Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1654
"Therefore, until the middle phase of the primeval war, most of the Gold Crystal Pyramids were either destroyed by the Nuwa Clan or dismantled by the Pangu civilizations' alliance itself. A great purge targeting the zealots of the Houyi Clan was performed too. Those guys who created the Gold Crystal Pyramids and who intended to use the Gold Crystal Pyramids to increase the Houyi Clan's influence were all killed.
"There wasn't a choice. For the Pangu Clan, such a superweapon was as great a threat as the 'feelings' or 'tenebrum energy' brought by the Nuwa Clan. How could they tolerate it?
"All in all, by the end of the primeval war, when my previous self lived and fought, few Gold Crystal Pyramids were left in the three thousand Sectors. My previous self once received a mission to destroy a Gold Crystal Pyramid. According to the intelligence, it was 'one of the few last Gold Crystal Pyramids' in the Pangu civilizations' alliance. However, after we reached the battlefield, we discovered that the Gold Crystal Pyramid was just an empty shell. All the internal facilities had been removed by the Pangu Clan.
"I did not expect that a Gold Crystal Pyramid was buried so deeply below the capital planet. Also, it seems rather intact and is running at full power.
"Did it slowly sink during the hundreds of thousands of years of tectonic movements? That's not right. Judging from the structure of the cave, this Gold Crystal Pyramid did not seem to have sunk naturally. It's more like somebody intentionally buried it here. What happened exactly? The Gold Crystal Pyramid can only be activated when it touches the rays of the sun directly!"
Frowning, Long Yangjun considered the reason.
"Although there is no evidence, allow me to take a wild guess based on what you said just now."
Li Yao said, "You mentioned just now that the Houyi Clan was a tough and even insane people in the Pangu civilizations' alliance, who tried to replace the Pangu Clan's leadership all the time. That's why part of the zealots of the Houyi Clan created the Gold Crystal Pyramids. The weapon was meant to deal with the Nuwa Clan on the surface, but it undoubtedly could've been aimed at the Pangu Clan too
"After realizing that, because they feared the power of the Gold Crystal Pyramids, or because they were wary of the ambitions of the Houyi Clan, the Pangu Clan destroyed most of the Gold Crystal Pyramids as well as the ambitions of the zealots of the Houyi Clan.
"It's very easy to understand what happened next. The zealots of the Houyi Clan, in order to protect their secret weapon, had to bury their last few Gold Crystal Pyramids carefully so that they could hide them from the Pangu Clan. Those weapons were the greatest leverage for them to rise again and deal with the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan!
"The Empyreal Terminus Sector is an intersection in the cosmos that is brimming with wormholes. It was of great military and political significance even in the primeval war. It was not strange that the zealots of the Houyi Clan built and buried a Gold Crystal Pyramid in this place. If I were one of them, I would've chosen this place too."
"If that is the case—"
Greatly alarmed, Long Yangjun said, "There must be some sort of 'self-lifting' system below the Gold Crystal Pyramid to ensure that it can rip apart the shell, rise on the surface of the planet, and infuriate the sun when it is necessary!"
"That's right. If this Gold Crystal Pyramid was truly the last leverage for the zealots of the Houyi Clan's wild gamble, it must be inestimably powerful."
Li Yao said gloomily, "Then, it is obvious why the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God fought below the capital planet over the Gold Crystal Pyramid ten thousand years ago. Perhaps the Supreme Emperor intended to destroy the Gold Crystal Pyramid whereas the Blood God tried to destroy the Star Ocean Imperium with the Gold Crystal Pyramid.
"However, where exactly did Wuying Qi learn the information about the Gold Crystal Pyramid, allowing him to excavate it so accurately? What is on his mind? Does he really know what kind of terrible destruction the Gold Crystal Pyramid could bring? Or he simply doesn't care even if he knows?"
Chapter 2610: Approaching the Truth! |
"Sister Long—"
Li Jialing, who had been listening quietly the whole time, suddenly interjected and asked, "The types of damage you just described were too abstract. Can you describe it in detail, about the influences the Gold Crystal Pyramid will cause to the Empyreal Terminus Sector after it is activated?"
"About that…"
Thinking for a moment, Long Yangjun said, "The Gold Crystal Pyramid's interferences on the star have different levels. Depending on the power output, the consequences may be vastly different."
"Then, assuming that the power output is the highest."
Li Jialing opened his arms and made a gesture of hugging. "Assuming that Wuying Qi collected all the crystals on the entire Empyreal Terminus Sector and compressed the crystals into the purest energy to power the Gold Crystal Pyramid to shoot at the sun!"
"If the level of this Gold Crystal Pyramid is high enough and it has not been destroyed by the passage of time, if Wuying Qi grasps all the ways to control it, and if he has accurately calculated the cycle of activity and the energy model of the main star of the Empyreal Terminus Sector… All in all, if all the conditions are met—"
Long Yangjun swallowed hard and said, one word after another, "It will be possible for him to raise the energy, radiations, and high-energy particles that the sun releases by 1% to 5%. An overwhelming solar storm that sweeps across the whole space zone will be caused.
"Nothing—not the spiritual shield of starships, the alloy shells, or the atmosphere of the capital planet—can completely resist the scourge of the solar storm. People who are exposed to the powerful sun will suffer radiation thousands of times more than what a human body could accept. Their blood will be boiled, and their viscera will be withered. They will be as dead as can be. Not the slightest of their souls will remain after the storm.
"That, however, is almost the most merciful way of death.
"If the radiation is slightly lower and only tore apart the gene strands deep inside the soul, the victims will not be killed immediately. Instead, their cells will wither and their flesh will rot in the next few months. It's like their physical bodies have died but their souls are still trapped in the putrid cage. They will watch their bodies turning into a bloody mud but can do nothing about it. Trust me. It will be the worst way to die in the entire universe."
After a brief silence, Li Jialing asked, "How many people will suffer the disaster?"
"All of them. Did you not hear what I said just now? The shell of starships, the atmosphere, or even hiding on the back of a planet—nothing can completely resist the solar storm. Some people will be killed by the solar storm on the spot, and others will suffer from the radiation in the next few weeks and months and rot because their cells lose the function of self-renewal. The few 'lucky dogs' will bear insufferable pain for the rest of their lives."
Long Yangjun sounded extremely cruel as she said, "Among them, the Immortal Cultivators whose bodies are tough and whose cells can recover quickly have a better chance of survival. However, for the ordinary people who take up more than 95% of the population, there is no escape for them. None at all!
"Besides, mankind is highly dependent on a social system today, which can be quite vulnerable. The solar storm will destroy everything that a modern civilization lives on. How are the hundred billion people on the capital planet going to survive in the doomsday when there is no energy, no order, and no resources?
"Even the Imperium of True Human Beings in its heyday couldn't evacuate a hundred billion people from one Sector to a different one in only several weeks, not to mention that the Imperium is in the middle of a civil war right now. Who cares about the lives of those people except for you two fools?
"Right. What I talked about was only the imminent influence. Nobody knows the consequences of the Gold Crystal Pyramid's stimulation on the star. Perhaps the active period of the star will be extended to decades. In that case, the whole Empyreal Terminus Sector will be completely obliterated!"
Li Yao and Li Jialing were silent again.
No words could describe their shock and fury at this moment.
"What about the lower boundary?"
Li Jialing asked in a hoarse voice, "Sister Long said just now that it was the maximal damage. I want to know what the minimal damage will be like."
"I'm very suspicious whether Wuying Qi could control the damage of the Gold Crystal Pyramid accurately, considering that he is just an amateur. He is just like a three-year-old wielding a chainsword that he does not understand at all. God knows what he will chop apart."
Long Yangjun said, "Common military theories hold that a troop will collapse after 10% of the soldiers are lost. If it is a battle-tested elite troop, the threshold can be improved to 30%. Assuming that Wuying Qi's purpose is to raise a solar storm with the Gold Crystal Pyramid and deprive the four families' ace fleets of 30% of their combat abilities, the 'collateral damage' that the solar storm will cause to the capital planet will be no lower than the number. 30% of the population, or specifically, thirty billion people, will die.
"That is not counting the population that would plummet as a result of the natural disasters, social chaos, famines, and plagues that would happen after the battle."
"It means that thirty billion people will die at the very least?"
Li Jialing asked gloomily, "And most of the seventy billion survivors will suffer radiation diseases for the rest of their lives?"
"Yes. That is the most understated power. Otherwise, it will be meaningless for Wuying Qi to activate the Gold Crystal Pyramid through all the trouble!"
Pondering for a moment, Long Yangjun suddenly changed her expression greatly. "Right, there may be another 'collateral loss', but I'm not sure whether it will happen. It's about the person who controls the Gold Crystal Pyramid."
Li Jialing was slightly stunned. "What do you mean?"
"The Gold Crystal Pyramid is a piece of stellar-level magical equipment, whose power almost touches the limits of the Pangu civilizations' alliance. Naturally, launching such magical equipment comes with a great cost."
Long Yangjun said, "Also, such superweapons were designed by and for the Houyi Clan, which was one of the races that were most different from human beings in the Pangu civilizations' alliance.
"While abundant genetic fragments of the Houyi Clan have been embedded into human beings, the disparities between them are still too huge.
"If a human being intends to activate the super magical equipment built by the Houyi Clan, don't you think that he will have to pay a high price?"
Li Jialing and Li Yao looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
Li Jialing said, "There are no techniques in the universe that can be activated without a price. In order to infuriate the sun, it will be quite normal if the performer has to be sacrificed. What's next?"
"Do you think that Wuying Qi will ask somebody else to control such a piece of critical magical equipment? He will definitely do it himself!"
Long Yangjun said coldly, "But don't forget that he is now residing inside your mother's body. If there are indeed severe consequences such as excessive exposure to radiation, it will be Li Linghai who actually shoulders it, right?
"Huh, I seem to realize why Wuying Qi needed to develop you as a 'perfect carrier'. He had seen it coming that his old shell would be broken and shriveled during the activation of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. Therefore, he carefully selected and developed a life seed decades ago, planning to use it as his new body.
"Of course, Li Linghai's love for you, Li Lingfeng's ambitions, and Li Yao's arrival might've been beyond Wuying Qi's expectations, and he failed to capture you. However, it is not important. As long as his plan works, Li Linghai's body will not necessarily decay in a couple of days. He will still have plenty of time to catch you, or to change to a not-so-perfect carrier if he can't find you."
"A*shole…"
The young lion's eyes were redder than the infuriated sun. He clenched his fists so hard that his bones were almost broken. "I'm going to stop you! I'm going to crunch your soul bit by bit, Wuying Qi!"
"I still don't think it's as simple as you said."
Thinking for a long time, Li Yao said cautiously, "Your speculation only takes care of the four families' ace fleets that come at the capital, but the price is that Wuying Qi's nest will be almost entirely ruined. How is he going to deal with the remaining forces of the four families?
"Therefore, Wuying Qi must have deeper plans. We have to get closer… Wait, look. Another tractor approached the Gold Crystal Pyramid. It seems to be unloading people!
"They look very familiar. I must have the files of those people in my memories. They should be the celebrities of the Imperium. What is happening?"
"They are Meditation Healers!"
Long Yangjun found their files in her memories. "The one in the lead is 'Illusionary Eye' Wu Tian, a famous expert in the circle of the Meditation Healers. He is almost as famous as Wuying Qinxin."
"Exactly. Now that you mention it, I remember them now. Many of them have the tattoos of a brain made of vipers on the back of their hands. It is a symbol of the 'Super Brain Association', a famous organization that comprises Meditation Healers. Those people are all the members of the Super Brain Association and the best experts at mental warfare!
"So many Meditation Healers, cerebral specialists, and experts in mental warfare have been captured by Wuying Qi and shipped to the Gold Crystal Pyramid in secret. Why? Does the activation of the Gold Crystal Pyramid require the sacrifice of Meditation Healers?"
"I don't think so."
Long Yangjun replied suspiciously, "The Gold Crystal Pyramid is supposed to launch a powerful wave to interfere with the star. It has nothing to do with… Meditation Healers!"
"However, it seems that they must be connected in a certain way."
Li Yao held his breath and narrowed his eyes, allowing the glittering pieces that were scattered in his head to be joined.
The most advanced brainwashing technology, the enhancement and magnification of brainwaves, the gathering of Meditation Healers, the brainwashing attack that Wuying Qi launched by blowing up Wuying Qinxin's head, the Gold Crystal Pyramid that could disrupt the star by releasing waves, Wuying Qi's trump card, a superweapon that could win the war in a battle… What was it exactly?
"I suddenly have an extremely ominous feeling."
Li Yao shuddered hard and spoke in a chilling voice.
"Long Yangjun, you mentioned just now that the mechanism of the Gold Crystal Pyramid is to send a stream of ultra-powerful energy to interfere with the sun. The sun will be used as some sort of magnifier and energy source, improving the waves by hundreds and thousands of times before spreading them out, right?"
"Yes."
Long Yangjun said, "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing."
His face gloomy, Li Yao said, one word after another, "I only want to know one thing. Is 'brainwave' some kind of wave, too?"
Chapter 2611: Die to Live! |
Hearing Li Yao's freezing voice, Long Yangjun and Li Jialing both looked as if they were just woken up from a nightmare, only to fall into another one that was even more horrible.
The three of them looked at each other in thoughtfulness.
"Are you saying—" Long Yangjun struggled to say, "—what I'm thinking?"
"In order to perform massive brainwashing on billions of people in a whole space zone, a most powerful energy source and a 'magnifier' or 'enhancer' with a high performance are required."
Li Jialing also said in a shivering voice, "We thought that it was impossible for Wuying Qi to get those things, but from what we have seen just now, he is much crazier and more talented than we imagined. He… He can regard the sun as an 'energy source' and 'magnifier'. No expert can possibly compete with an exasperated sun!
"Is it technologically possible?"
Long Yangjun was more or less overwhelmed. "I don't know. I don't know."
"Nobody does. That's why I have to get in."
Li Yao pointed at the Gold Crystal Pyramid. With a pair of eyes as sharp as those of an eagle, he said, "I have to get into this pyramid to observe its mechanism, collect more concrete proofs, send them to more people, and figure out a way to resolve it."
"Are you out of your mind? There are so many people around the Gold Crystal Pyramid, as well as many Imperial Guards who are armed to teeth and who are utterly fearless of death thanks to being brainwashed!"
Long Yangjun bellowed, "Open your eyes and watch! This is a narrow cave below the ground. The speed and agility of the Colossi are highly limited! In the boundless space, you are free to divide and conquer through guerilla warfare as fast as lightning, but in this place, when the iron tide is made of a thousand soldiers who were flooding forward, you will have nowhere to run to!
"It is needless to say that Wuying Qi may show up at any moment. You wouldn't think that you are capable of challenging Wuying Qi because you have touched the ceiling of the Divinity Transformation Stage after Xiaoming and Wenwen's modification, would you?"
"I'm not out of my mind. On the contrary, I have never been more conscious!"
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao pressed his forehead and stimulated his brain cells to jump crazily. "Listen, the most dangerous place is the safest place. One can only live if they are ready for death! We are beleaguered by Wuying Qi's army in the first place after sneaking into the capital planet in secret. It's difficult to sneak away now. Our only opportunity is to break in and hijack the 'Gold Crystal Pyramid'!
"The Gold Crystal Pyramid will be the best 'hostage' and the greatest bargaining chip for us to deal with Wuying Qi. Also, judging from the solid shell of the stellar-level magical equipment, it is impossible to destroy it from the outside. Even if we are equipped with Colossi, we can't shoot through the shell. Then, the only way to stop Wuying Qi's scheme is to dig into the pyramid, find the most critical core, and blow up its heart!"
