Chapter 23: First Meeting with Luo Feng
The next morning, the Palace of Wargods issued an announcement stating that Shen Mu had subdued the king-class monster, the Azure Dragon, in the coastal waters and tamed it to guard the river permanently. The news sparked another wave of discussion, with even some eyewitnesses who had seen Shen Mu confront the Azure Dragon joining the conversation.
Soon, various versions of the details about Shen Mu and the Azure Dragon's battle circulated online, with the most exaggerated version claiming that Councilor Shen Mu shook his mighty frame, causing the Azure Dragon to bow in submission.
As Shen Mu became a topic of conversation among ordinary people, he had already embarked on a journey to comprehend the world around him. This was also Hong's suggestion, encouraging Shen Mu to explore the heavens and observe the myriad beings of creation.
***
In the Changshan City Martyrs' Cemetery, many brave souls who sacrificed themselves during the Great Nirvana Era lay to rest. At the deepest part of the cemetery stood the most prominent gravestone, inscribed with the words: "The Grave of the Hero Zhao Chen."
Shen Mu stood before the gravestone of his past life, surrounded by a myriad of floral tributes. Many came to pay respects to his previous life, for it was his heroic battle that spared the capital base city from severe damage during its establishment, indirectly saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
While not many could come regularly to pay their respects, there were always a few who did every few days.
Shen Mu glanced at several other gravestones nearby, where lay the remains of his parents, younger sister, and grandfather. In a sense, it felt like a family reunion. Afterward, Shen Mu requested a broom from the cemetery management office and quietly began to clean the grave of his former self.
From the moment of his birth in that life, he carried the memories from before his crossing. Initially, he believed he had arrived in a harmonious and prosperous parallel world. Though he didn't reach the extremes of being able to speak at three days or walk by five days, he quickly displayed remarkable intelligence and was hailed as a little genius.
Later, when he entered elementary school, he emulated the predecessors of other time travelers, becoming a "literary copyist" while acquiring various knowledge, fulfilling his childhood dream of fame, until the outbreak of the RR virus shattered everything.
During the years of the Great Nirvana, aside from awakening his mental power, all his relatives and friends died one after another. He witnessed their deaths in critical moments.
He couldn't protect anyone.
After finishing cleaning the graves of his past family, Shen Mu's memories came to an end. Finally, he looked at his gravestone.
"Things are good now, and they will be even better in the future."
Shen Mu spoke a seemingly disjointed remark, as if to comfort the sleeping hero, informing him that humanity had established a new era and order.
With that, Shen Mu turned and left.
***
As he walked away, Shen Mu felt a newfound lightness in his steps. Having seen the traces left by his previous life, he felt as if some shackles had been released from him, and he began his journey anew.
As the sun and moon rotated and the stars shifted, in just a few months, Shen Mu traversed mountains, plains, canyons, and deserts. He sought to witness the perilous places where all traces of humanity had vanished, contemplating the most harmonious ways to coexist with nature and all living things.
By the end of December, Shen Mu arrived in the Jiangnan region. Since ancient times, Jiangnan has been a land rich in cultural heritage, where countless literati and poets left behind verses that have endured through the ages.
Shen Mu stood before a tranquil lake, which was once the famed West Lake, the original site of Hangzhou. The so-called Hangzhou City in Jiangnan Base City was not the true Hangzhou; it was merely a satellite city of the base named Hangzhou to remind people of the former prosperous society.
Similarly, Changshan City, where Shen Mu resided, was part of the outskirts of Beijing before the Great Nirvana.
Shen Mu lifted his foot to step on the surface of the lake, and a layer of white frost rapidly spread beneath him, completely freezing the entire lake. This was the ability he awakened after reaching the planet level: the control of ice and snow, similar to the Third Councilor, Mo Henderson.
As for the ability of his Azure Dragon clone, it was the power to transform into liquid, a water-based ability. According to some research reports from the Palace of Wargods, all war gods who comprehend their realm, once they become councilors, will awaken powers that originate from their own understanding. For those war gods who have not grasped their realm, the outcome remains uncertain.
As a time traveler, Shen Mu speculated that once he comprehended his realm, he would absorb more energy corresponding to his realm's properties when taking in cosmic energy, thus solidifying his genetic energy and attributes.
As Shen Mu walked across the icy lake, a chilling aura spread from him, and gradually, sparse snowflakes began to fall from the air.
Suddenly, Shen Mu's communication watch emitted a series of piercing alarm sounds.
"Top Assistance Order: High-level war gods are fighting in the base city, endangering ordinary civilians!" Glancing at today's date, December 26th, Shen Mu quickly formulated a rough guess.
In the next moment, his figure vanished from his location, stepping onto ice spikes as he sped toward Jiangnan Base City. With the boost of his spirit power, his speed far exceeded that of a first-level planetary-level warrior.
***
In the main district of Jiangnan, HR Alliance Plaza. Among the crowd, a tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes held a remote control, her voice sharp as she shouted, "Luo Feng!"
"I've placed T111 model bombs in a residential alley next to the HR Alliance. If I press this button, tens of thousands will die instantly!"
Not far away, a young man clad in a black god suit controlled sixteen flying knives, feeling somewhat hesitant.
"War God Luo Feng, Mrs. Paulinus, please remain calm and do not act impulsively!" A group of warriors from the security department moved to evacuate the crowd and maintain order. The middle-aged man in a Tang suit at the forefront hurriedly urged both parties to avoid rash actions.
"Luo Feng." Venina fixed her eyes on Luo Feng.
"Either release me and my husband, or we'll take tens of thousands down with us. You choose."
Luo Feng's expression grew colder, and the flying knives around him buzzed ominously, as if hesitating.
In the next moment, an intense cold breeze swept through the entire HR Plaza. Almost instantly, a thin layer of white frost appeared on everyone's bodies.
"Bold of you to use the lives of tens of thousands of ordinary people as leverage for threats."
Shen Mu's voice suddenly echoed throughout the plaza, and then they saw a figure enveloped in ice-blue genetic energy descending from the sky.
Upon seeing Shen Mu's arrival, the middle-aged man in the Tang suit from the security department sighed in relief and quickly said, "General Shen."
This title was due to Shen Mu's position in the Chinese military.
Venina's expression changed drastically; she had not expected that the first to arrive would be Shen Mu. After all, he came from the Limit Dojo, making the situation even more troublesome.
"Councilor Shen, we're in a difficult position. Luo Feng is openly violating the regulations of the Palace of Wargods within the base city…" Venina forced herself to explain.
However, before she could finish, Shen Mu interrupted her, "Hand over the bomb remote control."
His indifferent tone seemed to carry a special power, causing Venina to go dazed and release her grip on the remote control.
The remote control floated up and landed right before Shen Mu. By the time Venina regained her senses, it was too late.
"Venina, you have violated the first forbidden rule of the Palace of Wargods. As a councilor, I have the authority to execute you on the spot."
Shen Mu's expression remained emotionless as he lightly waved his hand. An ice spike condensed from the air and transformed into a beam of ice-blue light, instantly piercing through Venina's forehead.
****
If you are craving for more, and want to enjoy 10 advanced chapters, be sure to check my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/FictionForge