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Chapter 1082: Shocking Turn of Events

Chapter 1082: Shocking Turn of Events

Crab Star System.

In the universe, this star system resembled a multicolored cloud, extending its giant, crab-like legs in all directions.

Its two colossal pincers were none other than its two main spiral arms, from which an unknown multitude of planets and stars extended.

At the heart of the star system, atop a pitch-black planet.

The pressure here had reached an utterly astonishing degree; even Planetary-level powerhouses might perish upon arrival. . .

A mechanical satellite fortress orbited this dark planet, its engines operating at full capacity to prevent it from being ensnared by the neutron star's terrifying gravity.

A strange force field unfolded, causing the pressure and gravity within the fortress to sharply decrease, finally reaching a level that ordinary Planetary-level Immortals could barely endure.

"Crab Fortress. . . truly worthy of the empire's immense expenditure and the Royal Academy of Sciences' craftsmanship, to be able to resist the gravity of a neutron star. . ."

The spacecraft settled on the fortress's landing pad, and Fang Xi emerged from the hatch.

"Welcome, Prince Kāya!"

Beside the landing pad, a person dressed in a white shirt and black vest, with a moose-like head, bowed deeply: "I am the local supervisor—Awa, at your devoted service."

"I need to cultivate using the neutron star. . . I've already made arrangements, please prepare a seclusion chamber immediately."

Fang Xi waved a hand.

"Of course!"

Awa smiled kindly: "Allow me to explain, Your Highness. This fortress is protected by a force field, so the pressure isn't too severe. . . Down on the neutron star itself, the empire has spared no expense to construct three types of cultivation chambers: S, A, and B. A Class-B cultivation chamber costs one million a day, is located on the neutron star's surface, and offers the lowest intensity. As a Red Giant Immortal newly arrived for cultivation, I highly recommend this option."

"Then there's Class-A, located inside the neutron star, which costs three million a day. . . And finally, Class-S, situated at the very core of the neutron star. There's only one such chamber, reserved for breakthroughs, and it costs ten million a day. . ."

"Is the Class-S cultivation chamber currently unoccupied? " Fang Xi couldn't help but ask.

"It's still occupied. The latest queue is already for 21145 years from now. . . This is with your status as a Prince; for an ordinary application, it would be over a hundred thousand years later. . ."

Awa added: "Prince Kāya, a Red Giant Immortal using a Class-S cultivation chamber for the first time could potentially die outright. . ."

"I was merely asking out of curiosity. What about Class-A and Class-B? " Fang Xi continued to inquire.

These cultivation chambers were all in high demand, thus requiring advance payment and queuing.

Naturally, a Prince's status still afforded some special treatment.

The reason the Class-S cultivation chamber had such a long waiting list was, of course, that many in the queue held statuses no less distinguished than Prince Kāya's, such as his elder brothers and sisters. . .

"A Class-B cultivation chamber will be available in three days. With Your Highness's status, you can be placed at the very front of the queue."

"A Class-A cultivation chamber will require about a year's wait. . ."

Awa replied.

"In that case, let's reserve a Class-B for a year for now. Should a Class-A cultivation chamber become available, immediately queue me for it. . ."

Fang Xi nodded.

Awa nodded, but inwardly, he grumbled: 'What could one possibly cultivate in a Class-B chamber for a year? Rushing into a Class-A after that would still be quite dangerous. . . '

However, he had already offered his advice once before, so this time he said no more.

After all, it wasn't the first time a Prince had died in this neutron star cultivation ground.

Were it not for his salary and bonuses, he wouldn't have bothered to speak that extra word of caution.

Fang Xi entered the fortress and rested for a night.

It had to be said, the facilities here were quite complete, though compared to Emperor Star, it was practically a rural backwater.

Yet, seeing the pitch-black neutron star below, one understood just how immense the expenditure was to maintain this place.

The next day.

Fang Xi's smart butler received news that the cultivation chamber had been arranged, and immediately proceeded to the lowest level of the fortress.

The hall here was sparsely populated.

Aside from staff, there were only cultivators who had come seeking its famed benefits, many of them imperial civil servants and nobles, yet possessing the air of ascetic cultivators.

Fang Xi waited for a moment, then stepped into an elevator.

The next instant.

Rumble!

Accompanied by a booming sound, the space elevator rapidly descended, carrying him to the surface of the pitch-black neutron star.

This was a region of pitch-black structures, where the surrounding pressure and gravity were maintained within a normal range.

The narrow passages were forged from an entirely black metal—the empire's hardest alloy, Profound Essence Metal. On either side of the passages were small doors, giving a cramped, claustrophobic feel, like a dungeon.

Beep beep!

Fang Xi found his room number and swiped his wristband.

The door automatically opened, and immediately sealed shut after he stepped inside.

As far as the eye could see, there was less than five square meters, with no space for washing or eating.

Of course, for Red Giant Immortals, eating and drinking were for enjoyment.

For true sustenance, it was better to transform into a 'Star Devourer' and consume a few satellites and planets.

[Welcome to Cultivation Chamber B-22. This chamber offers different intensity settings; new users are advised to start from the lowest setting. . . ]

[WARNING! WARNING! Once activated, you will lose the protection of the fortress's gravity field, and your atomic nuclei may rupture, leading to death! ]

[During cultivation, due to changes in gravity, cosmic communication will be difficult to access. . . ]

Fang Xi carefully examined the various rules, a sense of déjà vu inexplicably rising within him: "Isn't this just. . . one of those gravity cultivation chambers? It's just that the gravity has reached an astonishing level. . ."

He sat cross-legged and directly pressed the large button.

Rumble!

In an instant, the surrounding pressure abruptly changed!

Fang Xi let out a slight groan, then immediately settled into it: "Good. . . Only this level of crushing pressure can shatter atomic nuclei and allow for the fusion of protons and electrons. . . "

If it were an ordinary Red Giant Immortal, enduring this kind of pressure would certainly require slow adaptation, followed by fine-tuning.

Then, they would ascend to a Class-A cultivation chamber, and finally, a Class-S chamber.

However, for Fang Xi, this was merely a cultivation accelerator.

A faint smile appeared on his face, as wisps of Law power encircled his body, stimulating the drastic transformation of his Life-Bound Star.

Within his Dantian, inside the sub-space crystal, the Fire Feather Star, long since transformed into a red giant, roared, its rotation speed dramatically accelerating!

The atoms, subjected to immense pressure, were undergoing some unknown transformation. . .

"Very good. Cultivating at this speed, the time it takes for me to break through to the Neutron Star Immortal stage will be at least halved. . ."

Fang Xi nodded, then immediately switched the cultivation chamber to its highest power setting.

Rumble!

Pressure equivalent to that of the neutron star's surface fully manifested.

In an instant, Fang Xi was pressed flat against the ground, resembling a toad.

Everything that composed his physical being began to shatter, seemingly about to reorganize and align from the smallest particles. . .

...

Imperial Calendar, Fiery Splendor Era, year 88933.

The Lanikainia Empire launched a counter-attack against the Zerg, sweeping through them like a broken bamboo.

Amidst the flames of war, the reputations of Princes Sator, Zorro, and others shook the cosmic expanse, directly driving the Zerg back to the frontier battlefields.

Imperial Marshal Nietzsche immediately announced the reconstruction of the stargate upon the ruins of the northern fortress, to utterly defeat the Zerg!

Meanwhile, Fang Xi was still cultivating.

Year 88934.

The Star Beast race entered the fray, and the Eastern Corps fell into bitter struggle.

His Majesty the Universe Great Emperor nearly led the expedition personally, but ultimately chose to dispatch an Imperial Marshal to the East for support.

Fang Xi continued to cultivate.

...

Emperor Star.

The Forty-Fourth Prince Wo Fu had been appointed Commander of the Garrison Legion and was conducting his daily inspection.

Beyond Emperor Star, over nine thousand satellites jointly formed Emperor Star's first line of defense, the renowned 'Phoenix Line'!

"Please rest assured, Your Royal Highness, the Phoenix Line, as the empire's ultimate stronghold, has undergone countless reinforcements and optimizations. . . Even if a Black Hole Immortal-level enemy were to launch a sneak attack, it could be detected in advance, and a response initiated. . ."

Inside the spacecraft, the person in charge of the defense line, a Neutron Star Immortal, said with a face full of flattery.

"Indeed, a defense system composed of nine thousand artificial satellites. Though called satellites, they are actually larger than planets and stars. . ."

Wo Fu gazed at this scene and couldn't help but sigh: "Every time I see these satellites, a fervor ignites within me; I can barely restrain myself. . ."

"Can't restrain yourself?"

The Neutron Star Immortal was somewhat surprised. Immediately, he saw His Royal Highness Wo Fu holding a glittering sixteen-sided object, which he lightly tossed.

Clang!

Columns of light emerged, like a crystal, sealing the Neutron Star Immortal within.

A hint of bewilderment still lingered on the other's face, but he was immediately compressed, collapsing inwards until he transformed into a thumb-sized crystal.

"The Royal Academy of Sciences' weapons are truly effective. . . Even as a Neutron Star Immortal myself, taking you down would require some effort."

Wo Fu muttered, while the numerous guards beside him remained unfazed, even beginning to turn on their former comrades.

A moment later.

A tall man, clad in Royal Guard armor, walked in, a strange expression surfacing on his face as he looked at the pointed horns on Wo Fu's head: "Kaisar Wu Hou. . . greeting the Forty-Fourth Prince."

"Very well. How long will it take to disable the Phoenix Line, using my authority as Commander of the Garrison Legion?"

Wo Fu asked casually.

"Complete paralysis is impossible, but disabling the reconnaissance functions to allow the five great pirate groups to enter is quite feasible. . ."

Kaisar spoke.

Originally, shutting down the Phoenix Line would have been almost impossible.

But with Wo Fu, the Garrison Commander, defecting first, and with the aid of the Royal Guard, disabling only certain functions became possible.

"Then. . . let's begin!"

Wo Fu looked at Kaisar, a smile playing on his lips: "Things being as they are, you no longer need to call me Prince. . . You presided over my enthronement trial ceremony back then, didn't you? Without your help, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to successfully seize a body and gain my title."

"All loyalty to Phoenix!"

Kaisar Wu Hou pounded his fist against his chest.

He was, of course, loyal to the empire, but not necessarily to His Majesty the Emperor.

Although the Emperor might be the strongest Black Hole Immortal in the empire's history, there were too few paths available to break through beyond the Black Hole Immortal realm.

That Universe Great Emperor intended to devour the concepts of the entire universe, unifying it into a 'Universe Unifier,' which would mean killing everyone!

Anyone who knew of this plan would resist!

...

Beyond Emperor Star.

One by one, the satellites that had been operating smoothly suddenly became somewhat sluggish.

Subsequently, pirate vessels emerged, unleashing antimatter cannon fire simultaneously, and the satellites of the Phoenix Line immediately exploded, one after another.

"The feast has begun!"

Super Beast Hu You gazed at the unprotected Emperor Star, a strange expression flashing across his face: "We are interstellar pirates! For freedom, for wealth. . . Charge!"

Bonus chapter tonight