Chapter 533: Steady Improvement, New Martial Skill

The Northern Territory wasteland, Rebel headquarters.

The air inside the command room was cold and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

A holographic sandbox projected a topographical map of the entire Northern Territory wasteland. The originally intact defensive line on the northwest flank now had a glaring gap.

Seeing this, the numerous Law Enforcement Officers standing in the command room, along with all the experimental experts and command elites, turned pale. They looked with trepidation at the black-clad leader standing at the head of the room.

“Chen Tao…”

The low murmur fell, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent.

The Rebel leader stood before the sandbox, his black trench coat completely still, a mask obscuring most of his face. His only visible feature, his eyes, were filled with a cold gleam. An invisible aura quietly emanated from him, freezing the air and making everyone present shudder inwardly.

The Northwest Branch base housed a considerable number of troops and was an important node in the first defensive line of the Northern Territory. Now that it had been captured by the Alliance Country and a gap torn open, the consequences were obvious.

Instantly, a deathly silence fell over the room; no one dared to speak until several seconds later.

HUM!

The pressure in the air suddenly dissipated; the Rebel leader seemed to have calmed down.

“Notify all bases in the Northwest region to activate their defensive fortresses,” he said, his voice low, as if he had made some kind of decision.

Hearing this, his trusted Law Enforcement Officer hastily nodded and went to relay the tactical orders.

“Also, how is the situation with reeling in the warlords in the Northeast region?”

“To answer the leader, it has been negotiated.” Another Law Enforcement Officer quickly stepped forward and reported truthfully, “The Black Mountain, Iron Bone, and Wildfire warlords have all agreed to our terms. When the Alliance Country launches their general offensive, they will pin down the armies of the Alliance Country’s Northeast city circle from the flank.”

The leader nodded slightly, and the tense atmosphere in the command room finally eased a bit. Some secretly breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged glances.

The Northeast defensive line had always been a weak link. Now that the three warlord factions had agreed to defect to their side, they could at least stall the Alliance Country for a while.

“What about Legos?” the leader suddenly asked.

The trusted Law Enforcement Officer hurriedly answered, “He has successfully gone into hiding. The previous disguise plan was a great success; it has caused a significant rift between the Five Major Enterprises and the Alliance Country.

“The coalition army’s northward march has been delayed by at least a month… However, those Clare People must be anxious for their trials, so there might be changes later on.”

The leader nodded upon hearing this.

“No matter. A month is enough for us,” he said with a confident tone, glancing around at everyone as if to remind them. “Don’t forget.

“The Alliance Country has a backer, and so do we.”

As his words fell, everyone’s hearts settled, and a glimmer of fervent anticipation appeared in their eyes. Up to this point, the Rebels had indeed been retreating in defeat step by step, seemingly having fallen to a disadvantage with no momentum left to resist. However, extraterrestrial civilizations were not something only the Alliance Country could contact. How could the Rebels have stood tall for so long without any backup of their own?

In the blink of an eye, morale returned. The Law Enforcement Officers left one after another to deploy tactics.

TAP TAP TAP.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance. The black-clad leader stood alone in silence for a few breaths. Ultimately, his gaze landed on the glaring gap on the holographic sandbox. He thought of the man who dared to challenge him over the comms, the Alliance Country Inspector who was just as arrogant as Celestial Hunter.

“Chen Tao… Heh.”

Over half a month later.

The Northwest wilderness, canyon passage.

The thin morning mist was torn open by the sunlight. Golden rays spilled down through the gaps in the clouds, landing on the rock walls on both sides of the canyon. Weathered cracks spread in all directions, and shallow craters left by artillery shells dotted the ground.

After days of continuous battlefield sweeping, the Alliance Country’s Northwest Army had finally set up camp, establishing a military fortress relying on the Fortress Base. A defensive line enclosed by barbed wire and steel plate barriers extended outward for hundreds of meters. Every fifty meters stood a watchtower mounted with heavy machine guns and infrared detectors. Tents and temporary structures stretched all the way from the mouth of the canyon to the end of the passage.

Transport trucks came and went from time to time, kicking up clouds of yellow dust. Armored vehicles and tanks were parked one after another, clustered around the fortress.

WHIR WHIR WHIR!!

Amidst the noise of propellers, fierce winds kicked up as black helicopters lifted off for patrol.

At the same time, at the rear of the camp.

WHOOSH!!

On an isolated rock platform close to the cliff wall, a white puff of exhaled breath transformed into a flowing cloud, drifting into the air.

Looking closer, Lu Chao was sitting cross-legged on the rock platform. He wore a loose black training suit, facing the sunlight that cascaded over his entire body. His breathing was long and steady. A brown Qi Flame circulated over the surface of his body, sometimes solidifying like liquid metal, sometimes turning ethereal like smoke, resembling a mist.

Upon closer inspection, two empty superpower medicine bottles sat in front of him. The energy mineral essence they originally contained had been completely consumed by him.

The berserk medicinal efficacy roamed through his body. Lu Chao continuously adjusted his breathing according to the essence of the Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill, guiding the medicinal efficacy and turning it into nourishment to enhance his Qi Flame and physique. The Ten Thousand Jins Return Flow was also quietly operating, reinforcing his entire body. Every inch of his muscles seemed to come alive, absorbing all the nutrients strand by strand.

This scene continued for a long time.

Until finally.

HUM!

Lu Chao opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

[Life Energy: 254 → 255!]

[Potential Progress: 31%]

In just one month’s time, his Life Energy had increased by a full ten points. He had consumed over ten portions of energy mineral essence in total, and additionally prepared five portions of Life Essence to achieve this effect.

“After the Transcendence Level, every increase in Life Energy gets harder and harder.” Lu Chao exhaled a breath of stale air, ending his cultivation.

As of now, it took two portions of energy mineral essence to increase his Life Energy by a single point. The consumption involved was staggering.