Translator: CinderTL
Boom!!
A deafening explosion resounded, sending a plume of dust soaring into the sky.
The Flying Eagle Beasts circling above the Holy City were startled one after another. The Silver Armor Guards above all turned their heads in unison, gazing towards the edge of the Green Marsh.
Though the distance was too great to see clearly, the scene was still somewhat discernible.
Flickering afterimages intersected, and bursts of hazy white light continuously exploded, as if some immensely powerful Chain Secret Art was being unleashed.
Seeing this, a Silver Armor Guard with a stern expression issued orders.
"Quickly inform the Commander!"
"You, you, and you, come with me to investigate!"
"Yes!"
As the orders were issued, three of the circling Flying Eagle Beasts flew out, each carrying five or six robust Silver Armor Guards, heading straight for the battle site.
But soon.
Whoosh!!!!
A white light streaked with golden patterns suddenly appeared high in the sky, plummeting to the ground like a meteor.
All the Flying Eagles trembled in fear, halting their advance and letting out terrified screeches.
The Silver Armor Guard captain's expression changed slightly as he hurriedly calmed his mount, while also focusing on the falling object.
Enveloped in golden patterns, it resembled a Silver-Gray Colossus carved from stone.
An overwhelming aura of life energy radiated from it, and then it crashed into the ground with a thunderous roar.
Boom!!!
Cracks spread across the ground within a hundred-meter radius, and a massive cloud of dust billowed into the sky.
Like a muffled thunderclap, glowing runes lit up within the Holy City, as if some formation had been activated.
In an instant, several earth-shaking auras erupted one after another. The Silver Armor Guards' expressions changed, and they quickly turned to look.
Immediately, they saw that several figures had appeared atop the Holy City's mountain peak.
Among them, one person rode a larger Flying Eagle Beast King, heading straight towards them.
Crack!
In a deep pit, Chen Feng stood with one foot crushing the head of a fourth-tier snake-man, the brute force causing it to burst like a watermelon.
Chen Feng stood in place, retracting his gaze and indifferently looking up.
A brown-scaled snake-man, capable of controlling rocks, was being held by the Holy Shield Colossus with one arm, its scales torn and blood mixed with mud.
"Gurgle..."
Struggling sounds came from the snake-man's mouth, but Chen Feng paid no heed. He simply stepped forward and picked up a small snakeskin bag that had fallen to the ground.
Inside were two Serpent Spirit Fruits, an unexpected harvest.
"You... despicable outsider..."
"Those... those are divine fruits offered by the Black Blade Tribe to the Serpent God... how dare you!"
The black-scaled snake-man lay on the ground, continuously warning.
But as Chen Feng glanced over, he saw that the snake-man's arm was broken, his scales shattered, revealing bloody holes.
Meteors rained down, bombarding with full force.
Even as a fourth-tier being, no matter how much he dodged, he could only endure the meteors' might in the end.
"So that's how it is..."
Narrowing his eyes, Chen Feng stashed the Serpent Spirit Fruits and roughly understood how they had managed to ambush him.
First, it was due to the secret realm's rejection, a special mark of this world.
Second, they were part of the Serpent God Temple's team collecting Serpent Spirit Fruits from the Black Blade Tribe in the southern region. After receiving orders, they had turned their direction and coincidentally found him here.
"Despicable one... the Serpent God has already noticed you... you will die..."
Whoosh!!!
A black light pierced through everything, with sizzling electricity crackling on a cyan-gold horn.
All threats were forcibly cut off. Chen Feng suddenly felt a stir and looked towards the Holy City.
Several kilometers away, an extremely powerful aura was emanating.
He could sense an intensely oppressive gaze directed his way.
As the dust was about to settle, it would be difficult to hide his tracks on the vast ground.
In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind.
He issued an order to the Holy Shield Colossus.
Crack!
Immediately, the brown-scaled snake-man's neck was snapped, and all the Serpent God Temple pursuers were dead.
The next second.
Whoosh!!!
With a flap of its stone wings, the Holy Shield Colossus soared into the sky.
As the dust gradually settled, the Holy City's approaching forces all wore grave expressions.
"Commander?"
The Silver Armor Guard captain spoke seriously, looking at the burly man before him.
He had a rugged face with a bit of a beard.
His skin was bronze, with short brown hair, wearing an exceptionally large silver armor. Someone beside him carried a silver broadsword and a silver helmet for him.
"Not weak."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he gazed at the distant figure of the Silver-Gray Colossus.
A fifth-tier lifeform?
Judging by its appearance, it didn't seem human, nor like a snake-man.
And the cyan-gold figure on its back was also a life form he had never seen before.
His doubts grew heavier, until finally, the figure disappeared into the Green Marsh.
And they arrived at the edge of the hundred-meter-wide crater.
Like a meteor impact, the circular depression was surrounded by cracks.
Four snake-man corpses lay in various states of death, with blood and scales scattered everywhere.
Seeing this, the Silver Armor Guards all wore serious expressions, and the Silver Armor Commander's eyes narrowed.
"These are Serpent God Temple members."
A thought crossed his mind, recalling the Silver-Gray Colossus's form.
Such an unfamiliar life form, and that strange power, unlike serpent spirits or the Seed of Life...
His mood grew heavier, and he immediately turned to issue orders.
"Dispose of the bodies, then return."
"Commander?"
"This matter is no longer something our guard force can handle..."
---
Whoosh!
As the strong wind subsided, the figure landed.
After upgrading, the Holy Shield Colossus had undergone a transformation in its life level.
As its aura spread, the mutated crocodiles in the nearby swamp hurriedly submerged, not daring to surface.
Chen Feng didn't pay much attention to these details. After confirming that the Holy City guards weren't pursuing, he quickly took out the two Serpent Spirit Fruits.
These weren't Limit-Breaking Light Orbs that could be temporarily stored.
Once converted, they would be immediately absorbed.
So...
"Wait a bit longer."
He thought of one of the true objectives of this trip—the awakening method for the Seed of Life.
It would be best to obtain that method before converting and absorbing these fruits, ensuring maximum effect.
With this thought in mind, he put the snakeskin bag and Serpent Spirit Fruits back into his robe.
The Azure Armor gradually dissipated, and a panel appeared before his eyes.
[Azure Armor LV4: 68/100]
[Heart of Glory LV3: 8/100]
The fear value was, as usual, moderate, not too high.
Even in the face of death, the snake-men here still worshipped the great Serpent God, so their fear was limited.
As for the Heart of Glory.
The Holy Shield Colossus was already a fifth-tier being, so the fourth-tier snake-men provided minimal nourishment.
No disappointment though, at least the progress was increasing.
In contrast, Chen Feng was more concerned about the several powerful auras stirred within the Holy City.
All were above the fourth tier, far stronger than his current self.
This completely dashed his plans to either request the Seed of Life method from the Holy City or forcibly enter to seize Obsidian.
Everything returned to square one, only making him more vigilant.
Finally, looking towards the black settlement beyond the Green Marsh, Chen Feng began to formulate a plan.
A day later.
At the foot of the Holy City, in the black settlement.
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
"Recently, the Holy City is going to investigate everyone, especially those who haven't awakened the Seed of Life. It's said that soon, even we will be scrutinized."
"What's going on? Wasn't everything fine?"
"Don't you remember the commotion yesterday? Even the Holy City was stirred, sending the guard force to check it out..."
Voices discussed in the black settlement, located at the foot of the Holy City's mountain, beyond the river.
Brown stones were piled into a simple low wall, encircling and protecting the settlement, encompassing several kilometers.
Most of the buildings inside were wooden huts, with a few made of stone. Many tattered cloths were wrapped around sticks and inserted into roofs, resembling flags fluttering in the wind.
Outside the low wall, at the main gate.
Several sturdy men in black wooden armor stood guard with spears.
On the wooden watchtower, a man with a quiver and a wooden bow occasionally glanced vigilantly at the vast surroundings.
Taking all this in, Chen Feng, wrapped in a brown robe, calmly made his way towards the settlement's main gate.
He had thought the Holy City would send people to search the Green Marsh area, or at least be on high alert nearby.
But nothing had happened, and even the snake-man corpses had been cleaned up.
After some consideration, he decided to stick to his original plan—enter the settlement directly and find Molly.
Soon, he reached the settlement's entrance.
As he tried to blend into the crowd, Chen Feng was stopped.
"Hey, you, are you new here?"
A man in wooden armor, holding a spear, frowned as he asked.
Chen Feng nodded, not worried about being recognized.
Yesterday, he had been in his Azure Armor form, vastly different from his current appearance.
After his response, the man frowned, scrutinizing him, and spoke in a harsh tone, "Entering the settlement requires a tribute. Didn't anyone tell you the rules?"
"Rules?"
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed. This is the Holy City's foot. We gather here under its radiance and protection."
The spear-wielding man, holding a black bead, spoke indifferently.
The bead was pitch black, without a single glimmer of light.
He glanced at the bead, seemingly confirming something, and continued in a flat tone, "Therefore, to enter, you must offer coins, temporarily held by our Falcon Corps."
"Understand?"
As he spoke, Chen Feng could feel numerous eyes on him.
The other spear-wielding guards sneered, while the man on the watchtower tightened his grip on the bow, ready to shoot.
As for the others entering the settlement, some watched from a distance like spectators, while others hurried away, wanting no trouble.
"The Falcon Corps is so despicable, always bullying newcomers."
"Right? When I first came, they scared me into handing over a lot of black coins."
"The black bead didn't react, so he hasn't awakened the Seed of Life. Just an ordinary person, huh..."
"Shh, keep it down. If they hear you, you're done."
After a quick scan, Chen Feng understood he was being treated as prey.
"Hurry up, be quick about it!" The spear-wielding man barked, impatiently extending his hand.
His companions kicked the gossiping onlookers, sending them scattering.
"What if I don't have any coins?" Chen Feng replied calmly, retracting his senses.
"Then go back where you came from."
The man waved impatiently, but a cold glint flashed in Chen Feng's eyes.
He had thought the snake-man tribes of Yellow Sand City were cold-hearted.
But here, at the Holy City's foot, among fellow humans?
Bang!!
A single punch sent the man flying, crashing through a house.
Even with Chen Feng holding back, the wooden-armored guard was severely injured, vomiting blood and falling unconscious.
The crowd was stunned, and the other guards' expressions changed as they prepared to attack.
Some raised spears, others nocked arrows, and footsteps rapidly approached from a distance.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
He stomped the ground, causing rubble to fly in all directions.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The wooden-armored guards were sent sprawling, bleeding from head wounds caused by the flying debris.
Moans filled the air as over a dozen burly guards in wooden armor arrived, surrounding Chen Feng with angry expressions.
But before Chen Feng could act.
A group of seven or eight men in rattan armor quickly approached, positioning themselves between Chen Feng and the guards.
"Stop!!"
The voice was familiar. Chen Feng looked at the rattan-armored man beside him.
He held a spear, had black hair, was in his thirties, and quite muscular.
It was Wu Heng, one of the escapees Chen Feng had saved before.
The others were also former escapees, all in rattan armor, wielding iron swords. They quickly forced the wooden-armored guards back.
"Sir, are you alright!"
"We've finally found you!"
Wu Heng spoke excitedly, leaving Chen Feng slightly surprised.
Before he could respond, the leader of the wooden-armored guards coldly snapped, "Wu Heng, what's the meaning of this!"
"Didn't you see him attack our Falcon Corps members?"
"Bah!"
Turning to the man, Wu Heng spat contemptuously, "Everyone knows what the Falcon Corps is like!"
"We're all here seeking refuge, waiting for our chance to enter the city. No one's ever heard of any Holy City master demanding coins."
"Let's take this to the Militia Association and see who's in the right!"
"You!" The wooden-armored leader was clearly outmatched, his expression darkening.
Wu Heng ignored him, ordering his men to clear a path, then turned to Chen Feng with a respectful smile, "Sir, please."
"Hmm."
Chen Feng nodded slightly, glancing at the wooden-armored guards.
Without further action, he walked with Wu Heng, escorted by the rattan-armored men, safely entering the settlement.
The road, a mix of gravel and dirt, wasn't too uncomfortable. Chen Feng's senses picked up surrounding whispers, including the Falcon Corps members' hushed discussions.
Curious, Chen Feng looked at Wu Heng as they walked, "What's going on with you all?"
He was puzzled by their timely appearance and their seemingly improved status, evident from their rattan armor and weapons.
"Thanks to Master Molly's care, we haven't faced much trouble here. We joined the Thorn Corps..."
"Life's much better now—at least we get three meals a day..."
"Sir, you left so suddenly that day. Master Molly repeatedly instructed us to have people wait at the settlement gate, so if you arrived, we could repay our debt..."
Chen Feng listened silently as they walked towards the settlement's center.
Black wooden houses were clustered together, with men, women, and children going about their lives. Some children played in the open spaces between houses.
Gradually, through Wu Heng's explanations, Chen Feng understood the settlement's unique relationship with the Holy City.
And the so-called corps factions.
(End of the Chapter)
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