Chapter 329: Let's Burn, Phoenix!
Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97
The thunderstorm that had been raging throughout the entire night finally came to an end. The heavily pouring rain became intermittent.
Two crystal suits were tied up from head to toe by electromagnetic shackles and sucked into the crystal warship by anti-gravity, mystical lights.
The sun was about to rise. There were cheers all over the warship. The nerves of all the solders on board which had been tightened all night were finally relieved a little bit before dawn.
Right then, a ragged Vicious Bee Armed Shuttle flew towards Tide Berserker staggeringly.
It seemed that the shuttle had just passed a thick, floating stone belt. Its shell was full of hollows and bumps, as well as all kinds of holes, which couldn't look more terrible.
There was intense black smoke wafting up from its body. Its exhaust flame was extremely pale. While it was flying, cracking sounds were echoing nonstop. Now and then, a power rune array or an anti-gravity rune array seemed to explode, unleashing colorful sparks.
The speed of the shuttle was extremely low, like an old man who had one foot in the grave.
It seemed that, if the shuttle sped up a little bit, it would break up in midair at any time.
Five kilometers… Four kilometers… Three kilometers…
It finally came close to the crystal warship and reached the spiritual shield of the crystal warship.
"Beep!"
It passed the authentication of the IFFS 1 . The spiritual shield did not block the shuttle, nor did it attack the shuttle.
But in the cockpit of Tide Berserker, Ning Feng, who was soaking in crimson liquid, suddenly felt such an intense palpitation that his heart seemed to be being pricked by needles.
He felt that a flying sword out of nowhere had pierced into his heart!
"Not good!"
Ning Feng lost his tranquility.
His instincts told him that something must be wrong!
This instinct was based on more than ten years of experience in bloody, slaughterhouse-like battlefields, as well as his natural gift.
Back when he first entered the battle zone, he'd had a fuzzy, strange feeling. That was why he released ten Vicious Bee Armed Shuttles to search the area even though there was nothing suspicious in his sight.
But right now, the feeling of danger was hundreds of times more intense!
'Someone wants to kill me!'
Inside the capsule where Ning Feng was lying, countless bubbles popped up from the red liquid. His head was burningly hot. Every brain cell was overloading. Thousands of pictures unfolded in front of his eyes simultaneously, as he was searching for any anomaly on and around the crystal warship.
"Crack!"
Right then, a lightning that resembled a raging dragon tore the sky apart, illuminating the night as if it were daylight.
It was probably the swan song of the dying thunderstorm.
Illuminated by the lightning, Shuttle 405, which was flying slowly towards the crystal warship concealed in dirty smoke, seemed to have grown scales and claws in Ning Feng's vision.
For a moment, Ning Feng's heart was as cold as a hard rock. Veins were bulging from his temples to his entire face.
There was no time for him to inform the soldiers on board. With an expansion of his soul, his telepathic thoughts reached every corner of the warship and took over all the weapon and alarm systems temporarily. Then he cut into the communication network and bellowed, "405, this is 001. Stop where you are and stand by. Wait to be towed back!
"Everyone on board, change your IFFS from automatic mode to manual mode and lock onto 405!
"I repeat, lock onto 405!
"All Vicious Bee Armed Shuttles, surround 405 right now and prepare to attack!
"Close the sixth deck immediately. Activate the barriers and lock it up!"
The series of commands brought the anxious atmosphere on Tide Berserker to a new height. After half a second of dead silence, all soldiers started carrying out the orders crazily.
However, Shuttle 405, after a tiny bump, burst out even more exhaust flame. It accelerated instead of slowing down and drew closer to the crystal warship.
"405 failed to halt. No. 2 power units have exploded. Impossible to slow down. Requesting to be picked up by barricade net and towed back."
A voice that was familiar to everyone came from the communicate channel.
Ning Feng smiled and said, "405, please maintain your current trajectory. Barricade net is to be released in 2.7 seconds."
Before he finished his sentence, his telepathic thought had cut in the control chip of two Taiyi Lightning Railguns and fired. Two electromagnetic lightning balls were thrusted at Shuttle 405.
"Everyone on board, aim at 405 and fire!"
For a moment, Tide Berserker seemed to turn into a hedgehog with lights and flames as its thorns.
Countless lights, flames, and lasers twisted into blossoming flowers which transformed the dark night sky before dawn as bright as midday!
The sudden change raised a round of exclamations in the commanding center.
Shangguan Ce and Ren Xingbei, as two seasoned warriors, seemed to have realized something. Their faces were more solemn than ever, if not somewhat angry.
Other officers were still deep in thought, pondering the reason.
The Cultivators were even more baffled by the situation. Why would Ning Feng attack a friendly armed shuttle which was already on the verge of destruction so furiously?
But the next second, their bafflement was replaced by bewilderment.
All the light beams displayed the same incredible scene.
Exhaust flames that were ten times brighter than common Vicious Bee Armed Shuttles burst out from Shuttle 405 which had been more dead than alive a moment ago at the same time with Ning Feng's command.
The speed and agility of the vehicle were ten times higher than before, too.
Taiyi Lightning Railguns, crystal cannons, flying swords… All together constituted an impenetrable dragnet.
But the Vicious Bee Armed Shuttled seemed to have turned into a water droplet which was zigzagging skillfully in the gaps of the net and dashing forward!
The unimaginable sharp turns and weird routes made everyone have the same illusion: it was not a fat, clumsy Vicious Bee Armed Shuttle flying in front of their eyes, but a super shuttle which had been born for the purpose of breaking the speed limit.
"Who's flying the shuttle?"
Everybody in the commanding center was looking at each other in astonishment, realizing that an abrupt change had taken place.
Starting from this moment, the sham battle veered off the preset track to a new direction that none of them had anticipated.
"Hoooo—"
On Shuttle 405, despite the double protection from the crystal suit and the mustard suit, Li Yao's face was still utterly twisted.
The movements beyond the limits of the shuttle and human body had imposed more than 50 times gravity on him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was suffering from hallucinations.
He wanted to scream in joy, but what came out of his mouth was only a heavy breath.
Every drop of his blood was boiling. Every cell was shouting. All his hair turned into soft feathers. He seemed to have turned into a burning phoenix!
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Dozens of flying swords brushed past the shuttle. The aura of the swords ripped more holes on the shuttle which was already riddled with holes.
"BOOM! CRACK!"
One electromagnetic lightning ball after another exploded nearby. Although they did not hit him directly, the purple electric arcs still squeezed into the cockpit and pierced into his body through the gaps on the crystal suit, making him grimace in pain.
But his soul was like a fire that had oil added on. He was more excited than ever!
"We can!
"We can do this!
"We can definitely reach our destination!"
Li Yao roared. His hands turned into a gray blur, as he smashed the operation panels of the armed shuttle and performed dazzling, high-speed dodging movements one after another.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
The Vicious Bee Armed Shuttle was not born for speed. Although it had been modified by him, the continuous extreme movements were still too much for it. The noises of fatigue crack were ringing nonstop like the moans of skeletons.
It was the omen that the shuttle was going to break up in the sky!
Another four Taiyi Lightning Railguns that had been silent previously now locked onto him and fired at the same time.
Four electromagnetic lightning balls collided with each other and burst out into a splendid lightning storm which blocked the space in front of the shuttle.
"Come on!"
Li Yao's eyes were entirely occupied by the lightning storm. Two intense waves surged out simultaneously from the Soul Condensing Pendant and the deepest depths of his brain, which flowed all over his body through his veins and nerves, interweaving, before they protruded from his back where they formed two bright gold wings ferociously flapping in the sky.
"BOOM!"
The Vicious Bee Armed Shuttle crashed into the lightning storm and exploded, turning into a blossoming lotus of blood and fire!
In the middle of the lotus, an intimidating figure jumped out like a phoenix that had just been reborn.
Brilliant flames of spiritual energy were dancing around Li Yao. Under the enhancement of the crystal suit, they were ten times more dazzling than usual. The two bright gold wings that were almost ten meters long made him look like a mighty god who had come to earth.
"Break, now!"
His batter saber was surrounded by furious spiritual energy, too, which extended the brightness of his saber to more than five meters away. He activated the Thunderous Tornado Saber Art to maximum as he pushed himself forward. Two hurricanes seemed to have crashed.
The lightning storm was ripped open.
"Swoosh!"
The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit accelerated suddenly through the lighting storm and was arriving at the crystal warship.
Another three electromagnetic lightning balls were coming at him in a triangle.
More Taiyi Lightning Railguns and crystal cannons were readjusting their angles quickly to lock onto him again.
Dozens of Vicious Bee Armed Shuttles were all flying at him without fear, as if they were ready to perish together with him.
The incoming savage attacks turned into a series of data and lines inside Li Yao's brain.
Since the crystal suit was far more agile than the armed shuttle, he was 70% sure that he could avoid the three lighting balls in the lead.
However, the consistency of his sprint would be interrupted.
More Taiyi Lightning Railguns and flying swords would be able to lock onto him again.
The second wave of attack would be too dense for him to come close to the crystal warship ever again.
"Victory or failure shall be decided now. Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, keep it up!"
Li Yao gritted his teeth. The Soul Condensing Pendant seemed to be melting into his flesh and blood like liquid metal.
Feeling the cheers of countless professors and senior brothers, Li Yao's soul expanded to maximum. The bright gold wings folded in around him and covered his body. His spiritual shield was also brought to maximum.
He was going to take the blow from the three electromagnetic lightning balls!