Chapter 922: Ancient Legion, Return of the Colossal Beast (I)

As the Human Federation prepared for a counteroffensive, the expeditionary force was flying at full speed. On Orbital Battleship 1, Chen Chu sat cross-legged at the edge of the deck, gazing at the searing shockwaves surging along both sides of the battleship as it tore through the air at thirty times the speed of sound. He let out a faint sigh. "Too slow."

To ordinary cultivators, moving at thirty times the speed of sound was incredibly fast. Ten kilometers flashed by in an instant. Even the most advanced supersonic missiles in the past could only reach a few times the speed of sound. However, to someone at Chen Chu's level, this speed felt painfully sluggish, like a crawling tortoise.

Just then, a red glow appeared ahead, and the fleet’s AI control system sounded in Chen Chu’s ear. [Report, Lord Divine Might. A powerful unknown energy fluctuation has been detected on the projected route ahead. It appears to be a mobile danger zone with fire attributes and a high threat level.]

"Activate the energy shields and push straight through. Remain alert for potential attacks by unidentified lifeforms."

[Yes, sir.]

At Chen Chu’s command, the fleet, led by thirteen orbital battleships and stretching across a thousand kilometers, approached the red zone and charged into it without hesitation.

Boom!

The moment the fleet entered, a surge of intense heat crashed into the battleship’s energy shields, producing a deafening roar like crashing mountains and seas.

This was a fire domain of unknown expanse. The ground was ablaze, and the sky was thick with a domineering, scorching power. These flames burned through everything—air, ambient energy, even the ships’ protective shields.

Fortunately, the rate of combustion wasn’t fast, and the ships’ power reactors could still handle the stress. However, the danger in this forbidden zone didn’t come from the environment alone.

Hum!

Battleship 1’s main cannon suddenly flared to life. A moment later, a red beam several hundred meters wide pierced the skies and struck a location over a thousand kilometers away, where a crimson cloud was burning high above.

Roar!

The moment the beam struck, the cloud exploded, revealing a flame-wreathed creature with a wingspan stretching a full kilometer. Its fierce roar echoed through the heavens. Yet in an instant, that quasi-mythical flame creature was torn apart by the cannon blast, annihilated by a strike equal in might to a mythical-level attack.

However, the blast seemed to stir something deeper. Far away, a range of flame-covered mountains trembled, and torrents of lava erupted from the ground. A dreadful aura began to spread, and the temperature around them surged wildly.

In truth, that mountain range wasn’t a mountain at all.

Wooo!

A long, ancient roar echoed across the heavens. Countless boulders shattered on the mountain’s surface as an ancient creature, over one hundred kilometers long, slowly rose to its feet.

Chen Chu’s expression turned solemn. "To think I would encounter an ancient creature here."

Compared to the ancient beast that once hunted the Dragon Emperor, this one had undergone much more severe petrification. Its massive body had been turned to stone across its entire length.

However, that also meant it possessed even greater power. As a peak ancient lifeform, it had fully mastered advanced principle power. The origin of its principle flowed through it, reinforcing the rocky layers of its flesh until they became unimaginably tough.

Of course, with Chen Chu’s strength, he could leave at any moment even if he couldn’t kill it. However, his subordinates and the Heavenly Feathered warships were another matter entirely.

Boom!

A heavy wave of principle aura radiated from Chen Chu’s body like a black hole, distorting the laws of heaven and earth around him.

Behind him, a two-thousand-meter-tall phantom of a three-faced, eight-armed demon god emerged. Each arm held either a halberd, a sun, a Heavenly Gate, or an imperial seal.

Most striking of all was the Soul-Suppressing Imperial Seal held by his true form projection. It radiated a primordial aura of world creation. Combined with the tremors of his pseudo-world-level World Creation Halberd, the sheer force of his presence caused even the ancient creature to freeze. Its burning head slowly turned to face him; though its mind was muddled, the primal instincts of a colossal ancient beast still lingered.

As the creature hesitated, three towering figures each ten thousand meters tall appeared above the Heavenly Feathered Race's fleet. Wings of light spread wide behind them, releasing golden, silver, and white divine light that filled the sky and blotted out the sun.

The pressure of the three divine kings shook the world itself. With Chen Chu’s blackhole-like aura added to it, even the ancient creature’s eyes revealed a flicker of unease.

Facing the combined pressure of four divine-king-level beings, the creature ultimately refrained from attacking. It stood motionless thousands of kilometers away, quietly watching the fleet pass by.

Likewise, Chen Chu and the others had no desire to engage it. Slaying it would bring no benefits; it would only cost time and energy, and if even one of the divine kings sustained additional injuries, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Only after the fleet had flown over ten thousand kilometers and left that fiery hellscape behind did Heavenly King Xuanwu and the others, who were maintaining aerial vigilance, finally let out a breath of relief. "The pressure from that creature was overwhelming."

Heavenly King Jiuyou slowly said, "After all, it was a being that once approached the threshold of the true spirit level. It’s normal for it to be strong. I just didn’t expect to encounter an ancient creature on this route. Good thing we didn’t run into it during our first diplomatic mission."

Such was the danger of the mythical world. One could encounter peril at any moment, whether it was ancient and powerful beings, roaming forbidden zones, or sudden bursts of destructive energy.

***

Compared to Chen Chu’s group, who were advancing at a measured pace, the Destructive Dragon Emperor’s return cleared the path far faster. In just two days, they had flown out of the destruction zone.

Wooo!

Trailing behind the Dragon Emperor, whose body stretched nearly seven kilometers, one colossal ray-beast after another surged out from the destruction zone. Each one measured over ten to twenty kilometers long and let out long, sonorous calls.

Among them, the Ancient Ray-Beast directly behind the Dragon Emperor unfurled its wings, casting vast shadows beneath the rising sun. By now, night in the mythical world had passed, and a golden sun was slowly climbing the sky. Another day-cycle had come and gone.

The Ancient Ray-Beast glanced at the two colossal dragons sleeping on the Dragon Emperor’s back. With a curious rumble, it asked,

My king, are their bloodlines evolving?

The Dragon Emperor gave a slight nod, a deep hum resonating from its nostrils.

Yes. When we went deeper into the Chaotic Region, they consumed a lifeform infused with the power of time. It helped purify their bloodlines.

A flash of envy flickered in the Ancient Ray-Beast’s eyes. If it had known, it would have gone with them back then. Bloodline evolution was nearly impossible at its current realm. Every tiny advancement was agonizingly slow; it had been many years since it had last felt any growth in strength.

The Dragon Emperor rumbled,

Alius, I’m speeding up. There’s no chaotic destruction currents here. Bring them and follow.

Yes, my king.

Boom!

In an instant, the Dragon Emperor’s wings burst into radiant light, releasing dazzling golden rays. Its massive body transformed into a beam of golden brilliance and vanished beneath the dim sky.

At the same time, the Ancient Ray-Beast's body flared with a gray light. Principle power spread out, forming a massive murky domain that enveloped its subordinates, resembling the phantom of an even larger ray-beast.

With both ancient titans accelerating, they crashed straight through multiple dangerous forbidden zones. In no time, they had crossed over 1.2 million kilometers. There, the Dragon Emperor suddenly halted, hovering above a decaying swamp.

Its savage maw parted slightly, and a deep, regal dragon’s roar shook the heavens. The terrible shockwave of its voice fractured the void layer by layer, revealing a dimensional rift that led to a pitch-black world deep within.