Chapter 301: Must Reopen the Spacetime Portal

Zheng Houcheng naturally knows which warehouse Ning Jinli is referring to and immediately says, "It's still there. In these fifteen years I have kept that warehouse and the adjacent area exactly as they were; apart from me regularly going in to clean and maintain, no one else has been allowed to enter."

A bright glint flashes in Ning Jinli's eyes, "You've finally decided, hurry and take me there."

"Yes, Miss Ning!"

Zheng Houcheng instantly gives directions to the driver.

The convoy weaves through the bustling industrial‑city streets; Ning Jinli watches from the car window as a variety of novel buildings flash past.

To her, it all feels like watching a sci‑fi movie.

After more than twenty minutes, the scenery outside the window gradually overlaps with her memory of the warehouse district.

Indeed, as Zheng Houcheng said, this area has been sealed; time has left no trace here.

Ning Jinli gets out of the car, steps hurriedly, and heads straight for the small warehouse.

Zheng Houcheng orders the convoy and personnel to stay put, and follows Ning Jinli inside.

Ning Jinli briskly reaches the front door of the small warehouse, lifts her hand toward the handle, but just before touching it her fingers pause in mid‑air and she asks softly:

"Chief Zheng, have you ever gone inside here?"

Zheng Houcheng answers from behind her, "I know this warehouse holds extraordinary meaning for Miss Ning, so… I have never set foot inside, never cleaned or maintained it; it may be quite dilapidated…"

Ning Jinli is silent for two seconds, then asks, "Then this door, since I lost consciousness, has it never been opened either?"

"No." Zheng Houcheng adds, "I've stationed personnel around this area for round‑the‑clock patrol and protection, with surveillance and alarm systems; not even a fly can get in besides me. I never opened the small‑warehouse door, so no one else could have."

Ning Jinli's lips tremble; she wanted to ask whether anyone might have opened the door from inside, but she holds back the words.

It seems the question already has an answer; asking further is meaningless.

She takes a deep breath, as if making a resolve, grips the handle, and turns it forcefully.

Clack… Clack…

The lock inside emits an old creaking sound.

Zheng Houcheng hurriedly says, "Miss Ning, the lock hasn't been opened in fifteen years; it may be rusted. Shall I fetch tools—"

Before he finishes, the entire lock and handle are ripped off by Ning Jinli.

"Looks like we don't need tools," Ning Jinli hands the lock to Zheng Houcheng, "I'll go in and look; you wait here."

"Yes, Miss Ning…"

Ning Jinli strides into the small warehouse and flips the light switch.

Buzz… Buzz…

Accompanied by the hum of electricity, the incandescent bulbs flicker a few times, then shine steadily.

The familiar scene appears before Ning Jinli's eyes.

Apart from a dry dusty scent, there is no other odor; the floor and some shelves are quietly covered with a fine layer of dust.

Ning Jinli stares blankly at the back door of the small warehouse.

Fifteen years ago, the memory of her sealing the back door with a steel plate after arguing with Xiao Qidi flashes before her.

Of course, shortly thereafter she removed the steel plate to rescue people trapped in the desert base.

At the back door now, remnants of the rolling shutter and steel plate lie scattered on the ground.

Without time to think, a flood of painful memories surges, as if dragging her instantly into a dark, icy abyss.

Ning Jinli's heart aches as if torn into fragments.

Not only because she has personally confirmed that Xiao Qidi hasn't come for fifteen years, but also because she recalls that horrific accident.

Though the accident was chaotic and beyond her control, she had already exhausted all effort to save everyone.

Yet…

Hundreds of top domestic researchers from various fields were inadvertently sent to a parallel world and have not returned.

Moreover, over three thousand special‑forces protection team members, more than a thousand logisticians, and over five hundred rescuers perished forever at the desert base…

Every breath Ning Jinli takes feels like swallowing countless blades.

Suddenly her vision goes black, and her emaciated body sways.

"Miss Ning! Are you okay?" Zheng Houcheng, standing outside the front door, senses something amiss and rushes in to help.

"I'm fine!" Ning Jinli forces calm, "You don't need to come in. I want to be alone for a while. Close the door for me, thank you."

Zheng Houcheng, full of worry, watches Ning Jinli's staggering silhouette, hesitates, then stops and says, "Miss Ning, I'll stay here guarding. If anything happens, you must call me."

Ning Jinli doesn't look back, only hums a sound.

Zheng Houcheng closes the door, and then faintly hears Ning Jinli's suppressed but unrestrained sobbing.

Inside the small warehouse, Ning Jinli is engulfed by immense pain.

Already weak, she nearly faints several times.

Fortunately she holds on, gradually regaining composure.

At this moment she suddenly realizes the problem—that the Fluorescent Vortex at the small‑warehouse back door is gone.

Since she entered the warehouse she hasn't seen any fluorescence.

It's only because the overwhelming pain consumed her that she didn't react immediately.

"How could this happen…" Ning Jinli steels herself, rushes to the back‑door area, eyes wide, inspecting carefully.

She knows that the many Spacetime Portals she previously opened on her own may have closed when she lost consciousness.

But this one in the small warehouse is different!

This Time‑Space Gate emerged naturally.

It was precisely because it appeared inexplicably that it connected another timeline, linking her fate with Xiao Qidi's.

As a result, this Time‑Space Gate has also vanished!

"Could it be that I misjudged Xiao Qidi…?" Ning Jinli's pupils tremble, "It's not that he truly didn't want to see me, but because… because even this Time‑Space Gate no longer exists, he can't come over?"

However, whether it is really as she suspects, or Xiao Qidi has already cut ties with her, she must ask him face‑to‑face to be sure.

Moreover, several hundred top domestic researchers are still in Lin Xian Cheng and need to be brought back.

In any case, she must reopen the Spacetime Portal.

Ning Jinli closed her eyes, concentrating to run the Tian Xuan Heart Method, but the island base explosion fifteen years ago had drained her Internal Strength, and now she cannot open the portal.

The immediate priority is to restore her Internal Strength as quickly as possible.

She needs a sufficient supply of nuclear material and a place where she can "seclude herself for cultivation."

The next day—

Ning Jinli appeared on a solitary island.

It is an artificial reef island located in the southern seas of Huaxia Guo.

On the island there is a utopian courtyard, and within it a fixed‑point portal that allows Ning Jinli to return to the mainland freely during her seclusion.

All of this had long been prepared for her by Shangguan Ying.

Moreover, a seabed warehouse was built beneath the island, storing a massive amount of nuclear material whose purity is virtually 100 %, for Ning Jinli's use.

In addition, while she restores her power, two aircraft‑carrier fleets will patrol the surrounding waters to ensure her safety.

From Shangguan Ying, Ning Jinli learned that in the past fifteen years the world situation has changed dramatically; M Guo, after its deep‑sea secret base was destroyed at great cost, was severely weakened, soon fell into civil war, and consequently collapsed.

The former M Guo split into a dozen or so separate states and regions, each governing itself.

However, the core rulers of M Guo still control the largest territory, inherited most of M Guo's wealth and resources, renamed themselves the Saint Pu Empire, and founded a special organization called the Descending Assembly.

M Guo once extended its reach worldwide with its globally leading military strength, but now the Descending Assembly voluntarily abandons all external tentacles; although this greatly reduces its ability to suppress most nations and regions, it also makes the organization's armed forces more concentrated.

Furthermore, in recent years the Descending Assembly's military technology has advanced at an incomprehensible pace, frequently stirring chaos and conflict worldwide, especially with intent toward Huaxia Guo.

Therefore, Huaxia must remain vigilant against the Saint Pu Empire.

Across the boundless ocean, Ning Jinli stood on the island's shore, watching the distant patroling carrier fleet; as night fell, the fleet gradually faded into darkness.

Ning Jinli inhaled a deep breath of sea air, turned back to the courtyard, and resolved to focus on cultivation from now on.

Night deepened.

"His Majesty… His Majesty, the unification ceremony is about to begin…"

Xiao Qidi was awakened by the urging voice at his ear.

He opened his eyes and found total darkness, only the magnificent dragon throne beside him visible; the urging voice grew nearer, echoing as if in the palace's great hall.

"Wasn't I reviewing documents? How did I end up here?" Xiao Qidi asked, puzzled, looking ahead.

A eunuch emerged from the darkness, kneeling at the steps beneath the throne.

Xiao Qidi sprang to his feet, his eyes filled with shock, "Why are there still eunuchs?! Didn't I abolish this system long ago?! Who are you really!"

The unfamiliar eunuch gave no reply, only shouted, "Assistants, clothe His Majesty in the dragon robe!"

Before Xiao Qidi could react, several palace maids appeared and draped a dark dragon robe bearing a five‑clawed golden dragon pattern over him.

Immediately the surroundings shifted, and without blinking Xiao Qidi found himself standing before a grand, imposing altar.

The altar rose almost to the clouds, and around its base swarmed with endless crowds and fluttering banners.

Countless court officials, innumerable armored soldiers, and an unending sea of civilians…

Xiao Qidi could only feel that everything was especially bizarre.

Clearly, after he successively eliminated the other Six Nations and unified the Central Plains of Huaxia, he had enacted many reforms; at the very least, his attire had already departed from ancient styles.

Yet now, why does everything revert to the appearance of the era of warring states?

Moreover, although he agreed to hold the unification ceremony, if he recalls correctly, there should still be some time before it begins…

Why all of a sudden…

"Long live the Daxuan Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!" A roar as massive as a mountain wave rose from all directions, soaring into the heavens.

Xiao Qidi grew increasingly dazed.

Scenes of his original conquest of the Six Nations kept flashing before his eyes.

After the Battle of Xi Tun Guan, he turned the tide and defeated Yu Guo.

He employed a divide‑and‑conquer scheme, shattered Wasteland Nation's forces, captured its chief general, and then annihilated Wasteland Nation.

He sent Lin Sui on a diplomatic mission to You Guo, forming distant alliances while attacking and destroying An Guo.

Soon after, You Guo ignored the agreement, sent troops across the demarcation line, attempted to seize more territory, even allying with northern nomadic tribes; ultimately, Daxuan's army moved in and destroyed You Guo, driving the nomads out of the northern border.

Then to Ze Guo, General Xing's family was slain by Ze Guo's nobles for requesting reform, sparking popular resentment; combined with the ever‑growing Li He rebel army and Daxuan's offensive, Ze Guo was eventually absorbed into Daxuan.

As for the remaining Bo Guo, seeing the unification inevitable, it surrendered without a fight.

The whole fifteen‑year process of absorbing the Six Nations into a great unification took Xiao Qidi nearly fifteen years; given Daxuan's post‑modern technological and ideological development speed, he could have achieved rapid unification by force in two or three years.

But he considered the nation's need to develop and the people's need to recuperate, so after destroying An Guo he deliberately slowed the pace, striving for a gentle unification that minimized civilian casualties.

Thus, he spent so much time.

And this approach was clearly worthwhile.

Daxuan has won the people's hearts; many forces that might have obstructed unification were subtly neutralized, and numerous reforms advanced and were realized during the unification.

Xiao Qidi stood on the lofty altar, recalling his many years of effort, and as the thunderous cheers roared around him, a great sense of achievement and pride welled up inside him.

The long‑standing ambition of the Xuan Kingdom's successive monarchs to unify the world has finally been fulfilled by him.

The Huaxia people have finally united.

Such merit surpasses that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, warranting the title of Emperor.

Xiao Qidi felt immense pride; deep down he once wanted to create the title of Emperor, becoming the Xuan Ancestor Emperor of Huaxia's history.

Yet he is exceptionally unique; Ning Jinli's appearance let him directly witness the millennia‑long history of a parallel‑world Huaxia, granting him a perspective far beyond his own era.

Therefore, the thought of becoming Emperor was merely a private thrill for him, with no intention of making it reality.

Otherwise, the Huaxia he painstakingly unified would inevitably repeat the two‑thousand‑year feudal cycle of the parallel world.

Daxuan Emperor! Long live! Long live! Long live forever! Countless people's shouts rose wave upon wave, pulling the contemplative Xiao Qidi back to his senses.

He looked down at the sea of people at the foot of the ten‑thousand‑zhang staircase, amidst swirling clouds and mist, unable to see their faces.

How strange… I only thought about it in my heart, never mentioned it to anyone, why… has everyone already started shouting 'Emperor' at me?

Xiao Qidi frowned and muttered, feeling more and more that everything around him was off.

"Little brother, congratulations……" an extremely familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Xiao Qidi turned his head in shock, and suddenly saw the figure that had haunted his dreams for fifteen years.