It was around that time when Shangguan Bing Xue walked into the huge hall; she alone, no one else entered after her.
Just like Bai Zemin, the first thing Shangguan Bing Xue did was to inspect the surroundings with caution… No, she was even more cautious than he had been; this was because, at least, Shangguan Bing Xue was aware that on the other side of the huge gate there were Third Order existences thanks to the battered corpse of the blue-colored weaver ant that Bai Zemin had thrown to the other side earlier.
However, to Shangguan Bing Xue’s surprise, the place was so healthy and brightly lit that it definitely did not look like a great battle had occurred there; a battle in which at least one Third Order existence had been killed after receiving a terrifying attack.
In fact, far from looking damaged, the place looked so luxurious that it surprised her….. But what surprised Shangguan Bing Xue the most was undoubtedly the huge thing that stood at an unknown distance but was big enough to attract anyone’s eyes.
“W- What is that…”
Her reaction was very similar to the one Bai Zemin had when he first saw it.
“I’m not too sure about it.”
Shangguan Bing Xue jumped when she heard a voice sounding close enough to surprise her and had it not been for the fact that she easily recognized the other person she might have had a mini heart attack.
Looking back and up, she saw Bai Zemin standing on a platform of blood floating approximately 50 meters above her.
“W- What happened to the Third Order ants?” She asked.
Bai Zemin finally withdrew his eyes from the huge thing in the distance and looked at Shangguan Bing Xue. He canceled the effect of his skill Blood Manipulation and the blood platform he was standing on immediately lost all toughness, returning to its liquid state and being swiftly put away by him as his body fell to the ground freely.
“There were three blue-colored ants, including the ant I sent to the other side of the gate.” Bai Zemin approached her and said with a serious expression, “Those ants could hardly be considered initial stage Third Order existences but even I had to make an effort to kill all three of them. That’s why I called you, I knew you would understand my message.”
Although Shangguan Bing Xue might have serious problems dealing with more than one blue-colored weaver ant, her crowd control and maneuverable skills were exactly what made her the perfect teammate for Bai Zemin. With someone as strong and skilled as her acting as support, Bai Zemin was sure that even if the number of enemies increased exponentially they could somehow manage just fine.
After Bai Zemin explained to her roughly what had happened and the development of the battle, Shangguan Bing Xue finally had a fairly clear idea of the big picture. However, she still couldn’t get that giant thing at least several kilometers away out of her head.
“But… What is that?”
She frowned as she looked at what appeared to be the front end of a vehicle. The difference was that this supposed vehicle had no wheels at all, it was completely open except for the giant base at least 500 meters tall.
Bai Zemin looked at that thing in the distance, which had caught his attention the moment he stepped into the hall and the reason why he was taken by surprise at first.
“Before you came in I had intended to go take a closer look… but after thinking about those weaver ants I restrained myself.” Bai Zemin said in a serious voice. Then, as if he was hesitating about something, he said quietly, “But…. Doesn’t that thing look a little like a boat or a ship?”
A boat?
Shangguan Bing Xue was surprised by Bai Zemin’s words. However, now that she was looking at that thing in the distance she couldn’t help but frown as she realized that indeed the front structure was similar to the bow of a ship.
“I’ve never seen such a big one in my life.” Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head.
“Well, neither have I.” Bai Zemin nodded before pointing out, “But, remember that this is the fifth and final ruin left behind by a Fourth Order existence that was once the King of these lands.”
Shangguan Bing Xue said nothing after hearing Bai Zemin’s words. Although it was not easy for her to accept that the world she had been living in all this time was actually just a shell hiding something much bigger; a world that apparently in the past had already been visited by the entity known as Soul Record and had gone through several stages of evolution before regressing to its weaker state for unknown reasons, the truth was right in front of her eyes so Shangguan Bing Xue could not deny it even if she wanted to.
“Should we call the others?” she proposed after a moment of silence.
Bai Zemin considered this seriously before saying firmly, “All those who have already broken into the Second Order can come. The rest should stay out to avoid getting too involved…. But, Wu Yijun can come since her skills will definitely be of help. Meng Qi too, she is the only one who can understand the magic circles and runes to a certain extent.”
Shangguan Bing Xue nodded clearly in agreement with his thoughts. While everyone had become stronger, a Third Order existence with monstrously high Strength like the blue-colored weaver ants was still far from being something they could fight against and probably only if several Second Order existences with especially pure Soul Power joined together would they stand a chance.
A few minutes later, Bai Zemin observed the people in front of him carefully before nodding calmly.
Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Nangong Lingxin, Cai Jingyi, Feng Hong, Feng Tian Wu, Liang Jing, Teng Hua, Zeng Yun, Xia Ya, Zhong De; eleven Second Order existences lined up standing in front of him.
It was hard to believe that about ten days ago, the only Second Order existences in the group besides Shangguan Bing Xue was Xia Ya…. But now, there were eleven of them and only a couple were in the early 50th levels; the rest were considerably close to entering level 60!
Wu Keqian would definitely be very shocked when he saw this kind of army entering the gates of the base; the man would definitely not expect even in his wildest dreams that just half a month after leaving, Bai Zemin would return with a small troop of Second Order existences.
“Let’s get moving.” Bai Zemin ordered in a deep voice and without waiting for word from anyone began to charge into the distance.
The rest followed immediately after, not daring to stray too far just in case.
During the short but still long walk, the small group did not encounter the obstruction of any weaver ants or any other kind of enemy so they smoothly made it to the bottom of the huge structure.
Instead of jumping up immediately, Bai Zemin took his team and circled around the front part, which ended in a point but was at least 500 meters long. They ran along one side of the huge structure for about a kilometer before they finally stopped.
“Mandarin Chinese?” Zhong De looked at the character drawn in ostentatiously bright imperial gold on the middle of the side of the huge structure and was surprised.
“Wait a moment.” Bai Zemin said softly before turning and walking away from the team for several hundred meters in an instant.
Upon reaching what he believed was a distance far enough away to allow him to see the entirety of the side, Bai Zemin stopped and turned to look back in the direction he had come from.
Now, Bai Zemin could actually see the structure… and although in his heart he already knew the answer, the amazement was by no means lessened.
Measuring approximately 5000 meters long and 500 meters high, the structure lay silently on the ground like a sleeping monster. Although there was not even a hint of energy coming out of it, just looking at what appeared to be magic cannons installed on top was enough to send a shiver down the spine of the bravest.
“Sky Destroyer…”
Bai Zemin muttered under his breath the imperial gold-colored letters written in Mandarin Chinese across the huge jet-black ship.
There was no room for doubt now…. What was before his eyes was, without a doubt, a huge ship, and judging by its name it definitely had the ability to fly.
Bai Zemin clenched his fists tightly as thousands of images crossed his mind while his eyes glittered with extreme greed as he gazed at the huge battleship. Rarely did he feel greed for anything but this time he definitely could not afford to lose this treasure.
Only the magic cannons installed above possessed the ability to crush Second Order existences and threaten Third Order existences! Bai Zemin couldn’t even imagine the other things hidden inside the Sky Destroyer!
It was only now that Bai Zemin understood the reason why Kang Guiying had told him before that the true treasure was deeply hidden in the fifth and last ruin; that the rest of the ruins were but an appetizer.
“I absolutely must have it. No matter what, I have to get control over this ship.” Bai Zemin made up his mind and immediately lunged forward with resolution flashing in his eyes.
This type of destructive weaponry was so crucial that whoever had it at this stage of the apocalypse would definitely become the overlord of the skies! All existences on earth could only admire! With the Sky Destroyer, even an ordinary human had the chance to crush Bai Zemin and send him flying into a million pieces!
“What’s wrong?” Shangguan Bing Xue asked as she saw Bai Zemin’s extremely serious expression and burning eyes.
He looked at her and said in an extremely deep voice: “We have to gain control of this thing no matter what…. If we get it and manage to make it move, in less than 5 months the entirety of China will be in our hands without a doubt.”
The expression of Shangguan Bing Xue and everyone else changed tremendously upon hearing the firmness in the tone of Bai Zemin’s voice as well as the clear meaning behind his words.
Previously, it was already a dream for them to be able to control China in 10 months… But that time had just been cut in half? China was one of the largest countries on the entire planet Earth and its size had expanded to approximately three times what it was before!
Just going such a distance while searching for humans and controlling different territories, as well as facing enemies from other races, would definitely take a long time… but Bai Zemin had just said with total confidence that in 5 months at most the motherland would be theirs again?
“What are we waiting for then?!” Feng Hong laughed out loud and his whole body shook with excitement as he shouted aloud, “For every second we take here, there is one of our countrymen struggling in this cruel world, being eaten by some mutant beast or starving to death!”
Feng Hong was the only one who expressed his emotions loudly and joyfully: but this did not mean that others did not feel or think like him. Even Feng Tian Wu had her little fists clenched tightly and the burning flame in her eyes was expressive enough that no words were needed on her part.
Everyone looked at Bai Zemin, waiting for his next orders.
Bai Zemin was as excited as they were so he didn’t linger too long.
“Remember to be on high alert. Although I can’t sense enemy auras, I’m afraid that’s one of the special qualities of this destroyer…. We’ll definitely have to risk our lives here if we want to get this ship home!”
Saying that, Bai Zemin stomped hard on the ground and turned into a rocket, soaring hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye and being followed less than a second later by the rest.
