Chapter 1215: Lu Yunji

Lu Yunji's speculation was correct; Xu Jingming had no interest in peeping.

At this moment, he stood outside the cave, raising his right hand.

The map on his smart bracer flickered erratically; the positioning system had completely failed.

"Eva, can you determine our current location?"

Xu Jingming asked softly.

"Precise positioning is impossible."

The holographic projection of Eva, the green-haired twin-tailed little girl, emerged from the smart bracer: "The special force field of the Dead Zone interferes with all positioning signals; we can only rely on primitive directional sense to judge our position."

"Special force field?" Xu Jingming frowned.

He took out the Qinghui spaceship from his space ring.

But the ship's control system showed the gravity environment exceeded its limits; forced takeoff might cause engine explosion.

The same applied even if he switched to the captured Viper spaceship.

"The gravity here is too extreme; only a Class B spaceship could force takeoff," Eva said, shaking her head.

"The spaceship can't be used at all," Xu Jingming tightened his brow.

He took out a virtual helmet and only then relaxed slightly when he confirmed it could still connect to the Virtual Universe.

As long as he could connect to the Virtual Universe, if he truly couldn't escape, he could just contact his senior brother Jies to pick him up.

With the spiritual power of a Cosmic-level powerhouse, he should easily cover the entire planet and locate his position.

"First, try on my own to see if I can walk out of this area."

"Unless absolutely necessary, don't bother my senior brother."

Xu Jingming removed the virtual helmet, silently pondering in his heart.

His senior brother had helped him enough; better not trouble him if possible.

But it wasn't too bad—they'd only been inside the Black Sand Storm for a short time.

They probably hadn't been carried deep into the heart of the Dead Zone.

"Five hundred million square kilometers—that's the surface area of Blue Star."

"If we'd been swept into the Dead Zone's depths, that would be a real problem."

Xu Jingming surveyed his surroundings: beneath the crimson sky, black rocky ground stretched to the horizon.

The best solution was still to ascend high into the air, confirm direction, then leave.

As for forcibly flying into space and leaving Black Stone Planet using only physical strength—

Under this brutal gravity, it was essentially impossible.

As he pondered, Lu Yunji's clear, melodious voice came from inside the cave:

"Xu Jingming, come in—I'm ready."

When he returned to the cave, Lu Yunji had changed into a blue combat suit.

Unlike her previous fiery red attire, the blue made her seem colder, yet the tight design still accentuated her stunning figure.

Unlike the previous fiery red, the blue made her seem slightly colder, yet the fitted design still accentuated her impressive curves.

"I just tried—I can't determine our position yet."

"The spaceship can't take off either; we'll have to walk out of this Dead Zone ourselves."

"How long until you recover to your peak? If you can't, I can carry you."

Xu Jingming looked at Lu Yunji.

"About twenty-four hours."

Lu Yunji sat on the hard stone slab, a faint crimson glow swirling around her:

"After the medicine's effect wears off, there's usually a three-day weakness period, but I've taken a recovery pill—it shortens it to twenty-four hours."

"After the medicine wears off, there'll be about three days of weakness, but I've already taken a recovery pill, so it'll be shortened to twenty-four hours."

Xu Jingming nodded, sitting across from her: "I also need time to recover my condition; we'll depart once you're fully restored."

"Also, Eva, gather as much information as possible about the Dead Zone in the Virtual Universe—details matter."

"The Dead Zone is one of Black Stone Planet's most dangerous regions; few ever venture here."

"Relevant data is scarce, but I'll do my best to collect it."

The green-haired twin-tailed little girl Eva dissolved into a streak of light and returned to the smart bracer.

Xu Jingming then took a recovery pill from his space ring—prepared before arriving—and swallowed it to restore his physical strength and bio-energy.

Soon, silence settled over the cave.

Xu Jingming closed his eyes and meditated, restoring the energy he'd expended in the Black Sand Storm under the pill's effect and his Yuan Energy cultivation technique.

Lu Yunji focused on neutralizing the pill's side effects.

But whenever she opened her eyes, her gaze would unconsciously fall upon Xu Jingming.

In the dim cave light, Xu Jingming sat cross-legged, like a tall, black spear standing erect.

The lightning seed mark on his forehead glowed with a cold blue light; his sharply defined profile looked even more piercing in the shadows.

His 1.95-meter Gao Da frame radiated pressure even while seated.

His muscle contours flickered beneath the tight combat suit, like a dormant monstrous beast.

"Kinda handsome," Lu Yunji muttered silently to herself.

When she'd left her contact info in the Virtual Universe, she'd only wanted a chance for future collaboration.

She'd assumed real collaboration wouldn't come for decades.

But she never expected to meet him here on Black Stone Planet.

But I never expected to meet here on Black Stone Star.

This junior, much younger than her, demonstrated strength and composure far exceeding her expectations.

Especially that T7-level Lei Yuan Shi Ri Xiang, which reached advanced proficiency from beginner level in less than half a year.

Even in the Noah Sacred Land's countless years of history, this was extremely rare—she had never even heard of such a prodigy.

Recalling the scene hours earlier, Xu Jingming facing off alone against Tak and the others.

As he stood midair, the Lei Yuan Shi Ri Xiang tore through the night sky like a demonic god descending, crushing the Star Radiance Ninth Stage's true form into dust with annihilating thunder.

The eyes, like black holes, gazed down at the defeated with cold indifference, as if inspecting ants.

A faint flush of excitement spread across Lu Yunji's pale, delicate face, and unconsciously she pressed her long legs tightly together.

"Though a bit domineering, I actually like it..."

Lu Yunji's gaze toward Xu Jingming now carried a burning heat.

A girl's heart is always in spring.

As a Level 1 Sacred Land prodigy, Lu Yunji's own talent was unparalleled.

No male genius had ever made her look at him differently before.

But this time, Xu Jingming gave her an entirely different feeling...

Twenty-four hours passed in the blink of an eye.

When Xu Jingming opened his eyes, restored to peak condition.

Opposite him, Lu Yunji stood gracefully, her pale, delicate face now free of its earlier pallor and weakness.

She said to Xu Jingming:

"I've fully recovered. We can depart anytime."

"Good."

Xu Jingming nodded. "Eva, how's the data collection on the Dead Zone?"

"Already collected."

The holographic projection of Eva, the green-haired girl with twin pigtails, appeared before them, shaking her head.

"The Dead Zone is indeed, as Senior Lu said, a battlefield of Sovereign-level experts."

According to scattered records, about six hundred thousand years ago, two Sovereigns clashed here.

One of them perished; though dead, his residual power never dissipated, thus forming the Dead Zone as it is today."

"Sovereign-level..."

Xu Jingming's pupils contracted slightly—those were beings beyond Immortal Gods.

He did not know what kind of power such beings possessed.

But the fact that the Dead Zone still bore the influence of Sovereign-level power after six hundred thousand years spoke volumes.

"Before a Sovereign-level expert perishes, they almost certainly leave behind their legacy."

"If we're lucky, we might even encounter one."

Eva giggled.

"It's not that easy."

Xu Jingming shook his head, not particularly concerned.

Over six hundred thousand years, countless factions must have scoured this place.

Even if there had been a Sovereign-level legacy, it would've been taken long ago—how could it still be here?