Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1695: 909: The Surge of Gravitational Tides, Meteorite Swarm’s Sudden Appearance (Part 2)

Lu Haichao let out a series of sighs, lamenting, "What a profound pity! If the Master of the Heavenly Intent Workshop were truly a Demi Immortal at the Returning to Void Realm, his assistance could have spared at least a million souls. Alas, his current indifference leaves this elder with immense regret!

But it is better not to dwell upon it. Tell me, did the Spirit Clan give their consent?"

Gu Hong replied, "The Spirit Clan has agreed to shelter a maximum of one hundred thousand individuals within the Spiritual Abyss, no more. Furthermore, our palace has just received intelligence indicating that the Great Sacrificial Leader of the Spirit Clan has commenced the gathering of their entire populace, possibly in preparation for awakening the Sea God."

A flicker of unease crossed Lu Haichao's countenance. "This is dire news! If that is indeed their intent, our own plans must be expedited considerably. I have pressing matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now."

Without further ado, he transformed instantaneously into a beam of tunneling light, soaring towards the horizon and vanishing from sight at the celestial edge.

Gu Hong withdrew his gaze, contemplating the ocean waves for a brief moment longer before his form flickered, disappearing without a trace.

…The narrative diverges, presenting two distinct unfolding scenarios.

At the far reaches of the star system, a vast expanse measuring billions of miles from the Great Sun, an immense conglomeration of meteorites is hurtling towards the central regions of this cosmic domain.

In a mere span of half a month, this celestial cluster has already traversed beyond the outermost asteroid belt.

Following its passage through the belt, the meteorite cluster has visibly expanded in size, and numerous fresh, colossal craters have marred the surfaces of its components.

Zhao Sheng maintained a discreet pursuit behind the cluster, silently observing these supposedly inanimate celestial rocks, which he now perceived as being quite the opposite.

Or, to be more precise, these were the renowned Mount-bearing Dragon Turtles.

After dedicating fourteen days to unceasing observation, Zhao Sheng made the astounding discovery that the meteorites were merely an external facade, concealing the true Mount-bearing Dragon Turtles deep within their rocky embrace.

Due to their colossal dimensions, these Mount-bearing Dragon Turtles typically generate a gravitational field comparable to that of a planet.

During their prolonged voyages across the Star River, meteorites are perpetually drawn in by these gravitational forces, eventually adhering to the creatures' exteriors and becoming integral parts of their massive forms.

The arduous journey is fraught with perils; the outer shell of meteorites is continuously eroded, while new celestial bodies are ceaselessly captured.

Consequently, this immense accretion of meteorites forms a dense carapace, which not only shields the Dragon Turtle's body but also serves as an exceptionally effective camouflage.

Upon grasping this profound revelation, Zhao Sheng could not help but marvel at the inherent "ingenuity" displayed by the Mount-bearing Dragon Turtle species.

These colossal entities have navigated the cosmos for untold millennia, not solely due to their intrinsically massive physical stature.

Several days elapsed. As the meteorite cluster swept rapidly past the system's most peripheral planet, Zhao subtly maneuvered himself to a position above the largest meteorite within the formation. He descended silently, mimicking the fall of a small, unremarkable rock.

With a single, uninterrupted movement, he successfully breached the formidable and radiant life force field. Then, under the influence of the prevailing gravity, he effortlessly alighted upon the crater-pocked surface.

Zhao Sheng ascended into the sky, soon finding himself positioned above a basin-shaped depression.

This particular basin was a recent formation; residual dust still swirled within its confines. Outside the basin's rim, immense fissures fractured the terrain, some plunging to unfathomable depths.

Casting his gaze about, Zhao Sheng unleashed his Divine Thought, extending it outwards in all directions. It swiftly encompassed an area of a thousand li (miles) of the surface.

With a subtle smile appearing on his face, he softly uttered to himself, "...I have found it!"

Before his words had fully receded, Zhao Sheng instantly shifted his position to a profound crevice six hundred li distant. He then moved like an elusive phantom through the subterranean layers.

Shortly thereafter, he emerged within a cavern of staggering proportions, vaster than any he had previously encountered.

The cavern boasted a diameter approaching eight thousand li, with a vaulted ceiling soaring over ten thousand zhang above. From various points across the expanse, colossal stone pillars, each measuring hundreds or even thousands of zhang in thickness, ascended majestically, presenting a grand and awe-inspiring spectacle.

These monolithic pillars spanned the distance between the vaulted ceiling and the cavern floor. Their surfaces, smooth and intricately detailed, were riddled with countless densely packed apertures.

The closer these openings were to the apex of the dome, the larger and more resplendent they appeared; conversely, those nearer the ground were progressively smaller and more tightly clustered.

Suspended far above the dome, seven "Artificial Suns" cast down beams of bright, gentle radiance, imbuing the cavern with the clarity of broad daylight.

Within this subterranean expanse, a complete and self-contained natural ecosystem had flourished. Numerous settlements, established by members of the Human Clan, dotted the landscape around the bases of the towering stone pillars.

Flourishing cities had risen from the ground beneath these pillars, encircled by dense congregations of Wu Castles and defensive fortifications.

After investigating three settlements, Zhao Sheng observed that the living conditions there were exceedingly harsh, strictly embodying the principle of 'survival of the fittest, the weak are prey.'

Forces from various settlements frequently engaged in warfare, simultaneously aiming to capture populations and seize resources.

Conflict and battle were the dominant themes, with the vast majority of inhabitants unable to escape the perpetual shadows of death and starvation throughout their lives.

Zhao Sheng soon discovered that the majority of cultivators in this region practiced Demon Techniques and Evil Skills, with the Blood Demon Path and Corpse Ghost Dao being particularly prevalent.

Combined with the meager nature's spiritual energy available in this locale, he quickly grasped the underlying reasons.

After all, a Mount-bearing Dragon Turtle is not a genuine planet; it lacks the essential natural environment required for nurturing Spirit Veins and Cultivation Resources.

Apart from the limited cultivation resources provided by the meteorite belt, this subterranean world hardly produced any cultivation resources of its own.

In stark contrast, humans represented an undeniably inexhaustible supply of top-grade spirit material.

From this, it could be inferred that the circumstances in other underground worlds were likely identical.

In such an environment of scarce resources and brutal competition, human society had naturally evolved into an extremely merciless operating system.

It became clear that the Star Sky Human Clan here was inherently belligerent, highly likely to be Star Sky bandits focused on plundering resources and populations.

Zhao Sheng dedicated another two months to traversing twenty-three cavern worlds sequentially.

As he had anticipated, most of the cultivation forces governing these caverns were akin to Evil Demons, such as the Blood God Sect, Ten Thousand Corpses Sect, and Yin Soul Sect.

It is noteworthy that the number of Divinity Transformation Realm Demon Cultivators present was surprisingly high, yet their overall strength was generally subpar, and their magical treasures were lamentably few.

Furthermore, Zhao Sheng astonishingly uncovered evidence of Returning Void Realm Demon Cultivators.

He spent a few days and successfully identified two Returning Void Demon Cultivators.

Knowing that this meteorite alone possessed two Returning Void Demon Cultivators, the question arose: what about other meteorites?

It could be foreseen that many more Returning Void Demon Cultivators certainly existed.

Zhao Sheng refrained from further investigation and departed discreetly.

...

As time advanced, the Red Sea Realm was hit by an unprecedented celestial tide, causing the seas to surge with colossal waves.

A significant number of islands were inundated by seawater that rushed inland, and some islands vanished completely beneath the waves, leading to the extinction of almost all life upon them.

Concurrently, the atmosphere enveloping the planet began to experience an increase in frequent thunderstorms, and Dragon Tornado hurricanes repeatedly struck, plunging the entire world into a state resembling a doomed apocalypse.

With the escalating frequency of thunderstorms and hurricanes, torrential rains of unimaginable intensity began to lash the Red Sea Realm.

These downpours, coupled with increasingly fierce thunderstorms and windstorms, raged ceaselessly, showing no sign of abating.

At the same time, the sea level rose rapidly, submerging island after island, causing billions of lives to be swallowed by the ocean.

As time wore on, the Thunderstorm Jellyfish and the monstrous Great Roc, which had previously inhabited the upper atmosphere, began to appear more frequently.

This suggested that the environmental conditions in the outermost layers of the atmosphere had become even more perilous.

The Sea God had not yet fully awakened, nor had the Mount-bearing Dragon Turtles returned to the Red Sea Realm.

Yet… the population had already diminished by nearly forty percent, with at least half the islands submerged by the rising seawater.

Initially, when the thunderstorm hurricanes made their appearance, the cultivation sects, spearheaded by the World Crossing Sect, Four Seas Palace, and Sun Worship Sect, promptly unleashed their hidden trump cards, employing various strategies to navigate this cataclysmic event.

Rumble…

Six months later, after the meteorite cluster had swept past six planets in sequence, it finally arrived at the center of the star system, positioning itself above the Great Sun.

This colossal sun, described as 'its light like blood,' provided an optimal habitat for the Mount-bearing Dragon Turtle tribe.

As the meteorite cluster rapidly traversed the surface of the Great Sun, it instantly ignited countless fiery tendrils, causing the solar prominence to churn violently and erupt with blinding radiance.

After making a circuit of more than half the Great Sun, the meteorite cluster finally came to a standstill.

Shortly thereafter, individual meteorites began to descend into the Fire Sea of the Great Sun, subsequently 'growing' heads and limbs.

From a distance, a multitude of immense turtles, of unimaginable scale, could be seen frolicking and swimming within the Fire Sea, occasionally emitting high-pitched, joyful bellowing sounds.