Volume 3: Global Vanguard & The Advanced Pinnacle
Chapter 235
Western Regions Crisis: Cry for Help from the Ancient Desert City
Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...
The heavy, millennial stone latch ground against the jade-inlaid grooves with a muffled roar echoing from deep within the mountain’s core. The gigantic megalithic gate, covered in ancient mythological Greek reliefs, slowly groaned open, releasing a surging wave of heat that spilled out into the marble-paved corridor. The crisp, cool air of the Parthenon’s holy summit was instantly scorched into distorted ripples by the horrifying temperature, carrying with it the primal scent of sulfur and an aura of archaic majesty.
Amidst the hazy, sweltering steam, a tall figure stepped out leisurely.
Every step Lin Feng took upon the black stone floor left behind tiny golden sparks, gleaming like phosphorescence before dissolving into nothingness. After three full days and nights of secluded cultivation at the bottom of the Three-Thousand-Meter Ancient Fire Cave, the nineteen-year-old’s appearance seemed to have undergone yet another profound transformation. His raven hair fluttered gently in the invisible kinetic wind surrounding his body, and his broad, sturdy shoulders were draped in a pitch-black combat cloak.
Yet, the most earth-shattering change lay deep within his body.
Focusing his spiritual consciousness into his sea of awareness, the boundless Fire Element Star Sea no longer bore the ordinary reddish hue of mundane fire. The entire nebula of flames had transformed into a brilliant golden lava ocean, churning with magical tide waves several times denser than before. Right at the center of the star sea, a spherical Soul Seed blazing like a primeval dragon egg slowly rotated. Each of its throbbing pulses emitted a low, rumbling roar, releasing crimson-gold threads that coiled like dragon runes, tightly gripping every meridian and bone marrow in Lin Feng’s body.
The Ancient Supreme Soul Seed — Primordial Dragon Flame!
The ultimate trophy bestowed upon the MVP of the Venice World Magic Tournament by the Parthenon Holy See had finally completely submitted to his iron will. This fire was not merely destructive heat; it carried supreme Dragon Might along with the traits of “Dragon Flame Armor-Piercing” and “Soul-Burning Might,” turning Lin Feng’s Fire magic into an unstoppable juggernaut capable of crushing the sturdiest defensive barriers in existence.
Lin Feng clenched his fist slightly. A bean-sized golden flame instantly flared at his fingertips, causing the surrounding space to emit sharp, crackling pops.
“Its power truly does not disappoint...” A satisfied smile curved the corners of Lin Feng’s lips.
“Lin Feng! You’re out!”
A familiar voice rang out, shattering the serene silence of the mountain peak.
Lin Feng raised his head. At the far end of the marble corridor, Ye Qingwan was hurrying toward him. The young lady hailing from the illustrious military Ye family—someone who had always maintained utmost poise, grace, and brilliant composure throughout their months conquering the world tournament—now bore a face as pale as a sheet of paper.
She wore no ceremonial dress nor refined casual wear, but rather a dark green quick-response combat uniform covered in road dust. Her raven-black hair was tied back hastily in a ponytail with parachute cord, her brow beaded with cold sweat, and her dark-rimmed eyes revealing profound exhaustion from sleepless nights.
Seeing Lin Feng emerge safely from his trial of life and death with an overwhelming, majestic aura, a flash of relief crossed the depths of Ye Qingwan’s eyes. Yet, the dark shadow of utter terror and tension instantly rushed forward to consume her entire expression.
“Qingwan? What happened?” Lin Feng frowned, extinguishing the flame at his fingertips. “Did the Shenzhou team run into trouble in Venice?”
“Not Venice... Not Europe!” Ye Qingwan panted, shaking her head vigorously as her chest heaved violently. “It’s the Western frontier! The Shenzhou Western Military Region has suffered a catastrophe!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she tremblingly extended both hands, offering a metallic Magic Transmission Array Compass wrapped in dark red beast leather.
The instant he laid eyes on the object, Lin Feng’s pupils contracted sharply.
On the surface of the compass, a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon emblem of the Shenzhou military was flashing with blood-red light. Accompanying it were urgent, piercing beeps that stabbed straight into the eardrums.
Blood-Letter Military Command!
This was the highest-level alert communication of the Shenzhou military, activated only when a warzone faced existential threat or the national borders stood before total destruction!
“It’s an emergency encrypted telegram sent personally by Lieutenant General Meng Zhan via military satellite transmission thirty minutes ago.” Ye Qingwan’s voice choked, her fingers trembling as she touched the decryption lock. “The Western Regions... are about to fall!”
Lin Feng did not utter a single word. He stepped forward immediately, placing his thumb on the center of the array compass. His magic power poured in, activating the sequence of recognition runes for the honorary lieutenant colonel rank that the Shenzhou military had once bestowed upon him.
“OZZZZ!”
A three-dimensional optical projection instantly shot into the air, opening a chaotic military stereoscopic map alongside the resolute yet hoarse, breathless voice of Lieutenant General Meng Zhan—the illustrious veteran commander guarding the western frontier:
“Lin Feng! No matter where you are, whether you are receiving glory or undergoing closed-door cultivation, when you receive this telegram, please listen to the plea of an old soldier!”
The magic stone buzzed violently. Mixed into Meng Zhan’s voice were heartbreaking air raid sirens, roaring magic artillery fire, and the soul-rending, monstrous roars of countless ferocious beasts:
“Five days ago, the central region of the Western Desert suddenly erupted with a millennial anomaly unprecedented in history: The Blood Sand Tide! The entire thousand-mile desert turned blood-red. This red sand contained primeval resentment and magical corrosive blood poison, driving hundreds of thousands of desert monsters insane and mutating them into bloodthirsty machines that knew no fear!”
“The outer defense line of the Western Military Region was torn to shreds in a mere forty-eight hours. Tens of thousands of Blood-Bone Sand Scorpions, Sand-Demon Warhounds, and Desert Tempest Lizards swept through five outposts and flattened two major oases. And right now... the entire red sand sea and the berserk beast tide have tightly besieged Ancient Zhenxi City!”
Ancient Zhenxi City!
The moment those four words echoed, Lin Feng’s breath instantly froze.
He understood all too well the life-or-death significance of this fortress. Built thousands of years ago upon a towering ancient stone ridge amidst the desert, Ancient Zhenxi City was the lifeblood checkpoint protecting the western gateway of Shenzhou. If this fortress fell, the red sand sea and the beast tide would surge directly into the fertile inland plains, plunging tens of millions of border citizens into the abyss of annihilation!
The 3D projection shifted to an overhead view of the fortress. The scene revealed was enough to make one’s hair stand on end:
A gigantic ash-gray stone city with walls over fifty meters high stood forlornly like a solitary island amidst an ocean of boiling red sand. From all eight directions, hundreds-of-meters-high waves of red sand churned upward, continually crashing against the base of the walls. Beneath the city walls, countless desert monsters swarmed in dense layers, frantically clawing, tearing, and spewing acid to corrode the massive stones.
Above the ancient city, a hemispheric magic barrier named the Sandstone Diamond Array emitted a pale golden glow, flickering like a candle in the wind. Three gigantic spider-web-like cracks had already appeared on the barrier’s surface. Each time the beast tide bombarded it, the defensive halo shook violently, and stone dust cascaded down like a torrential rain.
Lieutenant General Meng Zhan’s voice in the recording grew increasingly urgent, carrying profound agony:
“There are currently thirty thousand human souls inside Ancient Zhenxi City! Ten thousand Desert Guard soldiers under the command of Major General Lei Jing, alongside twenty thousand innocent refugees evacuated from the border oases! They have been holding out in a desperate defense for five relentless days and nights!”
“The city’s magic crystal reserve has been exhausted. The soldiers’ magic energy is dried up, the underground water source has been contaminated by the seepage of blood sand, and over four thousand wounded soldiers are lying in rows awaiting death from necrotic poisoning! The Sandstone Diamond Array defense barrier can hold out for at most no more than twelve hours!”
Lin Feng clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped: “Where is the Western Military Region? Where is the main army? How could they let a border fortress fall into such a desperate plight?!”
As if answering that question, Meng Zhan’s image in the projection revealed a tragic expression, his military uniform tattered and stained with dried blood:
“It’s not that we abandoned our compatriots! It’s the conspiracy of the black cults! Intelligence reports just arrived from the Magic Intelligence Bureau: Remnants of the international Netherworld Cult have colluded with desert Sand Barbarians to secretly excavate the Ancient Emperor’s Mausoleum buried a thousand zhang deep beneath the desert! They used ancient forbidden arts to open the blood dragon veins, their primary goal being to use the lives and souls of the thirty thousand citizens of Ancient Zhenxi City as a blood sacrifice to break the seal of the Blood Sand Demon Emperor!”
“The Blood Sand Demon Emperor—a peak Monarch-level monster that slaughtered sixteen small Western Regions states in ancient times! If this demon emperor awakens, the entire Western Region will be permanently reduced to ashes and flat wasteland!”
“Currently, our main army of twenty thousand soldiers is divided by two other massive beast tide flanks, trapped at Death Canyon eight hundred miles away, suffering heavy casualties and completely unable to break through in time to rescue the ancient city! We have no other choice...”
The weathered veteran general’s face trembled, his voice choked as he stared straight into the screen:
“Lin Feng! You are the new king of the world tournament, the fire mage capable of the most terrifying large-scale destruction our military has ever produced! You possess the Lightning Element and the supreme Fire Element capable of incinerating toxic miasma and crushing desert carapaces! I know you just went through grueling battles in Venice, but right now, apart from you, not a single person can cross the red sand sea in time to relieve those thirty thousand souls!”
“Lin Feng... In the name of an old soldier of Shenzhou, I beg you! Save our thirty thousand compatriots!”
“SWOOSH!”
The optical signal flickered and cut out entirely, leaving only a thin wisp of white smoke rising from the metal compass that had grown scorching hot to the touch.
The plaza on the Parthenon’s holy summit descended into a suffocating silence. The Mediterranean sea breeze blew past, carrying a chilling frost, yet it could not dispel the raging fury and murderous intent surging within Lin Feng’s chest.
Thirty thousand compatriots!
Ten thousand soldiers fighting to their very last drop of magic energy!
Those cultist bastards dared to use the lives of Shenzhou citizens as sacrifices for ancient monsters!
“Lin Feng...” Ye Qingwan bit her lip tightly, her eye sockets burning red. “I took it upon myself to contact the Forward Command Headquarters. A military supersonic Magic transport plane, ‘White Goose V-9,’ is idling and waiting at our underground airbase on the Mediterranean coast. If we fly at maximum speed in the stratosphere, crossing the Tianshan Mountains, it will take about five hours to reach Western airspace.”
“However... Captain Han Yue, Ye Lingtian, and the others are still busy handling diplomatic procedures and receiving championship resources at the Holy See...”
“No need to wait for them!” Lin Feng decisively cut her off, his voice as cold as millennial ice, yet hiding the latent heat of a volcano on the verge of erupting. “Diplomacy and resources can wait, but human lives cannot! Every minute that passes, our compatriots in Zhenxi are bleeding.”
He turned to look at Ye Qingwan, his gaze as resolute as bedrock:
“Qingwan, send word back to Advisor Tan Leng and Han Yue. Tell everyone to stay in Europe to finish matters and return via regular channels. This trip to the Western Regions is plunging into a desert sea of fire; just you and I are enough!”
Ye Qingwan gazed deep into the burning, pitch-black eyes of the young man before her. The anxiety and panic in her heart vanished miraculously, replaced by the absolute trust that Lin Feng always instilled in his comrades during their most perilous moments.
“Understood! I will serve as your navigator and battlefield liaison officer!” Ye Qingwan stood at attention, raising her hand in a military salute.
“Let’s go!”
The two figures instantly turned into twin lingering afterimages, dashing down toward the base of the Parthenon Holy See.
Fifteen minutes later, at a secret Shenzhou naval airbase along the Mediterranean coast.
The deafening roar of the Wind-Thunder hybrid jet engines tore through the night sky. The military transport plane “White Goose V-9,” coated in matte black magic-absorbing paint, glided swiftly along the underground runway, then shot like a wind-splitting arrow into the dark vault of heaven.
“WHOOSH!”
The aircraft broke the sound barrier at an altitude of twelve thousand meters, surging eastward at Mach 3. Beneath its wings, the vast Eurasian continent flashed by as fast as a fast-forwarded film.
Inside the cramped military passenger cabin, dim red lighting cast a glow upon the cold alloy bulkheads. The shriek of air parting around the airframe and the violent vibration of the engines created a rapid, tense melody taut as a bowstring.
Ye Qingwan sat before the field magic control console, her slender hands dancing nimbly across the crystal keyboard as she pulled up the complete database concerning the Western desert battlefield.
“Lin Feng, look at this reconnaissance sand-table.” She pointed at the three-dimensional light stream simulating the topographical structure of Ancient Zhenxi City. “Ancient Zhenxi City sits upon a barren basalt ridge amidst a basin valley. Surrounding it on all four sides are shifting sand dunes ranging from thirty to fifty meters high. Normally, this terrain makes the fortress easy to defend and difficult to attack against small-scale raids.”
“However, amidst the Blood Sand Tide, this very basin becomes a funnel catching hundreds of millions of tons of red sand. When the sandstorm rises, the toxic sand surges right up to the top of the city walls, completely neutralizing the defenders’ height advantage.”
She tapped to switch to images of the desert monster species:
“This red sand beast tide mainly consists of three extremely ferocious breeds: First is the Blood-Bone Sand Scorpion—Servant and Warrior-level crustacean beasts whose outer shells are as hard as tungsten alloy, their tails tipped with magic-corroding acid, specializing in breaching the base of city walls. Second is the Sand-Demon Warhounds—high-speed monsters hiding within the sand, specializing in hunting down mages standing on heights. And most dangerous along the outer perimeter is the Desert Tempest Lizard—colossal Lord-level beasts, each over forty meters long, capable of unleashing red sand tornadoes that can shred mid-level magic barriers!”
“As for Major General Lei Jing... he is a Peak Advanced Earth Element Archmage, possessing a Heavy Rock Soul Seed. But over the past five days, carrying the burden of maintaining the core of the Sandstone Diamond Array all by himself, his magic energy has undoubtedly been depleted to the point of injuring his vital foundation.”
Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the steel floor opposite the sand table, his eyes tightly closed, both hands resting on his knees.
He listened to every detail of Ye Qingwan’s intelligence report, yet his spiritual consciousness continuously circulated the magic zhoutian within his body. He was utilizing every single second of the five-hour flight to fully merge with the Primordial Dragon Flame Soul Seed he had just absorbed.
Within his sea of awareness, the golden dragon fire egg radiated waves of scorching dragon breath. With each passing zhoutian, the Dragon Flame seeped deeper into every cell and fiber. Lin Feng could clearly sense that this fire was far from dormant. It seemed to resonate with the blood-soaked battlefield reeking of sand and corpses awaiting them ahead, causing the archaic dragon soul within the flame to stir slightly, imparting hungry battle-lust growls!
“Netherworld Cult... Sand Barbarians...” Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, two streams of golden light gleaming like sharp blades piercing through the hazy darkness of the aircraft cabin. “They dare to utilize the beast tide to excavate the Ancient Emperor’s mausoleum, dare to use thirty thousand lives as pawns... I will let them taste what it feels like to be burned to ashes by dragon fire without a single bone remaining!”
Time in the stratosphere passed in an atmosphere of suffocating, heavy tension.
The “White Goose V-9” tore through the night, cutting across rolling mountain ranges, passing the Caspian Sea, and majestically soaring above the eternal snow-capped peaks of the towering Tianshan Mountains.
“Beep beep beep beep!”
The cockpit warning system suddenly blared with harsh alarms.
“Report! We have entered the airspace of the Western Desert within Shenzhou territory!” The military pilot’s voice echoed through the intercom, carrying undisguised horror. “Good god... Look down there!”
Lin Feng snapped upright, striding toward the reinforced window pane of the aircraft fuselage.
Ye Qingwan hurriedly ran over as well, pressing her face against the thick glass.
The moment their gazes touched the space below, both of them held their breath at the breathtaking yet horrifying scene unfurling before them.
Twilight was gradually falling upon the Western frontier.
Yet the Western sky bore not a shred of the gentle orange-red glow of dusk. The entire firmament was shrouded in a hazy, turbid red, resembling a gigantic bloodstain smeared across a gray cloud curtain. The sun hung like a bleeding fireball on the western horizon, casting ruthless rays down upon the earth.
And beneath the cloud layer... stretched an endless sea of red sand as far as the eye could see!
This was not the familiar golden hue of a wild desert. Every dune and undulating ridge bore a foul, bruised crimson color, as though every grain of sand here had been steeped in the fresh blood of millions of living beings for thousands of years.
Gigantic red sand tornadoes hundreds of zhang high whirled fiercely, resembling blood-red water spouts connecting the ground straight up to the dark cloud layer, continually sweeping across the dunes and emitting wild, shrieking wails like countless wronged souls crying out in hell.
And right at the center of that terrifying red sand sea... Ancient Zhenxi City appeared!
The millennial stone fortress now resembled a tattered, drifting little boat amidst a stormy ocean. The pale golden halo of the Sandstone Diamond Array barrier was now as thin as a cicada’s wing, enveloping the moss-covered tile roofs and city walls scarred with the wounds of war.
Outside the barrier, the sight made anyone’s spine turn ice-cold:
Tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of blood-red desert monsters swarmed the basin valley like gigantic fire ants! Row upon row of Blood-Bone Sand Scorpions with raised, razor-sharp tails used claws as hard as cold steel to frantically hammer against the barrier membrane. Thousands of Sand-Demon Warhounds howled savagely, continually leaping into mid-air to search for openings.
Especially along the three main directions of the city, more than a dozen colossal Desert Tempest Lizards resembling five-story buildings reared their heads to the sky, gathering swirling columns of toxic red sandstorms, preparing to deal the final destructive blow against the crumbling shield!
Upon the city walls, the feeble magic flames of the Shenzhou soldiers occasionally flared before extinguishing, like final sparks of hope dying out in the dark.
“We cannot land! The ground magic positioning system has been completely destroyed by the red sand magnetic field!” The pilot shouted over the intercom, the aircraft vibrating violently as if its welds might snap upon entering the turbulence of the sandstorm. “If we lower altitude any further, the corrosive sandstorm will shred the wings and cause the engines to explode! I’m forced to climb the aircraft away from the danger zone!”
“Do not climb!”
Lin Feng’s voice rang out crisp and resolute, overpowering the wailing alarm in the cabin.
He turned, striding directly toward the rear cargo ramp of the transport plane. His firm hand grasped the emergency release lever.
“Lin Feng! What are you planning?!” Ye Qingwan cried out in alarm, hurrying over to stop him. “The current altitude is over three thousand meters! Below is a blood-sand vortex storm capable of corroding even magic metal! Without a wind-cushion array or specialized deceleration gear, jumping down now is suicide!”
Lin Feng turned his head to look at her.
Desert gale winds howling through the ventilation vents made the gold-cloud-embroidered black robe flutter violently. Yet upon the young man’s sharp-featured face, there was not a trace of hesitation or fear. On the contrary, the corners of his lips curved into an arrogant smile—a smile carrying the absolute confidence of a monarch who had just ascended to the peak of the world.
Within Lin Feng’s fathomless black eyes, a golden speck of fire suddenly blazed fiercely.
The primal dragon majesty from the Primordial Dragon Flame Soul Seed instantly radiated outward, transforming into a brilliant golden halo enveloping his entire body, completely dispelling the biting cold and staggering pressure of the high altitude!
“Corrosive sandstorms can shred metal...” Lin Feng rasped, his deep voice carrying a majestic rumble like thunder. “But my Primordial Dragon Flame was born to incinerate all filth in this world!”
“Ancient Zhenxi City cannot fall! My thirty thousand compatriots cannot die!”
“Qingwan, hold the aircraft at high altitude and observe! Wait for me to tear this red sand sea apart!”
With that, Lin Feng did not hesitate for a fraction of a second longer, resolutely pulling the emergency lever!
“CLACK... RUMBLE!”
The rear cargo ramp of the jet transport plane swung wide open in mid-air!
The desert gale carrying sweltering heat, scorching sand, and the thick, foul stench of fresh blood immediately rushed in like a tidal wave, howling savagely in his ears.
Standing before the three-thousand-meter abyss looking down upon the blazing red sand sea and tens of thousands of roaring monsters below, Lin Feng stomped hard against the steel floor of the aircraft!
“WHOOSH!”
The young man’s figure plunged straight out of the fuselage, casting himself into the infinite void!
Amidst the bleeding twilight sky of the Western Regions, a dazzling golden pillar of fire suddenly burst forth, illuminating the nine layers of clouds like an archaic meteorite accompanied by earth-shattering dragon roars, plummeting straight toward the epicenter of the desert monster horde!
A new life-or-death battlefield upon the sea of blood sand had officially begun!