When the people on the sea surface heard the voice from above, their smiles vanished instantly. It was Shen Feng's voice. This terrifying fellow had been waiting for the opportune moment to enter the fray, and now that he had revealed himself, it meant he believed the time was ripe for him to make his move. Consequently, as people realized this, their hearts plummeted to the depths.
"Shen Feng has arrived!" people cried in terror, raising their heads to look at the sky. However, all they could see at that moment was a patch of clouds descending.
No one had guessed wrong. Shen Feng had indeed been in the sky, closely monitoring the battle on the ground. Now that the fight had reached this stage, he had finally shown himself. The troop of Shen Feng must surely be on those clouds!
"Attack quickly! While he's still unstable, make him pay!" Tom shouted at this moment.
At this point, almost everyone was extremely tense. Shen Feng hadn't even made a move yet, but they already had a bad premonition, as if they were about to lose imminently.
When people saw a patch of clouds about to descend from the sky, their first instinct was to launch an attack. They knew they absolutely could not allow the enemy to land smoothly. Otherwise, they would be facing fresh reinforcements while their own forces were depleted. After fighting all night, everyone was exhausted. If the battle continued, they would certainly not gain any advantage.
Thus, under someone's command, countless people simultaneously launched attacks at the descending cloud. Their primary goal was to kill those on board, thereby securing victory.
All sorts of projectiles flew wildly towards the sky: flying daggers, bullets, and countless shattered ice fragments. They shot through the air, creating gaping holes in anyone they hit.
However, those on the clouds remained unperturbed by this onslaught. Shen Feng had already unleashed his ability, using his "Wind King's Barrier" to protect the clouds.
"Clang, clang, clang..." As various objects flew upwards, they seemed to encounter an invisible barrier, emitting crisp ringing sounds upon impact, much like a triangle being struck in a symphony. Even when sparks flew, they couldn't harm those on the clouds.
"He's indeed gotten stronger. Before, he could only protect a few meters around himself, but now his barrier can shield everyone within a vast expanse of clouds. This area has a diameter of over a hundred meters. Who can break through his defense now?" He Qiuan muttered to himself, witnessing this scene.
The attacks from the ground were ineffective. Instead, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the clouds. It was a battle-hardened killing intent that, upon its mere appearance, struck fear into everyone. Following this, the heavens and earth seemed to change color. A fierce gale suddenly gathered in the sky, vaguely forming a colossal blade. The end of this blade was nowhere in sight, and a rough estimate suggested it was at least ten kilometers long.
"You attacked first. Since you are unrighteous, do not blame me for being so!" Shen Feng's voice echoed from the sky, and the colossal blade then descended.
The people on the ground had not anticipated such a turn of events. They had never witnessed such a terrifying attack, and the fact that it was unleashed by an ability user was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
As the massive blade descended from the heavens, aimed directly at cleaving the ocean, the people on the ground quickly dodged to the sides. Coincidentally, on the other side of the blade lay the colossal octopus that had been killed.
Such a powerful attack far exceeded everyone's imagination. They had not foreseen that Shen Feng, a ninth-tier ability user, would be so formidable. A single attack from him could seemingly tear the sea apart. Moreover, if such a gigantic blade were to fall, it would likely crush everyone to smithereens.
"Boom..."
As the colossal blade descended, it emitted a deafening roar. The blade shattered the iceberg, revealing another opening. On the other side of the rift lay the carcass of the giant octopus, its tentacles still writhing and twisting, as if refusing to accept its demise.
Although the blade descended rapidly, everyone present was an ability user. Their physical capabilities and survival instincts surged, allowing them to instantly evade the attack. However, the impact of this attack on the sea surface was immense. The ocean was instantly split open, revealing the water twenty meters below, and the iceberg was rent asunder.
This was a move Shen Feng had comprehended at a certain tier, and it was his most powerful offensive technique, covering a vast area. A single slash could even tear the ground apart.
"Now, it's best not to spout nonsense. I'm about to descend. Keep your mouths respectful, or I won't be polite!" Shen Feng continued to speak.
As he spoke, he slowly descended from the sky. When the large patch of clouds leveled with the iceberg, the crowd finally saw the group on the clouds. They appeared flushed and healthy, radiating vigor, clearly having conserved their strength and now appearing fully prepared.
"That guy is truly detestable, like a venomous snake lurking in a corner. He's so insidious and ruthless!" an overseas ability user said to the person beside him upon seeing this situation.
Lin Yue caught wind of this and said to Jin Zijue, "Someone over there is speaking ill of the City Lord. Take him out!"
Jin Zijue nodded and replied, "No problem. At a time like this, if they're still spouting nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite!"
With that, he opened his palm, and a bolt of palm lightning shot out, emitting a "crack" sound in the air.
Lightning's speed was almost comparable to the speed of light, and such speed was irresistible to humans and all living beings. There was no escape from this attack. Consequently, the ability user who had been speaking ill was struck by the lightning. Immediately, smoke billowed from his body, his face turned ashen, and he seemed to shrink by several inches before collapsing onto the ground. A faint scent of cooked meat wafted through the air.
"I told you not to speak ill of me. Otherwise, my subordinates are not to be trifled with!" Shen Feng said calmly to the people on the ice.
The others understood why Shen Feng had done this. The reason he had killed an ability user alive immediately after appearing was purely to establish his authority. It was a method of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey," a warning to others not to act rashly, as his subordinates were powerful individuals who could not be easily defeated.
Tom turned to look at his own forces and found that only about two hundred people remained. More than half had been lost, primarily during the battle the previous night. Many had been killed by sea beasts. Although they had achieved victory, many were still injured. Moreover, just as they had finished fighting, Shen Feng had appeared, fresh and ready.
"If we were to fight, even though we have a large number of people, we might not necessarily win. And Shen Feng's strength is too great. If his attack were just a little faster, all of us would have been killed by him!" Tom mused in his heart.
After much deliberation, Tom still wished to avoid a confrontation. He said, "Mr. Shen, your actions during this period seem rather dishonorable. We are striving for the future of all humanity. It's one thing that you don't help us, but you even used your abilities to cause heavy snow to fall from the sky. This is simply too much, hindering us and consuming vast amounts of our energy and food! Aren't you afraid of being condemned by people all over the world?"
He did not wish to intimidate the other party through force at this moment. After much thought, public condemnation seemed to be his only advantage. This was because his side had too many factions and represented even more people. Hundreds of millions of people hoped for their progress. While Shen Feng's forces were also substantial, he had no advantage in terms of public opinion.
"Plum blossoms rejoice in the snow that fills the sky; it's not surprising that flies freeze to death!" Shen Feng did not give a direct answer but recited a famous couplet.
"What does this mean? I don't understand," Andov asked He Qiuan, who was walking towards him.
He Qiuan replied, "The meaning of these two lines is very simple. Let me explain it to you briefly. When one sees plum blossoms dancing in the snow, they are very happy. However, many flies freeze to death in the snow. This is nothing strange."
"This detestable fellow actually compares us to flies! How shameless! He's the one who brought all this ice and snow upon us, yet he says that if we freeze to death, it's no different from flies. Is he looking down on us?" Tom said indignantly.
He Qiuan quickly advised, "At this time, our strength has been severely damaged, while the enemy's strength has not been threatened at all. Therefore, it's best not to initiate combat!"
"Of course, I understand that! For the sake of all humanity, we can only try to persuade Shen Feng!" Tom resigned himself to this course of action.
Then, Tom earnestly stated, "Mr. Shen, I'm very pleased that you're willing to meet us now. For the sake of all humanity, I hope you will join our ranks. In the future, after obtaining the meteorites, we can jointly establish a laboratory for research. These technologies will benefit all of humanity, and this information will be shared with everyone here."
The others did not object to this proposal. Even though they knew Shen Feng was trying to reap the rewards, they could not refuse him, lest a conflict erupt. And this conflict would be even more brutal, as Shen Feng would not be affected by the radioactive elements in the sea.
Shen Feng, however, calmly replied, "I'm sorry, but I do not wish to join your organization. Furthermore, I want to state something to the other people of China: you need to make a real decision now. Your territories have all been occupied by me. This is not a joke; it's the truth. In the past few days, you have remained within this chaotic electromagnetic field and have not ventured out, so you are not very aware of external affairs. Currently, all other parts of China are under the control of Yu Zhou's forces!"
Shen Feng's refusal did not surprise anyone, as many were aware of his stance and no longer hoped to change his decision.
However, the Chinese individuals were stunned upon hearing Shen Feng's other statement, completely disbelieving what they had heard.
Shen Feng tossed a communicator from the clouds, saying, "If you don't believe me, look here. I've saved all the recent news. You can discuss among yourselves what to do!"
After speaking, Shen Feng threw the communicator over and then instructed Chang Haojie to pilot the clouds towards the giant octopus.
At this moment, Lin Yue used his abilities to control sound waves, ensuring that many could hear his words: "If you intend to make a move, you'd best weigh your strength carefully. I'll be direct: we have eight seventh-tier ability users. If a real fight breaks out, you'll lose more than half of your people, and our City Lord is a ninth-tier ability user."
Following this, the patch of clouds drifted towards the distant octopus. The giant octopus's tentacles were also losing vitality, seemingly because its main brain had been destroyed. The octopus could not survive, and although some tentacles continued to writhe, they were unable to revive it.
The people on the ice looked at each other, waiting for a change in events. No one was willing to be the first to rush forward and stop them, as the first to do so would face terrifying strength, and perhaps a single blow would kill them. Therefore, they were all waiting for others to make the first move, so they could follow suit.
Meanwhile, many ability users from China, upon receiving the communicator, eagerly began searching for recent news. They were completely unaware of external affairs and could now use the news in the communicator to determine whether Shen Feng's words were true or false.
"If what Shen Feng said is true, then he is truly despicable. While we were fighting outside, he sent his subordinates to attack our territories. This plan of 'making a feint to the east while attacking in the west' is utterly shameless!" Ke Yiming said first.
Subsequently, people continued to examine the news on the communicator, hoping to find any clues. If the news was fabricated, it wouldn't matter; it was merely an attempt to demoralize them, and they could simply ignore it.
However, as they continued to search and watch the news, their expressions grew increasingly grim. They discovered that the content was not false but true. These events were laid bare before their eyes. They found that their subordinates had all chosen to surrender, and those who hadn't were killed by others.
In other words, they no longer possessed their territories. Even if they managed to retrieve the meteorites, they would have no land or population to support them.
He Qiuan seized the opportunity and said, "This is Shen Feng's wrongdoing. He is playing the 'hit the ground and pull the grass' tactic. While our territories were empty, he had his wife and son launch a surprise attack. His subordinates are also shameless. There's no need to say much to such people. Let's unite and defeat Shen Feng to have a bright future. Then, we'll quickly return to China and salvage the situation!"
His statement received the approval of many, as no one wished for their power to be usurped. However, at that very moment, someone suddenly emerged from the sea. It was Gong Changfa, who had previously gone underwater. He had already killed the sperm whale in the sea. He was not afraid of the damage caused by radioactive elements, as he could control various particles, including many radioactive particles. He relied on these radioactive elements in the sea to kill the sperm whale.
"Don't make any more mistakes now. Shen Feng is in the right, and all our other ideas are wrong. At this time, only by following Shen Feng can we achieve ultimate victory, and I believe Shen Feng will not disappoint us!" Gong Changfa declared.
Upon hearing this, He Qiuan's face instantly contorted with rage as he pointed at Gong Changfa's nose and exclaimed, "Good! I considered you a brother before, but now, at such a crucial moment, not only do you not support me, but you betray me!"