Chapter 545 Another Breakthrough in Visualization, Strength Skyrockets!

Lu Chao nodded, instantly understanding that this was not just a reminder, but also a tacit approval.

“Thank you, Mr. Ji.”

“Haha,” Ji Lixian chuckled, a deeper meaning behind his words. “Rather than thanking me, you should thank the Alliance Country. Someday in the future, it will also need your protection.”

Lu Chao’s gaze focused as he heard the underlying message.

Eventually…

BUZZ!

Smiling, Ji Lixian ended the call. The light screen dissipated, and the potion room fell silent once more.

“It seems Mr. Ji might have already guessed a few things,” Lu Chao thought to himself, shaking his head. The other party hadn’t asked about Celestial Hunter, and this omission only further proved that he might have grasped the crucial point.

While he pondered, Ghost Element leaped up onto his shoulder. “YOO~~” It looked at him with ruby-like eyes, carrying a trace of confusion.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Chao smiled slightly and rubbed its head. “There are just some things I need to think through.”

He walked to the window and pushed it open. The sky outside had darkened. The camp’s searchlights swept back and forth, casting a faint, intermittent glow on the distant wastelands of the Northern Territory.

Another faction from the starry sky.

A civilization different from the Clare.

Lu Chao put down the black token, his thoughts becoming clearer. Some answers required time, and more importantly, sufficient strength to uncover. But right now, he had more important matters to attend to. The Giant Enterprise Alliance Army of the Five Major Enterprises was about to march north. In that case, it was time to conveniently settle some old scores.

….

For over ten consecutive days, troops remained stationed at the fortress passage, with new Alliance Country forces continuously arriving. Dust billowed across the wilderness as the vanguard troops of the Five Major Enterprises set out, arriving in the northwestern wastelands in a massive, imposing formation. From a distance, the armored divisions stretched out as far as the eye could see.

“We’re finally here.”

“It seems the Alliance Country has indeed made up its mind to initiate the decisive northern battle. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have agreed to our conditions.”

“Heh, isn’t this great? After the Rebels are annihilated, the alliance army we’ve assembled can take the opportunity to retain a portion of its forces. When that time comes, the Yao Capital won’t be the only ones calling the shots in the Alliance City Circle.”

“Speaking of which, we should thank the Rebels for causing all that trouble, hahaha.”

Within the Giant Enterprise Alliance Army, a large hovering speedcar soared into view. Resembling a small passenger plane, it floated above the armored forces. Inside its cabin, a round metal table sat in the center, projecting a holographic map of the fortress passage.

Following the sound of laughter, several enterprise directors were sitting on one side. Whether from the Golden Defense Group or Lianwei Heavy Industry, almost every major enterprise had a representative present, except for one.

“By the way, why hasn’t Han Feng arrived yet?” someone asked out of sheer curiosity.

“Sigh, she’s still arguing with the Superpower Bureau, trying to use the situation to pressure them into handing over that Lu… Lu what’s-his-name again?”

“Lu Chao, I believe. Just an insignificant Superpower Team leader.”

Another director’s face filled with disdain. Wearing an exquisite, expensive black suit, the middle-aged man sneered, “To think he even dared to kill Han Feng’s son. If Ji Lixian hadn’t stepped in to protect him, Han Feng would have eliminated him long ago.”

“Heh, putting it that way, this person is indeed rather arrogant to lay a hand on one of our children.”

“It matters not. Once this war ends, some rules will have to change. We can use him to make an example to deter others, ensuring no future upstarts dare to defy us.”

The group talked and laughed, their words carrying a trace of coldness toward the Alliance Country. Everyone was elegantly dressed, sitting at the pinnacle of the giant enterprises’ power, not taking the so-called Superpower Bureau seriously at all.

For a time, the hovering speedcar followed the armored troops like a floating island in the sky, steadily approaching the Fortress Base at the end of the passage.

A designated assistant appeared to communicate with the alliance Commander, heading out to negotiate with the Alliance Country leader inside the base. Meanwhile, under a director’s orders, someone else lightened their footsteps and made their way to a private room inside the speedcar’s cabin.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Amidst the rapping sounds, a female assistant gently knocked on the door. “Special Envoy, we have arrived at the Northern Territory’s entrance.”

“I know.” As the indifferent voice fell, the solid brown wooden door remained closed.

Knowing better than to pry, the assistant left, her shadow sweeping past a sliver of light beneath the door gap.

Looking closely, the room behind the door was neither too big nor too small. A velvet carpet covered the floor, complementing a soft silk bed and leather sofas. At this very moment, a figure was half-lying on the plush bed. Her long brown hair was slightly loose, and her graceful body—clad in a form-fitting nightgown—sank into the mattress as she lay on her side, looking down at the Fortress Base outside the window.

“Is this the northwestern entrance to Earth Star’s Northern Territory wastelands?” she murmured to herself. Her facial features were exceedingly exquisite, and with dark golden pupils, she looked to be in her early twenties. There was also a scale pattern on her forehead, looking somewhat similar to the member of the Clare People who had once appeared in the Fortress Mountain City.

As if thinking of something, her pupils flashed. An invisible wave penetrated the cabin, swept through the air, and in the blink of an eye, scanned the fortress below from high in the sky.

“These are all ordinary, backward, low-speed kinetic weapons. There isn’t even an electromagnetic cannon,” she mused. “The strongest Superpower User is only at the Transcendence Level. There are no Non-human Level beings present.”

A trace of confusion surfaced on her face. “Strange… How did Helido actually suffer a loss at the hands of this army back then?”

…

At the same time.

When the Fortress Base discovered the mighty alliance army’s appearance, designated personnel stepped forward to handle them. Zhu Chen, serving as the Special Envoy, temporarily took over most of the camp’s affairs. He led Yue Zhenhong and the others in discussing countermeasures, while Lu Chao, acting as the Inspector, remained completely hidden, never once showing his face.

Looking his way, one could see him wearing a loose Martial Arts uniform, his eyes slightly closed as he sat cross-legged by the Cultivation Chamber’s window.

Unbeknownst to many, the Alliance Country’s calendar had already reached late February. The winter cold had long since faded, and the early spring breeze carried a hint of warmth as it blew across the fortress grounds. Golden sunlight shone down from the sky, passing through the open window and falling upon him.

It looked incredibly ordinary. However, upon closer observation, one could see the invisible sunlight gathering at the center of his brows, turning tangible. Wisps of thermal currents scorched the atmosphere, twisting the air ever so slightly.

“Almost,” Lu Chao thought. He had already concentrated his Spiritual Power entirely, looking inward at his spiritual mind.

Looking with his consciousness, he could see a round Crimson Fire sun manifesting through observation in the dark center of his spiritual mind, floating and rotating on its own. A crimson planetary ring surrounded the sun, spinning along with its rotation. The thermal currents gathered at the acupoint between his eyebrows all transformed into a pushing force at this moment, causing the visualized star sun to become even more solid.

After many days, Lu Chao once again felt a new bottleneck. It was the fourth realm of the Fixed Star Observation Method. After the [Star Ring], there was no greater mastery; the next breakthrough would be the [Blazing Sun].

In a trance, all his past cultivation surfaced in his heart—the countless days and mornings, the perseverance and sweat of guiding the heavenly light. All the effort accumulated over time turned into nourishment at this very moment, allowing him to complete the final leap.

BUZZ!!

Suddenly, Lu Chao’s mind shook. The visualized sun in his spiritual mind fiercely erupted with a blinding light. Countless hidden thermal currents materialized at this moment, transforming into crimson flames that shot through the darkness like meteors, crashing into the sun.

One, a hundred, a thousand…

Those were the residual energies from guiding the heavenly light in the past, which had always lingered in the depths of his spiritual mind.

Now, as they completely merged into the visualized sun, the round Crimson Fire sun gradually changed color, slowly turning deep red. Wisps of crimson fire drifted around the sun’s edges, and the star rings spinning around it became even more solid.

In an instant, Lu Chao’s consciousness returned to his body, and he opened his eyes. A flash of deep red light darted through his gaze, exceptionally intimidating. The surrounding air was briefly affected as a result, distorting his line of sight as if steamed by flames.

“Is this the Blazing Sun?” he thought. Clenching his fists, he felt his Spiritual Power surge once more, becoming even more robust. His mental resistance also received a massive boost, leaping straight to the absolute limit of the Transcendence Level.

Subconsciously, a deep red color hovered in Lu Chao’s eyes, like two blazing suns manifesting and overlapping with his pupils. He shifted his gaze to Ghost Element at his side.

As their eyes met, sensing his intentions, the Ghost Elemental Beast’s eyes flashed. It immediately mobilized its Spiritual Power, unleashing a shockwave.

BOOM!