The Ultimate Divine Class-Chapter 448 - 364: Aurora, Breaking Ice_1
"Can you detect any life signal fluctuations?"
Someone shook their head, looking at the ice mountain beneath their feet, and said, "But it should be right here."
"Stand back."
Yang Nan said softly as his Sky-level Armaments activated. The pale gold Sky-level Armaments fully enclosed him while deep blue currents burst from the joints, the super engine humming lowly. The group quickly dispersed; only Ding Can stepped forward, quietly raising his short gun. Yang Nan caught his eye. Neither of them wasted words. Between breaths, two forceful attacks had already been unleashed.
BOOM!
The powerful attack hit the glacier, which emitted a screeching friction sound, an outpouring of cold air, and a fountain of blue-white ice dust that surged upwards... Once the ice dust settled, everyone looked down below.
Upon examining the impact point of their attacks, everyone’s faces turned grim. Both Yang Nan and Ding Can, utilizing their combined strength, could only shatter a small piece of the topmost layer of the glacier with two seventh-tier attacks. This left a crater with a considerable splash radius, yet it was far shallower than anyone had anticipated.
"Again."
There was no change in Yang Nan’s expression. As if he had anticipated such a result. He signaled Ding Can to continue the onslaught. Just as they once broke through the Forbidden Land’s prohibition fog wall, they spared no effort, continuously pouring their power into the hole. The ensuing roars were unending. Under their feet, the rolling glacier trembled while ice dust surged upwards. However, from beginning to end, the affected area remained small. The shockwave spread but hardly impacted the glacier as a whole. This freshly formed, extremely cold glacier, which had hardened only minutes ago, seemed like an eternal, insurmountable wall left by time—impervious to destruction and immovable.
In the crowd, Yin Muqing suddenly gritted her teeth. Resolutely drawing her alloy sword, she pushed the power of her two Star Caves to the extreme and delivered a fierce slash. The person beside her, surprised, glanced at Yin Muqing. She seemingly didn’t notice and kept slashing her sword. Some people’s eyes flashed, and they too chose to act. More and more people joined in until their whole team was excavating the glacier.
The vehement offensive lasted a great deal of time, gradually draining their energy and forcing them to rest and replenish their strength. When Ding Can’s face was a bit pale and he stopped to catch his breath, Yang Nan, enveloped in the Sky-level Armaments, stopped as well.
HUFF—
A gust of wind blew across the wilds, kicking up rolling ice dust. This caused the energy barriers around them to flicker like signal lights about to be extinguished in a snowstorm. Once the residual chill dissipated and their efforts were evident, silence fell upon them. The tunnel they had been digging into the ice was only about ten meters deep. Compared to the glacier, estimated by sight to be at least one hundred meters high, the depth was less than one-tenth. No figure of their target could be seen at the bottom of the tunnel, only the intense, ominous cold radiating white light and interwoven ice veins. Looking further down, it felt as if one’s gaze would freeze in place.
God Level Mecha. A power that rules the eighth tier... It’s far more terrifying than we could have imagined. The residual power here is so great that we can’t even break through it. If we were hit straight on by this power...
Everyone fell silent. After a long silence, Yang Nan’s Sky-level Armaments slowly deactivated, revealing eyes that were calm but slightly complicated.
"Let’s go."
Yang Nan paused, lowered his head, and checked the news just received on the communicator. "Our strength is still lacking. It seems like we need to return to the base for backup. The Ice God is already back and about to leave the Secret Realm. Nothing is going to change in the short term..."
Everyone nodded somberly.
"I... I’ll stay here!" one of them suddenly spoke up. It was Yin Muqing. Her face, devoid of color, looked somewhat anxious, yet determination shone in her eyes. Yang Nan considered it for a moment but did not object.
After making minor adjustments, everyone began to retreat. Everyone seemed a bit downcast. The course of this legendary hunting mission was tumultuous. The mysterious rising star who had powerfully emerged on their side brought them immense shock and awe. They had thought they would be the biggest winners. Yet, due to the Distant Star Federation "flipping the table" with their nearly rogue-like suppression and obliteration, they ended up losing. Even the Phoenix Egg that was almost in their grasp was snatched away. The mission ended in disappointment. Looking back, they couldn’t help but feel frustrated and oppressed...
Just as everyone was about to leave this frozen tundra, suddenly—
CRACK—
The sound of something shattering echoed in Yang Nan’s ears.
WHOOSH—
Yang Nan suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction they were leaving.
Under the sunlight, the undulating glacier was silent and eerily white. A gust of wind blew across its surface; everything seemed so peaceful. The previous noise seemed like an illusion. Yang Nan furrowed his brow slightly then slowly turned around.
But the moment he did—
CRACK! CRACK!—
The sound of shattering was heard again. This time, it was clear. Everyone in the team heard it and looked at each other with baffled expressions.
Yin Muqing, who had chosen to stay, was staring in shock at a spot down below. She looked as though she had seen something unbelievable and stood there, stunned.
WHOOSH—
There was no more hesitation. Yang Nan rushed back. The rest of the team quickly followed. In the blink of an eye, they returned to their original spot. Everyone was leaning over and looking down.
At the bottom of the tunnel they had dug, within the thick layer of ice, a light had unexpectedly appeared at some point. The light came from the base of the glacier and grew brighter. It seemed as if some terrifying force was brewing and expanding beneath the ice...
CRACK! CRACK!—
The sound of the ice layer breaking up persisted, growing more and more dense. They could even see large cracks extending across the glacier. Upon witnessing this, everyone looked at one another, seemingly all having the same thought. Their faces flashed with excitement and disbelief.
BOOM—
The crackling sound transformed into a roar, and the light at the bottom of the hole became more dazzling. Intense cold currents sprayed out from below, surging towards the sky like raging dragons. More and more cracks appeared on the glacier under their feet, and the connected ice mountain began to shake. Large chunks of ice rock cracked and shattered, like the precursor to a massive avalanche.
Sensing the terrifying force brewing, Yang Nan’s face changed abruptly, and he let out a low yell, "Dodge!"
Everyone swiftly retreated.
At the exact moment they retreated, a terrifying aura that made their scalps tingle exploded from beneath their feet with a BOOM. Glaciers within a radius of tens of kilometers shattered all at once. Countless ice rocks were crushed into dust, forming a massively thick column of white gas that shot to the sky, like a terrifying volcanic eruption. Deep blue cold currents spilled out, transforming the ice dust column high in the sky into large chunks of ice and snowflakes that fluttered down.
In this apocalyptic scene, everyone saw—
A flurry of splendid aurora stealthily emerged from the snowy dust and fog. That aurora vibrated the void, pushing away the rolling snow all around and faintly outlining a human figure. An indescribably terrifying wave of energy emanated from the figure, wave after wave. Before anyone could get a clear look at the silhouette’s details, then, with a SWOOSH, the aurora disappeared. The terrifying aura that roiled between heaven and earth like an alarm beacon also vanished without a trace.
The icy snow continued its rampage, falling on everyone like an avalanche. Enveloped by an indescribable, deep palpitation, they looked at each other with shocked expressions.
After a long while, a trembling voice finally murmured, "Is... is that the person?"
No one answered; only the howling wind and snow could be heard.
***
「The entrance to the Secret Realm of Ash Mountain.」
High above the main camp of the alliance, the vast Ice God Mecha floated elegantly, surrounded and guarded by a ring of other Mechas. The Distant Star Federation leader stood at the entrance of his main camp, hands behind his back. He looked calm as he was met with complicated gazes and the sound of buzzing discussions.
Everything has unfolded as I predicted. There were no surprises. I do not regret my decision to dispatch the Ice God. I only wish I had made the decision sooner. I might bear considerable pressure after this operation. However, compared to the enormous value of a real Phoenix Egg, such pressure seems insignificant. I will not receive penalties. Instead... I will become a hero of the federation.
"You can go now, Bas," the Distant Star Federation leader calmly said to someone on the communicator. "There’s no need to provoke their nerves anymore. Just bring that thing back as soon as possible."
A lazy voice came from the communicator.
The Distant Star Federation leader cut the signal, gazing at the Ice God Mecha in mid-air, which was slowly glowing as it activated. He then subconsciously glanced in a certain direction. He saw several gloomy and unsightly faces, then slowly drew back his gaze.
Sum Country... a deliberately hidden Unrivalled Demon Blade? Heh...
The Distant Star Federation leader casually brushed off non-existent dust from his chest, straightening his back bit by bit. He lifted his chin slightly, a thick hint of disdain and contempt on his indifferent face.
***
What fools. If they had let me act earlier, this farce would have ended long ago, right? Business trips are so incredibly boring...
Inside the Ice God Mecha, the mustached, middle-aged man sipping coffee yawned lazily. When his gaze landed on the snow-white giant egg in front of him, half as tall as a person, the boredom and indifference in his eyes finally faded a little.
So this is the legendary Phoenix Egg?
The middle-aged man casually beckoned the snow-white giant egg closer with a wave of his hand, his palm lightly stroking it. His fingers slowly rubbed against the giant egg’s surface, and he couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration. As perfect as a piece of artwork... But it was even more beautiful when it was sealed in ice...
Just as he was saying this, the snow-white giant egg in front of him suddenly began to shake. Strong conscious fluctuations echoed from within the eggshell, conveying some kind of urgent and excited emotion.
"Hmm?!"
The middle-aged man stared at the snow-white giant egg. Thinking for a moment, white light flowed from his fingers as he seemingly tried to use his Spiritual Power to suppress the abnormality inside. But under the suppression of the white light, the snow-white giant egg didn’t calm down; instead, it became more and more agitated.
The middle-aged man frowned slightly, preparing to increase the output of his Spiritual Power. Just then, countless streams of data suddenly poured down the virtual screen in front of him like a waterfall. Urgent alert lights kept blinking, as if warning him of something.
The middle-aged man suddenly looked up, his gaze instantly locking onto the screen. When he saw a figure that had appeared on the screen at some point, he was momentarily taken aback, his expression briefly confused. However, he quickly regained his composure. He raised the coffee in his hand, took a sip, and muttered to himself, "I hate overtime."
