Chapter 378: The Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor

Chapter 378: The Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor

Under the peach blossom tree, Ji Xinghuo and Ye Zhen shared a gentle kiss.

"I have to go now," Ji Xinghuo said.

"Go ahead. I'll wait for you to come back with the children," Ye Zhen said with a smile, gently caressing her abdomen.

"Take care of yourself," Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Without further ado, he rose into the sky and accelerated, bursting out of Peach Blossom Gully with a loud whoosh. He soon became a tiny dot on the horizon and eventually disappeared from view.

Ye Zhen watched the direction of his departure and suddenly sighed softly, slowly making her way back to the secret realm.

It took only three hours for Ji Xinghuo to spot a majestic city towering on the plateau. The entire city was encased in a transparent shield, and a straight, thick beam of light soared into the sky, piercing the clouds.

He had arrived at the City of Eternal Day.

Slowing down, he descended towards the city gate.

On previous visits to the City of Eternal Day, Ji Xinghuo had disguised himself as a highlander due to his insufficient strength at the time. Now, he no longer needed to hide his identity.

The Jingyingzu guards gave him wary looks and were about to question him, but Ji Xinghuo immediately presented his highest-level black crystal badge.

Clap!

The Jingyingzu guards saluted in unison and immediately let him pass.

The onlookers were astonished by this scene, as they had never seen the Jingyingzu guards show deference to an outsider before.

Ji Xinghuo entered the city and operated the badge a few times. A hovering vehicle slid over from a distance and stopped in front of him; there was even a Jingyingzu driver who greeted him, "Greetings, General Yongzhou."

The black crystal badge represented the identity of a "General of the Eternal Day," granting him numerous privileges within the City of Eternal Day, akin to those of a foreign citizen.

Ji Xinghuo boarded the vehicle and stated his purpose, "I wish to meet with Guizhu."

"Of course."

The Jingyingzu paused for a few seconds, his crystal-like eyeballs flickering, "Guizhu is available now; we shall head there immediately."

The hovercar started moving and soon arrived at the foot of the Guangzhao Peak in the center of the city.

Ji Xinghuo entered a grand building; the hall inside was spotlessly clean, and the floor was smooth as a mirror. There, he met Guizhu once again.

Guizhu's form was that of a giant serpent rearing upright, its tail coiled several times, with its lower body covered in metallic armor and its upper body in the shape of a human. He had six arms, wore a white coat, and his facial features were distinct and clear.

"Greetings, Guizhu," Ji Xinghuo said respectfully.

He spoke in the Asian Common Language.

The Guizhu before him was not only powerful, being at the pinnacle of the Heavenly King tier, but also extremely knowledgeable. During their previous encounter, Guizhu had displayed his fluency in the Asian Common Language.

"It's you," Guizhu said, slightly bowing his serpentine body. A kind smile appeared on his crystalline face as he scrutinized Ji Xinghuo.

"I remember you, the human from Earth."

Surprise filled Guizhu's eyes. "In just one season, your strength has increased so dramatically!"

"It's all thanks to the opportunities provided by the City of Eternal Day," Ji Xinghuo replied humbly.

"Hehe..."

Guizhu's massive head swayed, and his eyes, like crystal balls, seemed to see through everything. "Every year, hundreds and thousands of new members join the Eternal Day Guardians, but only a handful experience a surge in strength like you have. Xuanming truly had the foresight when he gave you the black crystal badge."

Without waiting for Ji Xinghuo to respond, Guizhu asked directly, "What brings you to me today?"

"I wish to borrow the Jump Array," Ji Xinghuo stated his purpose.

"Oh?"

Guizhu leaned forward, his eyes widening in surprise. "How did you know about the Jump Array? It's one of our tribe's secrets; even as a General of Eternal Day, you are not supposed to have access to information about the Jump Array."

"I found out by chance," Ji Xinghuo replied, naturally not wanting to expose the existence of the Virtual Spirit.

As Guizhu was about to press further, his brows suddenly furrowed.

He seemed to sense something unusual, and after a moment of silence, his tense expression relaxed.

Ji Xinghuo watched this unfold, puzzled, guessing that it might be due to some mysterious means of the Virtual Spirit. Guizhu, too, seemed to have realized something or received certain information, for his attitude changed in the blink of an eye.

"Since you already know, there's no harm done," Guizhu said, lifting one of his arms. "The Jump Array is not open to the public..."

Ji Xinghuo remained patient, waiting to hear more.

"...but there are exceptions," Guizhu continued nonchalantly. "As a General of Eternal Day, it's reasonable for you to use the Jump Array as long as you can afford the cost."

"Please tell me, sir," Ji Xinghuo said, unsurprised.

"The Jump Array consumes Aether Crystals, and the farther the distance, the greater the consumption," Guizhu explained. "Where do you wish to go?"

"The True Dragon Dynasty," Ji Xinghuo replied.

"My tribe's Jump Array has three connection coordinates within the True Dragon Dynasty. Two are located in the 'Zhuoxing Dragon Domain,' and one is in the 'Xuantian Dragon Domain.'

The overall shape resembled an irregular rectangle, longer east to west and narrower north to south. Without knowing the scale, he could see that it was roughly divided into five large regions, with one each in the northwest, southwest, southeast, and northeast, encircling the largest central region, which was about half the size of the outer regions.

Having studied starry sky knowledge for several months, Ji Xinghuo was familiar with the curriculum's focus on the True Dragon Dynasty. Although the information available on Earth was limited, it provided a basic understanding.

These five regions were known as the "Dragon Domains."

As he examined the map, he noticed that each Dragon Domain was further subdivided into smaller areas called "Dragon Territories."

The size of any Dragon Territory was three to five times larger than the combined area of the Thousand Peaks Abyssal Wood and the Bloody Highland! There were at least forty Dragon Territories under each Dragon Domain.

With over two hundred Dragon Territories, the True Dragon Dynasty was ruled by Dragon King families, where the term "Dragon King" referred to a Seventh-Order Dragon Lord, equivalent to a Star Shepherd. This meant that the True Dragon Dynasty boasted over two hundred Star Shepherds! Above the Dragon Kings were the Dragon Emperors, who ruled over the Dragon Domains.

The five major Dragon Domains were governed by five Dragon Emperors, the supreme rulers of the True Dragon Dynasty, each possessing the power of an Infinite Realm Master.

The Thousand Peaks Abyssal Wood, where Earth was located, lay in the southwestern direction of the True Dragon Dynasty, with the nearest Dragon Domain being the "Zhuoxing Dragon Domain."

Ji Xinghuo spotted three glowing dots on the map.

Two were in the Zhuoxing Dragon Domain, close to each other, and one was in the center of the map, within the "Xuantian Dragon Domain."

"I want to go to the Yuan Magnet Territory," Ji Xinghuo stated.

The Yuan Magnet Territory, known as the Yuan Magnet Dragon Territory in the spoken language of the True Dragon Clan, was commonly referred to as the Yuan Magnet Territory.

Hui Zhu enlarged the map to show only the Zhuoxing Dragon Domain and pointed to a small area within it. "The Yuan Magnet Territory is here, and the nearest jump coordinate is in the Canghuo Territory." His finger trailed across the map and landed on one of the glowing dots.

"Canghuo Territory..."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

The naming of Dragon Territories was usually associated with the Dragon King families that ruled them. In this case, the Canghuo Territory indicated that the ruling Dragon King family possessed the bloodline of the "Canghuo Dragon."

Of course, this wasn't an absolute rule, and some territories had different naming origins.

For example, the "Xuyue Territory" was named after the location where Zhao Manying's father discovered the interstellar spaceship, rather than being related to the Dragon King family. Instead, it was derived from the Xuyue Mountain Range, an extremely famous and dangerous terrain within that Dragon Territory.

Ji Xinghuo had heard about the Canghuo Territory from his teacher before. It was located slightly south of the geographical center of the Zhuolong Star Domain.

The Yuan Magnet Territory he was heading to was separated from the Canghuo Territory by another Dragon Territory.

The distance was about 40,000 kilometers.

It was quite far, but also relatively close, especially compared to the distance from the Thousand Peaks Abyssal Wood. It would save him a lot of time and journey.

Hui Zhu closed the map.

"Jumping to the Canghuo Territory will cost 120 Aether Crystals," Hui Zhu quoted, "In addition to the Aether Crystals, you must also pay Eternal Day Merit Points as a contribution to my clan."

Ji Xinghuo asked, "How many merit points?"

He still had over 1,700 merit points.

He had intended to save these merit points and accumulate 3,000 to purchase the Heavenly Paradise Diamond directly from the Jingying Clan.

After he and Ye Zhen had killed the Teng Rong composite body and taken away the Eclipse Exotic, they might have attracted the attention of the forces behind the Star Abyss. He didn't dare to venture into the Star Abyss again in the short term, so his merit points had remained unchanged, and he had temporarily lost an excellent place to harvest spiritual source energy.

Before his departure, Sister Zhen had specifically warned him against going to the Star Abyss for the time being.

It would be unsafe to do so for at least another year or two.

"A thousand points," Hui Zhu said.

"Agreed," Ji Xinghuo replied, secretly relieved.

If the other party had asked for more than 1,700 merit points, he would have had no choice but to fly to the True Dragon Dynasty instead of risking his life for merit points in the Star Abyss.

"When do you want to make the jump?" Hui Zhu asked.

Ji Xinghuo thought for a moment. "I need to make some preparations in the City of Eternal Day, which may take two or three days. Can you wait?"

"As long as you have the Aether Crystals, you can jump at any time." Hui Zhu nodded slightly. "Let me know when you're ready."

"Thank you, sir."

Ji Xinghuo left the hall and immediately headed for the Exotic Treasure Auction House.

The True Dragon Dynasty was even more dangerous than the Thousand Peaks Abyssal Wood and the Bloody Highland, teeming with powerful beings, especially the Dragon Lords. He might even encounter a Dragon King, so he had to be extra cautious as an outsider.

Ji Xinghuo immediately spotted the 'Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor'.

The Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor was a Super-Ability Three-Star equipment, just like the Black Crystal Battle Bow. It was also a unique crystal-engraved armor, primarily made from a composite of tantalum and silicon, imbued with extremely advanced Aether technology, and offered exceptional defensive capabilities.

The starting bid for this armor was 60 Aether Crystals + 80 Eternal Day Merit Points.

After several rounds of bidding, the current offer stood at 75 Aether Crystals + 130 Eternal Day Merit Points, and there were still more than 20 stellar hours left until the auction ended.

Ji Xinghuo stroked his chin thoughtfully.

With the Flux Barrier and the Holy Scale Armor, and his skin strengthened by the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon's Blood to be as tough as an alloy, his defense was already very strong.

Adding the Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor on top of that seemed a bit redundant.

However, as long as the battle armor didn't conflict with his abilities, the stronger the defense, the better, and it might even save his life in critical moments.

"I'll take it."

Ji Xinghuo operated his badge to place a bid.

The auction house's crystal panel refreshed, and the current price for the Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor changed to 75 Aether Crystals + 150 Eternal Day Merit Points.

He continued browsing through the other auction items and, just a few minutes later, someone else bid 80 Aether Crystals, clearly demonstrating their strong desire for the item.

Ji Xinghuo immediately raised the bid, offering 80 Aether Crystals and 200 Merit Points.

This change attracted hushed discussions within the auction house.

The bid had already exceeded the previous transaction prices.

Ji Xinghuo waited for a moment, and seeing that there were no new bids, he figured that he had scared off his competitor.

Next, his attention was drawn to another Super-Ability Three-Star equipment, the Flickering Boots, which could increase his movement speed and were also equipped with the abilities to teleport and turn invisible. Although the boost to his speed was far inferior to that of the 'Sky-Riding Flying Shoes', they were still a rare and valuable auxiliary equipment.

These Flickering Boots were up for a consignment auction and were not a product of the Crystal-engraved Clan.

Ji Xinghuo placed a bid of 200 Aether Crystals for the Flickering Boots and eventually secured them.

Initially, he didn't have many Aether Crystals, and the auction house had less than a hundred in stock. Fortunately, before his departure, Sister Zhen had given him a thousand Aether Crystals and a batch of over ten thousand Qingkong Fruits, all stored in his Dimensional Stomach.

Subsequently, Ji Xinghuo successfully bid for several other items.

Various potions, equipment, and the like, though none as valuable as the Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor and the Flickering Boots, still cost him nearly 300 Aether Crystals in total, and he had also almost exhausted his Eternal Day Merit Points.

The next day.

After spending the night at the hotel, Ji Xinghuo successfully won the bid for the Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor and received the item from Xuan Ming.

Back at the hotel, he examined the battle armor he had won.

The Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor was completely unlike ordinary battle armor. It appeared as a glass piece the size of a palm, hard in texture, weighing less than a kilogram, and reflecting neon-like light when exposed to sunlight.

Following the instructions for use, Ji Xinghuo held the battle armor and infused it with his stellar power.

Instantly, the glass slab melted like ice into water, seeping into his palm, and a chill spread swiftly throughout his body.

As the battle armor was activated, a crystal-like shell formed on Ji Xinghuo's skin, perfectly conforming to the shape of his body, about half a centimeter thick. The transparent armor had a steel-gray metallic structure yet did not hinder his movements.

Ji Xinghuo tested it, and this layer of armor possessed both hardness and toughness, with defensive capabilities slightly inferior to the Sixth-Grade Holy Scale Armor but still very impressive.

With a thought, scales appeared between the battle armor and his skin.

The Holy Scale Armor was unaffected by the Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor.

The Flux Barrier could also be activated simultaneously with the two layers of protection, providing a total of three layers of defense, which gave Ji Xinghuo a strong sense of security.

The other items he had won were also delivered one after another, and Ji Xinghuo inspected them all.

Finally, he retracted the Tantalum-Silicon Battle Armor beneath his skin, donned the Flickering Boots, strapped on the Electric Potential War Blade and the Black Onyx Crystal Battle Bow, and then changed into a form-fitting battle attire in the style of the True Dragon Clan. Thus prepared, he strode out of the hotel.

Qinghong remained shrunk within his pocket, while the Spirit String Song was kept in the Dimensional Stomach.

Ji Xinghuo met with Hui Zhu again.

"With your appearance, anyone would believe that you're a True Dragon Clan member." Hui Zhu commented upon seeing Ji Xinghuo's getup.

"Greetings, Senior Hui Zhu," Ji Xinghuo said in True Dragon language, his expression respectful yet carrying a hint of arrogance, as if looking down on anyone who considered themselves superior to him, his demeanor identical to that of a True Dragon Clan member.

"You've learned it well!"

Hui Zhu couldn't help but laugh and then turned serious. "Follow me."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end