togophonebook #347 - Before the world ends
#347 - Before the world ends
When Amina found Wang Daozhang, Wang Jixuan was already at the final stage of his breakthrough.
His entire body was covered in a cyan light, and a comfortable smile graced his lips. Spiritual energy condensed around him into various auspicious phenomena.
There were celestial deer drinking from mountain springs, celestial cranes circling from verdant hills, spiritual mushrooms growing legs and running around, and even the overlapping shadows of heavenly palaces.
It was Amina's first time seeing such phenomena, so she quietly waited by the side, watching with great interest.
If the old seniors of their cultivation world were to see this, they would probably gasp and exclaim, "Terrifying! This child actually has the bearing of an immortal!"
Amina waited for nearly two hours before a cyan glow gradually rose behind Wang Jixuan.
Naturally, she couldn't see the golden core within Wang Jixuan's body spinning rapidly;
But she could feel layers of ripples spreading outward from Wang Jixuan, disturbing the space and emitting an uncontainable divine aura.
Finally, the cyan glow condensed into a staircase leading directly to the heavenly palaces.
Amina suddenly sensed something and stared intently at Wang Jixuan's abdomen.
She vaguely saw a golden core gently vibrating, and within the golden core, there seemed to be an infant sitting cross-legged in meditation. She also saw Wang Jixuan's illusory figure ascending the steps…
Suddenly, all the illusory images vanished.
In Amina's sight, there was only Wang Jixuan's shirt and his abdomen with its six-pack abs.
Daozhang smiled and gently raised his hand. A stream of pure energy emanated, and the red snake, peony, Amina, and even Wu Man and Zheng Shiduo, who were guarding outside the door, all received a surge of pure spiritual power.
This was also a small custom in their cultivation world.
The Heavenly Bridge had finally been crossed.
He wasn't at the initial stage of the Heavenly Bridge anymore, but at the first level. There would be a total of six levels, with the golden core transforming into a nascent soul.
This process would be accompanied by both quantitative and qualitative changes in his magic power.
Only after truly entering the Nascent Soul Realm could Wang Jixuan say that he had a place in this chaotic world.
Well, before he had personally witnessed the combat power of the Pillar Blade Beast horde and Amina at her peak, he had thought that the Nascent Soul Realm was already invincible.
In reality, many things cannot be quantified, especially combat power, which cannot have an accurate number.
Wang Jixuan's techniques, spells, artifacts, formations, and talismans, as well as the spiritual energy circuits and core circuits of spiritual cultivators, cannot be compared using a unified standard.
He estimated modestly that a Nascent Soul could fight, and a Integration Realm cultivator could be defeated;
If worse came to worst, he would hide and cultivate to the Great Vehicle Realm, directly reaching the pinnacle of power in the mortal world, and then crush them all.
— The price might be sacrificing the current human world.
Daozhang opened his eyes, the divine light within them already concealed.
"How did it go?"
Only then did Amina remember her real purpose. She hurriedly stepped forward and transformed into her small form with a 'poof,' her bright eyes sparkling.
…
"You have no idea how terrifying it is inside!"
"Very, terrifying?"
"Ah, not in a spooky way. It's practically another world in there! It's all subspace! There's a complete, large city!"
Amina spoke animatedly.
She said quickly:
"I think I've figured it out. Our spiritual cultivation civilization has always had a place called the City Above the Clouds. It turns out the City Above the Clouds isn't in some high-level plane, it's right in the core area of this planet!
"And do you know what else?
"Spiritual energy! More pure and pristine than anything we've ever known, even with sacred attributes! I never imagined we could actually find the City Above the Clouds!
"Many of the buildings inside are made of crystal, crystal with spiritual energy!
"The spiritual energy on this planet, to be precise, is actually an overflow from the City Above the Clouds. All the spiritual energy forms a cycle within the planet, with the City Above the Clouds as the endpoint!"
Wang Jixuan's eyes lit up as he listened.
Crystal with spiritual energy… wouldn't that be spirit stones?
He quickly asked, "What about her?"
"She stayed in the City Above the Clouds."
Amina sighed:
"She's not in a good condition, and, well, how do I put it, she's always wanted you to go over and become the inheritor of their civilization.
"But she's too proud to lower her head and beg you, so she kept putting it off.
"This time, after I went in, she taught me a lot of knowledge and gave me about one hundred and twenty spiritual energy circuits, all of which are extremely rare!
"Now, as long as I can find my companions and share these spiritual energy circuits, the strength of our spiritual cultivation civilization will increase significantly!"
One hundred and twenty spiritual energy circuits…
Wang Jixuan was truly shocked.
This was also the advantage of the spiritual cultivator civilization. To master various 'techniques,' you only need to accept and copy the spiritual energy circuits.
Amina continued to describe it vividly.
A vast, prosperous city that operated on spiritual energy alone was unfolding before him.
Wang Jixuan gradually fell into deep thought as he listened.
Was his spiritual sense mistaken?
Or perhaps, there might be danger below, but the source of the danger wasn't the residual soul of Gao Huating's past life?
This residual soul was already powerless to come out. Amina had indeed gained a great benefit, and the other party hadn't been stingy in imparting knowledge.
The spiritual energy circuit that could close the Star Gate on this end had already been obtained. This circuit would be shared with the three spiritual cultivators of the Wings of Light later, because it would require their combined efforts to be effective.
Amina had gained a lot this time.
Moreover, according to Amina, the self-collapse of that remnant spirit wasn't due to the exhaustion of her own spiritual power, but to the collapse of her self-awareness.
She had existed for far too long, so long that she had almost confused herself with the civilization.
"Alright."
Daozhang breathed a gentle sigh.
He said with a wry smile, "Maybe I'm too suspicious. I always feel like it's too strange there. There's no such thing as a free lunch in the world, and any acquisition comes at a price."
Amina blinked, "Actually, I'm a little weirded out too."
"Weirded out by what?"
"Well,", Amina pointed at herself, "The core circuit is the continuation of their civilization. I'm the holder of the core circuit, so shouldn't I be the inheritor? Why would the inheritor be looking for you, a cultivator who has nothing to do with us?"
Wang Jixuan nodded, "That makes sense. Anything else?"
Amina carefully recalled.
After the initial excitement passed, she calmed down and began to recall what she had seen and heard in the past few days.
The magnificent city;
The beautiful subspace;
Various incredible spiritual energy technologies;
The harps that moved with the wind;
The portraits and sculptures of ancient civilization humans with overly slender bodies;
And, those eyes filled with a hint of sorrow and helplessness…
Amina shook her head, "I can't really say anything else. It was empty there, like it had been through a collective funeral. Or like it was originally a place of escape, but the disaster happened too quickly, and the people outside didn't have time to escape inside."
Wang Jixuan nodded and sat there, pondering for a long time.
He sighed, "Let's see how things go first."
"How do we see how things go?"
"Close the Star Gate first. If everything is stable afterward and there's time to cultivate, then it's enough for me to improve myself."
Daozhang flicked his sleeve and stood up:
"If the Blade Beasts continue to attack and we can't resist, then we can only go there and take a gamble.
"You can't give up halfway when doing things, that's one of the few principles my master taught me.
"Since I've already intervened in these matters on Earth, I naturally can't back down halfway."
"Wow,", Red Serpent exclaimed, "Teacher, you're quite responsible."
Wang Jixuan shrugged, "My cultivation depends on exploiting Blade Beasts. If I don't side with the Blade Beasts' opposing forces, I'll be wiped out by the Blade Beasts."
Red Serpent: …
Forget she praised him!
…
After Amina finished reporting to Wang Jixuan, she returned to her cold, big form and headed straight for the Arctic Circle.
Facing the three spiritual cultivators of the Wings of Light, she decided to take out twelve spiritual energy circuits that could effectively resist the Blade Beasts. As for the rest…
How she had been ostracized in the early years, she would naturally ostracize them back now.
However, there was one thing that Amina was quite pessimistic about.
This batch of ancient spiritual energy circuits had come too late;
Their spiritual cultivators were already almost wiped out. Even if they had new assistance now, their chances of winning were not high.
What's more, in order for these spiritual energy circuits to truly发挥价值 (fāhuī jiàzhí: realize their value), they would have to leave Earth smoothly and find other spiritual cultivators who were besieged in various places.
Amina didn't know what the future held;
She could only take it one step at a time, as Wang Jixuan had said.
After Amina left, Wang Jixuan hesitated again and again, but still invited Gao Huating to lunch.
This wasn't a date, and the lunch would be as simple as possible: two standard laboratory lunch boxes, a low table, and the two of them sitting on small benches, able to eat heartily.
However, Gao Huating still paid great attention to her image, only taking small bites of the food.
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Wang Jixuan asked directly, "How do you feel about your past life's soul?"
"Feel…"
Gao Huating responded softly:
"Very proud, and very stubborn. It's hard for me to refute what she believes in, but she should be a kind person, that's the feeling she gives me."
Wang Jixuan was a little preoccupied.
Gao Huating brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and asked softly, "Is there a problem?"
Wang Jixuan replied, "She wants me to inherit the legacy of the ancient civilization. I'm a little afraid to go."
"Eh?"
Gao Huating thought seriously.
She asked softly, "Will there be a trap below?"
"Not sure."
"In theory, she should just want to continue the fire of her civilization."
Gao Huating said:
“I don't actually communicate with her very often. She almost never appears unless something happens.”
“I originally thought that I would inherit her abilities.”
“But in reality, she prefers me to be an ordinary person, without having to think about spiritual energy. I remember vaguely hearing her say…”
“The path is wrong.”
“The path based on the core circuit rather than on humanity itself has become the source of all disasters. The sins they committed hundreds of thousands of years ago are still affecting this starfield.”
Wang Ji nodded thoughtfully.
He suddenly asked, “Do you eat meat?”
“Huh?” Gao Huating blinked. “I don’t…”
The Daoist Priest took the slices of meat from her lunchbox that she hadn't touched.
Gao Huating hurriedly picked out the meat in front of her.
Wang Ji smiled and shook his head. “I’ve already achieved the state of Bigu (grain avoidance). When I took your meat just now, what did you think? Did it feel abrupt? Did you feel a sense of loss? Even if it was just a little.”
Gao Huating blinked and nodded, as if understanding.
Daoist Wang sighed:
“Actually, it’s the same principle. Those things were never mine to begin with.”
“If that older sister was looking for a spiritual cultivator, or even an ordinary human… Of course, logically speaking, you should have inherited that ancient civilization, then I wouldn't hesitate at all now.”
“These can all be considered extensions of their civilization.”
“But I am just an outsider, and she clearly knows this.”
“She might have a good impression of cultivators, but that would at most be giving me a piece of meat, not giving me the whole plate.”
“That’s true,” Gao Huating said with some disappointment. “Ms. Amina said she wouldn’t be coming back. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye properly.”
Wang Ji suddenly had the urge to pat her head.
Like an elder caring for a younger one.
But with the difference between men and women, it was not very appropriate.
“Don’t think too much about it,” the Daoist Priest said with a smile. “If I really have to go down there later, I will definitely pull you along as a human shield.”
Gao Huating immediately laughed: “Then I will respectfully accept!”
“You even want to be a human shield?”
“Willing to serve Lord Black Storm like a dog or horse!”
“If your past self saw you like this, she’d probably be furious.”
“Eh, she is her, and I am me,” Gao Huating pouted. “Being connected to her is my honor, but if you want me to become someone like her, I probably can’t do it.”
Wang Ji gave a thumbs up.
Her mentality has always been good.
“Hurry up and eat,” Wang Ji put his two pieces of meat back in front of her. “Later, I’ll arrange a tour for you. The tour will be called, ‘While the World Hasn’t Been Destroyed Yet.’”
Gao Huating’s eyes immediately sparkled: “Where will we tour?”
“The military.”
Wang Ji said without looking up:
“The Space Great War is about to begin, and I don’t know how many people will die.”
“Use your singing to inspire the soldiers on the front lines.”
“Okay!” Gao Huating nodded vigorously. “I will immediately assemble a performance team and rehearse the repertoire, and strive to leave tomorrow!”
The Daoist Priest continued to shovel rice into his mouth, but he already had an idea in his heart.
This time, he should be knowingly walking into the tiger's mountain.
But there was no need to rush these things for now.
According to Amina's calculations, their chances of closing the Star Gate now were close to sixty to seventy percent, enough to take a gamble. They should close the Star Gate first and then see what happens.
If there were no new Blade Beast swarms within a few years, then Wang Ji would not need to enter the ancient civilization and could continue to suck the blood of the Sixth Pillar.
What he was afraid of now was that the Blade Beasts would play some new tricks on him.
…
Ling Tong lay quietly in the cockpit of the lightweight terror mech.
The mechanical arm and mechanical spine had been fully connected to the mech control system, preparing for the upcoming space battle.
Because of the microgravity environment in space, the terror mech could also carry more ammunition, making it a mobile arsenal. Ling Tong's own control skills became even more important.
“How does it feel?”
Sister Wan asked softly.
“Very good,” Ling Tong nodded and began to take deep breaths continuously.
Scenes from daily training flashed through her mind, and Wang Ji's smiling face suddenly popped up, distracting Ling Tong slightly.
Calm down, calm down.
She took a deep breath, and heard a familiar ding in her ear, and immediately opened her eyes.
The cockpit had fallen behind the neck of the terror mech, and the surrounding light curtains flickered gently, revealing the deep starry sky outside, and the surging, dense swarm of beasts in front.
“Full-line saturation fire delivery!”
Time: Fifteen days later.
The Star Gate Defeat War, fully launched!