System: Replicating The Heavens-Chapter 522: Ch : Oliver & Ava (2)

A few minutes ago...

Alex stood quietly as the last traces of the Saint Manifestation Stage beast faded into his body. The massive corpse had already turned into pure energy and was being devoured by his Devouring God Body. A deep and warm power flowed through his body, strengthening his cultivation even further. The wild aura of the beast slowly disappeared, leaving only calm silence behind.

He exhaled softly.

His cultivation was now at the Ninth Layer of the Saint Foundation Stage. He was only one small step away from entering the Saint Manifestation Stage.

Just as he was about to stabilize his energy, his expression changed because he suddenly felt a terrifying aura filling the sky in the distance. This aura carried a feeling of absolute dominance.

Alex raised his head slowly.

"This… this is a Saint King's aura," he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The pressure was so strong that even the air felt thicker. Trees in the distance bent slightly as if bowing to that presence.

Alex closed his eyes for a brief moment and carefully sensed the direction of the aura.

"Who could it be?"

"Judging from this pressure… yes. This is definitely the Saint King Stage. And it's coming from deeper in the forest."

Alex slowly turned his gaze in that direction.

"One more step… just one more step, and I'll reach Saint Manifestation."

Without hesitation, Alex took a deep breath and moved.

In the next instant, he shot forward like a streak of light, rushing toward the source of that terrifying aura. The forest around him passed by in a blur. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

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On the other side, as Dan attacked, his blade's glow cut through the sky like a flash of lightning. Wherever it swept past, the air distorted wildly, and violent ripples flowed downward, striking the surface of the lake. The water hissed as though burned by an unseen fire, parting instantly to expose the muddy ground below before surging back together to close the gap.

"Boom!"

The saber shadow struck the small hill directly. In an instant, the hill was split cleanly down the middle, as though cut by a divine blade.

What was revealed left everyone stunned.

Inside the hill was a massive hidden base.

The interior of the mountain had been completely hollowed out, forming a huge research facility. Advanced technological equipment filled the space. White metal walls flickered with soft blue light, and countless complex instruments were embedded everywhere. It was clearly a secret research base hidden deep underground.

The sudden attack threw the entire base into chaos. Researchers in white robes panicked and ran in all directions, their calm shattered in an instant.

"Kill. Leave no one alive," Dan ordered indifferently.

"Kill!"

With that single command, the warriors surged forward like a tidal wave, charging straight into the exposed entrance of the research base.

Oliver immediately turned to Ava, Julia, and the others beside him.

"Be careful," he warned before leading them inside.

"Boohoo—!"

A sharp and piercing alarm suddenly rang out from deep inside the research base.

In the next moment, a large number of figures rushed out from the broken entrance, each holding guns. Without hesitation, they raised their weapons and attacked Oliver and the others.

For an instant, flames filled the air.

Powerful arcs of sharp light erupted everywhere like a raging storm. It was a terrifying sight to witness.

However, before any of them could reach their targets, something unbelievable happened. All the arcs of light suddenly froze in midair, as if they had struck an invisible wall. Then, in the blink of an eye, they reversed direction and shot back along their original paths.

Screams immediately echoed everywhere.

Those who had rushed out of the base were struck down by their own attacks. Blood splattered, and bodies collapsed one after another. What had been an aggressive charge instantly turned into a tragic slaughter.

"Hmph, using these weak attacks in front of us. You all are simply courting death," Emily's cold voice rang out from the sky.

Only then did everyone realize that she had acted just now.

When the arcs of light had first appeared, many of the warriors from the three sects had felt a wave of fear. Apart from the Great Saint experts, most of them were still instinctively wary of such dense attacks. But after witnessing Emily's effortless counter, their fear was quickly replaced by awe and confidence.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief when they saw what had just happened.

"Kill!"

Oliver and the others charged into the research base and soon ran into another group of enemies rushing out to block them.

In the blink of an eye, Oliver killed three of them.

Julia and the others showed no mercy either, and each took down an opponent.

Ava, who was following closely behind Oliver, was a different story. Her face was pale, and her whole body trembled. When an enemy warrior rushed toward her, she was so frightened that she shut her eyes tightly.

"Don't come closer… don't come closer…"

She waved both hands wildly. At once, dozens of daggers shot out from her body, piercing through the enemy at lightning speed, again and again.

By the time everything stopped, the man was already riddled with holes.

Oliver and the others were left speechless when they witnessed this scene.

"Alright, he's dead," Oliver said, gently patting Ava's head.

"O-Oliver, I'm scared!" Ava cried, quickly hiding behind him. After a moment, she cautiously opened her eyes and peeked at the enemy she had just attacked.

"You're scared? Somehow, I feel like he was even more scared…" Someone walked over to the corpse and said with a strange expression. "This guy probably died feeling terribly wronged."

When Ava saw the body, her face turned even whiter. She couldn't believe she had actually killed someone.

She really had been too careless.

"Alright, let's move on," Oliver said, his tone turning calm and focused. "Killing enemies is only secondary. What really matters is whether we can find any gains here. Such a massive research base definitely holds a huge amount of important resources. We must secure as much as possible."

His eyes swept across the vast interior of the base as he spoke, sharp and alert.