After leaving the gathering point, Li Xiu headed in another direction—to the abandoned industrial park, Lin Nanfeng's underground laboratory.
He needed more information, and with the cultists gathering there, Lin Nanfeng's defenses were likely weak.
Passing through the old streets and bypassing several main roads, Li Xiu entered the desolate industrial ruins. Night deepened, and only the shadows of abandoned factory buildings and the occasional barking of stray dogs could be heard.
Just then, Xing Huan's voice suddenly rang out:
"Li Xiu, there's something I need to tell you."
"What?"
"I just monitored… your adoptive father, Li Tian, is trying to assemble a mecha."
Li
Xiu's steps abruptly stopped.
"What?"
"To be precise, it's a standard military-grade mech. The model is unknown, but based on its energy characteristics and the origin of its components, it's conservatively estimated to be at least a third-generation mech."
Xing Huan's voice was calm, but the content was like a bombshell: "His target seems to be the Ancestral Star Survey Team."
Li Xiu was stunned: "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Apart from the Ancestral Star Survey Team, no one is worth his attention."
"That's not what I meant. How could Dad afford a mech?" Li Xiu asked, puzzled.
"He didn't buy it. It's probably something left over from back then... The main body is intact, but the parts need replacing." Xing Huan gave the answer.
Li Xiu felt a headache coming on and asked with difficulty, "If he really makes a move, what will be the result?"
Xing Huan was silent for two seconds.
"I don't know the condition of his mech, so I can't make an accurate judgment. But if this mech can unleash one-third of the power of the [Wrath of the Sky] back then, he alone can wipe out all the members of the Ancestral Star Survey Team currently stationed on this planet within a minute."
Li Xiu gasped.
One minute. Wipe out everyone.
Including fourth-rank martial artists, including those elite squads, and even Wang Xing.
He hadn't expected his taciturn adoptive father to be so strong.
Even more unexpected was his father's ruthless decisiveness; just because the Ancestral Star Investigation Team's routine questioning made him feel threatened, he was ready to assemble a mecha and kill them.
In that light… his mere collection of crude star stones was nothing!
He opened his mouth, unsure what to say.
Xing Huan continued, "But afterwards, you'll be wanted and forced into exile. The killing of the investigation team is a serious matter."
After a long silence, Li Xiu took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart:
"It's not that serious yet. Dad might just be having an extra layer of insurance… Let's get down to business."
He turned and continued towards Lin Nanfeng's laboratory.
This laboratory was hidden underground in the warehouse. With Xing Huan's guidance, Li Xiu entered without difficulty.
After hacking all the cameras, he followed the guidance to a concealed ventilation duct entrance, shrank back, and crawled inside.
The duct was narrow and cramped, requiring him to crawl forward. Li Xiu held his breath, inching forward inch by inch.
Ten minutes later, he reached the end of the duct and, through the grille, saw a corner of the underground laboratory.
Rows of transparent jars contained numerous brains, connected by various circuits.
Further inside, in another room, many living test subjects were in varying states; some lay on beds, their bodies riddled with tubes, their chests rising and falling slightly; others were confined in small cubicles.
Without exception, all had strange blood-red markings on their foreheads, spreading across their entire bodies.
Li Xiu counted at least eighty people. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
"Li Xiu, these people died when they became [sacrifices]. Now they are merely living corpses used to cultivate coordinates," Xing Huan's timely reminder sounded.
Li Xiu took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away and into the depths of the laboratory.
Lin Nanfeng seemed not to be in the laboratory. A thick record book lay open on the table, next to several blueprints.
Li Xiu adjusted his angle, maximizing the monitoring function of his bracelet. The contents of the record book were scanned:
[...Three subjects completed the seventh ritual...their mental sea alienation levels reached 81%, 79%, and 76% respectively. Among them, subject number 13 showed the best reaction, with a stable alienation process, and can be considered a candidate for core anchor point.] This
is an experimental log. Those with blood-stained foreheads are the candidates for the [Sacrifice]!
Li Xiu moved his bracelet aside and looked at the logbook.
[The Huanyu Group's regional energy hub will reach its quarterly reserve peak. At that time, the core energy concentration will reach its highest level of the year...]
These few words instantly made Li Xiu tense. It matched up!
Although there were only a few words, he immediately made a judgment: the Huanyu Group's energy hub! It was the energy prepared by the Crimson Feast for its descent!
The three elements of the descent ritual mentioned by Xing Huan included sacrifice, energy, and blood sacrifice. Although the specific plan is unknown now, the Huanyu Group's energy hub is difficult to move, so the descent location must be within the Huanyu Group!
As for the specific time and location, Xing Huan can keep an eye on this energy hub at that time.
Li Xiu quickly exited the ventilation duct. Outside, the night was deep, and only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the dilapidated factory buildings could be heard in the abandoned industrial park.
He lowered his body and used the Spirit Cat Illusionary Step and the Concealing Breath Technique to their fullest extent, moving silently through the ruins.
"Li Xiu." Just as they were about to leave the industrial park, Xing Huan's voice suddenly rang out, urgent and sharp: "Someone is approaching from the left rear! They're moving very fast!"
Li Xiu's pupils contracted, and without any hesitation, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, shifting his entire body three feet to the side!
A dark shadow swept past him, whistling through the air!
"Boom!"
The shadow missed its target, crashing into the spot where he had just been standing, sending debris flying and creating a shallow crater in the ground!
Li Xiu landed, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and stared intently.
Opposite him stood a man in a gray robe, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood. He slowly straightened up, a faint black mist swirling and churning around him like a living thing.
"A first-grade martial artist," Xing Huan's voice rang out, tinged with seriousness. "The opponent has developed some of his star patterns, the shadow element. Should we notify the authorities?"
Li Xiu shook his head, slowly drawing his [Dark Flow-3] sword, the lightning patterns on its blade faintly glowing.
A first-grade martial artist? With his nearly one hundred points of health and his immortal techniques, he wasn't invincible.
The gray-robed man raised his head, revealing a pale face, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"Little mouse, quite the hider." His voice was hoarse and low. "Since you're here, don't leave."
Before he finished speaking, he moved!
The black mist exploded instantly!
The gray-robed man's speed was astonishing, his figure leaving afterimages in the night, rushing towards Li Xiu like a ghost!
He held a short dagger in his right hand, the blade gleaming with a dark green light, clearly coated with deadly poison!
Li Xiu didn't retreat but advanced, his nearly one hundred points of qi and blood erupting, actually intending to meet the attack head-on.
A flash of light!
"Clang!"
The two weapons clashed, sparks flying! The enormous impact made Li Xiu's hands go numb, but he stood firmly on his feet, enduring the blow!
A flicker of surprise crossed the gray-robed man's eyes: "A bit strong."
"A first-grade martial artist, nothing special." Li Xiu gripped his knife tighter.
This man's fighting skills were far inferior to those of an academy elite like Bei Chenlie. Come to think of it, what good people could a cult recruit?
The black-robed man paused, then grinned maliciously, his dagger thrusting repeatedly, each strike deadly! Moreover, each strike carried a strange black mist, attempting to corrode and interfere with Li Xiu's movements.
Li Xiu was unfazed, pushing his Spirit Cat Illusionary Step to its limit, his figure weaving through the flashing blades! [Dark Current-3] Each swing carried arcs of lightning-infused blades, exploding in the darkness with blinding light, also repelling the black mist.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sounds of clashing metal were as dense as rain!
Three moves! Five moves! Ten moves!
The gray-robed man's attacks grew increasingly fierce, the black mist condensing behind him into a blurry phantom, like a beast ready to devour its prey!
Although not an elite genius, his stats were still impressive, and Li Xiu was gradually being suppressed!
His left arm was slashed open, and he'd taken an elbow strike to his right ribs. His blood was churning, but he remained expressionless, searching for the perfect moment to strike.
The gray-robed man was also exhausted, sneering, "Little brat, how long can you hold out?"
He moved with incredible speed, and the black mist suddenly surged, sweeping towards Li Xiu like a living thing, threatening to engulf him!
Li Xiu retreated!
But the black mist was too fast; a tentacle wrapped around his ankle! A chilling, corrosive sensation instantly flooded his body, and Li Xiu felt his leg go numb, his speed plummeting!
In that instant of pause, the gray-robed man was already upon him!
A dagger aimed straight for his throat!
"Die!"
The cold light and black mist intertwined, sealing off all his escape routes!
On the brink of life and death, Li Xiu's mind became incredibly calm. His chance had come!
He didn't retreat or dodge, nor did he raise his knife to parry. Instead, he lunged forward, his left hand outstretched, grabbing at the incoming dagger!
"Swoosh!"
The blade pierced flesh! A searing pain shot through him! But he gripped the dagger tightly, refusing to let it advance another inch!
At the same time, his right hand released the dagger, his five fingers clenching into a fist, and lightning energy frantically gathered!
All the lightning energy in his dantian, along with the remaining blood and qi, poured into this strike!
The gray-robed man's pupils constricted sharply!
He saw the lightning leaping wildly on the fist, and he also saw the beast-like light in Li Xiu's eyes!
At this moment, he wanted to draw his dagger to block! But the dagger was firmly held by Li Xiu, and he couldn't pull it out at all!
He released the dagger and tried to retreat, but the distance was too close!
"Thunderbolt Break!"
Li Xiu roared!
Lightning exploded from his fist! The blinding light erupted at such close range, this punch was without any fancy moves, pure and violent, piercing straight into the gray-robed man's chest!
"Boom—!"
A deafening explosion ripped through the air!
The gray-robed man was as if he had been hit head-on by a battering ram, his chest caved in, and a bloody hole exploded in his back! The black mist surrounding him surged violently, then abruptly dissipated!
His eyes widened, staring intently at Li Xiu, his lips moving but no sound escaping.
The dagger slipped from his limp hand.
His body swayed, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Li Xiu staggered backward, gasping for breath. His left hand was torn and bloodied, even the bone was broken, but he couldn't care less now. He grabbed
the fallen dagger, turned and ran without even touching the body, quickly disappearing into the night.
Li Xiu ran for three blocks, disappearing into an abandoned underground passage, finally stopping only after confirming no one was following.
He leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily, his body feeling like it was falling apart.
Xing Huan's projection appeared beside him, its light flickering slightly.
She had so many questions: How did his blood energy suddenly surge so much? And what was that lightning attack? It so easily killed a first-grade martial artist, even before he had developed his star patterns?
But before she could finish speaking, she only asked, "Li Xiu, your injury... that dagger is poisoned. You need to go to the hospital as soon as possible." She pointed to Li Xiu's hand; the poison was already spreading to his shoulder.
Li Xiu nodded, "I know, be on guard for me first!" Then he sat down cross-legged and entered the game, plunging the real world into silence.
Inside the cultivation game.
[Li Xiu (Thunder Spirit Root) (Poisoned State)]
[Realm: (Meridian Opening: 8/361)]
Li Xiu already knew that his real-world status would be synchronized with the game, so his injury was easier to treat here.
First, he needed a healing pill. Game-made items were always top-notch; even if the healing pill didn't work, he could go to Xiaobai or another senior sister.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have used his bare hands to grab a dagger with unknown poison.
Li Xiu took the healing pill, and his weakened state quickly recovered. The black poison spreading to his shoulder was pushed back, and drops of black blood flowed out, which Li Xiu collected in his backpack.
When the last drop of black blood was forced out, the injury to Li Xiu's left hand began to heal at a visible speed, first the bone, then the flesh, quickly returning to normal.
Li Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. The medicinal power of this pill was too strong; if he were in the Federal Hospital, it would definitely cost several hundred star stones to cure him. With
his injuries healed, he didn't immediately quit the game. Today's battle had left his blood and qi surging, making this the perfect time for a breakthrough.
So, Li Xiu sat cross-legged, took a Qi-restoring pill to fully recover, and then began to attempt to break through to his ninth acupoint!
His blood and qi were already on the verge of collapse, and after the battle, the acupoint was naturally opened after a quarter of an hour.
[Li Xiu (Lightning Spirit Root)]
[Realm: (Meridian Opening: 9/361)]
His nine acupoints were unblocked, and his spiritual energy had become even denser. However, his blood and qi hadn't surged; it only increased from 97 to 103.
This breakthrough was achieved through Li Xiu's daily accumulation of energy; he hadn't taken a Meridian Opening Pill, so there was no forced breakthrough that would result in such a growth. Still, saving a pill was a good thing.
He then exited the game and chose to synchronize his cultivation.
…
Xing Huan watched Li Xiu stand up. Not only had his injuries fully recovered, but his aura seemed even stronger. She finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Fighting a first-grade martial artist against all odds was one thing, but how could he get stronger the more he fought? Even she, from the Heavenly Net, had never seen anything like it!
"Li Xiu, a first-grade martial artist, a genuine first-grade. He even developed star patterns, even if they're rudimentary, it's still far beyond what ordinary martial arts students can achieve."
"I know." "
But you killed him!" Xing Huan continued, "What happened to your blood and qi? First-grade martial artists have blood and qi seeds, and are enhanced by star patterns. Theoretically, you had no chance of winning." "
I spent my star stones here," Li Xiu said. "Battles only look at the result. He's dead, I won."
Xing Huan paused, considering the conversion of star stones into strength, then became eager: "Li Xiu, is there a limit to your method of increasing strength? Let's rob a bank!"
"I can mobilize the patrolling mech units, pull off a big heist, and run!"
Li Xiu's face darkened. He stood up, leaning on his sword, and headed home: "Stop messing around, tell me first how that martial artist discovered me?"