170: Chapter 17 Departure!

Time passed bit by bit.

Luo Xiu's pale palm rested lightly against the cold armor of the dawn.

Crimson battle qi, like living blood, slowly seeped into the aircraft's internal structure, performing the final "enchantment."

He was using his own immortal battle intent to reinforce the core of this mortal creation, allowing it to endure longer within the curse of the Wailing Land.

The soulfire in his hollow eye sockets burned calmly, as if he were not headed toward a forbidden land, but rather a long-awaited expedition.

Chen Yuan, meanwhile, was conducting a final tactical simulation with Zhao Qianjun and Ye Fenghua, Commander.

On the holographic sand table, the energy vortices of the Wailing Land were marked as countless dangerous red dots.

An extremely thin, winding green path represented the theoretical optimal route.

"Remember, the peak of the energy eruption will only last for one hour."

Dr. Li Mingyuan's voice came through the communicator, sounding slightly hoarse.

He had been working continuously at the console for over thirty hours.

"You must break through the most dangerous outer vortex zone within twenty minutes and enter the relatively stable 'Silent Zone'."

"Once the peak passes, the intensity of the surrounding curse storm will instantly rebound, even exceeding its usual levels; there's no way the dawn could survive."

Zhao Qianjun gave Chen Yuan's shoulder a heavy pat; everything was understood without words.

Ye Fenghua, Commander handed a small, inconspicuous black crystal to Lu Yin: "The highest-authority beacon."

"If... if you can reach the core, perhaps you can use it to send a signal."

"Regardless, the human race needs to know the truth inside."

The countdown reached zero.

A piercing buzz echoed throughout the base.

"Energy eruption beginning! Readings are rising sharply!" the monitor's voice was high-pitched and urgent.

Outside the observation window, the distant Wailing Land seemed to come alive, the blood-colored mist on its surface churning violently.

Pillars of dark-red energy broke through the mist, shooting straight into deep space; the scene was both magnificent and terrifying.

"Now!"

Luo Xiu gave a low shout, his figure turning into a streak of blood-light as he was the first to enter the open hatch of the dawn.

Lu Yin and Chen Yuan followed close behind.

The hatch closed, and the engines let out a low, powerful roar.

The dawn's tail spewed a faint blue ion stream, like a meteor traveling upstream, charging resolutely toward that blood-colored hell.

Almost instantly, the world outside the portholes turned into a chaotic hell.

Dark-red energy turbulence, like living pythons, lashed frantically at the ship's energy shields, making a tooth-grinding tearing sound.

The ship jolted violently, and alarm lights flashed erratically.

"Shield strength down to 87%!" Chen Yuan stared intently at the console, his voice trembling slightly from the vibrations.

"We've only just entered the outskirts and already..."

Lu Yin steadied himself, feeling the suffocating power of the curse from outside seeping in through every crack.

Even with the dual protection of the wristband defense device and the ship's shields, a cold malice still clung like a shadow, attempting to corrode his mind.

In a daze, he seemed to hear the wailing of countless vengeful spirits in his ears.

"Hold fast to your heart!"

Luo Xiu's low shout was like a clap of thunder, exploding in the minds of Lu Yin and Chen Yuan.

His pale body stood in the center of the cockpit, crimson battle qi spreading out from him to form a thin light barrier that enveloped the entire cockpit.

That immortal battle intent, originating from an ancient hero, temporarily dispelled the whispers of the curse.

Lu Yin took a deep breath, clarity returning to his eyes.

On the holographic projection, a blinding deep red suddenly emerged ahead of the planned green path, like a gaping bloody maw.

"There's no time to detour."

Luo Xiu's hollow eye sockets locked onto that area, battle qi flowing between his finger bones.

"Charge through."

"What?" Chen Yuan was shocked. "The energy readings there are enough to tear the dawn apart!"

"Trust me."

Luo Xiu's voice brooked no argument as he raised his right hand.

Outside the dawn, crimson blood-qi condensed, seemingly transforming into a physical blood-colored spear.

Driven by his will, the dawn did not turn away; instead, its engines went to full power, accelerating toward that death zone.

Just as the ship was about to be swallowed by the violent energy, the blood-qi surged abruptly!

Boom!

The dawn collided violently with the dark-red energy turbulence, erupting in a deafening roar!

The entire dawn was like a small boat in stormy waves, trembling violently.

Red lights flashed inside the cockpit, and the piercing alarms were almost enough to tear eardrums.

"Shield strength at 6%! Structural integrity alarm!" Chen Yuan gripped the console tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Lu Yin felt as if his internal organs were being squeezed and torn by a massive force, but he gritted his teeth and stared fixedly ahead.

Luo Xiu's pale body trembled slightly under the intense energy impact, the soulfire in his hollow eye sockets more blazing than ever before.

"Break open for me!"

He let out a roar that seemed to come from an ancient battlefield, as crimson battle qi surged frantically toward the exterior of the dawn.

The violent energy tore open a narrow passage within the turbulence!

The dawn seized this fleeting opportunity; its engines overloaded and fired, turning it into a silver streak of light that passed through the death zone by the narrowest of margins.

The suffocating blood-colored energy outside the portholes suddenly cleared, replaced by a deeper, more deathly dark red.

The ship's jolting noticeably weakened.

"We... we made it through?" Chen Yuan panted, looking at the relatively stable readings in disbelief.

"It was only the first trial."

Luo Xiu's voice carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue, and the battle qi light barrier around him dimmed slightly.

"The true Wailing Land begins now."

Lu Yin looked out the porthole.

This place seemed like another world entirely.

There was no violent energy turbulence, only endless, thick mist like a sea of blood.

Within the mist, massive, twisted shadows could be seen vaguely writhing.

They looked like the remains of some prehistoric behemoths, or perhaps solidified resentment.

Deathly silence was the main theme here, but within that silence was a bone-chilling malice even more heart-palpitating than the frantic energy outside.

The dawn seemed to have stumbled into a vast, blood-colored graveyard.

"Two-thirds of the energy eruption peak has passed! You must find the entrance to the 'Silent Zone' within fifteen minutes!"

Dr. Li Mingyuan's anxious voice came through the communicator, the signal intermittent and mixed with a large amount of interference noise.

"The navigation system is under heavy interference; it's failed!" Chen Yuan tried to adjust the equipment, but the holographic map was a mess.

Here, conventional technological means seemed to have lost their effectiveness.

"Follow your instincts." Luo Xiu's hollow eye sockets scanned the deathly blood-red outside the window.

"The fluctuations of the heart of annihilation are actually clearer here."

He raised a skeletal hand and pointed toward the front left: "That way."

"I feel the call of death coming from that direction."