163: Changfeng Plain

The night was as dark as ink.

Inside Infinite City.

The military zone was brightly lit, with teams constantly handing over and being deployed, and a chilling aura permeated the air.

Su Jin stood on the Stargazing Platform of the Lingshu Heavenly Palace, looking down.

Behind him, two figures appeared silently.

It was Shadow One, the leader of the “Shadow” unit.

The other figure was as tall and straight as a pine, with a calm and reserved aura, none other than Tong, the elite captain of the Ling Shu Sword Guard.

“You’ve all read the mission brief,” Su Jin said without turning around.

“Yes,” Shadow One replied softly.

“Understood,” Tong’s clear voice responded.

“For this operation, your unit, Shadow One, will take the lead in infiltration and reconnaissance.”

Su Jin’s tone became slightly more serious.

“Tong, your Mind Unleashed power is best at seeing through illusions and sensing souls. You will be responsible for supporting and finding the exact location of the Seventh Fleet, clearing all obstacles.”

“General Wei’s ‘Ghost’ squad will provide you with guidance and fire support, but do not rely entirely on them.”

Su Jin turned around, his gaze sweeping over their faces.

“Remember, your primary objective is to gather intelligence. If the situation becomes critical, send a signal.”

After a pause, Su Jin smiled, “Coincidentally, the new capabilities of the Grand Void Azurewood Palace after its advancement haven’t been put to use yet.”

“Understood,” they both replied in unison.

Shadow One’s figure retreated backward, disappearing into the heavy shadows like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

Tong, on the other hand, bowed slightly to Su Jin, then turned and left. A moment later, one hundred Ling Shu Sword Guards filed out of the camp.

...

At the foot of Dingjun Mountain, in a hidden valley.

The wind howled, making a mournful sound as it blew past the rock faces.

The captain of the “Ghost” squad.

The burly man code-named Ghost Hand leaned against a rock, rubbing the gruesome scar on his face with his thumb.

His gaze swept back and forth over the strange team before him, his brows furrowed into a knot.

One hundred people, uniformly dressed in white, stood ramrod straight, yet all had their eyes closed, as if in collective meditation.

If he couldn’t feel their steady breathing, Ghost Hand would have almost thought they were a hundred human stone statues.

A young team member beside him lowered his voice, full of doubt.

“Boss, are these the… aces General Wei mentioned? Why do they look like a bunch of sleepwalkers? Do we need to provide a wake-up service if a fight breaks out?”

Ghost Hand said nothing, only letting out a dismissive snort from his nose.

He had led his team for over a decade, living on the edge of death in various battlefields, and believed in visible guns and tangible blades.

This kind of pretentious behavior, in his opinion, was flashy but impractical.

He cleared his throat and strode forward, his heavy military boots crunching on the gravel.

“I’m Ghost Hand, captain of the ‘Ghost’ special forces team.”

His booming voice broke the silence, attempting to intimidate the other party with his presence.

“For this operation, we are responsible for leading the way and tactical coordination. The battlefield changes rapidly; I hope you can keep up with our pace and not hold us back.”

A dead silence.

Only an echo answered him.

The hundred swordsmen merely opened their eyes, but no one spoke.

Ghost Hand’s face darkened, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.

“Hello, Captain Ghost Hand.”

A voice, almost brushing his ear, was so close he could feel a warm breath.

Ghost Hand’s hair stood on end. His battle-hardened instincts made him lunge to the side, simultaneously drawing the tactical short knife from his waist and sweeping it around.

The blade cut through the air, but struck nothing.

The spot behind him was empty.

“Alert!”

His team members behind him finally reacted, raising their guns and aiming, but their vision showed nothing but rock walls and tree shadows.

“No need to be nervous.”

The voice sounded again, this time coming from a nearby tree shadow.

Ghost Hand and his team members looked in that direction, their pupils suddenly contracting.

At some point, that shadow seemed to have come alive.

It stretched and twisted, forming vague human silhouettes.

“I am Shadow One, the person in charge of Infinite City for this operation.”

A figure slowly emerged, its outline solidifying from ethereal to real—it was Shadow One.

Ghost Hand’s arm, holding the knife, was somewhat stiff.

He looked at the man before him, who seemed as if he could disappear into thin air at any moment, and his Adam’s apple bobbed, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Just then, among the hundred swordsmen, Tong, who was at the forefront, finally spoke, his voice clear and steady.

“Tong, responsible for clearing obstacles.”

What kind of monsters are these? Is this how you greet allies?

Ghost Hand cursed his superiors in his mind at least ten times—what kind of divine unit had they sent!

He even had a ridiculous feeling that the biggest danger in this mission.

Might not be the unknown enemy, but this group of teammates who looked like they might ascend to immortality at any moment.

“Can we depart now?”

Tong said calmly, as if nothing had just happened.

Ghost Hand’s facial muscles twitched, and he forcibly swallowed the curses that had risen to his lips.

He nodded stiffly, then made a gesture to his team members behind him.

...

Changfeng Plain, located seven hundred kilometers southeast of the Youfeng Valley war zone, is a vast, desolate Gobi desert.

It is named for the strong winds that blow there year-round.

This was the last known location of the Seventh Fleet before they lost contact.

Moonlight streamed down, illuminating the wild grass swaying in the wind.

Behind a seemingly unremarkable sand dune, space suddenly twisted silently, rippling outwards.

Immediately after, a team of soldiers wearing the standard combat armor of the Dark Star Empire emerged from thin air.

Their armor was covered with intricate black patterns, reflecting a cold, eerie sheen in the moonlight.

“Damn it, the wind in this godforsaken place is really strong!”

A soldier took off his helmet and spat out some sandy saliva, “Who knows how long we’ll have to guard this place.”

Another soldier, who appeared to be a squad leader, leaned against a rock and sneered.

“What’s the rush? It’s not often you get to witness a major Alliance fleet being trapped and starved to death by us.”

“Once the ‘Erosion Domain Generator’ above completely corrodes their energy core, every single person inside will become our military merit.”

“That’s true, but those guys inside are really tough.”

The soldier who had complained earlier lowered his voice.

“It’s been five days, and the ‘Erosion Domain’ still hasn’t fully penetrated their flagship, Dawn Star.”

“I heard that the Golden Rank on that ship managed to maintain a small protective force field using his own energy, causing our infiltration unit to suffer several setbacks.”

The squad leader curled his lip in disdain.

“Just futile resistance.”

“They’re like moths caught in a spiderweb now. The fleet can’t take off, all communications are blocked, and they can’t even send out a distress signal.”

“Once the ‘Erosion Domain’ energy increases another level, that so-called force field will shatter like an eggshell.”

He paused, a cruel edge in his voice.

“Moreover, the most potent aspect of the ‘Erosion Domain’ isn’t its shielding and anti-flight capabilities, but its mental corruption.”

“In a few more days, we won’t even need to lift a finger; the people inside will turn on each other due to endless hallucinations and despair.”

“Then, we’ll just go in and clean up the battlefield.”

“Hehe, you’re right.”

“Too bad, the Legendary adults can’t make a move casually.”

The squad leader sighed with some regret.

“Otherwise, why go through all this trouble? A Legendary adult descending could crush that fleet, ships and people alike, with just one finger.”

“But there’s no helping it, those guys from the Alliance are watching too closely.”

Before he finished speaking, he felt a chill on his neck.

A cold touch had already pressed against him.

The “hehe” smile on the soldier’s face instantly froze, and a pair of somewhat dazzling eyes were reflected in his pupils.

The chattering conversation abruptly ceased...