27: Chapter 27 [Jianmen Pass]

A rider in white robes galloped wildly across the plain in the middle of the canyon.

The biting gale sliced across Chen Aoyun's cheeks like a knife. He crouched low, becoming almost one with the galloping white steed beneath him. Behind him, the earth rumbled, and terrifying energy fluctuations surged in waves like a tangible tide, nearly knocking him off the horse's back!

He could even clearly smell the sulfurous stench and the scent of blood brought by the High-level Demons behind him, and feel that scorching, destruction-filled breath spraying against the back of his neck!

The speed boost gained from [ Rule 18 ] did not allow Chen Aoyun to completely shake off the High-level Demons behind him; it merely maintained a relatively safe distance. This distance was extremely close—if Chen Aoyun slacked off even a little or slowed down slightly, he would be overtaken by the High-level Demons.

But this distance also allowed Chen Aoyun to observe these things known as ' Calamity Demons ' at close range.

Each of the High-level Demons chasing Chen Aoyun had a distinct form.

Some demons resembled monsters from Western fantasy novels, with the heads of bulls and bodies of snakes, massive in size; others had twisted appearances, as if rotted flesh had gained sentience, exuding an eerie aura; still other High-level Demons were closer to human form—if not for the strange scales on their bodies, they would have looked more like oversized humans.

Beyond their varying forms, Chen Aoyun also noticed that the armor on these demons was quite unique: from East to West, the corrupted armor on these demons blended many elements of human armor, and these human elements spanned across vastly different eras.

" Just as Heroic Spirits can be summoned at will without regard for their era, do the armors on these demons follow the same pattern? But the question is, why would demons have armor with human elements? It's not just the armor; even the decaying weapons in their hands look like ' plus ' versions of human creations? What exactly is the Game of National Destiny? And how were these so-called Calamity Demons formed? "

The appearance of the demons and their attire surprised Chen Aoyun, but he had no time to ponder further, for he had already reached the foot of the pass!

...

" [ Rule 18 ] The [ Strategist ] from the Dragon Country probably isn't aware of it, but he still utilized it to escape to the pass. But the pass's completion rate is only 12% ! Look at this pass! Desolate, dilapidated, with a pitifully low completion rate! Doesn't it resemble the crumbling national destiny of the Dragon Country itself? Now, the moment to test a miracle has arrived! Will this pass become the Wall of Miracles that saves the Dragon Country's Strategist, or a shoddy construction project that buries his last hope?! Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to find out! "

The commentator York used a passionate voice to stir up the enthusiasm of the audience.

This Game of National Destiny had already entered its final stages; all the items that could be obtained and tasks that could be completed had been strived for by each country within the limits of their abilities. Originally, at this point in time, the Game of National Destiny should have entered ' garbage time ' while waiting for the shrinking circle to begin.

But the appearance of the Dragon Country's new [ Strategist ] broke the silence of the finale! The teams of other countries had all returned to their Home Base, waiting for the ' shrinking circle ' to begin, with nothing else to watch, leaving only the Dragon Country still entangled with the High-level Demons. Therefore, regardless of whether they were countries participating in the Game of National Destiny or those that were not; regardless of whether they were viewers from powerful nations or citizens of weaker ones, all eyes were focused on the Dragon Country.

Commentator York used stirring words to stoke the people's enthusiasm.

Now, everyone knew that whether the Dragon Country could bring the ' tree of morning light ' back to their Home Base, and whether they could squeeze into the top ten of this Game of National Destiny, depended entirely on this pass the Dragon Country had built! Or rather, they were waiting to see if the [ wonder ] ' placed ' within this pass could actually be activated, and what it was truly capable of once activated!!

As that white-robed figure charged into the pass, the voice of Chen Aoyun's clone and the voice of Chen Aoyun's original body rang out simultaneously in the broadcast!

" wonder —— , Activate! "

Rumble —— ! As Chen Aoyun's final word, ' Activate ', landed.

In the broadcast, the ordinary pass built by the ' Engineer ' led by Fan Ling began to shine with colorful light at its center. The shining light gathered into sheets, then contracted into colorful threads. When these colorful threads spread along the central axis of the pass to the entire structure, wrapping it crisscross, the entire pass began to shake and transform!

Clatter ... Rumble ... Debris and bricks crumbled and then re-solidified. In the blink of an eye, an ordinary pass transformed into a wonder under the rules of the Game of National Destiny —— [ Jianmen Pass ] !!!

" It's done! The people of the Dragon Country actually managed to place and form a wonder in the Game of National Destiny! wonders are extremely rare existences; not only are they rare, but countries that possess them are absolute powerhouses in the Game of National Destiny. The Dragon Country, a nation that didn't even have a single local Heroic Spirit a short while ago, actually pulled off a wonder—who can reason with such a thing? "

The audience was astonished, and the few who understood Chinese immediately saw the three large characters located at the center of the wonder: ' Jianmen Pass '.

" ' Jianmen Pass ' ? Is this the name of the wonder? It has a certain unique Eastern charm and imposing air. "

Where there is praise, there is naturally disdain, especially from the people of the Sakura Country, who had already made a fool of themselves once.

" What imposing air? Why can't I see it? It's just a wonder; my Sakura Country has them too, and quite a few! Don't think that just because they have a wonder, the Dragon Country people can block the High-level Demons outside the pass. Although wonders are rare, they can essentially be regarded as a type of Heroic Spirit, a ' non-movable ' Heroic Spirit. Since it is also a Heroic Spirit, relying solely on the strength of the wonder itself to block High-level Demons is absolutely not enough; it must also possess corresponding special abilities! That Strategist from the Dragon Country has already constructed exclusive skills for two Heroic Spirits; I don't believe he can construct a third! Even taking a step back, even if he could construct an exclusive skill for this wonder, it would be meaningless. Don't forget, the pass carrying this wonder has a completion rate of only a pitiful 12% ! With a 12% completion rate, the wonder's strength is only 12% of normal, its duration is 12%, and even if he fits it with an exclusive skill, the effect of the exclusive skill will still only be 12% ! Everything is only 12% ; I ask you, how could this Dragon Country wonder possibly withstand those endless demons and the incredibly fierce High-level Demons? "