Chapter 414: Breakthrough

Chapter 414: Breakthrough

The secret realm of the Shadow Organization, to be precise, the area where Xiao Skull was located.

Coincidentally, as Lu Wu was trapped in the Ice Hell, his entire being in a special state, Xiao Skull also encountered an accident.

On this day, as Xiao Skull was sweeping his large smartphone through the realm, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air beside him. After locking eyes with Xiao Skull, the figure reached out, snatched his phone, and turned to run.

It was an obvious, crude attempt to lure Xiao Skull.

With Xiao Skull's clever mind, it was impossible for him not to see through this trick.

However, whether he realized it or not was one thing, and whether he would chase after the thief was another matter.

For Xiao Skull, his phone was second only to, well, perhaps even more important than Lu Wu in some ways. They could take anything from him, but not his phone!

If they took Lu Wu, he would be angry, but if they took his phone, he would fight to get it back.

So, without hesitation, Xiao Skull, a Rank 2 Warlord specializing in Lightning Element, unleashed a lightning burst and chased after the phone thief.

Xiao Skull's speed, when fully unleashed, was incredibly fast, almost unimaginable, and even a Rank 3 Warlord or an Epic 0 Star might not be able to match his pace.

However, the thief's speed was even more terrifying.

Even when Xiao Skull pushed his speed to the limit, he couldn't catch up to the thief who had snatched his phone.

The thief maintained a constant distance, neither too close nor too far.

This frustrated Xiao Skull.

He tried various tactics, from sudden speed reductions to force the thief to land, followed by speed boosts to assault them.

He unleashed skill bursts and bombarded the area, even remotely controlling his phone to call out Intiksis for help, but to no avail. The thief remained as cool as a goddess, maintaining that constant distance.

Xiao Skull began to feel afraid and worried. He even tried to contact Lu Wu for help, but the timing was too coincidental, as if someone had deliberately arranged it. Lu Wu was in a state of unconsciousness, and Xiao Skull couldn't reach him.

This made Xiao Skull even more anxious.

But he couldn't stop; the phone was still in the thief's hands. He clenched his teeth and continued the pursuit.

This chase lasted for half a day.

Xiao Skull didn't know how far he had come or how long he had been running, let alone how much longer he would have to continue.

And then, the long pursuit finally came to an end.

The thief who had taken Xiao Skull's phone disappeared completely, but fortunately, the phone remained.

In the center of a valley, there was an altar with a massive black scythe standing tall. Xiao Skull's phone was hanging on the huge scythe.

The phone was within sight, but whether to take it or not was a dilemma.

The situation was eerie, and even a fool like Xiao Skull could sense something was amiss.

However, Xiao Skull seemed to have no choice. As he hesitated, a powerful force surged from behind, pushing him directly onto the altar.

In a panic, Xiao Skull reached out and grabbed the handle of the massive black scythe.

Xiao Skull was stunned, and before he could react, a tremendous force accompanied by a flood of energy rushed into his mind.

At the same time, a powerful and mysterious force enveloped Xiao Skull, transforming him into a black egg.

...

Almost simultaneously, on the other side, in the Dragon Confinement Realm.

The baby dragon diligently absorbed the power of the golden blood that Lu Wu had left for him. Lu Wu's golden blood was of Dragon lineage, an Epic-level quality, extremely high-quality, and pure. It was challenging for Lu Wu himself to absorb.

But the baby dragon was different. Although it couldn't leave the realm, its strength had already reached Epic 0 Rank, and being a dragon itself, it found it easier to absorb the blood.

Soon, the baby dragon completely absorbed the power of the golden blood.

However, as it assimilated the golden blood's power, a pair of enormous eyes suddenly opened deep within the Dragon Confinement Realm, fixing their gaze upon the baby dragon.

Immediately, a deep, ancient roar reverberated, carrying a sense of sorrow, desolation, and a hint of hope.

"Roar!"

The roar echoed with a mix of sadness and a faint glimmer of hope.

Action:

The roar echoed, and the mysterious eyes that had opened once again closed.

This time, it seemed like a permanent closure. The enigmatic creature had seemingly succumbed to time, losing its life and any trace of vitality.

But its fall seemed to initiate a new cycle.

A surge of power erupted from the baby dragon's bloodline.

Intense and dazzling light accompanied the force, and soon the baby dragon transformed into a golden, shimmering being.

Simultaneously, the chains binding it began to shatter, and the entire Dragon Confinement Realm started to tremble slightly.

The timing of the baby dragon's transformation and Li Wu's slumber was remarkably synchronized, almost as if it were a deliberate and meticulously planned coincidence.

...

Back in the Ice Hell, where Li Wu was.

As Hahah was about to release Li Wu and prepare to place him in the Cold Pond, Iria and Arthur unleashed their attacks.

"Dark Moon Arrow!" 2

"Holy Light Judgment!" 2

At the same time, two Dark Moon Arrows were fired by the Dark Moon Elf and Iria.

Two Holy Light Judgment from Arthur and the Ten-Winged Angel struck simultaneously with pinpoint accuracy towards Li Wu.

These two truly adhered to their previous strategy—if they were to strike, they would do so with full force, exerting even greater power than when they initially shattered the black barrier, leaving no room for Li Wu to struggle or retaliate.

Such a sudden and powerful attack could potentially incapacitate or even kill an Epic 1 Rank being.

Killing a Rank 3 Warlord, especially one in a unique state like Li Wu, should have been as easy as turning their hands over

But after Iria and Arthur launched their assault, they didn't dare to relax for a moment. They were well aware that Pismis was right—Li Wu wouldn't be an easy target.

Indeed, their anxiety and concerns were justified.

Li Wu proved to be a formidable opponent, even in his current state, and there was still Hahah to consider.

Although their sudden attack startled Hahah, the intense battles over the past few days had heightened its combat instincts. Its body reacted before its mind could process the situation.

Hahah spread its wings, transforming into a large dome-like shield, using its body to protect Li Wu from the onslaught.

"Pfft!"

The two Dark Moon Arrows struck Hahah first, triggering its passive ability, Thorn Shield.

Even as an Epic 0 Rank, Thorn Shield could passively reflect seventy percent of the damage.

It was a formidable defensive ability.

The two Dark Moon Arrows managed to penetrate only a third of the way before losing momentum, repelled by the shield's force.

However, at that moment, two holy war hammers smashed down, crashing into the Dark Moon Arrows. The impact shattered Hahah's defense, driving the arrows into its body.

After all, they were four Epic 0 Rank powerhouses, and their skills were on par with Divine Judgment.

Thorn Shield, though powerful, could only withstand one or two attacks. Facing four simultaneous assaults, it shattered instantly.

The Dark Moon Arrows pierced Hahah's body, and the dark and light energies directly exploded its wings and most of its body.

After the barrage, only Hahah's brain and spine remained relatively intact.

Hahah's appearance suggested it was dead beyond any doubt.

Others might have charged forward, but Iria, too, was about to rush when Arthur stopped her.

"Continue!"

"Continue what?"

Iria was still in shock, but Arthur had already resumed the relentless assault.

In a frenzy of attacks, they bombarded the area where Li Wu and Hahah were located.

Within a minute, they depleted their energy reserves to just three layers, turning the area into a wasteland. Arthur led the charge, rushing into the ruins.

"Grab the person and leave immediately! Don't linger in this realm!"

"Understood!"

The two charged into the ruins, heading towards the direction they remembered Li Wu to be, only to find nothing.

"He's not here!"

"Li Wu and that bird are both gone!

How is this possible?"

Iria and Arthur were bewildered. The Cold Pond, which had been about twenty to thirty square meters, was now a crater.

Arthur was the first to notice the anomaly and rushed towards the unusual pit. As he approached, a force emerged from the pit, instantly transforming into an extreme ice-cold blue shield. The shield propelled the dust from the pit and Arthur himself into the air, leaving them both suspended in midair.

Iria, who was a few steps behind Arthur, witnessed the situation below and her expression changed drastically.

"How is this possible? How can it still be alive?"

Beneath the ice-blue shield, there was a small area of only a few square meters covered in blue ice blocks, emanating a chilling aura.

Above the frigid air was a seemingly unconscious Li Wu, lying flat on the ground.

Above Li Wu's head was Hahah, its body in a pitiful state.

Ninety percent of its flesh and blood were gone, and even its head couldn't maintain its integrity, resembling a broken corpse.

However, Iria sensed an incredibly powerful life force within this body.

As Iria exclaimed in surprise, the life force burst forth.

A massive amount of freezing air from the icy ground beneath surged into Hahah's broken body. With the influx of this frigid energy, Hahah's body began to visibly heal at an astonishing speed.

"No, stop it!"

Iria and Arthur's faces paled, and they immediately unleashed all their strength, frantically attacking the ice-blue shield in front of them.

But it was to no avail.

The shield's defense was unbelievably sturdy.

No matter how they attacked, they couldn't even make a dent in it. Meanwhile, Hahah, protected within the shield, rapidly recovered under their desperate assaults and hopeless gazes.

Bones, muscles, blood vessels, organs, and feathers...

Iria and her companions witnessed the entire process of a bird regenerating from a shattered skull.

The speed of this recovery was enough to drive them to despair.

What made it even more hopeless was that as Hahah completed its recovery, its strength underwent another transformation.

The once-unbreakable Epic 0 Rank shield shattered from within, and an unbelievably powerful force and aura, like a tidal wave, emanated from Hahah, spreading outward.

"No..."

Arthur and Iria, caught off guard, were directly struck by this force and sent flying over a dozen miles away.

At the same time, over a hundred miles away on the other side, Ryuichiro Ryukawa suddenly halted.

Pimisi, the mechanical mouse guiding him, narrowed its eyes.

Ryukawa's eyebrows furrowed slightly, knowing that the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

He prepared himself, ready to take flight. As soon as Ryukawa leaped into the air, he would turn and run back to the warship, continuing his dance and music.

"Huff!"

As Pimisi anticipated, Ryuichiro Ryukawa took to the sky.

Pimisi rejoiced, about to flee, but to his surprise, he found himself rising into the air alongside Ryukawa.

Pimisi was stunned, but he only had time to flash a smile uglier than crying before disappearing. In an instant, Ryukawa crossed over a hundred kilometers with pinpoint precision, arriving at Li Wu's location and encountering Iria, who was in an even more disheveled state than himself.

Ryukawa's expression darkened at the sight of the two, and theirs grew even gloomier.

They knew all too well that their involvement in this matter was likely over.

As soon as Ryukawa arrived, he released Pimisi and headed towards Li Wu.

Upon seeing the old man approach, Hahah, who had just broken through to Epic 1 Rank, became aggressive.

It wasn't the usual cute aggression of other beasts but an extreme ferocity.

Hahah declared that it had become stronger and invincible.

It advised the old man not to come closer, or it would hurt him badly.

However, Ryukawa paid no heed to its threats, his eyes not even acknowledging the foolish bird. He continued walking towards Li Wu step by step.

Hahah was displeased and was about to strike the old man, but to its surprise, it couldn't move. The bird, which had just reached Epic 1 Rank, stood frozen like a sculpture.

Ryukawa, without hesitation, approached Li Wu, drew his longsword, and thrust it towards Li Wu's forehead...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end