Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1399: 752: The Void Fortress Beneath the Dead Star's Core
Previously on Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension...
“I believe this is actually a positive development. The path forward is filled with dangers and uncertainties, after all. Having additional Returning to Void Realm cultivators come along will undoubtedly make things safer for us. Should the mission not succeed, withdrawing would prove much simpler!”
The Hundred Birds Taoist's statement appeared designed to jog the memories of the other two.
Zhao Sheng responded, “Provided we stay united and proceed with caution, finishing the bounty task ought to pose no great challenge. What worries me is that rivals might beat us to it, leaving our hard work unrewarded.”
“Well put, Taoist Yan! United as we are, how could we possibly dread defeat? Moreover, I've arranged a minor aid ahead of time and intend to distribute it to you both.”
With a grin, Ji Tiandu concluded his words, then drew forth two small bronze compasses from his attire and passed them over to Zhao Sheng and his companion.
“Ah, a Heavenly Mechanism Sensing Plate! I hadn't anticipated that Daoist Ji would hold such a valuable item.” As the Hundred Birds Taoist inspected the device in his grasp, he voiced his astonishment.
A hint of surprise crossed Zhao Sheng's features as he observed the golden pointer on the compass.
One must understand that the Heavenly Mechanism Sensing Plate serves as a proprietary magical treasure of the Taiyi Spirit Palace, typically granted only to their True Disciples and seldom circulated beyond their walls.
This artifact functions as a detection-based magical treasure, able to sense a target from up to ten million li distant.
Though ten million li might appear insignificant amid the immense expanse of space-time, it exceeds the perceptual reach of a Returning to Void Realm cultivator by seven or eight hundredfold.
To everyone's surprise, Ji Tiandu chuckled and explained, “I merely borrowed these two Heavenly Mechanism Compasses for the occasion. They'll need returning once we're done.”
“Ah, I get it—how I wish I had such links! Brother Tiandu truly boasts wide-reaching networks!” The realization dawned on the Hundred Birds Taoist, prompting him to offer sincere admiration.
Zhao Sheng added his own commendation, “Equipped with this Heavenly Mechanism Compass, we're essentially empowering a tiger with wings. Daoist Ji, you've planned ahead masterfully!”
Ji Tiandu absorbed the praise with a faint smile before turning solemn and declaring, “No point in delaying—let's depart immediately!”
“Very well!”
“That's precisely my thought!”
Observing their readiness, Ji Tiandu gave a subtle nod, his form shifting abruptly into a streak of gray radiance that shot toward the heart of the Dark Sky.
Exchanging a quick look, Zhao Sheng and the Hundred Birds Taoist morphed into beams of escaping light and trailed right behind.
Moments later, the trio's escaping lights had streaked far away, vanishing into the endless void of darkness.
…
After four hours had passed, the group reached the outer edges of the western route, arriving at the final vanishing point of the B2 Virtual Realm Fortress.
A survey of the surroundings revealed a desolate emptiness, where fierce time-space storms churned wildly, whipping up massive turbulent surges.
“Oh!”
All at once, a subtle shift appeared in Zhao Sheng's eyes, accompanied by a soft utterance of surprise.
Now that they were here, he noticed abruptly that his divine sense faced interference from some mysterious power, causing it to warp and fuzz, while its scanning scope shrank noticeably.
“This feels off! Traces of devilish thought fog linger heavily in this place. It looks like the alien demons were dead set on seizing the B2 Fortress long ago, which complicates our mission further,” the Hundred Birds Taoist remarked with evident concern.
“The demon fog's concentration remains quite dilute here and won't hinder us greatly. What troubles me is figuring out where the alien demons have hauled the B2 Fortress off to.” As Ji Tiandu glanced at the compass cradled in his hand, he observed the unmoving needle.
This sight caused his eyebrows to knit together faintly.
“The nearby Empty Domain stretches across nearly ten Constant Years. Such an expansive zone makes locating the B2 Fortress akin to seeking a lone needle in a vast haystack. For now, our sole option is to each select a path and scour the Empty Domain swiftly en route. The one who spots it will alert the others via the Nine Divine Gu.”
With that, Ji Tiandu produced two chubby white silkworms and extended them to Zhao Sheng and his ally.
His level of foresight proved remarkably thorough!
Yet upon reflection, Zhao Sheng deemed it entirely logical. Unlike him as a recent arrival, Ji Tiandu and his peers had roamed the Demon Suppression Star Domain and Vermilion Bird Star System for years, so essentials such as the Nine Divine Gu would have been readied long before.
The “Nine Divine Gu” referenced by Ji Tiandu represents a unique demon gu bred exclusively by the Spirit-controlling Immortal Sect.
From a single egg emerge nine offspring in the Nine Divine Gu, enabling instantaneous message relay across any space-time divide.
Though raising the Nine Divine Gu demands great effort, its wondrous capabilities have made it a favored temporary messaging aid among high-ranking cultivators during clashes between the two races on the battlefield.
The Hundred Birds Taoist clasped his hands toward the pair and declared, “I'll head out first. Stay safe, both of you!”
His words barely ended when he dissolved into light and vanished from sight.
Whether by design or chance, the path he picked led straight into the thickest patch of demon fog.
Zhao Sheng perceived this subtle ploy without issue, yet paid it no heed.
Right then, Ji Tiandu selected his own search direction and, after a parting word to Zhao Sheng, sped off in haste.
Once they had departed, Zhao Sheng lingered briefly before vanishing via teleportation.
Armed with the Time-Space Great Teleportation Divine Power, Zhao Sheng effectively bent the rules in his favor.
Within the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, he executed hundreds of teleports throughout the adjacent ten Constant Year Empty Domain, virtually covering every inch.
To his astonishment, though, the B2 Fortress eluded presence in this Empty Domain.
Given the travel pace of a Void Fortress, escaping beyond ten Constant Years in a single day seemed impossible.
With every other option ruled out, just one conclusion remained!
The B2 Virtual Realm Fortress had already exited the Dark Sky and reentered the current Star Domain.
“This turns out… rather problematic!” Perched above a swirling space-time vortex, Zhao Sheng murmured to himself, his face etched with concern.