526: Chapter 170 Secluded Crane City 526: Chapter 170 Secluded Crane City The central tower of Secluded Crane City was a colossal structure.

Its base covered an area measured in square kilometers.

A massive metal framework penetrated the base, and there were even segmented magnetic fields maintaining the shape of this enormous framework.

This building was like an arm stretched down from above the clouds, with its fingers deeply penetrating the rock layers, breaking through mountain ranges, and thoroughly enveloping a vast fossil excavation zone.

The entire base was strictly compartmentalized to restrict air flow, reducing the impact of weathering on the fossils.

This was the place where the Secluded Crane Order of Knights originated.

Vice Captain Bai “Ice” Changkong met the man he wished to see here.

It was a lightweight Martial Artist.

He was curiously moving his own body.

There he stood, openly on a transparent toughened glass bridge, moving his body.

Less than thirty centimeters below him were the remains of a group of Pica Bugs.

Pica Bugs were creatures from the third epoch of the Cambrian period, belonging to animals that appeared towards the end of the Cambrian explosion.

When they were first discovered in this era, naturalists thought they were merely an ancient type of worm.

But later on, biologists, after conducting in-depth research, concluded that these were primitive chordates.

Chordates, without shells or limbs, were still considered “weak” in the second epoch of the Cambrian.

However, by the third epoch, chordates like the Pica Bug had also evolved.

While arthropods were investing resources in their carapaces, these creatures developed stronger nerves and muscles that attached to their notochord.

And after more than five hundred million years of evolution, the notochord had become the spine, still the most commonly used, most cost-effective data transfer device for human Martial Artists.

Ah, of course, of course…

The creatures Pica Bugs belonged to were not the direct ancestors of humans.

This lineage of chordates had long disappeared on the evolutionary road.

And humans had also long since inserted fragments from alien species into their genetic information.

Yet the delicate notochord fossils in the rock layers below and the ceaselessly moving centerline of the Martial Artist with his moves seemed to share a certain aesthetic consistency.

Bai Changkong — the Sky Hermit couldn’t help clapping his hands: “How beautiful…”

The Martial Artist looked slightly puzzled: “I haven’t adapted to this prosthetic body yet.

That punch was far from my peak.”

“No, I wasn’t talking about your punch, but rather…

It’s a kind of aesthetic appreciation of a Scientific Knight,” the Sky Hermit said solemnly, almost ritually, “Time can’t be turned back.”

“Six Dragons Chariot,” the man said seriously.

Actually, under the effect of multiple verification mechanisms, the “incision” was just the least important of the safety measures.

But it did help maintain cohesion.

“Welcome, Guardian Zhi,” said the Sky Hermit.

“Hello,” the protector said.

“How are you getting used to the gravity of home?”

The man seriously said, “Gravity and atmosphere are mainly overcome by the prosthetic body.

But this prosthetic body is too weak; its output is low, very uncomfortable…”

“I’m terribly sorry,” Bai Changkong shook his head: “Your mission, Protector, is to walk the New Land, searching for potential emerging righteous organizations.

A powerful prosthetic body above the First Heavenly Layer is too conspicuous…”

“I’m not complaining.

It’s just…

uncomfortable.

Actually, it’s quite good.” Guardian Zhi moved his own right hand.

He looked seriously at the five fingers of his right hand and the connectors at the tips of his fingers as they opened and closed, re-establishing the connection, mapping the relationship between “sensation” and “action.”

Guardian Zhi spoke very earnestly: “Actually, the joy of battle during this stage might be even more enjoyable.”

Guardian Zhi, full name Zhili Jiliu, was a rather old Martial Artist.

It was said that at the time he was studying, the Fourth Martial God hadn’t been born yet.

For over the last decade, this protector of the Six Dragons Sect had been operating in the Asteroid Belt as a Lone Wolf Mercenary.

Three years ago, King Aqini seemed to have lost a batch of his elites over something.

Since then, his surveillance of the network had become stricter.

Many previously accessible information channels had now become unsafe.

The Iron Heart Dharma King was concerned that some accidents might occur under these conditions, so he specially recruited two additional protectors, hoping these two would assist the Six Dragons Sect on Earth with their activities.

Zhili Jiliu was one of those two protectors.

Bai Changkong asked, “And Protector Wan?”

“He went up to the top floor,” said Guardian Zhi calmly, pointing to the elevator: “He’s impatient.”

Zhili Jiliu and the other protector had no scientific research mission.

One of them excelled in external strength, and the other, in internal strength.

Especially Protector Wan, although not as powerful as the Iron Heart Dharma King himself, still, with the Iron Heart Dharma King covering for him and both the Iron Heart Dharma King and King Aqini on the Moon, he could partly avoid King Aqini’s notice by relying on the geographical advantage in the response time of his inner strength.

Bai Changkong touched his head: “Well…

that makes sense.

With such a big incident, any internal Martial Artist wouldn’t be able to sit still.”

Guardian Zhi looked at him but said nothing.

The White Hermit added: “An internal strength master has already declared his realm to be not inferior to the Iron Heart Dharma King, causing a stir that’s now known to all.”

“What did he do?” asked Guardian Zhi.

“Nobody knows.

But the magnitude of it has led people to think of that incident eighty years ago,” the White Hermit sighed, “Now everyone is rushing to back up their data to extraplanetary nodes, causing network congestion.”

Guardian Zhi pondered for a moment: “If only this had happened a few days earlier.

The Holy Maiden wouldn’t have had to make a special trip.”

Currently, a Six Dragons Sect project on Earth had reached a critical moment and required a batch of genetic data.

This data was too voluminous.

Since King Aqini had tightened control over Earth’s external internet, it could no longer be transmitted directly.

Such large incoming data would easily attract King Aqini’s attention.

In the end, the Six Dragons Sect decided that rather than risking a dispersed transport, it would be better to send someone with a hard drive to fly over.

Sometimes, this was actually faster.

When Guardian Zhi and Protector Wan left the Asteroid Belt, they were unaware of this news.

The Holy Maiden departed from Mars a bit later.

The White Hermit shook his head: “You can never control the actions of a Hero.

They are too free, too unreasonable.”

“Where is the Holy Maiden now?”

“The Holy Maiden would not easily come here,” said the White Hermit: “After all, your missions are different, aren’t they?

The Holy Maiden will recuperate on the outskirts of Secluded Crane City and then go directly to the ‘Origin’ project.”

Guardian Zhi nodded: “The Holy Maiden has seen many masters.

So, I just hope to ask her if my current martial arts are ten percent of the King of Godspeed’s.”