-Grade Force Fields, but this figure was somewhat opaque to him.
A Force Field clearly exceeding Fifth-Tier radiated from the figure, allowing them to briefly hover in mid-air on a Flying Shuttle, defying gravity.
Behind them, the Red Guard aircraft also opened its door. A Red General, accompanied by four Golden Generals, followed on individual Flying Vehicles, their crimson and golden sword-and-shield chest insignias strikingly prominent.
At this sight, many Flying Vehicles and Flying Cars parked near the corridor instinctively moved aside. Members of several large corporations exchanged surprised glances.
"It's Shadow Tang Lin! He's Councilor Luo's old steward!"
"Rumors have long circulated that he might be a Sixth-Tier Mech Warrior. I wonder if it's true."
"Looks like he's personally escorting someone to Radiant Light City. And with a Red Guard escort, no less! Could Wu Zong have sent them? Has he really become a Flying General?"
Whispers erupted once more. Inside the Jadeite Biotech Flying Vehicle, Lin Hao's heart sank, and Liu Bo's expression turned grave.
A Sixth-Tier Mech Warrior, likely equivalent to a Flying General—the implications were self-evident.
Under countless gazes, an elderly man in a gray wool coat soared through the air, effortlessly overtaking numerous flying cars and heading straight for the metal tunnel's entrance.
Yun Port guards respectfully stepped aside, and even the Red Guard offered no resistance.
Finally, the man, his expression calm, arrived at the platform inside the metal tunnel with his Red and Golden Generals, where they waited quietly.
The entire process took less than a minute.
Click!
A crisp sound echoed through the air, drawing everyone's attention.
At the end of the square metal tunnel within the high wall, the gray-black wall finally began to slowly slide open, revealing the vast desert landscape and the towering, unyielding Star Ring.
The Cloud Dream Forest, sealed off for days, had finally revealed its true passage. But no one had time to marvel or appreciate the sight.
The reason? A dozen figures had appeared at the spot where the metal wall had vanished.
Most were powerful Mech Warriors and Cyborgs, flanked by several Fifth-Tier guards.
No one found this strange, for the central figure—a middle-aged man in a black wool coat—held unparalleled status and authority.
"Councilor Luo!"
The Red General took the initiative to speak, removing the honorific title for the first time in public.
No one could find fault with this, as the latter had already risen in rank once more.
In an instant, a series of similar titles rang out. The gray-robed elder who had led the group approached Luo Wantao with a respectful expression and addressed him as "Master."
"Let's go."
The middle-aged figure in the black wool coat nodded calmly, his imposing demeanor unchanged.
The gray-robed elder, Tang Lin, nodded in agreement and fell half a step behind, flanking him on either side.
In the blink of an eye, the Security Personnel and Red Guard followed suit, heading toward the aircraft parked at the exit of the passage.
Using his Perception, Chen Feng saw everything clearly. From hundreds of meters away on the street, he narrowed his eyes, a flicker of phosphorus fire dancing in his left eye socket.
Just as he was about to make a move, he paused.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, he glanced toward another direction in the sky.
"Oh?"
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (MF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c452. [+3.8k]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.6K+) Chapters, (5.1M+) Words.