MTLNOVEL Chapter 308: Sudden News
Although Master Li Tong hasn't come out of seclusion, Chen Feng already had a premonition.
It was the experience of someone who had been through similar situations, the subtle energy fluctuations of impending transformation at the threshold of power.
Without disturbing anyone, he returned to his courtyard.
During this time, he attempted to receive the shared vision from the three small stone statues.
Number Two was still on the move in the Snake Spirit Secret Realm, heading towards the Holy City.
Number One and Number Three were in the suburban areas of the Luo River and Nanjiang, continuing to search for traces of the black bat and the Evil God Church.
"Still no discoveries."
The suburban scenes in the shared vision remained calm and ordinary, with green fields everywhere.
Shaking his head, Chen Feng felt a bit disappointed.
The black bat back then was too decisive, choosing self-detonation directly, cutting off all leads on the spot.
As for the hideout of the Church of the Dead, no relevant traces were found either.
After some thought, he ultimately instructed Number One and Number Three stone statues to continue staying in the suburban wild.
They had strength comparable to the professional-level peak, unafraid of ordinary beasts, and could survive by consuming earth, so there was no need to worry too much about them.
Soon after, sitting cross-legged on the mat inside the room, he looked at the movements of the Number Two stone statue.
The barrier of the Snake Spirit Secret Realm must be broken, and he was curious about the Holy City's attitude.
....
Buzz!!
The grand city, built against the mountain, was covered in a white-gray color, like a sculpture made from stone.
A waterfall cascaded down, turning into rivers encircling it.
There were also patterns of special runes engraved on the city walls, occasionally emitting a faint glow.
Looking down slightly, a black fortress wall that seemed endless could be seen standing a kilometer away from the grand city.
Like a Great Wall's final masterpiece, blocking all.
Boom!!
Suddenly, a massive commotion arose.
They were two-headed Snake-men, holding large iron clubs, with black or silver-gray scales.
Only wrapped in ragged burlap clothes, but having enormous bodies, seven or eight meters tall, their steps on the soil shook pebbles and stone fragments.
Following them, Snake-man warriors clad in armor appeared.
Some had fiery red scales, holding bows and arrows, some wore black robes and hoods, wielding short blades, like assassins.
There were even Snake-men with silver-gray scales, seemingly clad in sturdy armor, riding lizards, and holding long spears.
One, ten, a hundred....
In thousands, almost ten thousand troops marched out from the Green Field Swamp in single file.
Gigantic lizards carried a core member and elder of a Snake-man tribe, with dozens of Winged Snakes flying in the sky.
Seeing this scene, the faces of the many warriors on the distant black city wall turned grim, including Molly and others who had returned long ago.
"The Snake-man army has finally come."
Molly's tone was heavy, she hadn't expected things to develop this way.
Even though they had made significant achievements with their prior journey across a thousand miles, they couldn't withstand the involvement of the Snake God Temple and the emergence of another major tribe, the Silver Wood Tribe.
For nearly two months, with Mr. Feng Chen absent, they had to retreat to the Holy City, avoiding the tracking and assassination by the Snake-man Saints.
Moreover, the small stone statue quietly left halfway, she suspected Mr. Feng Chen had left completely and would not reappear.
Buzz!!
At that moment, a trace of white-gray quickly approached, reaching the top of the city wall.
Pupils contracted, followed by a burst of joy.
"The small stone statue!"
Molly quickly looked towards it, seeing the tiny stone wings gently fluttering, the palm-sized statue circled her twice, then perched on her shoulder.
Just about to ask a few questions, but soon.
Zing!!
A golden sword light appeared, towering in the majestic Holy City behind her.
A lean, golden-armored figure with half a mask approached on a giant flying eagle, the Earth Rock Army Commander, guarding inside the city wall, also appeared carrying a huge shield.
....
"As expected, the war has begun again."
Having digested the scene in the shared vision, Chen Feng knew this was the situation in the Snake Spirit Secret Realm from several days ago.
He could sense the emotions of the small stone statue, guessing that the Holy City had not been destroyed by the Snake-man army.
After all, it was the last human Holy Land in this world, it couldn't be easily obliterated anytime soon.
"I just don't know if the Commander of the Holy City's army is willing to cooperate with my actions."
His eyes flashed as Chen Feng had a clear plan.
The sealed barrier, its power unknown, and the dangerous aura of the token of the Divine Palace Saint, made him feel uneasy.
Therefore, he instructed the small stone statue to go back and convey the message, hoping the Holy City would join forces with him, to collaborate from within and without, making it easier to break the barrier and kill the Snake-man Saint.
"For the Holy City to exist for so long under the watch of the Snake God Temple and the Eight Great Tribes, it surely has special countermeasures."
"Next, it's a matter of waiting for the result."
Suppressing random thoughts, ultimately seeing the late night outside the window.
Chen Feng closed his eyes, calming his breathing, and let his consciousness quietly fall into the dream realm.
....
Several days passed quietly.
Buzz!
[Heavenly Gang Dominator Body: Heroic Arm (69%)]
[Strength: 69.3→69.8]
[Agility: 58.1→58.9]
[Constitution: 70.2→70.7]
[Will: 72.3→72.9]
Upon waking up again, Chen Feng looked at the panel data before him, his eyes visibly bleak, his complexion somewhat pale.
Due to the barrier issue, he temporarily set aside the Snake Spirit Secret Realm.
As for the Realm of the Dead, due to the scarcity of the Power of the Dead, he wouldn't venture there easily before the full moon.
The suspected new talent in the form of a green light group was very important, he had the patience to wait until the end.
Therefore, these days he had been forcing himself into the dream realm of Qinggang City.
"Sure enough, the burden is great."
Mentally exhausted, Chen Feng was acutely aware of his current state.
After intensely entering the dream realm of Qinggang City for several nights, the severe injuries encountered hadn't been completely healed and kept aggravating real-world feedback, significantly reducing his strength now.
But thanks to enhanced perception, the efficiency of finding light groups had greatly increased, allowing him to rely on the attribute light group and breakthrough slightly ease the consumption.
During this time, Chen Feng extracted the remaining Extreme Martial items from the previously discovered site, ensuring his efforts weren't in vain, allowing him to persist until now.
Immediately, he forcibly suppressed the discomfort of mental exhaustion, tidied up briefly, pushed open the door, and stepped into the courtyard.
There was a slight noise from the neighboring courtyard, belonging to Zhao Tingxiao.
Wooden railings surrounded the level yard, where a figure was practicing punches and palm strikes.
Without looking too closely, Chen Feng knew it was Zhao Tingxiao diligently performing his morning standing practice and boxing routine as always.
Wearing a robe adorned with red patterns, his already striking features seemed inexplicably more handsome.
"Oh?"
Raising his eyebrows slightly, despite his mental fatigue, Chen Feng's perception detected something unusual.
Following his gaze, he saw red power swirling continuously around the opponent's body.
It seemed on the verge of breaking through some barrier, with a shadow of a fierce tiger flickering intermittently.
"Red Tiger Flying, Flame Rushes Forth."
"Steel-like fists, burning claws..."
A calm voice emerged softly, as Chen Feng deliberately recited the essence of the Heavenly Flame Technique.
In an instant, as if something was triggered.
Roar!!!
A tiger's roar sounded out of nowhere, blasting through the air.
The fluctuating shadow of True Intent finally coalesced behind Zhao Tingxiao, with columns of water bursting from the nearby pond in the small courtyard.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Zhao Tingxiao suddenly opened his eyes, expressing gratitude with a clasped fist, while Chen Feng shook his head within the courtyard.
"Focus on comprehending the True Intent, no need to say more."
He knew that this barrier couldn't hold the opponent back, and even without his reminder, Zhao Tingxiao would surely break through the True Intent.
At most, it would take a few more days of refinement, delaying only slightly.
To this, Zhao Tingxiao said no more, immediately sitting cross-legged in his courtyard, beginning to comprehend and adapt to the breakthrough changes.
At this moment, a massive Red Tiger True Intent was visible behind him, at times sitting, at times leaping, appearing lively and vivid.
Chen Feng nodded, then noticed several footsteps appearing outside the courtyard walls.
This was a group of core disciples, who arrived upon hearing the earlier tiger roar, mistakenly thinking something had happened.
"Tingxiao has broken through to True Intent, everyone may withdraw."
Chen Feng calmly spoke, his voice not loud but reaching everyone's ears.
Everyone paused in surprise, then followed the command and slowly retreated, eyes full of envy.
Including the newly initiated Yao Ping, who had already been accepted under the Third Elder Yan Chong and was exceptionally listed as a True Inheritor.
"Has Third Uncle come out of seclusion?"
Chen Feng looked at Li Shi and asked, as he too came upon hearing the noise and had not yet left.
"Reporting to Master Chen, the Third Elder came out of seclusion early this morning."
Li Shi replied in a tone of sigh, which Chen Feng detected the implication of.
Amplifying his perception, he silently covered the entire school.
His master, Li Tong, was still in seclusion for transformation, but his focus wasn't here.
"Such a pity..."
He shook his head and sighed, seeing an elderly figure in a gray robe lying on a lounger in the small courtyard.
Seemingly unchanged, yet with his perception, Chen Feng could detect the figure's breath was significantly weaker, with a hint of gloom on his face.
Breaking through to Grandmaster was exceedingly difficult, and coupled with being of an advanced age, the person clearly hadn't surpassed the power barrier.
"Fetch some secret medicine to aid Third Uncle's good recovery."
Sighing, Chen Feng didn't want this elder to be left with latent injuries.
Failure this time doesn't mean the same in the future.
As long as hope remains, endless possibilities exist.
"Yes."
Li Shi nodded and withdrew, leaving Chen Feng standing in silence for a moment.
To ordinary people, martial arts talent, root bone, and comprehension are indispensable, but who among those reaching the True Intent level is foolish?
The Three Gates of Grandmaster could be described as a chasm, even with a superior cultivation technique, not everyone can break through smoothly.
After a moment of internal reflection, he finally withdrew his perception, planning to leave the courtyard.
Bzz bzz!
It was then that his phone suddenly rang.
His perception had already identified the contact name, and he raised an eyebrow slightly, choosing to answer.
"Hello, Feng Zi!"
A cheerful voice came through, and Chen Feng noted the trace of relaxation in it.
"It seems things are going smoothly for you in Yun Gang?"
With steps in motion, he turned and walked to a corner of the courtyard, sitting on a stone stool.
A teacup, kept warm and ready by the Flame Tiger Sect, was placed on it.
"Not bad, better than I expected."
"I've also brought back some items from Jade Biotechnology, and the rest is just gradual development."
Lin Hao said with a smile. Though not revealing much, Chen Feng could surmise a rough guess.
Regaining what was once lost is good news.
Moreover, Xu Heng's father, Xu Hai, seemingly hadn't managed to act against him, perhaps stumbling into a passive position, with his stature in Jade Biotechnology diminished.
"That's good."
"Hehe, let's not talk about this."
"But you, I heard you've been collaborating with Yaoxing Academy, making a big impression again?"
On the other side of the call, Lin Hao, in a gray casual suit, asked with a smile from within a study room.
"Yes, we've collaborated on some martial arts research projects."
Chen Feng was not surprised, knowing this matter couldn't escape the notice of attentive individuals.
Moreover, some board members from the Superman Group were present that day, and some news was bound to spread.
"It seems the higher-ups really value this matter..."
"It feels like a martial arts fever is spreading in many places, even some large corporations are starting to dabble in related affairs."
Lin Hao mentioned a couple of things, and Chen Feng contemplated.
Then during the idle chit-chat, seeing Lin Hao skirting around without discussing the main topic, he chuckled and took the initiative to ask.
"So, what's the matter?"
As his words fell, he could clearly sense Lin Hao's smile on the other end of the line turning solemn and his tone becoming more serious.
"I heard that a new advanced material refining technology was discovered in the inverted pyramid of Yun Meng Forest, with significant impact."
"That person received a special commendation from the General Association because of it... He may soon take the highest position in another Central City..."