Star Gate-Chapter 983: Divine Spirits (I)

Silver Moon martial masters busily taught the new cultivation method to various parts of the dynasty. Meanwhile, Li Hao chose to embark on a new journey—exploring the Lu Zhen Research Center ruin.

The Yun family had always hoped for the young man to open its doors, but he’d been neither convinced about the safety aspect nor was satisfied with the center’s focus on mental strength resurrection. Hence, he’d dragged his heels on the matter.

One result of mental strength resurrection was already available in front of his eyes—Yun Yuming of the Yun family. The boy’s mind was mixed with that of an ancient’s and might have even been fully taken over.

That kind of situation was a development that Li Hao absolutely did not wish for. Although Zhang An had explained that New Martial citizens would not want the bodies of modern humans, the young man still wasn’t fully convinced.

But today, Li Hao decided to open the ruins. There weren’t enough sky canopies for his use. While Skystar City was constructing them, its speed was too slow to set up screens all over the central region. Additionally, their quality was mediocre and the images they projected were run-of-the-mill. Apparently, the screens of the ancients could even reflect one’s freckles. The ones crafted in modern times could not accomplish that.

The difference in technological skill made it difficult for people to overcome this hurdle.

The sky canopy was one reason why Li Hao wished to access the research center, a second was for New Martial’s blood qi pill. This was also one of his pain points.

Pills were not popular in modern times. They were at best pure energy mixed into pills and their level of categorization was quite ambiguous. Li Hao needed more support if he was to develop this area. Hence, the Lu Zhen Research Center became a very important place.

......

Outside of Skystar City, near a small mountain.

Li Hao, Yun Yuming, Yun Yao, and Yun Yuqi were all present. Yuan Shuo was also attending in his capacity as an expert of ancient affairs. In addition, Li Hao had brought Director General Wang with him.

The director general was preparing to cast off his old body, but was in the preparatory stage. The dao meridians were not so easily sorted out, not unless he seized someone else’s body. Since he wasn’t willing to do that, he’d come to the research center in search of inspiration.

Meanwhile, Li Hao had also brought Director General Wang along as a failsafe. Although the Yuns told him that there were no strong existences inside, that the complex was just a pure research center, he still wished to guarantee everyone’s safety.

Director General Wang was the best assurance. For the moment, he was stronger than Li Hao since he was an Immortal. The young man would have to progress to ninth level Sun and Moon if he wished to possess the director general’s battle strength. That would take progressing past thirty dao meridians, and this was in the present age.

If times were as they were in the ancient civilization and core origin still present, Li Hao might not match the other even if he opened thirty-six dao meridians.

Yuming looked around with a complicated gaze. Yun Yao was as quiet as usual. She’d quietly carried out her regular missions or cultivated with the Demon Hunter Army after personally killing the seventh princess. She’d set foot into Solar level, which put her far behind Li Hao and the rest. However, she’d always been indifferent to favors or humiliation and regarded the world with a noncommittal air.

Li Hao quite admired this kind of mentality. After all, not everyone could be a premier heavyweight. They had to foster the right mentality about it. He couldn’t help everyone. If one’s martial dao could not keep up, then they should look upon that result with a mild manner.

Few were those who could accomplish that; emotional instability often resulted. When that happened, it was up to oneself to regulate their mental state.

“Is this the place, Yuming?” Yuqi chattered, every bit her regular self. “How do you know it’s here? Don’t lead Commander Li to the wrong spot...”

Yuming glanced at his older sister. She’d been in high spirits ever since learning that the blood debt owed to the Yun family had been paid in full. However, there was one matter he didn’t dare bring up, and that was whether he was Yuming or the one from New Martial.

His sister was very good to him. Five years ago, a young Yuqi had brought him along her daily gigs to eke out a living. No matter how poor they were, she always utilized a variety of tricks to ensure that Yuming had enough to eat and wear. She would even sometimes give him money to buy books so he could help others.

When they lived in the slums, it was Yuming who brought back the other children that lived with them, but Yuqi who kept them alive. Even though the other kids were more useful in that they would eventually find a way to survive, Yuming felt that his sister pampered him the most over these five years. Hence, he didn’t dare say that he had some memories from the ancient times.

“This is it, sis. I wouldn’t point out the wrong direction!” Yuming smiled.

“Mmhmm, that’s good.” Yuqi didn’t mind any of the matters that were running through Yuming’s mind. All she felt was that life was good these days. Her aunt was alive and her little brother was naturally intelligent and entrusted with important matters by the commander. He was apparently part of the sky canopy team in the Skystar Commander Office! He traveled around, installing sky canopies with some of the elders from the academy.

Those elders were once her grandfather’s colleagues. They treated her younger brother well and looked after him.

Life was very satisfying. Yuqi didn’t have grand ambitions and was assigned small tasks within the Skystar Commander Office that were within her abilities. She was content, despite the lack of an exact job title. Upon hearing that Li Hao was going to visit her family’s ruins, she elected to join the expedition team.

It was why she’d come to Li Hao in the first place, so that he would take revenge for her family. In exchange, the Yuns had traded the ruins for him taking action. Yuqi knew that she must keep her word and deliver what she’d agreed to. Otherwise, the Yun reputation would be destroyed.

Now that the nine ministries and royal family were gone, most of the nobles that’d massacred the family had been executed. A small portion that were relevant to other matters were either exiled to hard labor on the border or imprisoned. Yuqi was immensely satisfied.

As for recovering the family’s good name, that wasn’t necessary. The Yuns hadn’t committed any egregious acts even when threatened. Hence, the three great organizations bore the blame for their extermination. The government hadn’t been able to come up with the excuse that the family had colluded with the three great organizations, so there was no need to clear the Yun family’s name.

“Commander, what I promised you is complete after the ruins are open!” Yuqi was delighted and her eyes sparkled with a bit of mischief.

It’s nothing to do with me if you come back empty-handed. I only said that I’ll give you the ruins, but didn’t say that there’s treasure inside. In her eyes, the family had been so weak back in the day. With the commander being in control of the world now, he may not be interested in any of the treasure that could be found within.

It wasn’t her fault if they didn’t reap a rich harvest from this expedition.

“Mmhmm, our agreement is complete once we enter the ruins!” Li Hao smiled with a nod. He turned to Yuming. “Will you guys wait outside or go in with us?”

“Let’s go in together,” Yuqi responded before her brother had a chance to. “People will think our family plotted against the commander if anything unexpected happens. I remember that grandfather said there’s no danger inside the ruins.”

“Sis...” Yuming wanted to say something, but Yun Yao interrupted him.

“Let’s go in together. Yuming, you know a bit about these ruins. There shouldn’t be any danger, right?” She glanced at her nephew, knowing a bit of the inside story. Yuming might have inherited some of the ancient figure’s memories. If that one wanted to scheme against Li Hao, this was the best time to.

And if that took place, the Yuns would no longer have the face to show themselves in public. If there really was danger, she and Yuqi could at least go down together in the ruins. It would at least show the young man that the family really didn’t have designs against him.

Li Hao didn’t care about any of that. His only considerations were that Yuqi and Yun Yao were very weak. They might encounter danger if they entered.

“You two should stay behind,” he said when his thoughts travelled here. “Yuming is enough since he knows a bit about the situation inside.”

“Commander...” Yun Yao wanted to speak on, but the young man smiled.

“It’s fine. You can let the others know if we don’t emerge after a day. For now, you can just take up guard outside.”

Yun Yao let the matter drop, whereas Yuming listened dejectedly to the exchange. It was clear that no one fully trusted him.

Li Hao said nothing further; the earth split open as he utilized his supernatural abilities. A passageway appeared, one that led to a door. That required a key to open and Yun Yao had long given it to Li Hao.

The four walked inside. Panther wasn’t coming along for this expedition since it was searching for its dao meridians.

“The Yuns created this passageway themselves,” Yuan Shuo identified with his technical expertise. “The ancient ruins start at its end. That door should be a blast door from an ancient military security area.”

Li Hao nodded while Director General Wang flicked a glance at Yuan Shuo. The old man knew quite a bit! He’d definitely dug into a lot of their tombs.

The young man took out a key and inserted it into a hole on the door. The metal door opened automatically when he twisted it, giving way to searing light.

“It’s the automated sensor system!” Yuming immediately explained. “The research center has an automated sensor system and it was broken before. It’s reactivated since the world has awakened and there is more energy flowing through the environment.”

A long hallway stretched into view behind the door. Lights provided bright illumination!

“Stop!” the other three shouted at the same time when they saw that Li Hao was about to walk in. The young man froze.

“It was safe to walk through this place when everything was quiet,” Yuming immediately explained. “Now that it’s recovered somewhat, there’s tiny energy cannons embedded on all sides of the hallway. They’re used against invaders, so there’s still a bit of danger.”

Director General Wang nodded, he plainly knew about these defensive measures as well. On the other hand, Yuan Shuo had reacted strictly from experience. Only Li Hao was almost completely inexperienced as he hadn’t explored many ruins before. Most of them were under the care of plant spirits and not this motley array of contraptions.

“Use the city lord seal!” Yuming looked at Director General Wang. The director general nodded and displayed the Black Tortoise Seal at the entrance to the hallway.

“Detected: the arrival of Battle Heaven’s city lord.” A robotic voice emitted from the screen at the entrance. “Commencing facial recognition... Facial recognition error. Visitor is Director General Wang Ye of Security at Battle Heaven...

“Commencing core origin scan... Scan error, visitor is not the Battle Heaven city lord!

“Connecting to the network... Network error. Inspecting seal transfer... Seal transfer complete. Wang Ye is acting city lord and possesses a level two clearance. Entry permitted!”

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Li Hao blinked in rapid succession at what he’d heard.