Upon hearing Hong's words, Zhang Junbao's pupils constricted slightly, but he quickly understood. If Hong wanted to seize his "inheritance," there was no need for him to ask so directly.
As far as he knew, Hong was not a reckless man, but a powerful martial artist with the demeanor of a true martial arts master and wisdom that transcended mere physical strength.
"Why do you say I possess the inheritance of ancient civilization?" Zhang Junbao was not reserved at all, as if he were in his own home. He walked to a chair in front of Hong and sat down very naturally.
"Haha, you really have inherited the legacy of an ancient civilization." Hong also sat down, looking at Zhang Junbao with a smile on his face.
"If you haven't experienced it, you should be asking me what the inheritance of ancient civilizations is."
Zhang Junbao was speechless. He hadn't expected Hong to dig such a small but significant hole for him right from the start. However, this was simply because he hadn't intended to hide it; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so casually on their first meeting.
Although Zhang Junbao had considered hiding all his secrets, as his strength gradually became apparent, General Hong would guess it, after all, that was how they rose to power back then.
It would be better to openly acknowledge the relationship and seek a basis for cooperation between the two parties.
Although Zhang Junbao had some understanding of what was about to happen, he Taiqing about the details of the ancient civilization. At present, Hong was undoubtedly the person on Earth who knew the most about cosmic civilizations. It wouldn't hurt to exchange a secret that would soon be exposed for some information that Hong didn't know.
Furthermore, Hong suspected that he had obtained the inheritance of an ancient civilization in the universe, which also conveniently concealed his true identity. After all, not everyone can accept having an ancestor from hundreds of years ago suddenly appear above their head.
So, museum curator, you've also inherited the legacy of an ancient civilization?
Zhang Junbao continued Hong's words without offering any further explanation.
I didn't say anything. It's all your own conjecture. I, Zhang Junbao, have never claimed to have inherited the ancient civilization.
Intelligent people like to fill in the gaps in their imaginations. Once they find that things are close to what they guessed, they quickly complete a whole process. Zhang Junbao didn't even need to explain. As long as he gave Hong a reason that Hong found reasonable, everything would fall into place.
"Yes!
No wonder! I was wondering where such a terrifying genius had suddenly appeared; it really was.
Hong sighed, his eyes fixed on Zhang Junbao.
Zhang Junbao sensed a rather complex emotional fluctuation in Hong's eyes.
What is Hong thinking? Murder and loot?
Or are you trying to extract more information from me?
In that brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Junbao's mind. He hadn't ruled out the possibility that Hong might try to kill him and steal his treasure after discovering his special abilities.
Don't be misled by the descriptions in the novel. Before the Great Nirvana, Hong was Killer. Killing and robbing to strengthen himself was just routine for him.
Even now, anyone who dares to defy him will not fare well. No one would be so generous as to cultivate an opponent who disagrees with them. Can the morality of mere human society truly restrain the world's strongest being?
Especially after he comes into contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, will he be influenced by their way of thinking?
However, it seems that Hong at least has his own bottom line, or rather, he is considering issues that are more far-reaching than those that are short-term.
Are you worried that I will kill you here and seize your inheritance?
Hong understood Zhang Junbao's thoughts and spoke up.
"I was indeed worried, but now it seems you've given up on that idea." Since Hong had spoken up, it meant he still had other concerns, and Zhang Junbao breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he knew quite a bit about the world, Zhang Junbao couldn't think of any way to resist if Hong insisted on attacking him.
Zhang Junbao was confident that he could crush Hong in terms of his understanding of martial arts, but the gap in their raw strength was huge. No matter how Zhang Junbao performed, he could not withstand Hong's overwhelming strength.
This is the true meaning of overwhelming force. So what if you are a martial arts master? My strength is hundreds, even thousands of times greater than yours.
No matter how hard Zhang Junbao tried, he was helpless against Hong, whose speed, strength, and reflexes completely overwhelmed him. If Hong were to attack, Zhang Junbao wouldn't even have time to react.
Moreover, Hong is not just a martial artist who relies on brute force; his understanding of spear techniques also surpasses that of ordinary grandmasters.
This feeling of being completely suppressed evoked a deep-seated realization in Zhang Junbao's memory, just like when he first came into contact with martial arts, facing a martial artist far stronger than himself, that indomitable spirit.
In the martial arts world, one must constantly challenge stronger opponents and forge ahead relentlessly to emerge victorious!
"The thought did flash through my mind the instant you entered. But now that you have inherited the legacy of an ancient civilization, you should know that our Earth civilization is not the only one existing in this world."
The universe is vast, and just as countless scientists have imagined, it contains extremely prosperous cosmic civilizations.
Compared to them, Earthling are nothing more than small, isolated natives.
Even if we become number one on Earth, so what?
At this moment, Zhang Junbao finally saw a side of Hong that no one else knew. As the world's strongest person, Hong knew very well that he was going to face a vast array of powerful cosmic civilizations, not a group of Earthling.
"What does being the first on Earth mean in the face of cosmic civilizations? Isn't that right?"
"Although I would love to possess all the ruins on Earth, unfortunately, some ruins truly require a special opportunity, and even I cannot pass the test."
Zhang Junbao remained silent, listening quietly to Hong's explanation. Zhang Junbao sensed a strange loneliness emanating from Hong at this moment, a loneliness born of yearning for fellow practitioners in the pursuit of truth.
Zhang Junbao had felt this way before, and now he saw similar emotions in Hong.
Loneliness, longing.
Strangely enough, Hong, the world's strongest, is actually lonely. He longs for fellow Daoists to accompany him on his path of advancement, to compete with each other, and to help each other grow.
This resonated with Zhang Junbao; wasn't he feeling the same way?
"You see this headquarters? It looks a lot like a spaceship, right?"
Because it was a damaged interstellar warship.
Hong said calmly, "When I found it back then, it was already too badly damaged to fly into space."
However... even if this interstellar warship is just an empty hull, its defensive capabilities far surpass those of any other Base City building on Earth.
"Later, when I had the ability, I pulled it out from underground."
"I'll use the interstellar warship as the headquarters of my Limits Dojo! Even laser cannons won't be able to breach it."
Hong waved his hand, and a semi-transparent display screen appeared out of thin air in front of him. He pointed at the screen, and it lit up, displaying an image of the universe. "This universe... is not as simple as many ordinary people on Earth think."
As they spoke, Hong kept observing Zhang Junbao's expression. Through Zhang Junbao's expression, he could judge how much Zhang Junbao actually knew about the universe.
However, the more Hong looked at him, the less confident he seemed. Even though he demonstrated the power of the interstellar warship, Zhang Junbao's expression didn't seem to change much. This meant that Zhang Junbao was already aware of what Hong was saying, and it hadn't significantly impacted his understanding of the situation.
Zhang Junbao gradually accepted the information Hong provided, and it was clear that Hong was very wary of extraterrestrial civilizations.
Hong waved his hand, and the scene changed again.
"Humans are sometimes quite arrogant. They dare to make arbitrary conclusions about the universe without even exploring the Earth itself."
Many people even speculate that Earth Humans are the only life form on Earth—how ridiculous!
The real universe is thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of millions, billions, billions of times larger than what humans on Earth understand!
Hong said somewhat forlornly, "The civilizations and races in the universe are incredibly complex and extremely mysterious."
As far as I know, the universe divides the strong into several levels, with the top levels being Apprentice Level, Planetary Level, Star Level, and Universe Level! Each level is further divided into nine tiers.
Can you believe it? The so-called Wargod on Earth, who is considered one of the strongest humans, is only Apprentice Level in the universe.
What is an apprentice? It means someone who doesn't even qualify for a proper rank and is not worthy of being called a formal person.
Only by surpassing the Wargod and entering the Planetary Level can one become an existence Beyond War God of War. And the status of Planetary Level warrior in the universe is even lower than that of a Beginner Warrior on Earth.
Isn't it ridiculous that the strongest beings on Earth aren't even ranked at the bottom of the universe?
"Look at this..."
Hong waved his hand again, and a video appeared on the virtual screen.
The video shows two powerful warriors fighting on a white, incandescent planet. A note in Huaxia next to the video explains that it's a white dwarf planet with a gravity 300 million times that of Earth!
Seeing this, Zhang Junbao was also deeply shocked. Knowing how powerful a cosmic expert was was one thing, but witnessing such power firsthand was quite another.
Three hundred million times the gravity of Earth—needless to say, no matter on Earth can withstand such pressure, yet two cosmic warriors can ignore it and fight each other to their hearts' content.
Is this the strongest being in the universe? How can I surpass such a being?
"This is a battle video of two Universe Level powerhouses, and it's the only video of Universe Level powerhouses I've ever obtained." Hong's eyes held a hint of longing. " Universe Level powerhouses can traverse the universe with their bare hands, and even destroying planets with their bare hands is no problem!"
Compared to someone like that, do you think our struggles for fame and fortune on Earth are still important?
Zhang Junbao took a deep breath, his burning gaze filled with determination.
This is the world that the strong should pursue. What are ancient and modern people, what are centuries of secluded cultivation? They all seem insignificant in the face of such power.
Moreover, he understood better than Hong that Universe Level powerhouse was really nothing in the vast universe.
"Our biggest worry is, what if, just one day, some powerful being from the universe discovers Earth? Will we still be able to control the fate of our planet?"
That's why Thunder God and I decided that whoever gets the opportunity on Earth will own it. The two of us alone are far from enough to contend with the powerful beings of the universe.
Earth needs more strong individuals. Your ability to inherit the legacy of an ancient civilization is your destiny. Thunder God and I have only one request: let's protect Earth together; it's humanity's only home!
Zhang Junbao, I formally invite you to join the Limits Dojo and fight alongside us!
Hong looked at Zhang Junbao, his eyes filled with fervent anticipation.
At this moment, Zhang Junbao also understood why Hong and Thunder God were able to surpass other Planetary Level warriors and become the Peak Battle power.
The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people; aren't Hong and Thunder God the perfect examples of this?