Black Pillar

Based on the strange material and spatial anchoring of the black pillar, and as the other party delved deeper into the questions, Xiao Ran had already determined that this black pillar must be an extraordinary object of a higher level than the stone tablet.

Those who possess such extraordinary items are at least five members of the Council of Elders of the Divine Martial Kingdom.

It is even very likely that he is the current emperor of the Divine Martial Kingdom, Great Emperor Liancheng, one of the Nine Radiances.

Xiao Ran had heard a lot about this emperor's deeds over the past three years.

The Great Emperor designed the Liancheng Spirit Net, which unified the previously fragmented cities into the complete Divine Martial Kingdom. After ascending the throne, he was honored as the Great Emperor Liancheng.

Great Emperor Liancheng was not young, but he was the only one among the Nine Radiances to advance to the Great Ascension Realm after the Dharma Ending Era.

Xiao Ran heard that this Nine Radiances was a bit special.

Despite being a cultivator, he had no heart for cultivation.

Despite being an emperor, he had no desire for power.

He enjoys stargazing and is obsessed with tinkering with magical artifacts; he was the one who proposed the concept of civilian-grade magical artifacts.

All matters, large and small Divine Martial Kingdom are decided by the five-member Council of Elders, with the elders retaining only a veto power.

Based on what he had just seen—something resembling an astronomical telescope— Xiao Ran realized that this person was most likely Great Emperor Liancheng himself.

If that's the case, this is the second Nine Radiances that Xiao Ran has encountered.

The first one was the Sect Leader True Person of Zongzhi Mountain. I had only heard his voice and seen his remnant soul.

The second one is also separated by a small window.

Do you believe that there was Spiritual Energy in the world from the very beginning?

Just as Xiao Ran was marveling at the situation, the man asked again.

Xiao Ran initially thought that Spiritual Energy should be something that arises from life reaching a certain level of development.

On second thought, why doesn't life only come from Spiritual Energy?

As he was pondering, the mysterious man asked again:

"Does Spiritual Energy originate from life, or does life originate from Spiritual Energy?"

Sure enough, the topic circled back to the chicken-and-egg dilemma. Xiao Ran didn't want to talk.

The man at the window said again:

"Judging from the trace amount of Spiritual Energy emitted by the black pillar, it may have the power to absorb and release Spiritual Energy. If that's the case, do you think the black pillar released Spiritual Energy and gave rise to the Cultivation World, or did the black pillar drain the Spiritual Energy of the True Spirit Continent, causing the Dharma Ending Era?"

Do you really think I'm some kind of reincarnated immortal?

Xiao Ran was tempted to slip away.

"Asking me is useless. Why don't you go find all the inscriptions, activate the black pillar, and see for yourself?"

The mysterious man said, "The Black Pillar is currently in a dormant state. The inscription on it must have been destroyed by an ancient immortal or an early Wraith being. Breaking it into nine scattered pieces was the limit, which means that the person who broke the stele was afraid of seeing the Black Pillar activate."

Judging from the Black Ring Group's apparent concern for the inscriptions, opening them would likely destroy the world and usher in a new era, right? Xiao Ran casually remarked, "So regardless of whether we open them or not, getting all the inscriptions first would give us the upper hand, wouldn't it?"

The man at the window said, "The Divine Martial Kingdom two inscriptions, and the Dao Alliance Headquarters has about four. One of them is thanks to you. The other three should not have been discovered yet and are scattered in various places. After the Flamefree City incident, the Demonic Dragon appeared, and dragon hunters flocked to it. There are many powerful people. With this carpet search, I believe that some people will find the remaining inscriptions soon."

What do you mean by "certain people"?

Xiao Ran wondered if the Divine Martial Kingdom had also discovered the Black Ring Group. The man at the window said, "The Dao Alliance Headquarters seems to be hiding this secret, but the secret will eventually be revealed. It seems that the Divine Martial Kingdom is not the only one that wants to uncover the secret."

Xiao Ran tentatively asked, "Are they the other four major powers?"

The man at the window said, "If I'm not mistaken, the two Wraith that came to capture you were the work of this group. Only the Apostle could control the Wraith, which is why the Dao Alliance sent you to wipe out the Apostle."

Fortunately, the Divine Martial Kingdom only knew about the Apostle, not about the Black Ring Group.

Will the Divine Martial Kingdom also send people to deal with the Apostle?

"The Divine Martial Kingdom is only responsible for the northern region. Don't underestimate the Apostle. They are more than just a cult. The fact that the Dao Alliance dared to send you to wipe out the Apostle shows that their stance is quite interesting."

"No matter what you say, senior, I'm definitely going to be Apostle."

The man at the window laughed:

"I'm not very good at rhetoric, but in terms of efficiency alone, your cooperation with Gao Shi and the Divine Martial Kingdom is the best way to save this world."

Efficiency is the best way to persuade, but the world is complex, and the Dao Alliance, the Divine Martial Kingdom, and even the Black Ring Group are all sticking to their own paths.

Xiao Ran also has his own path of flattery, and we can't help you just because your path is right.

If he can make his Master feel good, he might be able to save the world by himself. That's his way of ninja! "Senior, there's no need to rush. I'm already cooperating with City Lord Kuang. As long as the cooperation goes smoothly, we'll gradually deepen our cooperation in the future."

The man at the window said, "It seems you know nothing... If I don't leave you here, your 'future' will probably end when you become Apostle."

For some reason, the more frightened Xiao Ran was, the more curious he became about the Apostle.

What exactly does the Apostle possess that makes you, a mere Nine Radiances, worry about me? "So, you're going to resort to force?"

The man at the window spoke calmly, without any intimidation, as if he were simply stating a fact.

"You stay in the Divine Martial Kingdom, don't go to the Apostle. I can give you any wealth and glory. If you miss your master, I will bring your master here. If you miss your disciple, I will bring your disciple here. If you want Goddess of War, you can become Dao Companion... I just want you to understand that it's a waste to use your talent for adventure."

No, the talent you've seen is just the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm sorry, I hate being tied down. I'm not some scientist who buries himself in research, and you can't bring my Master here."

The man at the window laughed:

"So, I underestimated you? If that's the case, then please do as you see fit."

After saying that.

The glass window disappeared.

Meanwhile, the prison space was being continuously reinforced.

Without hesitation, Xiao Ran took out the giant bird and made the Nether Bird instantly activate its Dharma Body.

"Walk!"

At the same time, a loud shout Resonance with the space, tearing open the spatial wall and flying out of the spatial barrier.

Looking back, the space quickly solidified into a perfectly intact barrier, transparent as if it didn't exist.

Xiao Ran rode the giant bird and waited outside the spatial barrier for a while, appearing fearless.

As a result, no one came after them...

It's clear that Great Emperor Liancheng didn't want to break ties with him and wanted to test his true abilities.

The fact that he was able to escape the spatial barrier shows that he has at least some ability to protect himself. With his Master protecting him, going to the Apostle shouldn't be a big problem.

Xiao Ran then threw a stone toward the approximate location of the black pillar.

As a result, the stone passed through the space wall undamaged and bypassed it before hitting the black pillar.

No wonder the black pillar remained buried underground for so long without anyone noticing.

Upon closer reflection, this racetrack might be designed to draw foreign tourists to the vicinity of the Black Pillar, in order to find the destined person that Great Emperor Liancheng is waiting for.

Leave the Black Pillar Space.

Xiao Ran glanced at the abyss as he rode away; the Goddess of War was still brutally beating up Da Ming...

Looking up at the sky again, Hua Lian was entangled by the withered hand Wraith that Xiao Ran had once encountered.

It's clear that this time, the Great Pluto is stronger than the one we encountered outside the Dark Forest last time! This shows that it really wants to capture me.

Xiao Ran rode Single-Winged Bird burning with golden light, soaring straight into the sky, scattering the withered forest in pieces, and burning the withered branches of the Wraith with the power of the golden divine beast.

Just as he was about to thrust his sword at the main arm, Wraith suddenly withdrew his arm and fled in a flash.

Once bitten, twice shy! Xiao Ran thought to himself, this is a Spirit Severing level Great Netherworld being; if we really fight, it will be quite difficult.

The murmurs abruptly ceased, the spatial rift closed, and the pillar of blood Wraith Barrier vanished completely.

The world is quiet now.

Hua Lian fought against the Nascent Spirit Severing level Wraith alone, and also tried to save Xiao Ran. She was exhausted, panting heavily, and covered in filth, looking rather disheveled.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran, who had been swallowed by the Wraith, returned before she could escape.

"Didn't you say you were coming to protect me, senior sister? In the end, I'm the one who saved you."

Xiao Ran retrieved the large bird and smiled brightly.

Hua Lian suddenly noticed that someone was taking photos of her with Image Recording Spirit Artifact at the edge of the cliff. She quickly changed back into her blue cheongsam to avoid being recognized.

This wasn't the first time Xiao Ran had saved her.

Strangely, she, who used to have a very strong sense of self-respect, became very indifferent in front of Xiao Ran, and didn't care at all even when he humiliated her.

Xing Tian Pavilion's senior management had hinted to her that this was a man who cared about the world and might change the landscape of the Dharma Ending Era, urging her not to miss the opportunity to cooperate with him.

She tried collaborating, Ling Zhou was far superior to her; there was no need for collaboration at all.

She only has an advantage if she has children through cooperation.

Besides, he was a hero who saved three million people in Flamefree City, so she quite liked him.

Hua Lian straightened her clothes, revealing a well-proportioned figure with healthy skin.

"Are you sure you want to have a child with me?"

Looking at his imposing, unpretentious thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his fair and fit figure, Xiao Ran felt the vigor of the new generation of young people in the Dao Alliance.

Unfortunately, it was really just a small favor for him...

I haven't thought that far ahead yet.

"Are all the women in the Dao Alliance this direct?"

Just as Xiao Ran was thinking, another proud and indifferent female voice came from behind him.

I turned around and looked.

Gao Yao returned, chewing on Durian Candy, having changed back into a black bodysuit that resembled snakeskin.

Holding a fist-sized black ball in her hand, she used the magnetic attraction of the bracelet on her hand to fling the ball down and then retrieve it from a distance, just like playing with a yo-yo.

Look closely, that's not a black ball...

That's the Wraith Core!

Great Wraith Wraith Core!

Behind her, Chen Xiaofeng also rescued the other contestants.

"You're quite impressive."

Xiao Ran praised sincerely.

"This little thing doesn't prove how great I am."

Gao Yao walked over and carefully examined Xiao Ran's body, finding no signs of injury.

"Didn't I tell you not to move around? Where did you go just now?"

Xiao Ran said meaningfully, "I didn't move; you were the one who did."

This statement, like "a white horse is not a horse" and "one cannot step into the same river twice," is highly dialectical.

Gao Yao paused slightly, as if remembering something. The indifference on her face vanished, her arrogance disappeared, and the way she looked at Xiao Ran was different.

She parked her dusty motorcycle, started it with her big-footed Spirit Gate, shook off the dust, put on her helmet, shrugged and smiled at Xiao Ran:

"You're something else. Come home with me and sleep now."

It seems that Gao Yao, as Goddess of War, is aware of the existence of the Black Pillar Space, which may explain why she often comes here to play with cars.

With that thought in mind, Xiao Ran put one arm around Gao Yao's waist and straddled his motorcycle.

"Shouldn't we wait for the Divine Martial Kingdom's rescue team to arrive? Such a big thing has happened, shouldn't we report it?"

Gao Yao said, "My bracelet can record automatically, and it has already been sent to the military."

Before the two left, Hua Lian said, "The Divine Martial Kingdom is too dangerous. You have to come with us."

Xiao Ran smiled and said:

"I will wait until the Yan Armor is completed. Senior Sister, don't worry. I believe that after tonight, the Divine Martial Kingdom will no longer be in danger."

You idiot, you're the one in the most danger tonight!

Hua Lian didn't have a chance to say anything more.

Gao Yao kicked through the Spirit Gate, whooshing away with a whoosh, stirring up a gust of wind and raising dust in all directions.

Hua Lian was left standing with her hands on her hips, watching the two disappear into the distance, slightly disappointed, yet unable to reveal her identity and chase after them.

On the other side, Wu Yu knew he was incompetent and obediently completed the entire race. By the time he returned, the battle was over, so he could only Hua Lian, saying, "Senior Sister, don't cry. An excellent man will definitely have more than one wife."

That's true; an outstanding woman certainly has more than one husband.

Hua Lian said, "I'll stay here; you go back to the Dao Alliance and report."

Wu Yu smiled and said:

"I think it's better for Junior Brother Xiao's virginity if I stay here, isn't it?"

Hua Lian thought about it and agreed.

"Alright, I'm leaving."

Xiao Ran and Gao Yao sped across the icy wilderness, feeling much warmer than when they arrived.

The night was much more romantic.

At that moment, a combat Yan Armor caught up and forced the locomotive to stop.

The Yan Armor opened the door, and a person walked out. It was none other than Ding Zhenzi, who had previously led the rescue mission.

"Senior, these are the Spirit Stone you won!"

Xiao Ran took out the Miniature Storage Box, opened it and looked inside; there were exactly one million Spirit Stone.

I thought to myself, if I were to give this to my Master, how much Filial Piety Points!

He then took out 100,000 Spirit Stone, put them in a storage bag, and tossed them to Ding Zhenzi.

"It's your service fee."

Ding Zhenzi didn't refuse, and waved the storage bag in front of Gao Yao.

"I'll cover the room fee with 100,000. Senior, can I take care of Senior Xiao tonight?"

"You think you can take care of him for 100,000? Don't underestimate the genius of the Dao Alliance."

As he said this, Gao Yao casually tossed the spoils of war to Xiao Ran.

"I'll offer you a Great Wraith Wraith Core in exchange for your company tonight."