pjbooks Chapter 170 Ancient Gate No. 0: A Traitor Among Humans
Chapter 170 Ancient Gate No. 0: A Traitor Among Humans
The old capital of Zhongzhou.
Three thousand meters underground.
A jet-black ring is embedded in the center of the ancient stone gate.
Click.
A very soft sound.
It was as if something that had been dormant for seventy-six years had been turned upside down again.
The gray-robed man knelt before the stone gate.
Forehead touching the ground.
"Welcome, Sect Leader."
There was no immediate response from behind the stone gate.
Only that wisp of black flame slowly drifted along the crack in the door.
It has no temperature.
Wherever it passed, the dust that had accumulated on the stone gate for many years disappeared silently, revealing ancient door patterns that had long been worn smooth by the years.
The first course.
The second one.
The third way.
The door patterns are continuously revived.
Like eyes buried in stone, they are reopening in the darkness.
The man in the gray robe remained kneeling.
Not moving at all.
Only after the pitch-black flames had completely enveloped the stone door did the voice of the sect leader come from behind it.
"coordinate."
The man in the gray robe raised his head.
"The No. 0 Ancient Gate is located 3,072 meters underground in the old capital of Zhongzhou."
"The outermost layer consists of nine layers of star-iron seals."
"Above is the site of the old town gatehouse."
"Seventy-six years ago, the human race erased this place from the current map of the main government under the pretext of 'permanently sealing off the gate'."
"There are currently twenty-three people responsible for maintaining this place."
"Eighteen of them have already returned home."
"The remaining five people will be dealt with within three days."
His voice was calm.
Unlike a fanatical believer.
It's more like reporting on a plan that has been in preparation for many years.
There was a moment of silence behind the door.
"Why wait until today?"
The man in the gray robe lowered his head.
"The Zero Gate has no anchor."
"Forcing it open will only alert the Central State General Government."
"I originally intended to use the second anchor of Longyuan to cover up the surge of the sect during the first revival of the Zero Ancient Gate."
"but……"
He paused.
"The bronze goalkeeper was defeated too quickly."
The wisp of black flame behind the door flickered gently.
The air in the entire underground space instantly froze.
The gray-robed man's shoulders slumped slightly.
The bones emitted a faint cracking sound as if they were about to break under the strain.
But he did not defend himself.
"Your subordinate miscalculated."
"Please punish me, Sect Master."
The sect leader's voice was devoid of emotion.
"The defeat of the bronze goalkeeper was not your fault."
"The one who devours the gates has already become a star field."
The gray-robed man's eyes changed for the first time.
Starfield.
He seemed to know what those two words meant.
"Has he already gone that far?"
"Not the royal domain."
The sect leader said.
"But it's more difficult to deal with than ordinary royal domains."
The pitch-black flames behind the stone gate slowly coalesced.
It eventually transformed into a black door charm the size of a fingernail, squeezing out from the crack in the door.
The door charm fell.
It did not drift towards the gray-robed man.
Instead, it hovered in front of the No. 0 Ancient Gate.
"This gate has been locked by the human race."
"My true form is still far removed from reality."
"A single ancient gate cannot bear the weight of someone's presence."
The man in the gray robe looked up.
"What does the sect leader need?"
"Anchor in the human world".
"A live anchor?"
"Twelve."
The gray-robed man's pupils contracted slightly.
The live anchor is not just twelve lives.
It must be twelve people who possess stargate sensing and are deeply bound to the real-world stargate system.
One's cultivation level cannot be too low.
Their identity cannot be too ordinary.
Otherwise, the anchor point would not be able to penetrate the Star Law Surveillance system covering the entire hinterland of the Central State General Government.
more importantly.
Once the twelve anchors are in place, the No. 0 Ancient Gate will no longer be just a sleeping old gate.
It will become a gatehouse embedded within human territory.
Twelve door rings.
One subject is the main focus.
The sect leader's true form can bypass the Dragon Abyss Main Star Gate and descend directly from within the human realm.
The man in the gray robe remained silent for several breaths.
"Currently, there are fewer than twelve people in the old capital of Zhongzhou who meet the criteria."
The sect leader said:
"The General Headquarters has it."
"The gatekeeper has it."
"Even aristocratic families have them."
The man in the gray robe understood.
The sect leader did not order him to find twelve live anchors in the old capital.
Instead, he was asked to bring twelve people from across the entire human realm.
This is more difficult than simply killing someone.
It is also easier to expose.
The man in the gray robe did not back down.
He lowered his head and said:
"Your subordinate will make the preparations."
"in addition."
The sound from behind the door grew deeper.
"Those who are pure in their ways, shall also come."
The gray-robed man's eyes flickered slightly.
"Lin Xiaoya?"
"She is the lock."
"The lock can close the door."
"It can also fill in the door in the right place."
The man in the gray robe did not ask any further questions.
All he needs to know is the target.
"Where is the Gate Swallower?"
This time, there was a long silence behind the door.
From deep within the crack of the door, the faint sound of countless black doors vibrating could be heard.
"He'll do it himself."
Why?
"Because he has already memorized my path."
The sect leader's voice was icy.
"He wants to see me."
"I am also waiting for him."
The pitch-black door symbol suddenly moved forward.
It landed on the circular ring in the center of the stone gate.
hum-
The entire No. 0 ancient door trembled slightly.
The gap in the door did not widen.
Instead, it closed up again.
All the revived door patterns have dimmed again.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
However, at the very center of the jet-black ring, there was an extra tiny black dot.
That was the first human anchor seed.
The man in the gray robe stood up.
The wide sleeves hung down.
A faded silver star pattern was visible on the inside of her wrist.
If any high-ranking officials from the General Headquarters were here, they would certainly recognize it.
That was the identity mark of the previous generation of gatekeepers.
Moreover, its level is extremely high.
He's not your average goalkeeper.
The man in the gray robe turned around.
Above the stone steps, a dozen or so figures appeared in the darkness at some unknown time.
Some people were wearing the uniform of the town gatekeeper.
Some people were wearing the robes of a family with a long history.
There were even two people with the Central State General Administration's field mission tokens hanging around their necks.
They bowed their heads quietly.
No one spoke.
The man in the gray robe looked at the crowd.
"The sect leader has already lowered the first anchor seed."
"Prepare the first live anchor within three days."
An elderly gatekeeper asked in a low voice:
"Who should we choose?"
The man in the gray robe looked up.
Through three thousand meters of rock layers and nine layers of star iron, he seemed to see the towering white building that reached into the clouds in the sky above the old capital of Zhongzhou.
Zhongzhou Xingmen General Hospital.
"Let's start with the main hospital."
……
Longyuan City.
Starry Courtyard.
Lin Xiaoya stood in the courtyard.
The white lock-like markings on his forehead flickered on and off.
The moment she said "there's someone at the door," the black line from the ground quickly faded.
It was as if someone had noticed her spying and deliberately hidden the traces.
Lin Xiaoya closed her eyes.
I'm trying hard to see more clearly.
But in the white dream, only a thick darkness remained.
Beneath the darkness, it seemed as if a door was buried.
There were many people standing outside the door.
One of the figures struck her as odd.
That person was clearly standing outside the door.
He was covered in the smell of the door.
Lin Xiaoya's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
The lock lines on my forehead are starting to become unstable.
Lin Yuan raised his hand and gently pressed it between her eyebrows.
That's enough.
The white lock pattern quickly faded into silence.
Lin Xiaoya opened her eyes, her breathing a little rapid.
"Brother, I almost saw him."
"He's found you."
Lin Xiaoya's face turned pale.
"Will they come looking for me?"
"Won't."
Lin Yuan withdrew his hand.
The Extreme Star Domain operates silently within his body.
Just now, when Lin Xiaoya sensed the ancient underground gate, he also glanced at the black line.
The other side cut it off very quickly.
Moreover, it wasn't using purely behind-the-scenes access.
It incorporates methods of concealing human celestial laws.
This proves that Lin Xiaoya's judgment was correct.
On the reality side, there are indeed people helping the sect leader.
Moreover, that person was very familiar with the human stargate system.
They might even have come from the General Administration or the Gatekeeper's Office.
Lin Xiaoya asked in a low voice:
"Brother, why is that person helping the sect leader?"
Lin Yuandao:
"have no idea."
"Didn't he know the sect leader would kill people?"
"Know."
"Then why help them?"
Lin Yuan glanced at her.
"Some people think that once the door is opened, they will be standing inside the door."
"But they're not from inside the gate."
"Um."
"So in the end, they'll be eaten too."
Lin Xiaoya remained silent for a while.
I think this kind of person is stupid.
But she also vaguely understood that what was truly terrifying was not that the other person was stupid.
Rather, these people hold a door buried within humanity.
"Brother, are we going to find that door?"
"want."
"I'll go too."
Lin Yuan did not answer immediately.
Although the Locking Gate Seal within Lin Xiaoya's body had become more solidified after the main sect's great battle, her body had not yet fully recovered.
This time it's not the Dragon Abyss Main Star Gate.
Instead, it is an ancient door hidden deep within human territory, which has been controlled by internal traitors.
The enemy doesn't just come from behind the door.
They also come from the human world.
Lin Xiaoya noticed Lin Yuan's hesitation and said seriously:
"I can recognize the real door."
"They will have a holiday."
"Like those three anchors last time."
"Um."
"And the sect leader wants me to go there."
Lin Yuan's eyes flickered slightly.
Lin Xiaoya continued:
"If I don't go, they'll find a way to arrest me."
"I'd rather stay with you."
She spoke very seriously.
I didn't try to be brave.
He didn't use phrases like "I'm not afraid" to prove himself.
She simply stated her reasons clearly.
Lin Yuan looked at her for a moment.
"Recover first."
Lin Xiaoya's eyes brightened a little.
This statement is not a rejection.
"it is good."
……
Outside the courtyard.
Zhou Xuanheng and Zhenxing Hou arrived at the same time.
This time, they all stopped outside the courtyard gate.
There was no unauthorized entry.
When Lin Yuan opened the courtyard gate, Zhou Xuanheng was holding a black file in his hand.
There were only four words on the cover of the file.
Ancient Gate Zero.
Zhou Xuanheng made no small talk.
"Among the thirteen ancient gate ruins, the Zero Gate has the greatest anomaly."
"It is located underground in the old capital of Zhongzhou."
"Sealed for seventy-six years."
"Theoretically, there is no possibility of reopening it."
Lin Yuandao:
"Someone is driving it."
Zhou Xuanheng's expression darkened.
Although they had already received a preliminary assessment from Gu Changye, hearing Lin Yuan confirm it was a completely different matter.
"Are you sure?"
Lin Xiaoya peeked her head out from behind Lin Yuan.
"The door is underground."
There are still people outside.
Zhou Xuanheng looked at her.
His gaze lingered for only a moment before he looked away.
No further exploration.
They also stopped trying to observe the lock mark.
"Can you confirm the location?"
Lin Xiaoya shook her head.
"It's very far."
"He hid the road."
Lin Yuan took the file.
Turn to the first page.
There are very few basic records of the Zero Ancient Gate.
The Three-Zhang Stone Gate.
The time of discovery is unknown.
This is the last time it will be activated in the seventy-six years before the spiritual energy revival.
There were 49 people involved in sealing off the gate that year.
Thirty-seven people died on the spot.
Of the remaining twelve, nine disappeared over the next ten years.
In the end, only three people remained.
The names of those three people were not written in the file.
The relevant page was manually deleted.
Lin Yuan continued flipping through the pages.
Maintenance records.
Once every three years.
The applicant has always been the gatekeeper of the old capital town of Zhongzhou.
However, the column for specific personnel responsible for implementation is completely empty.
Zhou Xuanheng's voice was cold and deep:
"I have already had the General Headquarters investigate."
"There is no maintenance task for Ancient Gate Zero in the existing system of the Gate Guardian."
"This funding has been approved normally all along."
Marquis Zhenxing said:
"Someone is using old privileges to bypass the existing system."
Zhou Xuanheng nodded.
"Moreover, this person has a very high level of authority."
"At least once, he was part of the General Headquarters' core group."
Lin Yuan turned to the last page.
There was an old photograph tucked inside.
The photo has yellowed.
The background is an ancient stone gate before it was cast with star iron.
There were twelve people standing in front of the door.
The faces of eleven of them were covered up with black ink.
Only the young man in the very center could still be seen clearly.
A silver robe.
There is a high-level guardian star pattern on the inside of the wrist.
His expression was calm.
His eyes, however, remained fixed on the stone gate behind him.
Below the photo is a line of faded text.
Survivors of Operation Zero.
Pei Xuanmen was the first head of the Zhenmen Division.
Zhou Xuanheng said:
"Pei Xuan Sect".
"One of the last three survivors of the Zero Gate."
"Seventy years ago, before the Human Star Gate General Office was formally established, he presided over the formation of the Gate Guardian Division."
"Disappeared 36 years ago."
"The General Administration has determined that he died from the Wilderness Star Gate Tide."
Lin Yuan looked at the photo.
"He's not dead."
Zhou Xuanheng's eyes narrowed.
"Did you see him?"
"no."
Lin Yuan closed the file.
"But he's been maintaining the gate."
He disappeared 36 years ago.
The maintenance funding for the No. 0 Ancient Gate has never been interrupted.
Once every three years.
This is not a temporary defection.
It was a plan that had been in preparation for at least decades.
Pei Xuanmen may not have truly stood on the side of humanity from the very first day the Zhenmen Division was established.
Zhou Xuanheng said in a deep voice:
"I will return to Central State immediately."
"The General Headquarters must first control the Zhenmensi and the outer perimeter of the Zero Ancient Gate."
Lin Yuan glanced at him.
"Too late."
Why?
"The door is already awake."
The words fell.
The white lock pattern on Lin Xiaoya's forehead suddenly lit up again.
This time, it wasn't her who sensed it.
Instead, it was that ancient, distant gate that trembled on its own initiative.
thump.
A dull thud echoed through her dream from a great distance.
Lin Xiaoya's face turned slightly pale.
"It's knocking on the door."
Zhou Xuanheng asked:
"How long until it opens?"
Lin Xiaoya closed her eyes.
In a white dream.
The ancient door buried underground remains tightly closed.
But outside the door, there was an extra pitch-black anchor.
Beside the anchor, twelve blurry figures appeared.
Only the first figure is lit up now.
The remaining eleven paths remained dim.
Lin Xiaoya opened her eyes.
"It's short-staffed."
"Many people."
"How many?"
"Twelve."
Zhou Xuanheng's expression changed drastically.
As if he had just thought of something, he immediately took out the Star-Patrolling Token.
"List of all high-ranking field personnel in the headquarters."
"Core List of Zhongzhou Town Gatekeepers"
"List of noble families of the old capital who were granted titles and those who were special star gate responders."
A series of messages were quickly projected.
But just as the list appeared...
One of the names suddenly turned from white to red.
Vice President of Zhongzhou Xingmen General Hospital.
Han Yuechuan.
Status: Out of contact.
Time of being out of contact.
Just half an hour ago.
Zhou Xuanheng's eyes turned completely cold.
The first live anchor.
It has already been selected.
……
The old capital of Zhongzhou.
Xingmen General Hospital.
The vice dean's meditation room.
The door was tightly closed.
The outer array is intact.
There were no signs of a struggle.
Han Yuechuan sat cross-legged on the futon.
Eyes closed tightly.
Breathing is steady.
It looks like he has entered a deep state of cultivation.
It could be in the center of his forehead.
A pitch-black talisman is slowly taking shape.
The door charm lights up once.
A portion of the Star Law authority within him, which is connected to the Central Continent Main Star Gate, will be withdrawn.
A corner of the meditation room.
A figure in a gray robe stood quietly.
Pei Xuanmen watched as the gate charm gradually stabilized.
He gently turned the black ring in his hand.
"The first live anchor."
"It's done."
He raised his head.
On the wall, a stargate map of human territory slowly unfolds.
Twelve names appeared one by one.
Xingmen General Hospital.
Town Gate Guard.
Star Gate General Headquarters.
Four major star gate cities.
Behind each name lies a high-ranking human being who holds authority over the Stargate.
Pei Xuanmen's fingers slowly traced across the list.
Finally, it stopped at the last name.
That name isn't Lin Yuan.
But -
Gu Changye.
Pei Xuanmen smiled softly.
"A madman is best suited to be the last anchor."
"He will definitely come looking for me himself."