Translator: CinderTL
Boom!!
A hundred kilometers away in the Niduo Mountains, the Gobi-like peaks suddenly trembled violently, as if an Earth Dragon had stirred beneath them, sending plumes of yellow sand swirling into the sky.
"What's going on?!"
"Is it an earthquake?"
"No, it looks like a sandstorm!"
Below the mountains, along the asphalt highway, passing Niduo residents craned their necks in bewilderment. They watched as a massive, tornado-like column of yellow sand converged at the heart of the mountain range, reaching a height of over a hundred meters and sweeping across both the sky and the ground.
The entire horizon turned a hazy ochre as the towering vortex drew closer.
Panic seized the onlookers, who frantically floored their accelerators, desperate to escape.
Then, as suddenly as it began...
Poof!!
The sandstorm dissipated completely, vanishing without a trace.
Azure sunlight streamed through the sky once more, white clouds drifting lazily across the horizon.
The Niduo Mountains regained their serene stillness, disturbed only by a gentle breeze and the faint trembling of yellow sand on the asphalt highway.
Cold sweat trickled down the faces of the bystanders, now gripped by a mixture of relief and bewilderment. Their gazes instinctively drifted toward the depths of the mountain range. What exactly had happened there?
Hum!
The dazzling golden light in Chen Feng's mind gradually subsided. Through their shared vision, he clearly observed the distant scene: the yellow sand desert slowly calming, the ground tremors fading away.
Stone Statue No. 1, stationed on the outskirts of the Niduo Mountains to monitor the Holy Shield Colossus, suddenly expanded, transforming into its combat form.
A pale-gray light surged from its body, and within seconds, it had grown to a towering three meters in height.
Simultaneously, its aura surged, reaching the level of an Inner Strength Martial Artist.
"Oh?"
Somewhat surprised, Chen Feng received similar feedback from multiple sources.
The other three Small Stone Statues—located in Nanjiang, the northern Red Nation, and the Serpent Spirit Secret Realm—underwent identical transformations at that moment.
Understanding dawned: this was a consequence of the Holy Shield Colossus's evolution and upgrade. As fragmented lifeforms sharing a common origin, all four Small Stone Statues had benefited from its advancement.
Without dwelling further on the matter, Chen Feng turned his attention to his loyal partner deep beneath the mountain's core.
The Colossus's dormant state gradually receded as the dim grayness faded like the tide. The colossal statue regained its vibrant white-gray vitality.
Its compressed, restrained two-meter frame remained unchanged, but the golden crown atop its head was no longer a crude prototype. Now a solid, majestic symbol of its authority, it truly resembled the king of stone statues.
A diamond-shaped crystal quietly floated upward, merging seamlessly with the crown.
The white-gray body shimmered with golden armor, appearing significantly thicker and more imposing than before.
Behind it, the stone wings transformed into pure gold, while the thick limbs' intricate patterns shifted into extraordinary golden cloud-like motifs.
"Rank Envoy."
Through the mental link with the Holy Shield Colossus, Chen Feng sensed its current state: it had truly ascended to the angelic realm, albeit only as a Rank Envoy, the lowest tier.
Chen Feng wasn't disappointed. He had long known that significant disparities existed within the angelic hierarchy. Moreover, the Heart of Glory was already more than halfway complete, meaning the Holy Shield Colossus's next metamorphosis was imminent.
As the thought flashed through his mind, Chen Feng immediately began using the Colossus's feedback to perceive its enhanced abilities.
Just over ten seconds passed.
A flicker of awe crossed Chen Feng's eyes as he finally understood why the Holy Shield Colossus had required a second transformation. It had harnessed the Earth Vein Power, converting it into supplementary energy that fueled a comprehensive enhancement of its capabilities!
Its massive form had grown even larger, reaching a full-power height of forty meters.
Its defense was now so formidable that Chen Feng doubted even heavy-caliber energy cannons could penetrate its armor.
Its strength had surged explosively, each casual strike packing the force of several thousand tons—easily capable of obliterating any Sixth-Tier lifeform. In its Golden Light State, this destructive power would double.
Moreover, the Colossus could now manipulate Earth Vein Elements, conjuring sandstorms, towering rock walls, and altering terrain on a localized scale.
Furthermore, the cost of creating Stone Statue lifeforms had decreased, as if the Colossus could now independently propagate an entire Stone Statue tribe and command their battles.
"Even a Rank Envoy is this powerful..."
The astonishment in Chen Feng's eyes slowly faded. He suddenly realized that if the Holy Shield Colossus had existed in ancient human times, it would undoubtedly have been worshipped as a deity.
Moreover, thanks to its ability to communicate with Earth Vein Elements, the Holy Shield Colossus could continuously draw upon Earth Vein Power to sustain its existence. In other words, it had achieved complete autonomy and no longer needed to expend its own energy.
"We've finally reached this milestone."
A satisfied smile spread across Chen Feng's face as he continued to sense the changes in the Colossus's capabilities for several minutes. After issuing a few final instructions, he severed the perceptual link and gazed out the window at the Niduo sky, where Yang Wudi and the others awaited him.
Now that he possessed this foundation, it was time to prioritize the development of Transcendent Martial Dao on Earth.
Whoosh!
That same day, two aircraft slowly ascended into the sky, departing from the Niduo Kingdom's Capital. The distinctive red maple leaf emblem caught the eye, drawing gazes from below. Some sighed and shook their heads.
"Martial Artists..."
Princess Eleanor, now dressed in a long silk gown, gazed into the distance with a complex expression. Behind her, General Walker and the others seemed to feel either regret or relief.
Chen Feng stood inside the aircraft, his perception acutely clear. He paid no attention to the mixed emotions behind him, only nodding farewell to Dean Qin and his team waving from afar.
"I truly admire Dean Qin and his team," Xu Tingxiao murmured, lowering his waving arm. Zhou Wuren and the others beside him nodded in agreement.
Although the Black Tide appeared temporarily contained, no one could predict the future. These experts and scholars, being ordinary humans, were taking a considerable risk by staying behind.
"The Niduo Royal Family has deployed a substantial military force for defense, along with elite cyborg special forces from other nations," Han Chao explained. "With two Flying Generals personally present, Dean Qin and his team should be relatively safe."
Chen Feng nodded, observing the restricted zone surrounding the void rift. Numerous countries had already been informed and dispatched elite special forces teams and expert scholars to the area.
Even in the Red Nation's garrison area, two Red Guard units patrolled, each composed of at least Jin Wei-level warriors and including several Red Generals.
Chen Feng even caught a glimpse of two Flying Generals stationed there. Their auras were noticeably stronger than that of Mord, whom he had defeated.
"It seems there are different tiers among Flying Generals," Chen Feng remarked deliberately, causing Han Chao, standing beside him, to pause momentarily.
Understanding the implication, Han Chao chuckled and readily confirmed, "Of course. Augmentation Modules have varying levels too. Niduo is a small, outdated nation, after all."
"Our country's Flying Generals use the latest modules, powered by advanced Energy Technology, resulting in significantly superior combat capabilities."
As Han Chao spoke, Xu Tingxiao and the others nearby turned to listen. Celine, however, was traveling in a separate aircraft with Yang Wudi, requiring separate customs clearance before entry.
"Brother Han, if that's true, does that mean our country's Flying Generals would have a substantial advantage against similarly ranked opponents?" Xu Tingxiao asked curiously. Han Chao smiled enigmatically.
"Essentially, that's true for all nations except the Platinum Federation."
"After all, these smaller countries have limited Secret Realms and only a handful of augmentation technologies. We've thoroughly researched them and developed targeted countermeasures."
"Furthermore..."
Han Chao's tone turned serious, even tinged with pride.
"In the entire world, only the Red Nation and the Platinum Federation possess the technology to integrate Rainbow Iron into Augmentation Modules."
"Some of our Flying Generals have undergone this process."
"By incorporating Rainbow Iron into their metallic bodies or Mech-Warrior Devices, they can withstand far greater energy output and are more than twice as powerful as other Sixth-Tier Modified Humans."
Chen Feng pondered this thoughtfully. The "some" Flying Generals Han Chao mentioned were likely at the peak of Sixth-Tier, or perhaps even beyond.
"What about the Legendary Flying Generals?" Chen Feng suddenly asked, recalling what Chu Shihong had told him. The technology discovered in the Cloud Dream Forest had raised the limits of augmentation, empowering several Flying Generals with a fraction of the Divine Generals' divine power.
"They're incredibly powerful," Han Chao said gravely, unsurprised that Chen Feng knew about this. "In fact, they're on a completely different level."
"It's not exactly a secret. The Divine Generals have always been overwhelmingly strong, but technological and resource limitations have restricted their immense power to only a select few."
"The technology behind them has been highly sought after for years. Now, the emergence of this 'Legendary Technology' has finally given us hope."
"Legendary Technology?" someone asked, puzzled.
"It's the technology unearthed from the Cloud Dream Forest. The Red Capital Research Institute has designated it as 'Legendary'," Han Chao explained. Chen Feng nodded in understanding, finally realizing why the enhanced Flying Generals had been awarded that title.
"This technology is extremely complex. Though we've cracked the code, I hear we're currently only conducting field tests with the results of the first phase."
"There might be further developments, such as a second-phase 'Legendary Augmentation'," Han Chao added softly, a hint of caution in his tone.
While it wasn't a closely guarded secret, he still hoped everyone would refrain from publicly discussing it.
"Brother Han, what about the Divine Generals themselves?"
Xu Tingxiao listened in astonishment. If a mere Legendary Flying General possessed such immense power, what about the elusive Divine Generals, rumored to appear and vanish like mythical dragons?
His question piqued the interest of even Old Leader Zhang, who leaned forward curiously to listen.
"The cornerstone of our nation's strength, they are practically gods walking among men," Han Chao said, his voice filled with awe and reverence.
"You might find this hard to believe," he continued, "but some cities exist solely to provide the immense energy required by a Divine General."
"Force fields, electromagnetic systems, armament modules... Even a single Divine General requires the ceaseless industrial output of multiple cities to sustain."
Chen Feng's gaze sharpened, and Zhou Wuren and the others beside him were visibly shaken.
Multiple cities, their industries churning day and night, just to fuel one Divine General?
The sheer destructive power unleashed by such a being could obliterate a small nation.
In that moment, they finally grasped the true meaning of "Divine General": a living god on Earth, the pinnacle of technological augmentation.
A profound silence descended as the martial artists present absorbed the implications.
Chen Feng turned back to the window, clenching his fist slightly, his eyes flickering with a mix of resolve and uncertainty.
(End of the Chapter)
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