I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 639: Finding the Paradise Bird Base

In the southern hemisphere, there is a place known as the Mountains of Death, a Life Forbidden Zone where drought persists for decades, and it might not see a single drop of rain.

During the day, temperatures here can soar to sixty degrees Celsius, and at night, they can plummet to minus twenty degrees Celsius.

This is truly a Life Forbidden Zone, where not even the most drought-resistant cacti can survive. For thousands of miles, the landscape is an unchanging, desolate vista. Occasionally, plumes of smoke rise to the sky; these are harmful gases emitted by volcanic activity.

It’s common knowledge worldwide that no life exists within the Life Forbidden Zone. Yet, no one would have guessed that the headquarters of the Paradise Bird organization—sought after by the entire world for hundreds of years and considered humanity’s second greatest enemy—was hidden within this very Life Forbidden Zone.

It’s not quite right to call this the headquarters of Paradise Bird, as they don’t have a fixed headquarters. Wherever the highest leader resides is simply where the headquarters happens to be.

At a depth of several hundred meters underground, heat cannot penetrate.

In the dimly lit underground space, figures moved about. They did not communicate, nor did they smile. Their faces were like masks, forever devoid of expression.

Within the depths of the base, in a palace constructed from ice, blood-curdling screams intermittently echoed, akin to the howls of demons from Hell.

In the center of the massive palace stood an Ice Throne over five meters high. Atop the throne sat a young man with white hair. The young man clutched his forehead; these screams emanated from him.

During the day, he suffered the scorching of the True Sunfire; at night, he endured the burning of Hell’s Fire. No matter where he hid, he could not escape this torture.

Even after ten thousand years, he still found it unbearable.

"Is there still no news from the Saintess? How long has it been, and it still hasn’t been found?"

"My Lord, we received a reply from the Saintess not long ago. She said she has obtained it but needs some time to evade pursuit."

"I cannot wait another moment—no, not a single second longer! Tell her to bring the Xuan Yue Mask to me immediately, at once!"

"Yes!"

The subordinate had just withdrawn when he suddenly turned back in pleasant surprise, "My Lord, the Saintess has returned! She has returned!"

The golden-haired Yulia, stepping on the firm, smooth ice, appeared in the great hall and knelt on one knee. "Master, I have not failed my mission. I have brought back the Xuan Yue Mask."

As she spoke, she lifted the Xuan Yue Mask with both hands.

WHOOSH! The Xuan Yue Mask transformed into a streak of light and landed in Lucifer’s hands. His flame-wreathed eyes gazed at the mask in his hand. "Can wearing this mask really make the curse on my body disappear?"

"It is said that it can..." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

With a click, Lucifer fastened the mask to his face. Instantly, a cool sensation spread from his face in all directions. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into cool springwater, pouring down from the crown of his head, extinguishing the burning flames within his body.

Suddenly, a series of discordant, grating sounds—GAK! GAK! GAK! KRAK! KRAK! KRAK!—escaped Lucifer’s lips as his body curled up, shivering on the Ice Throne.

"Master, what’s wrong?" the Saintess quickly took a step forward to ask.

"HA HA HA HA... HA HA HA HA..." Suddenly, the white-haired man burst into wild laughter. "It really can suppress the curse! It truly can suppress it! For ten thousand years! I’ve been tormented by this curse for ten thousand years! HA HA HA HA..."

Lucifer slowly rose, lifting his head. The mask on his face had already transformed. The originally butterfly-like, delicate Xuan Yue Mask had now turned into a hideous demonic visage. Appearance is born from the heart; a kind heart would manifest beauty on the mask, while an evil heart would manifest a ghastly specter.

"God of Heaven, you tormented me for ten thousand years! But you certainly never imagined that the very mask you left behind would be what ultimately freed me, did you? HA HA HA—"

BOOM—

Suddenly, a burst of white light erupted from behind Lucifer. Twelve pairs of pure white wings unfurled, quivering and beating.

「Dragon Tiger Mountain, home to the Zhengyi Sect, is the birthplace of Taoism and the seat of the Daoist Ancestor.」

Although Taoism venerates the Three Pure Ones and esteems Laozi as its founding patriarch, it was Zhang Daoling who truly established the Zhengyi Sect.

Thousands of years have passed, and though Taoism has branched into three thousand sects, Dragon Tiger Mountain has always remained the ancestral seat.

On the rear mountain of Dragon Tiger Mountain, a young man in white robes gently picked up a Go piece. Before him, on the Go board, water flowed smoothly, creating beautiful ripples as it swept past the pieces.

Suddenly, the white-robed man looked up sharply to the south. The Go piece in his hand shattered with a SNAP!

"How can this be? Such a powerful and terrifying aura!"

"Ancestor, what’s wrong?" Yu Ruoyun asked in surprise. She had been with King Jiangshan for a long time and had never seen him lose his composure like this before.

"A peerless, ferocious demon has appeared. It seems the mortal realm is about to face another catastrophe."

"A peerless, ferocious demon? With the Ancestor guarding the mortal realm, any demon, no matter how fierce, would be dispatched by your sword in a single strike."

"A single sword strike? Heh heh heh... I have cultivated my sword, yet it would only be comparable to one of that being’s fingers."

"What?" Yu Ruoyun was shocked. "The Ancestor’s strength has already reached the demigod realm! How could there possibly be anyone in the world more powerful than the Ancestor..."

"In the mortal realm, I should be invincible. But I fear this entity... is not human." King Jiangshan slowly waved his hand, and the Go board before him was swept clean. "This is the aura of a god."

Yu Ruoyun’s breathing became somewhat rapid, and she quickly took out her phone, dialing a number.

「In Cloud Sea Province, at the Tianjian Bureau headquarters.」

Wang Lan, led by Secretary Che Pure, entered the interrogation room. The moment he saw the Caucasian in the room, a look of surprise crossed Wang Lan’s face.

"It’s you?"

"Fire Phoenix? You’re the Fire Phoenix from the Primeval Team?"

"Oh? You know each other?" Che Pure asked.

"We know each other. Kill him. Don’t waste time," Wang Lan said indifferently, turning to leave.

"Ah, Fire Phoenix, you can’t do this! I have rendered meritorious service! I have rendered meritorious service to you all!"

"The minds of Paradise Bird members are all engraved with Skill Forms. They can’t be subjected to Spirit Engraving, so... just kill him."

"He’s a Paradise Bird?" Che Pure’s expression immediately soured. All nations have regulations: encounter a Paradise Bird member, kill on sight, no questions asked.

"No, I’ve already broken free from Paradise Bird’s control! There’s no longer a Skill Form in my head!" the Caucasian quickly said in an international language.

"Oh?" Wang Lan’s departing steps halted. "You’ve broken free from Paradise Bird’s control? How did you manage that?"

"That was not long ago, after I was abducted by that Angel. To get the secrets in my head, she helped me break the Skill Form. Then she just casually discarded me. Originally, I had planned to swim back to the mainland, but I didn’t expect to be captured by the Holy Grail. It was I who saved the Saintess of God’s Country; I have rendered meritorious service to you!"

"Is that all?" Wang Lan sneered coldly. "You’re a Paradise Bird, aren’t you? And you were even made a base leader. Your position in Paradise Bird wasn’t low. You must have done quite a bit for Paradise Bird over the years, right?"

"You can’t blame me for that! I had no choice before. Now I just want to be a good person, but you won’t even listen to my explanation; you immediately thought of subjecting me to Spirit Engraving. Did you think I wouldn’t know? Once I’m engraved, I’ll become an imbecile! What’s the point of living like that?"

"Who told you that once someone undergoes Spirit Engraving, they become an imbecile?" Wang Lan asked coldly.

"A master of Spirit Engraving, with the cooperation of the person being imprinted, can imprint memories without damaging the brain. But I don’t see any such master here, do I? And I can’t bet my brain on their integrity. Fire Phoenix, I’m confessing honestly, don’t you believe me? I guarantee I’ll tell you everything."

Wang Lan sighed softly, shaking his head. "And we can’t afford to gamble on your guarantee either, can we?"

"I swear on my character!"

"Your character is worthless in my eyes. Besides, do you think you can resist, or what?" Wang Lan’s words caused the Caucasian’s face to change. In front of others, he might have been able to resist, but facing the Primeval Team’s Fire Phoenix, resistance indeed seemed futile.

"Come now, don’t be afraid. Be good. Cooperate with my spiritual power and achieve spiritual power resonance."

Wang Lan pressed his hand onto the Caucasian’s head, guiding him. If he cooperated, fine. If not, Wang Lan would just force his way in. Fortunately, the Caucasian was pragmatic enough to obediently control his spiritual power and resonate. Soon, Wang Lan entered the Caucasian’s memories through this spiritual power resonance.

It had to be said, this Searle was truly unlucky. He was framed and ultimately convicted as the president’s assassin. Labeled an S-class traitor, he had no choice but to join Paradise Bird to survive.

Perhaps Prussians are inherently straightforward, without ulterior motives. Having joined Paradise Bird, he dedicated himself to their tasks. He toiled diligently and willingly, like a loyal workhorse, and became increasingly valued by Paradise Bird. Fifteen years later, he was promoted to a not-insignificant leader within the organization.

Leaders of his rank had either served Paradise Bird for decades or were cultivated by the organization itself.

After becoming a leader, he gained access to more classified intelligence. Notably, the leader of Paradise Bird, called the Saint Heir, was located in their branch in the underground depths of the Life Forbidden Zone.

Paradise Bird had no fixed headquarters. As their most prominent saying went, Paradise Bird was like a phoenix; even if you eliminated all its high-ranking leaders and destroyed ninety-five percent of its forces, as long as a single Paradise Bird faction remained, it would inevitably be reborn from the ashes and flourish once more.

This Paradise Bird organization had existed longer than many nations in the world.

About half an hour later, Wang Lan removed his hand. Searle shivered violently. As he regained his senses, his first thought was: Who am I? Where am I? Have I become an idiot?

Upon confirming he hadn’t turned into an imbecile, Searle felt like roaring to the heavens in joy.

Wang Lan frowned, stroking his chin as he fell into thought.

"Can our nuclear bombs reach seven hundred meters underground?"

"Seven hundred meters underground?" Che Pure thoughtfully shook his head. "That depends on the type of ground. A nuclear bomb’s primary destructive power comes from its shockwave, which cannot propagate effectively underground. Otherwise, people wouldn’t talk about hiding underground to evade nuclear attacks."

"I think we’ve found the whereabouts of Paradise Bird’s Saint Heir."

"Who?" Che Pure didn’t react for a moment, but in the next second, he shot to his feet. "Who did you say? The Saint Heir? Paradise Bird’s leader, the Saint Heir?!"

"Yes!"

"Where is he? Bomb him! Nuke him! The entire world has been searching for him for decades, and we’ve finally got him!" Che Pure exclaimed excitedly.