Chapter 511: Welcomed by the Chief

Chapter 511: Welcomed by the Chief

"Heaven-Falling Cliff!"

"Is that really Heaven-Falling Cliff?" Chi Zhonglin placed his hand on his brow, staring at the famed cliff several kilometers away. He was utterly dumbfounded.

The rest of the group stared in disbelief, looking around in awe.

Wu Qifeng exclaimed, "From the Dark Rock Volcanoes to Heaven-Falling Cliff, it's at least a two-thousand-kilometer journey. We traveled for days, and yet we're back in the blink of an eye!"

"Xinghuo..."

Zhong Ming looked at his third brother, finally realizing just how formidable Ji Xinghuo had become. His extraordinary abilities had far surpassed the imagination of ordinary people.

Ji Xinghuo laughed and explained, "This is a Starfall ability called Star Realm Teleportation. Don't be so surprised; you'll all get used to it soon enough."

A Starfall ability...

The group could only stare at each other in astonishment.

Not one among them possessed a Starfall ability, and only a handful had Transcendent abilities. They couldn't even dare to dream of such power.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at Heaven-Falling Cliff and said, "I'm heading back to Earth now. What about the rest of you? If you plan to continue adventuring on the Bloody Highlands, we can return to Heaven-Falling Cliff. But if you also want to go back, you can come with me."

"I'll go back to Earth with you," Lu Yunhai immediately replied.

Standing next to the massive Wu Yanyou, he felt secure with his new battle companion. He intended to return to Earth and use Symbiotic Fusion to boost his strength. Staying in the Star Realm might prove dangerous, and he didn't want to risk losing this powerful battle companion.

He had even decided that he wouldn't return to the Star Realm until he had reached the Superpower level on Earth.

Ji Xinghuo looked at the others. "What about you?"

The group was still considering their options.

"Xinghuo, we've been traveling for over two months since we left Olympia, facing numerous dangers along the way. It wasn't easy for us to finally reach the Bloody Highlands," Zhong Ming said after some thought. "So, I plan to stay in the area around Heaven-Falling Cliff for a few years. I won't be returning just yet."

Having brought his teammates through so much hardship to get here, he felt it would be wrong to abandon them and return to Earth with Ji Xinghuo.

"I'll stay as well," Chi Zhonglin chimed in.

Zhuoligetu and Wu Qifeng also chose to remain.

"Brother-in-law, I'll go back to Earth with you," Zhao Cangming said calmly. However, Ji Xinghuo could tell what he was thinking. Zhao Cangming wanted to be there when Man Ying took revenge on Shi Hongyi's family, and he didn't want to miss it.

Now that he had reached the Superpower level, he felt he had the right to participate in the vengeance, at the very least to witness the downfall of his enemies.

Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Jiang Nancai spoke softly, "I want to go find my sister."

Aside from Chi Zhonglin, no one else knew whom she was referring to.

"Caiyi, I'm counting on you." Ji Xinghuo took Qinghong out of his pocket, revealing its true form, a massive creature over five meters long. "Qinghong, take Caiyi to her destination and then come back."

"This is Qinghong?"

Chi Zhonglin clicked his tongue in amazement and stepped forward to pat Qinghong's back. "You've grown so much, little guy. How come you've gotten chubbier too?"

After devouring the Void Kun Dragon's corpse, Qinghong's physique had become more robust, losing the sleek proportions it once had.

However, it hated being called fat. Its eyes narrowed in displeasure, and it turned its head to butt Chi Zhonglin, who didn't react in time and tumbled to the ground in a heap. He scrambled to his feet, rubbing his behind, and grumbled, "Hey, I was just joking!"

Ji Xinghuo laughed. "It's best not to provoke Qinghong right now."

Due to the Illusion Ring he wore, Qinghong's aura was concealed. Otherwise, even Chi Zhonglin would feel his legs turn weak just standing before it.

"Roar!"

Qinghong let out a low roar at Chi Zhonglin, not too loud, but it sent shivers down Chi Zhonglin's spine.

Jiang Nancai gently stroked the whiskers on Qinghong's neck before climbing onto its back.

Ji Xinghuo took out a vial of True Marrow Injection and a Mirage Pearl, handing them to Jiang Nancai. Before she could refuse, Qinghong leaped into the void, carrying her away from the Star Realm and toward Peach Blossom Valley.

These two expansion curios were both a token of gratitude for her taking care of Ren Jie and a payment for her silence.

As for other cultivation resources, Ye Jian would provide them.

While they waited for Qinghong to return, Ji Xinghuo took out a few more items that caught everyone's attention.

"A gift for all of you."

Ji Xinghuo smiled and said, "These are some good things I obtained from the True Dragon Dynasty. I'm sharing them with all of you now. Whether you keep them for yourselves or sell them is up to you."

Each person received a Star's Tear and a True Marrow Injection.

There were plenty of these two expansion curios, more than 20 sets. They weren't worth as much to him anymore, but they were desperately needed by his friends. It was his way of thanking them for adventuring with his second brother and helping him grow stronger over the past two years.

"Star's Tears!"

Wu Qifeng's eyes lit up. "Xinghuo, you're really rolling in wealth now. Each Star's Tear is worth at least 300 million aether dollars, and you're giving away so many like they're in bulk!"

"Don't be polite. Take them," Ji Xinghuo laughed. "There's plenty more where that came from."

Everyone recognized the Star's Tears, but the True Marrow Injection was new to them.

Zhong Ming examined the syringe in his hand—it was clearly a high-tech drug. He asked curiously, "Xinghuo, what is this?"

"True Marrow Injection."

Ji Xinghuo gave a simple introduction.

When the group heard that it was also an expansion curio, and one that accelerated metabolism and granted immunity to most toxins, they were astounded. If sold on Earth's market, its value would undoubtedly far surpass that of the Star's Tears.

"Really?"

Chi Zhonglin was overjoyed.

He had been using this spear for over two years and had become very proficient with it. Before Ji Xinghuo's return, he had been saving up money to buy it for himself, even though it was worth billions. As for the grudge between the Shi family and the spear, he didn't care about that at all.

Ji Xinghuo shrugged, "I always keep my word. I said I'd give it to you, so it's yours now."

"Wow, bro..." Chi Zhonglin jumped for joy and shouted, "I love you so much! If you were a girl, I'd kiss you right now."

"Get lost."

Ji Xinghuo kicked him playfully.

The others were extremely envious. The Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear was a Super-Ability three-star weapon, and they had all witnessed its destructive power. Yet, Ji Xinghuo was giving it away so casually.

"Here, brother."

Ji Xinghuo tossed an armband to Zhong Ming, "This is the Dragon Ring. It contains everything I've prepared for you."

The rest of the group stared with wide eyes.

An artifact that contained a dimensional space was at least a one-star Epiphany.

Zhong Ming quickly caught the Dragon Ring and probed it with his consciousness. His expression froze, and he turned to look at Ji Xinghuo, who smiled at him calmly.

The Dragon Ring contained the one-star Epiphany "Blazing Fist Set," the Star-Falling exotic species "Meteor Dragon Inferno Body" and "Falling Star Blast," as well as multiple fire-based abilities like Spiritual Energy, Fluid Form Barrier, and Scorching Ray, allowing Zhong Ming to cultivate as a Thermal Stringer.

Zhong Ming was already an advanced Flame Maniac and a Leaping Flame Human.

With the Flame Maniac and Thermal Stringer, he could further advance to become a Flame Emperor, and these paths did not conflict with each other. If he also cultivated as an Iron Guard and fused with "Fusion" or completed a fusion ability set, he could even become the ultimate profession, "Son of the Stars."

There were also other treasures inside: the Paradise Diamond, the Mirage Pearl, the Doomsday Dragon Eye, True Marrow Injections, and two Star's Tears, along with various top-tier drugs produced by the Titanium Cobalt family.

There were also lifesaving items like the Dragon King's Life Amulet and the Leap Crystal.

Lastly, there was a sum of 50,000 Aether Crystals.

Ji Xinghuo spoke directly into Zhong Ming's mind through electromagnetic waves, quickly explaining the usage and effects of each item.

"If you encounter any troubles in the eastern part of the Bloody Highlands that you can't handle, you can use this Fallen Order token to find Chanyu, the chief of the Snow Ape Tribe. He's a friend of mine, and if you offer him some Aether Crystals, he'll lend you a hand."

Zhong Ming felt dizzy after hearing all of this. The Dragon Ring in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he almost dropped it.

"Brother, keep this quiet," Ji Xinghuo instructed.

When it came to his brothers, Ji Xinghuo was never stingy. He would provide the best resources to ensure that his brother became a King-level mutant, far surpassing others at the same level. His brother's talent was worth this investment.

In the future, if he had enough resources, he would even try to create an opportunity for his brother to advance to the level of a Star Shepherd!

Zhong Ming took a deep breath.

Chi Zhonglin asked curiously, "What's in the Dragon Ring?"

"All good stuff," Zhong Ming replied with a calm smile, putting the Dragon Ring on his arm and covering it with his armor.

Ji Xinghuo then gave everyone one or two exotic species each, all of which were hunting and battle spoils that he didn't need. Most of them were Excellent-grade, with a few being Super-Limit grade. He hoped that his friends would be able to match with them.

As for whether they would be compatible or if the fusion would fail, that was beyond his control.

At that moment, ripples appeared in the void before them.

A few seconds later, Qinghong leaped out, but Jiang Nancai was no longer on its back. Ji Xinghuo waved goodbye as he rode away, "See you all later."

Lu Yunhai, along with his two battle companions, and Zhao Cangming approached. The group stepped aside, and in a flash of white light, they disappeared from view.

"Xinghuo is truly fearsome now," Chi Zhonglin commented.

"Yeah," Wu Qifeng agreed, recalling the Ji Xinghuo from their university days. Today's experience felt like a dream.

Zhuoligetu asked, "Captain, where do we go next?"

"Back to Heaven-Falling Cliff," Zhong Ming replied without hesitation. "Xinghuo has given us so many good things. We should turn them into strength at Heaven-Falling Cliff and then head out to hunt. Even though we're down three teammates, the four of us are more than enough."

The others agreed, and they all started walking towards Heaven-Falling Cliff.

Lu Yunhai and Zhao Cangming's surroundings changed as they stepped out of the void, finding themselves in a completely unfamiliar environment.

"Brother-in-law, where are we?" Zhao Cangming asked.

"The eastern edge of the Bloody Highlands," Ji Xinghuo replied. As he finished speaking, he led the group into another Star Realm Leap.

Each leap covered about 10,000 kilometers.

From Heaven-Falling Cliff to Olympia was over 30,000 kilometers, easily covered by a fifth-level Star Realm Leap.

Usually, Ji Xinghuo wouldn't use the Star Realm Leap casually, preferring to fly or teleport through the void, saving the leap for emergencies. But now that they were returning to Earth, it didn't matter.

With three leaps, they arrived outside Olympia.

It had taken them almost two months to reach Heaven-Falling Cliff, yet Ji Xinghuo had brought them back in less than a minute.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic senses swept through, and he could see that Olympia's population had grown since his last visit two years ago. The city had expanded outward, and some of the streets and buildings had changed.

But one thing remained constant—the star gate at its center.

Armies from various nations were camped around the star gate square, with the Asia-Pacific Community occupying a quarter of the area, where the Star Realm Army was stationed.

Several Heavenly Kings and a group of Legends stood guard.

The current rotational leader of the Asia-Pacific Community was Cheng Sheng, who had successfully advanced to Heavenly King status two months ago in Titanium Ring City and returned early.

Cheng Sheng was practicing martial arts in the camp when he sensed the disturbance and rushed over with his Star Initiate One-Star spear in hand, his face stern.

"Brother Cheng."

Ji Xinghuo appeared from the void, greeting him with a smile.

"It's you, back again!" Cheng Sheng exclaimed as he recognized the visitor, his face relaxing into a smile. "I was just thinking about when you would return, and here you are." His eyes then fell on Lu Yunhai and Zhao Cangming, and he paused briefly on Wu Yanyou.

Ji Xinghuo introduced the two by name and identity.

He then said to them, "He is Cheng Sheng. You should have heard of him."

"Hidden Dragon!"

Lu Yunhai blurted out Cheng Sheng's nickname, "Ranked third on the Legends List."

"I'm no longer a Legend now," Cheng Sheng explained modestly. After returning to Earth, he had revealed his strength and fought two foreign Heavenly Kings, defeating them with ease. That battle had shocked the entire world.

Nowadays, Cheng Sheng was ranked eighth on the Global Power Rankings, and his nickname had been upgraded from "Hidden Dragon" to "Iron Dragon King"! Lu Yunhai and the others had been in the Star Realm and were naturally unaware of these developments.

But they could tell from his words that Cheng Sheng had advanced to Heavenly King status, and his relationship with Ji Xinghuo seemed quite close.

Ji Xinghuo glanced around at the surrounding Star Realm Army and said, "Get ready. I've brought back the resources."

"We're all set!"

Cheng Sheng turned and ordered the Star Realm Army.

Then, he led Ji Xinghuo's group into a warehouse within the camp, where Ji Xinghuo took out the titanium-cobalt blue dimensional ring and retrieved all the resources within, carefully packing them into sturdy boxes according to their categories.

Since dimensional equipment couldn't be used on Earth, whenever Titanium Cobalt Blue sent resources, they had to be unpacked in Olympia and then transported through the star gate.

Half an hour later...

The Earth side received the notification and was ready.

General Luo Baoguo of the Great Xia Army led a group of titanium-cobalt dragon men who had removed their power armor, and Minister Yan Wen of the Star Realm Affairs Department also brought people to personally escort this batch of resources through the star gate.

"Minister Yan, please sign for the receipt," Ji Xinghuo said as he handed the minister the receipt.

Minister Yan Wen's eyes widened as he looked at the long list of resources, astonished by the sheer quantity. This batch was several times larger than any previous shipment, with a total value of 16 trillion aether dollars.

And most of it was contributed by Ji Xinghuo.

"You've worked hard, Xinghuo," Minister Yan said with emotion.

Just this batch of resources alone was enough to make Ji Xinghuo's contribution surpass that of almost everyone else. The head of state's decision to bring Ji Xinghuo into their circle, despite opposition, had indeed been far-sighted.

General Luo Baoguo also saluted solemnly, expressing his respect.

Ji Xinghuo, however, didn't think much of it and simply waved for them to send the resources back to Earth.

The star gate square was under the jurisdiction of the Asia-Pacific Community, and they had temporarily blocked off the area with iron walls, prohibiting the passage of mutants and blocking lines of sight. General Luo Baoguo and Minister Yan Wen led their men to carry the large boxes through the star gate.

"Brother Cheng, I'm heading back to Earth as well," Ji Xinghuo said.

"Alright." Cheng Sheng nodded. "I still have two months left in my rotation here. I'll look for you when I return to Earth, and we can have a drink together."

"No problem."

Ji Xinghuo, accompanied by Lu Yunhai, Zhao Cangming, and Wu Yanyou, entered the star gate. After a distortion of light and shadow, they appeared in the grand hall of the Tea Card Star Gate Fortress and found that it was also under lockdown, with no mutants in sight.

General Luo Baoguo and his titanium-cobalt dragon men loaded the boxes onto a transport plane, which took off from the open hatch on the fortress's roof and soared into the sky.

"What a grand spectacle. I've never seen such a deserted star gate fortress before!" Zhao Cangming remarked as he looked at the empty star gate fortress and the Star Realm Army guarding the various passageways, curious about what was in the boxes that had attracted so many important figures.

He was about to ask when he noticed Lu Yunhai freeze beside him. Lu Yunhai was staring at a small shuttle that had landed near the star gate, and a man was walking out of its cabin.

The man's appearance and demeanor were familiar to everyone on Earth.

It was the head of state, Ji Daosheng!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end