Chapter 393: The Yu Gui (Whispering Serpents) Clan

Chapter 393: The Yu Gui (Whispering Serpents) Clan

In front of Ji Xinghuo, the world twisted and warped as he felt the tearing force from outside the teleportation channel, but it only lasted for a brief moment before he returned to normal space, appearing in the hall of a public array palace.

"Check identification cards and pay the fee."

Outside the array, a pseudo-dragon humanoid forced a smile, but its eyes held contempt and arrogance.

Ji Xinghuo revealed his newly acquired subject identity card.

The pseudo-dragon's expression changed, and it immediately became enthusiastic, bowing and saying, "Your Excellency, please come this way."

Ji Xinghuo was used to this kind of condescension.

The True Dragon Empire was a nation where racial and power discrimination was the norm. Here, racial prejudice was politically correct, and everyone was accustomed to it, believing it to be only natural.

From the highest-ranking True Dragons to the lowly Barbarians, Ji Xinghuo had experienced the vast difference in treatment firsthand.

If he were still pretending to be a True Dragon now, the administrator wouldn't even dare to check his identification.

He might have even been exempt from the fees.

So, when he had first teleported to Cangdu, he had disguised himself as a True Dragon, but now there was no longer any need for that.

Ji Xinghuo paid the teleportation fee and rode out of the hall on his Antler Cloud Deer.

Outside was a city built into the mountains.

"Yu Gui City!"

As the Antler Cloud Deer walked down the streets, Ji Xinghuo observed the exotic architectural styles all around him. Most of the structures were built into the mountainsides as caves or underground, with only a small portion visible from the outside.

The city had a population of several million, and the streets stretched from the mountains down to the distant foothills.

The surrounding area was bustling with various exotic races.

Besides the dominant humans, the most prevalent race was the Gui (Whispering Serpents) Clan.

They were a common race in the Star Realm, often having a serpentine body with a human head. The upper body resembled a human's, while the lower body was that of a snake, and they had many branches within their race.

They could be distinguished by the color of their scales—black, green, white, flowered, or red Gui—or by their size—giant, python, or sand Gui. Some even had variations in the number of arms, ranging from four to six, and there were also double-tailed, multi-headed, or triple-headed Gui.

They were a vast race.

The differences between members of the Gui Clan were vast. Some were naturally gifted, with advanced technology and their own nations, while others were backward and ignorant, barely better than wild beasts.

Many powerful beings had emerged from the Gui Clan, and there was no shortage of Star Shepherds among them.

However, in the True Dragon Empire, the Gui Clan was considered a lower race, on par with the Barbarians.

Despite the city being named Yu Gui City and having over thirty percent of its population comprised of the Gui race, it was still ruled by humans.

Riding his Antler Cloud Deer, Ji Xinghuo arrived at the center of Yu Gui City and saw a massive stargate in the distance.

This stargate was even larger than the ones on Earth, with a diameter of over a hundred meters. It was like a black hole, surrounded by alloy-cast passages that resembled a honeycomb, enclosing the stargate. People constantly entered and exited through it.

Beyond this stargate lay Black Ring Star, their destination.

Yu Gui City was within the borders of the Yuan Magnet Territory, over eight thousand kilometers away from Titanium Ring City, making it a fairly well-known city in the territory, hence the presence of a public array.

As Ji Xinghuo approached the stargate, he turned to look in the direction of Titanium Ring City.

Through his senses, he detected a shadow that had instantaneously teleported from hundreds of kilometers away and, guided by him, appeared in an empty room by the street.

Then, with another shift, it landed in his pocket.

It was Qinghong!

When teleporting through the public array, even a miniaturized Qinghong would have been detected, so Ji Xinghuo had asked it to leave earlier and teleport over repeatedly, using his position for precise localization until they finally converged.

A few days ago, before he went to see Titanium Cobalt Blue in Titanium Ring City, Ji Xinghuo had asked Qinghong to leave and teleport out on its own to roam freely.

This had left Qinghong quite dissatisfied.

Today, as they were heading to Black Ring Star, he would definitely be bringing Qinghong along.

"Traveling to Black Ring Star requires a payment of 50,000 True Dragon Coins or one Aether Crystal." As Ji Xinghuo approached the stargate entrance, he saw this notice on a sign next to it, something Cheng Sheng had already informed him about.

Ji Xinghuo paid the True Dragon Coins, presented his identification card to register his information, and was then allowed to enter the stargate channel.

The flow of people entering and exiting the stargate was smooth and efficient.

Most of them seemed to be between the third and fifth stages of power. Black Ring Star wasn't considered extremely dangerous within the Yuan Magnet Territory, but it offered a wide range of challenges, accommodating hunters from the first to the sixth stage.

However, the entry fee to Black Ring Star was quite substantial—50,000 True Dragon Coins or an Aether Crystal. For those below the fifth stage, this was no small amount.

As a result, the overall gains were not particularly high, and it would take a long time to recoup the investment.

Usually, adventurers who entered Black Ring Star planned to stay there for an extended period to hunt, reducing the impact of the entry fee.

Soon enough, it was Ji Xinghuo's turn to pass through the stargate. The world twisted and spun as he stepped through, and he felt a slight lift under his feet before he found himself floating in mid-air. Looking around, he saw that he was in an enclosed space with a diameter of several hundred meters.

The alloy walls had transparent windows, offering a view of the outside.

On one side, deep and pitch-black space beckoned.

"Outer space!"

Ji Xinghuo floated out of the stargate channel, gazing at the infinite darkness of space. Despite having heard about it countless times, he still felt a sense of novelty as he beheld it with his own eyes.

He turned to look in the other direction.

Suddenly, a massive stargate filled his vision. The planet's surface was a blend of pale blue and green, veiled by a hazy atmosphere, but the most breathtaking feature was a planetary ring stretching out into space. It resembled a black ribbon pulled out from the stargate!

Billions of kilometers away, a red giant star shone brilliantly, its light reflecting off the planetary ring, half of which was cast in shadow while the other half displayed a vibrant array of colors.

This was the origin of Black Ring Star's name.

The entire planetary ring resembled a densely grooved record, divided into over ten rings from the innermost one that touched the planet's surface to the outermost ring, which was over 300,000 kilometers away, beyond the reach of the naked eye.

Ji Xinghuo floated out of the stargate hall, riding his Antler Cloud Deer.

He stood on the observation corridor, his electromagnetic senses scanning the surroundings. He realized that he was in a massive space station built around the stargate.

Its structure resembled a wheel, with the stargate at its hub. Radiating from the stargate were 32 corridors, each over a kilometer in length, connecting to the outermost ring, which had a diameter of more than two kilometers, thus forming a complete space station.

The space station hung over the planet's North Pole, hovering more than two thousand kilometers above the surface, and it was slowly rotating.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

Nowadays, it wasn't difficult for ordinary people to venture into space. One only needed to spend a few thousand yuan to make the trip, but Ji Xinghuo had never gone before.

This was his first time observing a planet from outer space.

Ji Xinghuo walked along the corridor to the outer ring of the space station. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation simulated gravity, giving him the feeling of standing on solid ground again. The space station was like a small city, complete with hotels, restaurants, cultivation chambers, exchanges, and various other facilities. It was technologically advanced and well-equipped.

The first thing Ji Xinghuo did was purchase a new Star League terminal.

Unlike the Star Realm terminal, this one could only be used within the Milky Way Galaxy, but it had a wide range of functions and allowed him to access Black Ring Star's internet quickly and conveniently.

Ji Xinghuo sat down in a scenic restaurant.

As he admired the view outside the porthole, he browsed through information about Black Ring Star.

All the information was publicly available and transparent.

Black Ring Star was a terrestrial planet, also classified as a "super-Earth." Its diameter was 21,000 kilometers, with a land and ocean area of approximately 1.3 billion square kilometers each.

It had a pleasant climate with distinct seasons.

However, this assessment was made over 1,500 years ago.

Nowadays, Black Ring Star's surface environment was complex and changeable, with most areas unsuitable for habitation, making it a very harsh place to live.

This was a result of a battle that took place 1,500 years ago.

Black Ring Star wasn't its original name. It used to be the mother planet of a branch of the Gui (Whispering Serpents) Clan called the Yu Gui (Shadow Serpents) Clan.

The Yu Gui Clan was the most intelligent branch of the Gui Clan, without equal. About 12,000 star realms ago, the Yu Gui Clan unified their mother planet and soon after discovered the stargate, naturally becoming a part of the True Dragon Empire.

From then on, the Yu Gui Clan quickly displayed their extraordinary racial talent, especially in the area of spiritual energy, which was comparable to that of the True Dragons.

In fact, their talent even surpassed that of the True Dragons!

The Yu Gui Clan's talent became the root of their downfall.

The specific process was unknown, as Ji Xinghuo couldn't find any records, but it was clear that 1,500 years ago, the Yu Gui Clan rebelled.

The Dragon Emperor led a massive army, and several Dragon Kings joined forces to suppress the Yu Gui Clan.

At that time, the Yu Gui Clan had five Star Shepherds, and the most powerful among them, the "Dark Stringer," was said to have reached the realm of an Infinite Dominion Master. He engaged in a life-and-death battle with the "Candlestick Dragon Emperor," shattering the Yu Gui planet's only satellite.

The fragments of the satellite were pulled by gravity and, under the influence of tidal forces, eventually formed the black planetary ring.

All five Star Shepherds perished, and the stargate was forcibly closed.

The Yu Gui Clan was annihilated.

Now, the Yu Gui Star had been renamed Black Ring Star, and due to the loss of its only satellite, the planet's climate underwent drastic changes that had yet to stabilize completely.

The True Dragon Empire had been monitoring Black Ring Star, with the task of observing it falling to the Titanium-Cobalt Family of the Yuan Magnet Territory.

Four hundred years ago, the Titanium-Cobalt Family investigated the situation on Black Ring Star. After confirming that no remnants of the Yu Gui Clan remained, they dispatched a Star Shepherd-level spiritualist, the String Master, to reopen the stargate.

However, they deliberately positioned the stargate above the North Pole and constructed a space station around it.

Today, Black Ring Star is considered a very suitable planet within the Yuan Magnet Territory for adventurers and hunters seeking exotic prey, and it also gives birth to some rare treasures.

The Titanium-Cobalt Family views it as a valuable asset.

The ticket revenue alone brings in an enormous fortune each year, and it continues to flow steadily.

"Hu..."

Ji Xinghuo let out a long sigh after reading through the information about Black Ring Star, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the Yu Gui Clan.

If the information wasn't exaggerated, the Yu Gui Clan's talents were terrifyingly high.

This was both their blessing and their curse.

If it weren't for the existence of the True Dragon Empire, or if the star gate corresponding to the Yu Gui Clan's star field had been located elsewhere, the Yu Gui Clan's achievements would have been far greater. While they might not have been able to rival the True Dragon race, they would have undoubtedly established a glorious civilization within the Star Realm and the Milky Way Galaxy.

However, all of that was now gone without a trace.

Ji Xinghuo didn't feel that the True Dragon Empire was in the wrong. It was a case of survival of the fittest, and if their positions had been reversed, the Yu Gui Clan would have undoubtedly extinguished the True Dragon race as well.

Moreover, the Yu Gui Clan was not a benevolent or righteous race.

According to records, this race was inherently cruel and cold-blooded, treating other races without the slightest bit of compassion.

They had no moral boundaries and frequently conducted biological experiments on other races.

Even before the True Dragons took action, the Yu Gui Clan had already gained infamy throughout the Yuan Magnet Territory and the Candle Dragon Domain for their atrocities. Their hands were stained with the blood of countless races, and they even dared to target the True Dragons, bringing their destruction upon themselves.

Their rebellion was perhaps not baseless but rather a consequence of their own actions.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but think of the Jing Ying Clan.

Similar to the Yu Gui Clan, the Jing Ying Clan possessed exceptional talent and advanced technology. However, they were slightly luckier, as their stargate was located in the Bloody Highland, outside the direct rule of the True Dragon Empire, and thus, they did not pose an immediate threat to the True Dragons.

But even so, the Jing Ying Clan has been rather unfortunate, as they are currently unaware of who is causing trouble in the Earth Abyss Star.

"A cautionary tale," Ji Xinghuo sighed inwardly.

If Earth were to rise to power, it would inevitably face suppression from the Sky Feather King Court. Fortunately, the winged people of the Sky Feather King Court were not as strong, with only three Star Shepherds among them.

As long as Earth could handle the Sky Feather King Court, they would be able to occupy the Thousand Peak Abyssal Forest.

The most important thing was to gain the support of a faction within the True Dragon Empire and have them acknowledge Earth's rule over the Thousand Peak Abyssal Forest.

But at the same time, they must also ensure that they do not appear as a threat to the True Dragon Empire.

"It's too far-fetched..."

Ji Xinghuo smiled at his own thoughts.

With Earth's current strength, it was not even a blip on the True Dragon Empire's radar. Any single True Dragon family could annihilate Earth with a wave of their hand.

Comparing Earth to an ant trying to shake a tree would be an exaggeration of Earth's capabilities.

Ji Xinghuo toured the space station, purchasing supplies specifically for use on Black Ring Star, collecting information about the monsters there, and acquiring several thermal energy weapons. The hunting center within the space station allowed adventurers to form teams.

Many people noticed Ji Xinghuo's extraordinary strength and sent him invitations to join their teams, but he declined them all.

Although joining a team first would have been safer as he gained experience.

However, Ji Xinghuo preferred to go solo, confident in his ability to navigate Black Ring Star on his own.

After making the necessary preparations, Ji Xinghuo mounted his Antler Cloud Deer and stepped into the space elevator.

This elevator descended from low Earth orbit, suspended by countless thin yet incredibly sturdy cables, with transfer stations every hundred kilometers or so to provide support and reduce the stress caused by the weight of the cables.

The spacious elevator cabin rapidly descended.

Besides Ji Xinghuo, there were several dozen people inside the cabin, all of them fully armed and accompanied by their mounts.

In the elevator cabin ahead, Ji Xinghuo even spotted a Dragon Lord with a True Dragon companion.

The elevator descended at a rapid pace.

As it passed through each transfer station, the horizon of Black Ring Star gradually transformed from an arc to solid ground. After more than an hour, the elevator finally reached the surface.

With a loud bang, the elevator doors opened, and Ji Xinghuo stepped out.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end