Chapter 406: In the Blink of an Eye, Nearly a Century (Part 2)
Uh.
Where is He Ruli?
An elderly man with white hair, sitting upright on a cushion, flanked by six extremely beautiful 'women' on each side, no, they aren't life forms, they must be some sort of realistic puppets.
The old man's body is also not physical.
The old man smiled and said: "We meet again."
In an instant, Amina's heart was filled with understanding.
This is He Ruli.
Or rather, He Ruli is just his disguised appearance.
"And you are?"
"Great Pioneer, Three Realms Wanderer," said the elderly man warmly, "He Ruli is just my disguise, there's no such person as He Ruli, it's me who awakened Xiao Huating, she is indeed the reincarnation of the last leader of the Yina Civilization."
This sentence took Amina several minutes to process.
"So... Hei Yao..."
"Consider him my cultivation, though I didn't expect they would create the Blade Beasts."
The elderly man shook his head:
"This debt cannot be pinned on me, I just want to avenge the Spirit Cultivation Civilization for the Yina Civilization."
"Enough of this talk, don't mistake me for the Black Storm, lest it confuses you, you may continue to call me He Ruli."
"Are the Blade Beasts coming?"
"Yes," Amina replied, "they have reorganized for several months and are about to launch an attack, more than forty Pillar Blade Beasts have arrived on Mars, this is just their vanguard force."
The elderly man smiled indifferently: "Trash remains trash, no matter how much you gather."
The elderly man shook his head, raised a hand and gently flicked a wall, causing a giant sword to fly out.
The elderly man flicked his fingers towards Amina, and the giant sword flew in front of Amina, proactively extending threads of Immortal Light, enveloping Amina within.
Do not forget, Master Wang's Artifact Refining talent far surpasses skills like Array and Talisman Alchemy!
In his second life, he not only created core circuits and such.
Amina gripped the sword hilt, feeling the overwhelming power on it, complex circuits appeared on the thirty-centimeter wide blade, and then these circuits simplified into ornamental patterns.
The elderly man smiled and said: "This sword is named... Storm Heart, I used countless treasures, refining it over ninety-nine Earth years, its power can already touch the threshold of Immortal Artifacts, use it to ward off enemies."
"Thank... uh, thank you senior."
Amina replied softly.
The elderly man continued: "You are Wang Zheng, the woman my reincarnation favors, ensuring your own safety is paramount, I gift you three more treasures."
After speaking, the elderly man repeated his trick, the wall cracked again, and out flew a set of Rainbow Robe, Inner Armor, a bracelet, and a pair of embroidered shoes.
Amina received them solemnly, her mind full of the word 'favor'.
Her normally aloof and charming face unexpectedly turned rosy.
The elderly man continued: "Wang Zheng is here, he has endured the toughest times, but needs a long recovery, later you can visit every three years, but only you may come, I do not wish to see anyone else."
"Yes, senior."
Amina holding the treasures, quietly asked:
"With these, can I withstand the Blade Beast Tide?"
"Not yet," the elderly man smiled, "later I will use a large array to envelop this planet, this is a legacy left by the Yina Civilization, it will last a hundred years without any issue. The treasures are for you to slay as many Blade Beast Groups as possible."
Amina obviously felt relieved.
The elderly man added: "If Lingtong asks about Wang Zheng, tell her he is fine, but can only reveal himself in a hundred years, she doesn't need to wait, they weren't married, it was just a past romantic encounter."
Amina frowned and asked: "Senior, is this Wang Zheng's intention?"
"No, it's mine," the elderly man smiled brightly, "I just don't want anyone to be waiting hopelessly, their bond is pretty much over, for Lingtong, a hundred years is too long, Wang Zheng's Daoist couple should be someone with long life expectancy, enough respect for him, and a degree of compliance."
Amina nodded, although her heart felt a bit uncomfortable.
The elderly man's words were gentle, yet the domineering nature in him was undisguised.
Yet, this matches the character of the Yina Civilization's Great Pioneer.
Amina said: "Senior, as far as I know, Lingtong will wait for Wang Zheng's return, her sense of belief is incredibly strong, and she's prepared to sacrifice everything for the continuation of human civilization... If you permit, next time I visit, I want to bring her along to prevent her from heading towards self-destruction."
"Hmm?" the elderly man asked, "Are you not intending to wait for Lingtong to die off and then take over?"
Amina looked up at the elderly man, wanting to be more assertive, but remembered their vast difference in strength.
The elderly man is unlike He Ruli, presently he did not hide his strength.
Even a mere trace of his Residual Soul can suppress all enemies in this realm.
Amina nodded honestly: "I used to think like that, but emotions can't be forced, at this stage I'd rather be Wang Zheng's comrade, waiting for time to slowly settle everything."
"A Spirit Cultivator who can live for tens of thousands of years certainly speaks with confidence."
The old man calmly shook his head:
"Alright, I already understand what you mean. Even if given the chance, it's useless for you."
"Just go, don't come back after three years."
With that, the old man casually waved his hand.
Amina only saw a blur before her eyes and found herself outside Cloud City.
She looked at the great treasure sword in her hand and various clothes, a slight bitter smile appearing on her pretty face.
What on earth...
Alright, knowing Wang Zheng is fine is good enough.
If it's that guy taking action, there's no need to worry about the Blade Beasts.
Inside the great hall, the old man clicked his tongue softly, muttering, "Wasting spiritual energy again on such a thankless task," as he prepared to activate the planetary array.
Was it easy for him to gather this much spiritual energy here?
Now, it's not just about becoming immortal, but also challenging that single finger.
If he doesn't build his accumulation thick enough, it will be lifeless.
Master Wang, enveloped in the pain of reshaping his Tao Foundation, was completely unaware of what was happening.
Profound insights kept emerging in his heart;
The accumulation of three lifetimes of cultivation was truly beginning to slowly 'blossom' now.
...
After returning to the surface, Amina thought for half an hour before going to find Fu Jian.
The human battle lines had already shifted to the Space Fortress.
Over the past year, Amina and Nierdamon led a large number of Spirit Slaves to clear out the remnants of Blade Beasts on the surface; all Blade Beasts capable of fleeing to space had already done so.
Like those cunning Galino.
The remaining Blade Beasts that couldn't escape to space became raw materials for filling underground passages and cavities.
The human military didn't waste much firepower in this process and actively prepared for war for over a year, with all fortresses producing military facilities at full power while meeting basic living needs.
As a large amount of land was reclaimed, humans also regained many resource points.
Notably, the number of autonomous mechanical fortresses was surging.
The current human commander is Fu Jian;
The commander of the autonomous mechanicals is Mu Dan.
Upon arriving at the Space Fortress, Amina easily found Fu Jian, who was having a combat meeting, with Lingtong and Mu Dan also present.
She ignored the 'Do Not Disturb' sign and directly appeared, disregarding the other marshals and generals, and said to Lingtong and Mu Dan:
"Wang Zheng is fine, I saw him."
Lingtong was stunned for a moment, then closed their eyes and exhaled softly, not saying much.
Mu Dan, who had changed into a military uniform, clicked their tongue in amazement: "That's fresh. The token the commander left me never broke, meaning the commander has always been fine."
Amina was full of resentment: "Then why didn't you say earlier?"
"You guys didn't ask."
Mu Dan blinked their big eyes, full of innocence.
With Master Wang away for a long time, there were signs of them wanting to let loose.
Fu Jian asked, "Is there a plan against the enemy?"
"There is," Amina replied, "You don't need to worry, just prepare for battle normally, but don't stray too far from Earth's atmosphere. Leave the rest to the guardians of the ancient civilization."
Fu Jian nodded slowly, not relaxing his vigilance.
Amina thought for a moment and decided not to reveal He Ruli's true identity.
That would affect Master Wang's personal image.
She didn't want Master Wang's image to have any blemish.
At least, that's how it appeared on the surface.
Amina looked at the electronic calendar on the wall, unique to the Space Fortress, to commemorate the key time point when 'humans can live their entire lives in space.'
Space Era: Year 54, Month 02, Day 08.
The numbers above were constantly changing, and the figures in the conference room gradually shifted.
Without Master Wang around, for Amina, it might have been just a blur, and when she snapped back to reality, the clock on the wall had already changed design and material.
Space Era: Year 134, Month 05, Day 19.