96: A ruler's word is law.

"Which great figure? The First Emperor?"

The crow shook its head and squawked twice.

He Ming's brows immediately furrowed together.

Because the crow's words had jammed at the most crucial point, just like sensitive words in some videos that are forcibly censored by the system.

"Repeat what you just said!"

The crow looked confused but still repeated its previous words.

"That great figure, anyone who can slap me into the wall will be the next Human Emperor."

Its mouth was moving, but no sound could be heard.

This feeling made He Ming experience a trace of fear.

"Did you notice that your speech was silenced just now?"

The crow scratched its head with its wing, looking puzzled.

"No."

He Ming stopped asking questions, already having the answer in his heart.

He focused his attention on the imperial seal of china in his hand.

The seal was square, topped by a coiled divine dragon that emitted a captivating precious light.

He Ming flipped the jade seal over, revealing eight ancient seal characters carved upon it.

At this moment, his eyes could not leave those eight characters, his heartbeat began to accelerate, and the blood in his entire body seemed to start boiling.

His hands unconsciously stroked the seal, and only five words remained in his mind... Although he couldn't understand them, it didn't matter.

He Ming spoke involuntarily, his voice trembling.

"Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may He live long and prosper!"

Underneath the bronze chariot, Wang Jiu's eyes were practically glued open!

Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may He live long and prosper?

Could this be!

"Impossible!"

Li Fei tilted his head slightly, his eyebrows lowered.

"Boss, what does that mean?"

Wang Jiu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with shock!

"This is a jade artifact forged by the mysterious dynasty that ended the Warring States period and was eventually replaced by the Han Dynasty. It represents the verification of imperial authority!"

"Starting from the Han Dynasty, monarchs referred to themselves as 'Emperor,' but the one who truly used this title was that mysterious dynasty preceding the Han Dynasty!"

"It was recorded in unofficial histories that the Han emperors spent their entire lives searching for this artifact but never managed to find it."

"The imperial seal of china."

"I never expected it to appear in the Ailao Mountains!"

He Ming slowly walked towards the altar, turning sideways to look at Wang Jiu and Li Fei, who were hiding under the bronze chariot.

He couldn't leave right now; the sacrificial hall was filled with a large amount of Human Dao Fortune, which was a great tonic for cultivation.

It was also the key element determining whether he could establish an inner universe within his body in the future!

"What's your name?"

The crow followed He Ming all the way like a strutting chicken.

It lifted its head and let out a proud cry, seemingly extremely satisfied with its name.

"Ergou (Two Dogs)."

He Ming tilted his head slightly; what a coincidence.

Before crossing over, he had a talking myna bird named Ergou.

"Ergou, go safely escort those two out of the Ailao Mountains."

"Roger that!"

As soon as the words fell, a burst of black light erupted from Ergou, and it surprisingly shrank on the spot into a raven the size of half an arm.

It flapped its wings and flew onto the bronze chariot.

"You two, follow me."

Wang Jiu and Li Fei exchanged glances and crawled out from under the bronze chariot, but they dared not meet Ergou's eyes.

"B-Boss He, what about you!"

He Ming waved his hand.

"Don't worry about me."

"Um, then... the final, the final payment..."

Wang Jiu stammered.

"An emperor's word is law."

Wang Jiu: "?"

Li Fei: "..."

He Ming smiled, but his gaze sharpened.

"Don't reveal a single word after you leave. Remember to cover your mouth when you sleep."

Wang Jiu and Li Fei both shivered violently.

Wang Jiu: "Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Li Fei: "From now on, I will definitely seal my mouth shut with tape before sleeping!"

"Go."

Feeling as if they had received a great pardon, the two hurriedly followed Ergou and ran toward the tomb passage they had come through.

Watching the two leave, He Ming adjusted his state of mind, sat cross-legged on the altar, closed his eyes tightly, placed the imperial seal of china in front of him, and began cultivating by fully operating the Star Guidance Technique.

The Human Dao Fortune filling the hall continuously poured into He Ming's body under his guidance.

In just two hours, precious light began to emanate from his body.

This was a necessary process for the imperial seal of china to recognize its master.

Only those who could withstand the Human Dao Fortune were qualified to be its master.

The edge of the Ailao Mountains.

Seeing Ergou transform into a black mist and fly towards the deepest part of the Ailao Mountains, Wang Jiu and Li Fei finally couldn't hold on any longer, their bodies went limp, and they collapsed onto the ground.

The two leaned back-to-back, drenched in sweat.

Li Fei: "Boss, I... I thought we were dead for sure!"

Wang Jiu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and burst into silent laughter.

"Yeah, if I were Boss He, I definitely would have had that monster eat us directly."

Li Fei: "Exactly! That's how it is in TV dramas. The best way to keep a secret is to root out the source of trouble!"

He suddenly seemed to remember something and felt a wave of lingering fear.

"Boss, you're something else! You were still worried about the final payment at a time like that?"

Wang Jiu rubbed his partially bald head and laughed foolishly.

"Man dies for wealth, just as a bird dies for food!"

"We risked our lives coming into the mountains this trip!"

As he spoke, a crisp notification sound came from the mobile phone in the inner pocket of Wang Jiu's jacket.

He instinctively took out his phone to check, and it was a bank transfer notification.

[Huatong Bank: Your account ending in 7359 received a reward income of 2,000,000,000.00 at 18:35 on the 18th. Available balance: 2,000,021,754.00]

... Time flew by, and half a year passed.

During this period, He Ming continuously cultivated in the underground palace, absorbing the Human Dao Fortune overflowing in the sacrificial hall day and night.

Ergou would occasionally bring him precious medicinal herbs over a thousand years old, as well as the flesh and blood of unknown wild beasts.

On this day.

He Ming finished his cultivation, his entire body radiating dazzling precious light, as if he were a scorching sun.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes, and he completely retracted the Human Dao Fortune into his body.

"Mission accomplished!"

He raised his hand and glanced at his smart bracelet.

[life index: 85000]

In half a year, his life index had increased by nearly 40,000 points, leaving him 15,000 points short of the minimum requirement for establishing an inner universe.

He Ming secretly pondered in his heart.

I remember the notebook said it would take two and a half years to cultivate to a life index of 75,000 points.

But I have already reached 85,000 points, nearly a year ahead of schedule.

It seems the notebook's calculation was based on the situation at that time.

Western Xinjiang.

He Ming stepped down from the commercial vehicle, and Ergou, having transformed into an ordinary raven, perched on his shoulder.

"Be smart when we meet people. Just pretend you're a pet."

Ergou nodded its head and quickly got into character.

"What stage have you cultivated the Heaven Devouring Method to?"

"The second stage."

He Ming nodded slightly, quite satisfied with this speed.

The second stage meant that Ergou's life index had increased from 42,000 points to 50,000 points.

He raised his head and looked toward the direction of the Starport. The space elevator was already completed, with countless cables rising from the central base, connecting heaven and earth in a single line.