by <unknown>
The federal army had sealed off five hundred square kilometers nearby. More than five Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were monitoring the sky and the underground carefully.
In the control center, more than ten research-type Cultivators at the Core Formation Stage, leading almost a hundred Building Foundation Stage experts and hundreds of Refinement Stage ones, were busy operating the facilities.
There were five minutes left before the first launch of the Heaven's Artillery.
On the wall of the giant hollow on the ground that Li Yao had seen once before, hundreds of thousands of runes were shining. A red sun seemed to be rising up.
Although it was a cloudless day, the brightness triggered by the spiritual waves still eclipsed the radiating sunlight.
In the middle of the round pit, deep down in the silo which lead underground, a cluster of redness was accumulating and roaring like the sound of wind and thunder, as if a behemoth made of magma that had been locked for a long time was ready to break out of its cage.
Bolstered by tectonic movements and fluctuations of spiritual energy, the volcano which had been tranquil for half a year was about to burst out in an unprecedentedly shocking way!
Inside the control center, the Cultivators were calculating the angle and trajectory of the eruption, trying to pour more oil onto it.
"Three minutes to go!"
"108 crystal bomb positions have been triggered simultaneously!"
"Earth fire enhancing array, activate!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Feeble quakes came from deep underground. Ripples were appearing inside the glasses of water on the desks.
The faces of every Cultivator, including those of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, were also shivering.
The stratum that blocked the volcano before had been blown to pieces by the crystal bombs. The enhancement array could trigger the enormous energy contained inside the earth fire momentarily.
The launch procedure had been started. Nothing could interrupt it right now. The only thing that they could do was wait.
Modern Cultivators were natural atheists.
They might believe that there were some godly or devilish species which boasted incomparable strength to crumble or create planets.
But they would never believe that there was an unperceivable, unobservable, and unfalsifiable god manipulating everything behind them.
However, in the three minutes that seemed to forever long, many of the firmest atheists started mumbling prayers to nonexistent gods like the ancient Cultivators did forty thousand years ago.
The earth was trembling more and more violently. The redness inside the silo was becoming increasingly bright. Scorching steams were surging up from the cracks on the ground almost a hundred kilometers around, which condensed into wildly-dancing white mist that brought the temperature of the environment up by more than ten degrees.
Heaven's Artillery was a perfect name that explained the structure of the super teleportation array. The star rails formed a helix inside the silo like rifling in a gun barrel.
Five star shuttles, with a hundred meters in between, were parked at the bottom of the silo.
In one of the star shuttles, the Orb Patrollers were singing aloud. Noisy national anthems and military songs echoed in the shabby cabin.
In another shuttle, the Orb Patrollers were telling ribald jokes to each other, trying to ease their anxiety.
In two of the other star shuttles, every Orb Patroller closed their eyes, while they listened to the roaring of the earth fire under their feet quietly.
One minute to go before the launch!
Chapter 402: Heaven's Artillery, Launch! |
"Heaven's Artillery, third-degree preparation!"
Millions of octagonal runes carved on the inner wall of the silo started glittering, floating in the air like glowing jellyfish in the deep sea, and were extending their tentacles forming a giant spiritual net.
The star rails that spiraled upwards like the rifling of a gun barrel were also emitting dazzling brilliance piercing up to the sky!
"Heaven's Artillery, second-degree preparation!"
Thousands of meters underground, the furious earth fire was on an uncontrollable rampage. The redness had been condensed into a half-solid state, ready to jump out of the silo at any moment, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier. There was nothing it could do except savage the thick rock stratum.
The ground was shaking violently. Every pebble on the desert was bouncing.
Inside the silo, the star shuttles which had been fixed on the star rails were also trembling crazily. The Orb Patrollers felt that they were on the back of an infuriated demon beast and their bones were breaking up because of the forceful movements.
"Heaven's Artillery, first-degree preparation!"
The raging earth fire had gone completely mad. The noises in the underground seemed to be suggesting that ten thousand volcanoes were erupting at the same time. Dozens of kilometers away, the soldiers of the federal army could feel the intermittent hot waves despite the block of the crystal tanks, as if a lot of fiery demon beasts were roaming just outside their vehicles.
Although the roaring earth fire had diminished all other sounds, everyone in the control center was still too anxious to utter any sound. The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, as well as every other worker on the spot, were clenching their fists tightly, as they murmured the same thing in their minds.
'Make it!'
'Make it. You must make it!'
"Heaven's Artillery, launch!"
As a Core Formation Stage Cultivator shattered a virtual rune inside the control center, the last barrier sealing the earth fire was wrecked. The earth fire which had been suppressed for a long time soared upwards through the silo in a destructive frenzy.
The millions of runes carved on the inner wall of the silo were shinning more brightly than ever. They transformed the furious earth fire into the purest spiritual energy and transmitted it to the star rails.
Boosted by the tremendous spiritual energy, the five star shuttles started gliding.
In the No. 3 star shuttle, Li Yao found himself falling into the foam seat as if someone had kicked him right in his chest.
He had gone cruising through the sea of stars in star shuttles over ten times. But not once had the acceleration been so immense!
Despite the thick super-alloy shell and the seven barriers to ease the heat and quakes, the roaring of the earth fire was still breaking out right beside their ears.
This was the most primitive and ferocious power hidden in the deepest underground of the Heaven's Origin Sector. There was no way that he could hold it back at all. He had no other choice except to open his mouth as wide as possible and laugh wildly like Captain Hong Tong and his other teammates in order to offset the blast.
"BOOM!"
A pillar of red brightness almost a hundred meters in diameter rose up to the sky from the silo.
All the magical equipment in the one kilometer nearby was seriously jammed. Some of them even lost all functionality.
Snowflake-like streaks appeared on the tens of thousands of light beams inside the control center simultaneously.
Swallowed by the red pillar, the five star shuttles were marching upward inside it at a higher and higher speed, until in the end, they turned into five rapidly-revolving silver threads which interweaved into a giant gyro tearing the clouds apart darting into the heavens.
The five star shuttles were about to break through the atmosphere. At such a distance, even the crystal camera with the highest resolution was not able to capture a clear image. Everyone could only see a giant, white drill inside the red pillar moving upward, upward, and upward!
"Make it! You must make it!"
The atmosphere inside the control center was more intense than ever. The room was like a barrel of gunpowder; a single spark would be enough to make it explode.
"Huala!"
Ten thousand bolts of lightning seemed to
have burst out at the same time. Every light beam was blank for a moment, displaying nothing but dazzling brilliance.
Simulated by the flash, Cultivators whose levels were relatively lower were shedding tears.
When they opened their eyes again, the red pillar and the five star shuttles were all gone.
In the middle of the blue sky, an enormous hole more than a hundred kilometers in diameter had appeared, through which one could see the boundless universe and blinking stars.
The hole was healing at an astonishing speed, and ten seconds later, it completely vanished.
The first expedition to ten thousand lightyears away in the history of the Star Glory Federation had official begun!
…
Almost at the same time, in the Blood Demon Sector, pale lightning was exploding in the gloomy, black-and-purple clouds. The shrieking wind sounded like ghosts crying in the sky.
In the middle of the steep mountains was a round lake about ten kilometers in diameter, which used to be a meteor crater.
Because of the minerals contained in the meteor, and after billions of years of decomposition, the lake was blood red in color, making it the biggest blood pool in history.
Right now, the dirty waves inside the blood pool were surging, raising giant swirls one after another. Several crimson tornadoes were blowing on it, as if some giant demon under the lake was extending all its fingers and snatching at the sky.
The shore of the blood lake was occupied by a circle of very weird demon beasts that were more than ten meters in diameter. At first glance, they seemed to be heads, only countless times larger. They were wreathed in transparent soft bones, but they had no faces, bodies, or limbs.
Some of the 'heads' were carried to and fro by the insects below them that looked like cockroaches.
Some of the 'heads' had organs that could spurt out air. By utilizing the air spurts, they were floating in the sky.
Some of the 'heads' were connected to bizarre birds, eagles, and bats with tentacles and were pulled around by them.
The 'brains' were actually biochemical brains that the demon race experimented on and optimized over forty thousand years of evolution.
After generations of optimization, their bodies, limbs and internal organs had all retrograded. The brain tissues in charge of self-awareness had been damaged on purpose, too. The brain tissues in charge of computation, on the other hand, proliferated.
Their computational ability was as good as that of the crystal processor refined by mankind.
Some of the biochemical brains maintained part of the sense organs. Their capability was even more impressive.
Connecting thousands of biochemical brains together, with the enormous blood pool created by a meteorite, the demon race had created their super teleportation array—'Eye of Blood Demon'!
On a sharp mountain close to Eye of Blood Demon, five mysterious figures were standing, observing the situation below. They were the demon emperors, the real masters of the Blood Demon Sector and the representatives of the Pantheon of Demons!
Including Elder Blood Robe, all the demon emperors were watching the rolling waves and savaging swirls as they grinned hideously.
"Eye of Blood Demon has been activated!"
"All the secrets buried in Boneyard shall be uncovered by us in no time!"
"Pathetic human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector. They don't even know the real name of Boneyard. They call it 'Ultimacy'? They are ignorant enough to tread in the forbidden zone!"
"The moment we dig out all the secrets in Boneyard is the moment we conquer the Heaven's Origin Sector once and for all!"
Accompanied by the terrifying laughter from the demon emperors, the tides inside the blood pool became more frantic than ever. Thousands of small swirls melted into a super swirl several thousand meters in diameter which was still expanding!
In the sky, almost a hundred flying demon beasts were flapping their wings, while they pulled ten giant balls of flesh with lumps, veins, and nerves above the blood pool.
"Release!"
The tentacles were all cut off. The balls which were more than thirty meters in diameter dropped into the blood pool one after another and span inside the swirl.
At this time, the tide on the edge of the swirl had not died down yet. A giant wave dozens of meters high hit one of the balls as well as the ten flying demon beasts carrying it.
The poor flying demon beasts screamed desperately as if they'd been corroded by the most terrible acids in the world, before they fell into the blood pool quickly.
They struggled inside the blood pool but failed to free themselves. Very soon, they were swallowed by the swirl, appearing and disappearing on the surface of the blood pool.
Five seconds later, they turned into piles of bones, which were then torn to pieces and vanished after another five seconds.
The ten balls of flesh were absorbed by the swirl and dragged toward the deepest part of the blood pool while they were spinning rapidly.
Each ball held the nobles and princes of various demon kingdoms, who were silver-blood demons with the purest bloodlines and the most brilliant demon generals in the Blood Demon Sector!
After Building Foundation Stage Cultivators put on crystal suits, common demon generals were no match for them.
Therefore, the silver-blood demons carried a lot of biochemical beasts which could confront crystal suits face-to-face!
They had been promised innumerable rewards by the demon emperors once the exploration of Boneyard succeeded. They were even promised that, after the Heaven's Origin Sector was conquered, they would be entitled to establish their own kingdoms in the human towns!
What's more, they were clearer than the humans about the frightening secrets hidden in the depths of Boneyard which could improve their strength to an unimaginable level.
Therefore, although 'Eye of Blood Demon' was much more dangerous than Heaven's Artillery, the silver-blood demons inside the balls were still shouting and screaming excitedly, releasing their built-up tension and anxiety.
But in one of the balls, Wang Ji, prince of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the youngest disciple of Elder Blood Robe, was gritting his teeth with a tranquil face.
He was fixed tightly to the inner wall of the ball by countless tentacles, as if he were part of the ball.
Eyeing the hysterical silver-blood demons near him calmly, Wang Ji was much more agitated than he appeared to be. However, his previous failures had taught him a good lesson on hiding his feelings. He was biting his lips so hard that he was drinking his own blood. Yet, the hatred inside his heart was not in the least moderated.
'The Heaven's Origin Sector is also sending a large batch of Orb Patrollers to Boneyard.
'Vulture Li Yao… You've been quite active in Occult Orbs Fellowship over the past few months. Your position in the Rank of Stars has been on the rise, too. You are going to Boneyard, too, aren't you?
'Then, let's settle our grudge ten thousand lightyears away from home!'
BOOM!
Before Wang Ji knew it, noises resembling those of a tsunami echoed in his ears. The ball he was in seemed to have been compressed into a marble. His eyes were filled with redness, and then he passed out.
Eye of Blood Demon blinked. A crimson tide soared into the sky almost a kilometer above ground-level from the bottom of the swirl that was thousands of meters deep.
When everything went peaceful again, the ten balls were gone.
Eighty of the best demon generals of the Blood Demon Sector had been teleported to Boneyard ten thousand lightyears away!
Chapter 403: Interstellar |
Li Yao felt like he had fallen into an endless dream. He was a drop of water which had plunged into a boundless ocean. The crystal suit and star shuttle that covered him gradually collapsed. In the end, even his body had entirely disappeared.
The only thing left was his soul. It turned into a brilliant star joining the swirl of galaxies constituted by billions of other stars a
nd dived to the depths of the universe.
He had completely forgotten his past and his destiny. He was fascinated by the raging sea of stars.
When he finally reached the center of the swirl and passed through a long, dark channel, he saw a splendid battlefield unfolding in front of him.
Against the dark background, billions of stars were burning furiously. Streaks of redness and streaks of blueness formed two legions that were engaged in a fierce war.
Every nebula was a soldier. The ferocious clouds of stars were the horses that they were riding, the burning brightness was their gunfire, and the spiral arms were their swords and sabers. Every spark resulting from the clashes was a new star!
The fierce war seemed to have lasted millions of years, or perhaps it had only started a moment ago. The legions of redness and blueness perished together and melted into a cluster of chaotic cosmic dust.
Li Yao's soul was still diving into the cluster of dust deeper and deeper.
After he didn't know how long, he finally realized that he was not diving, but falling.
But his heart was more tranquil than ever. It seemed to have become part of the universe.
"Li Yao!"
Somebody was calling him. The voice seemed to be from the other end of the galaxy, but it did wake up his soul which had been on the brink of being lost.
Like someone who had just died, his soul was split in two halves. Part of his soul was still inside his body, locked in his crystal suit and bound to the foam seat of the star shuttle.
But the other part of his soul had been tossed lightyears away because of the inertia of the momentum before it was pulled back brutally.
Just like a spring which had been extended fully and suddenly let go, his soul bounced back and forth many times until it finally settled again inside his body.
"Phew…"
Not knowing what was going on, Li Yao was dazed for a long time with his eyes half open. In the end, he remembered everything again. He opened his mouth and found his tongue blurred, because there was a large cluster of sour and bitter liquid inside his mouth, and he couldn't tell the difference between his blood and saliva.