An explanation

Ruins No. 32.

Researchers were carefully studying every detail of the ancient structure, the construction of the Nourishment Pod, and even the composition of the dried nutrient solution.

In his office, the Base Supervisor sat on a sofa with his legs propped on the coffee table, leisurely watching the screen before him.

It was a very wide screen. The left side showed surveillance feeds from important locations around the base, the right displayed various data, and the middle played light entertainment for the Base Supervisor.

Councilors have visited, and so has Hong. A new ruin really does attract attention, the Base Supervisor thought.

He was already fortunate to have secured such an important position. As for all the trouble it involved, without that, how would the job ever have fallen to him?

The only problem was that, although the base had been built, their research had produced little.

If this continued, would people start questioning his management abilities?

That was probably his greatest worry lately.

Suddenly, he noticed something unusual on the surveillance feeds on the left side of the screen.

A black-clad figure burst out of the ground on a shuttle-shaped weapon.

"Councilor Dongguan is back?" The Base Supervisor was somewhat surprised. The man had actually stayed underground for so long.

But what happened next terrified him.

On the screen, Dongguan looked around, then flew onto the raised platform and lifted the Black Stone Altar. The altar promptly vanished into thin air.

That was not all.

Councilor Dongguan hovered in midair as his shuttle-shaped weapon broke apart into countless blades that flew in every direction.

Boom!

The tremendous impact shattered the structure, and the raised platform collapsed.

Just like that, Ancient Civilization Ruins No. 32 was reduced to rubble.

"Heavens! This is a disaster!" The Base Supervisor could no longer sit still. He rushed out of his office and sprinted all the way to the ruins.

All he saw were broken walls and shattered rubble. The entire ruin had been destroyed.

"Councilor Dongguan, what are you doing? Openly destroying Ancient Civilization Ruins means making an enemy of all humanity!" The Base Supervisor lost his head. Throwing caution to the wind, he roared at Dongguan.

Dongguan ignored him, communicating mentally with Qiong instead.

"Is it done?"

"Yes. I've deleted all the photos, records, and other information about this place from every network-connected device. But I can't do anything about printed photos and records, or devices physically disconnected from the network. If that fellow from last time saved anything, I can't do anything about that either."

Qiong's reply carried none of the lofty assurance one might expect from an intelligent life capable of dominating an entire planet's network.

First he had encountered an opponent, and then there were problems like disconnected devices and paper records. These successive setbacks had left Qiong, a newly emerged intelligent life, somewhat unsure of himself.

"That's enough. For the rest, we'll do what we can and leave the outcome to fate." Dongguan shook his head.

"Actually, King Huozhen might never notice this planet. You could preserve the ruins. After all, they were your mother's final work."

Mother. Dongguan thought of the frozen body preserved inside the third World Ring aboard the ship, and a wistful sorrow stirred in his heart.

But he soon put his grief aside.

"That's possible, but I can't take the risk," Dongguan said.

Earth had once been Hu Yanbo's territory. In the original story, Demon Hand King had paid it no attention early on. By the time he took notice, Luo Feng was already looking for ways to survive.

But the feud between Hu Yanbo and Demon Hand King was not quite the same as his situation.

Hu Yanbo had been Demon Hand King's enemy, and Demon Hand King had already killed him. In Demon Hand King's eyes, a successor left behind posed little threat. He was only a successor, after all; even Hu Yanbo himself had died at his hands.

Babata had not been thinking of revenge at first, either. It was simply that Luo Feng's later growth had exceeded everyone's expectations.

The feud between Dong Xuan World Lord and King Huozhen was different. King Huozhen had attacked for a treasure.

He had failed to obtain it, and its value was extraordinarily high.

Under those circumstances, any leaked information about the Qiong Luo Race would inevitably attract his attention.

Moreover, as a Peak King soul master of the Universe Mercenary Alliance, King Huozhen surpassed Demon Hand King in both strength and influence.

In the original story, Yan Shi King had dared to move against Earth while Luo Feng was a Domain Lord. What would stop King Huozhen?

When Universe Adventurers arrived in the future, the network would certainly be infiltrated. Resolving the problem in advance could prevent that, but Dongguan could not yet think of a foolproof way to do so.

Since that was the case, erasing the traces was the only thing he could do.

Only then did Dongguan notice the Base Supervisor's frantic shouting.

"Councilor Dongguan, even if you're a powerful Councilor, you can't do whatever you please! Aren't you afraid of being judged by the War God Palace? Aren't you afraid of Hong?"

"Tell Hong about this. I'll give him an explanation."

Back then, Hong had eliminated the green and black snakes entrenched here and awakened Qiong by moving the Black Stone Altar. That had helped Dongguan, after all. This place counted as property of the Limitless Martial Arts Hall, so destroying it outright did indeed warrant an explanation.

"I will contact him!" the Base Supervisor said angrily.

Dongguan ignored him and vanished in a streak of light.

This Base Supervisor was of no consequence. He was merely afraid of being punished for failing at his job.

The only person Dongguan truly needed to speak with was Hong.

As he flew, Dongguan touched the guard on his forehead. Once he had trained "Body Transformation" to a certain level, he would be able to remove it.

In the spacious courtyard of the villa at Sand Sea Villa.

Zhang Yu and Zhang Gui sat on a sofa, waiting.

Zhang Yu's aura had grown considerably stronger, reaching that of a High-level War God, yet she looked even more haggard than when she had been a Primary General.

Zhang Gui watched his mother worriedly, feeling both anticipation and fear.

The father he had only recently acknowledged had disappeared for months. Even if he was beyond the War God level, surely he should not have spent so long in seclusion without sending any word.

It was only a few days ago that he and his mother had both received messages on their Communication Watches saying his father would return today.

The wedding in February should have been a joyous occasion, but it had turned into a funeral.

Zhang Yu had lost her mother that day, then discovered the next day that her newlywed husband had vanished as well. One could only imagine how devastated she had been. Strong as she was, she had become haggard.

Not long after returning to the Training Camp, Zhang Gui had seen his mother's exhausted appearance during a video call and taken leave from the Elite Training Camp to come home.

He had found the remaining spirits of plants and trees in the gravity room. After looking up how to use them, he had given them to his mother. Only the improved physical constitution of a High-level War God had kept her going until now.

Of course, Zhang Gui had not abandoned his own cultivation.

He had also consumed spirits of plants and trees and trained in the gravity room. He accumulated combat experience in the trial tower created by the small Virtual Reality Server at home, and sometimes went out to hunt real monsters, though he still spent most of his time caring for his mother.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Zhang Yu asked her son.

"He will," Zhang Gui answered firmly.

In truth, he was not sure either, but he had to say yes to comfort his mother.

Yet if that day's message proved false and his father still did not return, the blow to his mother would surely be even worse.

May 12, 2058, 16:59.

Zhang Gui checked the time, anxiety rising in his heart.

It was still light outside, but that was only because summer was approaching. Nightfall was not far off, and his father had yet to appear.

"It seems he won't be coming back. That message was just someone's idea of a joke." Zhang Yu seemed very calm.

Zhang Gui only grew more worried.

He knew his mother. Normally, she was rather reserved, with few emotional fluctuations, a result of her childhood experiences and her career as a researcher.

But returning to calm after intense emotional upheaval was an even worse sign.

On the day his grandmother died, his mother had been distraught. Then she had carried his grandmother's body back and kept vigil alone in her room all night. She had been very calm then, too.

"Am I not worthy of happiness in this life?" Zhang Yu was more than calm now. A smile rested on her face, but a trace of longing for death flickered in her eyes.

A streak of light came from the horizon and landed in the courtyard.

"Dad, you're back!" Zhang Gui was excited to see Dongguan, but he could still keep himself under control.

Zhang Yu, however, could not. She threw her arms around Dongguan as though clinging to her chance at life.

"I'm back." Dongguan gently stroked Zhang Yu's back. "Something unexpected happened while I was away. I'm sorry."

"As long as you're back," Zhang Yu said softly.

"Your body is so weak."

He connected mentally with Qiong in the Virtual Space. "Give me a drop of Divine Plant Essence."

"You want to use Divine Plant Essence to help her reach the Planetary Grade? That's such a waste. There are other ways," Qiong said.

They had abundant resources, but every bit used was one bit less. What seemed plentiful now might not be enough in the future.

"Give it to me," Dongguan repeated his order.

"Suit yourself." Qiong sighed, but still took out a drop of Divine Plant Essence.

Wasteful or not, it was only a little.

"Here, drink this."

Zhang Yu looked at the drop of green liquid hovering before Dongguan's extended right index finger. Without a word, she closed her mouth over it.

Feeling the moisture on his finger, Dongguan withdrew it.

"Sit cross-legged and absorb it."

Zhang Yu sensed the vitality contained in that drop. It was far, far stronger than the Spirit of Plants and Trees she had taken before.

That vitality nourished her body, sweeping away her exhaustion. Even after her body brimmed with energy, it did not stop. A wondrous transformation gradually took place, and a Miniature Planet formed within her.

Planetary Grade, first stage.

Zhang Gui gaped beside them.

Already a High-level War God himself, he had never imagined that his mother would reach the Planetary Grade before he did.

It seemed his father had encountered a tremendous opportunity during those months of absence.

"What... what's happening to me?" Feeling the newly formed Miniature Planet inside her, Zhang Yu rose from the ground.

She was not a Psychic, yet she hovered in the air.

"This is why the true name of the Councilor Level is the Planetary Grade." Dongguan smiled at her.

"I... I'm at the Councilor Level?" Zhang Yu found it increasingly unbelievable.

With treasures like the Spirit of Plants and Trees, reaching the War God Level had already satisfied her. Now, such a tiny drop of liquid had allowed her to break directly through to the Councilor Level.

If word of this got out, it would drive the entire world mad.

"Come on, let's go inside," Dongguan said, then led the way toward the villa, with the other two following.

The three returned to the villa's living room.

"Qiong, say hello."

Qiong? Who was that?

Zhang Yu and Zhang Gui were puzzled, but did not question him. That drop of green liquid had already revealed a great deal.

Light gathered on Dongguan's shoulder, forming a little figure.

Compared with Babata aboard the Yunmo Star Ship, the equipment here was more plentiful and comprehensive, allowing Qiong to project an image.

Of course, it was only a projection. Anything touching him would pass right through.

"Hello, young mistress and little young master." Qiong spoke perfect Chinese.

"Hello. Your name is Qiong?" The two looked at Qiong with great curiosity.

"I am the intelligent life my master left to the young master. You can call me Qiong."

Next, Dongguan had Qiong explain most of what had happened.

After all, Zhang Gui carried his bloodline, and Zhang Yu was his wife and the mother of Zhang Gui. They deserved to know about the Qiong Luo Race.

Qiong infiltrated the network, and scene after scene appeared on the television screen, drawing repeated exclamations of amazement from them.

"So I should be called Gui Qiong Luo?" Zhang Gui blinked and looked at Dongguan.

"Just use Zhang Gui Qiong Luo. In public, you should simply go by Zhang Gui. Until you're strong enough, you must conceal the surname Qiong Luo," Dongguan decided.

"Also, you've already reached the required strength. There's no need for you to remain at the Limitless Martial Arts Hall's Training Camp."

"But the Black God Set..."

"I'll provide you with a supporting Plant Lifeform later. If you really want a Black God Set, you can have mine."

"Then, what about Mom..."

"If you want one, I can provide one for you too. Do you?" Dongguan looked at Zhang Yu.

"No need. I'm not a martial artist, and I don't want to fight," Zhang Yu declined.

She had accepted the Black God Set because it was a marriage proposal gift and genuinely convenient. Anything beyond that was unnecessary.

"Actually, even if you don't become a martial artist or a Psychic, there are other ways to cultivate. There's a profession in the universe called Potion Master..."

Since Zhang Yu did not want to fight, Dongguan came up with an idea: she could become a Potion Master or pursue another research-oriented profession.

In truth, with sufficient resources, he could simply raise her cultivation level. But giving her some motivation and direction would keep her from having nothing to do.

She had become so haggard over these months partly because she worried about Dongguan, but there was another reason. She had lost her own path of growth and had no goal. After losing the people she relied on, her heart had nearly died.

Sure enough, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up at his explanation.

She was not unwilling to cultivate. She simply did not want to be a martial artist, feared combat, and had no spiritual force. A research-oriented profession like Potion Master suited her wishes.

"Dad, there's something else. When can I reach the Planetary Grade?"

"Another drop," Dongguan instructed Qiong.

Qiong took out another drop of Divine Plant Essence.

Having wasted it once already, he no longer cared about doing so a second time.

After Zhang Gui received the Divine Plant Essence, his energy was fully replenished. Due to the unique bloodline of the Qiong Luo Race, his spiritual force resonated with his body, and both his martial artist and Psychic cultivation reached the Planetary Grade together.

"Anything else?"

"Also, I want..."

"Get lost!" Dongguan chased away the boy who kept pushing his luck.

"Sure thing!" Zhang Gui immediately left, leaving the living room to the two of them.

Hongning Base City, headquarters of the Limitless Martial Arts Hall.

Inside the enormous spacecraft-shaped building, Hong read the report before him.

All networked records concerning Ruins No. 32 had been destroyed. Ruins No. 32 itself had been demolished, and its central Black Stone Altar had been taken by Councilor Dongguan.

"I'll be waiting for your explanation."