by <unknown>
It was an Ares Extension!
Ares Extensions could provide enhancements to a crystal suit and made it surpass its limits during combat briefly. They could only be used once or twice, so they were installed with all kinds of devastating attack rune arrays and strengthening plugins.
Li Yao had retrieved a 'Dragon Scale Extension' on Boneyard. The power of the Ares Extension had left a deep impression on him. When he arrived in the Flying Star Sector, he had collected a lot of files about such equipment and tried to devise an Ares Extension on his own several times.
But as his research proceeded, he discovered that the cost of crafting an Ares Extension was really too high. All the strengthening plugins had to be made of abundant Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and the most powerful attack rune arrays could only be driven by the purest crystals.
It was safe to say that every Ares Extension was founded on tremendous wealth, and yet it was essentially an expendable.
Only the affluent imperial army of the Star Ocean Imperium could afford such expensive magical equipment.
After Li Yao finished the cost analysis, he immediately gave up the idea of crafting an Ares Extension.
But right now, with the tremendous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures he had acquired, and due to the urgent need to improve his combat ability in only a couple of days, Li Yao finally created an Ares Extension without even thinking about the cost.
Since all the strengthening components were made of materials from the apocalyptic beasts, he had named this particular Ares Extension 'Apocalyptic Extension'!
BOOM!
With the Apocalyptic Extension on his body, Li Yao's terrifyingly oppressive aura was even stronger than before. Air waves spread out crazily when he only slightly exerted his strength. Sand was raging in the desert, but the hundred square meters around him couldn't have been clearer because every tiny dust had been blown away by his dominating aura!
After swallowing massive Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures with the Art of the Swallowing Whale, I have reached the 81st level of the Refinement Stage, which equals to somewhere between the high level and the peak of the Building Foundation Stage.
Together with the Sky Scorpion Armor that has exploited the essence of the apocalyptic beasts and this powerful Apocalyptic Extension, I can fight a Core Formation Stage Cultivator for a while when the situation demands!
"Little Black, let's go!"
Black Wing had greatly enjoyed itself with Li Yao over the last couple of days. Having swallowed quite a lot of cores of apocalyptic beasts, it contained more spiritual energy than ever before.
As Li Yao roared, intense streaks of blackness spurted out of the sword and darted toward the north like a rocket.
After passing through thousands of kilometers in the desolate area west of the territories of the six tribes, he finally entered the so-called 'Dark Continent'.
However, Li Yao did not dive into it immediately. He meandered in the desolate area and searched for the terrain that he needed.
Eventually, he found a valley to his satisfaction. He then crawled into a cave in the depths of the valley.
He sprayed the broken cloths and pieces of daily necessities that he had prepared before into the cave and carved various traces on the wall of the cave with a bone blade.
The Hundred Smelting Clan had a lot of secret arts that could disguise magical equipment into everyday objects. Some of them could be used to camouflage rocks, too.
After delicate decoration, the cave looked as if somebody had lived here long ago.
Maybe very soon, the preparations in the cave would come in handy.
Li Yao checked one last time to make sure there were no loopholes. After that, he went westward and marched into the Dark Continent!
Chapter 604: Eerie Temple |
Different from what Li Yao had imagined, the 'Dark Continent' was not dark at all. On the contrary, the sunlight during the day was even more dazzling.
The sky was exceptionally clear, to the point that it felt unreal, as if one could see the blinking stars through the dome.
Five thousand years ago, this had been the place to endure the first wave of the apocalyptic strike. Almost all traces of civilization had been wiped out.
As far as one's eyes could reach, the bleak land was like from a remote, foreign star, with all kinds of terrain that were beyond anyone's imagination. The earth rose up into the sky and then dropped down underground, leaving craters on the surface.
Such craters were all caused by the giant meteors five thousand years ago. To this day, a lot of meteorite fragments were still left in the bottom of the giant pits thousands of meters deep.
For five thousand years, the smaller craters deep within the massive craters had been brushed and eroded by rainwater. Some nearby rivers had changed their routes, and as a result, many round lakes had formed.
Because of the meteorite pieces at the bottom of the lakes, colorful mist was floating on the water's surface. Looking from the ground, they were like giant vesicles that protruded out.
Occasionally, two craters would draw close to each other, and their ridges combined, making them look as sharp as tusks.
Such a harsh environment was extremely unsuitable for mankind, but it was a haven for demon beasts and demonic plants.
Countless colorful plants had grown out of the lakes at the bottom of the craters, decorating the craters as if they were flowers. Thousands of demon beasts were roaring in the creepy forest. When Li Yao passed by several craters, he even encountered the assault of a large batch of flying demon beasts.
Li Yao even found beings that resembled humans in the forest.
They were all around two meters tall. Their skin was as grey as a rock, with a layer of red moss that could change its shade and shape growing on it.
At first glance, they were identical to the Titan Warriors, except that they were smaller in size.
They were wearing the simplest beast hide and carrying bone blades made from the skeletons of demon beasts. Their way of communication was like both a human language with short syllables and the low and deep bellows of animals.
They seemed to be unaware of the training of spiritual gas at all. Yet, they all boasted enormous physical strength. Bloodthirsty and aggressive, they could rush in the forest and tear apart demon beasts with their bare hands. Then, they ate the raw meat of the prey and drank their blood.
Li Yao hid himself in the darkness and observed the wildlings for a long time. Then he came to a conclusion.
After the first wave of apocalyptic strike five thousand years ago, the ancestors of mankind here were too few to pass on the tinder of human civilization in the harsh environment.
In the Dark Continent, their civilization had retrograded generation after generation, and they ended up becoming primitive wildlings.
Their civilization had disappeared, but the knowledge of the Titan Warriors had been sent to them in ways Li Yao didn't know, which became their only reliance to fight against nature.
Right now, such wildings had lost most of their language ability. They could only communicate with each other through simple yells. Bloody moss similar to those on the Titan Warriors had appeared on their body, too. The shapes and shades of the moss could be altered at will and serve as a tool of communication, too.
Maybe, after another thousand years of seclusion in the Dark Continent, the wildings would lose their last bit of language ability and forget their identity as human beings.
It was possible that they would regard the meteorites standing on the earth everywhere as the 'divine mountains' of their species. They would consider the hearts of the Titan Warriors that they had excavated from the meteorite mountains to be gifts from 'the gods'. They might think themselves to be the chosen ones.
By that time, they would truly have become the next generation of Titan Warriors!
Li Yao secretly sighed and continued his journey to the valley where the Oasis Tribe was located.
In fear that he might run into scouts of the Temple of Immortals, Li Yao did not to fly very high or fast.
Every time before he moved forward, he sent out Neltharion in stealth mode to investigate the route and make sure there were no abnormalities.
When he finally reached the vicinity of the Oasis Tribe, it was noon the next day.
This area was a rarely-seen plateau in the Dark Continent. A few craters that were not very deep were scattered on the ground. The horizon was dotted with oases on which countless fat animals were roaming.
Li Yao found a narrow, long valley between two oval-shaped craters. He observed it through Neltharion and saw vague traces of man-made architecture inside the valley.
However, on the other side of the valley, smoke was rising, and fire was burning through the sky. The sound of combat echoed over from it.
A beam of intense black smoke pierced into the sky like a giant pillar.
Li Yao was somewhat surprised. He hurried to take out a grey camouflage cloth that was similar in appearance to rocks around him before he crawled on the ground with Black Wing and took a turn from one of the craters.
In the meantime, he let Neltharion draw close to the battlefield in its stealth mode.
As he came closer to the valley, Li Yao could see clearly that a weirdly-shaped, magnificent temple in a primitive, wild, and ungodly style was leaning against the cliff on the left side.
The temple was surrounded by dozens of shabby stone buildings and a few messy tents. One look was enough to determine that they belonged to a town of an underdeveloped tribe.
This should be the so-called Oasis Tribe.
In the town, many men wore bone armor but with their upper bodies naked. Their hair was muddled, and their lips were extremely thick. Their faces all looked rough. There were bone rings on their lips, ears, and noses. Hideous green tattoos were painted on their faces and bodies.
Judging from their houses, clothing, and behavior, their civilization level was much lower than the six tribes of Iron Plateau, but it was higher than that of the other wildings Li Yao had seen in the Dark Continent.
They were probably the residents of the Oasis Tribe.
Other than them, Li Yao saw a bunch of other guys in delicate armor driving True Qi tanks with the flags of the Burning Sun Tribe, the Feathered Snakes Tribe, and the Giant Axe Tribe behind them.
They were probably the first echelon of explorers in the Oasis Plan.
At this moment, both the qi-trainers of the six tribes of Iron Plateau and the barbaric warriors of the Oasis Tribe were yelling and shouting and marching toward the other side of the valley.
"The bandits from space are trying to destroy our town, butcher our families, and take our land!"
"Fight them! Let's fight them!"
"The six tribes of Iron Plateau will defend our home together with the Oasis Tribe!"
Li Yao realized that it was not good. He tried his best to look afar, only to discover that a crystal warship seemed to have been seriously damaged on the other side of the valley. Dense black smoke was popping up from the foot of the mountain.
A lot of Cultivators in crystal suits, in the meantime, were fighting a heated battle with the Iron Plateau natives.
With the assistance of crystal suits, the Cultivators were stronger than the Iron Plateau warriors. However, there was only about a hundred of them; they were terribly outnumbered by the opponents. They couldn't breach the defensive line of the Iron Plateau warriors, either.
What's happening? They're fighting already?
Li Yao was anxious. He manipulated Neltharion to move closer, only to find a flag flapping in the wind in the middle of the Cultivators and a very familiar battle emblem that was glittering in the scorching sun on the damaged crystal warship.
It was—
The Great Horn Exo Society's battle emblem!
Li Yao was dumbfounded. Ten thousand questions popped up in his mind.
Why did the Great Horn Exo Society appear in Iron Plateau? How did they find this place?
Do they have nothing better to do than to provoke the Iron Plateau natives? They are fighting so hard, like they are determined to break into the Oasis Tribe's town by passing through the Iron Plateau natives' defensive line no matter what!
Li Yao's first thought was to show up and stop the conflict immediately.
But right now, the two parties were already engaged in a head-on battle. Would they listen to him calmly and rationally?
Besides, Li Yao had a deeper and deeper feeling that there was more to the story and a great plot was behind the appearance of the Great Horn Exo Society.
The Great Horn Exo Society was almost demolished a few months ago in the periphery of the Iron Plateau Space Zone. Even if it has recruited new members after that, how earth did they come into conflict with the Iron Plateau natives without a good reason?
Why did they come here and attack the Oasis Tribe's tribe?
Is there a secret buried in the town?
Li Yao was interested by the idea. He immediately drove Neltharion to take a turn and snuck into the Oasis Tribe's town while most of the qi-trainers and the barbaric warriors were in the frontline.
The Oasis Tribe's town was almost exclusively made of crude stone houses. Li Yao did not notice anything wrong in them.
However, the temple next to the cliff gave him a gloomy, chilling feeling whenever he peeped at it.
The giant stone pillars supporting the temple was carved with evil, bizarre patterns.
In front of the temple were four enormous statues of blue-faced monsters with sharp tusks that looked half human and half demon.
The cult of ghosts and devils was very normal for primitive tribes, but Li Yao still felt it was somewhat weird.
After pondering for a while, he finally discovered that it was because the technology to build the temple far exceeded the development level of the Oasis Tribe.
The vivid statues of monsters were not like something that the residents of the Oasis Tribe could make.
Neltharion snuck into the temple close to the ground.
The temple was empty, paved with giant black stones. In the middle of the temple, an enormous stele covered in a white sheet was standing. The sheet seemed to have remained untouched for a long time; it was already covered in dust.
Li Yao controlled Neltharion to crawl below the white sheet. He was expecting yet another unholy pattern, when he discovered a line of finely-written words.
"Of the billions of techniques and paths of Cultivation, I only ask you this—do you want immortality?"
Li Yao's pupils constricted violently. It was truly the work of the Temple of Immortals!
But after a moment, he realized that something was still not right.
This temple was a bit too eye-catching. The bizarre statues outside and the stele that had the slogan of the Temple of Immortals gave Li Yao the feeling that the owner of the temple was worried that other people would not realize that this place was a bureau of an evil organization.
Chapter 605: The Other Side of the Scheme |
While Li Yao was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a tiny 'crack' sound. A black tile in a corner of the temple suddenly lowered, revealing steps leading to the underground.
Then, a black shadow dashed out and appeared on the ground!
It was a barbaric warrior wearing bone armor, ear rings, and nose rings, with tattoos all over his face.
Yet, the brightness of evilness and wisdom that was glittering in his eyes did not befit an unclever primitive barbarian at all.
Also, he had dashed out extremely fast just now, almost as quick as a phantom. There was no telling how much stronger he was than the real barbarians outside!
The moment the man dashed out, on the black wall, a slender shadow slowly condensed and gradually formed into a man.
The man was wearing qi-trainer armor, with the battle emblem of the Burning Sun Tribe on his chest. However, his behavior was mysterious, and his f
ace was gloomy. The air around him was entirely different from that near the wild, casual Iron Plateau natives.
Li Yao felt that cold sweat on the back of his neck.
The first person had come out too suddenly, and he couldn't have foreseen him coming. But the expert hiding beside the wall had escaped his attention the whole time!
Thankfully, he was merely exploring the temple with Neltharion and kept the magical equipment sliding at the lowest speed and altitude in stealth mode.
If he had snuck into the temple in person, the expert next to the wall would've discovered him immediately!
Judging from the perfectness of his disguises and the first person's agility when he dashed out from the underground, the two of them were very likely above the high level of the Building Foundation Stage and were good at the arts of disguise and assassination.
One of the two was dressing like an Oasis Tribe warrior, while the other was dressing like a qi-trainer of the Burning Sun Tribe. However, they were apparently very familiar with each other. They nodded in greeting and exchanged a thoughtful look.
The man next to the wall said, "Change of plans. The six tribes of Iron Plateau will be delayed for two days. Carry out Plan No.4."
The barbaric warrior from the underground nodded and left the temple. The entrance on the ground was sealed again.
The man next to the wall hopped backwards into darkness, melting into the wall.
Li Yao was even more cautious. He was literally moving Neltharion inch by inch.
Something had to be hidden underground, but the entrance was closed, and an enemy was monitoring the surroundings from the outside. What should he do?
Suddenly, Li Yao thought of something. He drove Neltharion out of the temple from the same way he'd come in.
If there was a secret chamber below ground, ventilation tubes leading to the surface of the earth were always necessary to retrieve fresh air.
Li Yao circled the temple patiently with Neltharion and examined every detail. As he expected, he found an inconspicuous crevice on the left side of the temple near the foot of the cliff.