The Programmer Cultivator

Only a thousand years later, after cultures had shifted, did people realize what an epoch-making decree that had been. So now, in Hongmeng, as long as the culture remains unchanged and the Noble Sects are not overthrown, it's difficult for any new wonders to appear in the sky.

It's already incredibly difficult to establish even a few more Blessed Lands up there; you think you can just show up with some new gimmick and reap the rewards?

Do you take those ten-thousand-year-old monsters from the Holy Land of Blessing for blind men? They've waited bitterly for ten thousand years without success, and you think you can just snatch the prize because you had a flash of inspiration?

Dream on!

You're getting way ahead of yourself!

For these and many other reasons, everyone in Hongmeng knew that the Celestial Universe's internet age was a very good thing. But progress was not fast; in fact, it was quite slow.

Hongmeng's culture made it destined to be difficult to have satellites, and thus difficult to have an ordinary network. The starting point had to be a quantum network that didn't require satellites—in other words, an Array-based network.

A network based on quantum entanglement and Spiritual Power frequency-hopping, one that didn't need satellites or global information coverage.

Compared to the Celestial Universe, it was like starting with an airplane, which is why development seemed so slow. In reality, they were advancing at the speed of a rocket.

In short, in the current Hongmeng, Magical Artifact maps weren't hard to make. What was difficult was a real-time positioning map with multiplayer networking.

It wasn't that creating it was too difficult or the technology was too complex. In fact, it was quite simple. The main reason was the lack of essential components: satellite positioning and network interaction.

...

Feng Mingyou listened to Tong Hou, paused, and said with a smile, "I'm used to the Sect's maps, so this is a little unfamiliar."

Tong Hou shook his head. After a few days, he'd more or less figured out Feng Mingyou's situation in the Sect. He was one of those "Guardian Tower" type slackers.

A real Guardian Tower chose to be a slacker, doing so intentionally. Feng Mingyou, on the other hand, was a genuine slacker—the kind whose best efforts still couldn't match someone else just lying around.

Tong Hou had come across many such disciples. The Outer Sect's Miscellaneous Affairs Department, at least, was practically overflowing with them.

Therefore, after figuring Feng Mingyou out, his interest in befriending him faded considerably. If it weren't for the fact that he was also a member of the Alliance, which offered another potential path for advancement, he wouldn't have bothered making friends with him at all.

Nangong Cheng didn't interject. He had noticed back when he first joined the team in the forest that, aside from himself, everyone else seemed to be a disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect. Because of Zhang Wu, this didn't surprise him; in fact, he had expected it.

Within the Celestial Spirit Sect's sphere of influence, it was normal for disciples from major Noble Families to belong to the Sect. Only then could they possibly be considered a top-tier Noble Family.

Once the other two finished their conversation, he finally spoke up. "So, should we start searching now, or wait for the others to arrive before we make a move?"

Tong Hou replied, "Let's find the location first. Then, when the others get here, we can explore it together."

Hearing this, the others nodded. They all released their Perception and began to search the area.

"ROAR..."

"Uncle Fu...!"

The group had just begun to move when their expressions shifted. An inhuman roar and a boy's shrill, mournful cry rang out from not far away.

The three searchers paused, exchanged a glance, and quickly headed in the direction of the sounds.

The trio passed through a dense forest and arrived at the foot of a rather distant mountain peak. As they moved past the foot of the mountain, all three of them stopped short.

In that instant, they clearly felt themselves pass through an extremely large Concealing Array. Its effect wasn't strong, but its range must have been immense.

After passing through the Concealing Array, the three of them were stunned. The unremarkable mountain peak that had been before them instantly transformed into a desolate, abandoned settlement.

Stylistically, it was different from the peaks of the Celestial Spirit Sect's Inner Sect. It had less of an ethereal, otherworldly Immortal Qi and more of the mundane, down-to-earth feeling of the Outer Sect.

Looking from a distance, the entire mountain was covered in numerous clusters of buildings. Their style was also somewhat strange, mostly constructed from a type of red rock.

The rock gave off a faint, scorching sensation, as if it naturally radiated a certain amount of heat.

"Were these built with Fire-Warming Stone from the Fire Separation Secret Realm?" Feng Mingyou asked with a frown as he looked at the vast swathes of red buildings.

Tong Hou walked a few steps forward to the ruins of an ordinary building at the foot of the mountain. After examining it carefully for a moment, he said, "Mm, it does look similar. And the style of these buildings... why does it feel so familiar?"

Feng Mingyou replied, "Aren't many of the buildings inside the Fire Separation Secret Realm in this style? I've heard from many of my seniors that this is apparently the architectural style left behind in the Secret Realm."

Hearing this, Tong Hou had a moment of realization. "Right, that's the style."

At his words, they both paused. Feng Mingyou said, "Does this mean this was an external bridgehead for the Five Elements Blessed Land back in the day?"

Nangong Cheng surveyed their surroundings and said, "Or perhaps it was the outer residence of one of the major Noble Families within it."

The other two were taken aback. Looking at the lingering worldly feel of the architecture amidst the desolation, they nodded. That guess was perhaps more reasonable.

"So the people here, just like in those Secret Realms the Sect has found, all vanished mysteriously at some point in time?" Tong Hou asked, looking at their surroundings.

Feng Mingyou nodded. "It looks that way. Although a long time must have passed, you can still see traces of a sudden disappearance in some places."

"ROAR..."

Just then, that inhuman roar sounded again, accompanied by the sounds of a fight.

The three paused and looked toward another part of the mountain's base. From a distance, they could feel a slight fluctuation of aura. Without a word, they moved quickly in the direction of the disturbance.

The distance wasn't great, so when the trio arrived at the source of the commotion and cautiously looked at the scene, they were once again stunned.