Translator: CinderTL
"Transformation complete!"
"Success! Another Flying General has been born!"
"This newly discovered refining technique is indeed incredibly effective, boosting efficiency by at least thirty percent!"
"I think the rumors might be true. The upper limit for transformation might really have increased."
At an experimental base in Red City, the human figure and data on the display screen finally stabilized, displaying a safety alert.
The white-coated researchers erupted in cheers. Even the Modified Humans and Cyborgs of the Red Guard stationed here were visibly excited and respectful, all turning their gaze toward a tightly sealed experimental chamber door.
Hiss! Click!
A crisp sound echoed as the sturdy metal door slowly opened.
Chilling white vapor billowed out, revealing a figure clad in a white combat suit with red trim.
He appeared to be middle-aged, with a scholarly demeanor and a slicked-back hairstyle.
The crossed sword-and-shield emblem on his chest was still crimson, but everyone present knew he was about to receive the crystal badge symbolizing the rank of Flying General—second only to the resplendent Divine Generals.
"Congratulations, Flying General Wu!"
"Congratulations, congratulations!!"
Waves of congratulatory shouts erupted. Members of the Red Guard approached, their faces beaming with warmth.
Wu Zong smiled and nodded, softening his aura and responding gently.
"Lord Wu, Divine General Zhou requests your presence. Please come at once."
A messenger arrived with the summons. Wu Zong nodded slightly.
He immediately left the laboratory, stepping out into a landscape of towering buildings with gray-white walls. Heavy artillery installations were scattered around the base. Warships patrolled the skies, their presence a constant reminder of vigilance.
"Commander Xu, does the atmosphere feel... off to you?" Wu Zong asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
The man leading him paused, then realization dawned. "Flying General Wu, you may not have heard yet."
"Councilor Luo was assassinated."
The words landed softly, and Wu Zong's expression hardened. He stopped in his tracks.
Councilor Luo... dead?
Assassinated?
His eyes flickered as he listened to the messenger explain the details.
"The higher-ups are taking this matter very seriously. They've found some irregularities and have already dispatched investigators based on a list of suspects."
"By the way, Flying General Wu, you were close to Councilor Luo. Do you have any particular suspects in mind?"
The messenger asked curiously. Wu Zong barely managed to regain his composure.
Finally, suppressing all his turbulent emotions, he gazed at the distant skyscraper that symbolized the General Federation.
Not far away, the Martial Dao Association headquarters, established by the Red Capital Academy with resource support, was conducting research on New Martial Arts.
A dark glint flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head.
Click.
The door of the meditation chamber closed. Chen Feng sat cross-legged, pushing aside unnecessary speculation.
He wasn't sure if anyone else knew about Luo Wantao's suspicions about him.
Nor was he certain whether the Evil God Cult was truly involved in the Yun Port incident or what conspiracy they were hiding.
He only knew one thing:
With sufficient strength, all problems could be solved.
Instantly, distracting thoughts were suppressed.
He summoned the Holy Shield Colossus once more.
Though its reduced form stood only two meters tall, its massive, white-gray frame, crowned head, and heavy Golden Armor still made the meditation chamber feel cramped.
"The first-stage transformation already brought it to the pseudo-seventh-tier level."
"If it completes the second transformation, could it reach the true seventh-tier level?"
Gazing at the colossus, Chen Feng began formulating his future plans.
The Holy Shield Colossus could now remain in the mortal realm for an extended period. Combined with its combat prowess, ordinary Flying Generals posed no threat.
Further enhancements would undoubtedly yield even greater results.
"Therefore, I must find you a suitable large mountain range as soon as possible, so you can absorb enough earth element."
With an idea forming, Chen Feng's mind conjured several mountain range names.
These were among the largest mountain ranges on the Eastern Continent.
Some lay north of the Red Nation, others in Suro or Niduo.
Perpetually snow-capped, their peaks stretched endlessly, covering vast expanses like a giant dragon winding through the earth's veins.
Without hesitation, he acted.
He turned to the Holy Shield Colossus, intending to have it bypass the City Surveillance Network and first investigate two snow-capped mountain ranges north of the Red Nation to see if they suited its attributes.
But then...
"Hmm?"
Raising an eyebrow, Chen Feng received the Holy Shield Colossus's thoughts through their mental link.
He looked down and saw a faint glow emanating from its palms, revealing a new Small Stone Statue had just been born.
"Ah, I see."
His confusion dispelled, Chen Feng understood the Holy Shield Colossus's meaning as the palm-sized statue flew into his hand.
The greater the distance between him and the Holy Shield Colossus, the more energy it drained from him as a gifted individual, easily becoming a burden.
Moreover, considering the Dream Incursion situation, where he needed its assistance, the Holy Shield Colossus was ill-suited to travel too far.
In contrast, sending the Small Stone Statue to complete the task solved this problem.
As a life form originating from the Holy Shield Colossus, it could closely assess the mountain range's terrain to determine if it suited the Colossus's attributes.
After a moment's thought, Chen Feng realized he wasn't limited to the current Stone Statue No. 4. He also considered the two Small Stone Statues he had left in the Luohe River Suburbs and the Nanjiang Suburbs.
No trace of the Evil God Cult had been found, nor had the City Council's drone swarm.
Chen Feng suspected they had either already left the suburbs or were hiding too deeply to be detected.
After some consideration, he made a decision. He left only Third in the Nanjiang Suburbs to continue searching for the Evil God Cult.
As for the other two...
"First, go abroad."
"No. 4, head north."
With a thought, the two stone statues split up.
Stone Statue No. 1 in the Luohe River Suburbs quickly changed direction, heading directly toward Suro, which bordered the Luohe River Suburbs, and even further to Niduo.
Meanwhile, Stone Statue No. 4 before him flapped its stone wings and soared through the window, flying north.
The shared screen continued to extend, and Chen Feng knew that within days, he would have results and find the Earth Vein Power needed for the Holy Shield Colossus.
But for now...
The screen switched, and Stone Statue No. 2 in the Serpent Spirit Secret Realm sent a message.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
He knew the Holy City's team had likely reached the barrier nearby.
Whoosh!
A massive flying eagle with brown feathers swooped low, landing on the ground.
The wind it stirred up whipped through the air, kicking up dust and sand that swirled before Chen Feng's eyes.
All eyes turned toward the burly figure who leaped from the eagle's back. The scene revealed a rugged landscape of hills and ravines, close to a cliff, dominated by dust and gravel.
Seven or eight elite figures in silver armor, green vine cloaks, and heavy brown armor awaited here, all turning their gazes toward the burly man who had just leaped from the Flying Eagle.
"Olon, what's the situation?" someone asked. The burly figure, carrying a broadsword nearly three meters long, was clad in silver armor—Olon, the Chief Guard of the Holy City Falcon Legion.
"There are a few Serpentfolk scouts nearby, but not many," Olon replied in a low voice. "As far as we can tell, they haven't detected us yet." His broad face, high nose, and stern features conveyed his seriousness.
The others nodded in agreement, clearly trusting his assessment based on his mastery of the wind.
"Then it seems the Serpentfolk's true strength lies over there," someone said, glancing toward a vast green forest across the hill.
The green expanse stretched for over ten miles, bordering a cliff that separated it from another forest. Below, the trees were lush and verdant, their roots thick and sturdy.
Everything should have appeared normal, but a closer look revealed a massive blood-red barrier at the center, like a transparent dome sealing off the sky and forest within. Spanning at least a thousand meters, the barrier enclosed a hundred-meter-wide emerald lake, its surface rippling occasionally.
Outside the barrier, a dozen or so medium-sized Black-Scaled Winged Serpents circled in the air.
Serpentfolk warriors in full armor, armed with long spears, patrolled the perimeter of the heavily guarded barrier. Below, on the ground, lay a sprawling Serpentfolk settlement. Red Phosphorus Serpent-Folk with drawn bows and black-armored warriors with long spears patrolled the area. Fourth-Tier powerhouses were common, and occasionally, Fifth-Tier commanders from the Eight Great Tribes could be seen.
"It doesn't seem like there's a Serpentfolk Saint here," someone observed. "Lord Kali, should we move now?"
Turning her gaze away, she looked at the leader of their expedition. Lord Kali, a woman with brown hair adorned with floral patterns, wore green vine armor and a white cloak.
"Not yet," she replied, shaking her head. Kali opened her palm, and a faint green light emerged, flowing like water into the ground and merging with a patch of green grass on the hill.
More green ripples spread outward, expanding like waves across the ground and even enveloping some of the trees in the forest below. Seeing her actions, the others closed their eyes in silence, not daring to interrupt.
As the Legion Commander of the Thorn Legion, Lord Kali possessed an innate ability to communicate with plants—a fact well-known throughout the Holy City.
Olon, dismounting from the Flying Eagle, remained silent, carefully observing Kali's movements while recalling the mission Legion Commander Adams had entrusted to him:
Record everything you see and hear as accurately as possible and report back truthfully.
Buzz!
Finally, the strange green energy fluctuation quickly dissipated, and Kali, who had been meditating with closed eyes, opened them.
A flash of emerald green seemed to pass through her eyes, and her long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her back, fluttering gently in the breeze along with her cloak.
Though the scene appeared peaceful, the truth was far more ominous.
"There are at least three Saints here."
Her calm voice sent a chill through the crowd. Even Molly, who had accompanied them, wore a grave expression, her heart heavy with dread.
Three Saints.
The Holy City had only three Legion Commanders in total.
Moreover, even the strongest among them, Lord Adams, had yet to fully transcend the Saint realm.
A wave of gloom settled over the group, plunging them into a brief silence.
The only sound came from the white-gray Small Stone Statue, which had spun down from the sky and landed with a thud in the sandy soil of a nearby hill, seemingly devouring the earth.
"Should we still proceed?" someone asked hesitantly, their resolve momentarily wavering.
No one answered, all eyes turning back to Kali, their leader.
"Saints, too, vary in strength," she said calmly, gazing at the distant crimson barrier.
In a calm tone, Kali gazed at the distant crimson Barrier.
Confidence still filled her eyes, but then she lowered her head to look at the Small Stone Statue.
"Besides, didn't he promise he'd appear?"
As her words fell, everyone followed her gaze to the statue.
Puff! Puff!
The statue fluttered its stone wings, spitting out a mouthful of Sha as if finding it unpalatable. It shook its head like a rattle, and silence fell once more. Molly, standing nearby, felt a pang of awkwardness.
Just as she was about to speak, a sudden sound cut through the air.
Puff?
The Small Stone Statue, which had been consuming Sha, paused mid-chew and abruptly looked up at the distant Barrier.
Everyone blinked in surprise. Then, the statue abruptly flapped its stone wings and soared into the sky.
The puff-puff of its wings sounded like a frantic summons, yet also carried a hint of warmth and eager anticipation.
Molly was the first to recover her senses. Kali, the leader of their group, also narrowed her eyes and turned to gaze at the crimson Barrier.
"Lord Man'gu, the Three Great Tribes are at odds. They're constantly arguing over the mobilization of troops."
"Do you think we should ask the Serpent God Temple to send someone?"
Inside the central camp, a Serpentfolk whispered the question.
Hearing this, the Black-Scaled Serpentfolk in a hooded black robe of the Serpent God Temple opened his eyes.
"How many times has this happened now?"
"Three times."
The messenger spoke plainly, relaying the details.
"The Silver Wood Tribe is reluctant to join the siege alliance. The Huorong Tribe has suffered heavy losses recently and is considering withdrawing."
As the messenger finished, the black-robed Saint of the Serpent God Temple shook his head.
For thousands of years, the Eight Great Tribes had each ruled their own territories, independent and sovereign.
With the Serpent God slumbering and the Seven Angels vanished, the Serpent God Temple still held sway over the land, but its influence was now met with more resistance than before.
"Tell them that the attack on the Holy City is a direct command from the Serpent God, received personally by the Elder."
"Furthermore, the Serpent God has revealed that an Angel will soon return."
The black-robed Saint of the Serpent God Temple spoke in a deep voice. The messenger nodded, acknowledging the order.
Then, as if remembering something, he spoke again.
"Master, there's one more matter."
"Speak."
"The Serpent God Temple has sent word. The Elder wishes you to return for the grand sacrificial ceremony. What do you think?"
"Have the Savage Wolf represent me."
He shook his head in refusal. The messenger paused, then looked up at the blood-red barrier surrounding the camp.
"After all this time... Master, do you truly believe that outsider will still appear?"
Months had passed without a trace or ripple.
He suspected the outsider might have lost their way in the Star Realm or lost the path to descend here.
The black-robed Saint narrowed his eyes but didn't respond.
His Serpent Eyes, hidden beneath his hood, seemed particularly cold. He wouldn't forget how close he had come to failing that day.
"Since the Serpent God once sent down a revelation, he will surely appear again."
"And when he does..."
His gaze turned icy. He knew the power of this barrier all too well.
As long as the outsider dared to descend again, the Serpent God's sacrifice would gain another victim.
And he, the one who had personally captured and subdued the outsider, would surely receive the Serpent God's blessing and...
Buzz!!!
Suddenly, an unusual fluctuation shattered his thoughts.
His Serpent Eyes narrowed, and he vanished from his spot in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was hovering above the Serpent-Folk Tribe's camp.
Looking up, he saw a single-horned figure with crimson-veined black wings and a body of deep blue-black hovering in the blood-red barrier's midair.
Its fiberglass Scarlet Eyes gazed down, while his own Serpent Eyes stared back, locked in a silent duel.
In that instant, all the black-robed Saint's thoughts coalesced into a single, savage grin. A murderous intent surged through the air.
"Vile outsider!"
"You've finally appeared!!"
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (MF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c458. [+4.5k]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.6K+) Chapters, (5.1M+) Words.