130: Chapter 130 Stealth Before Dawn: The Final Preparations
Chapter 130: Stealth Before Dawn: The Final Preparations
As the first sliver of dawn was about to tear through Jiang City's heavy night curtain, our 'hunt' officially began.
I pushed my already immense {Swarm Network} to its absolute limit.
This time, my target was no longer simple reconnaissance and surveillance.
It was... precise location!
I used Night Crow's unique energy fluctuation, imbued with an aura of death and decay, as the 'keyword' for a top-priority, carpet-style search within my 'Heavenly Net'!
Soon, a mutated moth wandering near an abandoned air-raid shelter in the south of the city transmitted its... final 'image' back to me.
The moment it approached the air-raid shelter entrance, it was instantly... decomposed and annihilated by an invisible energy field filled with the scent of death!
Found him!
That old fox was indeed hiding in this most inconspicuous and easily overlooked... place!
I immediately transmitted this coordinate to Lin Qingzhi, while also confirming that the {Star Council}'s 'Magician' had long since left the Jiang City area and would not pose any threat to our actions in the short term.
"Let's go."
Lin Qingzhi didn't hesitate in the slightest.
I vibrated my newly formed wings, pushing the 'silent mode' of {Overclocked Wing Vibration} to its extreme.
I carefully lifted her delicate body, which seemed frail but actually contained terrifying power, and like two shadows merged into the night, we silently crept toward that abandoned air-raid shelter.
Half an hour later.
We arrived at the destination.
It was an extremely inconspicuous iron door, hidden among a patch of wild grass, already so rusted that its original appearance was unrecognizable.
The area around the iron door seemed calm, but under my {Spiritual Energy Perception}, it was covered with all sorts of bizarre traps filled with the aura of death and curses.
Moreover, three elites from the Xuantian Alliance, whose strength had reached Late Stage Essence Rank, were lurking in several nearby shadows, guarding their... long-severely-wounded 'King' like the most loyal hounds.
"It seems he left some contingency plans," I transmitted the intelligence I had gathered to Lin Qingzhi.
"No matter," Lin Qingzhi's tone remained icy, "Just a few bothersome flies."
I did not choose to act immediately.
I needed a more detailed... 'internal structural map'.
My will sank into the earth.
Soon, several mutated pangolins and mutated earthworms, which I had long subdued and were skilled at burrowing, moved silently through the ground like the most professional engineers, infiltrating the depths of that air-raid shelter.
They were drawing for me, bit by bit, the most precise... 3D map of that underground shelter.
Every tunnel, every room, every ventilation shaft, every possible... trap and hidden guard.
Everything was clearly constructed in my mind.
While carrying out all of this, my {Spiritual Energy Perception} also made an unexpected... discovery in this area.
I found that about ten meters beneath the wild grass where we were hiding, there was an extremely concealed, naturally formed... spiritual energy node!
Although that node was small and very weak.
The spiritual energy contained within it was exceptionally... pure!
"Lin Qingzhi, perhaps we can replenish some... 'ammunition' before we make a move,"
I told her about my discovery.
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Qingzhi's eyes, immediately followed by undisguised approval.
We immediately moved directly above that spiritual energy node.
I took out the dark-gold {arid ruins core} that I had obtained from the body of the Aberration Leader.
Lin Qingzhi, meanwhile, sat down cross-legged and slowly began circulating her Imperial-level... 'Ice Phoenix Nirvana Sutra'!
"Buzz—"
A marvelous resonance was established between the {arid ruins core} and her!
I watched as the pure spiritual energy underground, guided by the {arid ruins core}, was continuously drawn out, and then, refined by the 'Ice Phoenix Nirvana Sutra', it transformed into the purest life energy, slowly injecting into Lin Qingzhi's already dried-up... meridians and soul!
Her complexion became visibly more rosy!
Her aura became more concentrated and... powerful!
Although she was still far from her peak.
It was enough to give her more... trump cards in the upcoming battle!
Finally, after we had completely 'drained' that spiritual energy node, Lin Qingzhi slowly opened her eyes.
Her pair of cold phoenix eyes flashed with an unprecedented... icy killing intent!
Everything was ready.
We once again stealthily returned outside the entrance of that air-raid shelter, lying in wait like two leopards ready to strike, silently coiled in the deepest... darkness before dawn.
We were waiting.
Waiting for the optimal... moment to strike.
Perhaps it was the moment the guards changed shifts.
Or perhaps it was the moment our true 'prey' entered the deepest level of... recovery!
The air was filled with a suffocating and oppressive sense of tension.
A life-or-death battle that would decide our ultimate fate in Jiang City was about to... begin!
...
And at this moment, in the deepest part of that gloomy underground shelter filled with the aura of death.
Night Crow was sitting cross-legged on an ice bed crafted from thousand-year-old cold jade.
His face, handsome to the point of being sickly, lacked any trace of color, resembling the most perfect white jade statue. His eyes, like obsidian, were tightly shut, seemingly having completely fallen into deep... recovery.
Around him, visible wisps of black Demonic Power, filled with decay and death, slowly coiled like living venomous snakes, repairing the... horrific injuries he sustained under the Dragon Soul Bureau's saturation fire coverage.
He was completely unaware of the deadly crisis about to arrive from the outside world.