Chapter 264: The Abyssal Star
Chapter 264: The Abyssal Star
Ji Xinghuo didn't have to wait long.
On the third morning, the Everday Emblem vibrated slightly, displaying its instructions. The inn where he was staying was not far from the gathering point; it was just a few minutes' walk to the foot of Guangzhao Peak.
In a small square, six Jingyingzu guards were waiting.
More people started to arrive.
Ji Xinghuo observed the others; they were all fourth-rank experts and above, with many being exceptional even within their respective ranks. There were also quite a few legendary fifth-rank cultivators, but no sixth-rank Kings among them. Each person wore the Everday Emblem, and most had relaxed expressions, indicating that this wasn't their first time here.
In total, over a hundred people had gathered.
Right on time, one of the Jingyingzu guards called out, "Please board the vehicle."
Everyone boarded a large hovering vehicle nearby, standing on a crystal platform as the Jingyingzu guards manipulated the controls. The vehicle slowly glided into a majestic crystal fortress.
Ji Xinghuo curiously observed his surroundings; this place was a blind spot in his electromagnetic perception.
Inside, they found sentinel machines everywhere.
These crystal-like sculptures stood in rows in every corner of the fortress, their energy fluctuations subtle yet collectively startling. In addition to the sentinels, there were also patrolling Jingyingzu guards, and above them, a crystal array hovered in the air.
The hovering vehicle navigated through the heavily guarded fortress and eventually arrived at a crystal gate situated before a mountain wall. There were twelve Jingyingzu guards here, and remarkably, the two leading guards were of the King level!
Everyone's Everday Emblem was inspected once more, after which the guards ordered the gate to be opened.
Beyond the gate lay a bottomless passage. The hovering vehicle entered, its walls constructed entirely of crystal and illuminated by bright light. Not far into the passage, another crystal gate blocked their path, guarded once again by the Jingyingzu, who opened it upon their approach.
In this short journey of a few kilometers, the hovering vehicle passed through six gates, taking nearly half an hour to do so.
Finally, they reached the interior of Guangzhao Peak.
Before them lay a massive enclosed space, shaped like a hexagonal pillar with a diameter of about 200 meters and a height of around 100 meters. The enormous crystal walls, towering a hundred meters high, were covered in intricate hexagonal patterns that reminded Ji Xinghuo of a beehive.
However, his attention was immediately drawn to the black spherical object in the center.
"Stargate!"
The stargate on Abyssal Star was similar to the one on Earth.
Both were perfect spheres that didn't reflect light, as dark as ink. However, the diameter of this stargate was much smaller, only about twenty meters or so.
A crystal platform had been constructed beneath the stargate, and Jingyingzu guards were stationed all around.
With just a casual sweep of his electromagnetic perception, Ji Xinghuo detected five or six King-level Jingyingzu. Behind the surrounding walls lurked even more powerful beings, along with an extensive energy weapon system.
The passage he had entered through was just one of several; there were more passages leading in other directions.
Under the watchful eyes of the King-level Jingyingzu, Ji Xinghuo followed the crowd toward the stargate.
"One at a time," a guard instructed, organizing the Everday Warriors into three lines.
Ji Xinghuo stood in the middle of the line, and soon it was his turn. Having passed through stargates before, he reached out and lightly touched the surface. The scenery before him distorted, and he felt dizzy as the world spun around him. When his vision cleared, he found himself in another place.
"Keep moving forward," a voice instructed.
Ji Xinghuo looked around, discovering that he was in yet another massive enclosed space.
It was also a hexagonal pillar-like space, similar in size to the one in the City of Everday. Powerful Jingyingzu guards were stationed all around.
However, he immediately noticed a difference.
"The gravity is stronger here," he noted after taking just a few steps. The gravity in this place was slightly greater than that of Earth and the Star Realm, approximately 1.3 times that of Earth.
The oxygen content in the air was high, higher even than on Earth—it was over 30%.
It only took him a few breaths to adapt, but he detected a strange odor, very faint, likely indicating the presence of other unknown components in the air.
"Is it sulfur dioxide or carbon dioxide?" he wondered. "Will I be poisoned?"
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but worry. These two gases were the 'oxygen' for silicon-based life forms, but for humans, while low concentrations were tolerable, high concentrations were toxic and could lead to cancer if inhaled over extended periods. Although his physical condition made the probability of getting cancer very low, it would still weaken his strength.
Everyone boarded another large hovering vehicle, similar to a bus, which then departed from the stargate's chamber through a nearby passage.
Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic perception scanned the bus beneath him, detecting superconductors and electric motors, as well as applications of aether technology.
The Jingyingzu had combined the two.
If one didn't look closely, it would be challenging to distinguish this vehicle from the hovering cars in the Star Realm.
There were also numerous tightly sealed gates, but these were driven by electric power and made of alloys, featuring familiar electronic systems.
Moments later,
The bus exited the last of the several-meter-thick blast doors and entered another passage, accelerating as it climbed upward.
Ji Xinghuo gazed at the rapidly sliding metal walls outside and the incline of the bus's trajectory, guessing that they were deep within the earth's crust.
However, the depth was even greater than he had imagined.
The hovering bus climbed for a full half-hour before finally reaching their destination—a city that appeared before them, bright and majestic. The architectural style was identical to that of the City of Everday, but the difference was that when he looked up, there was no sky, only a fully enclosed crystal dome.
This was an underground city!
The scale of the city wasn't vast; the entire underground space had a diameter of about two to three kilometers. Various exotic races with Everday Emblems could be seen on the streets.
Putting himself in their shoes, he reasoned that if foreign races were allowed into Earth, they would undoubtedly be segregated as well.
The bus came to a stop in a square, and the Everday Warriors disembarked, dispersing casually as they had done this many times before, while the Jingyingzu guards watched on indifferently.
"First-time Everday Warriors to Abyssal Star, follow me," instructed one of the Jingyingzu guards.
Ji Xinghuo trailed behind the guard along with over a dozen others.
Inside a grand hall adjacent to the square, the Jingyingzu guard distributed two items to each of them. The first was a strip about two fingers wide, made of silver-white metal, resembling a wristband that could be worn on the arm and would automatically adjust to a comfortable length.
"This is the Internal Circulation Band," the Jingyingzu guard introduced. "It comes with 'Internal Circulation Breathing,' which works in conjunction with the Star Gland to enable starlight to replace your metabolic consumption, eliminating the need to breathe external air. Energy circulates within your body, preventing poisoning."
Ji Xinghuo was amazed.
He immediately recognized it as a superpower equipment, but unlike ordinary superpower items, this one combined supernatural abilities with advanced technology.
It could be considered a Superpower Level One item, yet its effects were astonishing.
As he wrapped the Internal Circulation Band around his arm, it automatically contracted and conformed to his arm, fitting snugly against his skin as if it had melded into his flesh, all without causing any pain.
There was a button on the band, which Ji Xinghuo gently pressed.
Instantly, he felt his breathing change, and a brief sense of suffocation washed over him. However, within seconds, his Star Gland was activated, and with each inhalation and exhalation, starlight was evenly released into his lungs, infused into his bloodstream, and circulated throughout his body without affecting any of his bodily functions.
His nostrils continued to breathe habitually, yet no air entered, an intriguing sensation.
"Amazing!"
Ji Xinghuo praised inwardly.
This gave him a more tangible understanding of the Jingyingzu's technological prowess. With this Internal Circulation Band, many potential problems were resolved.
The newly arrived Everday Warriors were all adjusting to the internal circulation breathing.
Ji Xinghuo activated his Omniscient Star Pupil interface, and after about three minutes, one point of starlight was consumed. Such consumption was negligible to him.
Before the next point of starlight could be depleted, the previously consumed starlight had already regenerated.
"No wonder only fourth-rank evolvers and above can become Everday Warriors," he realized. Those below the fourth rank lacked the Star Gland and couldn't utilize the Internal Circulation Band. Even if they forced its use, they wouldn't be able to sustain such a rapid rate of starlight consumption.
Even for a fourth-rank evolver, their starlight reserves would need to be substantial to maintain the internal circulation breathing continuously.
However, if one were to engage in combat and deplete their starlight significantly, the Internal Circulation Band might be forced to shut down due to insufficient recovery.
The second item was introduced.
It was a chip the size of a fingernail, which Ji Xinghuo affixed to his right temple following the Jingyingzu's instructions. It melted into his skin like ice, leaving a white spot on his temple, after which there was no further reaction.
"This is the positioning chip, and it's extremely important," the Jingyingzu guard explained. "It locates your position on Abyssal Star and, when used with the Everday Emblem, enables communication, navigation, and access to maps. Most importantly, when you kill enemies, it will automatically record your corresponding achievements."
As an Earthling, Ji Xinghuo naturally understood that the so-called "chip" was, in essence, a personal terminal similar to a cellphone.
However, to many of the starry races, it was a novel concept.
Especially for those from less advanced tribal highlands, this technology was awe-inspiring and even induced a sense of apprehension.
"Those of you who have mastered the use of the chip can proceed to the side hall."
"Remember to check the information."
Ji Xinghuo entered the side hall, where a King-level humanoid Jingyingzu with a gentle gaze that also held an indescribable quality, addressed him, "Please come here."
"Look at me."
As Ji Xinghuo drew closer and their gazes met, an intangible torrent of spiritual will surged into his mind, carrying with it a command that, once imprinted, instructed him to never reveal anything he witnessed on Abyssal Star to anyone after leaving the planet. This applied to his subjective will, preventing him from verbalizing, writing, or even alluding to the information in any way.
He was forbidden from discussing related information even with other Everday Warriors, except when on Abyssal Star.
Ji Xinghuo's mind went blank for a moment.
When he regained his senses, he found himself standing at the hall's entrance, unsure of when he had walked out. Nearby stood others with dazed expressions, looking equally bewildered.
"So that's why!"
He finally understood why those who had visited Abyssal Star in the past couldn't divulge any information.
The King-level Jingyingzu was a spiritual hacker who had implanted a powerful mental suggestion into each Everday Warrior, safeguarding the secrets of Abyssal Star.
However, it seemed that this measure was ineffective against him.
"Hehe..."
Ji Xinghuo chuckled softly. How could a mere King-level spiritual hacker breach the mental defenses of his Omniscient Star Pupil?
Feigning ignorance, he walked out of the hall.
As he strolled down the street, holding the Everday Emblem, a screen appeared before Ji Xinghuo. With deft maneuvers, he logged into Abyssal Star's network and found that he could only access limited websites and forums. Upon entering the official Everday Warriors website, he quickly located the information he sought.
After perusing the materials, Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim, "So, Abyssal Star is like this..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
