Translator: CinderTL
"I'm late."
The low voice echoed in their ears, and Lei Long's eyes widened. The other crew members also snapped out of their shock.
But before they could speak.
"Lund!!"
A savage killing intent erupted. The middle-aged man in a silk suit seated behind the execution platform, the so-called Duke Charles, suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with murderous intent.
The surrounding soldiers finally snapped back to reality. Some were terrified, others panicked, and in their haste, they tried to fire their guns.
Whoosh!!
An invisible golden light flashed by, and heads rolled, guns shattered.
Amid the splattering blood, the surrounding crowd turned pale, screaming and scrambling to escape.
Expressionless, the figure with a bluish-black arm casually tossed the corpse, whose head had been crushed and heart pierced, as if it were trash.
"Looking for death!!"
The new bishop of the Frost Church was the first to act. He recognized this method, so similar to that of the previous murderer.
Layers of frost spread across the ground, and ice spikes several meters long shot through the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull sounds echoed as the golden light formed a shield, like impenetrable armor.
The figure, glowing in bluish-gold, stood motionless, unscathed, and even Lei Long and the others in front of him were protected by the shield.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Tiny white ice shards scattered to the ground. The Frost Bishop's expression changed slightly, and then all the Sequencers hidden on both sides of the platform emerged.
"Pyromancer Light, Puppeteer Sauron."
"And Berserker Donn. Duke Charles actually recruited these powerful individuals?"
The thought flashed through the Frost Bishop's mind. He knew well the strength of these individuals—each was a fourth-tier Sequencer, not much weaker than himself.
Focusing his gaze, he saw a fireball, like a cannonball, hurtling toward them, engulfing most of the execution platform.
Strange black threads spread across the ground, forming a circle beneath the bluish-gold figure, immobilizing him.
Meanwhile, a burly man in black armor, eyes cold, charged forward like a tank, his broadsword slashing horizontally, as if to annihilate everything.
Boom!!! The fireball exploded, and scorching white steam and dust filled the air.
Everyone's eyes narrowed in shock as they realized the bluish-gold figure remained unharmed.
Berserker Donn frowned and stepped forward, already closing in. His arms swelled to twice their size, and with a burst of strength, he swung a black light horizontally.
Hum! Thud!!
A Dark Flash Burst erupted, and the burly man in black armor lost half his body.
The flying broadsword crashed to the ground, its clanging reverberating through the air.
"Gasp..."
The black-armored Donn looked down at his body in disbelief. His chest, abdomen, and legs were mostly gone, charred black, as if devoured by something circular.
Thud!!
The corpse fell to the ground, and the other two men's expressions changed drastically.
In their shock, they saw a flash, and Duke Charles, who had been filled with killing intent but remained coldly observant, finally made his move.
In an instant, he appeared beside Chen Feng.
Suppressed rage, burning flames.
The surrounding air became scalding hot, and Lei Long and the others, dodging, felt their skin rapidly losing moisture, as if they were about to be burned into blackened husks.
Thud!!
A fist of fire.
A massive pillar of flame shot out from behind Chen Feng, obliterating everything, scorching all in its path.
Yet, Chen Feng remained standing, unscathed, and simply spoke in a low voice.
"You're indeed not weak."
Following the momentum, a three-meter-tall gray-white giant stood before him, like an unshakable city wall, blocking all attacks.
Duke Charles furrowed his brows, then felt a deadly crisis emerge.
Buzz!!
The air hummed, as if trembling.
The entire world seemed to lose its color in an instant, and in his eyes, there was only that golden-veined, gray-white pillar of a fist.
His hair stood on end, goosebumps rapidly rising.
Duke Charles widened his eyes in shock and suspicion, only to see the gray-white fist tear through the sky.
Boom!!
The shockwave surged like a dragon, and all the figures in the seating area were instantly killed, including the Frost Bishop, who was directly shattered into pieces.
A mist of blood filled the air, but Chen Feng glanced sideways at the flames that were about to disappear behind him.
The pillar of fire dissipated, and the white steam was scalding.
The stone brick ground was scorched and melted, and Duke Charles, who should have been dead, leaped in the flames, his mocking gaze piercingly sharp.
Moreover, there were even faint, intangible mental attacks rushing straight into his mind.
Provocation, incitement, mockery... it was as if it could obliterate the sanity of an ordinary person, turning them into the most primal, furious beast.
But.
"Your strength is not inferior to mine."
Whoosh!
The stone wings flapped, and the Holy Shield Colossus had already turned around.
Duke Charles widened his eyes, only to see the gray-white fist slash through the sky, piercing through his chest and abdomen on the spot.
A terrifying shockwave erupted, and the two fourth-order Sequencers from the Charles Family both paled, no longer caring about anything else, and tried to flee the scene.
"A Saint?"
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, Duke Charles's eyes bloodshot, standing stiffly in place, unable to believe it.
Such power, such speed?
Could the other party be a sixth-order Saint from the Warrior Sequence? Without paying attention, Chen Feng merely communicated mentally, and the Holy Shield Colossus's fist trembled.
Boom! The silk-clad body shattered into pieces, and then the Holy Shield Colossus flew out, chasing after the two fleeing figures.
Expressionless, Chen Feng then turned around, looking at Lei Long and the others, who were filled with relief and excitement.
He took a slow step forward, about to approach, but.
Tap! An unusually sharp footstep sounded, and the figure in the silk suit reappeared behind him.
Shadows loomed over, the pale, cold face filled with killing intent.
Within his perception, the previously shattered flesh pieces turned illusory, soon becoming fragments of cloth dolls.
Duke Charles reached out with his palm, flames gathering, aiming straight for Chen Feng's back and heart.
"No!"
"Master Feng Chen!!"
Lei Long urgently shouted, but Chen Feng didn't even turn his head.
Boom!!
The gray-white mixed with golden light instantly condensed, and the humanoid colossus with stone wings on its back seemed as if it had never left.
"You!!"
Duke Charles's face completely changed, only to see the thick gray-white hand grab his head.
Crack, crack, crack! The sound of bones breaking continued, as Chen Feng slowly walked up to Lei Long and the others.
The Azure Armor and Steel Bones on his body gradually dissipated, revealing black leather shoes and a trench coat.
The calmness in his pupils seemed to have long detected the anomaly, followed by the sound of a crunching explosion.
Splat!
Blood gushed out, and Little Andi had already been shielded from the sight by Lei Long's wife.
A gust of wind rose, and by the time Chen Feng walked up to Lei Long and the others, whose hands and feet were bound, their faces pale and exhausted, yet filled with shock and excitement.
Whoosh!
The wind rose again, and the two fleeing heads were thrown to the ground, their wide eyes and blood completely frozen.
"Go." Chen Feng said in a low voice, and the Holy Shield Colossus left once more.
Lei Long and the others were puzzled, but then they saw Chen Feng reaching out his hand.
"Come with me," he said, fully aware that Lei Long and his companions could no longer survive in Banli Port.
At the very least, the Steel Kingdom would not let them go.
Without hesitation, Lei Long nodded.
Not bothering to express their gratitude, the group immediately followed Chen Feng and quickly left the area.
"Can Master Feng Chen really save Lord Lei Long and my mother?"
Near the port, a boy in tattered clothes stood hidden in the grass behind a ginkgo tree by the roadside.
His face pale and body exhausted, his eyes flickered with both hope and worry.
After all, that Duke Charles was a legendary fifth-order Sequencer of the Schemer Sequence, said to be even stronger than the Blood Sea Vice Admiral.
Not to mention his many powerful subordinates, all renowned figures in Banli Port and the Eastern Sea.
Nearby, a girl with long curly hair, draped in a gray cloak and hidden as if invisible, wore a similarly complex expression.
"My teacher said that Duke Charles has been consolidating his position in the Schemer Sequence for a long time and might even become a sixth-order Saint," she thought.
"And with powerful Extraordinary Artifacts like the Scapegoat Doll, which can save him from certain death, plus his connections with the Frost Church and others, can that man really succeed?"
Fran sighed inwardly, surprised by how conflicted she felt.
She should have hated that man—after all, he had injured her teacher and stolen the precious Star Soul Elixir.
But as she watched the boy hiding in the shadows under the tree, clenching his fists in fear, she felt the world was absurd.
As the protectors of Banli Port, the Charles Family had ignored the lives of the local populace for their own gain.
The contraband produced by the Sark Factory caused immense harm and pollution, and the Lei Long fleet had only been targeted because they disrupted the Duke's efforts to capture the Mermaid.
Her eyes gradually calmed, and Fran made up her mind.
"I must tell my teacher and inform the King about this," she thought.
"If he fails to save the Lei Long fleet, the King will surely seek justice for them."
Suddenly, the crisp sound of hurried hoofbeats interrupted Fran's thoughts.
Turning her head, she saw a carriage with a tuna flag approaching rapidly.
"Oh no!" Fran's expression changed, and the boy under the tree, Tulin, also froze, his face filled with despair.
Had Master Feng Chen failed? The thought crossed his mind as he clenched his fists.
Just as he was about to hide again, the carriage curtain was pulled aside, and several familiar figures stepped out near the port.
"Tulin!" a deep voice called out.
A young man with black hair and eyes, wearing a trench coat, strode out of the carriage.
Captain Lei Long, with his bushy beard, led Aunt Susan and Little Auntie out, while Tulin's mother and sister were helped down, weak and frail.
Tulin, hiding behind the tree, experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. His eyes reddened, and he rushed out from the shadows, running toward them.
"Master Feng Chen!" he cried, dropping to his knees, tears of gratitude streaming down his face as he prepared to kowtow.
Chen Feng shook his head and helped him up, urging him to reunite with his family and discuss whether they were willing to leave Banli Port with him.
Tulin nodded repeatedly, wiping away his tears before embracing his mother and sister, his face filled with relief and excitement at having survived the ordeal.
Silently observing their subsequent conversation, Chen Feng casually glanced at the shadow beneath the roadside trees once more.
It appeared empty, the ground smooth and undisturbed.
Yet, he clearly sensed the presence of a woman in a gray cloak, her expression complex as she looked at him.
A mixture of surprise, admiration, and shame—these emotions blended together on her fair face. Chen Feng roughly guessed that it might have been her who helped Tulin escape safely and hide for so many days.
Otherwise, with the strength of the Charles Family, they shouldn't have been unable to find Tulin.
Shaking his head, he no longer paid it any mind and instead watched as Lei Long led several crew members charging into the harbor.
Those who remained were the ones who had gritted their teeth and kept his secret. The others had either been killed by Lund after revealing his affairs or had been abandoned by him when they left the execution platform earlier.
Additionally, he had given these loyal individuals time to return to their families or gather their belongings.
At the same time, he had also made a solo trip to the Charles Family's estate to collect some information he desired.
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, gunfire rang out as soldiers near the harbor began firing.
Chen Feng no longer needed to intervene, for the waves had already stirred up whirlpools, drawing the attention of many soldiers. At the same time, dark blue tentacles emerged, restraining everything.
"Master Feng Chen, I wish to leave with you and Lord Lei Long!"
Tulin, having settled the matter, stepped forward to make his request, his mother and sister anxiously waiting for an answer behind him.
"Of course, you may."
Chen Feng nodded, admiring the bravery of this young boy.
Soon after, the group, under his protection, safely reached the docked two-masted sailing ship at the harbor.
Amid the sounds of boarding, Chen Feng paused and looked toward the factories at the rear of the port city.
Black chimneys stretched into the sky, continuously spewing gray smoke.
Coughs occasionally rang out, and many people wondered why he had stopped, following his gaze.
Whoosh!! A fierce wind swept through, and a white-gray mass streaked with golden light plummeted down.
At first, it was no larger than a sesame seed, but then it expanded mid-air, growing until it finally transformed into a colossal figure over ten meters tall.
"This!"
Lei Long was utterly shocked, recognizing it as Chen Feng's companion.
Under the shade of the trees, Fran also widened her eyes, staring into the distance, her mouth agape in speechless astonishment.
The sound of whooshing continued to sweep through as gunfire sparked and scattered against the winged white-gray stone figure.
"Monster!"
"Run!!"
Panicked shouts erupted from inside the factory, screams rising one after another.
Workers clad in blue-black uniforms swarmed out, scrambling to escape the factory.
Shared vision transmitted everything back to his mind. Chen Feng and the Holy Shield Colossus, connected through a mental link, communicated seamlessly despite the distance.
"ROOOAR!!"
A deafening roar echoed across the heavens as the towering white-gray giant swung its fist downward.
Boom! The massive chimney spewing gray smoke shattered into debris. The giant then rampaged, overturning everything in the factory.
Steam-powered machines, burning coal, crate after crate of contraband... Boom!!
Golden light surged, shooting straight into the sky.
The colossal stone arms smashed everything in their path, bursts of white vapor exploding in the air, dispersing the clouds.
Fran watched in awe, completely unprepared for the sheer might of the Star Realm Creature and the audacity of the man who had dared to go this far.
Until finally, the world fell silent.
The pale gray giant rapidly shrank, flapping its stone wings as it flew toward the harbor and the sea.
The dust from the factory ruins gradually dissipated, and exclamations of surprise continued to rise, mingling with sighs of relief.
Fran barely managed to collect herself and quickly turned to look at the harbor's surface.
The two-masted sailing ship had already left the harbor, its raised sails seemingly symbolizing freedom.
The pale gray stone statue cut through the sky, while the giant octopus hid deep within the ocean.
Her emotions remained unsettled for a long time, until the very end.
Whoosh!!
A black dot fell from the sky where the pale gray stone statue had flown past.
Sensing something, she used her power to catch and hold it.
The gray-black box, with its contraband contents, was glaringly conspicuous at this moment.
(End of the Chapter)
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