Chapter 69: Luo Feng!

Chapter 69: Luo Feng!

On Mars, Jiang Zhe’s primary divine spirit and secondary divine spirit began their separation.

Equipped with the Void-Sundering Lance and Primordial Force Battle Armor, he maintained his human form within the Cosmic Nation’s jurisdiction.

Aboard an E9-grade Mechanical Race spacecraft as his personal vessel, two of Orianna’s Doppelgängers accompanied him as escorts.

He also carried 1 million E9-grade, 200 F6-grade, and 20 F8-grade mechanical puppets controlled by Orianna’s Doppelgängers. These would serve as disposable decoys to buy time for the Silver Robe Yuan Shen’s escape if needed.

After studying the star chart and plotting his course, the Silver Robe Yuan Shen departed.

The E9-grade spacecraft vanished in an instant. Jiang Zhe withdrew his gaze, musing that he’d surely receive definitive news before the Genius Battle commenced—either the wormhole’s disappearance during transit would force abandonment of the mission, or he’d reach the destination and confirm whether that Pandora’s box-like wormhole truly existed.

Back on Earth.

After spending a week with his family, Jiang Zhe finally left Lanling Base City.

Temporarily freed from his rigorous cultivation schedule, he embarked on a journey across Earth to make amends for past regrets.

Though now a Seventh-Stage Stellar cultivator, he walked like an ordinary man, his small figure blending unassumingly into the vast landscape.

Heading northeast, he entered Eastern Suvillia, crossing the Bering Strait to Alaska.

Jiang Zhe recalled that over a century before the Great Nirvana, this land had been purchased for just two cents per acre, expanding America’s territory by 1.7 million square kilometers.

In his previous life, he’d longed to visit this place famed for its beauty. Now, standing here on this Earth in another world, had he finally fulfilled that wish?

Continuing eastward, he entered a fertile land.

Ancient coniferous and deciduous forests towered overhead, their purity mirrored in crystalline waters that calmed his soul like never before.

Even though he’d seen more magnificent sights on alien planets and within world storage artifacts, none compared to the smallest grain of sand on his beloved Earth.

The Chinese have always cherished their roots, carrying an innate devotion to the concept of “homeland.”

Heading south, he traversed the vast North American plains—a land so blessed by heaven that it seemed destined to become the Jiang Clan’s cradle of power.

Suddenly, he chuckled without warning.

“Pity the season’s wrong—I missed seeing the blizzards raging here…”

Unlike the northeast’s three protective mountain ranges, the plains offered no shelter. When polar vortices surged southward, they’d sweep unimpeded across the flatlands, colliding head-on with moisture currents moving north.

The spectacle was breathtaking!

Back then, his geography teacher’s descriptions had filled classroom students with longing—simple yearning for snowfall. Those pure children from a poor county high school had known nothing else.

Dressed in ragged clothes, Jiang Zhe walked obliviously through the wilderness, laughing, crying, like a madman.

Orianna had long since detached from him.

In her puppet form, she patrolled a kilometer’s distance around him, driving away curious martial artists.

As for beasts, their keen senses detected his terrifying aura from afar, fleeing in panic or cowering in terror.

She hovered midair, watching her master. With Stellar-class vision, she could see every pore on his skin and every flicker of emotion across his face.

Over the past decade, she’d evolved from a blank slate into a being who understood human emotions deeply, her own feelings growing rich and complex—truly becoming alive.

She studied his expression, sensing his state.

He wasn’t mad or making a spectacle… Was he clinging to nostalgia? Releasing old burdens?

Was this… like in movies or novels, a farewell to the past?

The journey southward continued.

Jiang Zhe briefly paused at the Maya Civilization Ruins—a place he’d longed to see in his previous life but never reached beyond his province.

Now, beasts had reduced it to ruins, its former glory lost to decay.

With lingering regret, he pressed on.

Entering the Amazon Basin, he suppressed his aura through specialized mental cultivation, appearing as ordinary as a stone—like a white rabbit wandering into a wolf’s den.

Swarm insects harassed him; giant anacondas attacked; he swam across crocodile-infested rivers…

Orianna, hovering nearby, recorded these events in her electronic journal:

【26. Experience primitive rainforest survival as an ordinary person? (Completed)】

Jiang Zhe passed Site 9 Ruins, glancing from afar before leaving.

【32. Visit Inca Empire ruins, Machu Picchu Temple? (Completed)】

…

【35. Iguazu Falls? (Completed)】

…

【40. Drake Passage? (Completed)】

…

Orianna documented Jiang Zhe’s deliberate stops, noting her guesses. She increasingly felt her master was mending old regrets.

Crossing the “murderous westerly wind belt,” he landed on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Approaching the end of polar night, the harsh environment held no sway over Jiang Zhe as he walked across this pristine land.

【46. Ski atop emperor penguins forty meters high? (Completed)】

The familiar routine resumed.

Since starting this journey, master and servant had exchanged no words—one instinctively mending his heart’s wounds, the other quietly recording and pondering his thoughts…

November 2056. The polar day had begun.

Jiang Zhe nearly circumnavigated the Antarctic ice sheet before crossing seas to the Black Continent.

【58. Experience diamond mining for a week? (Completed)】

…

【68. Ride a lion king across the largest savanna? (Completed)】

…

Heading north, crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europa Region.

The HR Union noticed Jiang Zhe’s presence. Former Earth First Mentalist Ister visited, only to be turned away by Orianna’s appearance.

Northward again, veering eastward across half of Suvillia.

Then, further north.

Entering the Arctic Circle, enduring the tail end of polar night.

June 2057. At the height of the Arctic’s midnight sun, Jiang Zhe finally departed this pristine land, heading south through the Bering Strait into the Pacific Ocean.

A whale-turned-beast, tamed via his Mentalist Beast-Taming Technique, carried him across the ocean’s waves.

While Jiang Zhe relaxed, Orianna grew busy.

The rise of this promising Mentalist involved a promise Jiang Zhe had made to Babata—she dared not slacken. Missing this chance might delay finding another genius with a Brain Domain Width above 20 for Babata indefinitely.

…

Limit Martial Arts Pavilion HQ, Elite Training Camp.

New recruit Luo Feng, who joined in late March, showed extraordinary talent. Already achieving 3.6x power release, he surpassed many veteran trainees.

Despite the Limit Martial Arts Pavilion’s three revered classic Power Release Manuals, Luo Feng chose Ninefold Thunder Blade—Lei Shen’s revised version meeting universal standards, capable of 9x power release at peak.

June 2057.

Luo Feng immersed himself in training, climbing the camp’s rankings.

He dared not slacken—his brother needed a Life Elixir for limb regeneration, and he had to hide from enemies…

Fate intervened. In City 003, Luo Feng killed Li Wei.

A butterfly flapped its wings, causing little change.

This revealed Jiang Zhe’s cunning—he’d provided secret techniques without cultivation resources. Over ten years, Earth’s progress remained stagnant. Power release improved, but cultivation speed crawled.

Hanxia’s two new base cities relied on Jiang Clan forces. Stellar-level experts united, slaying Beast Kings and driving away Lord-level monsters to secure territory.

Resources gifted to Jia Yi elevated a few more to Stellar-level, ensuring base city defenses remained strong.

After completing his daily hunting quota, Luo Feng returned to Jiangnan Pavilion. After washing up, he sat at his computer to watch blade technique tutorials.

Suddenly, the room’s lights dimmed.

A sharp click—the AV Chamber door locked automatically.

Luo Feng paled, fearing exposure. Ten Annihilation Throwing Daggers materialized, circling defensively.

“Is this—”

The computer screen flickered, replaced by a hooded child figure with twin horns, blood-red eyes.

“Mr. Luo Feng, please remain calm. I come from Yunmo Star—allow me to explain my purpose.”

…

Babata’s pride would never speak so humbly—this was Orianna’s doing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe drifted across the Pacific, unaware Orianna had begun grooming the era’s protagonist.

Martial Arts Hall.

White-robed, masked, Luo Feng stood on the ninth floor overlooking Earthlings chatting below, secretly exhaling.

“I know the Traditional Martial Arts Hall—a mysterious place above War God Palace. But Yunmo Star? A power not inferior… no, far surpassing both martial arts halls.”

Recalling the Cultivation Advancement Program and unheard-of treasures in the Merit Exchange Catalog, Luo Feng burned with excitement.

All he’d sacrificed was joining as one of two members and vowing revenge for Yunmo Star’s master upon reaching a certain strength.

Luo Feng’s caution had its limits. After confirming the existence of alien civilizations and that his enemies weren’t Earthlings, he accepted without hesitation.

Heavy footsteps echoed behind him.

“Hey! Kid, the ninth floor’s off-limits to outsiders. Since you’ve entered, you must be Jiang Clan’s special guest. Why hide behind a mask?”

The thunderous voice made Luo Feng’s ears ring.

Turning, he saw a broad-shouldered man like a black bear—burly, rough-featured, yet exuding glacial coldness.

Jiang Clan?

Luo Feng’s masked eyebrows furrowed. He recognized one of HR Union’s top ten families, famed for virtue in Hanxia.

After brief conversation, Second Brother Jiang confirmed Luo Feng’s identity via the Kaiming Beast and departed.

“Heavens! This was a War God Rank expert?!”

Luo Feng marveled until Second Brother Jiang vanished, then hurried to find the power-measurement training room.

(Next chapter: 2-3 PM. This time, it’ll definitely work.)

(Translator’s Note: The author’s word count isn’t precise—I’ve edited extensively. This chapter seems 3,000 words but includes 2,000-3,000 words of discarded drafts.)

(No exaggeration—I’m obsessive. When typing, uneven lines bother me. I’ll endlessly revise a single line for aesthetics.)

(Please bear with me, readers.)

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end