Translator: CinderTL
On a desolate island a thousand miles from Hurricane Island, not a soul stirred.
Under the cover of night, an eerie silence prevailed, broken only by the gentle lapping of waves against the shore and the faint rustling of insects.
But then—
Boom!!
A violent storm erupted, tearing through the tranquil island.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, crisscrossed by flashes of silver lightning and thunderous roars.
Giant boulders were pulverized into dust by the gale, forests uprooted, and trees splintered.
The figure meditating cross-legged in the central valley of the island opened his eyes.
Crack!!
A silver lightning bolt flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating the night.
It revealed a stern face with close-cropped gray hair, its features cold and unyielding.
His eyes were piercing, seeming to merge with the storm's fury.
He bore an uncanny resemblance to the Hurricane Lord who had perished in Hurricane Island's Ironwood Forest—eight or nine parts identical.
"A wanted criminal of the Steel Kingdom..."
A trickle of blood escaped his lips. His breath came in ragged gasps, as if he had suffered a grievous injury. His ruddy complexion faded to a deathly pallor.
Boom!!
A lightning bolt struck the ground not far from the valley, briefly illuminating the scattered bones and remains of various wild beasts.
As if suppressing his injuries and weakness, he quickly steadied his breath, a flicker of killing intent and savage cruelty flashing in his eyes.
Boom!
In an instant, the storm intensified, silver lightning flashing repeatedly.
The entire desolate island trembled continuously from the impact, the tremors slowly fading only after an unknown amount of time.
[Heart of Glory LV4: 71/100]
On the dark sea, waves surged.
Chen Feng removed his Azure Armor and Steel Bones, sitting atop the skull-shaped head of Gata. Water vapor and sea mist rose around him, enveloping everything in a hazy veil that obscured his vision.
His Heart of Glory had finally made significant progress, but a sense of doubt lingered within him.
"That Hurricane Lord... it wasn't the real one."
The thought flashed through his mind as he recalled their battle. He could sense something off about the opponent.
Though the Hurricane Lord possessed the strength of an ordinary Sixth-Tier cultivator, something felt amiss.
The seemingly solid wind had condensed into a human form of flesh and blood. Yet, using his Perception Talent, Chen Feng could clearly feel that the body wasn't entirely real.
Moreover, despite the Hurricane Lord's constant facial expressions throughout the fight, Chen Feng realized that the expressions never reflected genuine emotional fluctuations, including the supposed Fear Value.
It was as if the Hurricane Lord were a clone, a holographic projection, or a pre-arranged power projection—similar to the Flamefire Red Dragon's phantom, or even the Divine Martial Alliance Leader he had encountered outside the Flame Tiger Martial Arts Hall on Earth.
All of them possessed power but lacked true substance.
Because of this, the growth of the Azure Armor's progress was rather ordinary, yielding only a limited amount of Fear Value, reaching only around 45%.
"Could he have been using the power of that Emerald Light Orb?"
Chen Feng suddenly had a bold thought, recalling the Emerald Light Orb that had appeared when the other person had successfully solidified their Azure Armor.
The blooming of the Blood Moon Flower in the Ironwood Forest also seemed to correspond to this, possibly related to the Light Orb as well.
This wasn't just wild speculation. He had encountered a similar special situation before on Eaglefall Island.
This phenomenon was distinct from the Dream Realm of Qinggang City.
"But that's not necessarily true. No one can see the Light Orb, so he probably doesn't know about it."
"Perhaps he simply used some special ritual."
The forces of this world were mysterious. Considering that even Gata hadn't been able to see the Wrath of the Storm's Light Orb on Eaglefall Island, Chen Feng suspected there might be other hidden secrets at play.
His thoughts drifted. Regardless, he decided he should return to Hurricane Island and ask Lei Long about the Ironwood Forest within the manor.
He didn't believe the Light Orb had vanished completely.
It was likely similar to the situation on Eaglefall Island, appearing only at specific times, usually hidden from sight.
He made his decision.
He instructed Gata to take him underwater, while he retrieved an item from his inventory.
A slender black cord meant to be worn around the neck, with a white fang the thickness of a finger hanging from it.
The fang was crescent-shaped, clearly polished and carved by a skilled artisan, with faint patterns and markings.
It should have been perfectly intact, but now a crack ran through it, almost breaking it in two—clearly severely damaged.
[You have discovered a treasure from the World of the Dead: the Red Dragon's Tooth!]
[A tooth shed by a young Flamefire Red Dragon, infused with the spiritual power of a mature Flamefire Red Dragon.]
[Effect 1: In times of crisis, it can summon a fiery shield to block a blow from a Saint!]
[Effect 2: It can summon a Red Dragon phantom that lasts for one minute!]
[Flaw: Only those with Red Dragon bloodlines or Red Dragon Protectors can wield it; otherwise, they will be marked and hunted by Red Dragons.]
[Tip: This Extraordinary Artifact is damaged, its effects greatly diminished. Only a trace of Red Dragon Spirituality remains, which can be extracted and converted into pure energy.]
The prompts continued to appear before Chen Feng, and he could sense a malevolent force pursuing him from the shadows.
After a moment's thought, he made his decision.
Rather than carry it and become a target, hunted by Red Dragons, it was better to turn it into nourishment.
"Convert and enhance!"
In an instant, his mind was made up. The black cord and crescent-shaped fang shattered into dust, and a faint, hazy light emerged in his palm, then surged into his body.
Without hesitation, Chen Feng exchanged a few words with Gata and then, taking advantage of the moment, sat cross-legged on its head, closing his eyes to circulate the Sacred Flame Awakening Method.
[Sacred Flame Awakening Method: Fifth-Tier (7%8%9%)]
The progress bar steadily climbed. Under the crimson moonlight, the sea surged in waves, while Gata, its massive head held high, remained vigilant, scanning its surroundings.
Throughout this process, it commanded numerous small marine creatures to swim through the ocean and disperse in all directions.
Time ticked by, minute after minute.
Unlike the tranquil waves and sea mist that enveloped this place, Hurricane Island was in chaos, gripped by a sudden outbreak of unrest.
"What's happening?"
"Viscount Mo De and Madam Suoya are dead?"
"Where's the Hurricane Lord?"
Shouts of alarm erupted from the knights of the Lord's Manor and members of the local Security Group, who had arrived just a moment too late.
Hundreds of figures swarmed the streets, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Looking up, they saw that the once luxurious manor had vanished, almost completely uprooted and reduced to shattered ruins.
Giant craters dotted the landscape, some still burning with magma-like crimson flames, while scattered fragments of flesh and bone stained the rubble below.
"The world is about to change," someone murmured, unable to suppress their terror.
The Hurricane Lord was a powerful Saint, known for his vast array of abilities. No one could definitively say whether he was dead or alive.
And then there was Miss Suoya...
As Earl Edley of the Red Dragon Family, a high-ranking official in his own right, his marriage to the woman in question had far-reaching implications.
One could only imagine the upheaval that would soon shake Hurricane Island.
"Let's go," Lei Long said, having anticipated the chaos. He quickly led Tulin away from the corner.
His face still bore the shock of the revelation. The Hurricane Lord and the Red Dragon Family were vastly more powerful than Duke Charles of Banli Port.
He suspected that the entire Steel Kingdom, perhaps even the Holy Star Empire on the Southern Continent, would be shaken by this event.
Whoosh!
---
A flying car sliced through the sky, the towering skyscrapers of the bustling city flashing past the windows like pillars reaching for the heavens. This scene was utterly unlike the Dead Crow Secret Realm.
Chen Feng stood by the window, his gaze deep as he watched the holographic projection of a gaunt man holding a can of nutrient energy liquid. The man spoke the advertisement's slogan:
"Superhuman Group: A better way to fuel your body."
The voice echoed in Chen Feng's ears as the floating figure quickly drank the liquid. In moments, a virtual blue light flashed, and the man transformed into a towering, muscular giant.
"A new advertisement, is it?"
Turning away from the window, Chen Feng had already grown accustomed to the differences between the world he had returned to and the one he had left. Each Secret Realm felt as real as reality, blurring the lines between truth and illusion.
But he had long ago forged an indomitable mental will through countless trials.
His gaze then dropped.
A panel materialized before him, displaying a progress bar:
[Sacred Flame Awakening Method: Fifth-Tier (36%)]
"Not bad."
Nodding inwardly, Chen Feng felt the Holy Flame Seed within him grow stronger and more solid once again.
He hadn't expected the trace of Red Dragon Spirituality remaining in the Red Dragon's Tooth to have such a remarkable effect.
If converted, it was equivalent to four Advanced Life Elixirs.
But this wasn't even the greatest gain from this trip.
After returning to Hurricane Island and communicating with Lei Long, he finally learned the truth about the Ironwood Forest.
"On the night of the full moon..."
Every full moon night, the Ironwood Forest would bloom with eerie Blood Moon Flowers.
Chen Feng suspected this was the time the Emerald Light Orb appeared.
Unlike Earth, where a full moon occurred only once a year, the Dead Crow Secret Realm had a full moon every three months.
TL/N: Dude, what world are you living in? I think it should be once a month.
In other words, he wouldn't have to wait long for another chance to see the Emerald Light Orb.
"Next time, I must seize it no matter what."
With this thought firmly in mind, Chen Feng glanced at the tiny black crow mark on his palm.
[Power of the Dead: 200/100]
He didn't have much left. He'd used a significant amount after returning from Suro.
Because of this, he hadn't dared to casually activate the Dark Dream Mark, fearing he'd waste his remaining Power of the Dead and lose another chance to enter the World of the Dead.
"I wonder if the Federation has found any new members of the Dead Crow Cult."
Chen Feng's eyes flashed. He clenched his fist with a snap, the thought of hunting for more nourishment resurfacing.
He held nothing but contempt for these Evil God Cultists. Killing them for nourishment caused him no discomfort.
The more he learned about them, the more disgusted he became.
Every Evil God Cult shared a common trait: to appease their patron deity, they performed bizarre rituals, turning innocent people into sacrifices with unspeakable cruelty.
The Serpent Spirit Sect, which he had helped eradicate in the Luohe River Suburbs, was a prime example.
Acting on impulse, he pulled out his phone and messaged Peng Gang, the captain of the Combat Squad.
After a brief exchange, disappointment washed over him.
Progress was slow, with no new leads.
It was as if the Dead Crow Cult had only that single hideout Xu Heng had destroyed.
[Peng Gang: Councilor Chen, rest assured, we're still investigating! We'll notify you immediately if we find anything new!]
The respectful message arrived again. Chen Feng nodded, put down his phone, quickly tidied up, and stepped out of his house.
Moments later, Cao Tong approached, his face a mixture of surprise and concern. He held a black letter in both hands. Chen Feng scanned it with his Perception and quickly recognized the handwriting.
World Fighting Tournament!
(End of the Chapter)
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