Chapter 502 - 316: Four Tiers of Divine Power Dharma Seals! The Vanguard Army’s Show of Force

The silence was unnerving.

A guard post every three steps, a sentry every five.

The soldiers on patrol weren’t the original port guards, but a group of elite Martial Artists clad in jet-black, full-body Battle Armor.

The armor had sharp, hard lines and a dull, matte sheen. There were no common rank insignias on the chest plates.

Instead, each was uniformly engraved with a black falcon, its wings spread as if about to take flight.

It was the insignia of the Black Wind Vanguard Army.

The battle-hardened Evil Qi radiating from these men, who were merely standing guard, was enough to make passing Mercenaries subconsciously lower their voices and give them a wide berth.

Command Headquarters, top-floor conference room.

Inside the spacious room, the air conditioning was blasting.

A massive, rectangular conference table dominated the center of the room.

The original master of this place—Dragon’s Fang Port’s Garrison Commander, Liu Zhen—was currently huddled in his seat.

He only dared to sit at the far end of the table, perched on the edge of his chair, unable to sit still.

On either side of the conference table sat twelve young men.

They weren’t in regular uniforms, but were all identically clad in crimson Spiritual Energy Armor.

This style of Battle Armor was more refined than that of the guards outside, with high-purity Energy Crystal Stones embedded at the joints.

Just from them sitting there, one could feel a scorching heat wash over them.

None of them were old, but the aura of these twelve individuals

was, surprisingly, at the Enlightenment Realm Peak. They were all just one step away from the threshold of a Dao Grandmaster.

However, the one who truly commanded the room’s atmosphere was the man seated at the head of the table.

Ye Jinghong.

He looked to be no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, with a cold, hard face, sharp features, and short hair that stood on end.

He wasn’t wearing the crimson Battle Armor, but a suit of heavy, dark-gold Spirit Armor.

This suit of Armor wasn’t bulky at all. Instead, it appeared exceptionally slender and form-fitting. On the Arm Guards and greaves, intricate Rune patterns could be faintly seen, pulsing slowly as if breathing.

A Tier Four Spiritual Artifact Level Battle Armor—Shattered Peak.

At that moment, Ye Jinghong was staring at a holographic projection on one side of the conference room.

It displayed the latest model of the Dragon Abyss Mist Sea, along with data on the chaotic spatial Force Fields in the surrounding area.

"Reporting, General Ye."

Liu Zhen swallowed, his voice a little dry. "The frequency of the spatial fluctuations we’re monitoring has stabilized at fewer than three per hour.

As per your orders, we’ve set up three interceptor nets around the outer reefs and cleared out all High Tier Sea Beasts within a fifty-li radius.

Aside from Broken Star Reef, where the situation is unique and we’re temporarily unable to get close, all other areas have been cleared."

After saying this, Liu Zhen could feel his back drenched in sweat.

This wasn’t from any deliberate pressure, but rather the natural authority that came from a superior who had long been in a position of power.

Ye Jinghong didn’t speak immediately.

His fingers tapped lightly on the dark-gold tabletop, making a rhythmic TAP, TAP, TAP sound.

"Broken Star Reef..."

He finally spoke, his voice calm and betraying no emotion.

"Since the people from Kunlun are controlling that area, we’ll leave it alone for now.

Our mission this time has only one objective—the interior of Dragon Abyss."

"Yes, sir," Liu Zhen nodded hurriedly.

Just then, the tactical terminal on Ye Jinghong’s wrist vibrated.

He glanced down, and a rare hint of amusement flickered in his normally placid eyes.

"How interesting."

He switched off the terminal, looked up, and let his gaze sweep over his twelve confidants before finally landing on Liu Zhen.

"Commander Liu, it seems an old acquaintance of yours is about to arrive."

Liu Zhen was taken aback. "An old acquaintance?"

"The ’hero’ of East Sea City, Special Technical Advisor Han Feng."

Ye Jinghong said impassively, "Vice Dean Chen just sent a message. Han Feng has already departed in a fighter jet and is expected to arrive at Dragon’s Fang Island in twenty minutes.

He will be joining our first Advanced Team as ’external support personnel.’"

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned peculiar.

The twelve previously silent, red-armored elites all looked up, their expressions varied.

Some were curious, some were disdainful, but most were appraising.

"Han Feng?"

A young man sitting to Ye Jinghong’s left chuckled.

His name was Gu Jian. He was Ye Jinghong’s adjutant and the strongest person in the vanguard squad, aside from Ye Jinghong himself.

He reached out and flicked a speck of dust from his Battle Armor, his tone casual.

"You mean the A Level Student who caused that huge stir in East Sea City? The one they say cut down a Tier Four Evil Cult Grandmaster in the middle of the street?"

"I heard he’s skilled in Rune Technology. That Ghost Fighter thing was his creation."

Another young man, this one burly and bald, chimed in. He was the team’s assaulter.

"But ’external support’? That’s a pretty grand title. Does Elder Chen mean this person isn’t under our command?"

"That makes things complicated."

Gu Jian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "The Black Wind Legion operates under a strict code: when an order is given, it is followed without question.

Now, they’re suddenly shoving a ’privileged’ member into our ranks. What if he starts running around wildly inside Dragon Abyss?

Or worse, disobeys orders? Wouldn’t that jeopardize the General’s entire mission?"

Everyone present was an arrogant, battle-hardened veteran who had clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

They were permanently stationed in the treacherous Black Wind Mountain Range, fighting against the most ferocious Exotic Beast Tides.

In their eyes, the so-called "geniuses" from within East Sea Fortress City were nothing more than delicate flowers raised in a greenhouse.

No matter how famous Han Feng was, or how impressive his combat record, to them, he was merely the best of a bad lot.

"A technical advisor should stick to technical matters."

Gu Jian spun a tactical pen in his hand, its tip tracing afterimages on the tabletop.

"If he really thinks he’s part of the main combat force, that would be a joke.