Chapter 389: Fortress and Traps
The Nightmare Clan possesses a cultivation system that allows some individuals to reach Six-eyed or Seven-eyed levels and still be considered “Calamity” Great Calamities. For instance, the Shouling Great Calamity, mentioned by the Calamity Spirit Clan, is a Six-eyed level Calamity who is preparing to advance to the Seven-eyed level before becoming a Disaster.
Xia Feng wasn’t concerned with whether the Shouling Great Calamity would advance. He was more interested in the massive amount of Calamity Spirit Pearls that Ye Li H would supply to aid in the Shouling Great Calamity’s promotion, which was excellent news.
After asking a few more questions, Xia Feng used the Shadow of the Bloodworm to annihilate the souls of these three Calamity Spirits, along with any residual traces of the battle. He then carried the unconscious girl back to the Bronze Tower.
He had originally planned to enter Dong Sheng Fortress on the “Open Day” five days later. However, Ye Li H and the Shouling Great Calamity seemed to be involved in something significant, prompting him to change his mind and act sooner. Furthermore, Li Zaishi’s daughter was also in Dong Sheng Fortress, making it imperative for him to go and assess the situation.
After ensuring Chen Xiaoshui was settled with a trusted female subordinate of Miss Mu, Miss Mu didn’t ask any further questions. She accompanied him towards Dong Sheng Fortress. However, Mu Qingtong still expressed some dissatisfaction, “Mr. Xia, your plan is rather sudden.”
According to Mu Qingtong’s original schedule, the day would consist of reading, cultivation, afternoon tea, researching Fate Stones, more reading, waiting for Mr. Xia’s return from the Divine Realm, engaging in two rounds of reasonable bedtime activities with Mr. Xia, and then sleep. This routine had been followed for the past ten days, and she found this methodical life quite pleasant. The only unsettling aspect was Mr. Xia’s daily visits to the Divine Realm to be toyed with by evil gods, which often led to her dreaming of him being mocked and played with, causing her inexplicable frustration. Although their relationship was purely physical and she didn’t like Mr. Xia at all, his blatant disregard for her as his nominal fiancé, seeking dalliances elsewhere right before her eyes, was an outright provocation. Still, it wouldn’t be a major issue, as that evil god was destined to die, and horribly so.
Xia Feng stood on a grassy highland, gazing into the distance. Through the faint mist, he could vaguely discern a majestic, thousand-meter-high wall, standing like a giant between heaven and earth. Directly above the wall, every hundred meters, a flag with ink-black characters on a silver background fluttered. The center of each flag bore the powerful character “Shang,” signifying “Shang Dynasty.” This was the banner of the Fourth Pillar of the Empire. Higher still, above this imposing wall, a colossal blue whale, hundreds of meters in size, emerged from the clouds, its fins flapping as it slowly ascended into the rosy clouds of the sky, resembling a snail.
Xia Feng glanced at the giant characters carved in the center of the high wall: Dong Sheng. He patted the black-dressed woman’s shoulder, “Miss Mu, let’s go.”
Xia Feng donned the Bronze Mask, disguising himself as a dark-furred ape with silver horns on its forehead, similar to one of the Calamity Spirits he had encountered before. He then activated the Calamity Demon Heart to imbue himself with a Calamity Force aura, making him indistinguishable from a Calamity Spirit. Naturally, Nightmare Clan members wouldn’t be allowed into the military area. However, based on information extracted from Xia Feng’s prior interrogation, these three Calamity Spirits were supposed to take him directly to the living area of Dong Sheng Fortress. For this purpose, he had Miss Mu disguise herself as a man wearing a mask. He draped himself in a black hooded cloak and, carrying Miss Mu, leaped off the hillside, speeding towards the distance.
Dong Sheng Fortress was divided into a living area, a military area, and a core area. The majestic walls enclosed the military and core areas. Outside the walls lay the living area, and beyond that, a pale blue barrier stretched across the sky, enveloping this vast region. Xia Feng, carrying Mu Qingtong, was secretly escorted by an officer and entered the living area via helicopter, passing through the pale blue barrier.
From high above, he could see neat rows of white houses below. These houses were only two stories tall, with four windows, a lawn, a fence, and a mailbox outside each door. Each white house looked identical, arranged like countless white blocks on the ground. However, at the center of these thousand or so white houses stood a rather unique red house, four stories high, with an antique and elegant interior. A maid was watering flowers on the second-floor balcony.
Xia Feng glanced at the scene below and noticed the helicopter had been hovering in place for some time. He looked at the officer in the cockpit with confusion, “Why aren’t we moving forward?” The officer, a Level Three Seasonal Envoy, glanced at the figure completely wrapped in a black hooded cloak and replied indifferently, “We’re waiting. Still retrieving landing authorization.”
Xia Feng nodded. At the same moment, Yue Hongli’s voice echoed in his mind: “Three hours ago, a top-down order was issued: the fortress is strictly no entry, no exit. Anyone entering the fortress from now on, for any reason or identity, will be immediately surrounded and killed!” Upon hearing Yue Hongli’s telepathic message, Xia Feng’s black pupils contracted. With a thought, he took the seemingly dead Mu Qingtong and entered the Holy Knight Space.
Simultaneously, nine beams of light lit up on the towering city walls that reached into the clouds. With a deafening boom, they pierced the sky, and the rear half of the helicopter was instantly annihilated by ink-black energy cannon fire. Only the charred remains of the cockpit, with the pilot bleeding profusely but only suffering minor burns from the shockwave, began to plummet to the ground like a meteor. He remained diligent, his voice hoarse as he clutched his communicator amidst the flying blood: “Target possesses space-based abilities! Kill attempt failed, repeat! Target possesses space-based abili—”
Xia Feng couldn’t understand how his perfect disguise had been discovered! However, the pilot’s thoughts suggested another possibility: Dong Sheng Fortress might be attacking indiscriminately, not necessarily targeting him. He had just been unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire. What terrible luck.
At the same time, red light lines lit up on the roofs of the thousand white houses on the ground, shooting towards the sky. Xia Feng sensed his Holy Knight Space vibrate and then shatter with a crack! He coughed up a mouthful of blood, falling back into the real world with Mu Qingtong. Five formidable True Martial auras were rapidly approaching from the distance. Further away, eighteen red dots lit up on the imposing high walls again.
Was this walking into a trap? Xia Feng’s scalp tingled, and he turned to flee. Fortunately, after nearly a month of cultivation, his agility had significantly improved with Miss Mu’s help, far surpassing that of a normal Rank 5 Spirit Master. His speed was astonishing. However, he was now completely deep in enemy territory. Officers resting in the white houses below saw the intruders and took to the air to intercept them.
BOOM!! BOOM!!! A giant red eye composed of lightning even appeared in the sky. As its gaze swept across the land, thick bolts of lightning descended from thin air, fiercely striking at Xia Feng’s afterimage. His backside was nearly blown to smithereens. “Damn it!” he cursed inwardly. Luckily, the Holy Knight Space had finally finished repairing! With another thought, he re-entered the Holy Knight Space!
“Miss Mu,” he communicated mentally. At the same time, Mu Qingtong’s beautiful eyes swirled with a golden卍 symbol. A massive surge of mental power erupted from her brow, filling the entire Holy Knight Space. The red lines emanating from the white houses on the ground were spiritual rays capable of penetrating any spatial barrier and directly affecting Xia Feng’s soul within the Holy Knight Space. This drastically reduced his perception of space, preventing him from controlling space-type spirit artifacts and forcing him back into the real world. By filling the异空间 (otherworldly space) with her mental power, Miss Mu could perfectly resist these rays. However, the consumption was immense; only Miss Mu’s mental capacity could withstand such a drain.
Seeing the two suddenly disappear once more, all attacks from all directions abruptly ceased, and the officers looked around in confusion. Xia Feng, meanwhile, openly zipped past officer after officer. The Holy Knight Space had only fifteen seconds of existence remaining, not enough time for him to escape the fortress. He needed to find a place to conceal himself first.
Just as Xia Feng, with his nerves on edge, was searching for a hiding spot, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure. In the center of the white houses stood the sole elegant red building, four stories high. The maid watering flowers on the second-floor balcony had long since retreated indoors for safety. However, a tall woman in a casual floral dress now opened the window and gazed indifferently at the unfolding aerial battle. The woman’s carefree wine-red hair gently swayed in the wind. Xia Feng exclaimed in surprise, “Teacher Freya?”
