Ten thousand I am across the heavens

"A very courageous plan. To go out silently and not attract the attention of powerful people from other regions, one's own strength cannot be too strong. At most, it can't exceed the fourth level. With such strength, the dangers of carrying out missions behind enemy lines are not something that even soldiers in the army are willing to take on."

We've long considered developing technology for staircase teleportation. But this requires not only brave and fearless warriors, but also technical experts in the field. People who meet both criteria are extremely rare, making this an invaluable opportunity. However, we must conduct our due diligence before executing the plan. A courageous scientist isn't necessarily adept at behind enemy lines.

I just looked through his resume. Daotian has only ever done clerical work, at most serving as a village official in his early years. He may know a lot about the customs and traditions of southern Xinjiang, but his understanding of exotic customs is probably limited. He would need professional training before he could carry out this dangerous mission.

Lan Nuo listened to the reviewer beside him speaking eloquently and nodded: "The permission to use the Wisdom Gu can be granted to him, but he can only use it after he comes back alive. Only after he comes back alive can he collect enough data, and the effect of using it will be twice as good. Having this opportunity to keep him hanging should significantly improve his will to survive."

While I'm at it, I'll also approve a few life-saving items for him. There should be a few with good hidden effects among the disposable Immortal Gu; I can pick one for him to take. I hope his journey goes smoothly.

Dao Tian knew his application would likely receive attention from his superiors, but he hadn't expected it to be this high level. Shortly after submitting his application, he received an email in his lounge, inviting him to a virtual conference room for the next 24 hours to discuss the plan in detail.

Without hesitation, Dao Tian immediately entered the code on the wall of his lounge, teleporting him to the conference room. There, Lan Nuo's projection awaited him. Meeting one of the highest leaders of the Shanhe Republic didn't particularly excite him. It wasn't because Dao Tian had once held the status of a Venerable and was accustomed to meetings at this level, but simply because in the Shanhe Republic, meeting Lan Nuo was not difficult.

After reaching the seventh level of cultivation, Lanno's main body largely shifted towards the path of wisdom. Now, through immortal techniques and the immense computing power provided by his dedicated server, he can simultaneously create countless clones and communicate with numerous people. Seeing his main body in the real world is indeed difficult. However, conversing with his projection in the virtual world is not uncommon. Some village officials have even seen him and sometimes chatted with him. With so many thoughts branching out, more or less one or two might be tempted to slack off. Dao Tian had seen Lanno's projection more than once, so this time was quite familiar. Lanno undoubtedly retained the memory of their previous meetings, treating him like a familiar friend. Lanno clearly explained the difficulties of the mission to him.

"The organization can only offer you limited assistance going forward. It's not too late for you to back out now, and I don't recommend that you participate in this project personally. Although from a research perspective, you are one of the most suitable people, with a high degree of overlap in various research fields and related technologies, you are a complete novice in both behind-enemy-lines operations and traditional combat. I'm worried that you might expose your weaknesses."

What is the attitude of the outside world towards us? You may not be aware. Our current system is considered the most evil system by other immortals. Everyone wishes for our extermination. If our identities are discovered and we are captured, the consequences are unimaginable. We might be unable to live or die. Therefore, basically all skills related to the Mountain and River Republic cannot be used behind enemy lines. Using them, even in ordinary Gu Master families, could lead to being treated as a heretic and subjected to severe torture. Of course, the situation may vary from place to place, but the consequences of having one's identity exposed are largely the same. Even so, do you still intend to personally carry out this mission? It's not shameful to back out now. You are a researcher; there's no need for you to force yourself to perform a soldier's mission.”

Dao Tian deliberately showed some hesitation upon hearing this, but ultimately shook his head: "I have to do this mission myself. Many parameters of the related experiments are only remembered by me. Even if I tell others, they may not be able to adapt to the situation. Besides, I come from a rural background and am actually quite familiar with the ways of Gu Master families. It might not be too dangerous for me to go. After all, it's not going to be all about fighting. With a third-level cultivation, I can pay my way through, so I don't think I'll encounter much trouble."

He appeared hesitant, but in reality, he was confident. Others would indeed face numerous difficulties and dangers in carrying out this mission. However, if it were him, it would be incredibly easy. Not to mention, he was familiar with combat, and even without using the methods of the Mountain and River Republic, he had plenty of ways to protect himself.

Take his familiarity with the world, for example. Even among the Venerables, few can compare to him. As a Venerable, his mastery of spatial abilities allowed him to traverse the entire world, gaining a deep understanding of the customs and traditions of each place. Although time has passed, he has since stolen the lives of countless ordinary people, living among the lowest classes, life after life, still possessing a clear understanding of the local customs and traditions. Even if Lanno were to personally carry out this mission, he might not be as suitable as him. Therefore, he is actually quite confident.

"Since you have this determination, I won't try to persuade you anymore. However, I'll give you three more days to think it over carefully. If you're just acting on impulse and want to carry out this mission, these few days should be enough for you to calm down. If you still haven't changed your mind after calming down, then we'll give you the relevant training first, and we'll also discuss the next steps in the plan."

If you're determined to participate in the operation, we'll do our best to give you a plausible identity. The Five Realms Boundary is heavily guarded by enemy forces, and all nearby teleportation areas are under close surveillance. Trying to pass through the Five Realms Boundary by conventional means will almost certainly be detected.

So next, the country will organize a military operation against Zhong Zhou. You will go with the personnel of the operation and blend in. Special agents will help you break through in the chaos. Our elite soldiers will create enough chaos to ensure that no one will notice an infiltrator like you whose cultivation level is not at the immortal level.

Afterwards, you will need to live in seclusion in Zhongzhou for a month to rest. This month should be enough for you to adapt to the environment of Zhongzhou and no longer feel suppressed. From then on, your actions will be up to you. At this stage, the more help we provide, the more likely it is to expose you.

Furthermore, given our previous planned military operation, the Zhongzhou people will be rigorously investigating spies. Operating within Zhongzhou will significantly increase the risk of exposure, so our advice is for you to find an opportunity to join a local merchant caravan. For immortals, crossing the boundaries of the five realms is often more difficult than for mortals; the higher their cultivation level, the greater the suppression they face. Therefore, those below the immortal level will find it easier to join inter-realm merchant caravans.

If you can find an opportunity to join a caravan, head to the East Sea. Compared to the well-organized Central Plains, the East Sea is relatively disorganized and is also home to the headquarters of the Zombie Alliance. There's also the comprador force established by Wu Yong, who escaped from us. The complex internal environment makes guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines much easier. Once there, you'll have the opportunity to contact our comrades. Furthermore, crossing the five-domain boundary will make it virtually impossible for anyone to trace your identity. You don't need to worry about anyone using the Wisdom Path to forcibly deduce your identity. The logistics system will handle that, ensuring everything goes smoothly. Those trying to deduce your identity will only see what you want them to see. The next experimental project will also be conducted in the East Sea, where we have infiltrated the most. Although they are extremely resistant to our ideology, they are quite accepting of our technology due to the presence of the comprador force. Even if you slightly demonstrate unusual technical abilities in the East Sea, the probability of being targeted will be much lower.

As for your return, once you reach the East China Sea, you can contact our informants. Whether we launch a military operation to bring you back or use our undercover agents to smuggle you back, we can basically guarantee your safe return.

Our infiltration of Zhongzhou is limited, but our infiltration of Donghai is much deeper. Many of our personnel who infiltrated Donghai did so through your network. Although we don't have many agents operating in Zhongzhou, our predecessors have accumulated a wealth of experience. The organization keeps records of the contact information for local smugglers who can help you. If you're willing to continue carrying out missions, we can provide you with all of this during training.”

Dao Tian was a bit lost in thought. He had initially assumed he would find an opportunity to slip across the border and then fend for himself, figuring out how to reach the experimental site on his own. Little did he know that everything was already arranged. It sounded difficult, but for him, it was practically babysitting service; the strategy was readily available. Following the plan step by step, there was virtually no danger.

What else is there to say? With all the security measures in place, he had to go. In reality, operations behind enemy lines were far more dangerous than he imagined, but since he was a researcher, not a soldier, most of the risks were borne by other soldiers and agents. This drastically reduced the difficulty of his mission.

Three days later, he was taken to a virtual training ground by agents to begin related combat training. Although he intentionally suppressed his combat talent and tried his best to appear clumsy, the agents still commented that he had good talent and even graduated early. Although the Thief Demon Lord was not good at conventional Gu Master combat, his experience accumulated over so many years was still far superior to that of ordinary cultivators.

Before his departure, he received a crystal-clear Gu worm in his inbox. Although he didn't recognize it, his experience told him that his expression changed upon touching it. There was no doubt that it was a Celestial Gu.

For someone with only a fourth-level cultivation to receive such a large investment, he was momentarily speechless. Li Zhi told him that the productivity of the Mountain and River Republic had increased. Immortal Gu were no longer as rare as before, so it was reasonable for him to be assigned to one during the mission. But a strange emotion still took root in his heart.

After refining the Gu worm, Dao Tian didn't say anything more. He and the special agents followed the soldiers of this military operation to the border. It was clear that this large-scale military operation wasn't specifically prepared for him. Rather, it was a spring offensive planned for this year, and the manpower and resources mobilized were among the top in the 300 million years of human rule in the Gu realm.

The entire northern front mobilized five billion people, although over 90% of them were logistics personnel and only a small fraction were soldiers. It was still a terrifying scale of offensive.

On the Great Wall of the Central Plains, the Gu Immortals of the Heavenly Court were on high alert. The group of Eighth-Rank Gu Immortals of the Heavenly Court, led by Fairy Ziwei, were on high alert. In the Heavenly Court Immortal Tomb, several Eighth-Rank experts who had suppressed an era were awakened. Even with the defense of the Five Domains Boundary Wall and the cross-domain realm suppression effect, the spring offensive prepared by the Mountain and River Republic still made them feel the pressure of a mountain.

What kind of country could develop its national power to such a terrifying degree? What kind of system could break through the limitations of sects and families and establish a unified nation? They couldn't understand it and couldn't imitate it. The only thing they could feel was that the pressure they faced from the offensive of the Mountain and River Republic every year was getting greater and greater.

Amidst the dazzling, five-colored light that seemed to reach the heavens and the earth, the thunderous roar of explosions echoed continuously. Everyone knew that an overwhelming torrent of steel was about to pierce through this barrier, and a magnificent battle was about to begin.

Dao Tian followed the troops and special agents, advancing among the ground forces. Their method of advancement was unexpected and extremely primitive.

Without employing any advanced technologies involving theft marks or poisonous insects, everyone rode in massive, heavily armored steam tanks. Powered by giant steam engines, they propelled these land battleships, crushing over the cratered ground as they headed towards the smooth, five-colored surface. Thunder and flames bombarded the tanks' surfaces, but could do nothing to the thick armor, leaving only shallow scratches. None of the warriors inside used any lethal attacks, relying entirely on the performance of the internal combustion engine vehicles to traverse this natural barrier filled with terrifying natural disasters.

[To be continued]

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