The Path Toward Heaven

The most powerful agency in the Federation of the Milky Way was neither the Administrative Committee nor the governments of various planets: It was the military.

Internal Affairs had the highest right of authority in the military. According to the regulations of the Federation of the Milky Way and the relevant military rules, the Internal Affairs, as long as they had obtained the written approvals, could investigate anybody, including those members of the Committee.

However, Internal Affairs had been rather prudent over the past few hundred years when it came to exercising their power in certain ways, like with religious affairs.

It had something to do with the praying hall, among other affairs related to them.

It seemed that today was the day that tradition was to be broken.

The successor of the female priest of the Stargate was to be investigated by military headquarters as soon as she arrived on the Main Planet, something the priest clan couldn’t accept.

The confrontation continued outside the building, while the conversation went on inside the building.

Zong Lizi stood very close to Jing Jiu when she said that, face becoming flushed probably for that very reason.

Jing Jiu could even perceive her bodily temperature. It was then that he remembered that the temperature must have come from the heat of the small stove with the boiling teapot on top.

“Quit having such silly ideas; you’ve played that game way too much.”

Jing Jiu knocked on her head lightly and added, “Don’t worry. Somebody will take care of it.”

No sooner had he said this than the water in the iron kettle started boiling.

Zong Lizi grunted twice and took out some tea from a bag and put it in the kettle.

Jing Jiu realized that the lines on the iron kettle were rather familiar, though he was too lazy to figure out how. He took a book and started reading it while propping himself against the chair.

The people of Internal Affairs were on their way to the place and would charge into the building at any moment; but as someone involved in the matter, Jing Jiu seemed to take it in stride.

Looking at him, Hua Xi’s face was full of admiration and curiosity.

Jiang Yuxia looked at his face in a daze. She didn’t expect this insane youth who was in the rain under the gingko tree at the University of Stargate to be a true genius in Cultivation and the Inherited Night State at such a young age, and he was also so handsome…Who was he then?

…

…

The Main Preacher Tai Yang and the officials of the College of Priests couldn’t block the officers of the Internal Affairs.

Based on the regulations, they indeed had no reason to stop them; of course, they hadn’t tried their hardest to do so.

A dozen soldiers of the Internal Affairs in light armors and with the powerful mechanical guns in their hands charged into the building.

This sort of mechanical guns was more suitable for using in the space; they were not as convenient and powerful as the laser guns on the surface of the planet.

They didn’t choose to use the laser guns, indicating they knew something.

The powerful mechanical guns were not used that day; in fact, they were not even raised. It was because someone was waiting for them. The person was a middle-aged and dark-faced general sitting on a sofa. Seeing the soldiers come in, he demanded expressionlessly, “If I don’t comply, will you people shoot me?”

…

…

The soldiers retreated very quickly as if they hadn’t stepped in the building at all. The whole episode was a ruckus.

The middle-aged and dark-faced general lifted his brows slightly when he saw Jing Jiu walk down the stairs; it seemed that he was not used to his face. “Can we go now?” he asked.

Jing Jiu shot the Main Preacher Tai Yang a glance.

The main preacher said in a low voice, “This is General Ran.”

Ran means “rising slowly”.

It was also the family name of Ran Handong.

This family name had more significance in the Federation of the Milky Way; for instance, it was a famous inherited family name over a thousand years and for a truly important figure.

Jing Jiu followed General Ran to the garden and then arrived in the underground by the stone steps hidden among the flower pots.

The underground passage was wide enough to allow a floating train of Shou’er City to pass through. The air was dry and devoid of any foul smell, meaning the venting system worked sufficiently here.

“The underground defense facility on the Main Planet is strong enough to withstand the attack of nuclear bombs of high tonnage; however, the monsters of the Sea of Dark Matter cannot make the nuclear bombs. As such, whom do we defend against then?” General Ran scorned. “Hence, the most formidable foes are not those monsters but humans.”

When the two of them were in the underground passage, nobody else could be found here. General Ran seemed relaxed a lot more now.

“Those guys in Internal Affairs came to express their feelings, telling us that they did it.”

General Ran took out a cigarette and ignited it, and signaled for Jing Jiu to have one.

Jing Jiu shook his head and then held his breath.

Though he couldn’t smell the scent of smoke, he still didn’t like to let the smoke enter his body.

“It was a serious matter that the battleship was attacked. It’s inconvenient for my father to deal with it personally; so I can only delay their investigation for a short while. As for what will happen, it depends on the outcome of the talk with that one.”

Hearing the faint whooshing sound at the deep end of the passage, General Ran sucked hard on the cigarette, which burned out abruptly.

This underground passage was wide enough to contain a floating train…one was arriving.

This floating train had three compartments, with no passenger on it except for several silent crew members.

The right of authority or special rights existed everywhere, but it was more evident on the Main Planet.

The floating train stopped not long after. Jing Jiu and General Ran rode in an elevator to the ground and arrived before a military fortress.

Ran Handong stood outside the gate. She led Jing Jiu into the deep part of the passage. “He is my eldest brother,” she said in a low voice.

Jing Jiu uttered “hmm”.

There was an office at the end of the passage, its floor covered with wool and the sofa wrapped with authentic leather. All the details of the room gave off a sense of being ancient and quaint; in other words, they were lavish and extravagant.

An old man sat behind the desk, with a wrinkled and slightly freckled face. He got up and reached out his hand toward Jing Jiu.

The old man had seemingly ordinary energy, but his true energy couldn’t conceal from Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu knew that the old man had a profound Cultivation state; he was a Cultivation practitioner in the Inherited Night State by the standard of this world. If in Chaotian, he would be an important figure in the Heavenly Arrival State.

He was a significant official in the Federation of the Milky Way; as such, it was no wonder that he was an important figure.

According to the official record, he was one hundred and twenty-four years old. He had merely cultivated more than one hundred years but had already reached the Heavenly Arrival State, indicating that this world had an abundance of fairy energy.

Jing Jiu didn’t like touching the body of other people. He reached out his hand and pulled it back after slightly touching the old man’s.

The old man’s name was Ran Donglou, the father of Ran Handong and General Ran.

He was the vice-chancellor of the Administrative Committee of the Federation of the Milky Way as well as the vice commander-in-chief of the military, though the latter title was mostly in name.

The two of them sat down in the chairs.

Ran Donglou sat in a leisurely manner, but he gave off the air of a leader by nature. His voice was calm and vigorous.

“Can you help the government in any way?”

Upon hearing this, the expression on Ran Handong’s face changed a little.

She had learned of Jing Jiu’s temperament during their trip together, so she was worried that her father’s question might enrage Jing Jiu. She boiled two cups of tea hastily and brought them over.

Seeing this, Ran Donglou felt a bit surprised. He was well aware that his daughter had always looked down her nose at others and seldom served anybody.

The reason Jing Jiu could seize control of the Scorching-Sun Battleship and didn’t have to worry about being discovered by that ghost at the deep end of the data network was that Ran Donglou gave him an adequate right of authority, which is why Jing Jiu spoke audaciously.

“Have you guessed my background?”

Ran Donglou motioned for his daughter to leave, and then replied, “Yes.”

“What do you want me to help with?” asked Jing Jiu.

“There is a mysterious force behind the scenes in the Federation of the Milky Way that has been influencing the course of our history.”

Ran Donglou went on, “There is a saying: ‘As the butterfly flaps its wings, a windstorm might occur on the other side of the ocean.’ I’m worried that that butterfly will randomly flap its wings.”

“You’ve thought too much of it,” said Jing Jiu crudely. “It does not influence; in fact, this world has been ruled by them the entire time.”