I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality Chapter 688: Interrogation

Jie Ming found himself standing amidst the desolate, ochre skies of the Infernal Sulfur Plane.

Sulfur gales raged across the arid landscape, carrying the intense heat of embers and the pungent odor of molten metal.

Beneath his position stretched a colossal graveyard of steel, now undergoing methodical dismantling.

Countless darkcolossi, operating with the precision of an ant colony, diligently disassembled the time-frozen warships. Guided by their darkcolossus priests, they worked in a synchronized manner.

Massive ship hulls were segmented into numerous parts. Armor plates, their energy cores extracted, descended slowly from the sky, yet they landed with absolute silence, a consequence of temporal stasis.

Jie Ming observed this scene without uttering a word.

Surveying the fruits of his own actions, Jie Ming—who, in essence, had orchestrated a planar war for the first time—spoke softly:

“So this is how it is…”

He had finally grasped a crucial concept.

The reason behind the wizard civilization's unimpeded passage through the boundless chaotic void.

The conflict today had illuminated the answer for him.

The wizards' supremacy in the endless chaotic void was indeed underpinned by formidable might.

However, when considering sheer power—excluding the utterly transcendent combat capabilities of ninth-ring wizards—the disparity in combat effectiveness between opposing sides in many planar wars encountered by wizards was not a crushing imbalance.

The reason wizards consistently maintained an overwhelming advantage in such scenarios was because…

Each individual wizard represented an entire civilization.

Jie Ming slowly lifted a hand, observing the power coursing within his palm.

In conventional civilizations, knowledge was disseminated among billions of individuals.

When challenges emerged, there was a need for deliberation.

There was a necessity for debate.

They required extensive research.

And the seeking of approvals…

Even during wartime, which typically served as a catalyst for technological advancement, it often took years, or even more than a decade, for a novel technology to transition from proposal to deployment on the battlefield. Wizards operated differently.

A single high-ranking wizard constituted a complete and self-contained scientific research system.

Concurrently, that same high-ranking wizard functioned as a strategic-level offensive force.

On the planar battlefield, wizards most frequently engaged in identifying the enemy's intellectual vulnerabilities, drawing the engagement into domains entirely incomprehensible to the opposition, and consequently…

Concluding the conflict.

Straightforward. Ruthless. Effective.

Jie Ming paused, a flicker crossing his lips.

“Simple, my foot.”

For while the concept sounded facile, its execution was so preposterous it defied all logic.

An individual leveraging their personal knowledge to overwhelm the accumulated wisdom of countless generations of an entire civilization.

What ordinary being could achieve such a feat?

Beneath the facade of this direct and brutal combat methodology lay an absurdly demanding prerequisite.

Only wizards—those extraordinary entities—possessed the capacity for it.

Only this collective of ancient beings, who treated knowledge as sustenance, laws as mere playthings, and could endure for millennia without succumbing to death, would engage in warfare in such an opulently perverted manner.

Yet, precisely because of this…

Once this combat paradigm was established, it became virtually insurmountable.

Jie Ming’s gaze unconsciously drifted to the frozen warships below.

From the onset of the engagement to their ultimate defeat,

The forces of the Tentacle Tree Civilization never truly grasped the reason for their downfall.

At this realization, a subtle smile touched his lips.

“No wonder the wizard civilization favors engaging opponents of superior might.”

“When the knowledge you command operates on an entirely different plane, numerical superiority becomes irrelevant.”

A stratospheric wind brushed past, rustling the edges of his dark robe.

Jie Ming coalesced his thoughts, peered downward, and extended his hand with a gentle gesture.

The altar clusters below simultaneously ignited. Grand teleportation arrays hummed to life.

Additional legions of darkcolossi emerged from pillars of light.

They divided into hundreds of distinct units and, under the direction of the priests, entered the temporally halted zones.

The immobilized fleet remained suspended in the sky.

Their postures were eerily statuesque, like sculptures fixed in place.

Certain primary cannons were only half-charged; the incandescent spheres of light at their muzzles were still in the process of amplification.

Some warships were mid-maneuver.

Their hulls were canted at gravity-defying angles, yet they were held aloft as if impaled by invisible spikes.

Darkcolossi were affixed to the exteriors of the hulls.

Following the structural blueprints Jie Ming disseminated in real-time, they accurately identified the armored weak points.

With practiced expertise, they proceeded to strip away the warships’ outer layers.

Leveraging the information dissemination of the Incense Fire Divine Dao, even though these darkcolossi were just commencing their task, they operated with almost mechanical efficiency.

Simultaneously.

Jie Ming abruptly raised his hand and pointed with subtle grace towards the void outside the plane.

The ensuing moment.

In the silent void, a ring of faint blue arcs flickered to life around the reserve fleet, frozen in time.

These arcs expanded with incredible velocity.

Almost instantly, they evolved into a colossal, jelly-like shadow that enveloped the entire fleet.

It was… the Nest.

Revealing its true form, the Nest’s sky-obscuring, blue gelatinous mass began to retract its borders.

It drifted near the planar rift, resembling an abyssal ocean stretching across the heavens.

Countless translucent tentacles swayed gently in the void, and with each undulation, subtle blue ripples emanated into the surrounding space.

Responding to Jie Ming’s directive, the immense blue entity, previously concealed, slowly emerged from the fabric of reality.

It was akin to a titanic leviathan ascending from the ocean depths to breach the surface.

Seizing this flawless opportunity, Jie Ming, of course, intended to conduct live combat trials for the Nest. He had already deployed it when these warships attempted to pierce the planar barrier.

The initial directive he issued to the Nest was deceptively simple.

Remain hidden.

Await his signal.

Then, simultaneously seize control of the reserve fleet positioned outside the plane.

With its recently acquired capacity to integrate into established laws, even wizards of the sixth ring would struggle to detect the Nest's presence.

While the Nest itself possessed no innate mastery of the time domain.

Following numerous enhancements, its fundamental biological structure was now that of an information-based lifeform.

And temporal stasis, in essence, functions by halting the transmission of information.

For the Nest, which could freely manipulate its own informational structure, a single observation was sufficient.

Jie Ming recollected how, at the moment he initiated the time stop, the Nest’s semi-transparent tentacles had clearly exhibited synchronized movements.

It had been engaged in “learning.”

Or, to be more precise… replication.

Although the accuracy of the time freeze replicated by the Nest was considerably less than the original.

It was more than adequate against a fleet whose strongest combatants were below the sixth level.

Back in the void.

The Nest detached several hundred colossal tentacles.

Each one meticulously wrapped around a frozen warship.

It then commenced dragging them downward for extraction.

One by one.

They were drawn into the Infernal Sulfur Plane through the still-open planar rift.

Below, coordinated teams of hulking black figures awaited. Upon receiving each warship, they promptly and efficiently breached entry points, secured the vessel, and proceeded with disassembly for salvage.

The entire scene of conflict had rapidly transformed into a massive dismantling operation.

Jie Ming hovered in mid-air, his spiritual power extending like an intricate web across the battlefield.

While rapidly extracting internal data and information from every warship, he relayed real-time instructions to all the black giant teams.

“The primary access point is located beneath the third armor plate on the port side.”

“Avoid complete severance; the underlying structure is fragile.”

“That vessel is designated a supply ship. Its internal energy storage has not yet been depleted—strictly prohibit any elemental attacks.”

“Ensure the database remains intact.”

“Do not approach the silver core; it is programmed for self-destruction.”

An unending stream of commands flowed at high speed through the spiritual network.

Concurrently, Jie Ming began a silent review of the entire engagement within his spiritual consciousness.

Based on the intelligence gathered thus far, he could affirm that his apprehension had been well-founded.

He brought up the technological framework extracted from the flagship’s database.

Cascading light screens unfurled within his spiritual sea.

Communications, armaments, propulsion systems, defensive shields, power generation…

He scanned through them rapidly.

In conventional technological sectors, the Tentacle Tree Civilization revealed no exceptional advancements—falling below average for a sixth-level civilization.

Not deficient, yet not particularly formidable either.

Despite this, the civilization possessed specific technologies that captured Jie Ming’s keen interest.

His attention lingered for a moment.

“Quantum entanglement communication…”

He slightly narrowed his eyes.

In the realm of ultra-long-distance communication technology, this civilization had even surpassed numerous entities possessing seventh-level combat prowess.

Quantum entanglement presented a unique challenge. It transmitted data directly via quantum state collapse.

In simpler terms.

The information did not traverse space; it manifested instantaneously at the destination.

Interception, such as with electromagnetic waves or energy signals, was impossible.

Had the enemy succeeded in transmitting a message back to their home plane prior to this event… the ramifications would have been significantly more dire.

At this realization.

A subtle sense of relief washed over Jie Ming once more.

He then turned his focus to another set of technologies: the self-destruction protocols.

“How extreme. Just how intensely did these beings fear their warships falling into enemy hands…”

Physical implosion, energy overload, data corruption, neural network erasure…

There was even a comprehensive “anti-information-state dissolution system” capable of reducing an entire warship to chaotic particles in the briefest period. In terms of scuttling their own vessels, the Tentacle Tree Civilization exhibited a ruthless and absolute thoroughness.

For a few moments, Jie Ming remained silent. Then, a soft chuckle escaped him.

“While the fears of these Tentacle Trees weren’t entirely baseless, they were still a step too slow.”

Had his actions been even a fraction slower moments ago.

What would remain now would likely be naught but scattered heaps of metal wrecks, still in the process of breaking down.

However, the world operated without “ifs.”

Jie Ming settled cross-legged in the void for a spell, formally cataloging this recent memory within his spiritual sea's archives. It was his established custom.

During post-engagement debriefs, every misstep and every fortunate turn was meticulously recorded.

This was crucial because one of the foremost taboos among wizards was mistaking sheer luck for genuine strength.

Shortly thereafter.

Jie Ming's eyes opened once more.

The containment efforts below were rapidly approaching completion. All the enemy warships had their offensive weapon systems systematically dismantled. Their energy cores were meticulously extracted, and their external interfaces were all etched with potent sealing runes before the vessels were uniformly towed towards the designated containment zone situated in the northern hemisphere. As for the captured combatants, they remained suspended in a state of temporal stasis. These individuals were extracted from the warship interiors in batches, subsequently sorted and assigned unique identifiers. Now, they awaited Jie Ming's final judgment.

Jie Ming cast his gaze downward, contemplating for a few seconds. He then issued his command: “I am returning to the laboratory. Bring forth their fleet commander.”

“Understood!”

Within the laboratory's confines.

The space continued to emanate a subdued, pale blue luminescence. The atmosphere was heavy with the blended aromas of metal, alchemical reagents, and potent energy crystals. Jie Ming proceeded to the central experimental table, immersing himself in the newly acquired data while waiting in quiet anticipation. Soon, heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber. Hulking, dark figures escorted several time-frozen Tentacle Tree officers into the laboratory. The individual leading the group—distinguished by a denser canopy and silvery-gray tentacles—was identified as the fleet commander. Due to the lingering effects of temporal stasis, his expression still held the stark shock from the very instant of their defeat. Several of his tentacles remained suspended mid-air, as if poised to issue one last, futile command. The officers trailing behind him appeared even more disheveled; some bore ruptured canopies, while others had their tentacles unnaturally curled. One particularly young officer had even contorted himself into a tight ball.

The imposing black giant priest inclined his head slightly. “Master, the designated individuals have been brought.”

Jie Ming gave a subtle nod. With a controlled surge of spiritual power, he dissolved the temporal stasis. A sharp cracking sound ensued, akin to invisible amber shattering. In the subsequent moment, all the captives simultaneously regained their senses.

The fleet commander’s head snapped up abruptly. Within his crystalline eyes, the final moments before his incapacitation were still vividly etched: the image of his plummeting flagship, the severed communication lines, the piercing blare of alarms, and then… he saw Jie Ming. An entity that utterly defied their fundamental understanding of existence. Possessing two legs, and a form vaguely resembling primitive ape-like beings. Despite Jie Ming’s remarkably composed demeanor and the absence of any overtly threatening aura, the instant the commander’s gaze met him, fine fissures spiderwebbed across his entire bark-like exterior. Several tentacles instinctively moved to shield his frontal area. He staggered backward, while the two officers flanking him crumpled to the ground directly, their crystalline eyes darting wildly. A profound silence descended upon the entire laboratory.

However, not all the captured officers exhibited such timidity. Suddenly, a drastic change occurred. A senior officer, distinguished by a deep-brown coloration, erupted with terrifying ferocity! Jie Ming could distinctly perceive within the officer's spiritual fluctuations that all traces of fear had been instantly supplanted by unbridled madness. A resounding boom echoed as violent energy surged from hidden auxiliary mechanisms within the officer's trunk. Over two hundred tentacles simultaneously deployed sharp mechanical spikes, barbs extending outwards as a dark green venom rapidly coated their tips. Subsequently, the concealed propulsion unit on his back ejected a torrent of flames, propelling him towards Jie Ming like a runaway, heavily armored war chariot! Yet, Jie Ming merely cast a detached glance in his direction. Time froze once more. The enraged officer remained locked in his lunging posture, rigidly solidified in mid-air. The flames erupting from his propulsion unit formed an almost artistic, frozen tableau. The black giant priest calmly gestured, and two of his brethren stepped forward, effortlessly lifting the now-motionless

At most, a handful of the black giant priests registered the creatures’ blatant disrespect toward their master. However, as Jie Ming remained silent, they naturally refrained from stepping in to address the transgressors.

The reason behind his desire to interrogate these peculiar trees was nothing more than a sudden whim. All pertinent information about their home plane had already been thoroughly extracted. Even without their cooperation, a diligent study would undoubtedly lead him to the precise coordinates required. The current interrogation was purely an exercise to gauge their disposition. If the opposing party proved amenable to surrender, Jie Ming wouldn't object to integrating another race into his dominion.

Despite the Tentacle Trees lacking a humanoid form, they represented a civilization built entirely on technology. A defining trait of such civilizations was their robust foundational education, making them thoroughly suitable candidates for devotion to the Incense Fire Divine Dao. Coincidentally, following the Infernal Sulfur Plane's ascension to a medium plane after absorbing ten other planes, Jie Ming's territory had begun to feel somewhat sparse. Even with maximum territorial expansion, regions suitable for the black giants' habitation comprised less than half of the total area. The remaining vast expanses required the presence of conventional biological races like the Tentacle Trees.

The fleet commander's crystalline eyes rapidly scanned Jie Ming before shifting toward the entryway. As a seasoned veteran of countless battles, he swiftly assessed the unfolding situation and his precarious position. Though their species were vastly dissimilar, Jie Ming's displayed aura and demeanor conveyed a clear indifference. His thoughts raced, and ultimately, he slowly retracted all his tentacles, allowing them to hang passively by his sides. He then bowed his trunk, bringing his canopy almost to the ground, so that the extremities of all his tentacles made contact with the floor. Within the Tentacle Tree civilization, this action signified the paramount ritual of submission.

“I.”

“Deep Root Fleet Commander.”

“First-Class Expeditionary Chief Officer.”

“Harlowen Council Nomination Candidate.”

“Am willing to surrender unconditionally.”

His voice resonated, low and unwavering. Jie Ming gazed down upon him. After a protracted moment, he abruptly spoke.

“Name.”

The commander's form visibly quivered. He then responded in a hushed tone: “Varak.”

The laboratory lights flickered faintly as Jie Ming had already turned away. “Proceed with the reception procedures for him. Classify and detain all captives, ensuring technical officers are segregated from combat officers. Furthermore, screen personnel responsible for database and communication systems individually; their assistance will be crucial in organizing the gathered data.”

The black giant priest inclined his head. “Shall captive treatment follow—”