Chapter 748: Ninth-Rank Peak? Exposed!

Although ancient civilization ruins hold opportunities, they are also accompanied by danger!

In the early days, there were no shortage of eighth- and ninth-rank experts who perished within these ruins.

Therefore, despite this being Eva's chosen location, Xu Jingming dared not enter lightly.

Especially since his spiritual force could not probe the interior.

He could only send the Thorn Sword Grass ahead—its vines could easily regenerate even if destroyed.

Rustle rustle rustle~~~

Upon receiving the order, the Thorn Sword Grass immediately grew vines, thick as a man's thigh, extending into the base.

Pop—

When the vines had penetrated roughly thirty to forty meters, a sound like uncorking a wine bottle suddenly echoed.

The next instant, the Thorn Sword Grass's vines recoiled violently!

What had been thirty to forty meters long was now less than ten meters!

Green fluid poured from the severed ends.

"Indeed, something's amiss."

Xu Jingming's gaze sharpened; golden lightning coiled around his body, forming a thunder barrier.

Judging from the spiritual force fluctuations returning from the Thorn Sword Grass, the opponent's strike was swift—he had no time to react.

The only good news was that the opponent seemed to fear something, otherwise he would have already emerged.

"Sealed for over a thousand years, and yet still alive? I'll see what manner of thing you are."

Crackling—

Xu Jingming's body swelled, entering his three-meter-tall Thunderstorm Form.

Swish—

Thunder Dragon Wings unfurled behind him; should anything go wrong, he would flee instantly.

All preparations complete, Xu Jingming, pushing his SS-rank technique "Mind Net" to its limit, stepped into the base.

"Thunder Ball Technique!"

Boom!!

A golden thunderball, roughly half a meter in diameter, shot skyward.

Radiating like a miniature sun, the pitch-black interior of the base instantly brightened.

A single glance revealed the surrounding scene.

They were inside a research base, surrounded by numerous giant instruments.

Chairs lay overturned, as if a struggle had occurred.

On the floor lay several grim white skeletons; at the front of the base, one skeleton stood apart.

This skeleton was purplish-black, reflecting a chilling gleam under the thunderlight.

Though reduced to bones, it still emitted a faint aura of pressure.

As Xu Jingming studied it closely, the skull, previously drooping, suddenly snapped upright!

Immediately, a surge of spiritual force brimming with lethal intent erupted:

"Maggots! How dare you disturb my slumber? Prepare to die!"

Boom!!

A terrifying pressure surged outward, startling Xu Jingming.

This... was the aura of a ninth-rank psychic!

And not an ordinary one.

The aura radiating from the skeleton matched exactly the one he had sensed from Cao Jun, the ninth-rank peak Martial Saint, in the virtual world!

"Ninth-rank peak?!" Xu Jingming's face darkened.

Thunder Dragon Wings flared violently, and he shot backward like lightning.

"Eva, what's going on? How is there a ninth-rank peak here?"

Xu Jingming, still shaken from flight, asked.

"I don't know either."

Eva was equally stunned. "This research base was indeed founded by a ninth-rank peak psychic.

That psychic died long ago—how could he appear here?

Even if it were his spiritual force, after a thousand years, it shouldn't remain at full strength."

Xu Jingming moved swiftly, exiting the base and bursting through the ground in an instant.

But upon hearing Eva's words, he froze mid-air.

"SS-rank, why aren't you running anymore?"

Eva's anxious voice echoed in his mind:

"A ninth-rank peak spiritual force—even without a body—can obliterate you with a single psychic strike!"

At the same time, regret surfaced in her mind.

Had she known this civilization ruin was this dangerous, she never would have brought Xu Jingming here.

Yet what puzzled her more was why, after a thousand years,

this ninth-rank peak psychic's spiritual force remained so potent?

"I've just noticed something."

Xu Jingming, now motionless, asked thoughtfully:

"Eva, for a ninth-rank peak psychic to kill a seventh-rank mid-tier Master like me, how many steps does it take?"

If it were a strength-based or elemental user, they might need weapons or elemental power.

But a psychic? Killing you takes only a single thought.

Even the Soul Seal granted by the Great Xia Councilor won't protect you."

Eva replied instinctively.

Xu Jingming, as an SS-rank awakened, was indeed extraordinary—but a ninth-rank peak psychic belonged to an entirely different tier of existence.

A single thought to annihilate him—she wasn't exaggerating.

"A single thought?"

Xu Jingming narrowed his eyes. "Then why didn't he kill me just now?"

"Oh!"

Eva suddenly realized, and snapped angrily:

"I get it—he's bluffing! All that pressure was fake!"

As an artificial lifeform, she had been genuinely frightened by the scene.

Worried for Xu Jingming's safety, she hadn't noticed anything odd.

Now that she thought about it—if that truly were ninth-rank peak spiritual force,

even if he fled five or six kilometers away, he'd still be blown apart instantly...

"Eva, tell me who originally owned this civilization ruin."

Xu Jingming turned around and flew back down the corridor.

Since he now knew the opponent was bluffing, he had no intention of letting this ruin go.

"The owner of this research base was Zachary, a psychic with an S-rank ability, reaching ninth-rank peak.

He perished during the Great Beast Invasion of the Second Civilization Era, and a simple burial ceremony was held for him.

But no one expected his spiritual force would still linger here."

Eva said softly.

The higher an awakened's rank, the stronger their spiritual force; beyond a certain threshold, it can even detach from the body and persist!

But such detached spiritual force, unless preserved by special devices, cannot endure long.

Let alone survive for a thousand years like Zachary's.

"After a thousand years, it still retains this power?" Xu Jingming's interest surged.

The ninth-rank peak aura could be faked, but the skeleton had indeed severed the Thorn Sword Grass's vines.

Meaning Zachary's strength was at least seventh-rank or higher!

Time was the most terrifying weapon—Zachary had no body.

Yet his spiritual force alone had endured this long—truly a miracle.

Moreover, a master of psychic arts from the Second Civilization Era was itself a vast treasure.

"I still lack some psychic techniques—this Zachary might yield some valuable insights."

Swish—

At sixty meters underground, the alloy door reappeared before him.

Thunder Dragon Wings fluttered slightly, golden lightning flickering; Xu Jingming became a blur and plunged back inside.