Translator: CinderTL
"It's been almost three days. I wonder how they're doing in there."
"If they don't come out soon, we'll have to wait another three-day cycle."
"The tracking shows they're all still inside the ruins, and their life force fluctuations are normal. There shouldn't be any major problems."
"Let's hope they discover some new technologies and resources."
High in the azure sky, on the floating orbit of Radiant Light Inner City, elite warriors from the Military and Red Guard gazed at the majestic Inverted Pyramid rising above the swirling sea of clouds. Their eyes held a mixture of concern and anticipation.
Exploring the ruins was always fraught with danger, but it also offered unparalleled opportunities. Their greatest hope and confidence lay in the two legendary figures leading the expedition.
"Speaking of which, where's Speaker Li?" a high-ranking Red Guard commander asked from within the steel battleship at the center of the floating orbit.
"The old man's getting frail. He hasn't slept in two nights and couldn't keep going," a gray-haired senior military officer replied with a smile, gesturing to the massive light screen hovering before him.
Eight blue dots moved slowly across the ark on the screen, as sluggish as snails.
The explorers' snail-like pace seemed incongruous with their demonstrated power, yet no one found it strange.
Civilization ruins possessed numerous anomalies, and spatial compression technology remained a formidable challenge the Red Nation's leadership desperately sought to overcome.
This very anomaly only reinforced the conviction that this ruin was extraordinary.
Beep! Beep!
Just then, the warship's advanced monitoring system detected a new signal.
The sluggishly moving light points suddenly accelerated, as if breaking free from some spatial constraint.
They were rapidly approaching the exit tunnel at the Inverted Pyramid's apex, seemingly on the verge of escape.
The observers' eyes lit up with anticipation.
The steel battleship issued commands, and standby teams on the floating orbit prepared to receive the returning explorers.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures materialized swiftly, as if crossing space itself.
Near the exit tunnel at the Inverted Pyramid's apex, the stone-like steps quickly filled with silhouettes.
Fully armed explorers emerged one by one, all in their half-human combat forms, weapons in hand, scanning their surroundings warily.
"Lao Guo, it's you!"
"Phew, looks like we all made it out."
Most of the Military and Red Guard explorers breathed a sigh of relief. The thick keratin armor on their bodies partially receded, their armor transformed, revealing their original human forms.
A few bore visible wounds, their faces etched with relief.
After explanations, the group learned they had been teleported to a perilous spatial layer, awakening numerous non-human creatures and plunging them into a fierce battle.
Though they had managed to secure several vials of bio-essence and special potions from a laboratory by sheer luck, the ordeal left them shaken.
Whoosh!
Another white arc of light materialized into a teleportation beam, and a figure rapidly materialized within it.
Silver wings, like celestial armor, firmly shielded her.
Perhaps sensing the surrounding situation, Nangong Ling lowered her guard and glanced around.
"Flying General Nangong!"
"Commander!"
Respective salutes rang out almost simultaneously, and Nangong Ling nodded slightly.
"Is everyone alright?"
"We're fine, just minor injuries," the group replied.
Nangong Ling's brow furrowed slightly. "Where's Councilor Chen?"
Realizing her concern, the others finally snapped to attention.
The strongest among them, Councilor Chen, hadn't emerged?
"Could something have happened to him?" someone couldn't help but worry aloud.
Just then, a white arc of light flashed, forming a teleportation portal.
Buzz!
The pillar of light dissipated, revealing a figure.
Chen Feng stood on the steps, clad in a long black robe, completely unharmed.
His deep gaze met theirs for a moment, and inexplicably, everyone felt a tremor in their hearts.
Nangong Ling felt it most intensely.
The Silver-Masked Ancient Eagle's detection abilities allowed her to sense that he had grown even stronger.
"How did it go?" she asked subtly.
Chen Feng retrieved several vials of Primordial Creature Blood Essence from his backpack.
"Not bad," he replied simply.
Nangong Ling gave him a long, thoughtful look.
Mindful of the occasion, she refrained from pressing further and turned her gaze toward the exit.
Aircraft were rapidly approaching. Now that the pyramid's magnetic field had dissipated, it was the perfect time to leave.
"Let's go, then," she ordered.
The group nodded and began to depart.
Chen Feng followed suit, his steps steady and unhurried.
Finally, a change of scenery, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind—a signal from Star Spirit, the advanced intelligence.
No one else could hear it; only Chen Feng could.
His gaze flickered to the black wristband concealed in his pocket, where Star Spirit resided.
The reason he had agreed to take her with him was simple.
First, a panel appeared before his eyes, and he glanced at one of the entries:
Divine Awakening Method: Cosmic Flame - Sun Realm (17% → 57%)+
Golden Dawn Art: Golden Body (62% → 81%) +
Heavenly Aura Overlord Body: Giant Dome—Minor Completion (2% → 13%) +
The progress of the awakening method surged to nearly half completion, and the other two Strengthening Techniques also benefited, passively advancing a significant portion.
This rapid advancement was due to the ark containing remnants of Primordial Creature Blood Essence and special resources similar to Advanced Life Elixirs, all of which the ark intelligence gifted to Chen Feng, transforming them into the finest nourishment.
As for the second reason...
Whoosh!
The aircraft hovering above smoothly picked them up, swiftly departing from the Inverted Pyramid and heading straight for the floating orbit.
Chen Feng turned back to gaze at the colossal structure looming amidst the sea of clouds—the world ark. The Star Spirit's voice echoed in his mind once more.
"The world ark is our civilization's Fire Seed and fortress, possessing many powerful functions. Unfortunately, during its departure from our world, it was invaded by the Black Tide, damaging many of its systems."
"I will use the technology within my current database to trade with your leaders, acquiring the ruins of creations from other Secret Realms to repair the ark."
"But beyond that..."
The phantom of a petite girl in blue robes materialized in Chen Feng's mind. The Star Spirit spoke earnestly, "I must also return to my former world to find other arks and completely restore my database."
"The Evil God has already found your world and left anchor points. We don't have much time left."
The crisp voice echoed in Chen Feng's mind, filled with worry and hatred—hatred for the Black Tide and sorrow for the annihilation of civilizations.
Standing in the aircraft's cabin, Chen Feng's gaze reflected the sea of clouds, appearing profoundly deep.
This was the true reason he had decided to take the Star Spirit with him.
Over the past two days, he had learned much more from the Star Spirit.
The Black Tide never stops. Once it establishes enough anchor points in another world, it launches its invasion and destruction.
And now, that moment was fast approaching.
Earth's current strength was clearly insufficient, making the Fire Seed left behind by the annihilated Ancient Taiduo Civilization a crucial living force.
If the intelligent Star Spirit could fully repair its database, Earth could gain access to far more advanced technologies, increasing its chances of survival.
"Your civilization was so powerful, yet why was it ultimately destroyed?"
Chen Feng finally voiced the question he had been harboring. The Star Spirit received his electromagnetic thoughts.
A moment of silence hung in the air before the Star Spirit sighed.
"Our civilization once feared neither the Black Tide nor the Evil Gods."
"But alas, the rebellion cost us dearly."
After speaking, the Star Spirit fell silent, offering no further explanation.
Chen Feng's heart stirred at these words, recalling the historical visions he had witnessed during his Dream Incursion.
The eleventh legion had defected to the Evil God, launching an attack on the fourth legion's main fleet, where the Primal King was stationed.
While the Ancient Taiduo Civilization was undeniably powerful, a large-scale internal conflict would inevitably weaken its strength.
This bore a striking resemblance to the Evil God Cult's activities on Earth.
Shaking his head, Chen Feng averted his gaze.
The aircraft soon reached the floating orbit. The hatch opened, and magnetic beams scanned the interior.
No energy pollution or radiation detected.
Life signs stable.
...
After the safety checks, the group finally left the reception area and entered a suspended steel structure.
Inside was a circular conference table and an open space for transferring supplies.
High-ranking officers from the Military and Red Guard were already waiting, their faces alight with anticipation as they looked at the group.
"Sixth-tier super-ancient creature Essence Blood, the research methods for the Life Elixir, blueprints for exoskeletal battle armor..."
One by one, the treasures were handed over, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
Nangong Ling's haul was particularly impressive, as she had obtained the technical blueprints for a small floating escort frigate.
In contrast, the few vials of Primordial Creature Blood Essence Chen Feng produced seemed lackluster by comparison.
"Looks like I won this exploration," Nangong Ling said, standing in the supply inventory area, her backpack removed and arms crossed.
Her expression appeared calm, even slightly cold, but Chen Feng detected a hint of pride in her tone.
"Perhaps," he replied, offering no argument.
Chen Feng kept one hand casually in his pocket, where the black wristband was shielded from the Military's detection by technology provided by the Star Spirit.
Unaware of the details, Nangong Ling raised an eyebrow at his composed demeanor, about to say more when—
嗡!!
The Inverted Pyramid, a kilometer away, suddenly shuddered!
The massive Ark of Creation lit up with blue arcs of energy. An electromagnetic vortex rapidly expanded, tearing through the cloud layer and unleashing a colossal storm.
The surrounding floating orbit trembled, and everyone aboard the steel battleships and within the structures felt the ground shake, their gazes drawn to the spectacle.
"The electromagnetic storm is starting again?" Nangong Ling frowned as she stepped out of the steel building, her eyes fixed on the approaching blue tempest.
Occurring every three days, the pattern suggested it was due to begin around this time.
嗡!!
Immediately, a honeycomb-like light shield, resembling a Barrier, rose from the Warships, enveloping the entire floating orbit and barely containing the electromagnetic storm's aftershocks.
Flickering blue arcs of energy scattered like particles, and soon, someone noticed something amiss.
"Something's wrong," a voice announced, the expert monitoring the data looking grave, drawing everyone's attention.
The joy of tallying their salvaged resources vanished instantly as all the Military and Red Guard commanders turned their gazes toward the light screen.
The energy fluctuations on the screen were spiking rapidly, the electromagnetic readings from the Inverted Pyramid surging past the previously observed critical threshold in mere moments.
Faces paled, including Chairman Li Yun, who had been resting aboard the Warship. He was hastily awakened and looked up with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
The electromagnetic blue light surrounding the Inverted Pyramid was converging rapidly, pooling at its apex.
A foot, limbs, torso, long tail...
A massive, illusory projection materialized, clad in a flowing blue robe. Standing hundreds of meters tall, it loomed over the crowd on the floating orbit.
"I am the great ark intelligence," the projection declared calmly, its voice radiating cold authority. "You may call me Lord Star Spirit."
The invisible sonic waves stirred the air into turbulent gusts, causing pupils to contract. Even Nangong Ling frowned deeply, her expression wary.
Figures scrambled into battle positions, fully armed and ready for combat.
Yet, amidst the chaos, only Chen Feng, his hand resting on the black wristband in his pocket, noticed a flicker in his eyes.
(End of the Chapter)
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