Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 432 - 430: A Sudden Downturn

Chapter 432: Chapter 430: A Sudden Downturn

Four hours later, Chaoyang, Kokomoqi, and Ailuodi had already appeared to the south of the mountain range. The winding ridgeline was like a snow-white high wall, splitting the continent in two and isolating the transportation routes between the north and south. However, for the three of them flying in the air, this barrier was merely a pleasant sight.

Chaoyang’s decision to personally visit the mountainous region wasn’t a whim; with Angel capable of taking him on a thousand-mile raid in a single day, he could reach the surrounding areas of Thistlefort within half a day, making close reconnaissance a very convenient option.

Furthermore, if the significant changes encountered by Mekefa and the others were related to the Evil God or the New Divine, he could also use the Spiritual Rhinoceros Vista to lock onto the source, an effect difficult to achieve with reconnaissance drones. Adding to the fact that Kokomoqi’s chief disciple had mysteriously died, taking the Magic Goddess with them provided an additional flying aid.

"Ha, ha-choo!" Amidst the howling cold wind, Ailuodi couldn’t help but sneeze.

Even though the three of them were dressed in relatively thick clothing, they still couldn’t completely block out the chill of the high altitude. And even in the deserted four-thousand-meter-high sky, after wiping her nose, she carefully folded the tissue and put it in her pocket. The Magic Goddess watched this "unhygienic" act with a perplexed look on her face.

A thought suddenly crossed Chaoyang’s mind.

He muttered to himself for a moment, then snapped his fingers, "Gale."

In an instant, the flying hair of Ailuodi and Kokomoqi fell down—though the fierce wind still howled around them, the piercing cold was gone, as if the wind had turned into a soft illusion.

"That worked?" the two of them exclaimed in astonishment, "How did you do it?"

"I tried changing the wind’s properties...but I didn’t expect it to be so effective," Chaoyang replied. In a way, the wind that was swirling within a one-meter radius around them had become something else, similar to the flame he had summoned beneath the beach ruins. This special type of wind had squeezed out all the cold breezes from the outside world, allowing only the characteristics of The Divine Country to manifest within.

’Describing the authority of the Primordial Gods as "handy" would make Unfathomed choke with rage if it understood you,’ Shi Yin rolled her eyes and said, ’But don’t start slacking off using it as a convenience; this kind of power can draw the attention of the other Primordial Gods. If you think of the barriers between worlds as walls, it is a seed that weakens the walls.’

I couldn’t put it to extensive use even if I wanted to.

He estimated that using this ability consumed wishing power at several times the rate of his other powers. To create a calm wind zone that could match the area of the Divine Country of Thistlefort, he would probably burn through all his wishing power in half a month.

"It’s just like magic," Kokomoqi said with a hint of envy.

"If there really was such magic, it would definitely be called Labyrinth Magic."

At least within this Labyrinth, everything could be defined by the divinities.

After flying over the snow-capped peaks, the scenery on the other side of the mountains gradually came into view for the three of them. It was said that this mountain range boasted twenty or thirty towns of various sizes, with wind-sheltered valleys suitable for farming, and cliff-side cities rich in mineral veins, capable of being fully self-sufficient even when cut off from the outside world. For many years, this place had maintained a high degree of autonomy, hence the name Winter Country.

But now, they saw a multitude of columns of smoke.

Indeed... those were the smoke signals warning of the approach of war, visible at the mountain summits as well as at the foothills, the delicate black columns standing out starkly against the sky.

Even in the direction of Zhaixing City, near the highest peaks, similar smoke signals rose.

Angel said in surprise, "Is this... an invasion of the mountainous region?"

The situation seemed to confirm it, but the problem was that there were only two or three routes into the mountains, and all were easy to defend but hard to attack. To spread warfare across the entire north at once was practically a fairy tale! Judging by the timeline, the Alliance Army had only appeared near the Royal City three days ago. Even if the Longjiu Family had immediately organized a counterattack, just moving the troops and logistics to the foot of the mountains would take more than three days!

"Let’s get closer and have a look," Chaoyang suggested.

The three of them flew towards Zhaixing City, and when they were four or five kilometers apart, a strange flying bird charged towards them. Because of the bird’s bizarre flight path and the lack of any cover in the sky, Chaoyang noticed it from two kilometers away.

After a careful examination, he discovered that it was actually a bird-like mechanical creature.

"A Flap Wing Machine?"

Ailuodi also noticed something was amiss.

Although it was flapping its wings, it lacked any of the beauty of a bird, without a head or a tail, and its square body was supported by three pairs of segmented legs, resembling a giant insect. The legs curved inward, tightly holding a "package".

Chaoyang really wanted to capture it to see the structure inside this classical Flap Wing Machine, but the thick smoke rising from Zhaixing City still made him decide to proceed with caution, "Don’t let it get close."

"Leave it to me," said Angel, cradling Chaoyang in one arm and summoning the Gale Sword with the other—the gales that the sword conjured with wishing power seemed unaffected by the "Labyrinth settings" and successfully slashed towards the mechanical bird!

The latter, as if sensing the threat, changed direction abruptly, trying to dodge the attack. But Gale was faster and in the blink of an eye swept across its back, shredding the wings to pieces.

Just as the mechanical bird was about to crash, it suddenly turned into a fireball, an explosive wave mixed with a multitude of fragments scattering in all directions. Although the three of them were startled, Ailuodi promptly summoned a wall of wind in front to protect them from the flying shards.

Mechanical... capable of flight... and even able to explode; this thing is considered a weapon from any perspective.

And it resembles a modern drone, even more concealed than a traditional quadcopter.

The question is, where is the remote controller?

In a world without electricity, the invention of a combat-ready remote-controlled drone was already shocking enough.

Kokomoqi, however, did not think so deeply; she was merely astonished that now, even the sky was no longer safe.

After exchanging looks, it was Chaoyang who first came to a decision.

"We should find a place to land first, to avoid being targeted by these bomb-birds again."

Ailuodi brought the two of them down to a lower altitude and flew along the ridge toward Zhaixing City, finally setting foot atop a watchtower on the city’s edge. Chaoyang saw that there were many more mechanically engineered birds of the previous design in the sky, circling haphazardly; occasionally, one or two would dive down, creating violent explosions on the streets or buildings.

On the Zhaixing City side, it wasn’t just a one-sided beat down; on several streets, soldiers could be seen behind sand parapets returning fire, engaging in fierce gunfire with the legendary Gao Feng Industrial Heavy Armored Knights. Although Chaoyang had heard about the defense of the Royal City long ago, it was his first time witnessing these full-body armored soldiers, which resembled robots—and from the scattered remains on the ground, this unit had also suffered substantial losses.

"It really is the Longjiu Family’s forces... How could this be? How exactly did they break through the natural fortress?" Kokomoqi’s face was solemn. Even if she disdained the Alliance Army, she certainly did not want to see Zhaixing City fall like this. Moreover, if the enemy occupied the mountains, they could threaten Thistlefort from two directions at the same time, and Thistlefort, located in an indefensible plain and forest area, would face greatly increased strategic risk.

Three days’ time... In just three short days, the Longjiu Army was able to attack deep into the heart of the Winter Country, which was beyond everyone’s expectations. And now, Duke Rosha’s plan to use the mountains as a barrier and decisively defeat the Longjiu Family seemed like a joke!

However, Chaoyang could no longer afford to think about that problem.

His attention was now completely captured by the great hall at the highest point of the city—under the Spiritual Rhinoceros Vista, he saw countless dark threads converging in the sky, ultimately gathering above the great hall into a thick column of wishing power. It was pitch-black, in stark contrast to all the shades of wishing power he had seen before, like an ominous pillar supporting the sky.