109: A lost civilization 30,000 years ago

Lei Mietian's gaze was deep as he scrutinized his second son.

Although his talent wasn't as great as his eldest brother's, Lei Jingyu had already reached the Middle Stage of Grandmaster at a young age. What was even more commendable was his steady demeanor and meticulous mind.

"Are you confident?"

Lei Jingyu's lips curled into a cold smirk: "Your son has already mastered the second stage of Lei Shi Body Forging."

"Even if I stand there and let him hit me, he won't be able to harm me in the slightest."

"Plus, with four Grandmaster retainers, it's enough to flatten the entire Western Theater Command!"

He slowly rose, a purple lightning bolt flashing in his eyes: "And I also want to see... how capable this person who killed my third brother really is."

"The Second Cataclysm is approaching, and this is a good opportunity to bring the Western Theater Command into our Lei Family's grasp."

After a moment of silence, Lei Mietian slightly raised his eyes.

"The key is the Kunlun Secret Realm; we must ensure its safety."

Lei Jingyu's expression was serious, and he nodded gently.

"Understood."

...Western Gobi, the setting sun was like blood.

The strong wind whipped up sand, howling across the desolate Gobi Desert.

Su Lei stood with his saber, the ground beneath his feet already unrecognizable.

Countless crisscrossing ravines spread out from him, and in the deepest cracks, one could even see the surging undercurrents below the surface.

On the saber's edge, a quietblue energy pulsed erratically, like breathing.

"Whoosh—"

He slowly exhaled a turbid breath, the white mist condensing into frost in the cold air.

After several days of non-stop arduous training, he had finally achieved a preliminary Fusion of Mental Energy, Protective Aura, and the Martial Skill of "Ten Steps, One Kill."

With each swing of his saber, before the blade even arrived, a sharp Saber Intent would tear through the air.

Each strike not only contained physical destructive power but also carried a spiritual deterrent.

—This had already surpassed the scope of original Martial Skills.

Su Lei closed his eyes in contemplation, countless saber trajectories appearing in his mind.

He felt as if he had touched a certain critical point,

as if with just one more step, he could create an entirely new Martial Skill... "Drip—!"

The sudden alert sound from the communicator broke the silence of the Gobi.

Lin Qianqian's holographic projection appeared in the air; she seemed to have just finished a meeting.

Her military jacket was casually draped over her shoulder, revealing the form-fitting black tactical vest underneath.

"Su Lei," she said with a slight smile, "I have good news."

As she reported, Su Lei's eyebrows slightly arched.

Among the ten Western Theater Command Martial Alliance branches, besides Beiliang City being forcibly taken over, three other branch leaders had proactively shown goodwill to the military, expressing their willingness to submit.

Lin Qianqian then sent the Wu Brothers and Zhou Mingyuan to take charge, completely bringing these branches under control.

Su Lei said indifferently, "It seems the Lei Family's deterrent power isn't as strong as I imagined."

Lin Qianqian chuckled: "Or perhaps it should be said that your deterrent power is too strong, but there are still six families that haven't made a statement..."

"They are merely waiting for a result."

Lin Qianqian suddenly sobered, lowering her voice.

"The Lei Family will never let this go."

"The Martial Alliance still hasn't made any moves..."

Su Lei's gaze sharpened, and the long saber in his hand hummed.

"They must be brewing a plan to deal with me."

He looked up at the distant horizon, the setting sun casting his shadow long, piercing the wilderness like a drawn blade.

"Let them come; my new saber technique... still needs a target to test it on."

"How is the progress at the Kunlun Secret Realm?"

Lin Qianqian's fingers tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her lips slightly curved, "I was just about to report to you."

The holographic projection switched to a real-time exploration screen.

Inside the enormous underground cavern, engineering machinery roared, and searchlights illuminated the ancient rock walls.

"The engineering team has been digging non-stop day and night, covering 20% of the area, and we haven't found any star marrow veins yet."

"But on the rock walls... we've discovered some very interesting things."

The screen zoomed in on a close-up of a mural, where ancient bas-reliefs were faintly visible on the mottled rock surface.

Su Lei's eyes narrowed: "I'll go there personally."

...Three hours later, deep within the Kunlun Mountains.

The strong winds stirred up by the military helicopter made Su Lei's robes flap loudly.

He leaped down, his military boots landing steadily on the temporarily constructed alloy platform.

The on-site supervisor jogged over to greet him, sweat still glistening on his forehead.

Su Lei strode towards the construction area, and the engineering personnel along the way stood at attention and saluted.

As they went deeper, the roar of engineering machinery echoed incessantly.

Searchlights illuminated the entire space as if it were daytime, and the ancient murals on the rock walls appeared exceptionally clear under the strong light.

More than a dozen experts from various fields were gathered around a giant rock wall.

Exploration experts operated precise instruments to scan the rock layer structure, geology professors squatted on the ground studying mineral samples, while several historians and archaeologists debated heatedly in front of the murals.

Liu Hongyan walked over quickly, holding a data tablet.

She pushed up her glasses and reported efficiently:

"Although no rare minerals like star marrow have been found yet, these murals..."

She turned and pointed behind her, "After preliminary deciphering, they seem to record a myth from a prehistoric civilization."

Su Lei approached the rock wall and ran his hand over the mottled carvings.

The murals' style was crude yet full of power, and many human figures could be vaguely distinguished.

They floated in mid-air, surrounded by light, battling twisted monsters.

"They called these fighting people 'Saints'."

A white-haired archaeology professor said excitedly.

"And the creatures they fought, according to the interpretation of the ancient symbols next to them, should be called 'Demonic Beasts'!"

Su Lei narrowed his eyes.

In the mural, a particularly tall "Saint" held a spear-like weapon, its tip piercing the head of a Demonic Beast as massive as a mountain.

The second mural depicted a group of people consuming a peculiar mineral.

Its color, shape, and size were remarkably seven-tenths similar to star marrow!

"Has the dating been determined?" Su Lei suddenly asked.

The geology professor wiped his sweat: "The rock layers indicate these murals are at least thirty thousand years old."

A history expert wearing gold-rimmed glasses suddenly pushed forward, his finger excitedly tracing an analysis chart on the data screen.

"Although the clothing of these mural figures is simple, look at these details—"

At the magnified part of the screen, those seemingly primitive "flame patterns" showed precise structural arrangements under spectral analysis, astonishingly similar to the energy spectrum of a Grandmaster's Protective Aura.

"This is definitely not graffiti from a barbaric era." The old expert's voice trembled, "But a lost civilization that developed human potential to its extreme!"

Su Lei gazed at the "flames" swirling around the sword-wielding figure in the center of the mural, his eyes deepening.

—That was clearly Protective Aura condensed into a tangible form.

And the monsters they faced, the stories recorded on the murals, might be related to the "Second Cataclysm."

To know more, one could only wait patiently for the entire excavation to be completed.

"Continue digging." Su Lei suddenly turned, his military boots echoing dully on the alloy floor, "But increase the protective force by threefold.

Big Wolf Book Source kindly reminds: Due to special reasons, the group has been forcibly disbanded! New groups have been rebuilt, Group 1 ID (298732622) Group 2 (1062268835) to prevent loss of contact, tg: t.me/dahuilang888, this message will be displayed until tomorrow noon!"