Chapter 283 - 233: Sudden Crisis (Part 2)

"This is a sudden and critical matter. All actions are under my command. I hope you will all do your part for the Divine Land. This concerns all of our interests. If anyone feigns compliance, don’t blame me for being merciless."

Zhang Hu’s eyes swept across the room. His tone was flat, yet as cold as frost. No one present dared to ignore his words.

Unique. Although he was one of the Sixteen Generals, many believed his true strength was no less than a Military Commander’s. It was only due to his status that he was ranked beneath the Eight Kings.

Hearing this, everyone nodded slightly. Even if they had other thoughts, they couldn’t let them show.

Seeing this, Zhang Hu was about to speak again when suddenly—BANG! The conference room door was thrown open. A Beidou Army officer strode in quickly and leaned in to whisper in Zhang Hu’s ear.

In an instant, Zhang Hu’s expression flickered with uncertainty.

At that very moment, on the eastern and western sides of Liuhu Town, outside the defensive positions set up by the United Army, soldiers who had received their orders were on the highest alert.

Firearms were loaded and cannons filled with shells, all ready for battle.

Amidst this formidable setup, from the jungles beyond the open fields to the east and west, two figures unexpectedly emerged. The officers in charge of defending the two fronts were immediately on alert, raising their binoculars to get a better look.

The figure on the east was about six-foot-one, dressed in a Neon Warrior’s attire with his hair tied up high. His face was cold and his age difficult to discern. He was barefoot. Ornaments could be seen on his wrists, ankles, and neck. They appeared to be made of some kind of glass or crystal, shaped like the Gouyu of the Neon Nation. Under the moonlight, these accessories glittered and flashed, almost dazzlingly bright.

At his waist hung a Neon-style longsword, currently sheathed in a simple, antique scabbard that hid its true form from view.

"All units, on alert! Prepare the cannons! One full volley, and don’t spare the firepower!"

The officer gave the order in a deep voice. The man was still at least several hundred meters away, far beyond the range of ordinary Firearms. Only the cannons had sufficient range.

At the officer’s command, more than a dozen Gaul Cannons aimed at the slowly approaching figure.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Following a series of thunderous roars, the cannons fired. Muzzle flashes erupted as the shells carved an arc through the air, hurtling toward the area where the figure stood.

Faced with the incoming cannon fire, the man’s expression remained perfectly calm. His pace didn’t change in the slightest, nor did he make any move.

However.

BZZZMM!!

His body was suddenly enveloped in a layer of light. The light was a mottled, dreamlike tapestry of colors, almost like the polar Aurora.

The light shimmered faintly. The series of Gouyu-shaped ornaments on his wrists, ankles, and neck continuously reflected the light, which seemed to dance nimbly between them.

Suddenly.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

More than a dozen beams of light shot out from the ornaments, striking the falling cannon shells with perfect accuracy.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

In an instant, the shells struck by the beams of light exploded in mid-air with a deafening roar, kicking up clouds of dust and smoke. The Neon man walked out from the haze, his pace unchanged, having made no other move from start to finish.

’This...’

The officer guarding the eastern front watched this unfold, a sense of horrified disbelief washing over him.

He had reached his position because he possessed a Secret Transmission of his own and had seen his fair share of the world, but he had never even heard of such an ability. It was almost inhuman.

’Could a Harmony-level expert do something like this?’

However, before his shock could subside, he saw the man make a move.

They were now about two hundred meters apart. The man simply gave a slight wave of his hand, and the ornaments on his wrist burst with light that swept toward them.

The light was so fast that the officer couldn’t react before it hit him.

BZZZMM!!

For a moment, his mind reeled, his head felt like it was splitting open, and it seemed as if he had briefly lost all five senses. He only recovered about three seconds later.

He looked around and saw that dozens of soldiers around him had been hit by the light. Most were lying on the ground, whimpering in pain. A smaller number, who were weaker to begin with, lay completely still, their fate unknown.

And the figure was drawing ever closer.

An intense fear and a chilling dread crept into the officer’s heart. ’Just what kind of person is this?!’

The lone attacker on the eastern front: one of the Three Saints of the Neon Far East Army, Mitsuro, codename "Aurora."

Meanwhile.

On the western side of Liuhu Town, another figure was slowly approaching.

This figure was immense, standing over six-foot-seven. He was powerfully built, bare-chested, and wore a pair of loose Warrior pants and wooden clogs.

He had a buzz cut and a fierce-looking face. A pair of pendants hung from his ears, each a thumb-sized disc seemingly engraved with intricate patterns.

His expression was leisurely as he strolled toward the western defenses. He was even holding a large slice of watermelon, munching on it as he advanced.

"Artillery barrage!!"

The officer defending the western position shouted, making a similar decision to his counterpart on the eastern front.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

This time, the cannon fire was not intercepted as it had been on the eastern front; it successfully landed.

With a series of explosions, the tall Neon man’s figure was completely engulfed in cannon fire.

Flames shot into the sky amid billowing clouds of dust and smoke.

However, the moment the explosions subsided and the smoke began to clear, a figure slowly emerged from within the haze.

It was the Neon man. He still wore that same leisurely expression, munching on his watermelon, without a single trace of having been affected by the cannon fire.

However, a faint, translucent, shimmering Qi Shield could be seen enveloping his body. It seemed to be this shield that had blocked the full impact of the explosions.

By now, the Neon man had closed the distance to within 150 meters of the fortifications.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT!!

Firearms opened up, including special Purple Gunpowder Firearms designed specifically to deal with Martial Arts Experts.

Countless bullets flew toward the Neon man, but his movements remained unchanged as he continued to stride slowly forward.

As the bullets struck the translucent Qi Shield around him, they were instantly deflected and sent ricocheting away. Their forward momentum was completely neutralized, and not a single one could penetrate to reach the man.

This scene sent a chill down the spine of every soldier.

They knew this wasn’t just ordinary ammunition; it included Purple Gunpowder weapons! Even a Harmony-level expert, caught in the open by such a volley, would have no choice but to dodge and evade. Yet this man was walking right through the barrage, and he seemed to be doing so with ease!

’What Realm is he in?!’

Just then, the Neon man came within a hundred meters of the fortifications, having finished the last of his watermelon.

A look of slight dissatisfaction, as if he wanted more, crossed his face. His mouth twitched, and he abruptly exhaled in the direction of the defenses.

THUMP!!

With a muffled crack, blood suddenly spurted from a soldier’s neck as he collapsed, unmoving.

"What happened?!"

the officer roared. A soldier immediately went to check on the fallen man and found a small, deformed black object inside the neck wound.

"Sir... it’s... a watermelon seed!"

The soldier’s voice trembled as he spoke.

’A watermelon seed?!’

’He spat a watermelon seed from a hundred meters away and killed someone?!’

If he recalled correctly, that soldier had a Secret Transmission of his own; he was a Martial Artist at the Cross-Training Realm, at the very least.

His scalp prickled with fear. This ability was far beyond his comprehension.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!!

Then, as the Neon man continued to walk, he kept spitting. With each breath, another watermelon seed shot from his mouth, transformed into a deadly, life-reaping weapon.

The attacker on the western front: one of the Three Saints of the Neon Far East Army, Oono Bonan, codename "Primordial Qi."