by <unknown>
Li Yao only knew that such a 'hauling rope' could work for five days.
In five days, as long as they returned to the star shuttle and activated the rune array, they would be immediately pulled back to the Heaven's Origin Sector.
But if they stayed for more than five days, or they were engaged in battles and their star shuttle was destroyed, they would not be able to go back anymore.
However, Occult Orbs Fellowship had prepared plans for such emergencies. Dozens of research-type Cultivators were monitoring their status, and when they sensed that the star shuttle was destroyed, or the 'hauling rope' was cut off, an empty star shuttle would immediately be sent to Mystic Glacier. Since most of the cost for a launch was to ensure that the passengers inside were safe, the cost of sending an empty shuttle there was negligible.
When they found the empty star shuttle, they would be able to get back to the Heaven's Origin Sector again.
"Let's check our time. From now on, we have four and a half days for collection and exploration. More exactly, we have 108 hours, 35 minutes, and 42 seconds!
"Let's hurry up and make every second count. Yan Zi, check our surroundings; Vulture, look for the star torch and repair it; Lingdang and I will cover up our star shuttle; Shell and Dummy, stay in alert!"
Hong Tong waved his hand, and everybody immediately started working.
They were in luck. Li Yao discovered the star torch on a hill a hundred meters away very soon.
A star torch was a kind of magical equipment that looked like a giant torch carved out of red crystals. The undying flames at one end of it would emit intense spiritual waves while they danced glamorously.
As its name suggested, a star torch was a torch on a star. It was the lighthouse in the sea of stars which guided the way for star shuttles and starships.
This particular star torch was built up by the first Star Team to land on Mystic Glacier more than a hundred years ago, so that the following Star Teams would find it easier to locate the planet.
Every Star Team that came to the planet later had been teleported near the star torch and asked to maintain it before they were to start their mission.
Mystic Glacier had an extremely vast territory, most of which had not been explored yet. Dangers that no one could foresee might be lurking in the darkness.
Without the star torch, they could be teleported to anywhere in Mystic Glacier.
As a refiner, maintaining and strengthening the star torch was naturally his job.
Although he did not understand the mechanism of the star torch yet, his predecessors had left him with a detailed maintenance manual. It was not difficult just doing what was told in the book.
After being buffeted by the harsh winds for thirty years, the shell of the star torch had been weathered. The spiritual energy of the defense rune array was running dry, too.
Li Yao took off three pieces on the shell. Then he pulled out all the components inside and polished them, before he inserted new high-purity crystals into the star torch. In the end, he returned each piece back to its original position. Everything was successfully done.
In the meantime, his other teammates had finished their job, too.
'Dummy' Ba Weiqi and 'Shell' Leng Ziming stayed in alert and scanned the territory around them, while they marked their current location in the map.
However, there was only a very small part in the map that had been illuminated. Most of the map was still covered in fog, waiting to be explored.
Yan Yangtian sent out more than ten beast puppets that were as swift as swallows from her crystal suit, which flew to the sky and scrutinized the environment. Then she came to a conclusion and said, "The environment right now is not much different from thirty years ago. Our map is still usable. Preliminary scouting has detected no traces of enemies. Alert to the third degree should be fine for us.
"However, the tunnel that the Star Team thirty years ago entered through has collapsed because of the furious wind. The geologic structure of this area is extremely weak. Frigorific cyclones might be brewing in the underground. It is quite risky to blow up the entrance of the tunnel by force."
The so-called 'frigorific cyclone' was the unstable, freezing air mass buried deeply below the ground which could be well below -250°C.
Once it was triggered, it would burst out of the ground like a volcanic eruption and turn into cold, gloomy mist that could turn everything within its reach into an ice block.
A frigorific cyclone was as dangerous as a volcanic eruption. Since it could penetrate into any place, it had a much greater effective range than the magma.
Yan Yangtian continued, "Since this place was a mining base of the Star Ocean Imperium, it is not likely that there is just this one tunnel leading to the center of the mother lode. I sensed that the spiritual gas in the southwest direction is relatively dense. I suggest we explore that area.
"According to the blueprint of the mining base, there should be more tunnels in the southwest.
"Even if we fail to find any, we will at least be able to explore more unmarked areas, which will earn us enough contribution points."
"Alright then!"
Hong Tong commanded, "Line up. Stay alert to the third degree. Move southwest in stealth mode!"
In the air of Mystic Glacier, which contained various kinds of corrosive impurities, the exhaust flames from the six crystal suits were in dreary grayness. They jumped forward in the desolate and barren land like six moths.
Each of them bounded forward, dozens of meters at a time. Very soon, they'd reached more than a hundred kilometers away.
They were moving in a zigzag. Along the way, they'd visited a large previously unexplored area, but they didn't find any creature except the Sole-eyed Giant Mushrooms.
It was not until they climbed a hill more than 170 kilometers away from the star shuttle that they finally saw something new.
It was a forest of ice, made by the debris of human beings, magical equipment, and demon beasts.
There were Cultivators in crystal suits with their chainswords and storm bolters raised, shouting despite the bitter cold, even though their helmets were already broken; there were metal puppets that were riddled with holes and on the verge of destruction; flying swords which had been ripped apart and lost their sharpness were scattered all around, as well as many unknown bizarre-shaped demon beasts that Li Yao could never imagine in his worst nightmare.
Everything had turned into translucent sculptures of ice on the splendid and yet silent ancient battleground.
"It's likely that, when the demon clan was attacking the mining base, the battle was so intense that a frigorific cyclone was triggered. As a result, everyone on the spot was instantly frozen by the icy mist that was close to absolute zero."
Yan Yangtian continued analyzing, "If that was the case, there must be an entrance to the mines nearby. Besides, since the frigorific cyclone has burst out once before, the geologic structure in this place is relatively stable, and it will be safer for us to collect the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
"But we should still be very careful. Many kinds of demon beasts could live in hibernation for thousands of years. Despite the frigorific cyclone's destruction, it is possible that some of them are still alive and have not woken up yet.
"Thousands of years have passed. The effects of the frigorific cyclone have mostly disappeared already. The demon beasts which weren't killed will likely wake up again soon."
Almost at exactly the same time when she finished her sentence, a frozen metal puppet on the ancient battleground, whose internal components had been eroded by the billowing wind for thousands of years, suddenly exploded into countless pieces because of the turbulent spiritual waves from the six crystal suits nearby.
Chapter 375: Lonely Flying Sword |
The explosion immediately triggered a chain reaction. Centering at the metal puppet, ripples of destruction spread out, turning the ancient battleground into an ocean of broken diamonds. Cracking noises
were echoing nonstop in the vast, cold expanse.
Even the most powerful magical equipment and creatures would find it difficult to withstand the corrosion of time for thousands of years. Like a castle made of sand on a beach, the splendid ancient battleground soon fell into nothingness when crushed by the surging tide.
Yet, on the edge of the battleground, clusters of weird smells were popping up.
"That is…"
Li Yao set the resolution of the crystal camera to maximum and activated the full potential of the nerves of his retina by stimulating them with his spiritual energy, so that his sight was improved by five times temporarily.
On the edge of the battleground, he saw that several demon beasts which also looked like ice sculptures did not explode into pieces like the other demon beasts did. The only thing that was broken was their ice shell, revealing their black bodies which resembled countless dried octopuses.
They were gradually expanding.
These demon beasts had been in the periphery of the frigorific cyclone's reach. They must've entered the hibernation stage in time, which allowed them to survive the disaster.
The demonic energy from their bodies was burning more and more fiercely like a wild fire.
Soon, the dozens of demon beasts had been enlarged to an unimaginable level, which looked like balloons that had been fully pumped up.
Every demon beast was three to five meters in diameter. They were floating in the midair, each with hundreds of messy tentacles full of thorns dangling to the ground.
Such balloon-shaped demon beasts did not have eyes. Their airbag-like bodies were full of wrinkles and holes. Their tentacles wriggled forward and interweaved into a grey net hundreds of meters in diameter.
"Judging from the appearance of those demon beasts, they should be sort of like the 'Floating Jellyfish' from ancient times.
"Such demon beasts can absorb the air around them, condense it to minimum, and spurt it out through the holes and wrinkles over their bodies. Their bullets of air can be very intimidating.
"Especially here in Mystic Glacier where the air contains corrosive gas. It's a perfect slaughterhouse for them," Yan Yangtian blurted out.
"Don't be nervous, everybody. Those demon beasts are not at very high levels. Middle-level or high-level demon general, tops. Besides, after thousands of years of hibernation, their body tissue must've been significantly undermined. Although they've woken up again, they are far less effective than thousands of years ago."
Hong Tong's words were mostly meant to ease Li Yao.
Although the demonic waves from them were not intense and they were probably still very weak after thousands of years of hibernation, it was hard to tell whether or not they had any hidden moves, considering that they were demon beasts from thousands of years ago after all.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao tried to calm himself down. He moved his right hand inch by inch, until he eventually grabbed the Boiled Blood Wind Slash Saber quietly.
His other teammates dispersed silently according to the tactics that they had practiced countless times during training.
The giant net of tentacles from the dozens of demon beasts drifted in the air like a weird grey cloud, until they sensed the existence of human beings and quickly moved toward them.
They were moving in the same way as Heaven's Roar did. The intense air spurting from the holes on the back of their bodies was boosting them forward at an astonishing speed.
A fierce battle was about to break out.
In the blink of an eye, the closest demon beast was only fifty meters from Li Yao.
Li Yao was able to vividly see every thorn on every tentacle right now. The Boiled Blood Wind Slash Saber was shivering violently inside the sheath, eager to jump out.
Suddenly, a shriek burst out from his left, as a streak of brightness passed by him and pierced into the body of the demon beast!
A flying sword!
The Floating Jellyfish were all filled with air inside their body. Now that a flying sword left a long, narrow cut on it, a high-pitched noise of air being leaked immediately echoed and didn't stop until the demon beast withered again.
The other Floating Jellyfish were apparently greatly shocked. They waved their tentacles and formed a dense line of defense.
Li Yao was dazed, too. The flying sword didn't come from him, but from the northeast corner of the ancient battleground.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The earth was shaking.
Appearing in front of his eyes were dozens of triplet crystal cameras in the shape of triangle, which were emitting brutality and toughness as their owners march forward in the grey fog.
Soon, it was clearer. Dozens of metal puppets walked into his eyesight rigidly yet firmly.
Their arms had been modified into chainswords and sabers, and they had dull and burdensome honeycomb launchers affixed to their shoulders which were ejecting flying swords unstoppably as they marched on.
Many puppets had been greatly undermined by the blowing wind after such a long time. Their ankles or knees exploded as they were walking, making them fall to the ground, unable to stand up again.
But the remaining puppets never bothered to even glance at them. They stepped over their companions' bodies and marched on.
For the fallen puppets, as long as their crystal processors were still working, they would wave their hands and move their bodies forward with their arms, continuing on their charge at the demon beasts.
"They're the metal puppets from the Star Ocean Imperium.
"In extreme conditions, some puppets will also enter the hibernation state. Only when they detect intense demonic waves will they awaken again to destroy the targets," Hong Tong explained.
While they were talking, the army of metal puppets rushed into the grey net of the demon beasts. A bloody battle with no blood being spilt broke out!
At first, the metal puppets sent out massive flying swords from their honeycomb launchers and separated the demon beasts, before they wielded their chainswords and sabers and slashed the demon beasts as well as their tentacles into pieces.
The demon beasts were not easy to deal with. Countless bullets of air erupted out from the wrinkles and holes covering their bodies and blew the limbs of the metal puppets to pieces.
Both parties had been sleeping in the extreme coldness for thousands of years. Their bodies were unbelievably weak because of the weathering of the wind. Often, after several clashes, the two opponents fell into pieces at the same time.
But neither the demon beasts nor the metal puppets knew what fear was. They were simply carried out what they had been told to do.
Ten minutes later, the protracted war that had been delayed for thousands of years ended.
All the demon beasts and metal puppets had become broken pieces. Their limbs and components drew a painting of destruction on the grey land.
The only thing left was a flying sword in the sky, which was spinning in the air, somewhat lost, because it could not find a target. Eventually, it came at Li Yao.
Li Yao swallowed. His right hand held his saber even tighter.
"Don't be anxious. The flying sword should have the identification system installed. We are all human beings. It wouldn't attack us," Hong Tong explained.
The flying sword flew over the heads of each of them. Li Yao saw clearly the dented edge, the thick rust which was work of the acids of the demon beasts, and also the Red Dragon Swallowing the Sun emblem on the body of the sword.
It used to be the pride of human beings, flying in every corner of the sea of stars.
The tip of the sword shivered for a long time, like a hound which was sniffing to find its prey. After recognizing that they were all human beings, the flying sword went westward into the grey fog, until it completely vanished beyond the horizon later.
"Where is it going?" Li Yao asked.
"Although we are not demon beasts, we don't have the identification spiritual tattoo of the soldiers of the Star Ocea
n Imperium, either. It has perhaps considered us to be civilians," Hong Tong replied.
"It is going to find a troop of the imperial army, or a demon beast to attack."
Li Yao was dazed for a moment and further questioned, "What if it can't find either?"
Hong Tong answered, "If it can't, it will continue searching until it runs out of spiritual energy."
Li Yao inevitably pictured the following scene.
A lonely flying sword had been flying on the godforsaken land for no one knew how long, without being able to find any comrade or enemy. It was flying more and more slowly. The rust on its body grew thicker and thicker. Sometimes, it even fell down from the sky. But it did not know what fatigue was, nor would it ever abandon its mission. It would only carry on flying and flying until the last bit of its spiritual energy ran dry.
"Little Black, are you looking for a companion or an enemy like that flying sword?" Li Yao asked Black Wing on his back with a telepathic thought.
Black Wing shivered. Li Yao immediately understood what it meant.
"I've already found a companion."
"Alright. Everybody, keep it up! Battles between ancient demon beasts and metal puppets are not unusual in the Occult Orbs!"
Hong Tong bellowed, "Vulture and Dummy, clean up the battleground, and see if there's any trophies that are worth bringing back. Yan Zi and Lingdang, form a scout team and search the mountain nearby. Since this is a battleground, it is very likely that a tunnel is somewhere around here. Shell and I will be on guard!"
Leng Ziming picked an excellent position where he set up his sniper rifle, monitoring the situation of the battleground.
Li Yao and Ba Weiqi jumped down into the ancient battleground which was now covered in shards of ice.
Most of the ancient flying swords, crystal suits, and metal puppets had turned into powder. Although some of them looked intact, they would break into pieces the moment one laid a hand on them.
Li Yao could only scan their appearances with the mystic rays and save them to his crystal processor, hoping that it could be of some help to the designers of magical equipment in the Heaven's Origin Sector.