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...However, before Tang Ya could recover from the shock, Xuan Ming's next words struck her mind like a sudden thunderclap.
"As for me..."
Xuan Ming turned his head and looked at Tang Ya.
"Ten thousand years ago, I was the very 'Heaven' above the Douluo Federation."
"But..."
Xuan Ming's tone held a hint of self-deprecation and coldness, "It seems the people of today have forgotten the existence of this 'Heaven'."
Tang Ya was completely stunned.
Her mind went blank, and she even briefly lost the ability to think.
Heaven?
In the history textbooks of the Douluo Federation and the doctrines of the Church, "Heaven" was a supreme concept, the source of all order, and the absolute Dominator standing above the Angels and the Sea God.
It was the origin of the Douluo Federation.
It was also the creator of the "spirit ring circulation system" that the Tang Sect and Huo Yuhao loathed so much they wanted to overthrow it!
And in the top-secret ancient text "Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record: Side Story," which only the Sect Leader was qualified to read, there was a vague record of that era.
The ancestor, Tang San, once lived in the same era as a favored child of heaven named "Xuan Ming."
That was a... terrifying existence who once, with a Mortal body, rivaled the gods, and eventually even surpassed them, ending the chaotic times, yet also becoming the nightmare of ancestor Tang San's entire life!
"You... You are..."
Tang Ya reached out a trembling hand, pointing at Xuan Ming, her throat making a dry sound, "You are... Xuan Ming?!"
"It seems that fellow Tang San hasn't forgotten to record a note about me in his little book."
Xuan Ming gave a light chuckle and did not deny it.
"What? Is this the expression the current Tang Sect Sect Leader makes when meeting an old friend of your ancestor?"
"No... No..."
Tang Ya's legs went weak, and she knelt directly on the ground. This time, it wasn't because of Bloodline suppression, but a reverence originating from the depths of her Soul.
If the person before her truly was the legendary "Heaven"... then everything they were doing now—overthrowing the spirit ring system, challenging the Federation's order—wasn't that... Heaven-Defying?!
"It's over..."
Tang Ya felt a chill in her heart, "We are... dead for sure."
Looking at Tang Ya shivering on the ground, Xuan Ming shook his head helplessly.
"Get up."
He flicked his finger, and a gentle force lifted Tang Ya up. "I said, I'm just here to take a look."
"If I wanted to kill you, do you think you'd still be kneeling here talking to me?"
Xuan Ming stood up and walked over to Tang Ya. Looking at this woman who, despite her fear, still tried to protect the blueprints behind her, a flash of admiration crossed his eyes.
"You want to overthrow the old order and establish new rules."
"That's good."
"Rules are dead, but people are alive. Since the rules I set back then are outdated and have even become stumbling blocks hindering the development of the era, then kick them aside."
"I won't stop you; in fact... I'm looking forward to it."
"The Divinity will not descend to interfere in this matter."
Xuan Ming looked at the still-shaken Tang Ya, his tone indifferent. "This is a human matter, a self-transformation of the human era. You aren't trying to destroy the World, nor have you summoned abyss demons. The gods don't have the leisure to run down here and wipe you out."
"The so-called 'Heavenly Tribulation' is nothing more than a trick used by those churches to scare Mortals."
Hearing these words, Tang Ya's tense nerves finally relaxed a bit.
As long as the gods didn't intervene, even if they faced the entire Federation, the Tang Sect wouldn't be without the power to fight.
"However..."
Xuan Ming's tone shifted as his gaze pierced through the thick rock layers, reaching the deepest part of the underground workshop.
"I came here with one more question."
He extended a finger and pointed through the air toward the ground. "That blue and white soul tool mecha in the warehouse below—where did you get it?"
That shape, that crude yet unique energy circuit design... Xuan Ming recognized it at a glance. It was the first-generation prototype he had casually created ten thousand years ago.
Although that thing was considered high-tech that crushed other dimensions ten thousand years ago, in this era of highly developed Soul tool technology, its technical content was about the same as a child's tin toy.
But he hadn't expected the Tang Sect to actually enshrine this antique like a treasure in the deepest part.
Tang Ya was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then answered honestly, "That is the first-generation unit that the Tang Sect ancestor, Tang San, applied for and obtained from the Federation Treasury when he served as an honorary councilor of the Douluo Federation ten thousand years ago."
"The ancestor left behind a legacy saying that this was the work of 'Heaven,' containing the original mysteries of the Fusion of machinery and Law."
"Over these ten thousand years, although the Tang Sect has focused on Hidden Weapons, we have also been studying that mecha. Through reverse engineering, we have developed many prototypes of soul tool mecha. It's just that..."
Tang Ya gave a bitter smile, "Limited by technology and Materials, the mecha we built have mediocre protection and insufficient flexibility. In actual combat, they aren't as practical as high-burst fixed-mount soul tool hidden weapons."
Xuan Ming nodded, a flash of nostalgia in his eyes.
So that fellow Tang San made off with it.
"Let's not talk about that antique."
Xuan Ming looked to the side, "What about that large black and red one... next to it?"
"Who built it?"
In Xuan Ming's Divine Sense perception, that black and red mecha standing quietly in the darkness, though unfinished, had a design concept so advanced and a structure so precise that it completely surpassed this era.
Hearing Xuan Ming ask about this, Tang Ya's originally dim eyes suddenly erupted with the pride of a strong person.
"That... I built it."
She straightened her back, her voice still weak but full of confidence. "That is the ultimate individual combat weapon designed by gathering the ten thousand years of Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons wisdom, Huo Yuhao's spirit soul battle armor concept, and all my understanding of mecha structures—the dark blood demon."
"Very good."
Xuan Ming did not hold back his praise. "I just glanced at the internal structure. If this thing is completed and piloted by a Limit Douluo, the explosive combat power it produces would be enough to rival a rank 100 god officer."
"It integrates a large number of Soul tool hidden weapon launch ports, utilizes battle armor fitting technology, and even has reserved amplification circuits similar to a Martial Soul True Body..."
"This is indeed a Genius design. If it could be mass-produced, even if there were only ten more, your Tang Sect could sweep through the current Federation Parliament."
"But..."
Xuan Ming looked at Tang Ya, "Why has work stopped? I see its completion is only at eighty percent, and the core energy reactor is empty."
Hearing this question, the light in Tang Ya's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.
"Because... it can't be built."
She bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms. "The energy consumption of that thing is too terrifying. Ordinary rank nine milk bottles simply can't keep up with its instantaneous burst. Before it even fires, the mecha itself would stall."
"To drive it, a legendary deep sea crystal is required."
"That is a divine object that only forms in places ten thousand meters deep in the ocean that have been nourished by the Sea God's divine force for a long time. It is said to be a treasure sufficient to help a Limit Douluo comprehend Law and step into the demigod level."
"But..."
Tang Ya gave a miserable smile, "The deep sea crystal is strictly controlled by Sea God Island and the Sea God Church. Our Tang Sect are heretics; forget going to Sea God Island, we would be hunted down just for approaching the coastline. We... simply cannot get it."
This was reality.
Having the skill to slay a dragon, but lacking the blade to do so.
Seeing Tang Ya's "a penny can stop a hero" appearance, Xuan Ming curled his lip.
"Just this?"
He casually reached into the Void Realm.
"You mean... this?"
Xuan Ming's palm opened.
A fist-sized, diamond-shaped crystal, deep blue throughout with what looked like tides surging inside, floated quietly in his palm.
The moment that crystal appeared, the water elements in the entire underground workshop surged instantly, and the rich ocean aura even overpowered the surrounding smell of metal.
Tang Ya's eyes widened, and her breathing stopped instantly.
That was... a deep sea crystal so large and pure that she hadn't even seen its like in illustrations?!
"Ten thousand meters deep? Nourished by the Sea God's divine force?"
Xuan Ming smiled, "At Posey's place, this stuff is used for paving roads. It's not precious at all."
Having said that, he flicked his wrist.
"Catch."
That priceless treasure, capable of triggering a bloodbath across the entire continent, was tossed casually toward Tang Ya like an ordinary stone.
Tang Ya scrambled to catch it, holding the cold crystal in both hands, her whole body trembling.
Really... he just gave it to her like that?
"Since you have the blueprints and the technology, don't stop for such a ridiculous reason as lacking a battery."
Xuan Ming looked at the still-dazed Tang Sect Sect Leader.
"Build that large mecha."
"I'm quite interested in that thing."
"I want to see if, when this dark blood demon truly moves, it can scare those so-called demigod Old freaks out of their wits."