https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-369-The-Methods-of-the-Ethereal-Spirit/12551275/
Chapter 368: Once Again, the Cliff of Heaven's Fall
Chapter 368: Once Again, the Cliff of Heaven's Fall
After being comforted by Zhao Manying, although Zhuo Yanner was still worried, she gradually calmed down and accepted the situation.
"Xinghuo, it's nice to meet you, even if it's under such embarrassing circumstances."
Only now did Zhuo Yanner have the peace of mind to assess her daughter's boyfriend. There was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes, having seen photos of him before, but now meeting him in person, he seemed flawless.
Ji Xinghuo respectfully greeted, "Aunt Zhuo."
"You're a fine young man," Zhuo Yanner said with satisfaction, smiling. "There's no one in this world more worthy of Manying than you."
Although she cared deeply for her daughter, she never interfered in her children's personal lives, always respecting their choices.
Now that her daughter had found such an excellent boyfriend, she was delighted.
"Let's have lunch together," Zhuo Yanner suggested warmly, rising to her feet. "I know a great restaurant, and we can celebrate Manying winning the league championship."
"Thank you, Aunt Zhuo. I'd be delighted to," Ji Xinghuo readily agreed.
The trio immediately set out.
Lunch was sumptuous and delicious.
Although Zhuo Yanner was over fifty, she looked after herself exceptionally well and had a youthful mindset, with no generation gap between her and her daughter. She interacted with them like friends, and her high emotional intelligence made everyone around her feel at ease.
Ji Xinghuo behaved as he usually did, not trying to curry favor just because he was meeting his girlfriend's mother. He was simply himself.
This attitude only earned him more respect from Zhuo Yanner.
During the meal, Ji Xinghuo paid close attention to Zhao Manying, who seemed perfectly normal.
However, he knew that his girlfriend was merely putting on a brave face for her mother and was actually worried sick.
After lunch:
Zhuo Yanner suggested going shopping, and Zhao Manying agreed.
Ji Xinghuo accompanied the mother and daughter, walking alongside them and watching Zhao Manying with a smile. Suddenly, he felt a sense of unease, his worry for her evident.
Taking advantage of Zhuo Yanner's absence as she went to try on clothes, Ji Xinghuo asked in a low voice, "Manying, are you alright?"
Zhao Manying's smile faded, and she replied softly, "Ten more hours."
Ji Xinghuo understood what she meant.
The enemy had given them a 12-hour deadline, forcing her to go to the True Dragon Dynasty. If she didn't comply, they would surely demonstrate even more ruthless coercion.
The first time, they sent a finger. The second time, it might be an arm.
Even if the President said that the more resolute she was in refusing to go, the less likely the enemy would dare to take her life, it might still be possible to ensure Zhao Cangming's safety.
However, Zhao Cangming would undoubtedly endure inhumane torture.
If they flew into a rage and killed their hostage...
Even with advanced modern medicine, while any injury short of death could be healed, and severed limbs could be reattached, severe injuries could still block one's evolution path, and the trauma could leave psychological scars.
"Perhaps I have a way to rescue Cangming," Ji Xinghuo said after a long silence.
Zhao Manying's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked urgently, "What way?"
"I can't tell you the specifics, but it has to do with a serendipitous encounter I had in the Star World," Ji Xinghuo said, referring to the Ethereal Being. "I can't guarantee success, and it will require a large amount of Aether Crystals."
He didn't know if the Ethereal Being would be willing to help or if he could even find a person in the Star World.
However, it was certainly a more promising lead than his own random searching.
Ji Xinghuo estimated he had about a 50% chance of success.
Without hesitation, Zhao Manying said, "No matter how many Aether Crystals it takes, as long as Cangming can come back safely, I'm willing to pay. I have over 1,000 Aether Crystals stored in the Aether Research Institute and more than 200 at home. You can take them all."
"No need," Ji Xinghuo shook his head. "I'll go first."
In the past two to three months, Princess Sophia had sent another batch of Aether Crystals, and the e-commerce platform had also settled twice.
Ji Xinghuo now had over 4,000 Aether Crystals in his possession, which should be enough.
"I'll go see the President first, and then I'll head into the Star World," he said. "When Aunt Zhuo comes out, please apologize to her on my behalf."
"Okay!"
Zhao Manying nodded solemnly, holding Ji Xinghuo's hand and whispering, "If it's impossible, your safety comes first. Promise me you'll come back. I don't want to lose both my brother and you."
"Don't worry. You take care of Aunt Zhuo," Ji Xinghuo reassured her.
After saying goodbye, Ji Xinghuo left the clothing store and took off into the sky, disappearing from view in mere minutes.
In just a few minutes, Ji Xinghuo was once again in the presence of Ji Daosheng.
"Your Excellency, I need to enter the Star World to meet a senior who may be able to locate Zhao Cangming's whereabouts," he said without preamble, explaining his request. "To meet him as soon as possible, I'd like to borrow your Sky-walking Shoes."
"What senior?" Ji Daosheng asked, puzzled.
Ji Xinghuo shook his head. "I can't say."
The Ethereal Being had instructed him not to reveal his identity to anyone, and the Chieftain of Hanqiu had also warned him not to divulge the secrets of the Cliff of Heaven's Fall.
Regarding this mysterious Stellar Shepherd, although Ji Xinghuo didn't know how he would ensure his secrecy, he didn't dare to test it.
"Not even through mental connection?" Ji Daosheng asked.
Ji Xinghuo shook his head again.
Ji Daosheng fell into thought. Pondering the identity of the senior who inspired such wariness in Ji Xinghuo, he immediately had a guess, and his spirits lifted. "The Stellar Shepherd?"
He couldn't help but get up and pace around his office, his face flushed with excitement and doubt. It wasn't because they could find Zhao Cangming, but because Ji Xinghuo had actually befriended a Stellar Shepherd in the Star World! This was a momentous event that could affect the entire globe.
If Ji Xinghuo's relationship with this Stellar Shepherd was close enough... Of course, it might also bring disaster to Earth, so extreme caution was warranted.
"How confident are you that this senior will take action?" Ji Daosheng asked, hoping to glean more information.
Ji Xinghuo considered for a moment before replying, "Fifty-fifty."
"I understand!"
A gleam of delight appeared in Ji Daosheng's eyes as he immediately pulled out a pair of Sky-walking Shoes from his drawer. "Time is of the essence. You should leave now. I'll keep an eye on things here on Earth, so you don't have to worry. Once you reach Olympia, I'll have Hawk Ji provide you with cover."
"Yes, Your Excellency," Ji Xinghuo acknowledged.
Ji Xinghuo boarded an empty skyfighter and, moments later, arrived at the Chaka Star Gate. He had already put on the Sky-walking Shoes and entered the Star Gate through a dedicated channel.
The world before him distorted.
When Ji Xinghuo's vision returned to normal, he found himself standing in Olympia's Star Gate Square. "Champion Marquis" Hawk Ji stood before him, accompanied by a squad of elite Star World soldiers who formed a human wall to block the view of onlookers.
"Follow me," Hawk Ji instructed.
The Earth Star Gate was always guarded by a Heavenly King, with the major powers taking turns assigning a Heavenly King to be on duty. It was Hawk Ji's turn these past two months.
Ji Xinghuo had met him several times before and, although they didn't have a personal relationship, they were not strangers to each other.
Ji Xinghuo scanned the surroundings with his electromagnetic sensing ability.
However, he didn't detect anything unusual, and the flow of people through the Star Gate, traveling between Earth and the Star World, seemed normal.
He followed Hawk Ji into a barracks outside the square. After the incident at the Qian Yuan Conference, the Star World Army of the Asia-Pacific Community had undergone a thorough purge, and every officer at the Wei level and above had undergone a mental inquiry to ensure their loyalty.
In a room within the barracks, Hawk Ji dismissed his subordinates and handed Ji Xinghuo a strange crystal, one that Ji Xinghuo had seen before.
"Teleportation Crystal!"
Hawk Ji nodded. "This Teleportation Crystal can be used three more times. You can choose the location yourself, and teleport directly away from Olympia, so no one will be able to track you. This should be enough to ensure your safety."
"Thank you," Ji Xinghuo said as he took the crystal and infused it with his starlight to activate it.
The Teleportation Crystal began to glow.
At the same time, Ji Xinghuo received information from the crystal in his mind, informing him that he could choose any direction and that the maximum teleportation distance was about 50 kilometers.
With a thought, he chose a direction slightly northeast and the maximum teleportation distance.
The crystal's glow enveloped his body.
Ji Xinghuo's vision flickered, and he felt momentarily weightless before returning to normal. He found himself in an uninhabited forest and took off, soaring into the clouds. Looking southwest, he could vaguely make out the outline of Olympia, about 50 kilometers away.
His destination was the Cliff of Heaven's Fall, located west of the Thousand Peaks Abyssal Forest, in the Bloody Highlands.
He deliberately took a detour just in case.
A loud boom sounded as Ji Xinghuo's speed suddenly reached 350 meters per second. On Earth, this would be faster than the speed of sound, but in the Star World, the speed of sound was 1024 meters per second, so he hadn't even reached subsonic speed.
Ji Xinghuo continued to accelerate, but the greater air resistance in the Star World made it more challenging to build up speed.
However, with his starlight now exceeding 26,000 points, his magnetic field flight speed rose accordingly, and with the boost from the Sky-walking Shoes, he soon broke through his previous cruising speed limit, going faster and faster until he finally surpassed 1024 meters per second.
A thunderous roar filled the air.
Ji Xinghuo had finally achieved supersonic flight in the Star World, carving a massive arc in the sky. After leaving the Earth-controlled territory, he turned westward.
His starlight was rapidly depleting but steadily recovering at the same time.
Ji Xinghuo flew with almost relentless effort, maintaining supersonic speed. In just over six hours, he entered the Bloody Highlands.
He continued flying for nearly two more hours.
As his starlight was about to run out, Ji Xinghuo spotted a massive table-like mountain on the horizon, with a grand city built on top of it.
The Cliff of Heaven's Fall was here! Ji Xinghuo checked the time and slowed down, resting for half an hour near the cliff to recover most of his starlight before flying up nonchalantly and presenting the Heavenly Falling Order to the Snow Ape Tribe.
Familiar with the procedure, Ji Xinghuo made his way to the tribe and met with Chieftain Han Qiu.
"Honored guest, it's been a while since your last visit," the six-meter-tall Han Qiu greeted him with a smile, his entire body covered in snowy white fur, standing there like a hill, unchanged since their last meeting.
"Chieftain Han Qiu, I wish to seek an audience with the Ethereal Being," Ji Xinghuo said respectfully.
"Please wait a moment."
Han Qiu immediately took out a Star Communicator and sent a message.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ji Xinghuo suddenly sensed a vast will descend upon him, sweeping through his entire being. Then, a benevolent voice resonated in his mind, "You seem to have an urgent matter today?"
(End of Chapter)
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