Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 516 The Shoulders of Giants

Chapter 516 The Shoulders of Giants
"So, even with your Zhou family's aura-gazing technique, you couldn't completely see through the mysteries within the ruins?"

Zhang Daoling stroked the handle of the thousand-year-old agarwood tree beside her with one hand. After listening quietly to Zhou Yun's description, she asked a question.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Therefore, I dare not make a decision on my own and can only leave it to Your Majesty to decide."

"Open it."

After a moment of contemplation, the current Empress of the Central Plains Empire spoke.

"Now that it has been activated, the opening of this ruin is only a matter of time. Since it will open either way, we might as well leave it to us. You guys make preparations there, and I will have the Second Fleet provide support."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

call ended.

The entire palace fell silent once again.

Zhang Daoling sat there all alone.

However, there was not a trace of negative emotion in her eyes; there was only calmness, or rather, extreme composure.

Those born into imperial families never need to worry about material things; Maslow's hierarchy of needs jumps directly to the fifth level.

Or they're just useless people obsessed with lust.

Or they are detached from worldly affairs, focusing solely on fulfilling the needs of the fifth level.

And she is precisely the latter.

Because not only does she not need to worry about money, but her extraordinary power is also unprecedented.

Why did her father want her to become the first female emperor of the Central Plains dynasty?
Is it because I've read too many female-oriented novels?
No.

It's because of fists.

Her fists were big and hard enough that, even as empress, she could protect the Zhang family's royal bloodline until her death.

As for the restrictions her father imposed on her, they were nothing more than the old man's wishful thinking before his death.

If she's willing, who can stop her?
However, she doesn't actually value these things.

All she wanted was to sit on this throne, do something great, and satisfy her own pleasure—nothing more.

But I never expected this fun to come so quickly.
A mysterious ruin, a coffin—could an ancient cultivator be inside?
Zhang Daoling couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Unfortunately, it was just curiosity.

The gentleman does not stand under the wall.

As the ruler of a nation, she absolutely cannot appear on the front lines. Ancient ruins possess all sorts of strange and unpredictable methods. She is confident that she will not die, but what if it is a sealing barrier? Right now, the world is in turmoil, and alien forces are like a sharp blade hanging over her head.

If she suddenly disappeared, the Central Plains Dynasty would probably collapse. After all, she knew all too well the nature of the powerful families and clans under her command. When you were strong, they were your best dogs, always following your lead. But if you showed signs of fatigue, well, then you'd be in trouble.

That's why her father chose her to inherit the throne.

After all, apart from her, the other members of the royal family within the clan were either too old and worthless, or too young to command respect. Forcing a selection might turn the place into a kindergarten for the Eastern Han Dynasty.
However, if he really is an ancient cultivator, it should be considered a good thing.

Technology moves towards the future, while metaphysics is like archaeology.

It's not that people in ancient times were smarter than people today.

It's not a matter of efficiency.

The so-called ancient people represent a brilliant and extraordinary era that once existed.

However, with the decline of spiritual energy, this era also declined.

However, the knowledge left behind by this era remains invaluable.

If people today acquire this knowledge, it would save them a great deal of work, as they wouldn't need to start all over again.

Of course, the necessary preparations should not be neglected.

After all, if the ancient cultivator inside successfully transcends tribulation and travels across time to the modern era, then we need to consider what his stance is, and whether his cultivation method can be considered evil cultivation.

This is why she sent a fleet to provide support.

"dong dong dong"

A knock on the door interrupted Zhang Daoling's thoughts.

"Enter."

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

A moment later, a person dressed in a brocade robe entered the imperial study and knelt on one knee.

"Is there a problem?"

"Your Majesty, we have uncovered some intelligence regarding traitors."

"Traitor" refers to a human being who betrays the people of Earth.

Intelligent life forms, when faced with danger, either resist in one group or surrender in another.

These two groups are never lacking.

The same applies even when facing aliens.

When they learned that humanity was facing extraterrestrial beings capable of interstellar travel, there were bound to be those who wanted to surrender.

Furthermore, the aliens were willing to accept these surrenderers to facilitate their management of the goods.

However, that team of aliens lost.

This was something no one could have predicted.

Naturally, those who surrendered were traitors to their countries and organizations, and were subsequently held accountable.

However, Earth is too big.

In the end, some people did run away.

However, the Earth Federation, led by the Central Plains Empire, has never let up on this matter and has been hunting down these traitors around the world. After all, they are not only hated, but they also continuously transfer Earth's intelligence to alien fleets.

Of course, such matters generally wouldn't be reported to her, as the emperor was very busy with countless affairs of state.

The fact that they were able to reach this place meant that they had probably caught a big fish.
-
The Second Fleet descended upon Blue Star in a grand procession, hovering a short distance above Mount Beiman.

From a distance, it looked as if the sky was blocked by the warships.

In fact, if warships didn't have gravity and antigravity fields, their weight alone would be enough to cause them to disintegrate upon entering the atmosphere.

Therefore, warships that are currently over twenty kilometers long are already at the limit for entering the atmosphere. Beyond that, even anti-gravity engines may not be able to ensure the stability of the spacecraft.

"Sis, the documents have all been sent."

Instead of contacting the Second Fleet directly, Zhou Yun sent her younger brother as a messenger.

Fortunately, everyone was a soldier, so Zhou Yun's arrangement was reasonable.

The Third Fleet provided close protection, while the Second Fleet provided long-range blockade support, ensuring that not even a mosquito could leave the ruins.

"Are you all ready? I'm about to begin."

"All right."

Everyone nodded, and Zhou Yun began her work of cracking the code.

Under the secret techniques passed down in the Zhou family.

The gates sealing the ruins began to loosen.

In fact, Zhou Yun knew that her contribution here was minimal. With her current soul strength, it wouldn't be easy for her to influence the structure of the ruins. However, the door started to loosen from the inside, which gave Zhou Yun an opportunity.

Finally, after about half an hour.

Accompanied by a cracking sound.

The gate to the ruins was scattered all over the ground.

The defensive shields that were erected at almost the same time were not hit by any impact.

Normally, due to the difference between internal and external spiritual energy, a large amount of spiritual energy should be released.

But in reality, it was just a gentle breeze.

Let alone level three psionic strength, this is probably not even level two.
Level 2 is more like Level 1; at Level 1, the leaves just sway in the wind.

The team members chattered amongst themselves, while also peering inside with curiosity.

After waiting for a while, once the air inside and outside were circulating.

Zhou Yun was the first to go in.

And the interior was more spacious and open than I had imagined.

Same as the previous detections.

There were no items.

It was a huge space, with spiritual energy patterns that concentrated spiritual energy, and a semi-transparent coffin in the very center.
Is a person
The group walked for another half hour to cover a distance of fifty meters because of the trap.

Fortunately, there was nothing there, so Zhou Yun went to the coffin.

Through the coffin, she saw a vaguely human-like being.

The reason it is described as indistinct is because the translucent coffin resembles frosted glass.

"Captain, what should we do?"

"Follow the steps and inspect this area, but don't touch the coffin. I'll do it myself." "Yes, Captain!"

After dismissing the others, Zhou Yun stroked the coffin, observing the gaps and pondering how to open it.

Yes, she was going to open the coffin.

The reason why the extraordinary archaeological team is paid so high is because they have to risk their lives to pay for it. Could she possibly send the coffin back to the capital and let the emperor open it himself?
"call"

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yun stopped calculating the divination, because she knew that the person in the coffin had a destiny far too great for her to predict.

"Whether we live or die, we'll leave it to fate."

"Bang!!"

With a strong tremor, the upper part of the ruins was dismantled again, and Zhou Yun, who was studying the coffin, saw the sun once more.

However, she didn't care. Instead, she focused her mind and, in that instant, she suddenly channeled the spiritual energy within her body. The spiritual energy coiled around the coffin like a serpent, searching for its internal structure. However, things took an unexpected turn once again.

The coffin had absolutely no mechanisms.

Or perhaps there is a mechanism, but it lacks spiritual energy and therefore cannot function.

"Open the coffin!!"

Give an order.

With the help of the midday sun, the coffin was slowly pushed open.

Sure enough, there was a person lying inside.

The images in front of them were also simultaneously transmitted to the palace.

After her lunch break, Zhang Daoling, who had nothing to do for the time being, also started watching the live stream.

Naturally, they also saw the person lying in the coffin immediately.

He wore a long robe, heavy and elegant.

He also possesses an extraordinary and refined appearance.

His beard even swayed a few times in the wind, making him appear even more ethereal and otherworldly.

Is he alive?

"do not know."

Zhou Yun looked at the person in the coffin and didn't dare to make any rash moves, such as touching the human body. Often, these seemingly lifelike bodies are full of deadly poisons. Don't you see, these front-line archaeologists have long been wearing protective suits.

"Get the equipment up!"

"Yes."

Soon, the equipment was brought over and began scanning the body in the coffin.

No heartbeat.

No body temperature.

No breathing.

Nothing at all.

But the flesh and blood remain active.

In a sense, this body is still alive.

"It's moving, it's moving!"

Someone shouted out.

Everyone looked over and, sure enough, the person in the coffin had slightly trembling eyelashes, as if they were waking up.

Zhou Yun took a deep breath and looked at the surrounding light.

This is a spherical barrier constructed by an entire fleet; no one can escape unless the fleet is destroyed.

So she wasn't nervous, but instead stepped back almost immediately and waited quietly.

After a long while, a hand rested on the coffin. After adjusting for a moment, it pulled hard, and a person sat down inside the coffin.

"Hu~~"

Immediately afterwards, a breeze began to blow in the enclosed space.

No, that wasn't wind, it was spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy even penetrated the yellow barrier and blew into the person's body.

"Time flies, and things change."

The wind stopped, and the man sighed, looking at the crowd.

"Who are you?"

Li Zhongren seemed to be speaking, but he didn't; his voice resonated directly in everyone's minds.

"I see."

Before Zhou Yun and the others could answer.

The man then stood up.

"I never imagined that I would sleep for three thousand years."

"What about people?"

While everyone was still confused, the man was asking and answering himself something, but suddenly they realized that he had already disappeared.
"Your Majesty, that person is very powerful."

Zhou Yun called Zhang Daoling again.

"I could feel it; in that instant, he extracted the memories he wanted from the minds of everyone present."

"I understand. Thank you for your hard work. You don't need to worry about what happens next. I will handle it myself."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Have you found that person?"

After shutting down the communication, Zhang Daoling looked at the Imperial Guards beside her.

"Your Majesty, we have located him using the AI Skynet system; he is in Luo City."

"Huh? Really?"

"How dare I deceive Your Majesty?"

As he spoke, the commander of the Imperial Guard waved his hand, and an image appeared in front of Zhang Daoling.

These images were stitched together in real time from various surveillance cameras throughout Los Angeles.

The person who slept in the ruins for over three thousand years is now strolling through the streets.

Of course, we call it shopping.

But the people around him seemed to be unable to see him; only the camera could capture this person who was out of place in real society.

"This person is quite interesting. Is he reminiscing about something?"

"Your Majesty, he himself said it was three thousand years ago. That should be the Zhou Dynasty, and the capital of the Zhou Dynasty was Luoyang. Perhaps he was lamenting the changes of time and the vicissitudes of life. Should we make contact with him?"

"Well, let's wait a bit and give this ancient person some time to process. We should also use big data to gather more information about him and create a psychological profile of him. Also, when you come into contact with him, don't bring any weapons."

"what?"

"He's very strong."

Zhang Daoling squinted her eyes.

Even though they were separated by thousands of miles, and even though all she could see was an image, Zhang Daoling knew that the ancient cultivator in front of her was more powerful than ever before.

Three thousand years! Even a pig could cultivate into a demon king in that time.
Especially someone like this—
three days later.

Li Zhongren stood quietly by the Luo River.

Watching the Luo River surge and flow away.

"This gentleman."

Finally, a voice broke the silence.

They were members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Would you do me the honor of joining us at a restaurant for a chat?"

"Lead the way."

Seeing that he had done his part and established a good public image for himself, Li Zhongren stopped delaying.

This decisiveness is also a characteristic he has shown in the past few days.

"This side, please."

The Imperial Guards bowed and extended their hands.