Luo Feng's Death?

"Inspector Wang, did you need something from me?"

Looking at the middle-aged man outside the door, Li Qingxu asked.

"Yes. Something unfortunate happened, but the Dojo Master is in seclusion, so I came to you, Acting Dojo Master."

"We've received word from Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9. Luo Feng may have died."

Inspector Wang sighed.

Eight War Gods from the Limit Dojo had entered Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9 this time. Five had come back out.

Of those five, two had succeeded and three had been crippled. The other three had yet to emerge.

Usually, anyone who failed to come out of the ruins alive was presumed dead, and Luo Feng was one of them.

"Luo Feng is dead?"

Li Qingxu glanced at him.

If he remembered correctly, he had given Luo Feng a Black God Set. Did even gifts have to go into the ancient ruins?

If that was the case, then he had given the wrong thing.

"Yes. Should we notify Luo Feng's family of his death?"

Inspector Wang asked.

Of the five who had come out this time, the fastest had emerged after just three days.

The latest had emerged on the fifteenth day.

Normally, if someone didn't come out within three months, they were declared dead.

Before translation software existed, War God-level warriors who entered Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9 couldn't understand the writing or speech. The longest anyone had been trapped was over seven months.

But since translation software had become available, the process had grown much more efficient. The longest anyone had been trapped was only a month and a half.

The dojo doubled the usual time limit, setting the point at which someone was declared dead at three months.

Anyone who failed to come out of Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9 within three months was presumed dead.

"You can notify the other two families. There's no need to notify Luo Feng's."

Li Qingxu waved a hand.

He didn't know about the other two, but Luo Feng seemed to be completing an assessment mission in those ruins.

"Understood."

Inspector Wang nodded, then turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing."

"Have someone tell Luo Feng's family that he's on a dojo mission and is expected to complete it within two years. If anyone tries to harm his family or pull any tricks during that time, kill them, no matter who they are. If you can't handle it, I will."

"Even if it's a councilor."

Li Qingxu's voice was calm, as if killing a councilor were no different from crushing an ant.

"Hiss. Understood."

Inspector Wang sucked in a sharp breath, his expression changing at once.

He still remembered what had happened in the War God Palace. That food had appeared out of nowhere, completely beyond the rules of the War God Palace.

He even suspected that Li Qingxu had a way to erase the consciousness of everyone who entered the War God Palace.

The door closed by itself. Li Qingxu returned to the training hall, sat cross-legged, and sank into cultivation once more.

Nine Dao Diagrams appeared and vanished around him, as if nine heavens had descended.

He no longer paid much attention to what was happening on Earth.

Once Luo Feng had claimed his two opportunities, Li Qingxu would set foot in the universe.

Days passed.

There were no secrets that could stay hidden forever. Word spread that Luo Feng, the Limit Dojo inspector in Jiangnan Base City, had vanished without explanation nearly a year ago and might already be dead.

Ordinary people mourned Luo Feng, who had become an Invincible War God at an exceptionally young age.

After all, Inspector Luo had once fought against a beast tide. He was a hero.

At the mountaintop villa on Huayao Peak in Jiangnan Landscape Residential Quarter, Jiangnan Base City, a beautiful middle-aged woman suddenly looked delighted.

"Karma! This is karma!"

"Luo Feng, you should have gone down to join them long ago."

"And your family should go down there too!"

"No, I can't act myself, but..."

The woman suddenly calmed down, her eyes shifting as if she had thought of something.

She picked up an unregistered communication device and sent out news that Luo Feng had discovered Vegetation Spirits on Mist Island and collected a large number of them.

"Luo Feng, I'll watch your family go down to join you, one by one!"

Two black-and-white photographs hung conspicuously on the wall in front of her.

At the same time, several forces that received the message bared their fangs in the shadows.

The importance of Vegetation Spirits went without saying, especially when there were so many of them. No one could remain indifferent.

Although Luo Feng was an inspector for the Limit Dojo, he was already dead.

Before long, many unfamiliar faces appeared around Bright Moon Residential Quarter in Jiangnan Base City, where Luo Feng's family lived.

At the same time, in a room at the Limit Dojo headquarters, Hong's three personal guards and five inspectors had gathered.

"We've received word from Jiangnan Base City. People from other forces are secretly watching Luo Feng's family. The Dojo Master and Councilor Li are both in seclusion. Should we notify them by force?"

"No need for now. Those people are only watching, so there's no need to interfere. You can't keep a fire under wraps forever. Sooner or later, they'll learn that Luo Feng has gone missing."

"Right. We'll follow Councilor Li's instructions. If they're only watching, let them. If they make even the slightest move, kill them!"

"Agreed."

"Wang Yu, why do you seem so bloodthirsty?"

Deep inside Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9, in a crystal room within the maze.

Luo Feng's face was covered in a beard, but his eyes shone like brilliant stars as he looked down at his Communication Watch.

The crystal room in the maze was clear as glass and breathtakingly beautiful, yet its walls were even tougher than the scales of a King-level monster. It had held Luo Feng captive for a year and three months.

Boom!

With a thunderous rumble, streaks of light blasted through the crystal walls.

"I finally made it out."

"I finally made it!"

A dark figure shouted in excitement and strode out.

"Congratulations. You have successfully completed the Death Mission assessment!"

"Follow the passage ahead to meet me and claim your reward for completing the assessment."

As the voice spoke, the tough wall of dark brown roots in front of Luo Feng began to writhe, quickly opening to form a passage three or four meters wide.

The passage was deep and shadowy. At its far end, dazzling streams of light shimmered—the same light that formed the crystal walls.

"I finally did it. My reward?"

Luo Feng turned and slung on his backpack. Then the Sky-Escaping Shuttle rose into the air.

He passed through the shadowy passage and soon arrived in a hall bathed in dreamlike, multicolored light.

Suddenly, the colorful light gathered in great quantities, quickly forming the vague outline of a tall figure. It solidified into a Bald Crystal Man.

Half a quarter of an hour later.

"Go!"

"You're the first member of Black Ink Star in five thousand years. Although you can no longer enter Black Ink Star, I still hope you'll strive to become the strongest."

"The passage has opened. You can leave and go home now."

With that, the Bald Crystal Man vanished, dissolving into countless streaks of light.

"Home!"

Luo Feng's heart stirred.

Deep beneath Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9, in the underground base.

The base had been built jointly by the various forces on Earth. The five great powers, the Two Great Dojos, and the HR Alliance were all entitled to send people into Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9.

The many people stationed here came from different forces.

"Click, click..."

A series of sounds rang out.

Nearly a hundred people in the base's main hall all turned to look at the door leading into Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 9.

Unless someone opened it from inside, the entrance would only open automatically when its sensor detected a War God coming out.

"Someone's coming out?"