Forty millenniums of cul.., p.255
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 255
He felt that an invisible burden had been put on his back. But his footsteps were firmer and faster.
Soon, they reached the end of the pathway, which split off into two directions, one for males and the other for females.
Li Yao, Hong Tong, and the other two guys went into the chamber on the left, while Ding Lingdang and Yan Yangtian went to the right.
In the chamber whose walls were full of holes, everyone took off their clothes. First, they were sanitized. Then, a special strengthening drug was injected into their bodies with high pressure after it was atomized, which would keep their nerves in a super active state for the next three days. The efficiency of their spiritual energy would be a lot higher, too, so that it would be easier for them to bring out their best performance with little to no consequences.
After that, four artificial arms imprinted quite a few marks all over their bodies.
Li Yao lowered his eyes and noticed that his body was covered in colorful tattoos which were flowing like flames. They were so vivid that they seemed to have been carved on his body.
"These are spiritual stamps," Hong Tong explained, "although they are not as effective as the real spiritual tattoos, and they can only last for three to five days, it is quite convenient to use them. Once you have them imprinted to your body, it will immediately take effect. You can also choose different spiritual stamps according to the different conditions of the Occult Orbs.
"For example, Mystic Glacier, where we're going to right now, is quite a cold place. With the help of the spiritual stamps of flame, the circulation of our blood will be faster, and the pores on our body will be locked up in order to maintain the body temperature. When they are fully triggered, you can survive for dozens of minutes on Mystic Glacier even if you are naked, while waiting for aid.
"Don't underestimate these spiritual stamps. This is the work of Xie Ling, the 'Miraculous Marker'. Although it is just a stamp, it is even more powerful than the spiritual tattoos that common spiritual tattoo artists spend days making!"
Chapter 373: Shattering the Void |
Before he'd explained anything, Li Yao had already felt a stream of warmth flowing all over his body, as if he were wearing a piece of clothing made of fire.
Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were indeed extraordinary. It was just a spiritual stamp, and it already had such an amazing effect.
No wonder Ding Lingdang had been hoping that Xie Ling could make a spiritual tattoo for her someday.
Putting on their mustard suits and crystal suits, they walked out of the preparation chamber. Team Blue Bronze was all set. Hong Tong took six Cosmos Rings from one of the staff and gave each of his teammates one.
These Cosmos Rings were all Occult Orbs Fellowship's property. They were much more advanced than Li Yao's.
The space inside the Cosmos Ring was about the size of a train car, which was enough to store abundant Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and ancient magical equipment.
Li Yao opened the plate armor covering his fist and put on the new Cosmos Ring beside his old one.
Hong Tong glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Li Yao, I know you are a smart guy. But since this is the first time you're entering an Occult Orb, there's still something I need to talk to you about: the rules.
"In the Occult Orbs, the most dangerous thing is not the demon clan, nor the ancient traps, but your own greediness.
"Remember, everything we discover and retrieve from the Occult Orbs must be turned in to Occult Orbs Fellowship first, before they are redistributed according to the ratio noted in the contract. No one should keep anything to themselves.
"Star Teams are not the only people who are contributing to the exploration of the Occult Orbs.
"To build up such a big launch base, almost all the resources of the federation have been used up, which are supposed to belong to all the citizens of the federation, including the ordinary people.
"Moreover, so many research-type Cultivators are working day in and day out. The price that they pay is no less than ours. Sometimes, when calculating the trajectories of certain Occult Orbs which are extremely complicated, some of them have even gone crazy, got seriously injured, or even killed. It is not unusual.
"Therefore, all the trophies we get from the Occult Orbs first and foremost belong to the federation. Then, we can get our share according to our contribution. That's the significance of the 'contribution points'.
"Besides, there are too many Core Formation Stage Cultivators and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators here who are adept at reading souls.
"Our crystal suits will record everything we do, too.
"No one will be able to get away with any dirty tricks.
"In Occult Orbs Fellowship, as Orb Patrollers, we are entitled to buy Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and crystal suits at a very low price, and we also have the chance to be enlightened by super experts. These are all benefits for Orb Patrollers and Orb Patrollers alone.
"Only a fool would be beguiled by the treasures in the Occult Orbs and end up in a court with all their reputation lost. That's what we might call missing the forest for the trees, which is idiotic. Don't you agree?"
Li Yao nodded.
"Captain, rest assured. I'm not that kind of person who is blinded by greed. I'm well aware what to do and what not to do."
Hong Tong patted his shoulder and said, "Very good, then. Don't overthink it. This is just routine.
"Before Occult Orbs Fellowship was established, in order to get the secret treasures in the Occult Orbs, Cultivators had been doing whatever they could against their brethren. All kinds of plots were formulated. The world of Cultivators nearly fell apart. It is also one of the reasons why Occult Orbs Fellowship was set up to develop the Occult Orbs in a cooperative way.
"Therefore, before every newcomer's first mission to the Occult Orbs, their captain has to remind them of the importance of collaboration, lest they make mistakes after they reach the destination.
"However, although it is strictly forbidden to take anything away secretly, training with the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the Occult Orbs while one is there is allowed. This is known as 'you can eat but you cannot take'.
"On the other hand, if you encounter an exploration team of the demon clan, their belongings will all be yours after you defeat them. You can take whatever you like!
"If everything's clear, let's head off now!"
The six members of Team Blue Bronze were checked one last time by the staff and scanned thoroughly by two mild mystic rays, before they entered a giant platform where a star shuttle was floating.
On the top of the platform, the glittering words caught Li Yao's attention again.
'For the Destiny of Human Beings. For the Future of the Star Glory Federation!'
"Let's go!"
This was an oval star shuttle that looked like a melon, with bright green streaks on its shell.
When they walked to the underside of the star shuttle, the stomach of the star shuttle glided open without making any noise. They felt that they were suddenly lighter, and before they knew it, they'd already been absorbed into the star shuttle.
The star shuttle did not require a pilot. Its interior was quite simple, too. There was nothing except six seats which seemed to have been made of foam. It was impossible to tell what they were made of.
The moment he sat on one of them, Li Yao felt that he had fallen into some sort of mud. Half of his body together with his crystal suit sank down into the seat.
The 'foam' seemed to be alive. It extended almost a hundred tentacles and fixed him to the seat neither too tightly nor too loosely.
When everyone was in their seat, the star shuttle started trembling. One rune after another started shimmering on the walls of the cabin.
Li Yao was somewhat nervous.
Ding Lingdang was sitting right beside him. She noticed Li Yao's anxiety and extended her hand to him.
Li Yao felt warm in his heart. He stretched his hand, too.
But as it turned out, Ding Lingdang did not mean to hold his hand. Instead, she slapped his thigh heavily and burst into laughter.
"Li Yao, you're not scared, are you? Your crystal suit is shaking! I've never seen the 'Vulture' so panicky before! Now strike a pose and let me take a picture!"
Although he was wearing a crystal suit, Li Yao still grimaced out of pain. He drew back his hand quietly.
"Don't be afraid. Just follow my lead after we're there. Believe in your sister's capability!"
Before Li Yao took his hand back, Ding Lingdang snatched it and pulled it to her leg, in a way that not many people would call gentle.
"Thirty seconds until take-off! Everyone, hold on to your seat!" Hong Tong bellowed.
Through the narrow cabin window, Li Yao noticed that the star shuttle was floating up from the ground. Two Cultivators were dragging it to the rail with spells.
The star shuttle trembled more and more violently. The runes on the walls of the cabin started spinning, and they turned into colorful streaks of brightness.
As the star shuttle went upward along the rail in a spiral, its speed was higher and higher, until it turned into a rapidly-revolving drill in the end.
The intense centrifugal force was tearing Li Yao's body and his soul. Only with the protection of the foam seat was he able to stay where he was instead of crashing into anything.
His heart was beating at an unprecedented speed, but then he heard Captain Hong Tong's shout and his other teammates' laughter.
"If Cultivators are the battle saber of the human civilization, we Orb Patrollers will be the most dazzling brilliance on the tip of the saber! Go! Go! Let's get out of the Heaven's Origin Sector and march into the center of the sea of stars!"
Swoosh!
Wildly-dancing electric arcs were accompanying them outside the cabin window, when the captain's shout and everyone's crazy laughter arrived at their peak.
A shrill sound exploded inside Li Yao's brain. The centrifugal force suddenly vanished. The trembling came to a halt, too.
The scenery outside the cabin window switched from the blue sky, white clouds, yellow desert, and green oasis to an infinite darkness.
Where the darkness was densest, a trivial light spot was flickering feebly.
Then, the light spot grew larger and larger. It jumped, dispersed, and expanded into an ocean of light which was gushing at Li Yao.
The surging sea of stars, which was made up of countless shining galaxies, swallowed the star shuttle instantly!
Li Yao had never seen anything as weird before.
The star shuttle seemed to be flying in a kaleidoscope made of stars, each of which was springing madly like irritated fish. Some stars were extended to a line of brightness. Countless such lines interweaved into a glittering, splendid, complicated painting, which inevitably aroused the desire of the spectator to jump into the sea of stars.
"Captain…"
Li Yao turned back, only to be shocked by what he saw in the cabin.
The space of the cabin was only about five square kilometers, but he felt that it had been somehow 'unfolded'. It was almost as large as a Flying Crystal Race arena in his vision.
In the meantime, although Hong Tong, Ding Lingdang and the rest of teammates were wearing crystal suits which enclosed them tightly, Li Yao was able to see the crystal suits, the components of the crystal suits, and the people inside the crystal suits simultaneously in a weird way that he couldn't understand.
Moreover, his voice had been changed, too. It was extremely odd and in a totally different language.
Li Yao 'saw' that Captain Hong Tong smiled inside his crystal suit and opened his mouth only for a bizarre sound to pour out.
Li Yao did not understand the language at all. Yet, he knew exactly what Captain Tong was trying to say.
"Don't worry. It's completely normal. We've broken through the barrier of the three-dimensional universe and are travelling in a higher dimension.
"In the ancient Cultivation world, there are many records where Cultivators shattered the void and vanished into thin air. The so-called 'shattering the void' was actually breaking the limitations of the three-dimensional universe.
"Which means we are all shattering the void at this moment!"
Li Yao swallowed unconsciously. He was able to 'see' the entire process of his saliva sliding through the throat into his stomach.
He looked far ahead and 'saw' the inner walls and the outer shell of the star shuttle at the same time.
Li Yao mumbled, "Shattering the void? It's incredible!"
Captain Hong Tong continued, "Mystic Glacier is not far away from the Heaven's Origin Sector. We won't stay too long in the higher dimension. Be prepared, everybody! We're almost there!"
He had barely finished his sentence when the star shuttle started trembling again.
This time, it was ten times more violent than when the star shuttle was being launched. The cabin window was enveloped in a layer of purple fire. All kinds of earsplitting noises were crashing into the cabin, making Li Yao start to doubt whether or not the star shuttle was going to break up in the next second.
Suddenly, the trembling completely stopped, as if it had never appeared.
All the strange phenomena that Li Yao had just observed were gone, too. He raised his head and noticed that everyone was covered up by their crystal suits again.
His heart turned tranquil, like a drop of water melting into a pool.
But a strong feeling of nausea grabbed him.
"Dummy!" Hong Tong shouted.
Ba Weiqi rose up from his seat and rushed to Li Yao, before he pressed his fingers against Li Yao's temples.
Other than an expert in mental attack, he was also the doctor in the team.
"This is the side-effect of 'shattering the void'. Everybody experiences it after their first time. In mine, I failed to hold it back and vomited inside the crystal suit. Hahahaha. It did not feel good.
"But it doesn't matter. A few more trips and you'll get used to it in no time!"
Chapter 374: Ancient Battleground |
Li Yao smacked his lips and was quite shocked.
Shattering the void and vanishing into thin air was the ultimate level that ancient Cultivators had longed for.
However, most of the ancient Cultivators, after burning their life to the extremity, failed to shatter the void. Or rather, they were shattered by the void and perished without the slightest trace.
Even when some of them were lucky enough to enter a universe of a higher dimension, they might not have been able to find a way to return to the three-dimensional universe and were sometimes lost between the dimensions. There was no way for them to go back, either. It was even worse than being killed instantly.
But right now, despite the fact that the six of them were merely at the Building Foundation Stage, they were able to shatter the void and cruise through the sea of stars time and time again with the support of their star shuttle.
This went to show how far the modern Cultivation civilization had progressed.
"Our star shuttle has checked the surroundings of Mystic Glacier. Mystic Glacier has a thin atmosphere. The gravity and environment are relatively stable. The current temperature is -72°C. The estimated extreme temperature is -134°C. It is warmer than we expected.
"There is a small portion of oxygen in the air of Mystic Glacier. But other than oxygen, there are all kinds of corrosive gases. Besides, invisible swirls that can corrupt the organs and suppress the functioning of spiritual energy are everywhere on the ground, like tornadoes that we can't see.
"In the ancient Cultivation world, such a phenomenon was known as 'gale from hell'. Rumors have it that they could blow the flesh off the bones, which can be quite frightening. We can't be too careful about it. Activate the internal circulation system, breath the air that has been filtered, and never take off your crystal suit. Are we clear? Good.
"Now, let's get to work!"
At Hong Tong's command, everyone stepped onto the dull and cold land of Mystic Glacier in a line.
This was the first time that Li Yao had ever left the Heaven's Origin Sector. He was curious about everything he saw.
Mystic Glacier was a gray world. Looking at the horizon, there was no obvious distinction between the sky and the earth.
Perhaps due to lack of water, there was not very much ice on the ground. But gray rocks filled the place, making them feel like they were standing in the middle of a forest of mushrooms.
In the crevices of each rock, countless sprouts were growing. At the ends of the sprouts were buds which were fluctuating as if they were about to blossom, emitting alluring violet colors that were brightening and dimming repeatedly.
They were the unique fungi of Mystic Glacier called 'Sole-eyed Giant Mushroom', which were not very aggressive, with certain narcotic abilities. They could be refined into ingredients for food in the case of an emergency because of the huge amount of water contained within.
The gravity of Mystic Glacier was 1.35 times that of the Heaven's Origin Sector. For Cultivators at the Building Foundation Stage, it was not a big deal. Captain Hong Tong was saved the trouble of altering the gravity.
Turning back, Li Yao sensed that an invisible rope of spiritual energy was tied to the back of the star shuttle, which disappeared more than ten meters away and seemed to be extending to a different world.
It was the link connecting the star shuttle to the Heaven's Origin Sector.
If a stone was tied with a rope of infinite length and elasticity, then the stone could be pulled back to its original position at any time, no matter how far away it was thrown.
Of course, it was only a shallow metaphor. Li Yao couldn't understand the real mechanism yet. Such a technique had been discovered in the relics of the Star Ocean Imperium. It was still too advanced for the Cultivators of the Heaven's Origin Sector to fully comprehend.
Maybe only the Cultivators beyond the Nascent Soul Stage would be able to appreciate its mysteries.
