Chapter 222: Father and Son

Chapter 222: Father and Son

Ji Xinghuo spent an entire day at the cliff, climbing up and jumping down a dozen times to repeatedly release the giant boulder, testing its power and mastering its usage.

The moment the boulder was released from the Dimensional Pouch, he could change its direction of motion.

The most common release would undoubtedly be the horizontal throw.

When standing on the ground, the boulder flew out parallel to the ground, traveling about a hundred meters before landing. Although the boulder's speed had decreased slightly due to air resistance during its fall, falling short of 200 meters per second, its power remained largely unaffected.

If released from the air and dropped downward, the boulder's power would be at its peak.

Even Ji Xinghuo himself dared not stand in the path of the boulder. If struck, even a legendary iron guard would be smashed into a meat paste.

He was extremely satisfied with this outcome.

"This is the true way to utilize the Dimensional Pouch!"

"This is my ultimate trump card!"

Ji Xinghuo had also considered returning to the top of the cliff, releasing the boulder, and then accelerating it repeatedly before finally letting it reach its "terminal velocity." He was certain that doing so would increase its lethality by dozens, if not hundreds, of times.

However, he failed on several attempts.

The boulder fell too quickly for him to keep up, and he couldn't retrieve it in time.

After spending the night in a cave at the bottom of the cliff, Ji Xinghuo packed up at daybreak and continued on his journey, riding on Qinghong.

This cliff was less than a hundred kilometers away from Tianzhuai Cliff.

Over an hour later, Ji Xinghuo crossed a mountain ridge, and a vast grassland came into view.

In the middle was a serene lake, its waters a beautiful blue, reflecting the cotton-like clouds in the sky. Several rivers meandered out from the surrounding valleys, carrying glacial meltwater into the lake, which then flowed out from the other end in a mighty torrent.

Looking across the lake, a majestic wall loomed.

That was Tianzhuai Cliff!

It looked exactly as described, like a stone table magnified a hundred million times, abruptly standing amidst the mountains.

The top of Tianzhuai Cliff was flat, and its edges were sheer cliffs that dropped vertically for over a thousand meters.

"What a masterpiece of nature!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in awe.

However, as Qinghong entered the grassland and approached Tianzhuai Cliff, looking up at the knife-like precipice, he couldn't help but wonder: Was this truly a natural formation?

If it were before the opening of the Star Gate, he wouldn't have had any doubts.

But in the Star Realm, filled with supernatural powers, and with the existence of Star Gods who possessed god-like powers of creation, the formation of Tianzhuai Cliff might not be a natural phenomenon at all.

With this speculation in mind, Tianzhuai Cliff loomed ever closer.

Qinghong ran along the shore of the "Heaven-fall Lake," crossing several rivers. Tianzhuai Cliff loomed larger and larger in their field of vision, like a thousand-meter-high giant wall standing on the horizon, its ends invisible.

There were several tribes living by the lake, including Highlanders, Redstone people, and Winged People.

They had also built several stone roads.

Many hunting parties and members of various tribes traveled on these roads, maintaining a safe distance from each other but appearing far more at ease than they would have been in the wild. The closer they got to Tianzhuai Cliff, the denser the population became, gradually forming villages and towns that bustled with activity.

The order of civilization had returned! Ji Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief and rode Qinghong through several towns at a leisurely pace before finally reaching the foot of Tianzhuai Cliff.

Looking up from here was quite a sight, as half the sky seemed to be blocked by the towering cliff, an impressive and awe-inspiring view.

Dozens of elevators had been installed on Tianzhuai Cliff, operating day and night, and defensive fortresses had been built around the elevators, guarded by heavy troops.

Anyone could enter or exit without paying any fees.

Ji Xinghuo found an uninhabited place, put away Qinghong into his pocket, and walked into the fortress alone. He immediately spotted the operating elevators, which had a simple structure: a hexagonal platform was fixed in place using massive metal chains, and as the chains turned, the platform was pulled up to the summit of Tianzhuai Cliff.

The elevators were steam-powered, and a tall boiler room was built right next to the cliff, emitting a loud sound of turning gears, and its chimney continuously billowed white fog.

The middle of the fortress served as the queue area.

Many people were already lined up, representing a diverse range of races, including hunting parties, caravans, adventure groups, and lone travelers, all waiting patiently.

No one dared to cause trouble.

The reason was simple—the guards in the fortress were stronger than them.

Especially the four towering figures standing in front of the elevators, which had caught Ji Xinghuo's attention as soon as he entered.

They were giants.

Their height exceeded four meters, and they were extremely robust. Their bodies were slightly hunched, but if they stood straight, they would be close to five meters tall. They wore finely crafted armor, with edges over ten centimeters thick, protecting their vital body parts, leaving only the front of their heads exposed.

Their eyes were a pale blue, exuding intelligence and capability.

Tufts of snowy-white long hair peeked out from the gaps in their armor, and both their armor and their massive weapons bore peculiar patterns that emanated subtle energy fluctuations.

Ji Xinghuo quietly observed, recognizing the race of these powerful guards.

The Snow Ape Giants were a branch of giants from the Bloody Highlands, and like all giants, they were born with immense strength. Snow Ape Giants, however, were even stronger than the average giant. They possessed agility and speed that belied their massive size, and they were also adept at ice-based abilities.

Any fully grown Snow Ape Giant was a top-tier fourth-rank expert. As long as they lived past a hundred years old, they would almost certainly advance to the fifth rank, becoming a legend!

The civilized order of Tianzhuai Cliff originated from these Snow Ape Giants.

They were a giant tribe.

Thousands of giants, fully armed and equipped, guarded Tianzhuai Cliff, maintaining law and order. They were the most formidable force in Tianzhuai Cliff, not to be provoked.

However, the Snow Ape Giants were not the rulers of Tianzhuai Cliff.

The true ruler was someone else.

A moment later.

The line moved swiftly, and Ji Xinghuo approached the elevator. Up close, he could feel the formidable auras of these giant guards even more intensely. The temperature dropped noticeably within a few meters of them, and each slow exhalation produced a frosty mist.

The Snow Ape Giants glanced at Ji Xinghuo but showed no reaction, simply waving him through.

The hexagonal platform was about ten meters in diameter.

Ji Xinghuo stood on it alongside several dozen people, some of whom were leading their mounts. Together, they weighed about five or six tons.

"Ascend!"

A giant guard shut the gate and bellowed. Beside the cliff, the chimney of the boiler room belched out white fog, and the gears turned, driving the massive chains and emitting a loud clatter.

The platform began to rise.

There were only simple railings surrounding the platform, and as it ascended, cold winds blew in, causing it to sway slightly. This unnerved some of those who feared heights.

Having just jumped off the cliff a dozen times to test his courage, Ji Xinghuo felt none of that fear.

Soon, the platform reached the top.

A vast urban area came into view, with clean and tidy streets. Countless stone and log houses, built in a variety of styles, sprawled out as far as the eye could see. These structures, though architecturally diverse, blended together harmoniously, creating a unique aesthetic.

"Everyone, please exit."

There were also giant guards outside the platform, who opened the gate.

Ji Xinghuo followed the others out, stepping onto a plaza at the edge of the cliff. Here, there was another line of people waiting to descend.

He left the plaza and began wandering aimlessly through the streets.

Tianzhuai Cliff was quite large, spanning over a hundred square kilometers. However, not all of it was urbanized; the majority of the city was concentrated along the edge of the cliff, encircling the entire mountain and forming a ring-shaped metropolis. Additionally, Tianzhuai Cliff wasn't entirely flat; there was a slight gradient, with the center being higher than the edges.

From the edges to the center, the elevation gradually increased. The highest point in the center was only a few hundred meters tall, and from anywhere in the city, one could look up and see a majestic stone palace atop the mountain.

With his sharp eyesight, Ji Xinghuo could make out giant guards stationed outside the palace.

Below the level of the palace, encircling it, were numerous rocky caves from which many Snow Ape Giants came and went. This was their tribal residence.

Below the giant tribe's residence was the ring-shaped urban area.

The layout was simple, reflecting the hierarchy of the city.

Weaving through the bustling streets, Ji Xinghuo approached the center of Tianzhuai Cliff and gazed up at the mountaintop. The stone palace was beyond the range of his electromagnetic sensing, so he couldn't probe it.

However, he could sense an extremely powerful presence within the palace, stronger than a Heavenly King. This presence reminded him of the "Queen Ayaki" of the Heavenly Feather King Court.

The being that evoked such a feeling in him was undoubtedly a Star Shepherd!

That individual was the ruler of Tianzhuai Cliff.

Rumor had it that very few people had ever seen the powerful being within the palace. Many unusual individuals from Earth had visited Tianzhuai Cliff but had never been granted an audience.

No one from Earth knew the ruler's race or name.

At least, no such information could be found on Earth's internet.

Even those who had lived in Tianzhuai Cliff for decades were ignorant of the ruler's identity. People referred to this mysterious figure as the "Lord of Tianzhuai Cliff," as they never revealed themselves. They only communicated their commands, laws, or judgments through the chieftain of the Snow Ape Giant tribe when necessary.

They were incredibly enigmatic.

After observing for a while, Ji Xinghuo averted his gaze.

"I should find a place to stay."

In any country or civilization, the places where people gathered, such as inns or hotels, were always hubs of information.

As he walked down the street, he casually bought a map of Tianzhuai Cliff with a True Dragon Coin.

The map showed a simple division of the city.

Most of the area was occupied by the Highland and Beast tribes, who together claimed about a third of the total space. The remaining two-thirds were divided among dozens of other races.

The Star Gate to Earth had only been open for less than two centuries, and most activities were centered around the Thousand Peak Abyssal Woods. Very few ventured to the Bloody Highlands, let alone Tianzhuai Cliff, so it was unlikely for Earthlings to have established a significant presence here.

Ji Xinghuo asked around on the streets, but the responses he received were initially impatient and dismissive. However, when they realized he spoke the True Dragon language and was a human with a robust build, hidden aura, and faint dragon-like scales beneath his fair skin, their attitudes changed immediately.

In fact, ever since he entered Tianzhuai Cliff, Ji Xinghuo had sensed the difference in how people looked at him. The gazes he encountered were respectful, and some even seemed afraid to meet his eyes directly.

They mistook him for a True Dragon human.

The dragon descendants of the True Dragon Empire were renowned even in the Bloody Highlands.

Ji Xinghuo managed to gather some useful information. On the eastern side of Tianzhuai Cliff, there was an area called "Frostwind Street," a racially diverse neighborhood with bustling caravans, numerous inns and entertainment venues, and a constant flow of news and information.

Frostwind Street was situated right at the eastern edge of the cliff, stretching for two to three kilometers. Lining the street were countless shops, and alleys leading deeper into Tianzhuai Cliff, concealing many hidden places.

As Ji Xinghuo walked along Frostwind Street, he was amazed by the variety of races he encountered. There were Star Realm aliens and extraterrestrial beings of all shapes and sizes, making him feel like he had walked into a racial exhibition.

However, the majority of people he saw were still humans.

Ji Xinghuo extended his electromagnetic sensing.

With a careful scan, he soon located a human-concentrated inn and casually made his way over.

Even before he stepped inside, he could hear the sounds of fighting coming from within.

A figure was thrown out of the inn, landing heavily on the street. It was a red-skinned man, his armor sliced open and two deep gashes across his chest, bleeding profusely. He looked miserable.

"Get lost!"

A voice rang out from inside, filled with arrogance. "You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you dare compete with me for women? Do you have a death wish?"

The speaker was using the True Dragon language, his tone conceited.

The Dan human on the ground climbed to his feet, glaring angrily at the inn before eventually turning and running away.

"Hahaha, what a coward!"

The man inside the inn mocked again, this time switching to the Intergalactic Common language.

Laughter echoed from within the inn.

Ji Xinghuo shook his head. He didn't need to hear the whole story to guess what had transpired. He entered the inn, finding himself in a spacious hall.

Directly ahead was a bar counter, surrounded by a dozen or so tables and chairs occupied by patrons.

Most of them were humans.

Men and women of various skin tones and hair colors—red, white, black, gray, blue—and builds filled the room, each with unique features. Unless one was an expert well-versed in the myriad branches of humanity, it would be challenging to identify their specific racial origins or homeworlds.

Ji Xinghuo's arrival went unnoticed, and he was easily overlooked amidst the diverse crowd.

He made his way to the bar counter.

The man who had been causing the ruckus earlier was sitting at the counter, his back to the door, with a curvaceous red-haired woman in his arms. He was whispering sweet nothings to her.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at him—a top-tier super mutant, just half a step away from becoming a legend.

"He's strong," Ji Xinghuo assessed silently.

However, as he studied the man's back, a sense of familiarity washed over him, though he couldn't quite place where he had seen this person before.

Perhaps sensing Ji Xinghuo's gaze, the man turned his head.

Their eyes met, and both froze, stunned by what they saw.

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

Then, in unison, they exclaimed:

"Holy shit!"

"What the fuck!"

Ji Xinghuo and the man stared at each other, their eyes widening in disbelief.

The man's face was strikingly familiar—distinctive features, sharp and angular, and strikingly handsome. They looked like brothers, sharing seven or eight parts of resemblance. Ji Xinghuo had seen a photo of this man on his twenty-second birthday a couple of years ago.

He looked a bit more mature than in the photo, but still youthful, probably in his thirties. He exuded the same carefree and dashing aura.

However, the situation was a bit awkward.

The man subconsciously loosened his hold on the woman in his arms and stubbed out the cigarette he had been smoking. He wiped his hands on his pants and then extended one towards Ji Xinghuo.

"I'm Xia Qingyu," he introduced himself, his tone serious as he asked, "What's your name?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end