Chapter 504: Ruins of the Star Gate

Chapter 504: Ruins of the Star Gate

An exploration team?"

Ji Xinghuo's interest was piqued by the first half of Kui Gang's sentence.

But when he heard that it could increase his chances of advancing to the Star Saint by 30%, or at least, his heart immediately cooled.

The Yuan Magnet Array, one of the top stellar arrays of the Dynasty, was so difficult to meet the conditions that, in the best-case scenario, it could only increase the probability by 5%. What kind of harvest would it take to increase the chance by 30%?

The higher the return, the greater the risk!

Everyone understood this truth, and Kui Gang was not the kind of unreliable person. The fact that he said it must have been well thought out.

There was no fluctuation on Ji Xinghuo's shadow clone's face as he said, "I need more information."

Kui Gang raised his hand, palm facing Ji Xinghuo.

The silicon giant's body was encased in a crystal-like armor, and his palm was also in the form of hard crystal, like a screen, flashing rapidly.

Faint light formed words that flashed and disappeared.

"Ruins of the Ancient Stellar Gate Civilization."

Ji Xinghuo read the content and his heart trembled.

The ancient civilization referred to the era before the True Dragon Dynasty. The True Dragon Dynasty had ruled this domain for over a million years, and in the even more distant past, there were many civilizations, some of which were more powerful than the True Dragon Dynasty.

Although these civilizations had long since disappeared into the river of time, many ruins remained.

After the ancient civilization perished, the star gate also closed.

By locating some of the ruins, reopening the star gate to the galaxy may lead to the discovery of the immense wealth left behind by the ancient civilization.

Of course, it was also very dangerous.

Generally speaking, ruins that have survived for over a million years are likely to be guarded by powerful forces on the planets connected by the star gate, such as intelligent mechanical legions, space fortresses, and planetary defense systems.

There are also some mysterious things that even a Star Saint might fall victim to if they're not careful.

However, it was also possible that they would get lucky and the guardian forces would have already collapsed.

As long as they entered the star gate, they could take advantage of the situation.

Ji Xinghuo thought for a moment, and a wisp of black smoke formed words in front of him as he asked, "Which ancient civilization?"

There were quite a few ancient civilizations in the True Dragon Domain, with more than ten having left written records. Among them, three had once ruled the entire domain, and there was even one ancient civilization that, at its peak, had a territory that surpassed that of the True Dragon Dynasty, spanning three star regions.

"The Azure Empire," answered Kui Gang, his palm glowing with the response.

Ji Xinghuo's heart sank as he realized it was indeed the case.

The Azure Empire was the ancient civilization that had once spanned three star regions, and its demise had occurred over three million years ago.

This was the most powerful civilization ever born in the history of the True Dragon Domain.

The reason it was called the "Azure Empire" was because the mother planet of this civilization was the Azure Star, and the color of the sky on this planet was extremely beautiful and unique. The worship of this color became the hallmark of the Azure Empire.

Unlike the True Dragon Dynasty, the foundation of the Azure Empire lay in the Milky Way Galaxy, and they were an interstellar civilization.

The Star Realm was just a bridge for their interstellar travel.

This had sown the seeds of their eventual downfall.

The Azure Empire was enthusiastic about planet modification and colonization. Even today, many extraterrestrial races in the True Dragon Domain owe their existence to the planet modification plans of millions of years ago, with fragments of "Azure People" DNA present in some races' genes.

Although the Azure Empire had long since perished, its influence had not disappeared but had persisted to this day in another form.

As a result, the Azure Empire had the most numerous civilization ruins.

More than half of the ruins discovered by the True Dragon Dynasty were related to the Azure Empire.

But they were also the most dangerous.

The technological prowess of the Azure people was highly advanced, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and mechanical creations. There were only a handful of civilizations in the entire Milky Way Galaxy that could match them, far surpassing the present-day True Dragon Dynasty and even rivaling the Stellar Alliance and the Eternal Empire.

However, such a powerful interstellar empire had perished almost overnight.

Their domain in the Star Realm was occupied, all their star gates were destroyed, and the tens of thousands of planets they ruled were cut off, becoming isolated islands in the Milky Way, left to fend for themselves. Eventually, they were broken one by one by a terrifying enemy.

As for who the enemy was, no one knows to this day.

Some say it was a hostile foreign civilization, some say it was an invincible powerhouse of the eighth rank or higher, and some even speculate that it was a Star God!

After destroying the Azure Empire, this enemy left no trace and vanished.

The True Dragon Domain entered a long period of fragmentation.

During the two million years that followed, multiple civilizations rose, unified the domain, and then quickly declined.

It wasn't until a million years ago that the True Dragon Dynasty unified the domain and established their nation.

Learning from the lessons of the Azure Empire, the True Dragon people made the Star Realm their foundation, focusing their civilization's development on personal evolution rather than the importance of Milky Way planets.

As a Star Realm nation, the True Dragon Dynasty's management of Milky Way planets and extraterrestrial races was very loose, and their rule was far less influential than that of the Azure Empire. However, the resilience of their civilization was stronger, and their reign had endured far longer than any previous civilization, continuing to this day.

Ji Xinghuo's mind flashed with historical knowledge, and if it were the ruins of the Azure Empire's stargate, the harvest would undoubtedly be significant.

The promise of a 30% increase in the chances of advancement might not be an empty claim.

Seeing that Ji Xinghuo had been silent for a long time, Kui Gang thought he was about to refuse. His palm flashed with another line of text: "I'm currently in the process of exploring and locating the ruins, and there's a lot of preliminary work to be done. It will be a long time before we can actually open the stargate and enter it."

"How long?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Not sure," Kui Gang replied on his palm, "At least two seasons, maybe as long as five. You can take your time to consider."

A year in the Star Realm is divided into two seasons, and one season is equivalent to 1.85 years on Earth.

Two to five seasons would be roughly four to nine years on Earth.

Ji Xinghuo was left speechless.

However, he soon understood. The average lifespan of a silicon giant reaches 200 seasons, and Kui Gang, as a Sixth Stage powerhouse, could live even longer, possibly up to 500 seasons. As a result, his pace of doing things was very slow, and he didn't have a sense of urgency.

To Kui Gang, two or three seasons were equivalent to a few months for Earthlings.

As for himself, he was now a Heavenly Monarch and could live to be four to five hundred years old.

It was just a matter of getting used to the difference in time perception.

"If I agree to join the exploration team, how do I contact you?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

Kui Gang displayed a long string of complex identification codes on his palm and said, "This is my Star Realm terminal number. I pass through Titanium Ring City from time to time. You can send me a message or leave a mark here."

"Noted," Ji Xinghuo acknowledged.

After glancing at the identification code once, Ji Xinghuo committed the over hundred-digit number to memory. He turned and walked out of the courtyard, disappearing into thin air beyond Kui Gang's line of sight.

Ji Xinghuo then shuttled through the void for hundreds of kilometers away from Titanium Ring City before releasing Jiu You from his body. Jiu You transformed into a desolate being, carrying the "Stellar Force" exotic back to Titanium Ring City, while Ji Xinghuo's shadow clone dissipated where it stood.

Earth Base:

Ji Xinghuo was multitasking, having a conversation with Cheng Sheng in the tearoom while his attention was split.

Every Star Realm month, Cheng Sheng would send a report to the Head of State, and important news from Earth would be delivered as well.

Over the past year or so, the situation on Earth had been relatively stable.

However, this was only on the surface. There was some unrest brewing in the Americas Federation.

Ever since the third-generation Sun King made his appearance at the Global Marathon, he had deviated from the style of the previous two Sun Kings. He frequently appeared in the media, granting high-profile interviews and using his influence to intervene in domestic affairs, repeatedly sparking off waves of public opinion. He openly confronted the Americas Federation government and even directed his criticism at the corporations backing them.

This won the Sun King a lot of support, and his fame continued to rise, but it also caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the Americas Federation's upper echelons.

The Sun King used his strength and prestige to suppress the dissenting voices for the time being.

But this was only temporary.

Based on the intelligence gathered, the Head of State judged that it was highly likely that the Americas Federation would plunge into internal strife.

The Asia-Pacific Community would not miss this golden opportunity. Even if they couldn't directly weaken the Americas Federation, they would definitely take action against the Americas Federation's allies.

Multiple plans had already been set in motion, waiting for that one spark to set them off.

"Xinghuo," Cheng Sheng said in a low voice, "According to the Head of State's predictions, the next few years will be a critical period for the development of Earth's situation. I don't want to miss it."

"You want to return to Earth?" Ji Xinghuo guessed his intention.

"That's right," Cheng Sheng nodded. "I plan to break through to the Heavenly Monarch stage. After I succeed, I'll go back to Earth and serve my country. I've been in Titanium Ring City for so many years that I've almost forgotten what Earth looks like. I miss it terribly."

"I wish you success!" Ji Xinghuo encouraged him.

Before Ji Xinghuo, Cheng Sheng was the youngest legendary extraordinary on Earth, having reached the legendary stage at the age of 28. Now, at 52, he had been in the legendary stage for over two decades, and with his accumulated resources, breaking through to the Heavenly Monarch stage wouldn't be difficult.

The Titanium Cobalt Blue family had also been providing assistance, offering cultivation resources so that Cheng Sheng enjoyed treatment no less than that of a family member.

However, Cheng Sheng was ultimately not a True Dragon native.

If he could fuse with a "Dragon Vein" exotic, drawing power amplification and ability replication from his Steel-edged Dragon, his strength would undoubtedly rise to a whole new level.

Ji Xinghuo had a "Dragon Vein" exotic in his possession, but he couldn't use it. Without official recognition from the True Dragon Dynasty, he would be labeled a "Blood Thief," which was the most serious crime in the True Dragon Dynasty, not to be taken lightly.

After some consideration, Ji Xinghuo said in a low voice, "If you're returning to Earth and won't be coming to the True Dragon Dynasty for a short while, you can consider fusing with this."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of white bone fragment, which was the "Dragon Vein" exotic obtained from Cang Huo Gui.

Cheng Sheng's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Dra..."

Before he could finish his word, he asked, "Where did you get this?"

"I've been in the True Dragon Dynasty for so long. Is it strange that I have this exotic?" Ji Xinghuo's expression was calm. Out of all the True Dragon natives who had died by his hands, there were several Sixth Stage Dragon Lords, but he had only harvested one "Dragon Vein."

"That's difficult to accomplish," Cheng Sheng hesitated.

He had been in Titanium Ring City for many years and had not found a way to do this without alerting Titanium Cobalt Blue.

"It's not as difficult as you think," Ji Xinghuo smiled.

The management of the True Dragon Dynasty is quite lax. As long as the price is right, there will always be True Dragon citizens willing to sell their identities for personal gain. If you're worried about Titanium Cobalt Blue's opinion and don't want to do it behind her back, we can simply go elsewhere.

"When I was on East Emperor Island, my electromagnetic induction detected quite a few such transactions, and some minor families have made a fortune from facilitating them."

"For a Blood Thief to be pardoned and recognized as a True Dragon citizen, the most it would cost is two thousand Dragon Crystals."

For a cheaper option, four to five hundred Dragon Crystals would suffice.

Cheng Sheng's eyes lit up as he listened to Ji Xinghuo's explanation, "In that case, I'll gladly accept it. As for Hu Lan..."

"Act first and explain later," Ji Xinghuo interrupted. "She doesn't really care about these things."

"Alright!"

Cheng Sheng eagerly took the Dragon Vein exotic.

"Here, take these as well," Ji Xinghuo added, handing over three Dragon Crystals, each with a face value of ten thousand ether crystals, totaling thirty thousand. "I don't know what other exotics you might need, so feel free to buy whatever you require or purchase a Heaven-Awakening level weapon."

"Wow!"

Cheng Sheng's eyes widened in surprise, taken aback by Ji Xinghuo's generosity. He exclaimed, "Are core members of the Titanium Cobalt family treated this well?"

"How could that be?" Ji Xinghuo laughed bitterly, "I earned all of this myself."

"This is too much, I can't accept it," Cheng Sheng shook his head, feeling conflicted.

"Don't be sentimental," Ji Xinghuo said, guessing his thoughts. "When your strength increases, you'll be able to contribute even more to the country. If the Head of State knew about this, he would also approve."

"But I haven't done anything to deserve all these resources," Cheng Sheng persisted.

Ji Xinghuo smiled and said, "I just gave Blue thirty million Dragon Crystals in exchange for resources. These three million are extra, meant specifically for you."

"Ah?"

Cheng Sheng was left speechless.

He finally understood that for someone like Ji Xinghuo, a few million Dragon Crystals were insignificant, and he truly had no ulterior motives.

"In that case, I won't be polite," Cheng Sheng said happily as he pocketed the Dragon Crystals. With these three million ether crystals, he felt more confident about advancing to the Heavenly Monarch stage. He could also purchase a Heaven-Awakening level spear and fuse with the Dragon Vein, which would greatly enhance his strength.

Even if he only reached the first stage of the sixth tier, he would still be among the top ten in the Global Power Rankings.

"When are you planning to return to Earth?" Cheng Sheng asked.

"I'll wait a while longer," Ji Xinghuo replied, having already considered his plans. "I intend to cultivate in seclusion within the Titanium Cobalt family for a few months and try to reach the upper limit of the first stage of the sixth tier. Once I start condensing my star seeds, I should be ready to return to Earth."

Cheng Sheng was astonished once again. Was Ji Xinghuo planning to enter the second stage of the sixth tier so soon?

"I should go now," Ji Xinghuo stood up to take his leave.

As he scanned the Earth's residence with his electromagnetic induction, he paused momentarily, remembering the branched cloud deer that had been in his care for most of the year. However, this temporary mount lacked potential and had little use to him now.

Ji Xinghuo instructed Cheng Sheng to give the deer to any Earthling it formed a connection with.

Ji Xinghuo transformed into a bolt of electric light and soared into the sky, landing in Upper Titanium Ring City.

He returned to Titanium Cobalt Blue's estate.

Soon after, Jiu You returned with the 'Stellar Force' exotic, and Ji Xinghuo received the information displayed before him.

[Exotic: Stellar Force]



[Grade: Starfall]



[Fusion Success Rate: 94%]



[Upgradable: Yes]



As the silicon giant, Kui Gang, had mentioned, the Stellar Force was indeed one of the best power-type abilities. The information Ji Xinghuo obtained from the Myriad Star Eyes confirmed this.

The principle behind the Stellar Force involved infusing stellar energy into one's body, converting it into mechanical force for work. However, due to the mutual nature of forces, this would generate a counterforce on the body.

If the limit was exceeded, it could even cause self-injury.

Therefore, the stronger one's physical constitution, the greater the amplification of the Stellar Force.

When the Stellar Force was activated, the stellar energy coursing through the body would be fully occupied, unable to be used for other abilities.

This was akin to having a reduced total amount of stellar energy.

Furthermore, the higher the grade and amplification of the Stellar Force, the more stellar energy it consumed.

For an extraordinary at the second stage of the sixth tier, once they condensed star seeds within their body, the Stellar Force could further amplify its power by relying on the numerous star seeds. Hence, this ability was named 'Stellar Force', referring to both the stellar energy and the star seeds.

"What a fantastic exotic!"

"It's perfect for me!"

Ji Xinghuo praised the exotic, then pressed the twinkling star-like beast against his chest, allowing it to merge into his skin, flesh, and Star Gland.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end