Beneath the shadow of a huge tree, a man lay prone on the ground. He had chestnut curls, brown eyes, a high nose, fair skin, and a textbook European face. He paid no heed to the rubble digging painfully into his body, focusing instead on the device in his hands. It looked a little like a police baton from Earth, with a knob where you gripped it. Its appearance was utterly unremarkable; if it fell to the ground, even a scavenger probably wouldn't bother picking it up.
Yet to Sunny Corleon, and the entire Corleon Family, this baton-like device was their most closely guarded secret—the key to the Corleon Family's comeback!
It was called a "Shielding Device," a rather ordinary name for something with extraordinary significance. It shielded against all kinds of fields that could affect people—especially the detection fields of the Si Nan Family.
For a thousand years, the Si Nan Family had used their signature detection ability to build a comprehensive intelligence-gathering system and, in turn, a vast intelligence network. As the saying went, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. The Si Nan Family always got the information first, kept track of the Corleon Family's movements, and dealt with problems before disputes could erupt. As a result, the Corleon Family had been suppressed for a thousand years. The balance between the two great families had long since tipped in the Si Nan Family's favor. Mention the foremost family in the Tianyuan Kingdom, and everyone thought of the Si Nan Family; the Corleon Family was reduced to a mere foil.
But things were different now! If they could neutralize the Si Nan Family's greatest advantage—their detection abilities—they could change everything at its root!
After adjusting the Shielding Device, Sunny let out a faint sigh.
"The family's rise to power..."
The Shielding Device could help them defeat the Si Nan Family—many people were convinced of that, but Sunny had his doubts. Even if they could render the Si Nan Family's intelligence network useless by blocking their detection, that would only bring the two families to the same starting line. And because the Si Nan Family had suppressed them for so long, the Corleon Family still couldn't match them in manpower or resources. If it came to a real fight, their odds weren't good at all... So why did the family's top brass seem so confident?
Those old foxes at the top were far too shrewd to stake everything on this little Shielding Device. They must have another trump card—one powerful enough to overwhelm the Si Nan Family's strongest fighter, Si Nan Changzheng, and his ultimate trump card!
But there was no point in speculating when Sunny had so little influence. For now, he had only two wishes: that the Si Nan Family members would finish up and head back soon, and that the others who had come with him wouldn't do anything foolish in a fit of hotheadedness.
Rumble—
"Huh? Is that thunder?" Lorraine glanced up at the sky in puzzlement. It was a clear blue, without a cloud in sight.
"That's weird. Doesn't look like it's going to rain at all—"
BOOM!!!!!!
Before he could finish speaking, a tremendous explosion rang out, leaving them dizzy. Sunny and Lorraine hurriedly looked toward the sound, and what they saw left them dumbfounded.
Amid billowing clouds of smoke, the mountain peak in the distance had been blown flat.
Back a little while earlier—
"Come on, miss, don't be so down..." Si Nan Yuan tried to comfort the gloomy Si Nan Ying.
"I'm not down. I'm just a little disappointed."
"Even when things don't go as you hoped, you don't let it get you down. That's the bearing of a true strong person."
"That's a pretty crafty way of putting it..."
Si Nan Ying's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she'd thought of a brilliant idea.
"I've tried a few times, but I still can't control the power properly. Maybe I should just stop controlling it from now on."
"What do you mean?"
"I could work for the family. I could specialize in demolitions, clearing mountains, blowing up fortifications, and things like that. I wouldn't have to worry about holding back when I'm doing those jobs, right?"
"Please don't make it sound so simple. The jobs you mentioned all require meticulous calculations beforehand and carefully directed demolition. A powerful blast alone isn't enough."
"Then I could be a civil official instead..."
"Speaking of which, Elder Hong complained to me about your written exam score last time."
"...Are you sure you're trying to comfort me?"
"You two in the back, stop whispering! Pick up the pace—we're almost at the meeting point!" Elder Hong's voice rang out from the head of the group. He was already over seventy, yet he walked every bit as fast as a young man. Elder Hong had been a formidable fighter even under the previous Patriarch. Though he came from a minor family that served the Si Nan Family, he had braved countless dangers, and his barrier ability had saved the lives of countless important family members. He'd been granted the Si Nan surname at thirty, and his outstanding service had steadily raised his standing until he became an elder. His strength was plain to see!
They had reached a small hill. Beyond it lay the meeting point, halfway up the main peak. The mountain path was rugged, and the higher they climbed, the thinner the air became. But ability users could replenish their stamina by constantly absorbing spiritual energy from the atmosphere, and they also had various Spiritual Medicines to help them along. That was how they'd managed to march at a brisk pace without collapsing from exhaustion. The vegetation around them had grown sparse, and there were no trees to block their view. At first glance, there didn't seem to be any demon beasts nearby. But anyone with experience knew this was when they had to be most vigilant. The demon beasts that lived in the region were cunning and adept at camouflage. One could leap out at any moment from a cave or from beneath the rubble.
Still, Si Nan Ying's squad hadn't encountered any particularly powerful demon beasts. They had their bespectacled teammate, Si Nan Jing, to thank for that. Like Si Nanlong, she was the team's detection specialist, but she was far more capable than he was—a true standout.
"Wait. Something's wrong."
Si Nan Jing, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. The others immediately stopped. If she'd spoken up, it had to be a matter of personal safety.
"What is it, A-Jing? Another demon beast?"
"Behind that cliff wall." Si Nan Jing pointed toward a huge boulder. "There's a large cavern inside, and something's in it. It isn't moving, but we should still be careful."
"Can you tell what it is?"
For once, Si Nan Jing looked unsure. "I can't tell either. Its shape is strange. Rather than a whole demon beast, it looks more like a huge chunk of a corpse—"
Suddenly, Si Nan Jing fell silent. She adjusted the precision of her detection field to its highest setting and swept it back and forth across the entire cliff wall. As her probe went deeper, her expression grew more and more grave.
"So that's it... No wonder I kept thinking there weren't any demon beasts here." She turned around, her face serious. "I let my guard down. It's not that there aren't any—it's just... too big."
"Too big?"
"It's behind this entire stretch of rock. It goes from here—" She pointed to one end of the cliff wall. "—to here." She pointed to the other end. "Anyway, we should hurry and go around. With something that size, it's almost certainly—"
Before she could finish—
A dull thud sounded from the other side of the cliff wall, much like someone pounding on a door.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The whole team immediately assumed combat stances. No one tried to run—if it really was one of those, it was already too late to flee. They might as well face it head-on!
Thud—another muffled impact rang out, this time accompanied by a series of sharp cracking sounds. Cracks spread across the entire cliff wall, a terrifying sight.
"All ranged fighters, get ready—" Si Nan Yuan's voice rang out, remarkably calm amid the tension. Every team member skilled at ranged attacks immediately stepped forward, while those who fought at close quarters moved automatically to either side.
With a thunderous crash, the whole cliff wall shattered. Through the enormous breach, they could see an ugly stone head, frozen in a punching pose, staring out with a vacant look. It emerged from the cliff wall in a daze. Its huge body looked clumsy, yet its movements were surprisingly fluid. Every organ in its body was made of stone. Standing in the sunlight, it looked like a Stone Tower, radiating an aura of absolute invulnerability.
The demon beast looked around. When it saw Si Nan Ying and the others, a hint of hostility appeared in its otherwise vacant eyes.
"—Attack!"
Beams of light, raging gales, and grenades all poured toward the giant. The air filled with whistles, explosions, and crumbling stone—but not a single roar from the demon beast. The creature—officially known as a Mountain Giant—said nothing. It mechanically shielded its head and staggered backward under the furious barrage.
"Elder Hong!"
"You don't have to tell me, you young whippersnapper!"
Spiritual energy from heaven and earth poured into Elder Hong at an astonishing speed. With a low growl, an enormous curtain of light appeared above the Mountain Giant. Compared with the one he'd conjured earlier, this curtain was so thick it seemed almost solid. At Elder Hong's command, it bore straight down on the Mountain Giant!
The curtain of light crashed down with astonishing force and stopped the Mountain Giant's retreat dead. Looking closely, they could see the ground beneath its feet sinking as the curtain pressed down. The depression grew deeper and deeper, and its legs, hard as iron and stone, began to tremble! Finally, amid a rumble, the Mountain Giant's stance crumpled completely. It dropped to one knee, and its hands, which had been shielding its head, were forced upward to brace against the curtain and resist the immense pressure!
"Now! Close in and finish it!"
At Si Nan Yuan's command, three towering men wielding heavy weapons surged forward and attacked the Mountain Giant's head. Si Nan Ying, who had been protected at the rear the whole time, saw a blur—and the Mountain Giant's stone head shattered into rubble!
The headless stone colossus crashed to the ground, shaking the earth. The Mountain Giant had been cut down before it could even throw a punch.
,That wasn't because it was weak. Efficient action, flawless teamwork, and commands issued at exactly the right moment had made the outcome inevitable from the very beginning!
...It was just that their poor Second Miss hadn't gotten a chance to make an entrance from start to finish.
"Captain, should we take its core?"
"The Mountain Giant's corpse is too big. To find its core, we'd have to break the whole thing into pieces and search them one by one. It'd take too long."
"Wait!" Si Nan Jing suddenly cried out.
"What is it?!"
"Second Miss, watch out below!"
"Huh?"
Before Si Nan Ying could react, the ground behind her suddenly split open. A giant rocky hand, wrapped in a whirlwind, swiped toward her!