The Split Stone Statue [2.8k]

Translator: CinderTL

Buzz!

In the early hours of the morning.

Chen Feng opened his eyes, feeling a throbbing headache, a foggy consciousness, and extreme fatigue.

This time, upon entering the new dream of Qinggang City, he had been engaged in almost constant battle.

By the end, a sixth-tier monster had even appeared.

His mental energy was severely depleted, making it difficult to maintain the Holy Shield Colossus. He himself was also gravely injured and forced to exit the dream of Qinggang City.

"Sure enough, it's only two or three in the morning."

He pulled out his phone from under the pillow and glanced at the time. His face turned pale as he lingered on the screen, shaking his head.

It was very similar to the first time he had been injured in a dream.

Severe injuries would reflect in reality, and they would also have a significant impact on his state the next time he entered a dream.

In fact, he might not even be able to enter a dream that night, needing time to recover his mental energy.

"I just don't know if it will affect my second attempt to enter the dream."

Clenching his fist slightly, Chen Feng had a gut feeling that he could still enter Qinggang City tonight, but his strength would likely be considerably diminished.

Feeling a bit regretful, he eventually got up and walked to the window, looking out at the towering buildings.

The early morning sky was still dark, with neon lights flickering between the high-rises.

Flying cars and aircraft quietly descended into the city, their flashing lights passing by in an instant.

Everyone in the Martial Hall was sound asleep, and the other buildings were equally quiet, with only the occasional snore breaking the silence.

It was equally dark, but this was the real world.

Unlike the lifeless Qinggang City, this world held more significance for him.

"If one day, the Black Tide truly appears in Nanjiang."

"No matter what, we must repel it."

This thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind. Chen Feng stood alone, gazing at the night scene before him, thinking of the devastation in Qinggang City.

Ruins everywhere, corpses and bone fragments scattered about.

And the little girl who had wanted to buy a small dress but was turned to stone.

Chen Feng suspected that she probably hadn't expected the disaster to suddenly strike and consume everything before her death.

A myriad of thoughts flooded his mind. Chen Feng knew he was overthinking and shook his head, exhaling a deep breath.

In the end, it all came down to strength. He just needed to become powerful enough.

Then, his thoughts shifted downward.

The panel appeared before him, and the gains from this dream journey came into view.

[Extreme Martial Fist: Falling Sun (27%)]

[Strength: 60.5→60.9]

[Agility: 46.7→47.1]

[Constitution: 63.6→63.8]

The Limit Breaking Orbs he had scavenged had further enhanced the Extreme Martial Fist, and the ten Attribute Light Orbs had also boosted his four-dimensional attributes.

Perhaps the gains weren't substantial, but they were far better than nothing.

"It's a pity I didn't make it to the Martial Hall this time, or the rewards could have been greater."

His eyes flickered as Chen Feng had already memorized the map of Qinggang City.

Although the city was in ruins and many landmarks were severely damaged, he could still roughly determine his location within the area.

Then, suppressing his wandering thoughts.

He forced himself to fall into a deep sleep, recovering some of his mental energy until seven or eight in the morning.

The blue sky reappeared, with white clouds drifting over Nanjiang. Outside, the sounds of people gradually began to rise.

Chen Feng wasn't in a hurry to get ready. Instead, he felt his somewhat restored mental energy and forcefully summoned the Holy Shield Colossus, shrinking its body to two meters and solidifying it within the room.

There was still one ability he hadn't tested. He locked eyes with it.

"Let's begin."

With a slight nod, the Holy Shield Colossus acted without hesitation.

In an instant, it was visible that he cupped his palms, with specks of pale gray color gathering within.

It looked as if a new stone statue life was about to be born.

Inside the quiet room of the Martial Hall.

The hazy pale gray light continuously dispersed, and Chen Feng could clearly sense that the aura of the Holy Shield Colossus had slightly weakened, as if some source of life had been extracted from within.

After inquiring through the mental link, he received feedback.

It could slowly recover, as long as it didn't exceed the cooldown period he could endure.

Buzz! Immediately, the pale gray light gradually dissipated.

Looking again at his palm, a palm-sized stone statue was born.

It resembled a miniature version of the Holy Shield Colossus when it first appeared, entirely pale gray in color, with tiny wings on its back, and only a few golden patterns on its body.

Whoosh! The stone statue flapped its wings and flew from the palm of the Holy Shield Colossus, arriving in front of Chen Feng.

Their eyes met, looking at the little figure before him.

Chen Feng saw himself and the entire room's environment within it.

"So, it can share vision with you too."

After sensing for a moment, Chen Feng quickly understood the function of this little stone statue.

Although its combat power was low, only at a professional level, it could consume energy to grow to the size of an ordinary adult male.

Additionally, it could share vision, obey his commands, communicate simply, and exist permanently.

"Therefore, its appearance does not require any additional consumption of my energy."

"From the moment it split off, it became a life form in this world, and the energy it needs can be obtained by consuming some soil and ores."

Lost in thought, Chen Feng felt that it seemed quite good.

A little stone statue that only obeyed him could completely form a reconnaissance team, or set up defenses and alerts, notifying him at any time.

"Go."

With his mind made up, Chen Feng made an attempt.

Whoosh!!

Instantly, the little stone statue flew into the sky, quickly disappearing into the courtyard.

It was already a true life form, soaring like a Flying Eagle, cutting through the sky.

It was also like a drone, the images it saw were shared back, appearing before Chen Feng's eyes.

"Interesting."

Chen Feng nodded, then cut off the shared image, instructing the little stone statue to hide near the Martial Hall as a sentry.

The Holy Shield Colossus before him also dissipated into illusion, and after tidying up and washing, he pushed open the door and left the quiet room.

"Ha! Watch my fist!"

"Not bad! Watch my Bronze Statue Technique!"

"Hiss!!"

The sounds entered his ears, although it was just after the New Year, the disciples of the Martial Hall were still diligent as ever.

Some were practicing stances and punches in the training room, while others were sparring in the open area on the first floor.

"Junior Brother Chen."

As his footsteps approached, Cao Tong appeared on time, bringing people with hot porridge and other breakfast items.

He looked somewhat preoccupied, the Black Tide incident had left a significant shadow on him.

Nodding, Chen Feng entered the adjacent quiet room, and during the meal, he saw Cao Tong hesitate to speak several times.

"Speak, Brother Cao."

"Should we really not tell others?"

Cao Tong gestured towards the other disciples in the Martial Hall, feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart.

Chen Feng paused his porridge-drinking motion upon hearing this, understanding what he meant.

The disciples of the Martial Hall basically knew nothing about the Black Tide, as when they left Suojia City, the military specifically requested not to disclose too much to the outside, to avoid causing panic.

Suro's local authorities also implemented certain public opinion control, with similar concerns.

"Let's follow the military's lead for now."

Chen Feng shook his head, knowing this was only a temporary solution.

If the Black Tide were to reappear in the real world, it would be difficult to continue hiding these matters.

Eventually, everyone would have to be informed.

"Alright," Cao Tong reluctantly nodded.

Just as he was about to say more, a flying car descended and landed at the entrance of the Martial Hall. The sound of airwaves approached as it slowly touched down.

Chen Feng sensed the arrival and was somewhat surprised, but it also seemed reasonable.

Soon, he got up and walked out of the meditation room, seeing several figures enter the Martial Hall and head to the second floor.

"Grandmaster Chen, Happy New Year," Han Chao, dressed in a neat uniform, greeted with a smile. Behind him, two military Cyborgs each carried a metal case.

Chen Feng smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to another person.

"Uncle Chu."

"Haha, I happened to be passing by, so I came with Captain Han," Chu Shihong replied with a smile, and the group quickly entered the quiet room for discussion.

The sound of water boiling could be heard as a disciple appeared to make tea, the faint aroma filling the air.

"The candidates for the city council have been finalized. I assume you've already heard the news," Chu Shihong said, taking a sip of tea.

"I'm here just to go through the formalities and inform you. The first council meeting of the year will be held in three days at the city council building."

Chen Feng had already learned the general details from Lin Hao.

"What do I need to do?" he asked, not particularly skilled in these intricate matters.

"It's not as complicated as you think. Many things have already been prepared by the think tanks and our official institutions, with proposals and plans in place."

"What council members need to do is essentially vote or propose different suggestions," Chu Shihong explained, indicating that Chen Feng didn't need to overthink it.

Chen Feng nodded, then turned to Han Chao. He had thought the other man would still be in Suojia City.

"Others are handling things there. I'm just a small fish," Han Chao joked self-deprecatingly.

Chen Feng knew that many high-ranking officers had likely gone there. After all, Suojia City was currently the focal point of Earth, with military personnel from various countries appearing.

"Also, there's something the Toran Sect promised to prepare."

"Since I was coming back, I thought I'd bring it to you," Han Chao said with a smile, as his subordinates opened the cases, revealing the contents.

The first items were three vials of Advanced Life Elixir.

The cylindrical glass vials were filled with a vibrant green liquid, exuding vitality even through the glass.

The second item was a dark golden metal, about twenty centimeters in length and width, extremely sturdy—a piece of Radiant Alloy.

"There are three vials of Life Elixir. As for the advanced metal..." Han Chao shrugged.

"A few Cyborgs from the Toran Sect were injured in the Black Tide and urgently need repairs. Their technology isn't as advanced as ours, and their metalworking is lacking."

"This piece of Radiant Alloy is a token of their goodwill," Han Chao said tactfully, concerned that Chen Feng might overthink it.

"Thank you, Captain Han, for bringing this to me," Chen Feng nodded, already quite satisfied.

After all, Radiant Alloy was something many large corporations considered a cornerstone, and it was difficult to obtain.

A piece like this could significantly advance the progress of his Steel Bones.

In the relaxed atmosphere, the group chatted briefly.

Regarding the matter of the Black Tide, the group tacitly avoided further discussion, and the topic subtly shifted. Chu Shihong, however, took the initiative to bring up another issue.

"Skyway Shipping, do you have some history with them?"

"Oh?"

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, not particularly surprised that the other party would know about it.

However, judging by his tone, there seemed to be some subtlety to the situation? "Heh, I just heard a few things from Zhou Zhixiong."

"It seems Skyway Shipping is also planning to set up a branch in Nanjiang, but there seems to be some internal conflict and disagreement, possibly related to you."

He spoke with a half-smile, and Chen Feng understood the implication.

That Zhong Yan had previously targeted the Black Crystal Group in the Cloud Dream Forest, and as a result, he had also been dragged into it.

Later, Xiangshan wanted to continue pursuing the matter, but unexpectedly, a Fifth-Tier Cyborg had been taken down.

"So, Zhong Yan has caused some controversy within Skyway Shipping?"

"Yes, she was only promoted to the position of a junior director by Zhong Kaiping. Some members of the board have been quite critical of her, especially regarding the unauthorized deployment of that Fifth-Tier Cyborg named Zhao Gang."

"I heard that this person has been in a deep sleep and cannot be awakened."

Chu Shihong nodded, and Chen Feng pondered thoughtfully.

This was good news for him, as it at least proved that Skyway Shipping was not a monolithic entity.

As for that reckless woman, he had the patience to wait for her to emerge from the ruins.

Soon after, the casual conversation came to an end, and Chu Shihong and Han Chao took their leave together.

The quiet room of the Martial Hall was left with only himself, silent except for the sound of the flying car departing outside.

Chen Feng looked at the items on the table and picked up the piece of Radiant Alloy.

Without delay, he activated Steel Bones.

[Metallic Essence +1!]

[Metallic Essence +1!]

[Metallic Essence +1!]

After a dozen seconds, a crack began to spread across the metal.

With a snap, a spiderweb-like pattern appeared, and the incredibly hard Radiant Alloy shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.

[Steel Bones LV4: 64/100]

"As expected, it provides two-thirds less nourishment than Onit."

Glancing at the progress on the panel, Chen Feng had anticipated this and wasn't too disappointed.

After all, it was just a piece of metal, far less substantial than a Perfected Modified Human.

Next, he turned his attention to the three Advanced Life Elixirs.

His internal energy was stirring, but he restrained the impulse to consume them immediately.

"Taking them like this would be too inefficient."

"Best to combine them with the Life Seed Awakening Method or Strengthening Techniques for cultivation, maximizing their utilization."

Chen Feng's thoughts were clear; he knew well that martial arts were his foundation.

But precisely in martial arts, he had already encountered some bottlenecks.

The new dream of Qinggang City, although it allowed him to continuously obtain Limit Breaking Orbs and Attribute Light Orbs, was hindered by the Blood Moon Mark and the pursuit of the Black Tide, making exploration strenuous and obstructed.

If he were to go again tonight in poor condition, it would likely be even harder to deal with those seemingly endless monsters.

In the long run, he would inevitably suffer severe injuries repeatedly, creating a vicious cycle that would slow down his exploration progress, or even prevent him from entering the dream altogether until he fully recovered.

"This won't do."

"Perhaps I should make use of the second dream."

"When in poor condition, I can explore other Secret Realms. With the Sixth-Tier Holy Shield Colossus, I can protect myself and gather resources. Once my condition improves, I can return to Qinggang City to collect more orbs."

With a glint in his eyes, Chen Feng began to form a clearer plan.

The Black Tide gave him a sense of urgency, making him wish to enhance his strength more quickly and utilize every moment to the fullest.

"So, why not venture into the Serpent Spirit Secret Realm?"

"After all, I've reached the limit of the Life Seed Awakening Method, and who knows when I'll find the next key to the Heavenly Aura Overlord Body."

"As for the fifth-tier True Art of Earth Star, it's likely only the Saint Sect in the north possesses it."

As this thought arose, Chen Feng thought of the Holy City, the last refuge of humanity on the Serpent Spirit Continent.

There, fifth-tier and higher Life Seed Awakening Methods must exist, and obtaining them would cause less negative impact than seeking the Martial Arts True Skill from the Saint Sect.

"Of course, I could also return to the Dead Crow Secret Realm, where the Blue Heart Stones could further enhance my Steel Bones."

Chen Feng pondered for a moment, then looked at the two marks in his palm.

However, the next second.

Before he could make a decision, a familiar call suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Sha!!"

It was the connection of the Soul Flame, the voice of the Giant Octopus, Gata.

Though there was some lag and stuttering, Chen Feng still received the images transmitted by the other party.

A fleet had returned safely, and the Blue Heart Stones he needed had been carefully preserved by Lei Long and brought back to Banli Port.

(End of the Chapter)

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