Chinese Superman

Chapter 165 The Lonely God (6K Long Chapter)

A hidden underground base.

The lifting platform slowly rose to the ground.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a simple Zhongshan suit, leaning on an ordinary wooden cane, walked to the edge of the platform accompanied by several staff members.

His face was clear and his eyes were wise and firm. He gazed at the rising sun in the east and the outline of the rolling mountains, remaining silent for a long time.

The morning breeze ruffled his gray hair.

After a long while, he let out a soft sigh of relief, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He murmured to himself, as if speaking to the land, "This calamity—finally—is over."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a profound sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion) and a feeling of relief after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

As one of the core personnel who were among the first to understand the resurgence of spiritual energy and who spearheaded the formulation of numerous contingency plans, he knew better than anyone what the past dozen or so hours meant and how dangerous they had been.

It is already a miracle that the core of civilization and the majority of the population were preserved.

"But this is just the beginning." Old Qian's gaze gradually refocused as he looked into the distance. "Rebuilding our homes, dealing with the threat that may return, there is still a lot of intelligence to collect and organize, a lot to do—the road ahead is long and difficult."

"I've been up all night and only managed to squeeze out a little personal time now. I wonder how Xinghan is doing."

Mr. Qian pulled himself out of his wandering thoughts, a small figure appeared in his mind, and he immediately dialed a phone number.

After a brief pause, the communication was connected.

"Starry Sky".

The old man's voice was filled with deep concern and exhaustion. "Are you alright? How's the situation over there?"

Due to the revival of spiritual energy and the interference of the apocalypse, most of the Tianyan satellites were rendered unusable, and many images could not be captured. Even Qian Lao did not know what Xia Xinghan had done last night.

Thousands of miles away, Xia Xinghan felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing the familiar and steady voice.

He looked down at the shimmering, boundless Pacific Ocean and replied, "Grandpa, I'm fine. Last night—"

Xia Xinghan had a high enough perspective to witness the entire calamity, so he told Qian Lao everything that had happened the night before.

To prevent a massive earthquake, we must erect the Great Wall, isolate ourselves from the apocalypse, resurrect the First Emperor, and unleash the fury of all spirits against the gods.

These major events were thrilling and deeply moving.

Even the seasoned and composed Qian Xuesen, after hearing the story, gasped in shock, his voice filled with astonishment, "What was the outcome? Could they—return?"

Xia Xinghan shook his head, even though the other person couldn't see him: "I don't know. After the bronze gate closed, the sounds of battle and energy fluctuations in the [Land of the Gods] were cut off, seemingly completely disconnected from Earth. The outcome—unknown."

His tone was calm, but his heart was heavy.

The choices made by those ancient beings were tragic and magnificent. Xia Xinghan knew that most of them would never return.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the communication.

One can imagine that Qian Xuesen was digesting the massive amount of information provided by Xia Xinghan.

After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice filled with deep emotion and a hint of worry: "I understand—this is another front, a war we cannot intervene in at the moment. I hope—they can succeed."

Qian then changed the subject, asking with concern, "After the Great Wall surrounds the Xia Dynasty, when will you return?"

"We can't go back for now."

"What?" Old Qian's hand holding the communicator trembled.

Xia Xinghua spoke in a relaxed tone, saying frankly, "The Great Wall needs my support. With its own inherent strength, it cannot withstand the apocalypse for long on its own. Simply put, I cannot leave the Great Wall for the time being and must remain here at all times."

"One person—guarding the nation's borders alone?"

Old Qian's voice lowered: "Xinghan, your contribution is too great. Your sacrifice is also too great."

Although with great power comes great responsibility, in Qian Lao's heart, if possible, he would rather shoulder everything himself than let Xia Xinghan bear too much alone.

He paused, seemingly considering how to phrase it.

"Given your current strength and achievements, the nation can actually offer you very little. Whether it's relics, rare treasures, or those revived holy sites, the nation will do everything in its power to secure them for you, as long as you need them."

"Of course, I know you can easily get all of this yourself. Tell me, what do you need? Any request, as long as the country can fulfill it, we will not refuse!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Xinghan thought for a moment, then replied with a smile, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. I want the magic core."

"Give me everything except what's needed for basic research at the base."

Last night, tens of thousands of portals were opened in the other world, and countless monsters broke into the Great Xia.

When a mid-level monster is killed, it drops a magic core, so the quantity is extremely large. However, they are scattered all over the country, so it would be time-consuming and laborious for Xia Xinghan to collect them.

Therefore, the best approach is to leverage the power of the state.

"Magic cores? No problem!" Old Qian agreed immediately. "I'll immediately notify them to set up a dedicated recycling channel. All the collected magic cores will be sent to the Great Wall as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Grandpa," Xia Xinghan said.

With the Great Wall and the Demon Core assisting his cultivation, his speed in "enlightening" cells and condensing stars will be greatly increased in the coming period.

"We are the ones who should be thanking you, the entire country." Qian's voice was full of sincerity. "Next, the country is in dire need of reconstruction, and there are too many things to deal with. Once things are a little better on my end, I will go to the Great Wall to see you."

"Okay, Grandpa should also take more rest," Xia Xinghan replied.

Shortly after ending the call with Mr. Qian, Xia Xinghan's smart bracelet lit up again, a video request from Gu Zhiqi.

Once connected, the holographic projection unfolded, and the scene that greeted Xia Xinghan made him raise an eyebrow slightly.

The background of the image is a city ruin with smoke rising from it.

Gu Zhi Qiu's once neat clothes were now covered in dust and monster blood, and her face showed deep fatigue, but her eyes were still bright.

Beside her, Lin Tingwan, who had split up, also joined her. She sat on a broken cement slab, her hair a little messy, taking small sips of bottled water, her forearm muscles trembling.

Even someone at the peak of the Innate Realm is exhausted like this.

Even more outrageous are the several "inhuman" disciples.

Qingluan lay flat on its back in the ruins, in the shape of a small mountain tortoise. A few pieces of broken tile were even stuck to its shell. Its belly rose and fell slightly, and it hummed and groaned, "I'm so tired—my bones are about to fall apart—"

Bai Xianshuang's once pristine white crane feathers were now a dull gray. She leaned against the wreckage of a twisted and deformed car, elegantly preening her feathers, but the curve of her neck revealed her weakness.

The tiger lay to one side, its massive body rising and falling, panting heavily, its tongue lolling out.

Xiang Xiaohu was still standing, but he was leaning on an iron rod that he didn't know where it came from, and sweat was dripping from his forehead.

The blue dragon coiled on a high rock, weakly flicking its tongue.

Da Bao was the most down-to-earth. He simply hugged a broken concrete pillar, sat on the ground, his dark circles under his eyes seemed even heavier, and stared blankly at the sky, as if his soul had been emptied out.

Xia Xinghan: "————"

"Master!"

"Starry Sky!"

Everyone's spirits lifted when they saw Xia Xinghan's image appear.

"You guys have been clearing out people all night?" Xia Xinghan looked at their exhausted appearance, feeling both amused and sorry for them.

"That's right!" Lin Tingwan's voice was hoarse. "There are too many monsters emerging in Chang'an and the area around Luoyang. We kill one wave after another, but there are still some that have escaped and are hiding in the ruins. It was only with great difficulty that we managed to clear out the main threat and establish a temporary safe zone with the help of the army. We've just caught our breath."

She carefully examined her younger brother in the holographic image and asked anxiously, "And you? How are you? There was such a commotion last night—are you alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Xia Xinghan reassured him, briefly explaining what happened last night.

"Wow! Master is amazing! He actually moved the Great Wall to surround the whole country?"

Qingluan perked up at the mention of this, rolled over, and raised its tortoise head with great effort: "Master, Master! Can that tortoise go to the Great Wall to find you? We haven't had our New Year's Eve dinner yet! We promised to spend it together!"

The other disciples also cast expectant glances their way.

Seeing this, Xia Xinghan's heart softened, and he smiled, "That seems feasible, but there's no rush. You should rest well and recover your strength. Contact me when you've recovered."

The group then stopped chatting and continued for a while before reluctantly ending the call.

As time passed and the sun set, it dyed the clouds on the horizon a brilliant orange-red and purple-gold.

The scenery was unbelievably beautiful; it didn't look like Earth after the apocalypse at all.

Xia Xinghan had already returned from the beacon tower in the East China Sea to the beacon tower near Kunlun Mountain, where he sat cross-legged, quietly gazing at the golden mountains bathed in sunlight in the distance.

Of course, he is cultivating all the time now.

However, due to the Great Wall forming a spiritual energy corridor, there was no exaggerated spiritual energy vortex.

Xia Xinghan only needs to come into contact with the Great Wall to receive an endless stream of spiritual energy flowing into his body.

It is no exaggeration to say that this massive amount of spiritual energy can create a Transcendent Realm expert every second!

It was evening.

A streamlined, silver-white aircraft, its tail thrusters spewing out eerie blue psionic flames, silently swept over the revitalized Kunlun Mountains, heading towards the colossal golden wall that stretched across the sky to the northwest.

It is the base's "White Emperor" model space fighter.

The Great Wall stands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of over 10,000 meters, which helicopters simply cannot fly that high, so they came by fighter jet.

Inside the aircraft, Gu Zhi Qiu, Lin Ting Wan, and the others all crowded in front of the porthole, staring wide-eyed ahead.

As the aircraft drew closer, the legendary "border wall" gradually revealed its breathtaking grandeur.

It's over 10,000 meters above sea level!

What kind of concept is this?

Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, is only a little over 8,000 meters high, while this is a towering, man-made wall that stretches for tens of thousands of miles!

The wall is not smooth; the bricks rise and fall, and the whole wall exudes a thick, ancient golden glow. It is indestructible and, under the setting sun, it looks like a burning dragon or a backbone supporting the sky and the earth!

Even if you climb to the top of Mount Everest and look out over the western section of the Great Wall, you can only barely see the top of the wall.

"My God!" Lin Tingwan covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

Even if you can imagine it through videos and descriptions, the impact of seeing it in person is still unparalleled.

"High beyond sight—long beyond end—is this—the Great Wall?" Gu Zhi Qiu murmured to himself.

As the owner of the Spring and Autumn Period's gold-hilted iron sword and jade-hilted iron sword, she has a keen sense of the earth and metal, and at this moment she can better appreciate the unimaginable power and historical weight of the wall.

A Saint-level Relic!

In an instant, Gu Zhi Qiu felt incredibly small standing before the majestic Great Wall.

With her innate perfection and inherited power, she was enough to be ranked among the top experts in the Xia Kingdom. However, at this moment, she felt like an ant.

"Perhaps only by breaking through to the Golden Core Realm—no, even surpassing the Golden Core Realm—can I look at this Saint-level ruin and my current master on equal footing?" Gu Zhi Qiu thought to himself, one hand bracing against the porthole.

As the first disciple, she took Xia Xinghan as her goal and constantly chased after his small figure.

But who would have thought that the figure would get farther and farther away, and grow taller and taller as they chased it?

The White Emperor continued to climb, passing through the clouds, and finally arrived at the top of the Great Wall, then slowly descended onto a giant beacon tower.

This beacon tower is far larger than anyone imagined; it's comparable to several football fields pieced together!

The ground is flat and paved with the same bricks and stones as the Great Wall. The edges are crenellated walls that are tens of meters high, and there is a structure in the center that is like a small altar for lighting beacon fires.

Standing here feels like being in a cloud fortress.

Xia Xinghan was already waiting nearby.

He was still wearing his New Year's Eve clothes, sitting on the wall, watching his sister and disciples emerge from the aircraft with a smile on his face.

"Master, the turtle is here!"

"Starry Sky!"

The crowd quickly stepped forward, surrounded him, and greeted him with a cacophony of questions.

"This place is huge!"

"It looks like it could be used for horseback riding, Mountain Lord! Why don't you let your senior sister ride it?"

"Look over there, the clouds are right beneath our feet!"

The slightly airsick Qingluan regained its energy, climbed to the top of the mountain king's head, and made it run wildly along the Great Wall.

Gu Zhi Qiu and Bai Xian Shuang then went to the wall and looked out at the world beyond.

Upon seeing this, everyone gasped in shock and paled!

Beyond the Great Wall, the terrain was not normal, but rather an indescribably flat expanse!

The earth seemed to have been ruthlessly flattened by an invisible giant hand; all the undulations, mountains, valleys, and cities had vanished, leaving only a lifeless flat surface that stretched all the way to the horizon.

That was the Central Asian continent after the devastation of the "Gravity Apocalypse," a world that had been "flattened."

"That—that is—" Lin Tingwan's voice trembled.

"It's one of the scenes left over from the apocalypse."

Xia Xinghan calmly explained, "The Great Wall encircles the country, and the post-apocalyptic remnants outside each section of the wall are different. To the north is a frozen world, to the east is a vast ocean that has submerged continents and archipelagos, to the south are countless monsters, and to the west is this—the Gravity Plain."

Everyone fell silent, their hearts churning with turmoil.

They had personally experienced the battles within the walls and knew how terrifying the monsters were, but the apocalyptic power before them, which directly altered the shape of the continent, made them feel even more insignificant and—fortunate.

Thankfully, there is such a wall that keeps those terrors out.

Xia Xinghan continued, "Although the Earth's will rose again after the second phase of spiritual energy recovery stabilized, and most of the [Doomsday] was isolated, its residual effects still remain."

"For example, Siberia has been completely transformed into an icy hell, a vast expanse of frozen land devoid of life, even in the face of an extreme cold apocalypse."

The area is sealed off; the temperature there remains at -60 or -70 degrees Celsius, and it won't rise with the seasons. And in Southeast Asia, although the fog has lifted, the monsters are still there, their numbers terrifying, constantly attacking the southern section of the Great Wall.

"And then there's the gravity plain before us. Gravity is already disordered. In some places, it's ten times the normal gravity, and in others, it's a hundred times the normal gravity. Even a single step can result in vastly different gravity in every section of space."

"The only saving grace is that it's not as terrifying as ten thousand times the gravity, so it's actually a good place to train your body."

Everyone: "————"

"Mountain Lord, Little Tiger, you can come over anytime you have time. I'll send you over the wall to hone your physical bodies."

Mountain King:

'

""

Xiang Xiaohu:

"————"

"Boss, am I going to be crushed into a meat patty?"

"Surely not?

Xia Xinghan stroked his chin, lost in thought.

His strength is too great.

The energy within his body is enough to support the consumption of the Great Wall, and his steel body can withstand ten thousand times the force of gravity. He has both offensive and defensive capabilities, and his strength and speed are both A-level.

I used to think that the Holy Master might be slightly better than him.

Now?

Excuse me, but I am also a Holy Envoy, and the Great Wall I govern is larger than any other Holy Relic.

Xiang Xiaohu rarely admitted defeat, shrinking his neck and saying, "Boss, I'd better take it easy for now, at least until I break through to the Pseudo-Core Realm."

Once you reach the Pseudo-Core Formation stage, you can activate the Overlord Cauldron at will.

Xia Xinghan had an idea and replied, "You can come to Kunlun Mountain often in the future. I have subdued a Yak King, who is currently at the Pseudo-Core Realm. You can test your strength against him when you have time."

Everyone: "————"

Although they had never seen the King of the Yaks, they had a strange feeling that the King of the Yaks must be very strong.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll do it!" Xiang Xiaohu patted his chest in response.

As long as you don't go to the Gravity Plains to train your body, you can still struggle against the bull.

How much strength can a cow have? I am the wielder of the Overlord Cauldron, with the strength to uproot mountains and the spirit to overwhelm the world!

At this moment, Xiang Xiaohu was very confident.

"Let's go, let's eat first," Lin Tingwan said.

What they ate was actually the same New Year's Eve dinner that Lin Tingwan had carefully prepared last night, but hadn't had a chance to eat.

She used the portable stove she brought to heat it up.

Xiang Xiaohu and Gu Zhiqi moved the tables and chairs out of the [White Emperor] aircraft.

Having gone through life-and-death battles and witnessed the apocalyptic catastrophe, everyone felt especially warm and precious to be able to sit together atop the Great Wall and enjoy this belated reunion dinner.

"Sister Lin's cooking is so delicious!" Xiang Xiaohu said with a simple smile, shoveling rice into his mouth.

"Yes, and the scenery here, Master, is unique in the whole world!" Qingluan mumbled, munching on a spiritual fruit.

Da Bao: "What a pity about my snail rice noodles."

The ruthless others: "Get out!"

After the meal, it was completely dark.

The air is crisp and clear on the Great Wall.

At an altitude of tens of thousands of meters, with no air pollution or low-altitude cloud cover, the night sky presents a breathtaking purity and depth.

The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a ribbon, with countless stars clearly visible, dazzling and radiant, shining with eternal light, as if one could reach out and pluck them.

The group spread out a blanket, sat on the ground, and gazed up at the starry sky. For a moment, no one spoke, enjoying the rare tranquility and reunion.

"Master," Gu Zhi Qiu suddenly spoke, her voice sounding particularly cold in the quiet night wind, "You'll be staying here from now on—can't you go down anymore?"

Xia Xinghan nodded: "Yes, that's right. At least for now, I must stay with the Great Wall."

"Then—aren't you lonely here all by yourself?" Lin Tingwan turned her head to look at his profile, which appeared even more profound under the starlight, her eyes filled with heartache.

Xia Xinghan smiled, his gaze sweeping over the golden walls stretching out under the starlight, then looking at the vast land within the walls, where new life was being nurtured in the darkness, and slowly said, "Loneliness? Perhaps a little."

"I can sit here and watch the clouds drift by, watch the sun rise and the moon set, watch the stars shine and the winds change."

"I can also be here, overlooking the land of China, witnessing this land rise from the ruins, witnessing the reconstruction of our homes little by little, witnessing the revival of all things under the nourishment of spiritual energy, and witnessing how the new era I participated in pioneering has developed and grown step by step, and then become a true era of cultivation for all."

"Protecting them and witnessing new life is itself a fulfilling experience, and it makes one feel less lonely."

His voice was not loud, but it carried a faint sense of transcendence, as if he were one with the Great Wall beneath his feet, the starry sky above, and the fate of this land.

Gu Zhi Qiu was momentarily dazed.

She seemed to see divinity in Xia Xinghan.

It was as if the person before him was not a young boy, but a deity silently guarding the human world.

"Master! The turtle wants to stay and keep you company!"

"Yes! We can take turns cultivating and standing guard here!"

Qingluan, Shanjun, and other disciples cried out, their eyes filled with reluctance.

Xia Xinghan shook his head: "No. You each have your own responsibilities and paths."

"Qingluan, you are the recognized master of Zhongnan Mountain. You are needed to oversee the area. Also, don't forget the alchemy task I gave you. Now that the spiritual energy recovery has entered a new stage, more spiritual herbs and rare treasures will emerge. This is a good time for you to improve your alchemy skills. If you need any materials, just go to the holy land controlled by your family and take them. Just say that I said so, and let's see who dares to disobey."

"Senior Sister and Little Tiger need to improve the [Martial God Temple]. Qingchi, Dabao, and Shanjun, you are a snake, a panda, and a tiger, respectively, and none of you are suitable to stay at the Great Wall or Kunlun Mountain."

At this point, he smiled slightly, "If you miss me, you can come to see me anytime like today, it's no big deal."

Seeing Xia Xinghan's resolute attitude and the reasonable arrangements, the disciples, though somewhat unwilling, knew he was right and nodded in agreement.

"In that case, I'll send some clothes, food, tents and other necessities over later," Lin Tingwan said softly. Xia Xinghan was about to decline, since he no longer needed to eat and his body was free from dust, but after a moment's thought, he agreed.

As night deepened, the Milky Way grew ever brighter.

The group chatted until midnight before reluctantly boarding the [White Emperor] aircraft.

The engine started, spewing out a ghostly blue flame.

"Xinghan, take care of yourself! We'll come see you again soon!" Lin Tingwan waved vigorously through the porthole.

"Take care, Master!"

"We will definitely work hard in our training!"

Goodbye~

The disciples' voices mingled together.

Xia Xinghan stood at the edge of the beacon tower, smiling and waving goodbye to them.

The spacecraft slowly ascended into the sky, blending into the backdrop of the dazzling Milky Way, and finally transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the southern horizon.

The clamor subsided, and the summit of the Great Wall returned to silence, with only the mournful sound of the wind blowing through the battlements.

Xia Xinghan turned around and walked back to the center of the beacon tower alone, where he slowly sat down cross-legged.

He raised his head and looked up at the boundless, deep night sky where the Milky Way flowed, then lowered his head and looked down at the dark land of China within the walls.

Am I lonely? Perhaps a little.

But as he said, protecting and witnessing is also a kind of joy.

Moreover, this is not a cage, but a place for cultivation. With his unparalleled talent, how could he be truly bound?

The golden Great Wall stands silently, and the night watchmen on its tops, along with the countless stars, gaze upon the first night of this new era, quietly awaiting the next dawn.

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