Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

The grayish-white color faded, replaced by a rosy hue. His breathing became steady, and his soul power fluctuations stabilized. Zhang Wan was in better condition; she opened her eyes shortly after taking the medicine. Although still very weak, she was out of danger.

“Strategist…” Li Yang’s voice was weak, but much stronger than before, “Thank you…”

"No need to thank me." Su Chen leaned against the ice wall with his eyes closed. "If you want to thank someone, thank Lady Qian Renxue, Commander Zhao Feng, and Lord Lin Mo. They taught me what it means to protect."

Li Yang's eyes welled up with tears. He struggled to raise his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and placed it on his chest: "Heroes are immortal, their protection will never cease."

"Heroes are immortal, their protection will never cease." All the trainees said this at the same time, their voices echoing in the ice cave, penetrating the ice walls, piercing through the wind and snow, and carrying far away.

……

The next day, just as dawn broke, Su Chen led his team on their next journey.

After a night's rest, and nourished by the snow ginseng, Li Yang and Zhang Wan's injuries had stabilized. Although they were still unable to fight, they were able to walk on their own. The other trainees had also recovered most of their strength, and were full of energy and high spirits.

After walking for about two more hours, Su Chen's perception detected a huge energy source.

"We're here." Su Chen stopped and pointed ahead. "The Void Cult's base is inside that iceberg over there."

Following Su Chen's pointing finger, the students saw a massive iceberg, towering into the clouds, its entire body a dazzling ice blue, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. The iceberg was perfectly shaped, cone-shaped, like a giant pyramid. If Su Chen hadn't said it was the Void Cult's base, the students would have thought it was just an ordinary iceberg.

“So big…” Chen Hao murmured.

“This iceberg is more than ten times the size of an ordinary iceberg,” Su Chen said. “The Void Cult spent at least ten years hollowing out the inside of the iceberg to build a huge underground base. According to intelligence, the base is at least 500 meters deep and has a total area of ​​over 100,000 square meters. Inside, there are laboratories, training grounds, armories, living quarters, and a core area specifically for researching the power of nothingness.”

"How do we get in?" Ares asked.

Su Chen took out a map from his pocket; it was a diagram of the base's structure drawn by the Heavenly Dou Empire's intelligence department based on reconnaissance results. He spread the map out on the snow, and the trainees gathered around to look at it.

“The base has only one entrance, to the north. But it’s heavily guarded, with at least a hundred men in black robes and at least five Soul Douluo-level experts.” Su Chen pointed to a red dot on the map. “If we try to force our way through, our thirty-three people won’t stand a chance.”

"What should we do then?" one student asked.

Su Chen's finger moved across the map, stopping at the southeast side of the iceberg: "There's a ventilation duct here, connecting to the second basement level. The duct is very narrow, only allowing one person to crawl in at a time. If we can infiltrate the base through this duct, we'll have a chance to directly enter the core area, disrupt their research, and then open the door from the inside to let the others in for backup."

“I’ll go,” Chen Hao said immediately.

Su Chen glanced at him but didn't answer immediately. Chen Hao's talent was indeed excellent, but his personality was too impulsive, and he was prone to acting on impulse. This kind of infiltration mission required calmness and patience, not passion and courage.

“I’ll go too,” Ares said.

Su Chen shook his head: "You're too big to fit into the ventilation duct."

Ares looked at his bulky body and shrugged helplessly.

“I’ll go.” A female student stood up, her voice soft but firm. Her name was Lin Xue, the only one among the third batch of students at the Heroic Academy with an invisibility martial spirit. Her martial spirit was Shadow Cat, which allowed her to blend into the shadows, completely concealing her aura, making her the best candidate for infiltration missions.

Su Chen looked at Lin Xue and nodded: "Okay, you go with Chen Hao. Chen Hao will be in charge of combat, and you will be in charge of covert operations. Remember, your mission is to disrupt the core research, not to eliminate the enemy. Once you succeed, immediately send a signal, and we will attack from the front." "Understood," Chen Hao and Lin Xue said simultaneously.

The two changed into black clothes, covered themselves with ointment to conceal their scent, and then quietly moved towards the southeast side of the iceberg. Su Chen and the others lay in ambush behind a snow-covered hill on the north side of the iceberg, waiting for a signal.

……

The ventilation duct was very narrow, less than half a meter in diameter. Chen Hao crawled ahead, with Lin Xue following behind, the two of them slowly advancing through the duct. The inner walls of the duct were covered with ice, making it slippery and difficult to climb with each step. Moreover, the duct was filled with a pungent odor, like a mixture of rotting flesh and chemical agents, which made them want to vomit.

"This taste...it's disgusting," Chen Hao said softly.

"Shut up and focus on climbing," Lin Xue's voice came from behind. "Your voice will be amplified in the pipes and you'll be easily detected."

Chen Hao stopped talking and focused on crawling. He estimated the distance: about two hundred meters from the entrance to the base interior, and at his current speed, it would take at least twenty minutes to climb.

The pipes were winding and twisting, going up and down, and in some places almost vertical. Chen Hao struggled to climb, but his physical condition was excellent, and with the support of his soul power, he was able to manage.

After climbing for about ten minutes, Chen Hao suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xue asked.

“There’s something ahead…” Chen Hao said.

He unleashed the Sword of Light, its golden radiance illuminating the area ahead of the pipe. Five meters ahead, a circular object blocked the entire pipe. Upon closer inspection, Chen Hao recognized it as a soul tool, its surface shimmering with complex runes.

“It’s a sensor.” Lin Xue’s voice carried a hint of tension. “If we get any closer, it will trigger an alarm.”

"Is it possible to go around it?"

"No, it completely clogs the pipe."

Chen Hao thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "I have a way."

"any solution?"

“Use the power of light to shield it from detection,” Chen Hao said. “The power of light can dispel all evil and falsehood, including the detection waves of the sensor. As long as I envelop the two of us with the power of light, the sensor will not be able to detect us.”

"you sure?"

“Uncertain, but worth a try.” Chen Hao said, as a faint golden light emanated from the blade of the Sword of Light, enveloping him and Lin Xue. Then he slowly approached the sensor.

One meter, half a meter, twenty centimeters, ten centimeters...

The runes on the sensor flickered a few times and then went out. Chen Hao gently pushed the sensor aside and squeezed past, with Lin Xue following closely behind.

"It's a success," Chen Hao said softly, a hint of pride in his voice. (End of Chapter)