64: Kunlun Ruins!

Mount Fuji's slopes.

A menshen mecha, entirely scorched black, with multiple armor plates warped and deformed, occasionally sputtering tiny electrical sparks,

was attacking the mountain body in a nearly frenzied, yet futile, manner!

Voom—Boom!!

Zzzzz!!!

Chen Feng's bloodshot eyes stared intently at the mountain wall in front of him, which was spewing thick smoke and heat waves. He nearly snapped the control stick!

The enormous Alloy Chainsword attached to the mecha's arm roared and spun wildly,

hacking and slicing repeatedly into the dark volcanic rock with deafening noise!

Sparks!

Dazzling sparks sprayed out like a torrential downpour, scorching more mottled marks onto the mecha's already charred paint job.

But that seemingly ordinary mountain wall!

was now unimaginably hard!

The serrated teeth of the chainsword, capable of tearing through the composite armor of a main battle tank, gnawed at the rock, yet only left shallow white scratches!

It even snapped several expensive vibranium teeth!

It was as if the entire Mount Fuji was enveloped and reinforced by an invisible, indestructible force!

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!"

Chen Feng's roar transmitted through the internal communicator, his voice distorted by hypoxia, agitation, and immense grief,

"Lord Kraken!! How could you die?! How can you die?!!! Divine Summer needs you!!!"

The mecha's iron fist abandoned the chainsword and, carrying immense force, furiously pounded the hard mountain wall!

Dong! Dong! Dong!!

The dull impact sounds were like a desperate death knell, echoing against the roaring backdrop of surging magma, sounding so tiny, so powerless.

No corpse was visible!

Chen Feng absolutely refused to believe it!

That Kraken, as mighty as a god or devil, that Kraken who single-handedly turned the tide of battle and protected Divine Summer,

how could he so easily and silently perish within this volcano?!

...Dragon Abyss Pavilion, Divine Summer Command Center.

Strategic Conference Room.

The air was stagnant, like a block of lead.

A massive circular screen occupied the entire wall, the image split into several sections. On the core main screen,

the scorched and deformed menshen mecha was frantically hacking at the Mount Fuji mountainside, which was spewing thick smoke and heat waves, with its chainsword.

The buzzing sound of the chainsword, the groan of the mecha's metal fatigue, and the dull roar of surging magma in the background,

were the only sounds in the conference room.

"It's been so long... and there's no movement at all..."

Qin Zhenshan's iron-vice fists gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white from the strain,

He stared intently at the screen, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a barely perceptible tremor, "Did Kraken... really perish along with that monster?"

Reluctance.

Immense reluctance gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

How many trump cards had Divine Summer played for this rescue mission?

Strategic nuclear deterrent capabilities,

Prototype Mechas that were not yet fully mature... was all this effort only rewarded with the silent despair on the screen?

"We cannot jump to conclusions so early!"

A voice trembling with agitation suddenly rang out, breaking the stifling silence.

Academician Chen, his hair streaked with white, abruptly stood up, his body slightly shaking due to his intense emotions.

He pointed at the screen, his voice rising:

"Look at the previous combat logs! Kraken's physique! His Regenerative Ability! That is a miracle that surpasses our current biological understanding!"

"As long as his core remains intact, he can recover from the heaviest injuries! No movement now does not mean death! It's more likely he is trapped! Buried underneath! He needs our rescue! We must save him!"

The old man's eyes were red-rimmed,

his voice filled with an almost fanatical conviction.

In his eyes,

the giant beast whose fate was unknown on the other side of the screen was no longer merely a research subject.

He was truly afraid that Divine Summer would order them to abandon Kraken.

In the main seat,

War God Qin Zheng's gaze slowly swept across every high-ranking official present, all bearing solemn expressions,

finally resting on the agitated face of Academician Chen.

He nodded steadily.

"Academician Chen is right. On a personal level, Kraken has helped our Divine Summer many times and his contributions are immense;"

"Logically, he is the power we are most likely to rely on to cope with future crises. As long as there is a sliver of hope, we absolutely cannot give up."

He took a deep breath and issued the order:

"Order the East Sea Fleet to immediately activate the Large-scale Life Detector to check for signs of life inside Mount Fuji. Once Kraken is detected, launch a rescue operation immediately, regardless of the cost!"

However,

"Hahaha!!!"

"War God Qin, I didn't expect you to still place your hope in that useless large octopus, even now. Don't you understand the simple principle that those who are not of our kind are bound to have different intentions?!"

A harsh, arrogant, and heavily sarcastic elderly laugh, like a cold blade,

suddenly cut off Qin Zheng's words and tore through the heavy atmosphere of the conference room!

"Who goes there?!"

Army Commander-in-Chief Lei Zhen reacted the fastest, roaring to his feet like an enraged male lion,

his gaze shooting like lightning toward the back corner of the conference room!

A figure had suddenly appeared there out of thin air!

The newcomer wore a black Daoist robe, his hair tied up in an ancient topknot,

his face gaunt, holding a Silver-tipped Whisk. At first glance, he possessed a certain air of immortal grace.

But his slightly narrowed eyes flashed with undisguised arrogance and coldness.

"Guards!!"

Lei Zhen roared, violently waving his right hand!

The doors on all four sides of the conference room instantly sprang open. Elite guards armed with live ammunition and several fierce-looking Evolvers clearly trained by the military rushed in like cheetahs, heading straight for the uninvited guest!

"Heh, ants trying to shake a great tree. Overestimating yourselves."

Jiang Zhenyue curled his lips into a cold, contemptuous smile, not even bothering to look directly at the rushing crowd, merely flicking the whisk in his hand carelessly.

Buzz—!

The alloy floor of the conference room let out a grating groan!

The next moment, countless thick arms formed of hard earth and stone burst out of the ground like mushrooms after rain, precisely gripping the ankles, arms, and necks of every rushing guard and Evolver!

Terrifying power instantly erupted, locking them firmly in place, unable to move!

No matter how they struggled or roared, the rock arms remained completely still!

In an instant,

the entire room was subdued!

The strength displayed by the old man at this moment,

had astonishingly reached the terrifying level of 40+ Tiers!

Lei Zhen's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks!

"High-Tier Earth Evolver?!"

A monstrous wave surged in his heart.

These guards and military Evolvers were generally above Tier 10 in strength,

yet they were collectively restrained so effortlessly by the opponent?

This old man's strength... was unfathomable!

"Stop everything."

Qin Zheng's calm voice rang out. He slowly rose, looking steadily at the suddenly appearing old man,

his tone neither servile nor overbearing:

"Qin Zheng of Divine Summer is here. If I'm not mistaken, you are Venerable Jiang of the Kunlun Ruins. Divine Summer... has been awaiting your emergence."

Qin Zheng didn't seem surprised by the old man's appearance,

Ever since the Dominion of Fusang displayed its formidable strength,

Qin Zheng had instructed the Security Department to focus on domestic Ability User Organizations,

After all,

with the Spiritual Energy Revival, even tiny Fusang could spawn a powerful organization like the Dominion,

given the vastness of Divine Summer,

how could it not have one?

And Divine Summer's largest Ability User Organization—the Kunlun Ruins—was the primary focus of attention.

This old man,

was the Sect Head of the Kunlun Ruins—Jiang Zhenyue.

Sure enough,

judging by Jiang Zhenyue's strength, the Evolvers of the Kunlun Ruins had also undergone earth-shattering transformations.