Zhou Chen didn’t dare touch that topic. Renie’s background was formidable; not only was she the disciple of the current Fire God Vulcan, but she was also the daughter of a noble Western family. More importantly, the president of the Forging Association was her uncle!
It was one thing for her to complain, but if Zhou Chen joined in and started bad-mouthing people during a global competition like this, he was bound to face repercussions.
He changed the subject. "We need to focus on the here and now. Even if there’s a truth waiting to be uncovered later, it’ll probably have to wait until the finals."
"Mm. So, how are you planning to get revenge?" Renie pulled an Energy Bar from her bag and started eating it for breakfast.
"I haven’t figured it out yet. After all, we’re on our own and outmatched, so a lot of plans aren’t feasible."
"Just tell your ideas. We can figure sothing out together."
Zhou Chen explained, "First, a super-shocking act of revenge. I call it ’Operation: Art Is Patrick Star.’ This plan involves planting extrely high-yield explosives to blow the entire Slaying Alliance sky-high. The catch is, I’d have to be the bait, and I could easily get blown up with them.
"Second, guerrilla warfare. We’d fight them with hit-and-run tactics. ’When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue.’ This plan is much safer.
"Third..."
He laid out several more plans. Renie listened intently, nodding frequently. Finally, she gave her opinion:
"Of all your plans, the first one is the most difficult and the most challenging. So let’s go with the first one."
Zhou Chen was stunned.
’This isn’t a ga, lady!’
"I ca across an Illusionary Essence Stone Vein when I first got in, and I dug up so Dream Marrow from it." Renie easily pulled a seven-colored ore the size of a washbasin from her leather waist bag.
Zhou Chen’s eyes went wide with shock. ’Is that Doraemon’s pocket?’
"Never seen a Storage Artifact before?" Renie patted the leather bag with a smile. "It’s a Portable Storage Waist Bag. It has a hundred square ters of storage space inside. It was a coming-of-age gift from my teacher."
Renie’s teacher was the current Fire God Vulcan, a giant in the Forging Realm. Besides possessing transcendent Forging Skills, he also had considerable mastery over the Fla Realm.
The na Vulcan cos from ancient Roman mythology, where he is the god of fire and craftsn. In Greek Mythology, Vulcan’s counterpart is Hephaestus, who also bears the titles "Fire God" and "God of Craftsn."
Over a hundred years ago, Zone 010 was unsealed, revealing the Pantheon, which remains world-famous to this day. It was a palace of the Gods, containing countless marks imbued with their imnse power—a treasure trove coveted by all.
At first, people didn’t know why so many Divine Marks matching mythological figures appeared in Zone 010. It was only later, as research on the Restricted Area progressed, that the truth was gradually revealed.
—Restricted Areas could change their internal environnts based on certain factors. Zone 010 had created marks representing the power of the Gods based on the legends of ancient Roman mythology. This process seed to have exhausted the Restricted Area’s power, which is why Zone 010 was unsealed.
After passing the Heroic Trials in the Pantheon, one could obtain a Divine Mark that matched them.
The First Generation Vulcan passed the Heroic Trials and obtained the Divine Mark representing Fire God Vulcan. From then on, he beca one of the world’s few Master Forgers, established the Fire God Hall, and passed the title down through the generations.
It’s worth ntioning that the successive generations of Celestial Craft, Vulcan, and other Forging Giants like the Dwarf Masters were actually not Tier Five Crowned Kings, but Tier Four Uncrowned. This was why Hers once said that Robert was the world’s only King of lting and Casting.
"With this Dream Marrow, I can create a Disguised Puppet and make it look just like you. That solves the bait problem. We just need to prepare a bomb with a massive payload." Renie casually tossed the washbasin-sized Seven-Colored Ore up and down.
"Leave the bomb to ." Zhou Chen rubbed his hands together excitedly. ’It’s ti to do sothing big!’
·
The cold wind howled.
A lone figure in a snow-white robe, a Jet Sword strapped to their back, walked through the snowy mountains.
Renie arrived near the Slaying Alliance’s base and looked around. Before long, two contestants holding guns appeared. Their hands trembled when they saw the ID above her head.
"Se... Senior Renie?"
Renie put on a surprised look. She’d actually run into her junior brothers. "What are you two doing here?"
"We joined the Slaying Alliance. Oh, you might not know, there’s this guy nad Zhou Chen..."
Renie waved a hand dismissively. "I know. With all those drones blaring overhead, it’s hard not to. I found his tracks, and I was going to tell the Slaying Alliance. Since you’re here, you can just pass the ssage on to your commander."
The two looked at each other, then broke into wide smiles. "Thanks, Senior Renie!"
Renie told the two of them Zhou Chen’s hiding spot and snickered to herself.
’Oh, my foolish junior brothers.’
’This is a life-or-death competition. How could you trust so easily...’
’Let teach you a proper lesson!’
·
"You found Zhou Chen’s hiding place? Where is it?"
"In a valley seven kiloters away. Senior Renie said she was passing by and saw Zhou Chen hiding there to rest," Renie’s two junior brothers replied.
Inside the command tent, Philis quickly pulled up a map, found the valley, and issued an order: "Scout team, head to the marked location and run reconnaissance. Be careful not to give yourselves away—it’s highly likely Zhou Chen is hiding there!"
A little over ten minutes later, the scout team transmitted back video footage: Zhou Chen was in a hidden spot in the valley, starting a fire to cook.
"Target confird. It’s him." Philis’s heart leaped with joy, and a vicious grin spread across her face. ’Zhou Chen, oh, Zhou Chen, you can’t escape after all!’
’We’re coming to take you out!’
"All units, listen up! Proceed to the target location to encircle and eliminate Zhou Chen!"
The Slaying Alliance set out in force. This ti, they would give Zhou Chen absolutely no chance to escape!
·
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Shells rained down from the sky, rcilessly bombarding every inch of the valley.
Zhou Chen scrambled into a cave. He only ca out after the explosions began to die down.
The air was thick with smoke. The valley was a scene of utter devastation, the ground covered in crimson and scorched black.
Figures took the opportunity to rush into the valley. Countless firearms were aid squarely at Zhou Chen. With a single order, they would open fire and riddle him with bullets.
’Sothing’s wrong.’
In the crowd, Li Chengtian frowned. A terrible premonition inexplicably washed over him. A powerful chill enveloped his body, making the hair on his arms stand on end.
’Sothing is coming...’
He chose to trust his intuition and imdiately turned to run.
Fleeing along with him were Akina Mountain Car God and Invincible Tyrannosaurus War God, as well as a few other contestants who sensed that sothing was amiss.
However, it was too late.
"Fire!" Philis commanded over the comms. Guns and cannons roared as countless searing-hot bullets and shells poured out, instantly overwhelming Zhou Chen.
"Why isn’t he fighting back?"
Many people, including Philis, were confused. Walking into death like this wasn’t Zhou Chen’s style.
But in the next second, their confusion vanished.
Light!
An unprecedentedly intense light erupted from beneath the ground. It expanded rapidly, swallowing every person and every cha like a tidal wave.
The earth split and the mountains crumbled. It was as if a volcano, dormant for millions of years, had suddenly erupted. Its boundless, accumulated energy shot toward the heavens, forming a pillar of light visible to the naked eye from ten kiloters away!
The earth let out a tragic wail, trembling and convulsing. A terrifying shockwave swept outwards. Trees were uprooted and sent flying with dust and stone, forming a magnificent, tsunami-like wave that billowed across the landscape.
A majestic flare of light and destructive Essence Energy burst from the valley, spreading in all directions and wantonly incinerating everything in its path.
A spectacular mushroom cloud slowly rose. The intense light and heat illuminated the entire snowfield as bright as day, creating a sight that was impossible to ignore. The shockwave from the explosion even made the command post, seven kiloters away, tremble.
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