Chapter 1414: Astral Dragon Shield

"Very good. This is exactly the spirit I want to see!"

Xu Zhengfeng nodded slowly. A faint dark radiance flickered between his fingers, and a massive silver shield appeared before him.

The surface of the shield glowed with a pale blue light that flowed without pause. Sun, moon, and stars were engraved upon it, releasing a profound and mysterious aura that struck fear into the heart.

Vaguely, it felt like an indestructible city wall, capable of holding back entire armies.

"This Astral Dragon Shield is a high grade defensive sacred artifact that I once used personally. In this operation, whoever captures and kills the barbarian general who controls insects to spy on our movements will receive this shield as a reward!"

Xu Zhengfeng held the heavy shield in his hands. A commanding and overwhelming presence swept across the field.

The thirty experts below, along with the elders who had come to see them off, all changed expressions in shock!

The Tempest Wind Hall Master revealed a look of astonishment, his heart quietly shaken.

Such vigor from Xu Zhengfeng! The Astral Dragon Shield is known as an absolute barrier. Even within the entire Dongling Immortal Pool, it ranked among the finest defensive sacred artifacts. It could nearly withstand attacks from peak Human Emperor experts. To think he would give it away just like this!

The thirty disciples about to enter the Dead Soul Devil Abyss held their breath, their eyes fixed firmly on the Astral Dragon Shield.

Leaving aside its terrifying power, the shield itself was a symbol!

To obtain a shield once used by Xu Zhengfeng, the Hall Master of the "Ninth Hall", was an honor beyond measure!

Ling Feng also felt a flicker of surprise.

What a fine treasure! The toughness of this shield is likely so great that even me Eight Swords As One at full strength would not be enough to break it!

Such an item could not be missed!

"In addition, whoever captures and kills the enemy leader will receive ten thousand war points and be recorded with first class merit. Any remaining enemies will be rewarded based on their strength!"

Ten thousand war points?

Ling Feng's eyes shone brightly. He would accept those ten thousand war points without hesitation!

With that many war points, he was confident he could exchange for enough heavenly materials to break through directly to the Strength of Ten Dragons!

"Move out!"

Xu Zhengfeng raised his arm and shouted.

In an instant, thirty figures shot into the air. Their eyes gleamed with determination as they departed in perfect unison, filled with ambition.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

All thirty elite disciples carried unprecedented fighting spirit. The rewards for this mission were richer than ever before and had completely ignited their motivation.

The Hall Master of Tempest Wind Hall watched as they disappeared into the distance, a trace of worry appearing between his brows.

Hopefully they are able to capture and kill those remaining barbarian criminals and ease the pressure on our forces.

The strongest expert leading this mission was only a peak third level Human Emperor.

It was not that Great Emperor experts were unavailable. The Dead Soul Devil Abyss was a special place. The higher one's cultivation, the stronger the suppression became. Once cultivation reached the Great Emperor realm, the suppression was severe to an almost unbearable degree.

Because of this, sending peak Human Emperor experts was more suitable than dispatching Great Emperors.

Furthermore, half of the disciples in this group were personally selected by Xu Zhengfeng. They were hardened veterans with rich experience and were highly skilled in capture operations.

With them working together, the chances of success were far from low.

There was also Ling Feng, a body refinement expert. He might very well perform another great feat in this operation!

...

Three days later, after traveling ten thousand li into the Dead Soul Devil Abyss, the group landed before a mountain range shrouded in thick fog.

Night had fallen, and the heavy mist made the mountains feel even more eerie and ominous.

"All teams halt here. Set up camp and adjust yourselves. We will enter the mountains early tomorrow morning!"

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The highest authority in this mission was a peak third level Human Emperor expert.

"Yes, Senior Brother Yin!"

The disciples answered in unison.

This Senior Brother Yin was named Yin Jian. He was built like an ox, tall and powerfully built, with a calm and steady temperament. He rarely spoke without reason.

Along the journey, aside from issuing necessary orders, he had not wasted a single word.

Thanks to his command, the entire group had made it this far without suffering any casualties.

"Junior Brother Ling, I have asked around about Yin Jian. There should not be any major problems with him leading the team."

Chu Tiange looked over their teammates and spoke calmly.

Everyone chose their own places to rest. This operation was divided into six independent teams. They cooperated with one another, yet they also competed.

Because of this, disciples within the same team naturally stayed closer to one another, while keeping some distance from the other teams.

"

Mhmm

." Li Fei nodded as well. "I have also heard of Senior Brother Yin. His battle record in the Hall of War is outstanding, and his achievements are remarkable. Despite being only a peak third level Human Emperor, he has killed ordinary Great Emperor experts. I have also heard that he may become one of the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes in the future!"

Ever since Ling Feng and his group arrived at the Land of War, they had heard more or less about the title Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes.

Much like the Ten Young Emperors of the Dongling Immortal Pool inner sect, the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes represented the top ten figures of the Land of War. Because they were generally older than the Ten Young Emperors, setting talent aside, their strength could be said to completely overwhelm them.

After all, nearly every Heaven Slaying Ten Absolute had once been among the Ten Young Emperors of the Dongling Immortal Pool.

Yin Jian was no exception.

Ling Feng's eyes flickered with thought. To be personally chosen by Supreme Elder Xu as the overall commander of this mission meant that Yin Jian was indeed no ordinary individual.

However, the greatest merit would belong to Ling Feng alone!

After a long moment of consideration, Ling Feng lowered his voice and carefully transmitted his thoughts to his teammates. "

Senior Brother Chu, Senior Sister Li, following Senior Brother Yin may be relatively safe, but do not forget that the teams are also competing with one another. I hope everyone is prepared to break away from the main group at any time.

"

Strictly speaking, although they had departed together, they were not unified under Yin Jian's direct command. There was no need to obey every arrangement without question.

More importantly, there was no guarantee these people were reliable. At critical moments, they might very well treat these newcomers as expendable bait.

Chu Tiange and the others took a deep breath. Their expressions grew solemn.

They had naturally considered this as well. However, the information they possessed was extremely limited, and they knew little about the overall situation within the Dead Soul Devil Abyss. For the time being, they could only move with the main force.

"Junior Brother Ling, I understand what you mean."

Chu Tiange nodded. He also had his own ambitions. If he followed the main group only to receive a tiny share of credit at the end, that would go against the very purpose of coming to the Land of War.

He was not the only one. The other newcomer teams likely held similar thoughts.

As for the veteran elite teams, they clearly intended to isolate the newcomers. When discussing strategy among themselves, they treated Ling Feng and the others as if they did not exist.

In their eyes, these new recruits were completely unreliable and would only drag them down.

Ling Feng did not mind this at all. If they did not come seeking alliances, then when danger arose, he only needed to look after his own teammates. The rest were none of his concern.

Fairy Qingping clenched her teeth lightly. After the pursuit of Bo Ershu, she had gained a deeper understanding of Ling Feng as a "dangerous individual". Judging by his way of thinking, the situation would inevitably become extremely perilous in the end.

She suddenly felt as if she had brought trouble upon herself. She had claimed she would drag this fellow back to kneel before Senior Brother Qin, yet somehow she had ended up acting as Ling Feng's bodyguard instead!