"So far, everything has gone smoothly indeed."
At the semi-circular conference table, a high-ranking figure, half-hidden in the shadows, spoke slowly.
His finger gently toyed with the star-shaped tal button on his cuff. He paused for a mont, then continued, "After the launch of the ’Chasing God’ satellite, everything... will only go more smoothly."
A man with an upright posture stepped out of the darkness. As battle scenes switched on the large screen beside him, he began his report, "Of the twenty-three target points designated in the plan, operations have comnced at nineteen. We have completely lost contact with three exploration teams.
Seven explorations have been successfully completed, yielding over twenty high-end ’Treasures’. The most valuable among these are three Phoenix Feathers..."
During the man’s report, a representative from one of the factions interjected, "I wish to know if the Distant Star Federation has made any progress in its research on ’immortality’. Over the years, the Distant Star Federation has acquired a considerable number of Phoenix Feathers through exploration or exchange, has it not?
If there have been no results, or if you are unwilling to disclose them, I propose that we retain so samples of items related to the mysteries of the Phoenix for our own research..."
"Seconded."
Once this man finished speaking, soone else at the conference imdiately voiced their agreent.
The reporting man waited for everyone to finish speaking, then nodded calmly. "Alright, you may retain samples."
The individuals who had spoken earlier looked slightly stunned, not expecting their casually made request to be granted so smoothly.
Then, they heard the reporting man continue, "...the exploration of the remaining nine target points has yet to be completed. We anticipate acquiring an additional forty high-end ’Treasures’, among which..."
The reporting man turned, and the light screen behind him displayed three different mysterious items.
A beast bone, glowing red like a ruby.
An oak tree, bearing five cyan-gold acorns.
And a black stone slab, engraved with the image of a phoenix.
"These three items, according to our estimations, are far more valuable than ordinary Phoenix Feathers."
A low murmur swept through the conference room, and many faces wore expressions of awe.
No wonder the proposal to retain samples of Phoenix Feathers had been approved so readily. It turned out the Distant Star Federation had already discovered top-tier ’Treasures’ far exceeding the value of Phoenix Feathers.
Their ambitions were greater, so they made a small concession first. This was indeed in line with the Distant Star Federation’s usual style.
While so sighed inwardly, their interest was now piqued by the information regarding these three top-tier ’Treasures’.
"What is the progress on the exploration of these three items?"
"One is currently underway. The other two are in the preparatory stages..."
The man in charge of the report switched the image on the light screen again.
The screen displayed a deep valley engulfed in intense battle, blanketed by artillery fire. Two giants, tens of ters tall and seemingly composed of colossal rocks and magma, roared loudly.
The figures of Modified Humans and cha filled the sky, energy beams interweaving into a luminous net.
Everything appeared to be proceeding smoothly. With the arrival of a chestnut-haired man on the battlefield, one who could unleash copious amounts of silver threads, the battle completely tipped in one direction.
One Magma Giant fell with a thunderous crash, then the second...
"That’s ’Silver Ape’ Heinz, isn’t it? I rember that na..." soone at the conference table remarked with feeling. "To reach the sixth rank relying solely on New Martial, a renowned figure from the Egersis Organization known as ’Red Scorpion’. Truly remarkable..."
The speaker was a representative of a dium-sized faction, his words laced with envy.
Sixth-rank powerhouses were already considered top-tier experts in factions like theirs. An entire nation couldn’t cultivate many such individuals. Each one was a cornerstone of their faction, never to be deployed lightly.
Yet Havel could casually dispatch such talents for the current joint operation. The disparity in national strength was evident.
His words didn’t garner much attention; most people were focused on a peculiar altar in the corner of the screen, particularly a vibrant green oak tree.
The oak tree bore five acorns of varying shades. The intertwining cyan and gold luster gave it an appearance of extraordinary mystery, making one covet it.
"...Even the least valuable of these five acorns, in terms of the ’Extraordinary Factor’ it contains, surpasses a complete Phoenix Feather. We suspect this might be an Immortal Oak, nurtured by Phoenix blood, holding imnse research value for the study of ’immortality’..."
Following the introduction, a buzz of hushed conversations filled the conference room.
After a brief discussion, soone asked, "These Immortal Oak acorns... these three items, how do they compare to the Phoenix Egg in the central Forbidden Land?"
The reporting man adjusted the glasses on his nose and answered calmly, "If the object we detected in the central Forbidden Land is indeed the egg laid by the legendary Phoenix after a failed nirvana, then undoubtedly, its value would be far greater..."
"Unfortunately, the location of that egg has already been discovered by Sum Country and other organizations. We cannot claim it exclusively..." soone lanted.
"With our strength alone, we might not be able to secure it anyway. We need to rely on the power of others to clear the perilous path. Once their strength is significantly depleted, our main forces can enter. That is when our chances of success will be highest..."
"That also increases the risk of soone else getting there first."
"With ’Chasing God’ monitoring the entire area, we can deploy forces at any ti. Such a situation absolutely cannot occur..."
Animated discussions continued to fill the conference room. The Distant Star Federation’s director, noticing a man who hadn’t spoken a word from the beginning, inquired casually, "President Kase, would you care to share your thoughts?"
The question from the Distant Star Federation’s director gradually quieted the discussions in the conference room. All eyes involuntarily turned to the man who had been addressed.
The latter was intently watching the large screen. Upon hearing the question, he slowly turned his head and mused, "I believe discussions about the spoils can wait until the operation is fully concluded. What I’m more curious about now is..."
The man pointed to a spot on the light screen, a peculiar glint in his eyes. "Has the Distant Star Federation’s research and developnt of Evil Energy series exoskeletal armor matured to this extent? Is this the power of an Evil God System? Is the Evil Energy Fluctuation at the fourth rank? Or perhaps the fifth?"
"Uh..."
As soon as the man finished speaking, everyone in the conference room was montarily stunned, then their gazes collectively snapped towards the light screen.
Sure enough, they spotted a rather eye-catching, ornate figure in the footage.
The figure possessed six wings, its body entirely encased in exoskeleton armor of an archaic yet magnificent design, reminiscent of ancient royal battle armor. It exuded a powerful aura of Evil Energy, like black smoke, causing the image on the screen to blur and distort to so degree. Wielding a Black Crystal Two-handed Sword, its posture was dynamic and striking, possessing an inexplicable, captivating presence.
"...Its design is superb, and its mobility is excellent. It appears to be equipped for both lee and ranged combat... Is this its final form? Can we see it in action?"
President Kase of Havel’s Egersis Organization, who had been addressed, spoke rapidly, his eyes gleaming. He stared at the magnificent figure on the screen, firing off questions, clearly showing his intense interest.
When Kase finished asking, soone from below imdiately spoke up, "Actually, I noticed it quite so ti ago. But since none of you ntioned it, I assud it was no longer a secret and that we were simply behind the tis..."
The speaker wore an expression of helplessness.
Many eyes in the conference room quickly shifted back to the Distant Star Federation’s director.
However, the latter wore an astonished expression. Looking at Kase in bewildernt, he said, "You’re asking ? Seeing the design of this exoskeleton, I assud it was the work of your people from Havel. I was about to ask you about it..."
The Havel Empire, with its ancient knightly traditions, had a natural aesthetic fascination with such royally styled ancient exoskeleton armor. Therefore, the exoskeleton armor and cha produced by Havel predominantly featured ancient knightly styles. The Distant Star Federation director’s assumption wasn’t entirely baseless.
Now it was Kase who was dumbfounded.
Not from the Distant Star Federation, nor from Havel. With the two most powerful factions in the alliance ruled out, it was highly unlikely that any other faction possessed the capability to develop Evil Energy series exoskeleton armor of this caliber.
After a mont of baffled silence where everyone exchanged glances, rapid commands were issued to ticulously vet the participant list for the ’Acorn Operation’.
A few minutes later, after more exchanged glances, they finally arrived at a fact that was difficult to accept yet undeniably true—
...a brazen ’mole’ had infiltrated this operation?!
「......」
As he plumted from the cliff into the deep valley, Lu Yuan resembled a black teor streaking down from the sky. The fierce wind surging up from the valley floor whistled past his ears, carrying waves of scorching heat.
Only then did Lu Yuan get a panoramic view of the entire valley.
In the center, surrounded by dense jungle, was a sunken, barren rocky area. Rivers of magma flowed through its middle – this was the habitat of the Phoenix Bloodline.
Like the Elephantn, I suspect the Phoenix Bloodline also evolved from ordinary humans... Lu Yuan mused as he swiftly approached the battlefield, gripping the greatsword condensed from Death Qi.
Having activated the abilities of the [Death Teller (Extraordinary)] panel, he found his combat power under this panel had soared. The most direct manifestation was his ability to condense six wings, drastically increasing his flight speed. The strength of his [Netherworld Clothing] had also significantly increased, and its aesthetic appeal had skyrocketed.
On one hand, it’s due to the significant increase in my various attributes. Although the root of the [Death Teller (Extraordinary)] panel’s power is Death Qi, it’s also inextricably linked to the four Basic Attributes...
On the other hand, it’s... Lu Yuan subconsciously touched the ’Feather of the Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow’ in his chest, which throbbed like a vigorously beating heart. This item truly lived up to its na as a Legendary Level material. Ever since it was ’activated’ back in Penglai, Lu Yuan had been able to borrow a portion of the power it contained. This Feather of the Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow had absorbed an imnse amount of Death Qi in the Lant Ruins. Now, this Death Qi was at Lu Yuan’s disposal, directly amplifying the abilities of his [Death Teller (Extraordinary)] panel many tis over. It’s practically an artifact with an attribute effect like: All Skill Levels ?
With this thought, Lu Yuan transford into a dazzling streak of black lightning and plunged into the battlefield.
He casually unleashed a massive, crescent-shaped blade of Death Qi light towards a random spot below. Just as he was about to move towards the altar deep within the valley, suddenly... a figure blocked his path.
"WHOA—"
The facial shield of the green exoskeleton suit hovering before Lu Yuan opened, revealing a face filled with astonishnt and disbelief.
"Buddy! Where’d you get that exoskeleton? What model is it? It’s way too cool, isn’t it?!"
Lu Yuan, who had been stopped, was about to strike. But the man’s questions caught him completely off guard, almost making him forget what to do.
Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure.
Lu Yuan gently tugged down his Other Shore Flower crystal mask, revealing his fair, smooth chin. His icy gaze swept fiercely over the overly familiar man before him. Surging Death Qi, suffused with potent Evil Energy Fluctuation, radiated outwards, distorting the surrounding air.
"Is ’buddy’ sothing you’re qualified to call ?" Lu Yuan uttered coldly. With a slight flap of his six wings, sword in one hand, he soared directly over the man’s head.
"Call Sir!"
"Uh..."
The man froze on the spot, stunned as if doused with cold water. Half a second later, he shivered. He cast a reverent glance in the direction Lu Yuan had departed before quickly rejoining the battle...
Reviews
All reviews (0)