Translator: CinderTL
"He was assassinated by Utopia."
Reading the message on his phone, Lin Hao sat in his study, his face pale with exhaustion, yet unable to sleep.
He needed an answer, and a strange intuition had taken root in his heart.
"Young Master, you should rest."
Liu Bo's voice came from outside the door.
The assassination had sent Yun Port into a state of emergency, like an earthquake had struck.
Even the Secret Realm, which had been temporarily reopened, was sealed off again. Everyone present, including Lin Hao, was evacuated and questioned.
"I'll sleep soon, Liu Bo," Lin Hao replied, forcing down his fatigue. After a moment of silence, the elderly figure slowly retreated.
Silence returned to the study. Through the carved windows, stars twinkled in the night sky, revealing a starkly different scene.
A massive warship hung in the sky, like an airborne aircraft carrier.
Red and blue flashing lights pulsed through the night as patrols of flying cars crisscrossed the city.
Not a soul stirred in the streets. Yun Port was under a near-total curfew tonight, with patrols of Peacekeepers and Yun Port Guards conducting thorough searches everywhere.
The predawn night was eerily silent until finally, a message arrived.
[Fengzi: Utopia... truly insane.]
The message landed, followed by an emergency online meeting of the Nanjiang City Council, which connected instantly.
At the same moment, within the Secret Realm of the Cloud Dream Forest, the suspended Inverted Pyramid stood motionless. The world within was utterly different from the outside world, where night had fallen. Here, it was perpetual daylight.
At the stationed steel camp, aircraft continuously took off and landed, ferrying adventurers in and out of the pyramid's midair entrance. Some returned as cold corpses, others grievously wounded and drenched in blood.
The golden-haired figure within the Black Crystal Group, however, no longer paid them any attention as he had in the past. Instead, he stared blankly at the sky, lost in thought.
"Yun Port Guards have dismantled three Utopia hideouts and those of other organizations, but they still haven't found the killer."
"The Great Ocean warships have moved a hundred kilometers offshore, yet they've found no trace."
"The entire Yun Port is under complete lockdown, with no one allowed in or out, yet the killer has vanished as if into thin air."
Old Gu stood behind her, reporting the latest developments. By the end, he couldn't help but sigh at Utopia's audacity.
In the past, assassinating a Councilor Representative was considered an act of extreme madness.
But now, they dared to target the Council Speaker, who was about to be transferred?
Even if it was related to the relocation of the Radiant Light Secret Realm and they wanted to sabotage the process, such a move seemed utterly insane.
Meng Anran, her golden hair cascading down her back, remained silent.
She continued to gaze out the window at the eternal daylight, watching the inverted pyramid suspended in the sky.
She had a nagging feeling that something else was at play here.
"Could it be you?"
Click.
The wooden door of the Martial Hall's meditation chamber closed, plunging the room into darkness. But now, the chamber was brightly lit.
Chen Feng sat in his usual spot, setting down his phone. A holographic screen hovered before him, while a projection device displayed his image in an electronic conference.
Though it was the middle of the night, the entire Nanjiang United Coalition had been alerted.
Chu Shihong had convened an emergency meeting, waking every Councilor from their sleep.
"Representative Chu, it's the middle of the night. Why the sudden emergency meeting?"
Someone, unable to contain their impatience and lacking reliable information channels, was still unaware of the situation in Yun Port.
Faces flickered across the virtual screen. Chen Feng spotted Lin Hao, who was currently in Yun Port, as well as the representatives from Sky Shield Heavy Industries and Black Crystal Group.
Secretary Liu from Red Wave Energy, a slender man in his thirties with gold-rimmed glasses, also appeared.
"My apologies for disturbing your rest so late," Chu Shihong said in a deep voice. His electronic projection showed him wearing a gray overcoat and sitting behind his home desk, flanked by a burly security guard and an assistant. "This matter is urgent. The Provincial Federation just sent an emergency notice..."
He began with official formalities, but even the most oblivious among them could sense the gravity of the situation.
"Representative Chu, what exactly happened?"
"Yes, just get to the point!"
Urgent questions flooded the virtual meeting. Chu Shihong remained silent for a moment, his expression grave and solemn. Then, a flicker of grief crossed his face.
"3:40 PM this afternoon."
"Our former Deputy Council Speaker, Councilor Luo Wantao, has been assassinated by Utopia."
As the words fell, the audio in the electronic display fell silent.
Most of the Nanjiang Councilors stared wide-eyed, their faces etched with shock. Some even momentarily suspected the speaker was joking.
A Council Speaker... just gone like that?
The thought flashed through their minds, but they quickly regained their composure as they observed the Red Wave Energy and Black Crystal Group representatives, who remained relatively calm, their expressions grim.
Forced to regain their composure, the Councilors listened as Chu Shihong relayed a series of demands from the Provincial Federation. The sternness of the Federation's tone was unmistakable.
Most Councilors nodded in agreement. Secretary Liu of Red Wave Energy seized the opportunity to glance at Chen Feng, noting his surprised expression, as if he, too, had just learned the news.
Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, Liu shook his head inwardly.
This guy... he's really gotten lucky.
No one could know his thoughts. The representatives from Black Crystal Group and Sky Shield Heavy Industries subtly observed Chen Feng as well.
No anomalies were detected. Chu Shihong finally announced the temporary meeting adjourned, pending further arrangements from the Provincial Federation.
"I hope you will all remain in Nanjiang for the time being," he said. "There may be another meeting in the next few days, so it's best if you stay."
Chu Shihong's final reminder was met with nods as everyone logged off.
During the meeting, Chen Feng felt someone's gaze on him, but the person ultimately said nothing.
With the meeting concluded, Chen Feng switched off the holographic projection device in front of him.
The Meditation Chamber returned to its usual quiet. He turned his head to gaze out the window at the serene, peaceful night sky.
The initial plan had been flawless. Returning to Nanjiang immediately and coordinating with the dummy left in the chamber to create the illusion of seclusion was the best way to dispel any suspicion.
But there was something else.
"Utopia..."
His eyes flickered as he recalled what he had seen.
The people of Utopia had been unusually frenzied, their eyes crimson, clearly under someone's control.
And the aura they exuded felt strangely familiar. As he reflected on it now, he was inexplicably reminded of Evil God Power.
"Could the Evil God Cult be behind this?"
"But what would they gain from it?"
He frowned, lost in thought for a long time.
In the end, he suppressed his urge to investigate further.
The radiant white-gold light in Chen Feng's mind finally completed its transformation. The first stage of the upgrade didn't take long.
But then, a sudden inspiration struck him.
Upon learning the enhanced state of the Holy Shield Colossus, Chen Feng was somewhat surprised.
Buzz!
In an instant, the white-gold light between his eyebrows shot out.
It condensed in mid-air, solidifying from nothingness.
The Holy Shield Colossus, now reduced in size, materialized before him.
Its body was made of gray-white rock, clad in golden armor. Golden patterns covered its arms, legs, and wings, and a section of its gray-white dragon tail dragged along the ground.
At first glance, it didn't seem much different from before. But...
"The energy consumption has dropped drastically!"
Their gazes met. Chen Feng stared into the gray-white rock eyes and the golden crown atop the diamond-shaped crystal on the Colossus's forehead.
He was experiencing on Earth a sensation usually reserved for near-second-dream states or entry into other Secret Realms.
Maintaining the Holy Shield Colossus still required mental and physical energy, but compared to the immense burden of the past, it now felt much lighter.
For instance, right now, he could keep it active on Earth for days without feeling strained.
Furthermore, the Holy Shield Colossus dissolved back into light and merged with his forehead.
Suppressing his slightly agitated emotions, Chen Feng quickly sat cross-legged and regained his composure.
His consciousness sank, and he entered the Dream Realm.
Soon, a fog-shrouded ruined city came into view.
Endless black mist and shattered buildings stretched as far as the eye could see. In the distance, through a gap in a collapsed high wall, a colossal creature could be vaguely seen coiled. Then, he entered the Qinggang City district.
Roar!!!
A deafening roar erupted as the Black Tide Creatures below the high-rise discovered his presence.
Demonic Batfolk, grotesquely mutated Bone Eagles, and hideous Black-Faced Spiders swarmed toward him.
Even more terrifying, not far from the high-rise, a massive, ground-bound one-horned crocodile suddenly snapped open its crimson, vertical pupils.
Buzz!!
A powerful aura spread outward—the unmistakable presence of a 6th-tier creature.
The crocodile roared, unleashing a shockwave that swept across a hundred meters, its earth-shattering sound piercing his eardrums.
In an instant, countless Black Tide Creatures surged forward, the threat of a 6th-tier being looming just beyond his reach.
But Chen Feng's gaze held a hint of curiosity. A beam of platinum light shot from his brow, solidifying in mid-air.
Whoosh!!
Stone wings unfurled, and a fierce gale erupted.
The overwhelming wind pressure, like a hurricane tornado, swept outward. Most of the Black Tide Creatures hadn't even reached the high-rise before their bodies exploded, instantly slain.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The continuous thuds echoed as slightly stronger creatures, able to withstand the wind pressure, were still knocked off balance and sent flying backward, crashing through a section of the high wall.
No techniques were used—just a simple spread of wings was enough to keep even ordinary Fifth-Tier creatures at bay.
"Seventh-Tier?"
"No, it's still Sixth-Tier, but it's just a hair away from breaking through."
"Perhaps 'Pseudo-Seventh-Tier' is a more accurate description?"
With profound eyes, Chen Feng, through their mental link, could clearly sense the Holy Shield Colossus's current might.
He knew that even with his Azure Armor activated and Steel Bones engaged, he wouldn't stand a chance against it.
It exuded an aura of transcendence, as if it stood above the world, yet it also seemed flawed, imperfect.
Roar!!
The grotesquely distorted, single-horned crocodile on the ground cared nothing for such subtleties.
Driven by pure instinct, its crimson pupils narrowed, reflecting only the desire for slaughter.
A powerful Sixth-Tier aura surged into the sky, followed by the creature opening its blood-red maw and unleashing a lightning-fast black beam of breath.
Boom!!!
The several-meter-thick black beam pierced through everything, instantly crossing a hundred meters to strike the Holy Shield Colossus.
Chen Feng's gaze narrowed as he focused.
The Colossus hovered in midair, its wings spread wide.
Its massive right arm, carved from stone, reached forward, its palm open.
The powerful black light strike was blocked by a single palm. Crackling black arcs flickered and danced around them, flickering erratically.
Until the end.
The one-horned giant crocodile's breath was exhausted. The Holy Shield Colossus's meter-wide palm suddenly clenched into a fist.
Boom!!
The air exploded with a thunderous roar.
Then, with a whoosh, the seemingly clumsy giant colossus vanished from its original position, reappearing a hundred meters away before the giant crocodile.
Boom!!!
A white-gray fist print descended from the sky, collapsing the ground and forming a deep crater.
The one-horned giant crocodile, measuring over ten meters long, had its four legs sunk deep into the earth. Its body was forced down, pressed against the crater's floor.
It opened its jaws in surprise and fury, wanting to roar in defiance, but the crushing wind pressure from the descending fist pinned it in place.
Finally, with a deafening thud!
The ground within a several-hundred-meter radius shuddered violently. Nearby buildings swayed, and windows shattered.
Black Tide Creatures in the vicinity were flung away by the shockwave. As for the one-horned giant crocodile, its body exploded in a shower of blood, killing it instantly.
Shattered scales pierced the night sky. Chen Feng, standing on the rooftop of a high-rise building, witnessed the scene.
A complex mix of emotions surged within him. The Holy Shield Colossus's overwhelming power filled him with immense confidence.
More 6th-tier creatures were approaching from afar, but Chen Feng didn't feel the need to divert his attention.
He immediately decided to head to the nearest Martial Hall to loot Light Orbs, accumulating Extreme Martial Arts, Golden Profound, and even other skill Light Orbs.
But in the next instant, his Perception stirred. Chen Feng suddenly sensed an oppressive aura, as if dark clouds were about to engulf the world.
The surrounding air seemed to solidify, and even Qinggang City trembled for a moment.
This ominous scene made him uneasy. He looked up at the sky.
The eerie Crimson Moon suddenly shifted, plunging the world into darkness.
All light vanished completely. Then, the Blood Moon reappeared, its crimson glow restored.
Everything seemed unchanged, and the oppressive aura dissipated instantly.
It felt as if his Perception had merely played a trick on him. But...
"Was that...?"
"A blink?"
(End of the Chapter)
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