Chapter 68

"Su Sister, from what you said, it seems you came here to search for the remains of an ancient sect. I guess someone from your Su family’s ancestors must have explored the remains of an ancient sect before and gained something, right?"

After entering the ruins, Lan Ling’er began to talk about the ruins with Su Shiyi, who was close to her. As she spoke, Lan Ling’er asked another question.

Su Shiyi hesitated slightly before saying, "Yes, our Su family ancestor obtained the Jade Skin Pill in a certain ruin. This time, our Su family came to this ruin to see if there is a Golden Bone Pill here."

Lan Ling’er looked at Su Shiyi with surprise and said after a long while, "Jade Skin Pill, Jade Skin Pill... No wonder, with Su Sister’s martial arts talent, no wonder..."

"I guess the records of the ancient sect ruins in Su Sister’s family are incomplete, right? Otherwise, Su Sister wouldn’t have come to this desolate and harsh ancient sect ruins with the clan." Lan Ling’er continued.

Su Shiyi frowned slightly. Before she could speak, an elder of the Su family couldn’t help but ask, "What do you mean? Are there different ancient sect ruins in different places?"

Lan Ling’er didn’t hide anything at this moment and directly said, "Yes, Uncle Su, there are indeed many differences in the ancient sect ruins in different places. Do you know that ancient sect ruins are classified? The lowest level of ancient sect ruins is called a city-level research institute, which is a first-level ancient sect ruin. These ancient sect ruins mostly exist in prosperous areas. For example, in the eastern region of the Blue Sea, some countries have ancient sect ruins under their cities. Generally, ancient sect ruins in today’s prosperous areas belong to first-level ancient sect ruins, also known as city-level research institutes."

"Further up, in remote and uninhabited areas, such as deep mountains and old forests, or uninhabited grasslands, the ancient sect ruins there are generally provincial-level research institutes, which are second-level ancient sect ruins. If it’s a harsh environment where humans can hardly survive, like this Death Desert or the Endless Forest, these extremely harsh environments where humans can hardly survive, the ancient sect ruins there are the highest-level national research institutes, third-level ancient sect ruins, the most terrifying ancient sect ruins."

"Generally, in first-level ancient sect ruins, the highest level of guards reaches the quasi-internal force realm, and the mechanisms and defense systems inside mostly only effectively prevent the intrusion of the quasi-internal force realm. I think the ruin where the Su family ancestor obtained the Jade Skin Pill formula is such a ruin."

"Further up, in second-level ancient sect ruins, the highest level of guards can reach the internal force realm, and the mechanisms and defense systems inside can prevent the intrusion of the internal force realm. Such ancient sect ruins are already very terrifying. Even if a hundred internal force realm experts attack simultaneously, it would be impossible to break through and enter in a short time, and there’s even a one in five chance of dying in it."

"Further up, in the highest-level third-level ancient sect ruins, the highest level of guards can reach the internal qi realm, and the defense systems inside are designed to withstand simultaneous attacks by multiple internal qi realm experts. Moreover, this level of ancient sect ruins has multiple energy circulation systems. As long as it doesn’t reach the limit of its defense, even if ten or more internal qi realm experts attack simultaneously, it can still defend, and there’s no danger of energy depletion. It almost exists semi-permanently, and it even has large-scale weapons that can kill below the internal qi realm, and even weapons that can directly eliminate the internal qi realm. Such ancient sect ruins are the highest-level third-level ruins, almost indestructible war fortresses."

Lan Ling’er led the way down, while explaining the information about ancient sect ruins to everyone. By the end, except for Hao Qi, who was carefree and kept looking at the scenery, the rest were already pale with fear. They understood better than Hao Qi the significance of the quasi-internal force realm, internal force realm, and even the internal qi realm in this world. A defense system that could withstand multiple internal qi realm experts was something they couldn’t even imagine, let alone the internal force realm puppets and the most terrifying internal qi realm puppets. This was simply... terrifying!

At this moment, an internal force realm expert from the Su family asked, "But the puppets we just saw were all quasi-internal force realm, we didn’t see any internal force realm puppets. Maybe this is just a first-level ancient sect ruin."

"No," Lan Ling’er shook her head and said, "Quasi-internal force realm puppets can be mass-produced because the corpses they parasitize only reach the quasi-internal force realm. They just exploit the physical strength of the corpses, which is simple for mechanical creations because they have no pain and don’t care about the body, they just need to burst out with full power, plus the martial arts program of the puppet itself, so the creation of quasi-internal force realm puppets is very simple. However, from the internal force realm onwards, it’s different. The internal force realm has an energy circulation system called internal force, which is semi-energized. The corpses parasitized by internal force realm puppets won’t decay like those of quasi-internal force realm puppets. As long as there’s enough internal force reserve, the corpse can remain uncorrupted for decades, and during operation, internal force can be used. This requires extremely high-quality materials, especially the core chip must be made of internal force stone, which is a creation from the ancient internal force civilization period. Although the ancient sect period inherited from the ancient internal force period, it no longer had the method to manufacture internal force stones, so each use reduces the number. Even in third-level ancient sect ruins, the number of internal force realm puppets won’t exceed a hundred, and they generally guard the secondary core areas."

"Will not... exceed a hundred?"

The internal force realm expert from the Su family almost spat out a mouthful of blood. What did it mean not to exceed a hundred? What was the concept of a hundred internal force realm experts? Although it was said that a hundred internal force realm experts surrounding an internal qi realm expert would result in the hundred internal force realm experts being completely annihilated, that was when each internal force realm expert had their own thoughts and were all living people. People fear death and retreat when faced with an invincible terror. But if it were a hundred martial arts experts, all reaching the pinnacle, and fearless of death, they might really be able to surround and kill an internal qi realm expert. This was the power that could destroy cities and countries. At least, there had never been any news of any country in the Blue Sea having more than a hundred, or even close to a hundred, internal force realm experts.

"Yes, it won’t exceed a hundred..." Lan Ling’er didn’t find it strange, just looked at Su Shiyi’s cousin with surprise, and then said, "In the books I’ve read, it’s said that above third-level ancient sect ruins, there are fourth-level ancient sect ruins, but even the books I’ve read say it’s just a legend, so it’s probably not credible. The fourth-level ancient sect ruins are called United Nations research institutes, and there was only one in the entire ancient sect period. It’s said that the lowest level inside is the internal force realm puppet, with about five thousand in number, then the internal qi realm puppet, and it’s said there are even true qi realm puppets. Compared to this legendary fourth-level ancient sect ruin, the one we’re in now is far inferior."

Everyone was shocked and silent, unable to find the right words to express their awe of the magnificent civilization of the ancient sect era. Only Hao Qi felt a strange sensation.

City-level, provincial-level, national-level, and even United Nations-level... These terms to describe ancient sect ruins were truly bizarre to Hao Qi. These words shouldn’t appear in this otherworldly realm at all. Where did this otherworldly realm get a United Nations? And they shouldn’t appear in an ancient era named after sects. These words... should belong to Hao Qi’s previous life on Earth!

While thinking about this, Hao Qi couldn’t help but ask, "Lan Ling’er, you’ve been talking about the ancient sect era. What about the history before the ancient sect era? You know something, right? Can you tell us?"

Lan Ling’er smiled at Hao Qi and said, "It’s a good thing you asked me. If you asked anyone else, even the people of the Sutuka tribe, they probably wouldn’t know. I have some secret information channels and know some truths about history... It’s said that before our era, human history was divided into three eras. The first era was the Ancient Mechanical Science and Technology Era. At that time, humans created unimaginable mechanical creations, such as space fortresses floating millions of meters above the ground, mountain-sized robots, and cities sailing in the deep sea. It was a miraculous era, known as the Ancient Mechanical Science and Technology Era."

"But this era ended, unfortunately, Hao Qi, I don’t know how it ended. In any case, it ended. On the ruins of this miraculous era, humans rebuilt the second civilization, known as the Internal Force Science and Technology Era. It’s said that in that era, all humans received compulsory education, not just cultural education but also martial arts education. By the time they reached adulthood, as long as their physical condition wasn’t so poor that they couldn’t even withstand medicinal pills, they would almost certainly become internal force realm experts. At that time, there was a joke that said, 'Internal force is worse than a dog, internal qi is everywhere, only true qi can shake.' It was a great era."

"But this era also ended, and the reason for its end is unknown. These true histories seem to have been erased or covered up by someone. After the ruins of this great era, some large groups, large families, and large companies, inheriting from the ancient internal force science and technology civilization, found the essence of civilization they could find. In the following era, they formed groups to protect themselves, and such groups were called sects. Any sect was the undisputed government of a region, like a king. Hao Qi, in the books I’ve read, the content about the ancient sect era is the most detailed."

"These sects formed groups to protect themselves, surviving the aftermath of the destruction of the ancient internal force science and technology civilization. Then they began to develop naturally. Although they no longer reached the glory of the ancient times, they still mastered many civilizational achievements beyond the modern level. Therefore, they needed more resources and more territory. Gradually, the territories of the sects began to intersect, and conflicts arose. As more and more sects intersected, the conflicts became more and more, and when they became as tangled as a mess of hemp, almost impossible to resolve, the world war broke out. A world war based on the sects almost destroyed all the ancient sects, especially when the first ancient sect about to be annihilated used a destructive weapon, the war reached its final stage. The more ancient the headquarters, the more destructive weapons it suffered. This is why the more ancient the sect ruins, the more dangerous they are. For example, this Death Desert, in the books I’ve read, it was a vast grassland, forest, river, and mountain in the ancient sect era and before, a place with more abundant water and grass than the current eastern region of the Blue Sea. But in the final battle of the ancient sect era, it suffered a destructive weapon attack and finally became an endless Death Desert."

At this point, Lan Ling’er paused, showing a bitter smile, "Actually, destructive weapons come in many forms, not all of them turn the surface into a desert. For example, the Endless Forest in the south of the Blue Sea, it’s said that there is a third-level ancient sect ruin deep in it, near the Green Sea. It also suffered a destructive weapon attack, and the effect was the activation of plants and animals. It’s said that there are very few animals in the Endless Forest, and even if there are, they are mostly half-plant, half-animal hybrid creatures, which is probably due to this."

In the entire ruin passage, only Lan Ling’er’s voice echoed. Everyone was so shocked they couldn’t speak. This truth of history, which many martial arts groups sought to obtain by all means, was now casually revealed by a young girl. Everyone felt a mix of disbelief and awe at the grand and glorious history, listening in a daze.

Only Hao Qi became more and more excited, the desire to immediately search the ancient ruins growing stronger. He couldn’t help but ask, "Lan Ling’er, are you a descendant of this ruin? A descendant of a sect? Otherwise, why do you know so much?"

This time, Lan Ling’er didn’t show her previous frankness. She remained silent, a bitter expression on her face. After a long while, she said, "No, Hao Qi, I’m not a person from the Sutuka tribe, I just know people from the Sutuka tribe. My background... I’m sorry, I can’t tell everyone, but please believe me, I, and the Sutuka tribe, we are all protecting everyone, preventing these ruins from causing any more harm to this era. We are..."

"The guardians of this era."