Chapter 150 - 149: The Invader’s Theory, Start Exploring

Su Qiong took out her tablet intending to make use of her spare time by preparing her team’s exploration plan and assigning roles in advance. This would allow her to be ready to set out as soon as she secured slots for the first batch of explorers the next day.

She was unexpectedly taken aback by Li Jing’s comments.

The unknown Wisdom Civilization had not formally revealed itself yet. The Management Bureau knew next to nothing about it. Did Li Jing already have a lead?

With a sense of amazement and doubt, Su Qiong put away the tablet she’d been holding in her hand.

"What lead do you have? Tell us in detail."

"The reason I sensed something weird earlier was because my Sky Eye Technique revealed an abnormal flow of death energy. It seemed to be flowing towards the Ruin Tower and getting sucked into it," Li Jing began.

"I originally thought the abnormal flow of death energy was controlled by the unknown Wisdom Civilization because they were secretly preparing some kind of method. If they were laying a trap, they would surely have prepared their methods in advance and still be able to carry them out even if they were discovered. However, after I demolished the tower, the unknown Wisdom Civilization chose to use a bluffing defensive method to buy time for the Parasite Insects and itself to retreat."

Having said that, Li Jing continued calmly.

"This suggests that although the unknown Wisdom Civilization had made preparations in advance, the abnormal flow of death energy is not clearly related to its preparations, but rather it to itself."

"Related to itself?"

Su Qiong frowned.

"Have you ever considered that the unknown Wisdom Civilization is staying underground not because it doesn’t want to come to the surface, but because it dares not?" Li Jing asked with a smile.

Su Qiong was taken aback, then asked, "Are you suggesting...the unknown Wisdom Civilization is afraid of the death energy in the dead lands?"

"Correct."

Li Jing confirmed.

"This..."

Su Qiong with a troubled brow said, "The unknown Wisdom Civilization knows how to control Parasite Insects, which are very likely to be the cause of turning the entire Secret Realm Space into dead lands. Assuming that they are afraid of death energy, they have no reason to watch as the Parasite Insects destroy the Secret Realm Space."

"The Parasite Insects being the cause of the dead conditions all over the Secret Realm Space is pretty much a given."

Li Jing replied.

"However, we may have made a mistake in one aspect. The unknown Wisdom Civilization we are dealing with may not necessarily be the native living beings of this Secret Realm Space, they might be invaders."

Having said that, he added further.

"I just then walked around the ruin and noticed that all the murals and other remnants of civilization have been destroyed. A highly intelligent civilization would not likely deliberately destroy remnants from wealthy times. Using human terms, that’s historical cultural heritage, the glory of the past. In such a large and well-preserved ruin, there isn’t even one intact mural left, only invaders could act so recklessly."

"If you ponder it this way, it does make sense," agreed Su Qiong thoughtfully.

"Moreover, if we now turn to the Parasite Insects, the fact that the unknown Wisdom Civilization repeatedly used them against the Management Bureau indicates that these insects are their ’weapon of choice’."

Li Jing continued, laying out a persuasive argument.

"In their hands, Parasite Insects are like nuclear weapons in our human world that can inflict irreversible harm to the environment and ecosystem upon usage. Even we humans cannot survive in the ecological aftermath of a nuclear explosion. But, as the unknown Wisdom Civilization has a subterranean ecological system, they don’t care about what happens above ground. They want to completely occupy this world and have unrestricted access to the resources they need."

"Living underground doesn’t make the unknown Wisdom Civilization entirely free of death energy. Unless they turn the surface into solid iron, hiding underground just minimizes contact."

"Death energy is harmful to both humans and other creatures, only Yin Creatures born in dead lands can withstand its effects. Living in an environment surrounded by death energy forever eventually leads to death due to erosion by death energy, regardless of how high your cultivation level is."

"We’ve been here for a short period of time and have not yet been affected by the death energy, but the unknown Wisdom Civilization has been living in the Secret Realm Space for an unknown amount of time. Most likely, they have been highly eroded by the death energy to the extent that approaching the surface attracts death energy. As a result, they too are looking for a way out."

After explaining his four-part analysis, Li Jing further said,

"Invading the real world is one of their ways out, but before this, they have been trying to find another way out."

"Another way out?"

Su Qiong looked up.

"Trying to turn themselves into Yin creatures."

Li Jing said with a seeming smile.

Su Qiong stiffened, recalling the situations of Liu Yushan and Jiang Guanwen, then raised a question, "If they have the means to turn into Yin Creatures, wouldn’t their fear of death energy become unreasonable?"

"Just because they have the means, does it mean they have to use it on themselves?"

Shaking his head, Li Jing said, "Even though we don’t know how they did it, this approach definitely has flaws. Even without flaws, becoming a Yin Creature is not the same as being a living creature. What they lose is more than what they gain. Is it not good to be alive that they want to be half-dead?"

Concluding his speculation, Li Jing added.

"All the above are just my speculations, not definite conclusions, but I’m confident that the one ambushing us hasn’t transformed itself into a Yin creature."

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

Su Qiong frowned.

"My Nine Heavens God Thunder has reached Great Perfection."

Li Jing spoke indifferently.

"..."

Su Qiong remained silent.

She had witnessed Li Jing’s Nine Heavens God Thunder with her own eyes.

The peak of the Third Realm...

Hearing Li Jing personally stating it was of Great Perfection standard, she couldn’t help but feel shocked.

Could this unimpressive-looking young man before her eyes be a monster?

The Sky Eye Technique is known as the strongest Eye Technique in the Third Realm.

The Nine Heavens God Thunder isn’t far behind, being hailed as the strongest Thunder Skill in the Third Realm.

Both techniques are notoriously difficult to learn and practice.

Both have reached the Great Perfection...

How did Li Jing achieve it?

No more need to be said by Li Jing, Su Qiong already had her thoughts.

She had previously felt strange.

Li Jing’s Thunder Skill was so strong she felt a chill all over her body as she saw the God Thunder falling from the sky.

The person they met before had endured a hit without any harm, even breaking it apart.

If this person was a powerful Yin creature, that would be understandable.

Yin creatures fear Yang Thunder, but as long as they were strong enough, Yang Thunder might not necessarily hurt them.

However, the confirmed fact was that the person was just a defensive measure.

Assuming this measure was made up of Yin Qi or Dead Qi, upon encountering the utmost Yang, utmost firm, peak of Third Realm’s Nine Hevans God Thunder, it wouldn’t be possible to remain unscathed.

In the end, ’the face’ is merely a tool and does not have strong cultivation to support it.

Assuming a Fourth Realm Yin Creature took action, even if it wasn’t destroyed on the spot, damage would be inevitable.

As for a Fifth Realm Yin Creature, there’s no need to consider.

If it was a Fifth Realm’s Yin creature, it wouldn’t have needed to withdraw early after nearly sacrificing half of the more than 300 people here.

With all things considered, ’The face’ is not a Yin Creature’s tool, it is backed by a living being.

After pondering for a moment, Su Qiong spoke softly.

"I need to report this to the higher-ups."

"Don’t refer to it as my speculation, everything else is up to you."

Li Jing shrugged.

"..."

Su Qiong was speechless, she said quizzically.

"Your deductions haven’t been proven yet, but they are reasonable and most likely accurate, reporting this up would definitely be a big..."

Before she could finish, Li Jing rolled his eyes.

"The Management Bureau rewards Merit Points, of what use are they to me?"

As he spoke, he added,

"Also, don’t forget, I’m from the North City Patrol Division of Jianghai City, I was only able to join the ranks of Xiang City Management Bureau because you pulled strings. If this were to reach the ears of the upper Management Bureau, it may affect you."

"..."

Su Qiong fell silent.

Li Jing’s words, made a lot of sense.

Based on her position, recruiting two outsiders was not a big deal.

But as a person from Xiang City recruiting a patrol from North City, she’s overstepped her boundaries.

The higher-ups wouldn’t appreciate this behavior.

As a result, there wouldn’t be any punishment for him. However, if he wants to rise again in rank, he might face some restrictions.

The tacit agreement between them was regarding the matter at hand, and Su Qiong consented without saying a word.

"Alright, I’ll try to figure out how to handle this issue."

"You take your time, I’m going out for a walk."

Li Jing agreed, turned, and left the tent.

In this secret realm, he had no intention whatsoever of winning credit for himself.

If there were any findings, he would ask Su Qiong to communicate them.

He would be fine with most things, but he didn’t want to get kicked out just after getting in.

...

The sky in the secret realm quickly grew dark.

As night fell, the secret realm appeared even more eerily sinister.

After all, it was a land silenced by quietude. Even without anything eerie happening, the environment was unnerving enough.

Having promised Su Qiong that he would keep watch during the night, Li Jing wouldn’t slack off.

The moment darkness fell, he found a high vantage point within the ruins and used his Heavenly Eye to watch over the entire area as the night watch.

It wasn’t just him. Even the personnel from the Xiang City Management Bureau were on high alert in the darkness of night.

Who knew what might pop out from this eerie place.

The hidden threat of an unknown intelligent culture potentially attacking the camp made being cautious seem like the prudent choice.

...

The long night passed uneventfully.

As dawn broke on the second day, Li Jing formally "left his post" to inform Su Qiong before returning to his own tent to rest.

All-night vigils didn’t affect him in any way.

However, with the arrival of the main team during the day, they would need to start exploring. It was important to be well-rested.

Once they ventured underground, sleep would be a luxury.

In order to avoid any mishaps, Li Jing didn’t sleep deeply.

In a blink of an eye, it was midday.

The temporary camp, which was originally rather quiet, slowly filled with chatter.

Li Jing opened his eyes when he heard some commotion. He realized that the rest of the Management Bureau personnel had arrived.

However, not many people had arrived yet; a majority of them were likely still on their way.

Choosing not to go and check, Li Jing decided to continue lying down.

Since the main force hadn’t gathered yet, there would probably be some meetings with the higher-ups later in the day. The exploration would most likely start only in the evening.

As he had guessed.

It was not until four in the afternoon that Su Qiong’s voice came through the communicator.

"Li Jing, stop sleeping. Come out and gather."

Upon receiving the message, Li Jing’s spirit surged, and he got up energetically, quickly putting on the communicator.

"On my way."

Taking quick strides out of his tent, he saw thousands of Management Bureau personnel bustling around the campsite.

About two thousand personnel from the Management Bureau hovered in mid-air around the collapsed spot in the center of the ruins, with more people continuously gathering.

The personnel from the Xiang City Management Bureau, as led by Su Qiong, had already gathered.

Without further thought, Li Jing took flight and reached Su Qiong’s side.

"Is the exploration about to begin?"

"Yes."

Responding affirmatively, Su Qiong handed him a device resembling a walkie-talkie.

"This is a communicator that can maintain contact with the surface, hold on to it. Let’s do what we planned yesterday, you and I are one team. Our Xiang City Management Bureau will explore towards the south. And when we get underground, we’ll head out to the region farther away."

Suddenly, she transmitted a message to him.

"No hurry to explore. Find a secluded location so I can consume a couple pieces of Rat Demon meat and break through to the Fourth Realm."

"Alright."

Li Jing nodded, took the communicator and stored it in his spatial storage. Similarly, he stored the small pest inside as well.

Once they were underground, they would come across numerous uncertainties. Therefore, it would be better not to keep the small pest on his person.

In case the small pest was damaged, there wouldn’t be anywhere where it could be repaired.

...

Not long after, the first group participating in the exploration had gathered. In total, approximately three thousand people had assembled.

As soon as the respective leaders had finished counting their team members, they proceeded underground without any hesitation or unnecessary chit-chat.

The dissolved caves beneath the ruins had been completely filled in and reinforced using earth magic, with narrow passages left at the North and South joins.

Li Jing followed the Xiang City Management Bureau’s team underground. Along with the main force, they headed straight towards the south.

Before long, the main force exited the range of the ruins.

The space within the dissolved cave became roomier. Consequently, the crowded main force dispersed, venturing in all different directions.

As Su Qiong had explained the night before, the underground of the ruins was connected by a series of wide-open spaces formed by the dissolved caves. Each space was quite extensive, so much so that you couldn’t see the end at a glance.

Seeing that everyone was dispersing, Li Jing suspended himself in mid-air.

Noticing his actions, Su Qiong instinctively halted as well and looked at him questioningly.

"What’s wrong?"

"You’re too slow, I’ll take you."

After saying that, Li Jing waved his hands and summoned out his "Flying Sword Blue Edge."

When accused of being slow, Su Qiong twitched at the corners of her mouth.

As a monster, she couldn’t control any artifacts.

But just based on flying, her maximum speed could compare to flying sword technique.

In the practice of monsters, their bodies are their weapons.

However, if Su Qiong went full throttle, traces of Demonic Qi would inevitably leak out.

Seeing Li Jing offering to take her with him on his flying sword, Su Qiong broke her silence.

"I’m okay with you taking me flying, but we’re currently underground where we don’t know what predicaments we might encounter. If we fly too fast, we might miss certain details."

"What could we have possibly missed when all the caves surrounding the ruins were explored by the Management Bureau during their previous investigation?"

Shaking his head, Li Jing replied.

"My sword flight might be a bit fast. Just bear with it."

Hearing his words, Su Qiong laughed out.

Indeed, sword flight was known for its speed.

But exactly how fast could it be?

She was about to speak when Li Jing, without a word, pulled her onto his sword, and the blade transformed into a streak of light that flew across the space at an extreme speed.

Suddenly taken away at such high speed by the flying sword, Su Qiong only saw a flash of black before her eyes as she clung on to Li Jing’s arm for dear life.

It wasn’t that she was incapable. Instead, the speed of Li Jing’s sword was simply too fast!

The "Flying Sword Blue Edge" was a Tenth Grade Treasure.

Li Jing himself was also at the Fourth Realm.

Supported by the "Great Perfection" Heavenly Sword, his sword speed was many folds faster than it was at the Third Realm.

It wasn’t as fast as light, but at least it was already the speed of sound.

The surge of sword speed caused the air to rupture, creating a sonic boom, akin to the screeching of a supersonic fighter jet.

The speed of anyone at the Third Realm would just be nearing the speed of sound. Su Qiong, who was still at the Third Realm, had never experienced such high speed.

Upon mounting Li Jing’s flying sword, the intense sensation of weightlessness that engulfed her body made her feel as though her stomach was flip-flopping.

As she fell ill from the high-speed sword flight, she realized that Li Jing’s cultivation had reached the Fourth Realm. And it wasn’t just an initial reaching either!

This chap...

Turned out his cultivation was already so advanced?

Bitterly enduring the dizziness, Su Qiong was shocked down to her core.

She was not aware that until yesterday, Li Jing was still at the Third Realm. However, she knew that he was only 21 years old.

At 21 years old and already in the Fourth Realm, was he planning on reaching heaven?!