Chapter 502 |
“We are going to the appointment, or are we going to watch and wait?”
After Adam asked that, laughter instantly rang out inside the command center. The Meyeh True Spirit chuckled, “Of course we’ll go — this is a grand performance. It would be a shame to miss it.”
“Their souls and our primordial spirits, though the directions of their evolution differ somewhat, are essentially the same thing,” the Meyeh True Spirit said. “Changes in the soul will cause corresponding differences in the host body. Whatever the final result, Super-Void lifeforms will inevitably undergo change because of this. That change is the most precious data for us.”
“Besides, we very much need specimens of the souls of Super-Void lifeforms. Their bodies have already been captured and sent to the Mage World. If we can obtain the soul, there is a high possibility we can create a genuine Third Epoch lifeform. Everyone knows how important this is — it very likely could help us deal with the Red Zone, which remains a no-go area to this day.”
Absolute power breeds absolute confidence. With the ability to deploy ten True Spirit Mages at any moment, there was not the slightest worry in the Meyeh True Spirit’s words — it truly treated this as a rare spectacle, and an opportunity for the mages to achieve further breakthroughs and progress.
The highest tier energy of the Fourth Epoch is Aether. For all mages, including True Spirit Mages, Aether is the foundation. But even the most confident mages must admit: the terrifying lifeforms that survived the annihilation calamity and reached the Fourth Epoch possess energies above Aether. If their energies could be merged with Aether and thereby transformed into something usable by mages, what a tremendous power boost that would bring.
Adam could barely imagine it, but he also understood: that would be a second energy revolution not inferior to the magic revolution.
He nodded and said, “Then, Your Majesties, we should prepare now — select who will go to the Immortal Realm, and determine the firepower level the fleet should be equipped with.”
— — —
That question had always lingered in Adam’s mind. Mages were never independent existences; their development along the collective-evolution path meant every piece of knowledge and every spell could have a chemical reaction with others.
Adam had once daydreamed about what abilities he might have after becoming a True Spirit Mage. Fundamental forces like electromagnetism, the basic forces that compose material root-worlds, at the ninth level might possibly grant creator-like prowess.
Now Adam secretly hoped the Immortal Realm would undergo a change — that way he could witness the full force of True Spirit cooperation unleashed.
Wanxiang did not give a precise date, only saying “three years later,” without specifying which day. The mages were not overly anxious; after confirming that the bodies of the super-void lifeforms had all departed the Cataclysm Zone, they joined up with the three True Spirits set to go and departed for the Immortal Realm.
This time the True Spirit Mages did not bring their subordinate legions. Only seven Sanctum-level super starships sailed side by side, and both Adam and Nehem were on board the Gate of Truth.
Large starships moved slowly; given prior speeds, three years would definitely not have been enough to go from Xinyati to the Immortal Realm. But with Nehem aboard, the fleet’s travel speed increased dramatically.
One year after leaving Xinyati, Congzhen found Adam.
She had not departed alone but had followed the mages. She hadn’t understood Wanxiang’s order before; now she knew — she was merely a messenger.
Congzhen truly did not want to see Adam, but she had no right to approach True Spirit Mages, and she needed to vent.
“What’s the matter?”
Adam was catching up with Frank. Frank had made significant progress during the last campaign — he was now almost a Fourth-Tier mage, only missing one piece of advancement knowledge. Adam had already helped him apply to the Third Holy Tower for a portion of content on the soul wave-particle duality, which Adam believed would support his promotion. Frank had also expressed his willingness to leave the Seventh Holy Tower and join Adam’s mage legion.
When Congzhen arrived, Frank nodded to Adam and left the room. Congzhen then said, “Are you satisfied now?”
Adam frowned. “What do you mean?”
Congzhen sneered, “Because of your arrival, Hanxu Heavenly Sovereign and Xuanwei Heavenly Sovereign defected, Daoyuan Heavenly Sovereign and Primordial Heavenly Sovereign are at daggers drawn, and the Immortal Realm’s endless ages of peace have been completely broken. If you hadn’t come, the Immortal Realm wouldn’t be like this, and neither would we.”
Adam’s face was expressionless. “In the Aetheric Void, all things are in constant flux from beginning to end — the only thing that never changes is change itself. If you don’t change, you are eliminated; if you can’t keep up, you are affected by others’ changes. Isn’t that normal? It’s precisely because you remain unchanged that you were so easily affected. Even without the Mage World there would be other civilizations arriving. You’ve trapped yourselves for too long, so long you’ve forgotten how vast the Aetheric Void is.”
Congzhen’s neck stiffened; she wanted to say something, but Adam did not indulge her. “If you truly can’t accept it, you could die. If everyone dies, there is naturally no more change.”
Congzhen flew into a rage. Spiritual energy spilled from her body, unfolding endless strange phenomena on her surface, but in an instant it was suppressed back. Because her energy had been forcibly cut, she involuntarily emitted a muffled groan. Five advanced alchemical golems manufactured by the Seventh Holy Tower appeared around her — at Adam’s order, they would destroy Congzhen.
Adam waved his hand and the golems stepped back to his side. Then he asked, “What’s the real matter? I don’t have time to placate you.”
Congzhen stared at Adam with blood-red eyes, a hatred etched deep into her bones. Honestly, Adam could not understand the source of this intensity. They had not been close before, but her emotion was unusually fierce — and her mother was known to be close to the mages. “Wanxiang Heavenly Sovereign told you that the Immortal Realm is about to undergo a cataclysmic event and hoped you would not wade into the mess. Afterwards they would give you an explanation.”
— — —
Mages were not afraid of a mess. No matter how muddy the water, as long as it could be evaporated, it could not affect the mages — but Wanxiang Heavenly Sovereign’s attitude was odd.
“A year ago they sent an invitation. A year later they advise us to leave. It seems the situation in the Immortal Realm is very serious. Do you think Wanxiang is afraid that our arrival will inflame the contradictions?” Aisha said, thoughtful.
Wendy said with some displeasure, “That Congzhen — Adam, you were too polite to her. She actually dared to make a move inside the Holy Tower. She’s practically seeking death!”
Adam shook his head. “It is indeed strange, but thinking on it — could Wanxiang Heavenly Sovereign have suffered a calamity? Maybe that message was a last testament.”