Chapter 334 – Extreme Battle Saber, Earth Armament

“Cuckoo-“

Upon hearing Lu Yuan’s sudden outburst, the Hoopoe on his left shoulder cooed joyfully.

With a glittering Phoenix Feather in its beak, the bird moved closer to Lu Yuan, showing an intimate affection towards him.

The legendary aura from the near distance Phoenix Feather, along with the evil deity factor, flowed continuously into Lu Yuan’s body.

Inside him, the blood sphere rapidly expanded at an unprecedented speed. Even just by breathing, the effects were better than directly consuming any of the previous wondrous items.

“Lu… Lu Yuan…”

Standing a few meters away, Lan Chen looked at the Hoopoe on Lu Yuan’s shoulder with an exaggerated expression, then shifted his gaze to the fervent and predatory eyes of the exploration team members around.

He appeared confused and bewildered, with the identity information flashing before his eyes causing his eyelids to twitch constantly, rendering his voice stammering without realizing it.

“What… What should we do next?”

“Stay away from me.”

After a brief moment of shock, Lu Yuan regained his composure.

He tossed a remark to Lan Chen, then surveyed the surroundings, facing the burning gazes locked firmly on him, and whispered to the Hoopoe beside his face:

“Did you think this would get to me? You’re underestimating me…”

“But are you ready to pay…”

“The price for doing this?”

The Hoopoe with the golden feather in its beak paused momentarily at Lu Yuan’s final words, its eyes showing a hint of mild astonishment and surprise.

However, it quickly resumed its previous demeanor, perching leisurely on Lu Yuan’s shoulder, looking as if it was ready to enjoy the show at any moment.

…

“Boom!”

Deep within the jungle, several figures shot out swiftly like meteors.

“The place where the Phoenix vanished is around here!”

“I detected powerful legendary aura waves, it’s an unprecedented wondrous item…”

“Don’t let anyone else beat us to it.”

The figures halted, revealing three young individuals, two males and one female.

Each possessed an extraordinary demeanor, with the mark of stars and bears on their left chests and an unusual radiance emanating from their bodies.

The glow, resembling the brilliance of stars, spread outwards, instilling a sense of strength and clarity.

“It’s the Phoenix Feather!”

Upon landing, the three immediately spotted a figure surrounded by many others who had also rushed over upon receiving the news.

Noticing the golden feather in the beak of the Hoopoe perched on the figure’s shoulder, their eyes and tones instantly turned fervent.

“It looks like one of our Yellow Bear members got it!”

“Good, good…”

Seeing the Yellow Bear emblem on the figure at the center of the crowd, the three’s expressions became even more delighted and eager.

The handsome youth, who led the group and had long hair parted in the middle, a slender figure, and was dressed in a light blue one-piece combat suit, even showed a slight smile, seemingly pleased with the unexpected smoothness of the situation.

However, the woman among the three let out a light “huh,” as if she saw something unexpected.

“What is it?”

The handsome youth asked the woman who had made the sound. She was wearing a silver combat suit, exuding a noble and cool air, and was none other than Yin Muqing, the supernova member who had led the last exploration into the Elephant Deity Secret Realm.

After finishing the exploration of the Elephant Deity Secret Realm, Yin Muqing had almost immediately rushed to the Embers Mountain, joining her fellow supernova companions to explore the area.

Her luck was evidently very good; not long after entering Embers Mountain, she had caught wind of a top-tier wondrous item like the Phoenix Feather emerging.

Shaking her head, Yin Muqing said, “It’s nothing, just that I know the Yellow Bear member who obtained the Phoenix Feather.”

“Oh?”

The handsome youth and the last member of the trio, a short-haired man with slightly dark skin, both showed slight surprise on their faces.

Yin Muqing explained, “When I led the exploration team in the Elephant Deity Secret Realm, this guy was one of the members. His strength was average, but he had incredible luck, escaping danger multiple times and turning peril into safety…

I didn’t expect that luck to continue here in Embers Mountain. It hasn’t even been that long, and he’s already got his hands on the Phoenix Feather…”

“That is indeed a born lucky one.”

The handsome youth sighed, then smiled and said, “It’s good that this lucky one is on our side.”

The handsome youth surveyed his surroundings, and an immense force of mental power emanated from his body, transforming into an invisible force field that enveloped the entire nearby area.

This unique, fourth-stage combat power exuded a mighty aura that made him stand out among the crowd as if no one else mattered. His confidence and composure were beyond words.

“This is the Yellow Bear’s spoils of war…”

The handsome youth stepped into the center, drawing all eyes onto him.

“It’s already decided.”

He smiled as he looked around, raising a hand and making a casual gesture. “Everyone should leave now.”

Hearing his authoritative yet calm words, the powerful figures from various factions showed subtle changes in their expressions.

One of them, who also emitted star-like radiance, spoke with a serious tone.

“Ling Yu, ranked thirty-third on the Supernova ranking, I recognize you… But isn’t it too early to say it’s settled? The Phoenix Feather hasn’t even been recorded, and there’s no change in the Embers ranking. Who are you to declare it’s already decided?!”

Ling Yu, the handsome youth who had been identified, had a subtle shift in his gaze and then suddenly smiled.

In the next instant, his figure seemed to leave a lingering trail of radiance like a phantom as he shot forward abruptly.

The man who had just spoken turned pale with shock, and three dazzling light spots instantly blossomed on his body.

However, this brilliant display lasted less than a second before being forcibly shattered.

The man groaned and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through numerous towering ancient trees along the way.

Ling Yu, who had delivered the strike, somehow returned to his original position, looking as if he had never moved.

With both hands naturally resting by his sides, he maintained a peaceful demeanor, his face still adorned with a gentle smile. He addressed everyone, “Why? Because of this. Does anyone else have a different opinion?”

In the vast clearing, everyone met with Ling Yu’s gaze felt a chill in their hearts, and they instinctively stepped back.

In contrast, the two individuals standing behind Ling Yu, including Yin Muqing, wore expressions that suggested they had anticipated this outcome all along.

“Take our people and go,” Ling Yu instructed.

Yin Muqing and the other companion nodded and began moving toward the young Yellow Bear member they had termed the “lucky one.”

Suddenly, a dazzling saber light, over ten meters long, roared through the air and landed heavily in their path with a loud “boom,” carving a deep trench in the hard ground and forcing them to stop abruptly.

The sudden appearance of the blazing saber light made everyone in the area instinctively look up.

As they raised their heads, they saw a robust man wielding a large battle saber and cloaked in starry brilliance, stepping through the air.

His overwhelming aura felt like a whirlwind storm.

Wherever he passed, the towering ancient trees beneath his feet automatically fell aside.

As he landed and entered the scene, the aura belonging to Ling Yu immediately dissolved like ice under a scorching sun.

A far more flamboyant, audacious, and arrogant aura took control of the entire area!

With the appearance of the robust man, Ling Yu’s face instantly lost its confident and composed expression, replaced by a gradually grave look.

Yin Muqing and her companion’s faces turned particularly unpleasant as well. They instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons, their auras constantly fluctuating, as if facing a dire threat.

“Extreme Battle Saber Mattis!”

The robust man, with a hulking figure, held a massive black saber several times the normal size.

He casually rested the saber on his left shoulder, looked at the three in front of him with a playful grin, and said, “From a distance, I almost thought someone from the top twenty rankings was talking here. Turns out it’s just a few small fry…”

Mattis wore a pretentious look of disappointment, causing Ling Yu’s eyes to flicker and his face to quickly darken.

Yet, Mattis had a ranking nearly ten places higher than his on the global supernova ranking, making it difficult for Ling Yu to find any comeback that could match their sheer power gap.

As for Yin Muqing and the other companion, their strength was far inferior to Ling Yu’s, and in front of Mattis, who was ranked in the twenties, they indeed seemed like small fry and had no grounds to speak.

“Mattis, Xia State and Javier have always had good relations…”

Ling Yu thought for a moment and then said, “We can cooperate this time…”

He assumed a conciliatory stance, but Mattis responded with a mocking sneer.

“Cooperate? If Xia State’s Ding Can were here to say that, I might consider it. But you three…”

Mattis shook his head, carrying his battle saber. “You’re not qualified.”

“You…”

Ling Yu’s face turned cold as he was about to retort.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the area dropped sharply, like the oppressive air before a storm.

Mattis’s aura was being suppressed, and he frowned, looking up.

Immediately, everyone heard a series of intense booming sounds.

It was the terrifying noise of something continuously breaking the sound barrier.

Half a breath later, a cyan streak of light descended from the sky in everyone’s field of vision…

“Boom!”

The streak of light landed heavily, and the resulting shockwave flattened the forest within a few kilometers.

Many people’s faces changed, and they couldn’t help but retreat.

Soon, a figure over three meters tall emerged slowly from the massive cloud of dust.

Each step was accompanied by strange mechanical sounds.

Finally, the newcomer was fully revealed.

It was a handsome man with radiant golden hair.

In reality, his physique was not much different from an average person’s.

However, many parts of his body were covered and encased in a cyan metal armor.

Embedded in his chest was a giant cyan light core, emanating an unparalleled oppressive energy that made it hard for those with lesser strength to even breathe.

The appearance of this figure caused Ling Yu and his companions to change their expressions dramatically.

Even the previously arrogant Mattis narrowed his eyes slightly.

Mattis’s gaze slowly swept over the prominent Distant Star Federation insignia on the blond man’s armor, and he slowly enunciated the words- “Earth Armament.”

The blond man smiled and nodded slightly at Mattis, a gesture of friendly acknowledgment.

The mention of “Earth Armament” caused a noticeable shift in the expressions of many present.

Earth Armament is a single-unit exoskeleton armor developed from Earth level combat mecha, possessing a portion of the Earth level mecha’s power but with greater agility.

An Earth Armament typically signifies at least fourth-stage combat power.

If equipped by an already powerful modification system warrior, it can unleash high fourth-stage, or even near fifth-stage, terrifying strength.

That approaches the combat power range of Earth level mecha.

With the appearance of the Distant Star Federation’s “Earth Armament,” the scene formed a tripartite standoff.

The initial advantage that belonged to the Yellow Bear supernova, Ling Yu, vanished completely.

Three auras intertwined, clashing and colliding with each other, sparks invisibly flying through the air.

Many people instinctively shifted their gazes to the center of these three forces, where the dazzling Phoenix Feather resided.

Everyone was speculating which side would ultimately claim this legendary feather.

Of course, their focus was entirely on the Phoenix Feather.

As for the bird clutching the Phoenix Feather in its beak and the person on whose shoulder the bird perched… they were naturally overlooked.