Translator: CinderTL
Titan Race Lesser Thousand World.
Yu Jin and Su Fang piloted their warships for an entire day to reach the ruins of the Elder Tower.
Despite the numerous Titan rescue and firefighting teams working to extinguish the flames and repair the damage, the area surrounding the tower remained a desolate wasteland.
Yu Jin's group entered with extreme caution. The Titans observing them lacked the willing submission of the Wood Spirit Clan, and some even harbored outright hostility.
"These Titans..."
Yu Jin and Su Fang exchanged glances, involuntarily becoming extra vigilant. While humans of comparable cultivation were naturally stronger than Fifth-Tier Titans, the Titans' sheer numbers posed a grave threat. Over a thousand Fifth-Tier Titans...
Even the powerhouses on the Cosmic Light List would flee at such a sight.
"Follow the tunnel."
At that moment, they sensed Li Chunjun's Divine Sense transmission.
The two warships swiftly descended toward the ruined tower, entering a tunnel at its base and plunging deep underground.
Thanks to the fact that one of the warships was an escape vessel and the other a private transport, both relatively small, and considering the immense size of the Titan Race, whose members often reached hundreds or even thousands of meters in height, the tunnels they had constructed were exceedingly spacious.
The two warships flew in with ample room to spare.
As the group ventured deeper into the tunnel, they soon arrived at the sprawling underground factory that stretched for thousands of kilometers.
Su Fang and Yu Jin stared in awe at the bustling facility where the bodies of deceased Titan Elders were being refined into Gold Fusion.
"Sword Master... what is this?"
"Gold Fusion?! It's Geothermal Gold Fusion!" Yu Jin and Su Fang exclaimed in unison.
As one of the most promising materials for crafting Seventh-Tier Dao Artifacts, Gold Fusion held a prominent position in the world of Dao Artifact materials.
If Li Chunjun could recognize it, how much more so these two Nine Tribulation True Monarchs who had cultivated for centuries?
Their true astonishment stemmed from the exceptional quality of the Gold Fusion.
In terms of quantity...
This Gold Fusion had nearly reached its maximum potential.
All that remained was a "Qualitative Transformation" to ignite Dao Rhythm and truly evolve into a Seventh-Tier Material.
Of course, many materials lingered on the cusp of such a transformation.
Ultimately, achieving a true "qualitative transformation" remained an elusive goal, with no clear indication of how much further investment in manpower and resources would be required.
It was like those with Perfected Primordial Spirits, having comprehended the profound mysteries of 1,024 Laws and cultivated Mind Power to its peak, standing just one step away from achieving Void Refining.
Yet how many would truly manage to take that final, decisive step?
"Is there any hope for this Gold Fusion to undergo a transformation?" Li Chunjun asked.
Though his cultivation and strength had grown, his insight and accumulated knowledge still likely paled in comparison to even some Nascent Soul True Lords, let alone Primordial Spirit True Monarchs like Su Fang and Yu Jin.
The moment Su Fang and Yu Jin saw Li Chunjun attempting to fuse a Sixth-Tier Titan Elder into the Gold Fusion, they immediately surmised his intention: to catalyze the material's transformation.
Hearing his question now, they patiently observed anew.
Su Fang even stepped forward to carefully sense the flow of the Gold Fusion.
After a long silence, the two exchanged glances before Su Fang, more knowledgeable in this area, explained: "This Gold Fusion has reached its growth limit. Dao Rhythm, like 'sudden enlightenment,' is unpredictable and cannot be forced. Our Human Race's artificial material technology remains stuck at the Sixth-Rank precisely because we can't break through this Dao Rhythm barrier. So..."
He paused, turning to the Gold Fusion. "Whether it ultimately transforms into a Seventh-Tier Material depends on luck and opportunity. With good fortune, the transformation might happen quickly. If not... well, who knows?"
"Opportunity?" Li Chunjun glanced at the First Elder's body. "He's already undergoing the upgrade process. Is he also waiting for an opportunity?"
"Perhaps," Su Fang replied. "The opportunity he's waiting for is likely the Cosmic Aftershock that's bound to occur within the next few years!"
"Aftershock?" Li Chunjun recalled the overwhelming Destruction Sword Stance he had comprehended while witnessing the Cosmic Quake, and realization dawned. "If the Gold Fusion were to directly face another Cosmic Aftershock, could that cataclysmic event trigger something akin to 'sudden enlightenment,' allowing it to grasp Dao Rhythm and evolve into a Seventh-Tier Material?"
"Exactly," Su Fang nodded. "Moreover, having already endured one Starquake, the Gold Fusion's foundation is exceptionally strong, making this outcome highly probable."
"Starquake..."
Li Chunjun was racing against time, crisscrossing the cosmos with a single-minded goal: to escape this starfield before the Starquake struck.
Yet, the very process of transforming the Gold Fusion into a Seventh-Tier Material required it to endure the crucible of the Starquake, seizing that one-in-a-million opportunity.
This directly contradicted his priorities.
But a Seventh-Tier Material imbued with Dao Rhythm...
Especially one whose Dao Rhythm was likely to be forged by the Starquake itself, inevitably intertwined with the profound mysteries of shattered voids—precisely the direction he sought to upgrade his Scarlet Sky Sword.
This dilemma weighed heavily on him.
Li Chunjun pondered briefly, but within minutes, his resolve had hardened.
No waiting.
Even if the Gold Fusion survived the Starquake, there was no guarantee it would transform into a Seventh-Tier Material. And even if it did, a single such material wasn't worth risking his life for.
Though classified as an aftershock, a Cosmic Quake was a cataclysmic event where anything could go wrong. He refused to gamble his life on such uncertain danger.
Moreover, returning to Human Territory swiftly would allow him to challenge for the top spot on the Cosmic Light List with his current strength.
Securing first place—or even just breaking into the top ten—would make acquiring Seventh-Tier Materials effortless.
There was no need to court such uncertain danger.
Having made his decision, Li Chunjun was utterly decisive. "Let's go. Take the Gold Fusion, scavenge what we can from the Titan Lesser Thousand World, and leave."
"Not waiting any longer?" Su Fang asked, a hint of regret in his voice.
"No time!" Li Chunjun stated firmly. "We must evacuate before the aftershocks arrive. Safety comes first!"
At that moment, Yu Jin's voice echoed in their minds through Divine Sense. "Sword Master, if you're abandoning the Gold Fusion's transformation due to the uncontrollable risks posed by the aftershocks, perhaps we could try an alternative method. There might still be a chance."
"Hmm?" Li Chunjun's gaze snapped to Yu Jin. "What method?"
"Destruction," Yu Jin replied solemnly. "We can trigger its transformation through a massive act of destruction. However, this method might shift the Gold Fusion's Dao Rhythm characteristics from Void to Destruction."
"Destruction?" Li Chunjun repeated, understanding dawning in his eyes. His gaze snapped to the colossal factory complex.
As if on cue, Yu Jin elaborated. "We knew aftershocks were inevitable, and the Titan Race clearly did too. To prevent their annihilation during the aftershocks, they had to cultivate a Seventh-Tier Titan to safeguard their legacy. To ensure this, they implemented two safeguards. The first, as we discussed, was the Cosmic Aftershock. The second..."
Li Chunjun glanced at the colossal factory, a super-structure that nearly reached the Earth's core. "This is it—this is the world!"
He remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the factory as he meticulously examined it. His powerful Divine Sense permeated the factory's vast network of energy conduits, extending thousands, even tens of thousands, of miles into the distance. After a long moment, he finally retracted his Divine Sense.
"The Titan Race has already devised the method for us," he said. "Using the Gold Fusion and this factory, we'll instantly drain nearly all the energy from the Earth's core, destabilizing its structure. Under the immense pressure, the entire Lesser Thousand World will collapse inward toward the core, ensuring its destruction."
Yu Jin added, "When a Lesser Chiliocosm is on the verge of annihilation, all the Dao Rhythm within it is released as the world crumbles. That moment will be the Gold Fusion's opportunity for transformation."
He turned to the remains of the First Elder. "This Gold Fusion has been refined by this branch of the Titan Race for countless years. It survived the Cosmic Quake, a rare stroke of fortune, and now it will witness the devastation of a world's collapse. While the probability of transformation may not reach the level of a Cosmic Aftershock, it's still substantial."
Li Chunjun nodded in agreement.
Li Chunjun believed Yu Jin's hypothesis.
In fact, he suspected that the Titan Race's earlier attack on them might have been a desperate attempt by the Titans to secure their own escape route.
"Since we've already decided to take this Gold Fusion, why not give it a try?" Yu Jin said, his Divine Sense tinged with caution. "If we fail, we won't lose anything. If Swordmaster Li is hesitant because of the forty million Titans outside, we can handle it ourselves. After all, those not of our kind can never be truly trusted. Carbon-based lifeforms like humans and silicon-based Titans have never been allies..."
"I understand," Li Chunjun nodded slightly.
The Titan Race's initial surrender followed by their betrayal spoke volumes.
Without further ado, he declared, "Then let's proceed as planned."
He glanced once more at the surrounding corpses of the Sixth-Tier Elders.
These were all top-grade Sixth-Rank Materials.
Whether used to repair the Golden Crow Battleship or later refined into his Lifebound Flying Sword, they would be invaluable.
The corpse of a single Sixth-Tier Titan could easily fetch over a million Spirit Crystals in Human Territory. Wasting it was out of the question.
"Tally the supplies and evacuate immediately."
Li Chunjun spoke.
"Sword Master, let me handle this," Yu Jin offered.
"No need," Li Chunjun waved him off. "If something unexpected happens, you might not have time to retreat. I can disengage at any moment."
Hearing this, Yu Jin ceased his argument. Though his newfound Mind Power had significantly boosted his strength, allowing him to briefly contend with Sixth-Tier Elders, he knew that being caught in the impending destruction of this world would still mean certain death.
After a flurry of activity, the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs had nearly filled their storage magical treasures to capacity. To avoid alerting the Titan Race and triggering a riot, Yu Jin and Su Fang refrained from further reckless scavenging in this Lesser Thousand World.
Unlike the Human Race, the Titan Race had no tradition of stockpiling resources. Instead, they directly fused useful materials into their bodies to enhance their strength and foundation. Further looting would likely yield little additional benefit.
With their preparations complete, Yu Jin and Su Fang swiftly departed, carrying the massive Titan corpses with them. Only after they had reached a safe distance did Li Chunjun turn his attention back to the underground factory.
"Ascension to Immortality," he murmured the phrase.
Immediately, his powerful Divine Sense erupted, activating the factory's self-destruct sequence without hesitation.
(End of the Chapter)
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