Chaos Heavenly Emperor Art

The perimeter of site S-37.

The armored vehicle came to a stop behind a broken wall. The deep roar of the engine gradually subsided, leaving only the ceaseless wind blowing across the wasteland outside the vehicle, mixed with the low roars of the distant horde of annihilated beasts.

Freya's fingers swiped quickly across the control panel, bringing up scan data of the external environment.

In the holographic projection, the densely packed red dots represent the Annihilation Beasts, among which three exceptionally large spots of light flashed a dangerous golden-red hue—

That was the Tyrant species that had completed its evolution.

"The number is greater than the intelligence indicated."

Sariel frowned, his gaze sweeping over the four or five flickering spots of light on the projection. "Those few are on the verge of transformation and could complete their final mutation at any moment. At that time, we will face an attack from at least seven Tyrant-type creatures."

"Therefore, we must act swiftly and decisively."

Freya's voice was calm, but Ru Feng could hear a suppressed urgency within it. "We must find the source of the mutation before they complete their transformation, and destroy it. Everyone, prepare to begin!"

He took a deep breath, and a sense of anticipation inexplicably arose in his heart.

Could it be that guy Ling Feng?
"Commander Leisa."

Just then, Ru Feng stood up from the rear cabin, walked to the cockpit, stared intently at Freya, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Let me enter the ruins with you, okay?"

Freya turned her head to the side, her dark red eyes looking at the girl through her goggles.

Ru Feng's face still showed some immaturity, but his eyes had already developed the fortitude honed by two years of life-and-death experiences.

She remembers that the inexplicable sense of familiarity she felt when she first met this girl still lingers in her mind.

"The situation inside the ruins is unclear, and the level of danger may be far greater than that on the outside."

Freya did not immediately refuse, but said in a deep voice, "Each of those mutated monsters may possess strength close to that of a god, or even have already reached the god level. And you are only at the Judgment level."

Although Ru Feng's abilities are somewhat unique, at most they can only contend with the Truth level.

They are no match for those of divine rank.

Of course, Freya also had her own considerations. If she brought other people along, she would not be able to unleash her true strength with peace of mind.

Over the years, she has only shown her true level of strength and has never revealed it.

"It is precisely because of the danger that you need manpower even more."

Ru Feng's voice was steady, "After all, in my heart, you are already my master!"

She paused, then looked at Freya with a sincere expression.

"You girl..."

Freya raised her hand and gently stroked Rufeng's cheek, "Alright..."

Her abilities are considerable, and after spending the past two years together, Freya believes she is absolutely trustworthy.

"Uh-huh!"

Ru Feng nodded, "I definitely won't hold you back, Master!"

Yan Jinghong also stepped forward quickly and said in a deep voice, "Commander, count me in too."

He was naturally worried about Ru Feng venturing into dangerous territory by himself.

Han Tian quickly stepped forward, "Commander, I'll go too!"

"Hey Hey hey!"

The scoundrel jumped up from its seat, its hooves stomping loudly on the floor. "You bunch of suicidal idiots, if you're going to die, don't drag this divine beast down with you! This divine beast hasn't lived enough yet!"

Ru Feng shook her head and smiled, giving him a disgruntled look: "Uncle Donkey, you can stay in the car."

"That's even worse!"

The cheeky donkey immediately changed its tune, wagging its tail and sidling up to Ru Feng, "There are so many Annihilation Beasts outside, what if the armored vehicle gets breached? This divine beast will stay with you, just in case things go wrong, hehe..."

He was referring, of course, to hiding in the Five Elements Heavenly Palace.

“Of course…” The donkey’s expression suddenly turned serious, “I’m mainly worried about you, my niece!”

"Yes, yes, Uncle Donkey is the best to me!"

Ru Feng shook her head and smiled wryly. She knew exactly what that scoundrel was up to, but she was too lazy to point it out.

Freya sized up the group, quickly weighing her options.

She originally planned to infiltrate the ruins alone to investigate, which would also make it easier for her to demonstrate her strength.

But now that she's brought Ru Feng along, her companions will probably follow as well.

Since I've chosen to believe Ru Feng, so be it...

She does need help.

Each of these individuals possesses unique abilities, and their strength cannot be fully determined simply by their cultivation level.

It's good to bring it along!

"Ok."

Freya finally nodded. "Wind Chime (Ru Feng), Yan Bing (Yan Jinghong), and Han Long (Han Tian), the three of you will come with me. But remember, once we enter the ruins, you must follow my instructions and not act on your own."

"Understood!" the three replied in unison.

"And what about me—" the cheap donkey was about to speak.

"You are responsible for guarding the rear and watching out for any Annihilation Beasts that might attack from behind."

Freya interrupted it directly, but still took the guy with her.

The donkey opened its mouth, then drooped its ears: "Fine, fine, what can I do when I'm the most capable..."

After assigning the tasks, Freya turned to Sariel: "Lia, I'm leaving the outer perimeter to you. You pilot the Abyss Walker and use heavy firepower to draw the attention of those Tyrant species. Don't engage in direct combat; focus on holding them off and buy us at least three hours."

"Be careful."

Sariel didn't say much, but gave Freya a deep look before turning and walking towards the driver's seat. "If you haven't come out in three hours, I will lead the team in a strong attack."

"It won't come to that!"

After Freya finished speaking, she opened the emergency hatch on the side of the armored vehicle.

Inside the abyss zone, murky air thick with embers and dust rushed into the car, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible stench.

"Ready for action!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Freya's armor quickly covered her entire body, and her visor fell off, obscuring her face.

Ru Feng and Han Tian exchanged glances and then donned their respective battle armor.

The next moment, the four men and the donkey silently jumped out of the armored vehicle and, under the cover of the broken walls and ruins, quickly moved towards an inconspicuous crevice in the southeast.

That was a hidden entrance that Freya had scouted in advance, allowing her to bypass the densest area of ​​the Annihilation Beasts and enter the ruins directly.

They had just taken cover in the crevice when deafening artillery fire erupted behind them.

Sariel took action.

The four-barreled heavy electromagnetic cannons atop the Abyss Walker armored vehicle fired simultaneously, sending azure plasma projectiles streaking across the gray sky and precisely striking the densest area of ​​the Annihilation Beast horde. Explosions erupted into the sky, accompanied by the Annihilation Beasts' piercing howls.

The three Tyrants were enraged simultaneously, their dark golden carapaces rippling with energy amidst the gunfire.

In an instant, the mutated annihilation beasts roared to the sky, their sound waves almost materializing, causing the surrounding building debris to fall in a flurry of rubble.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of ordinary Annihilation Beasts, driven by the Tyrant species, surged toward the armored vehicle like a black tide.

"It's now!"

Freya gave a low shout and was the first to dart out from the crevice in the rock.

A faint light shimmered on the surface of her dark red armor, making her appear like a ghost. She flashed through the shadows of the ruins and covered a hundred meters in just a few moments.

Ru Feng followed closely behind, still wearing the same old-fashioned battle armor from the beginning.

Although Freya had offered to buy them new armor, Rufeng still preferred the original one.

However, in the past two years, their armor has undergone some modifications, becoming more sophisticated. In an instant, the armor's leg thrusters emitted pale blue ion streams, allowing it to maintain high-speed movement even in complex terrain.

Yan Jinghong and Han Tianyi flanked her on either side, while the scoundrel followed at the back, grumbling and cursing, afraid of falling behind.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Under the cover of the roar of cannons and the howls of the annihilating beasts, the group quickly approached the main building of the ruins.

It was a semi-collapsed giant structure, still vaguely showing the grandeur of its former era. The dome, hundreds of meters high, was now just a skeleton, and the tilted alloy beams pierced the ground like the bones of a giant beast.

The entrance is located beneath a collapsed beam, partially obscured by rubble.

Freya waved her hand, clearing away the barrier and revealing a dark hole.

A chilling airflow surged from the cave, carrying a thick, decaying stench, and... something deeper, something more sinister.

"Follow me!"

Freya did not hesitate and leaped into the cave.

Ru Feng took a deep breath and followed closely behind.

Darkness instantly engulfed my vision.

The fall lasted about three seconds. Freya took a step in mid-air before hitting the ground, cushioning the impact of the fall and landing lightly on the slippery ground.

Ru Feng and the others landed one after another, their combat boots making an unpleasant "plop" sound as they stepped on some sticky substance.

"illumination."

Freya whispered.

Searchlights simultaneously illuminated the sides of the four people.

The beam of light pierced the darkness, illuminating the surrounding scenery.

This is a downward-sloping passage with walls made of some kind of dark silver alloy, the surface of which is covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

A faintly glowing moss grows in the crack, emitting a ghostly green fluorescence that barely provides any visibility.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of black slime, the very thing I had just stepped on, which was slowly wriggling and flowing, as if it were alive.

"these are……"

Han Tian used his spear to pick up a bit of the slime, and countless hair-thin tentacles immediately emerged from it, attempting to wrap around it.

He quickly shook it off, and the slime fell back to the ground, soon re-merging into the black "carpet".

"A derivative contaminated by the power of the abyss."

Freya's voice echoed in the passage, sounding somewhat hollow, as she murmured, "It seems that during the great battle a few years ago, with the fall of Quinn, the Son of the Abyss, a large amount of abyssal energy dissipated. These should be the things generated by the power of the abyss."

"Child of the Abyss? Who is that?"

Ru Feng blinked and asked curiously.

"He's just a dead guy, let's not talk about him."

Freya shook her head, then squatted down and gently touched the surface of the mucus with her finger.

A faint red glow appeared on the fingertips, and the viscous liquid immediately began to boil and churn, making a "sizzling" corrosive sound and emitting a pungent white smoke.

"It seems that this slime is highly corrosive."

Freya stood up and continued forward. "Our armor can hold out for a while, but it will be corroded over time. It seems that three hours is too long. Let's finish this quickly!"

The team moved on.

The passage descends, the slope becomes steeper and steeper, and the cracks on the walls on both sides become more and more numerous.

The glowing moss was gradually replaced by a dark red, pulsating fleshy tissue that spread across the wall like blood vessels, throbbing slowly with a certain rhythm.

"This place...it's like it's been parasitized by some kind of creature."

Yan Jinghong said in a low voice, his hand already on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Ru Feng felt a tightness in his chest.

It was a strange sense of oppression, as if the entire ruins were breathing, each "exhale" carrying a heavy dose of negative emotion—

Madness, hatred, pain, despair.

These negative emotions, as if they were tangible, tried to penetrate her mind.

"focus."

Freya, without turning her head, reminded him, "The power of the abyss corrupts the mind, and the stronger a person is, the greater the impact. What you see before you may not be the truth!"

Ru Feng quickly composed himself, and the oppressive feeling lessened slightly, but did not completely disappear.

After walking for a short while, the passage forked ahead, and three paths leading in different directions appeared before us.

Freya stopped and closed her eyes, as if sensing something.

A few seconds later, she pointed to the leftmost path: "This way, the source of the abyss fluctuations is in this direction."

"You can sense it?"

Ru Feng was somewhat surprised.

She tried to sense it herself, but could only feel a chaotic flow of energy.

Little did she know that her teacher was none other than Freya, the goddess of wisdom and the fifth seat of the Divine Court.

Upon reaching the divine level, one's perception of the power of the abyss naturally reaches a completely different level.

"That's it."

Freya didn't explain further and took the lead into the left passage.

The passage was narrower than before, with fleshy tissue covering almost the entire wall. In some places, tumor-like bulges had grown, their surfaces covered with constantly opening and closing holes that spewed out pink spores with a putrid stench.

"Hold your breath!"

Freya shouted and unleashed a burst of flames, burning the drifting spores to ashes.

Just then, Han Tian behind him groaned, his body swayed, and his eyes became bloodshot.

"Hanlong!" Rufeng quickly helped him up.

"I'm fine..."

Han Tian bit his tongue, using the pain to stay awake, "I'm just a little... inexplicably restless."

Freya walked back quickly and placed her hand on Han Tian's forehead.

As the intense energy surged in, Han Tian's body trembled, and the bloodshot in his eyes quickly faded.

"These spores can stimulate aggression, causing people to fall into a frenzied state where they cannot distinguish friend from foe."

Freya withdrew her hand, her expression grave. "It seems the deeper we go, the more polluted the abyss becomes. Stay close, I'll deploy my domain to protect you."

As soon as she finished speaking, an invisible force field unfolded around Freya, enveloping the four people and the donkey.

It is her realm of wisdom.

At the edge of the field, a faint blue glow emanated, and the spores vaporized instantly upon touching the edge of the force field.

"What power is this?"

Ru Feng sensed the power of the laws contained within the force field, which was completely different from what Freya had displayed during their previous battle.

It is purer and more sacred.

"Do not ask."

Freya interrupted her question, "After you leave, you must not tell anyone about anything that happened here today. Not even the other members of the group, understand?"

Her tone was more serious than ever before, and Ru Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He nodded solemnly, "I understand."

It seems that this "master" she just recognized probably harbors quite a few secrets. (End of Chapter)