Chapter 346 – Underworld Armor, Sovereign, Scythe Cutting

Beneath a sky as hot as molten gold, the lush, verdant primeval forest spread out like a vast emerald sea. Smoky blue mist silently flowed, presenting an ancient and serene wilderness scene.

In the depths of the dense forest, two figures, one tall and one short, were flying close to the ground.

One of them had the majority of their face covered with floating blue squares, with a mechanical electronic eye suspended out of its socket, emitting a faint blue light. Most of their body had a metallic sheen, with virtual characters and energy transfer lights flickering on the surface.

The other person was wrapped tightly in a gray exoskeleton armor, completely obscuring their physique and appearance.

Their speed was slow, indicating extreme caution.

They took turns to clear potential dangerous obstacles ahead.

“Lucky us, we haven’t encountered anything really dangerous so far, and the gains have been substantial.”

After a while, one of them stopped and began to recharge the exoskeleton armor. As the protective mask on their face opened, they sighed and said.

The other person remained vigilant, looking around while replying, “That’s how exploring a secret realm goes. One wrong step during tough times can be fatal, but during smooth times, it’s like strolling in the park… This is the Deep Mist Zone, so let’s not let our guard down.”

“I know.”

After the equipment was recharged, the first person casually asked, “What’s your embers value now? Have you made it into the top 100?”

“Let me check… probably not, still a bit short.”

Just as the companion was about to answer, suddenly…

“Whoosh-“

A wind inexplicably blew through the forest.

This wind came from the path ahead, carrying a slight heat, yet filled with the scent of decay and desolation.

It was like the smell of rotting wood, weathered and turned into tiny particles scattered in the air.

The two who were chatting abruptly looked tense, exchanged a glance, and simultaneously ascended into the sky, above the dense forest canopy.

“It came from that direction!”

One of them accurately pinpointed the location, and they both looked towards it.

In the forest ahead, it seemed like a black sea was pouring in.

A massive black ring-shaped wave was roaring towards them.

Where it passed, swathes of dark green forest were swallowed by the blackness. Ancient trees in the forest decayed and collapsed, flowers and grasses turned to smoke… It seemed as though all life was being devoured and plundered by the Black Tide.

The two figures hovering in mid-air stared in shock, completely unaware of what was happening.

Before they could even fully recover from the initial impact, one of them suddenly focused their gaze, pointing at the center where the black sea was pouring over, and exclaimed, “What is that?!”

A massive shadow was slowly rising there, as if something was about to break through the surface.

They watched that spot intently, trying to understand the cause of all this.

Finally, their pupils contracted sharply as they saw what was emerging from the black sea-

It was an enormous black giant crow.

Its aura was icy, its appearance terrifying, with countless eyes, large and small, growing on its head.

Each of those eyes held endless desolation and deathly stillness.

It emerged from the Black Sea of death, seemingly to bring about an apocalyptic calamity of decay and destruction to the entire world…

“Ugh… ugh…”

Witnessing this, the two were already consumed by terror and panic, a deep coldness from their souls surged up within them, transmitting instantly through their bodies.

Their necks felt like they were gripped by invisible hands, unable to utter a clear, complete syllable.

Finally remembering to escape, they turned around and fled desperately in the direction they had come, running for their lives…

…

Deep Valley.

A deep valley entirely shrouded in black.

Shuttles and cannons had ceased their roaring, Mechas hovered motionless, the battle had stopped.

All the members of the exploration team stood there, blankly staring at the scene before them. The Bloodline of Phoenix members, on the other hand, knelt in terror, muttering incessantly, as if in continuous prayer.

They watched as countless streams of death energy surged and rose, filling the sky, toppling trees, and shaking the deep valley.

The massive Hundred-eyed Nether Crow hovered silently, covering the entire sky above the deep valley with its vast form. Its twin wings were spread wide, and black, lightning-like death energy dripped like raindrops…

It was an apocalyptic scene of utter terror.

And at the center of this horrifying spectacle, a tall, imposing figure floated quietly.

Clad in deep, ornate black heavy armor adorned with intricate patterns.

Three pairs of exquisite, majestic wings spanning over fifteen meters.

A long death energy cloak, billowing effortlessly despite the lack of wind.

Above his head loomed a colossal and icy underworld crow dharma form with countless eyes. At his chest, a black vortex swirled, endlessly pouring out death energy.

He melded perfectly with the pervasive aura of desolation and decay in the space, hovering above. Underneath a crystalline mask, a pair of indifferent eyes gazed calmly at everyone within the deep valley.

It was as if… a sovereign was surveying each of his subjects.

The sovereign of the Underworld Kingdom.

“What… kind of strength is this?”

In the deathly silent scene, someone murmured in a daze.

This murmur broke the silence, instantly snapping many people out of their shocked stupor.

No orders were needed; in an instant.

Every shuttle, Mecha, and modified powerhouse within the deep valley opened fire simultaneously.

They all aimed in the same direction.

“Boom! Boom boom!”

“Boom boom boom!”

Dense energy beams, light spheres, and rays intertwined in the sky, forming a brilliant rain of destruction.

The ultra-powered engines of three Earth level Mechas roared like ancient beasts.

A bird-like Mecha spread its twin wings and gave a slight shake, releasing massive, deep blue energy blades that tore through the air, forming streams of blue energy.

A beast-type Mecha opened its mouth, spewing out meter-wide plasma energy beams.

A warrior Mecha wielded ultra-large alloy twin blades, its body vibrating at high frequency. In one flicker, two persistent scarlet red blade marks were left in the sky…

Massive energy attacks converged into a terrifying surge, melting large swaths of air within the deep valley.

In the blink of an eye, these attacks completely engulfed the tall figure in ornate heavy armor standing at the center of the battlefield.

This barrage of fire lasted for a good half a minute.

When the barrage ceased and the light from the energy beams dissipated, everyone widened their eyes, watching the center of the battle group with nerves taut.

Half a breath later, everything settled, and the twisted, blurry void returned to calm and clarity, revealing the scene at the center of the battle group…

“Hmm?!”

Everyone’s pupils contracted sharply, and their expressions fell into a momentary daze.

A pair of massive, intersecting underworld crow wings slowly unfolded.

Beneath the wings, the figure clad in sovereign heavy armor stood unscathed. The eyes behind the Crystal Mask remained calm, exuding the same noble aplomb as before.

“Roar!”

A beastly howl suddenly shattered the silence.

A figure sliced through the sky, its five-meter-tall form rapidly expanding mid-air, swelling to seven meters.

Jagged blades sprouted from beneath its body, and the once merely reddish silver threads turned completely blood-red.

This grotesque and terrifying figure, resembling a bladed demon, charged with overwhelming violent and bloodthirsty intent, speeding towards the figure in underworld armor at supersonic speed.

The latter merely lifted an eyelid slightly, then raised an arm in a horizontal slash…

“Swish-“

A fine black line appeared silently in the sky.

The black line rapidly expanded into a crescent shape, spreading outwards swiftly.

No sound.

No warning signs.

The blood-red demon, originally in a supersonic charge, suddenly slowed down, then slowed further… After moving a short distance due to inertia, its grotesque and massive body split in two and fell silently from the sky in halves.

“Hiss-“

In the chilling silence, the members of the exploration team shuddered violently, their eyes widening to the point of tearing at the corners, followed by a collective gasp.

The three Earth level Mechas also froze mid-air, the pilots inside motionless, their expressions one of utter shock.

“Lord Haines… he’s sixth-stage!”

Effortlessly splitting the troublesome brown-haired man in half with one strike, the person clad in underworld armor remained utterly unperturbed.

As if for him, this was no more than swatting a bothersome fly rather than eliminating a sixth-stage powerhouse.

He casually glanced around before speaking in a low tone.

“Underworld Crow’s Annihilation…”

He raised his arm for the second time.

Seeing this motion, the numerous exploration team powerhouses, combat shuttles, and even the three Earth level Mechas within the deep valley felt their scalps tighten and, without hesitation, turned to flee.

But it was too late. The arm came down, accompanied by an indifferent voice from beneath the Crystal Mask.

“Scythe Cutting.”

A black line far larger than the one that had dispatched Haines spread across the space.

Pitch black and smooth.

It swept along the midline of the space like an invisible, enormous scythe.

The black light flashed and disappeared.

What followed was a sight to behold-

Within the vast deep valley, numerous modification system powerhouses, combat shuttles, and Mechas all had their protective energy light shields flare up with blinding brightness.

Alas, the light only flickered momentarily before extinguishing like candle flames in the wind.

Subsequently, a multitude of figures, Mechas, and shuttles-their engines roaring-shuddered and descended in droves as if falling dumplings.

The once crowded skies above the deep valley were suddenly cleared.

The figure in underworld armor opened his hand, and several deep red crystal fragments floated up from the valley floor.

Having done all this, his broad, jet-black Six Wings flapped as he turned and ascended swiftly, vanishing into the vast sky in the blink of an eye.

Simultaneously.

At the secret realm entrance, within a meeting room, twenty-seven leaders sat around a metallic circular table in collective silence, staring fixedly at the light screen before them.

…

“Whoosh-“

The broad Six Wings, spanning over ten meters, stirred up desolate winds, causing the emerald forest below to sway violently. Under the intense erosion of death energy, numerous dark green leaves rapidly yellowed, withered, and decayed into mush before even hitting the ground.

A figure adorned in magnificent and imposing heavy armor descended from the sky, stepping through the air.

His feet lightly touched the ground. The armor, the narrow cape that billowed behind him, and the Crystal Mask on his face all disintegrated inch by inch, dissolving into dense black smoke that rapidly dispersed. Finally, Lu Yuan’s pale and handsome face was revealed.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, and the blood pill in front of his chest rotated slightly, with his vitality surging like the tide.

The ghastly wound at his waist and abdomen quickly healed at a visible speed until it was completely restored.

“The wounds on my body are manageable, and my mental power is only slightly depleted. But…”

Lu Yuan reached out and touched his chest, sensing the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow Feather hidden within his body, now dim and unresponsive.

It looked… utterly depleted, as if it had been drained.

“This can’t be right. I only drew out a surge of Strength. I absorbed so much death energy back in the Wailing Ruins. It can’t be that a little use would drop me from the legendary level…”

Lu Yuan attempted to probe further into the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow Feather with his mental power.

Fortunately, the artifact still responded to his consciousness.

While much of the death energy stored within it had been consumed, a significant amount remained.

It seemed he could still handle about three more high-intensity battles similar to what he had faced in the deep valley.