"I'll go catch one right now." Xing Chen was overjoyed.
Taurus Defense Zone!
The fierce sun blazed overhead, the scorching heat seeming to burn the very air, making everything oppressively hot, as if every bit of moisture in his body was being evaporated away!
Xing Chen felt his throat was about to catch fire!
But even so, he had to drag his exhausted and parched body forward! This time, he had been here before; last time, he was defeated by Old Bull and Wei Peng in the Taurus Defense Zone!
However, if he encountered them again this time, Xing Chen was confident enough to exact revenge for that day! So, he didn't perceive this capture mission as particularly dangerous!
In fact, Nile thought the same way; in his view, only a Phoenix Knight could defeat the current Xing Chen.
Of course, even possessing absolute strength, he maintained sufficient caution and meticulousness! Along the way, he tried his best to conceal his presence, sneaking in stealthily. Although he spotted a few small patrol squads during this journey, unfortunately, none of them were the Moon Shadow Warriors he needed. To avoid alerting the enemy, Xing Chen let them pass.
According to Meimei’s instructions, there were several strongholds in this area, and the patrolling warriors among them should include Moon Shadow Warriors of the same model as the original Moon Shadow! Therefore, even after several setbacks, Xing Chen maintained sufficient patience!
In the world of Wolong, all Sheng Hua Warriors, as long as they belong to the same series of bio-warriors, originate from the same cloning mother body!
This meant that the gene arrangement in warriors of the same model was completely identical; to use a popular modern phrase, their hardware configuration was exactly the same. Only this way could Moon Shadow's data be perfectly transplanted onto them to achieve rebirth.
It was like how only a corresponding model of computer motherboard could install a matching computer chip. What Qing Shan needed to do now was find a compatible hardware carrier for Moon Shadow!
It was already the fifth day! Xing Chen finally awaited another hunting opportunity!
There were twenty energy reaction points nearby moving rapidly.
Based on intensity analysis, they should be patrol warriors composed of a mix of Thunder Level One and Phoenix Level One forces.
Hoping that the target he sought was among them, Xing Chen silently prayed, then cautiously controlled the life force field around his body and crept toward the direction of the sensory input!
Under the scorching sun, twenty indistinct figures flew across the sky like large birds!
It was the defense zone patrol team! It was a pity the distance was too great; Xing Chen couldn't discern if there was a Moon Shadow Warrior he wanted among them.
But to catch up with them, he had to boost his Dou Qi energy; doing so would not only alert them but also alert patrol teams from other defense zones.
Although with Xing Chen’s current strength, he didn't need to fear these patrol teams at all, Xing Chen was equally aware that once his whereabouts were exposed, Phoenix Knights like Iron Eagle and Silver Fox would absolutely not let him go. With the speed of the Sky War Beasts, once encountered, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape!
So Xing Chen had to be extremely careful and cautious.
How to pursue? This was a dilemma. But after careful calculation, Xing Chen had an idea!
Xing Chen slowly and cautiously increased the intensity of the Dou Qi energy within his body! And as the Dou Qi intensity increased, the life force field also gradually rose!
When the life force field exceeded 950 points, the patrolling warriors finally reacted!
High in the sky, the defense zone patrol team maintained high-speed flight, but that fleeting energy fluctuation had not escaped their notice!
"Three li to the northwest, an abnormal energy fluctuation, life force field 950, strange, and now it's gone." The warrior responsible for bio-sensing said with some hesitation.
"Could it be a scout sent by the Shadow Moon Division!" The leader of the team was the bio-female warrior of the Moon Shadow series, 35080: "Let's go take a look!"
The twenty-person patrol squad quickly adjusted direction and flew toward the direction where the fluctuation originated.
About a hundred meters above the ground, the twenty slowed down, began to circle slowly, and meticulously scanned the ground!
"Strange, no one here!" This was the exact coordinate where the fluctuation originated, but the ground was all uneven sand dunes, showing not a trace of human figures.
"The biological radar cannot be wrong." The Moon Shadow Captain said in a deep voice: "The ones from the Nile Division are all masters of sand-burrowing techniques; it seems this guy is hiding in the dunes."
"Captain, let a few of us go down to check." The Vice-Captain suggested.
"En," the Moon Shadow female warrior nodded slightly: "Be careful."
"Yes!" The Vice-Captain took five others and cautiously descended toward the ground!
This was the standard search procedure for the patrol team, designed to prevent accidents. Even if the Vice-Captain encountered an enemy attack, the Moon Shadow female warrior would have enough time to sound the alarm.
And just as the Vice-Captain was about to step onto the ground!
The ground exploded with a bang!
Amidst the spraying sand and dust, a blurred afterimage shot out like lightning, crashing toward the group in the air!
"Enemy attack!" The Moon Shadow female warrior cried out in alarm and instinctively darted away to flee! This wasn't cowardice, but the opponent's strength was too terrifying. In that explosive instant, the Moon Shadow female warrior's biological radar detected a Dou Qi energy intensity as high as 200,000.
An opponent like this was not something they could contend with!
So the Moon Shadow female warrior immediately thought of fleeing and retreating!
The Moon Shadow female warrior's innate talent was astonishing reaction time and speed, making her the first to react among them!
As she instinctively leaped away, she saw several strange streams of light flash past the bodies of the other guarding warriors almost brushing against her.
Like countless crisscrossing bolts of lightning, they instantly pierced through the bodies of the other guarding warriors present! Her subordinates hadn't even realized what had happened before those streams of light pierced their vital throats, sending them plummeting to the ground!
Ah! Such speed, killing nineteen people in one move! The Moon Shadow female warrior couldn't believe her eyes, but instinct drove her to flee desperately! Her speed instantly surged to its limit as she rushed toward the horizon, activating the enemy attack alarm simultaneously!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
And by the time Xing Chen's Dragon Shadow instantly killed those nineteen patrol warriors, the Moon Shadow warrior had already flown over three hundred meters away!
"Damn it." Xing Chen couldn't help but curse inwardly. This Moon Shadow's reaction and speed were indeed incredible; even with his strength and a surprise attack, she still managed to escape!
Although the ambush distance was a bit far this time, he was a Thunder Warrior nonetheless; letting this small Moon Shadow warrior slip away was truly embarrassing.
But now, the priority was to capture the fleeing Moon Shadow female warrior, otherwise, if the enemy dispatched reinforcements, he would be in trouble!
So, after instantly killing the nineteen warriors, Xing Chen quickly pursued the fleeing Moon Shadow female warrior.
"Ah! No way!" The Moon Shadow female warrior's face changed dramatically: "He actually caught up."
She couldn't fathom why someone with such terrifying skill, who should be a major figure, would bother chasing after a mere patrol captain like her. But thinking about it now was useless!
The three-hundred-meter distance was instantly shortened to over two hundred and sixty meters by the pursuer! The gap in strength was simply too vast! Even though the Moon Shadow model excelled in speed and agility, she couldn't shake off his pursuit!
At this speed, being caught was only a matter of time.
For the first time, the Moon Shadow warrior felt what despair was, and she still couldn't understand why this guy was relentlessly chasing her.
"Damn it, you want me dead? Not so easily." The Moon Shadow female warrior changed her flight direction, smashing straight toward the ground.
Boom! With a muffled roar!
The Moon Shadow warrior's figure slammed into the ground like a meteorite, kicking up a hazy cloud of sand and stone!
Xing Chen, following closely behind, paused slightly! The swirling sand and dust immediately obscured his vision, and what shocked Xing Chen even more was that almost simultaneously, the biological radar in his mind lost the Moon Shadow warrior's signal.
"Damn it, it's the Invisibility Art." Only then did Xing Chen recall that the Moon Shadow series were all-around bio-warriors capable of freely changing their class forms. He himself had escaped Qing Cheng’s pursuit using this very technique back then.
He never expected to encounter another Moon Shadow warrior using the same trick against him today!
But Xing Chen would never give up so easily!
Just as Xing Chen expected the Moon Shadow warrior to remain hidden, the biological radar captured a strange Daoist energy fluctuation! Its speed was even faster than before!
"Damn it, she wasn't trying to become invisible; she was trying to use the sandstorm as cover to slip away." Xing Chen finally realized and hurriedly flew toward the direction of the fluctuation!
But this time, the Moon Shadow warrior's flying speed was unbelievably fast. When Xing Chen burst out of the dust cloud, that fluctuation was already far in the distance, invisible to the naked eye!
However, the biological radar clearly showed that this energy fluctuation was still heading rapidly toward the central area of the Gemini Defense Zone, due east, at an astonishing speed.
"What in the world is going on." Xing Chen was also stunned by the bizarre sight. The life force field was only 12,000, but the speed was impossibly fast, reaching an astonishing 1.5 Mach (1 Mach equals the speed of sound, equivalent to 340 meters per second; 1.5 Mach is 1.5 times the speed of sound). Even Moon Shadow at full speed didn't possess such terrifying velocity.
But Xing Chen couldn't afford to deliberate over this; if she escaped now, the hope of Moon Shadow's rebirth would be dashed!
So Xing Chen relaxed not at all and pursued at full speed! At this moment, Xing Chen was equipped with the Thunder Set; at full speed, he could reach 1.6 Mach. Catching up with that Moon Shadow warrior was only a matter of time. But Xing Chen vaguely felt a sense of unease.
But where exactly the problem lay, he couldn't figure out.
Whoosh! Xing Chen's blurred figure flashed like lightning through the hazy sandstorm, vanishing into the distant horizon!
But when the hazy sandstorm dispersed!
A face covered in dust and dirt poked out from the sand dune—it was the Moon Shadow female warrior who had been chased desperately by Xing Chen earlier.
At this moment, she looked back at the direction Xing Chen disappeared with lingering fear!
"This is insane; what kind of monster is this guy?" The Moon Shadow warrior muttered: "His equipment looks almost identical to the Thunder Set worn by the Phoenix Knights. Could he be that Xing Chen who defeated Iron Eagle and Silver Fox in the Nile Division's tunnels?"
Thinking of this, the Moon Shadow female warrior broke out in a cold sweat: "Fortunately, my skills are superior. Too bad for my Little Moon Spirit; it's definitely totaled this time." The Moon Shadow female warrior ground her teeth: "But don't worry, Master won't let your sacrifice be in vain, my Little Moon Spirit."
Just now, in the smoke and dust of that explosion, the Moon Shadow warrior had changed her class form to Celestial Venerable Mode, simultaneously activating the Invisibility Art and releasing the Moon Spirit!
This move was the Moon Shadow warrior's ultimate life-saving technique: the Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell amidst chaos. The Moon Shadow warrior had relied on this move countless times to escape danger in the past; she was very adept at using it. Even someone as powerful as Xing Chen, due to a moment of carelessness, was tricked by this Moon Shadow warrior!
The biological computer in her mind clearly displayed two energy masses rapidly heading towards the Gemini Defense Zone.
The Moon Shadow, however, looked shocked and bewildered: "Is this guy an idiot? Doesn't he know that's the Gemini Defense Zone ahead! There's a monster there that even Phoenix Knights dare not provoke; how dare he charge in!"
The Moon Shadow female warrior shook her head slightly: "Never mind that; I need to report the situation to headquarters first."
Activating communication mode, she connected to Lieutenant General Iron Eagle!
"What? We found Xing Chen's trace, and he's advancing toward the Gemini Defense Zone." Old Bull and Wei Peng from the Taurus Defense Zone were dumbfounded: "That guy has reappeared, and this time he actually charged into the Gemini Defense Zone."
"This is trouble now," Old Bull mumbled!
Simultaneously, on the computer screens of the Nile Division, the light spot representing Xing Chen was clearly displayed, hurtling toward the Gemini Defense Zone at an astonishing speed!
"What is happening?" Nile was greatly alarmed: "Wasn't he supposed to go to the Taurus Defense Zone? Why is he rushing toward the Gemini Defense Zone?"
"Damn it, tell him to stop," Uncle Jin's face turned pale with fright: "Didn't you tell them that the Gemini Defense Zone is a restricted area that cannot be approached?"
"Communication signal obstructed." Meimei almost wailed: "He has already entered the defensive range of the Gemini Defense Zone." Almost at the same time, the light spot representing Xing Chen vanished from the computer screen!
But the entire base of the Nile Department was thrown into chaos!
In mid-air, Xing Chen maintained his astonishing flight speed, desperately tracking the energy fluctuation. However, no matter how fast he accelerated, he couldn't catch up.
Moreover, Xing Chen noticed a bizarre phenomenon: if he accelerated, the fluctuation would accelerate, and if he decelerated, the fluctuation would decrease.
Although the life force field was only 12,000 points, this speed looked far too fast. The unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
"Lan Ye, what is the maximum speed of a Moon Shadow warrior with a life force field of generally 12,000?" Xing Chen finally remembered he carried an all-knowing expert with him.
"No more than one Mach," Lan Ye replied.
"How is this possible." Xing Chen found it incredible: "This fluctuation is moving at 1.58 Mach!"
"Daoist energy fluctuation of 12,000, speed reaching 1.58 Mach. Analyzing these two characteristics, the energy fluctuation ahead should belong to the Daoist's summoned beast, the Moon Spirit."
"Moon Spirit!" Xing Chen abruptly halted his flight momentum: "Damn it, I knew something was off; I was tricked after all, that hateful Moon Shadow female warrior."
Realizing his mistake, Xing Chen quickly turned around!
But at that moment! He felt a suffocating energy fluctuation hurtling toward him at a terrifying speed! Simultaneously, the energy fluctuation belonging to the Moon Spirit, which Xing Chen had tracked for so long, mysteriously vanished, as if swallowed by this sudden surge of energy!
"Ah! This is!"
"Life force field 2.1 million, magic intensity 2.28 million, speed 2.28 Mach." Lan Ye immediately activated the Red Alert!
But before Lan Ye could finish speaking.
A blue figure shot out like lightning from the distant horizon!
In the blink of an eye, it rushed within tens of meters of Xing Chen!
And only now could Xing Chen clearly see what the suddenly appearing figure looked like!
Blue hair and blue eyes, tall and slender build, with an ethereal and indifferent gaze, yet emanating an aura that felt both familiar and nostalgic to Xing Chen!
And this appearance was overwhelmingly familiar to Xing Chen!
"Moon Shadow!" Xing Chen could hardly believe his eyes; the person before him looked exactly like Moon Shadow! The only difference was that Moon Shadow wore the purple-brown Phoenix Demon Robe and the golden Star King Set, whereas the Moon Shadow before him wore the dazzling golden Phoenix Set and the enhanced Star King—the Golden Set of the Wolong world.
This shocking scene made Xing Chen clearly aware that the female mage before him could not possibly be Moon Shadow: "You! You, who exactly are you?"
"Gemini Defense Zone Guardian Hero! All-around Warrior of the Moon Shadow Series, ID Y081, Codename Moon God!" The female mage's expression was cold and indifferent, exactly like the original Moon Shadow, seemingly answering Xing Chen's question or perhaps executing some necessary procedure. The female mage named Moon God continued: "Under orders to guard the Gemini Defense Zone, all intruders are to be killed without exception."
Without any warning, Moon Shadow lightly waved her Heaven Suppressing Rod, and a huge fireball shot toward Xing Chen like lightning!
"Ah! Intensity two million!" In an instant, Xing Chen discovered that she was impossibly strong, utterly unbelievable!
Although Xing Chen knew he was the Origin Body, he dared not attempt to meet the attack head-on!
Evade!
This was the only thought Xing Chen had!
The Wings of Thunder behind him flapped rapidly with astonishing speed!
The cyan figure vanished ghost-like from its spot!
Whoosh! Boom!
The powerful fireball shot past where he had been, but upon missing its target, it struck the sand dune below, subsequently erupting into a massive mushroom cloud.
And the ground was blasted open by the terrifying magic, resembling a huge canyon!
Xing Chen, having dodged the attack, turned pale. Was this the effect of a magic attack with an intensity of two million? It was too horrifying! Xing Chen felt his heart pounding uncontrollably.
The shadow of death felt so close and real! Because he knew clearly that the Moon Shadow series were all-around warriors; even if he could be immune to all magic attacks, if Moon Shadow One transformed into Saint War or Celestial Venerable System, he would be finished!
Moon God's combat power was far beyond that of Moon Shadow. She gave Xing Chen no time to catch his breath. Almost simultaneously as Xing Chen dodged, the Heaven Suppressing Rod, condensed with infinite magical energy fluctuations, swung several times continuously, and five gigantic fireballs of astonishing intensity swept toward him, covering all of Xing Chen's evasion space in an instant.
Damn it!
Xing Chen couldn't care about his internal injuries or whether his body could withstand it. In an instant, he concentrated all the Dou Qi energy in his body, then poured it into the Wings of Thunder behind him!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Flapping three times like lightning, Xing Chen's figure, under impossible circumstances, slammed into one of the giant fireballs! Like an illusion, he pierced through the attack of that fireball!
Boom! Only after Xing Chen's figure passed through did the giant fireball explode with a boom!
But Xing Chen sustained no damage!
Even though he was mentally prepared, Xing Chen couldn't help but jump in fright!
"Heaven Extinguishing Great Fireball hit target! Target sustained no damage; Tactical computer judges target to be magic immune; converting to Saint War Mode!" Moon God's tone was flat and emotionless, but in an instant, it struck terror into Xing Chen's soul. If he were hit by her Dou Qi attack converted to Saint War Mode, he wouldn't have enough lives to spare!
Xing Chen desperately flapped the Wings of Thunder! In the blink of an eye, he shot out over two hundred meters! It had to be admitted, Xing Chen's speed was indeed fast!
However, Moon God's speed was beyond imagination!
A burst of red light flashed across her body. The originally golden Golden Set seemed unchanged, but the Heaven Suppressing Rod transformed into a golden Sky Opener!
Almost as soon as the equipment transformation was complete!
The pair of golden fire wings behind Moon God suddenly flapped, stirring up fierce winds and fiery clouds. The golden figure abruptly vanished from its spot, yet in an instant, she rushed before Xing Chen.
The Sky Opener Greatsword cleaved down fiercely!
Clang! Boom! Xing Chen didn't even have time to evade; he could only desperately raise the Dragon Shadow Sword!
The incredibly heavy downward strike landed fiercely on Xing Chen's Dragon Shadow Sword!
Though the Star Dragon Shadow Sword managed to block the Heaven-Splitting Greatsword precisely, the sheer, terrifying impact sent Xingchen flying like a kicked leather ball, involuntarily rocketing back a full hundred meters! The Dragon Shadow Sword itself was also violently thrown far away by the force of that dreadful strike!
Xingchen, already injured by the blow, couldn't help but violently spew a mouthful of blood. His entire body felt as if its bones had come apart, and he lost all sense of awareness.
The moon god's astonishingly powerful first strike had brutally shattered the bones in both of his arms!
If the defense provided by the Raging Thunder Set hadn't been so astonishing, if the Dragon Shadow Sword hadn't possessed such incredible tensile strength, he would have been cleaved cleanly in half by that single sword stroke!
But the Moon God, having already sent Xingchen flying, offered him no chance to recover. Almost simultaneously with Xingchen being thrown back!
That strange silhouette pursued him like a clinging shadow!
And the Heaven-Splitting Greatsword, surging with battle qi intensity reaching a staggering two million points, was instantly raised high above the head before being brought down in a savage arc!
Ah! It's over! Both arms are ruined, and the battle qi within his body has lost all control due to the violent shockwave just now!
Xingchen was utterly incapable of blocking the sword cleaving down directly toward his head!