The Black Child

The Qiankun-class Intelligent Fighter tore through the air at an astonishing speed.

Leading this expedition to the No. 9 Civilization Ruins was Yao Rao, a Councilor and one of the personal guards of the Chief Dojo Master, Hong.

"You may address me as Miss Councilor."

Yao Rao first said this to the several War Gods accompanying her, then nodded toward Ji Yun. "Councilor Ji Yun."

"Councilor Yao Rao," Ji Yun replied.

Yao Rao's voice was very pleasant to hear. "This time, our destination is the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins. This No. 9 Ruins is located deep in the South American Amazon jungle somewhere, and it's one of the lower-risk Ancient Civilization Ruins."

"Everyone, listen carefully. I'll only say this once!"

"The No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins is a trial-type ruin used in ancient times for 'selection and elimination.' When you go in, martial artists will generally follow the 'Type A Passage' deeper into the ruins. Psychic Masters will be arranged by the ruins to follow the 'Type B Passage' deeper in." As Yao Rao said this, everyone pricked up their ears to listen closely.

"After entering the depths of the civilization ruins, each person's experience will differ, and the difficulty will vary as well. But those who succeed will receive the ruins' reward: a set of 'Black God Armor.' Those who fail will either die or be crippled!"

Yao Rao suddenly stood up, facing the Qiankun-class Intelligent Fighter's console. "Password... No. 9 Ruins."

A beam of red light suddenly shone on the wristwatch Ji Yun was wearing.

"This is a translation software! This translation software can convert the written language of the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins into Chinese and English. After you come out, I'll be responsible for uninstalling this No. 9 Ruins language translation software."

"And what if we don't have this software?" a white War God asked curiously.

Yao Rao's lips curled slightly upward.

"Then you'll be stuck inside, not knowing when you'll get out."

In the South American Amazon jungle, at dusk, the Qiankun-class Intelligent Fighter rapidly dove from high altitude, then slowly descended.

The cabin door opened.

Yao Rao and Ji Yun led the remaining War Gods out from inside to this place.

A creaking sound rang out, and the ground suddenly trembled. Without further ado, a silver passage five meters wide emerged from beneath the earth. Inside the passage was an elevator, and an old man in a red robe stepped out.

"Councilor Yao Rao, Councilor Ji." The old man in the red robe bowed slightly.

"Councilor Ji Yun, I must tell you that although no Councilor-level expert has ever fallen in the ruins, quite a few Councilors have spent a long time inside. You need to be prepared."

Then Yao Rao said, "Alright, hurry up and go in, then enter the Ancient Civilization Ruins! Each of you will face different circumstances. I wish you all the luck to come out alive!" With that, Councilor Yao Rao leaped straight into the Qiankun-class Fighter, which quickly flew away.

"Everyone, please hurry. The No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins' opening time this year only has two hours left," the old man in the red robe reminded.

Below the elevator was a metal corridor.

The staff down below seemed extremely excited, greeting Ji Yun, Luo Feng, and the others one after another.

The many personnel in this underground base were overly excited. Ji Yun watched quietly, and the old man in the red robe beside him smiled. "Don't mind these folks. They've been underground too long and rarely see outsiders, so they're all a bit excited."

"Councilor Ji Yun, you might try to bring out something else from inside. The Dojo Master once instructed me that if you came, you should give it a try."

"Something else?" Ji Yun asked curiously. "Besides the Black God Armor, what else could there be?"

"That, I do not know," the old man in the red robe shook his head. "You'll understand once you go in. Alright, War Gods, are you ready?"

All were silent.

"Very well, open the entrance passage!" the old man in the red robe shouted loudly.

The curved alloy wall at the front of the hall split open, revealing a circular passage.

This circular passage seemed to distort the light, making it impossible to see what was inside. At its deepest point, it appeared to be a mirror twisting vision, constantly turning the surroundings into a dark brown. These dark brown rays coiled like tree roots, as if anyone who entered would be bound and restrained.

"Everyone, I wish you the luck to come out alive!" the old man in the red robe watched Ji Yun and the others.

"Luo Feng, what did the Dojo Master tell you?" Ji Yun asked softly, releasing his domain.

"The Dojo Master told me that high-level Psychic Masters will only fail, not die," Luo Feng replied without any hesitation, revealing this rule to Ji Yun.

"Let's go. Since that's the case, there's not much danger." Ji Yun stepped out first, walking toward the twisted circular passage. Luo Feng followed behind, leaving the remaining War Gods exchanging glances.

"Let's go."

The War Gods behind quickly made their decision and followed in.

"Clank, clank, clank~" The alloy wall of the passage behind closed, leaving no way back.

Beyond the mirror was a black hall. The ceiling was hemispherical, and the entire black hall spanned several hundred square meters. Dreamlike beams of light shone down from the black hall's roof, making the whole place seem surreal.

"Where are the others?" Ji Yun's expression shifted slightly.

Suddenly, a dazzling light shone onto Ji Yun.

Several minutes passed.

"Is this colored light supposed to shine this long?" Ji Yun wondered, trying to fly, but was shocked to find that flight, possible for a Planetary Level martial artist, was impossible here.

It seemed the gravity within the hall had been altered.

"XXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXX..." A long string of words echoed throughout the black hall.

Ji Yun looked at his Communication Watch. These words were simply and directly translated into Chinese.

"Congratulations, your brain domain width is 36, greater than 18. You are not a Psychic Master. A hidden passage will now be opened for you. The hidden passage requires 15 minutes to prepare. Please wait."

"Brain domain breadth?"

Ji Yun was puzzled. What was brain domain breadth?

The fifteen-minute wait wasn't long, but surrounded by the unknown in this perilous civilization relic, everything felt uncertain, making time crawl for Ji Yun.

"No signal on the watch either. Looks like inside this relic, there's no way to contact the outside." Ji Yun glanced at his watch, unsurprised. Even Planetary Level martial artists were restricted from flying; blocking signals was probably even easier.

Time ticked by, second by second...

"XXXXXXX..." A string of words echoed through the black hall, and the walls began to tremble slowly.

A deep, unfathomable black passage gradually emerged from the wall, and Ji Yun's watch displayed the translated language.

"Please enter the passage."

Ji Yun looked at the passage, hesitated briefly, then rose and stepped onto the ground, charging into the black passage at a speed no slower than a high-speed train.

He walked for about ten minutes.

The passage seemed bottomless; Ji Yun had no idea when he'd reach the end.

He picked up speed, constantly sweeping through the dim corridor, passing several forks, and after turning a corner, a tiny point of light appeared ahead.

Drawing closer, he saw it.

This was a hall shrouded in dreamlike, colorful light! It was a beautiful palace fit for immortals, with drifting, lingering rainbow radiance. The hall itself was dozens of meters in both length and width, roughly the size of a stadium.

Completely empty!

Inside the dazzling palace, beams of colored light suddenly burst forth. These strange lights converged in the center of the hall, forming a black virtual human figure—a small being barely one meter forty-five tall, like a child, with two sharp horns on its forehead, blood-red eyes, and a black robe.

"Ji Yun."

The black-robed child's blood-red eyes held a faint joy.

"Chinese?" Ji Yun's expression shifted sharply.

"The development of humans on this planet has been under my monitoring. Your script changes, cultural shifts, history—all of it. The great Babata can naturally understand your language with ease," the black-robed child said proudly.

"Who are you?" Ji Yun gripped his spear tightly, watching the black-robed child warily.

"I've waited fifty thousand years. I never thought I'd wait for two geniuses," the black-robed child said joyfully.

"Listen well! I am Babata! You may call me 'Demon Babata.' Of course, that's the translation into Earth's Chinese. In the universal language, it's said as 'XXXX'." The black-robed child finished with a string of words.

"Universal language?" Ji Yun was shocked inwardly. Was this relic left by a visitor from the universe? Had cosmic forces already reached Earth? Was Earth under surveillance right now?

"Don't be nervous." The black child seemed to read Ji Yun's thoughts. "This planet's coordinates were concealed by my master. Unless someone's power exceeds my master's, they can't discover this planet. Of course, a powerhouse stronger than my master wouldn't care about a tiny native planet like this."

"Hah..." Ji Yun took a sharp breath, calming his flustered mind.

"So, Earth is safe now?" Ji Yun asked hopefully after recovering.

"That's hard to say." The black-robed child sighed, sorrowfully. "Though my master concealed the coordinates, there's no guarantee someone didn't stumble in here by accident, because my master has fallen."

"Fallen?" Ji Yun couldn't help asking. "Babata, was your master a Universe Level powerhouse?" In Ji Yun's understanding, concealing cosmic coordinates was an inconceivable feat, something only a mighty Universe Level expert could accomplish.

The black-robed child Babata sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Universe Level? Universe Level doesn't even qualify to enter our Falling Ink Star."

"What? Universe Level doesn't even qualify to enter?" Ji Yun's mouth fell open, wide enough to swallow a big egg.

"Alright, I'll tell you this much. For other matters, wait until you truly see me." Babata's form seemed to blur. "My real body isn't here, and to see me, you need a specific opportunity. Also, that little Psychic Master who came in with you has decent talent."

"I've already expended a huge amount of energy entering this relic. Now, the relic's intelligence will guide you." Babata's form dissipated completely, leaving only his voice echoing in Ji Yun's ears.

After the black-robed child's figure vanished completely, several beams of colored light lit up again.

A mass of light converged, quickly forming a vague, tall humanoid shape, then solidified into a bald crystal man.

With the precedent of the black-robed child 'Babata,' Ji Yun was merely surprised, calmly watching this newly formed bald crystal man.

The bald crystal man smiled. "Ji Yun, hello."

"The more powerful intelligence that just appeared borrowed my processing core, and since he didn't block me, I learned some information too," the bald crystal man said with a smile.

"Now, under that entity's modification, you've been automatically judged to have passed the trial. The trial reward is now being distributed."