As Hong drew closer and closer to the mixed hole, about to be swallowed, Yun He still refrained from dealing a killing blow despite his irritation.
In fact, he had not deliberately increased the mixed hole's devouring power. Hong's predicament was entirely due to the mixed hole's sudden surge in power after incorporating three types of laws, which had strengthened its gravitational pull.
By then, Yun He had a rough idea of what had happened outside. He had never expected to cause such a commotion.
People from all the major factions around the world had arrived, and several fighter jets were flying outside.
After some thought, he decided not to reveal himself. Yun He reversed the mixed hole, changing its gravitational pull into an outward repulsive force.
Boom!
Brilliant light instantly erupted in the sky.
The powerful gravitational pull became a repulsive force, driving all the nearby light outward.
The black hole at the center seemed to explode, bursting into a massive firework that spanned several thousand meters. Its golden radiance was too dazzling to look at.
A powerful shock wave, carrying golden light, spread outward in a circle in every direction.
Everyone, along with the fighter jets, was pushed rapidly backward by the powerful shock wave.
Beep, beep, beep!
The fighter jets sounded shrill alarms as they tumbled backward.
"Fall back, now!"
"This is bad!"
Cries of alarm rang out, and the scene descended into chaos.
Only after a long while did the dust settle. Everyone realized that the shock wave had pushed them ten thousand meters away. Aside from some discomfort, none of them had been injured.
They all hovered there in bewilderment, staring at the patch of sky where the black hole had been. Now, it was completely empty.
Where had the black hole gone?
Had it really exploded?!
The most astonished of them all was Hong, the man in black. No one but him knew what he had experienced inside. He had already given up hope, only to be pushed out by a powerful force at the very last moment.
Now, aside from looking a little disheveled and feeling drained, he was uninjured.
"Brother Hong, what happened?" Everyone spotted Hong and hurried over, their eyes fixed on him. Thunder God, the monk in white robes, could not help asking.
Hong took a deep breath and steadied himself, his expression returning to its usual impassiveness. Without saying anything, he glanced at Thunder God, then turned and flew straight toward his fighter jet.
Thunder God hurried after him.
By the afternoon, the area around the underground base gradually recovered from the chaos.
The staff began returning to the base in an orderly fashion.
"War God Yun He, are you all right? Where did you go just now? We didn't see you when we evacuated." A staff member spotted Yun He and hurried over.
"I evacuated before everyone else," Yun He explained.
The staff member nodded without asking further. Everything had been so chaotic that no one had been able to look after anyone else.
"Hall Master Hong is looking for you. He asked you to go aboard his fighter jet." The staff member pointed at the blood-red triangular jet parked nearby, which stood out among the many aircraft.
"Understood. I'll go now." Yun He nodded and walked over.
Hong, huh?
Yun He felt no pressure whatsoever about meeting Hong.
Hong was the world's strongest fighter, a Planetary Level Six expert who possessed a domain and was said to be invincible at the planetary level. But now, Yun He no longer thought much of him.
Invincible at the planetary level?
What a joke.
Even without considering laws, Yun He's tenfold gene level alone was enough to crush Hong.
If Yun He had not reined in his killing intent at the last moment, there would have been nothing left of Hong by now.
By the time he reached the Primordial-Level Intelligent Fighter Jet, Yun He had already concealed his aura completely. Looking utterly unremarkable, he bowed slightly and said, "Hall Master, I'm Yun He."
Whoosh!
The hatch opened, and a stairway extended.
Yao Rao, his personal guard, stepped out. "Come in. The Hall Master is waiting for you inside."
Yun He nodded and followed Yao Rao into the jet.
The blood-red triangular intelligent fighter jet sped through the sky.
Inside, Hong, the man in black, sat on a sofa alongside Thunder God, Yun He, Yao Rao, and Liu He.
Hong had regained his usual aloof demeanor. Looking at Yun He, he asked, "Yun He, you had translation software, so why did you spend an entire year in the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins? Did you discover some of the secrets inside?"
As Earth's strongest fighter, Hong had also obtained some technological legacies from ancient ruins. Few things on Earth could still arouse his curiosity, but the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins happened to be one of them.
Thunder God and the others also looked at Yun He.
"Yes." Yun He nodded without hesitation.
"What secrets? Can you tell me?" Hong's eyes brightened slightly.
"My physical aptitude met the ruins' requirements, so I triggered an elite trial and was forced to undertake a death assessment mission." Yun He delivered the explanation he had prepared long ago.
"A death assessment mission?"
Everyone present was somewhat startled.
"The fact that you came out alive proves you completed it. Your rewards must have been different from those of the other War Gods, right?" Hong asked.
In the past, everyone who successfully completed the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins had received a Black God Set.
"They were different."
Yun He nodded. "I received not only a Black God Set, but also an Auxiliary Optical Computer and a set of warrior cultivation methods."
"Oh? Warrior cultivation methods!" Both Hong's and Thunder God's eyes lit up.
They were both warriors who had risen rapidly during the Great Nirvana Period. All the way to the present, they had relied on their own cultivation without any inherited guidance.
From what little they knew about the universe, planetary-level fighters were practically nothing out there. They could barely scrape together a living.
Hong, in particular, knew that possessing a domain at the planetary level meant his martial attainment was exceptionally high. Many star-level experts in the universe had yet to develop domains of their own.
A planetary-level fighter with a domain could be considered invincible within the planetary level.
If he could receive guidance from warrior cultivation methods originating in the wider universe, his progress would be even more astonishing.
Yun He spread his hands and shrugged helplessly. "Unfortunately, I can't share them."
"You can't share them? You mean..." Hong and Thunder God exclaimed, leaving the implication of their final words unspoken.
Yun He nodded.
Hong and Thunder God exchanged a glance and immediately understood. Both sighed helplessly.
They knew very well that, with the incredible technology and wondrous capabilities within the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins, monitoring the entire Earth would be no difficult task.
Clearly, there was an intelligence within the No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins. They had suspected as much for a long time. After all, something intelligent had to be keeping the ruins operational. Now, they could be even more certain that this intelligence was of a fairly high level and could monitor the entire Earth at any time.
Inspector Liu He suddenly said, "Then Luo Feng might still be alive too. Could he simply be trapped in the ruins, forced to complete this so-called death assessment?"
Yun He smiled. "That wouldn't be surprising. Luo Feng is even more talented than I am, let alone his aptitude. So I also suspect he's still alive."
Everyone nodded. With Yun He's case as an example, it no longer seemed strange that Luo Feng might have been put through a death assessment.
Thunder God then said to Hong, "Brother Hong, I envy you."
Hong smiled faintly. "What's there to envy? Becoming strong yourself is what matters most. Besides, when Yun He and Luo Feng grow stronger, it will benefit our Earth too."
Thunder God nodded.
Hong asked another question. "You must have learned something about the universe while you were in the ruins, right?"
Yun He nodded and briefly shared some of the basic information about the universe he had learned there, without going into much detail.
Hong and Thunder God both nodded after listening. What Yun He knew was much the same as their own information, and he actually knew a little less.
"Yun He, you're already a councilor-level fighter now-or rather, a planetary-level expert. Would you be interested in serving as an Inspector of my Limit Martial Hall?" Hong asked with a smile.
This was an offer of goodwill to Yun He. Given Hong's status, it was exceedingly rare for him to extend an invitation personally.
Yun He's advancement to the planetary level could not be concealed. After all, his level of existence had changed, creating an enormous difference from when he had been at the apprentice level. Nor did Yun He have any reason to hide it.
Hong did not pay it too much mind either. After all, a first-stage planetary-level fighter was nothing remarkable in his eyes.
What he truly cared about was that Yun He had obtained warrior cultivation methods. With methods from the wider universe, Yun He's future achievements would be considerable.
"I'm sorry, Hall Master. I only want to focus on cultivation. I don't wish to hold any position." Yun He shook his head and declined.
"Then do as you wish." Hong smiled and said no more.
Before you continue