novelraw Chapter 370: Time is of the essence
Chapter 370: Time is of the essence
Students wearing Kirin Academy's dark green uniforms could be seen everywhere.
Their gazes toward teams from other academies carried the confidence of fighting on home turf.
Under the guidance of the reception staff, the Vermilion Bird Academy team was arranged in a quiet cluster of guest buildings located in the southeast area of the academy.
After putting down their luggage, the three of them stood on the balcony, able to see teams from other academies also gradually moving into the buildings nearby in the distance.
The nationally watched Five-Academy Grand Competition... was about to begin.
......
The eastern coast of Daxia.
This place had just undergone the baptism of war.
A border defense fortress that had not yet been fully repaired.
Grey-white waves crashed against a rocky shoreline scarred with the marks of war, the faint smell of gunpowder still lingering in the air.Near a remote stretch of coastline close to the fortress.
Space distorted.
A grey-white vortex quietly appeared.
A figure stumbled out from it, landing steadily on solid ground.
Su Zhan maintained his complete Aberrant Form.
Black scales covering his entire body, cold golden vertical pupils, a pair of imposing dark black dragon horns on his forehead, and that slowly swaying, ferocious long tail.
The terrifying Pressure of Calamity-level first stage was not restrained in the slightest.
In Su Zhan's arms was a shimmering, radiant fruit, the Reforge Fruit.
He was carefully nurturing it with a layer of pure Mist Energy.
Su Zhan could clearly feel that, having left the special environment of the Mist World, even with his Mist Energy maintaining it, the vast vitality within the fruit was still draining away.
The Reforge Fruit would lose all its spiritual nature and become an ordinary object three days after leaving the Mist.
Even with him nurturing it using his own Mist Energy, Su Zhan estimated this time would not exceed four days.
Time was of the utmost urgency.
He had to find Teacher Wang Mingyuan immediately and give him the Reforge Fruit.
Su Zhan had only been on land for a few seconds.
"Woo—Woo—Woo—!"
A piercing alarm sounded.
That distant fortress immediately entered its highest state of alert.
The artillery batteries on the city walls quickly adjusted their direction, locking onto Su Zhan's position.
Squads of soldiers in standard-issue combat armor, wielding weapons, swarmed onto the walls and defensive fortifications, their hostile gazes uniformly focusing on Su Zhan, this Aberrant emitting a Calamity-level aura.
Su Zhan's brow furrowed tightly.
The situation was more troublesome than he had anticipated.
An Aberrant with strength as high as the Calamity-level, suddenly appearing on the Daxia border during a period just after the war ended, when everyone was jittery...
Anyone could imagine what kind of intense reaction it would provoke.
If not for his formidable strength, if it were a weaker Aberrant, it would probably be blasted to bits by countless artillery fire the moment it showed itself.
He could not reveal his Awakened abilities.
This was a bottom line he had to uphold. Once he used the Time Abyss Pupil or Ocean Realm Spiritual Energy, the secret of his dual identity would likely be exposed, and the chain reaction that would cause would be even more uncontrollable.
However, relying solely on the strength of an Aberrant at Calamity-level first stage was enough to negotiate.
Su Zhan took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in his heart.
He had to make the fortress commander understand as quickly as possible that he came with no ill intent, at least not currently.
Su Zhan stood in place, not making any threatening movements. The Calamity-level aura was like an invisible declaration, telling everyone in the fortress.
He possessed destructive power, and he chose to remain here, awaiting communication.
Su Zhan gazed calmly toward that heavily guarded fortress, quickly calculating in his mind the fastest way to get the Reforge Fruit into Teacher Wang Mingyuan's hands.
Every minute, every second, the Reforge Fruit's spiritual nature was draining away.
A figure appeared at the forefront of the city wall.
This was a middle-aged man wearing a Daxia officer's uniform. His epaulets indicated a not-low military rank. He exuded a powerful aura of Abyss Realm peak strength. He was the highest-ranking commander here.
His gaze, spanning several hundred meters, locked firmly onto Su Zhan by the coast.
His voice amplified by Spiritual Energy: "State your identity and purpose! Unfamiliar Calamity-level being, why have you trespassed on our Daxia border? You should understand what your appearance at this moment signifies!"
Su Zhan's golden vertical pupils calmly met the other's gaze: "Chen Qing, City Lord of Black City, under Mo Yuan, highest-grade Guest Advisor."
He directly threw out Mo Yuan's name, that golden banner.
The name of Black City's City Lord, Mo Yuan, was like thunder in the ears of Daxia's upper echelons, possessing strength that even the official authorities had to be wary of.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Mo Yuan" and "highest-grade Guest Advisor."
The gravity on that commander's face deepened, but the hostility did not diminish.
He said solemnly, "A Guest Advisor from Black City? Why appear in such a form on our eastern defense line? What proof do you have? Does City Lord Mo know of your journey?"
He did not easily believe, as the words of a Calamity-level Aberrant were naturally questionable in credibility.
Regarding the Reforge Fruit.
Su Zhan did not mention a single word, the fruit in his arms cleverly concealed by Mist Energy.
Knowing that words alone were no proof, he directly made his request: "My communication device was damaged in a previous battle.
Please provide a communication device. I will contact City Lord Mo directly, and he can verify my identity and purpose to you."
This request was reasonable and the most direct way to break the deadlock.
The commander stared at Su Zhan for a few seconds, weighing the risks.
If a Calamity-level powerhouse wanted to force their way in, they would have acted already. There was no need for this extra step.
Finally, he waved his hand and gave a few instructions to the Adjutant beside him.
Soon, a specially made military communicator was carefully delivered by a soldier to an open area not far from Su Zhan, and then the soldier quickly retreated.
Su Zhan walked forward, picked up the communicator.
He input a string of numbers.
This was the private line Mo Yuan had left him, for emergency use only.
The communication connected.
It rang a few times.
Mo Yuan's familiar voice came from the other side: "Who is this?"
"City Lord Mo, it's me, Chen Qing."
Su Zhan was concise.
"Chen Qing?"
Mo Yuan's voice sounded surprised: "You've been out of contact for half a year. Where are you now? Why are you contacting me on this frequency?"
"I'm in eastern Daxia. Where is this place?"
Su Zhan asked toward the other side.
"Border Defense Fortress Number Seven."
The commander opposite answered.
Su Zhan quickly explained the situation: "I am outside Border Defense Fortress Number Seven. I appeared in Aberrant Form and have been intercepted by the fortress garrison.
The commander is at Abyss Realm peak. I need you to step in, verify my identity to the Daxia military, and negotiate for passage.
I... have an extremely important and urgent matter that requires me to enter Daxia territory immediately to handle. There is no time to delay."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication.
Soon, Mo Yuan's voice sounded again: "I understand. Hand the communicator to their commander."