Chapter 16: Seeds Of World Destruction
In the atmosphere outside the world, a vortex was slowly rotating, with electric lights flickering around the periphery of the vortex. Each flicker of these electric lights corresponded to strands of abnormal aura from the outside trying to enter the vortex. The electric lights drove these alien auras out with full force!
This vortex was an interstellar airborne system. Inside the vortex, clusters of light wrapped people, horses, and enormous terracotta soldier figurines far larger than humans, as well as winged lions and even massive palaces, descending toward the planet’s surface.
These translucent energy light clusters fell in strings, just like toads laying eggs in water.
In the area surrounding the vortex, strips of “sand worms” writhed nearby. Oh, these were not worms, but swimming dragons. Compared to the planet and this massive transmission vortex, these swimming dragons were truly too insignificant.
These “insignificant” swimming dragons circled along the vortex, but occasionally stopped abruptly, arching their bodies to guide thunderbolts, shooting at the invading alien auras attempting to enter the vortex, like monkeys picking lice, extracting and crushing these corrosive auras.
Among these swimming dragons, one roared long, but in its language, it was a sigh, sighing that these “seeds of world destruction” had arrived one step ahead, infiltrating this homeland they had fled to.
…Perspective switches to the source of those alien auras…
Above Da Yao, on the starry sky orbit, several “entities” of unclear spatial regions were moving over Da Yao in synchronous satellite orbits.
These entities were not normal celestial bodies, but like spaces enclosed in fuzzy boundaries, with internal matter in irregular suspended motion and eerie changes, like a stomach “digesting food residue.”
Like a hole poked in a sheet of paper revealing another sheet beneath. The punctured paper was the current universe; these “spaces” orbiting the planet were other universes’ eerie rule environments exposed at the breaches.
In the first type of space, rocks were covered in mushrooms, pustules, and various flying insects.
The second type of space was filled with crisscrossing spikes and writhing flesh pierced by the spikes.
The third type of space was a sea of blood, containing heads of various sizes and races, floating like mushroom chunks in a mushroom rib pot, colliding and shouting.
The fourth type of space was a deep blue ocean filled with endless dazzling colors. If one had enough willpower to pull their curious gaze away, they would discover that while staring, eyes emerged elsewhere in the space, staring at every outsider probing here.
On the planet where the dragon descendants once lived before its destruction, there were often rural cultivators who, while cultivating, would shout that they had become immortals, then break open the heavenly gate and depart stepping through the void. But in outsiders’ eyes, these wild cultivators suddenly sprouted eyes all over their bodies, turned into ring-shaped entities, and slithered through space.
…When the dragon descendants were in their original world, evil arts spread under the guise of cultivating immortality were prohibited.…
In this world, living beings’ willpower could influence the reality of mountains and seas. Such influence was not exclusive to immortal family cultivators. When ordinary people discussed cultivators’ abilities to “split mountains and part rivers,” it was because the immortal family had the least impact on world order among the schools, so they were permitted this freedom to show off before people. The other schools theoretically had such abilities too, but were not permitted; for example, Da Yao’s Hundred Schools of Thought, Confucian, Legalist, and Military Strategist schools behaved obediently under order’s constraints, checking each other to stabilize the mortal world’s order.
To emphasize again, the immortal family could mobilize spiritual energy in remote uninhabited places only because they avoided mortal world’s killing intent, not because they possessed “immortal arts” power and then mercifully restrained it for the world’s sake.
Of course, the above was only possible in peaceful and prosperous times; now the great tribulation of heaven and earth was imminent.
…After order is completely destroyed, things will run rampant without restraint…
The dragon descendants, after a long space voyage, had exhausted their power of serenity. Though they confirmed the seeds of world destruction had landed here first, they were certain: the seeds were still in an immature stage, and they, descendants who had experienced complete annihilation in the Haotian Realm, could still endure settling here.
Now these seeds of world destruction, fully manifesting on the orbital track outside the planet where Da Yao was, would leap out threads, which would fall silently onto the planet below, infusing their evil power into it.
The dragon descendants outside the world were very familiar with this destructive power. Those abnormal forces repelled by the thunderbolts, failing to invade the great vortex, fell toward other parts of the planet.
The swimming dragons in this vortex area watched these repelled abnormal forces fall onto the planet; it was quite embarrassing, just like stepping into a swimming pool and seeing someone standing by the pool peeing into it.
Just as the dragon descendants were helpless against the provocation of these seeds of world destruction, suddenly this uncouth act of peeing by the pool was punished. Abruptly, as a certain force scattered to the planet below, infiltrating some unknown place beneath the clouds, a flash suddenly appeared there! This flash was very tiny, but visible even from space.
…Heavenly spirit, earthly spirit, Restoration Gem, quickly show your power!…
In space, the purplest space, which had been the most arrogant and noisy, had its internal spikes and writhing flesh raising cups in wild joy when suddenly, not knowing what it had provoked, a strand of golden “flame” counter-infiltrated the spikes and flesh inside the space, and under the gaze of the willpower of the planet below, turned into a real celestial body.
From the external planet’s perspective, the eerie illusory theater space, after being dotted with golden power, directly materialized from illusion!
The originally distorted space body, after golden embellishment, had half its purple domain directly petrified, as if the absurd projection curtain had been torn away in one go, becoming a planet spewing blazing flames.
At the junction, the instant the space converted to material entity, one could see the thorns and snake whips in that space turning into normal rock matter in this “eruption.”
Amid the purple area’s fierce resistance, if pierced through internally by this golden existence, the interior would collapse directly, turning into a real minor planetary celestial body in the universe.
At this moment, the swimming dragons escorting the last batch of “passengers” out of the great vortex stared in bewilderment at this inexplicable scene. After a long while, one asked, “What happened there?”
An old dragon: “The Xi Ren Realm is different from the Haotian Realm; this world’s planetary origin is still very strong. Just now, those invading seeds of world destruction encountered backlash.”
Another young dragon: “What about us?” — Though this race originated from this planet in the past, the new generation of dragon descendants and the migrated citizens were all born and underwent dragon transformation on other planets.
After a long while, the old dragon: “The Xi Ren Realm now rejects us. We, hmm, only one (individual who can transform into a dragon) is permitted entry here.” (That is, individuals who have not transformed into dragons and remain in human form are not rejected.)
At this time, a dragon of yin power raised its head and met the old dragon’s gaze.
Old dragon: “Pu E, the returning citizens are entrusted to your protection. Follow this world’s Way of Heaven and build serenity.”
…Synchronous scene…
After leaving the Flower Immortal Tower, Wu Fei looked at the 0.94 academic credits deducted from the system and began to feel heartbroken. — He started wondering if refusing the free option earlier was a mistake.
Wu Fei pondered: Endure a year, or fight a bloody battle for one academic credit. Exchanging for the “sports” aid device only costs 0.02 academic credits; this Restoration Gem costs a whole one at once, so expensive. And it has limited uses: now used (1/4), remaining uses (3/4).
Wu Fei made no mention of this consumption being due to his own “impulsive” habit just now, but instead calculated afterwards, hoping the system would give him another “free answer” opportunity; however, the system remained silent, clearly that little scheme was out of the question!
At the door, he ran into Zhao Xian Zhong, this loyal retainer, who was now holding a knife and standing guard at the entrance, ready at any moment to kick the door in and protect his lord.
Wu Fei raised his hand and placed it on Zhao Xian Zhong’s forehead, stopping his momentum.
Zhao Xian Zhong: “Young General?” — After sizing him up, “Are you alright?”
Wu Fei pressed his palm on Zhao Xian Zhong’s forehead, holding the Restoration Gem in his hand, aiming it at this guy. — Seeing the gem prompt: “Detected restorable object, consume one restoration power?”
At this moment, in space, the golden power that had penetrated the purple space suddenly split off, flashing to the blood-red space, transforming into a finger pointing at the blood space, seemingly ready to poke into another.
At the courtyard entrance, Wu Fei lowered his hand; having been impulsive once, he wouldn’t be impulsive a second time. Wu Fei thought to himself: “This thing has too few uses, only three left, can’t use it recklessly!”
Wu Fei clapped his hands and said: “Problem solved, she’s fine now, Zhao Xian Zhong!”
Zhao Xian Zhong immediately acknowledged, and Wu Fei gave him a scrutinizing look, earnestly advising: “Your killing intent is too heavy; keep a clear mind when drawing your blade.” — In the past, Wu Fei wouldn’t have dared say this to Zhao Xian Zhong, but now with the Restoration Gem in hand, Wu Fei suddenly stood taller, his steps more swaggering.
Zhao Xian Zhong, who was seventeen years older, felt a flash of impatience at Wu Fei’s nitpicking of his killing methods, but upon meeting Wu Fei’s gaze, it was immediately suppressed; somehow, he couldn’t muster any killing intent. It was as if the Young General before him was a massive mountain range, capable of suppressing him at any time.
Zhao Xian Zhong: “The general is right. I will go back and eat more vegetarian food.”
Wu Fei nodded, then put down the hand he had placed on Zhao Xian Zhong’s shoulder.
Wu Fei did not know that after he put down his hand, the golden finger hovering in space before the eerie space of the “blood-filled skull” received the “withdraw hand” command and stopped directly.
In the courtyard, Zhao Xian Zhong also breathed a sigh of relief.
After Wu Fei walked out, Zhao Xian Zhong stepped through the door, used a knife to lift the curtain, checked the snake person’s mutation inside, and after seeing Xiao Qing restored to human form, coldly snorted, seemingly mocking her luck, and stormed out.
…This night passed just like that, but the stars in the sky did not dare to blink…
Shu Tian Calendar, year 25, April.
On a small hill outside Tianchi City, a stone slope on this small hill was engraved with a talisman. Wu Hanluan stood here, holding the Imperial Court’s edict.
He slowly pasted the edict onto the stone slope, then the talisman engraving on the mountain range disappeared, and the stone slope eliminated the engraved mark as if self-repairing.
After submitting the edict, Wu Hanluan faced this stone slope and released killing intent. From high above, the earth vein here showed a “yao” change.
The “Yang Yao” part: Trees on the slope dozens of li away undulated like a dragon spine flipping over.
The “Yin Yao” part: Water splashed on the river surface five kilometers away, with large numbers of fish leaping on the surface, then the river channel first constricted and then transformed, like a dragon’s abdomen stretching and contracting.
As the surrounding earth veins were all fine-tuned, cracks appeared on the entire stone slope. With a boom, a large opening was revealed. Thunder seemed to rumble from the opening, but upon careful listening, the thunder was “moo~”.
What Wu Hanluan opened by edict was an armory sealed by the Imperial Court.
And in this armory sealed with such great fanfare, what was stored was a “giant soldier” with extremely heavy killing intent. The giant soldier stepping out from the stone slope right now was ox-shaped, a giant ox two zhang tall (two stories), made of wood but with muscles like a living body, its walking and running posture no different from a real ox!
Its combat mode, besides trampling, and using forged iron ox horns to stab and nail (for breaching city gates), also had a “area damage” mode. Inside its abdomen was a large vat roasted by a fire altar, containing golden juice. When encountering battle soldiers, its buttocks and ox horns had spray nozzles, from which boiling golden juice would splash out, able to damage large clusters of gathered enemy troops.
This giant soldier was thus named “Golden Bull”, its allusion originating from five hundred years ago when the southern Ba Kingdom declared itself king. At that time, the General Who Pacifies the South tried to campaign against it but suffered from lack of troops, and at that time a supernatural person deceived the Ba King: The Central Plains has a golden bull that eats earth and shits gold, it can be lured by opening a path.
The “Golden Bull” transported into Ba lands at that time was this kind of war machine. Such war giant beasts could easily charge through enemy formations, and during sieges could ram city gates, or mutually splash golden juice with enemies on the city wall.
After Ba lands were pacified, the Imperial Court sealed it in the armory on the grounds that it harmed heavenly harmony. It is worth mentioning that within the Da Yao Kingdom, similar war machines were not just this one kind.
For example, in the Divine Capital, that iron lion with even greater destructive power was not sealed! It has always been squatting on both sides of the Da Yao capital’s imperial road.
The reason the Da Yao lord and ministers sealed the “Golden Bull” in the treasury was obviously not merely because it harmed heavenly harmony.
And if military strategists went all out without restraint, with fierce killing intent invading various places and mountains and rivers collapsing, it could not compare to immortals engaging in magic battles in remote uninhabited areas.
After the Golden Bull stepped out from the rubble, Xian Daoren beside Wu Hanluan brought the artisans forward to monitor this giant soldier, and taking ruler and compass to measure, soon concluded that the material used to make the Golden Bull was “millennium ironwood” abundantly produced locally in the Southern Border.
Beside the Golden Bull, under a temporarily erected shed, Wu Hanluan: “Daoist Priest, this is the war machine that the Imperial Court has released to us. In Lingnan, can it ‘endlessly regenerate’?”
Xian Daoren: “Within three steps of poisonous grass, there must be an antidote; within a hundred li of a phoenix nest, there must be a parasol tree. General, this is originally a thing of the Southern Border.”
Wu Hanluan looked at the “Golden Bull” mechanical blueprint presented by Xian Daoren. He pondered for a short while, then put it away and sealed it in a box.
Several days later, he dispatched a trusted subordinate to send the “Golden Bull” blueprint back to the Wu Family. If the future great tribulation became unmanageable, the Wu Family in the South needed some means.
…The rust on the black iron ox hooves had been cleared, revealing blood…
After Da Yao unified Under Heaven, in order to let the people live and work in peace, it sealed these “heavenly disaster weapons” back into the treasury. This was not targeted at border generals like the Wu Family Army.
The reason a thousand years ago for cooking and killing the Marquis of Qi, one important charge listed by the Legalists was “privately opening copper mountain, casting soldier men”. The “soldier men” here were another kind of giant soldier.
Now the Imperial Court began to open the armory, allowing Wu Hanluan’s military camp to activate these six Golden Bulls, because after the great plague in early spring in the South, the southern regions had scattered morale, and disloyal elements had already emerged.
Beside the giant ox’s ox hoof, the Winged Tiger under Wu Hanluan was no longer its previous “tigerish vigor” but vigilantly watching this huge bovine beast. Its expression was like a 21st-century house cat’s stress reaction upon seeing a person in a dinosaur costume added to the owner’s home.
Sensing the “thunderous rumbling” from the mount under him, Wu Hanluan jumped down from the mount, patted the big cat’s head, signaling it to go play aside.
And he himself continued to observe this Golden Bull, despite its particularly foul smell.
Behind Wu Hanluan, Xian Daoren gazed with strange technique vision, and when Wu Hanluan turned around, his eyes had returned to normal.
Xian Daoren had seen Wu Hanluan’s future, and now he endured the nausea with a smile, saying: “Congratulations, General, for grasping a sharp weapon.”
Wu Hanluan lowered the hand placed on the bull’s nose and sighed: “Yes, the Imperial Court has entrusted the kingdom’s heavy weapon to this marshal. Daoist Priest Xian, do you think this is fortune or calamity.”
Xian Daoren: “The East Sea dragon clan will return to the ‘Xi Ren Realm’, stirring up winds and clouds in all
Wu Hanluan nodded, then asked a question: “You said that the East Sea Dragon Clan left the Xi Ren Realm ten thousand years ago, and now they have suddenly reappeared. Daoist Priest, do you know where they went during the time they disappeared?”
Wu Hanluan had read through an ancient volume of the Chronicles of the Myriad Realms of the Zhou Heavens a few days prior. It recorded the origins of various strange beasts. Thus, he couldn’t help but feel curiosity.
Xian Daoren looked at the starry sky, clearly knowing something. Under Wu Hanluan’s pursuing gaze, he said: “In this starry sky, there are many worlds. The Xi Ren Realm is just one of them. These Dragon Descendants from the end of the Cheng Dynasty found another new world in the starry sky. According to ancient records, that realm is called the Haotian Realm.”
Wu Hanluan nodded, “Mm, so that’s how it is. Then why return now?”
Xian Daoren pointed toward the Haotian Realm in the starry sky, revealing a mysterious smile, and said faintly: “Because the Haotian Realm has been destroyed!”
