Chapter 364 – Aurora, Ice Break

“Can you detect any life signal fluctuations?”

Someone shook his head, looking at the iceberg beneath them. “But it should be this spot.”

“Move aside.”

Yang Nan said quietly as he activated his sky armament.

The light golden sky armament enveloped him completely. Dark blue currents sparked at the joints, the superpower engine humming softly.

The group immediately dispersed, except for Ding Can, who stepped forward two paces and silently raised his short gun.

Yang Nan and Ding Can exchanged a glance. Without wasting words, they took a breath and launched two powerful attacks simultaneously.

“Boom!”

The powerful attacks struck the glacier, producing an ear-piercing screech as the glacier’s chill spread in all directions. Blue-white ice dust erupted like a fountain.

As the ice dust settled, everyone peered down.

When they saw the impact site clearly, their expressions hardened.

Yang Nan and Ding Can’s combined assault, two seventh stage attacks, had only shattered a small portion of the glacier’s uppermost layer, leaving a crater with a wide splatter area but much shallower depth than anyone had anticipated.

“Again.”

Yang Nan’s face remained impassive, as if he had expected this outcome.

He signaled to Ding Can to continue the attack.

Just like they had once broken through the forbidden light wall of the forbidden land, neither hesitated to exhaust their strength, constantly pouring their power into the crater.

The continuous booming reverberations shook the glacier beneath their feet, ice dust billowing upwards.

Yet all along, the tremors remained confined to a small area. The shockwaves spread outward but couldn’t significantly affect the overall glacier.

This newly formed glacier, present for only mere minutes, seemed like an eternal cliff left by eons of time, indestructible, immovable.

In the crowd, Yin Muqing suddenly bit her lip. Resolutely, she drew her alloy combat blade, pushing the strength of her two star acupoints to the limit, and slashed down fiercely.

The person next to her glanced at her in surprise. Yin Muqing seemed oblivious, focused solely on ceaselessly striking out with her blade.

Some people’s eyes flickered, and then they chose to act as well.

More and more people started joining in, and soon the entire team was involved in excavating the glacier.

The fierce bombardment continued for a long time. Gradually, some began to exhaust their energy and stopped to recover their stamina.

By the time Ding Can’s face turned slightly pale and he paused to catch his breath, Yang Nan, who was clad in his sky armament, also stopped.

“Whoosh-“

A wild wind swept across the wilderness, kicking up swirling ice dust. It made the energy shields around everyone flicker, like precarious signal lights in a snowstorm.

When the dissipating cold currents finally cleared, they looked at their results and fell into silence.

The ice layer they had been attacking for so long showed a pit that was merely ten meters deep.

Compared to the glacier, which was estimated to be at least a hundred meters tall, this depth was less than a tenth.

There was no sign of their target at the bottom of the pit; only the intense, pale cold air and the interwoven ice veins resembling blood vessels were visible. Any further gaze downward felt like it would freeze.

A divine level mecha.

The power of the eighth stage…

Far more terrifying than they had imagined.

Even just the residual power left behind was something they couldn’t break through.

If they had faced this power head-on…

Everyone was speechless.

After a long silence, the sky armament around Yang Nan slowly opened, revealing his eyes, which were calm but carried a hint of complexity.

“Let’s go.”

Yang Nan paused and looked down to check the message he had just received on his communicator.

“Our strength isn’t enough. It looks like we’ll need help from the base.

The Ice God has returned and is about to withdraw from the secret realm. There shouldn’t be any more incidents happening for the time being…”

Everyone nodded quietly.

Suddenly, someone spoke up: “I’ll… I’ll stay here!”

It was Yin Muqing who spoke. Her face, devoid of much blood color, looked a bit nervous, but there was a resolute determination in her eyes.

Yang Nan considered it for a moment and did not refuse.

After a brief rest, the group decided to head back.

Everyone’s spirits were somewhat downcast.

This legendary hunting expedition had been full of twists and turns. The emergence of our mysterious demon blade had given them many shocks and awe, making us believe that we would become the biggest winners in this game.

But then the Distant Star Federation turned the tables by force, using almost rogue methods to suppress and annihilate us.

Even the Phoenix Egg, which we had already secured, was taken away. In the end, it was a story of regret.

Thinking back, it inevitably brought feelings of frustration and indignation…

Just as everyone was about to leave this eternally frozen land, suddenly.

“Crack-“

A sound of something breaking echoed in Yang Nan’s ears.

“Swish-“

Yang Nan abruptly turned his head, looking towards the direction they had been leaving.

In the sunlight, the glacier stretched quietly, a vast expanse of frosty white.

A breeze swept over the glacier, and everything seemed peaceful.

That sound, it seemed like just an illusion.

Yang Nan furrowed his brow slightly and slowly turned around.

But just as he turned.

“Crack, crack-“

The breaking sound echoed again.

This time it was very clear; everyone in the team heard it and looked at each other in surprise.

In the distance, Yin Muqing, who insisted on staying behind, was staring fixedly at a spot below, her face frozen in disbelief as if she had seen something unimaginable.

“Whoosh-“

There was no more room for hesitation. Yang Nan’s form blurred as he dashed back at lightning speed.

The rest of the group immediately followed suit.

In an instant, they returned to their original position and looked down.

At the bottom of the pit they had dug, within the thick ice layer, an unexpected glow had appeared.

The light came from the very bottom of the glacier and was growing brighter.

It seemed as though a terrifying power was brewing beneath the ice, expanding…

“Crack, crack-“

The sound of the ice breaking became more frequent and intense.

Large cracks could be seen extending across the glacier.

Everyone exchanged glances, seemingly realizing something at the same time, their faces lighting up with excitement and disbelief.

“Boom-“

The breaking sound turned into a roar as the light at the bottom of the pit grew even more dazzling.

Waves of cold currents erupted from the bottom of the pit, shooting skyward like enraged dragons.

The cracks on the glacier beneath their feet were multiplying, and the interconnected iceberg began to shake.

Massive chunks of ice split apart and shattered, reminiscent of the ominous signs before an enormous avalanche.

Sensing the tremendous Strength about to surge from within, Yang Nan’s face suddenly changed. He shouted in a low voice.

“Dodge!”

Everyone immediately retreated in unison.

In the instant they withdrew, a terrifying force that made their scalps tingle surged upward with a thunderous roar from beneath their feet.

Within a radius of several kilometers, the glacier exploded simultaneously.

Countless ice rocks were ground to powder, forming an enormous white pillar of gas that shot into the sky, like a scene of an ancient iceberg erupting.

Dark blue cold currents spread out in all directions, and the ice dust pillar that rushed into the sky turned into large, swirling snowflakes falling down.

Amidst this apocalyptic sight, everyone saw-

A brilliant aurora quietly emerged from the ice dust and snow mist.

This aurora rippled through the void, pushing the rolling ice and snow aside, faintly outlining a human figure.

Indescribable energy fluctuations emanated in waves from the figure.

Before anyone could widen their eyes to see the figure clearly,

“Swish!”

The aurora vanished.

The terrifying aura that had shaken the heavens like a war banner also disappeared.

Ice and snow continued to rage, cascading down on everyone like an avalanche.

Everyone was enveloped in an unspeakable, profound tremor, exchanging looks filled with shock and dread.

After a long while,

A trembling voice softly broke the silence.

“Is…is it that person?”

No one answered, only the sound of howling wind and snow remained.

…

The secret realm entrance at Embers Mountain.

Above the headquarters of the united forces.

The colossal “Ice God” hovered gracefully in the sky, surrounded and guarded by multiple Mecha units.

The head of the Distant Star Federation stood at the entrance of their headquarters with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm amidst the chorus of buzzing discussions and complex gazes directed at him.

Nothing surprising happened; everything unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.

He had no regrets about his decision to forcibly deploy the “Ice God.” His only regret was not having made the decision sooner.

After this operation, he might face significant pressure.

But when compared to the enormous value of the Phoenix Egg they had secured, this pressure seemed insignificant. Not only would he avoid punishment, but he would also become a hero of the Federation.

“It’s done.”

The head of the Distant Star Federation spoke calmly into his communicator to someone on the other end, “There’s no need to provoke them further. Just bring the item back as quickly as possible.”

A lazy response came from the communicator.

The head of the Distant Star Federation cut the connection, his gaze unconsciously drifting to a certain direction as he watched the “Ice God” Mecha begin to glow and activate.

He observed a few grim and displeased faces before slowly retracting his gaze.

“The peerless demon blade that Xia State deliberately concealed?”

“Heh…”

With a casual demeanor, the head of the Distant Star Federation brushed off nonexistent dust from his chest and gradually straightened his posture.

He raised his chin slightly, his expression indifferent, tinged with a profound sense of disdain and contempt.

…

“What fools, if they had let me take action earlier, this farce would have ended long ago.

Business trips are incredibly boring…”

Inside the “Ice God,” a middle-aged man with a mustache yawned lightly while holding a cup of coffee.

When his gaze fell on a snow-white colossal egg about half a person’s height, the cold indifference and boredom in his eyes slightly receded.

“Is this the legendary Phoenix Egg?”

The middle-aged man casually used his power to bring the snow-white colossal egg in front of him, gently caressing it with his hand.

As his fingers slowly traced over the surface of the egg, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

“So perfect, like a piece of art…”

The middle-aged man gazed at the snow-white colossal egg in front of him, admiring it from top to bottom, “Though, it did look more beautiful when encased in ice…”

Just as he spoke.

The snow-white colossal egg suddenly began to shake, and violent consciousness waves emanated from within the eggshell, conveying a sense of urgency and excitement.

“Hmm?!”

The middle-aged man stared intently at the snow-white colossal egg, pondering for a moment. White light flowed from his fingers as he attempted to use his mental power to suppress the turbulent activity within.

However, under the suppression of the white light, the snow-white colossal egg only grew more agitated rather than calming down.

The middle-aged man’s brows furrowed slightly as he prepared to intensify the output of his mental power.

Suddenly, countless streams of data poured down onto the virtual light screen in front of him like a waterfall.

Urgent warning lights kept flashing, as if signaling something crucial.

The middle-aged man quickly raised his head, his eyes immediately locking onto the light screen.

When he saw the figure that had appeared on the screen at some point, he was momentarily stunned, his expression showing a brief trace of astonishment.

But he soon regained his composure.

With a calm demeanor, he took a gentle sip of the coffee in his hand and murmured to himself.

“I hate working overtime.”