Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 229
Li Yao nodded his head quickly.
"Of course it is, as long as you don't blame me for my lack of experience."
Shangguan Ce smiled.
"Your lack of experience is precisely why I want you.
"The ways of refining of the experienced refiners are all fixed and easy to be seen through by the strong demons who can make up counteracting plans effortlessly.
"In comparison, it's quite possible that beginners like you can refine some magical equipment that is beyond the expectation of the strong demons!
"But the main purpose of my visit today is not to invite you to join the military."
As he was speaking, Shangguan Ce took out a glitteringly silver card from his pocket and handed it over solemnly.
"Mr. Li Yao, please keep the card. When you're free, you can explore it with your telepathic thoughts. This is an invitation as well as a test."
Li Yao was truly stunned.
He was too familiar with the card.
A year ago, Long Wenhui, vice president of Hundred Saber Alliance and a Core Formation Cultivator, had offered him the exact same card to him, telling him that the card came from an organization hundreds of times stronger than the Hundred Saber Alliance.
On the surface of the card were written four words, which were 'When Stars Are Shining'. It seemed as thin as the edge of his saber, but it actually employed a space folding technique named 'hiding a world in a mustard seed' and sealed an enormous three-dimensional labyrinth inside of it.
After he finished his training sessions every day, Li Yao would extend his spiritual threads into the labyrinth and explore its destiny.
But after almost an entire year, he had never touched the boundary of the labyrinth yet.
As a result, his spiritual threads were much thicker and longer, and his spiritual root was far more tensile than those of other common Refinement Stage Cultivators.
He didn't expect that Shangguan Ce would give him an identical card.
Did it mean that General Shangguan Ce was also a member of this mysterious organization?
Shangguan Ce was too smart to ignore Li Yao's bewilderment. He realized what was going on and smiled.
"Huh? Judging from your face, you've been given the quasi-membership card of 'Occult Orbs Fellowship', haven't you?
"Makes sense. How could an excellent young man such as yourself who has made extraordinary achievements in the Grand Desolate War Institution be overlooked by strong Cultivators? I wasn't thinking about it thoroughly.
"Haha. Since you're already a quasi-member of Occult Orbs Fellowship, try your best to Cultivate and break into the Building Foundation Stage so that you will be a true member of Occult Orbs Fellowship. We'll fight side by side and conquer the cosmos!"
Li Yao couldn't help but asked, "General Shangguan, what kind of organization is this so-called Occult Orbs Fellowship? The Cultivator who gave me the 'quasi-membership' card only told me that it is an influential organization that is stronger than any sect and didn't give me any more information. Can you tell a bit more about Occult Orbs Fellowship?"
Shangguan Ce pondered for a moment and replied frankly, "Alright. Occult Orbs Fellowship is not an illegal organization anyway. As the Blood Demon Sector draws close, more and more secrets will be revealed to the world, including those about Occult Orbs Fellowship.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you something about it in advance.
"Li Yao, during your Cultivation, you must've been into many world fragments already, haven't you?"
Li Yao nodded, to which Shangguan Ce smiled.
"But the world fragments that you entered are not large in size. Their diameters are no larger than 500 kilometers. The environments there are exotic, and there are not many relics in them, at least not many significant ones that you find interesting, are there?"
Li Yao nodded his head again.
There were some relics both in Peng Hai's Small Grayfield and in Ding Lingdang's Billowing Star Sea. But they'd melted into the natural environment long ago and did not have anything special.
Shangguan Ce said, "As I expected. The world fragments that have been released to the public and are known by low-level Cultivators are the world fragments at the bottom level.
"As a matter of fact, we've discovered more world fragments than you can imagine. They are much more powerful and dangerous!"
Li Yao was breathing heavily.
"More powerful? More dangerous?"
Shangguan Ce nodded.
"What is a world fragment? As its name suggests, a world fragment is a fragment of a world which was torn apart during the brutal, bloody wars over the past 40,000 years by inconceivable forces and weapons.
"Are you curious about why the world fragments you came across have no trace of such wars?
"In fact, among all the world fragments, many were the ancient battlefields of those wars.
"There are mainly three kinds of ancient battlefields.
"Firstly, the world fragments created during the civil wars of the demon clan in the era of the Demon Beast Empire.
"In the 30,000-year-long Great Dark Age, the 'saint-blood demons' ruling over the Demon Beast Empire changed for more than ten times. Every change of dynasties means blood and vengeance. Many demons were mortal enemies. For them, killing their own kind was no less difficult than killing human beings. Therefore, a lot of fragmented ancient battlefields we have now can be traced back to that time.
"Secondly, the ancient battlefields created 10,000 years ago in the renaissance war of human beings between the Star Sea Imperium and the Demon Beast Empire when the Supreme Emperor rose up.
"The horror of such ancient battlefields is beyond the description of any words.
"Thirdly, the ancient battlefields created during the Armageddon Rebellion when the Blood God was possessed by the invading demons and transformed into Mad Armageddon.
"The Armageddon Rebellion destroyed the Star Sea Imperium. The human world was scattered again. The Heaven's Origin Sector ended up as a lone world floating in the edge of the cosmos.
"Such battlefields are also too cruel and brutal to be elaborated on, too.
"Other than the ancient battlefields, some world fragments were created on purpose.
"Of such world fragments, some are the cemeteries or the havens of legendary Cultivators; some are the research centers of mysterious projects; some are the last bases of other species, forces and troops; some are even the relics of the prehistoric civilizations from billions of years ago before the human civilization came into being.
"Li Yao, can you understand the value of such world fragments?"
Li Yao was deep in thought.
The longer he pondered, the brighter his eyes became.
The advanced world fragments were thousands of times more valuable than ordinary world fragments.
Shangguan Ce nodded his head and said, "It seems that you've got it.
"If a world fragment is an ancient battlefield, dead bodies of ancient soldiers, as well as their magical equipment, weapons, and rune arrays, are possible to be retrieved.
"If a world fragment is the cemetery or the haven of a legendary Cultivator, it will be even better. It's very likely that his lifelong collections are stored inside.
"If a world fragment is the research center of certain mysterious projects, or the last base of certain ancient forces, we may even get a complete Cultivation system out of it!
"Moreover, some world fragments are not of much value per se, but they are not entirely cut off from the mother world. We can use those world fragments as platforms to enter into another world!
"You should be aware of the significance of the world fragments for human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector right now.
"The Star Glory Federation barely had any advantage 500 years ago and could only wait to be attacked passively. But 500 years later, a brilliant Cultivation civilization has flourished. We're even starting to refine starships, ready to break the limit of the Heaven's Origin Sector and cruise in the universe.
"Is it possible to learn all the technologies without inheriting knowledge of the past? Definitely not!
"Many parts of our Cultivation system, Cultivation arts, and magical equipment technologies are rooted in the discoveries in the world fragments!
"The world fragments that contain the relics of the civilizations over the past 40,000 years are called as 'Occult Orbs'.
"Occult Orbs are both mysterious and valuable.
"Countless treasures are buried inside Occult Orbs waiting for the valiant warriors to conquer!"
Li Yao finally understood everything,
"Occult Orbs Fellowship is an organization that explores and develops Occult Orbs?"
"Correct!"
Shangguan Ce stopped smiling and looked at Li Yao with a solemn expression.
"The Occult Orbs are of paramount importance to the human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector. However, the immeasurable value of the treasures hidden in them is enough to incite the greed of any organization or person, which might lead to a civil war among Cultivators. Therefore, 392 years ago, all the sects of the Cultivation world and representatives of the ordinary people gathered together and established Occult Orbs Fellowship with strict rules.
"Occult Orbs Fellowship is the top organization beyond all sects and forces in the Cultivation world of the Heaven's Origin Sector. It has two missions.
"Firstly, explore and conquer Occult Orbs to absorb and digest the Cultivation system, Cultivation arts, and magical equipment technology buried in them.
"By making best use of them, the Cultivation civilization of the Heaven's Origin Sector will strive for a better future.
"Secondly, ensure that the secret arts and treasures retrieved from the Occult Orbs do not become the property of a certain sect or person but are used for the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. All the Cultivators and ordinary people should benefit from the Occult Orbs!"
Chapter 336: Children of Occult Orbs |
Shangguan Ce paused for a moment with a grave face. His voice sounded hoarse, too.
"The two rules were established by the Cultivators of the Heaven's Origin Sector at the cost of thousands of people's blood.
"Hundreds of years ago, when the human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector first started exploring the Occult Orbs on a large scale, the federation nearly collapsed because of the looting of the secret treasures.
"The flourishing and doom of Red Dragon Legion had a lot do with the Occult Orbs, too.
"So, we decided not to reveal all the information of the Occult Orbs to the public. Even many Cultivators knew little about them.
"Occult Orbs, secret treasures, ancient arts… They can be catalysts to push our civilization forward, and they can also be tinder that burns our civilization to the ground."
Li Yao knew exactly what Shangguan Ce was talking about.
Legends about 'treasures' were the most alluring stories among human beings all the time.
However, every legend of a treasure had always been concerned with bloody fights.
Li Yao could imagine how his predecessors were grasped by desire and greed and ended up being killing machines after they entered the Occult Orbs and discovered powerful secret treasures.
It might not be a bad idea to let Occult Orbs Fellowship stay on the top of everything.
Shangguan Ce sighed and continued, "It's exactly because the Occult Orbs are so addictive that Occult Orbs Fellowship has a very high standard for its members.
"But it's not the sole reason why Occult Orbs Fellowship is unwilling to set the Occult Orbs to the public and permit all the Cultivators and even ordinary people to explore and excavate them. There are another two reasons.
"Firstly, it is very difficult to send someone into an Occult Orb.
"Different from ordinary world fragments, Occult Orbs often have enormous barriers or blockades. Some of them are far from the Heaven's Origin Sector, with countless turbulent spiritual tides in between.
"To teleport a Cultivator to an Occult Orb and bring them back safely, the cost can be astronomical.
"For the Occult Orb furthest away from us with the strongest barriers, the cost to teleport someone into it is enough to build up a crystal warship!
"Because of the huge cost, it's understandable that we can't teleport a random Cultivator to the Occult Orbs easily."
Li Yao nodded his head.
It was quite acceptable. The same rule applied to the selection of astronauts. Since the journey was too expensive, it was not very likely that an ordinary person would be picked as a candidate.
Shangguan Ce continued, "Secondly, the Occult Orbs are full of perils, with a very high death rate. Common Cultivators would merely be committing suicide if they were to enter them."
Li Yao asked in surprise, "What are the dangers in the Occult Orbs?"
Shangguan Ce explained, "There are three dangers in the Occult Orbs.
"The first danger is that the natural laws the Occult Orbs abide by can be on the opposite of those in the Heaven's Origin Sector.
"The gravity of some Occult Orbs is dozens of times more powerful than here; some randomly switch from a frigid hell of minus a few hundred degrees to a blistering furnace of thousands of degrees; some have strongly corrosive raging wind which can tear your flesh and blood off your bones effortlessly; some look peaceful, but there are mysterious soul swirls on them which will consume you and lock you in the most horrible nightmare forever once you step inside.
"These are just the differences of natural laws, which are easier to cope with.
"But as I mentioned just now, many Occult Orbs are ancient battlefields from bloody wars over the past 40,000 years. Naturally, a lot of magical equipment, rune arrays, and weapons have been left on them. Such items might still be in an active state even though tens of thousands of years have passed.
"If one enters an ancient battlefield recklessly, the ancient magical equipment may take them for its enemy and annihilate them in no time!
"If the Occult Orb in question is the ancient research center of secret arts, or the cemetery of a legendary Cultivator, or the last shelter of some ancient forces, there will be even more barriers, snares and traps.
"Even the most cautious explorer risks stepping into one of them, and if so, not only will his body be blown to pieces, his soul might also be ripped apart. He will be doomed forever with no way to turn back!
"But the two dangers above are not the most frightening ones.
"The scariest danger is the risk of meeting other species who are exploring the Occult Orbs just like us.
"Besides demons and demonic Cultivators, human Cultivators from other worlds must be paid close attention to.
"Under the savage of harsh environment and the temptation of powerful secret treasures, even blood brothers may turn against each other. Cultivators from other worlds might be the most brutal enemies!"
Li Yao was somewhat shocked. He blurted out, "There are other species in the Occult Orbs?"
Shangguan Ce nodded.
"Occult Orbs are the legacies of all civilizations over the past 40,000 years. Of course, all the species in the cosmos are interested in them.
"You should know that the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector are very close to each other from the four-dimensional point of view. We're 'twins' and a 'dual world system'. The development level of the two civilizations are very close.
"Therefore, the Occult Orbs that we find are mostly in the Blood Demon Sector's eyesight, too.
"Besides, many Occult Orbs are the remnants of battlefields of the Blood Demon Sector after more than ten times of alternation of dynasties, or the tombs of the strong demons. There are many secret arts in the Blood Demon Sector that allow them to detect, discover, and reach those Occult Orbs.
"Therefore, it's perfectly normal that you come across strong demons in the Occult Orbs."
Li Yao was surprised.
"Then what do we do if we meet experts of the demon clan in the Occult Orbs?"
Shangguan Ce smiled in response.
"We do what we must. Should we come across demons or demonic Cultivators, just kill them all! It is also the biggest battleground between the Blood Demon Sector and us. Whoever discovers more Occult Orbs and retrieves more secret treasures, secret arts and Cultivation systems will be more likely to evolve into a stronger civilization and win the war between the two Sectors!
"But it's a pity when it comes to the human beings from other worlds.
"Over the hundreds of years of exploration, we've met humans from other worlds a couple of times. But every single time, we failed to trust each other. Even if we were forced to cooperate under the outside pressure, we always went against each other after the secret treasures were dug out. The human civilizations of different worlds have never truly cooperated so far.
"It seems that not every human civilization values the ethics of human beings, nor do they want to enlighten the cosmos with the wisdom of human beings.
"Maybe, during the thousands of years of bloody battles after the Armageddon Rebellion, such human civilizations have developed a whole different set of survival strategies."
Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Does the quasi-membership card mean that I'm a candidate of Occult Orbs Fellowship now, and that I will become an eligible member to enter the Occult Orbs to retrieve secret treasures and inherit the ancient knowledge after I break into the Building Foundation Stage?"
Shangguan Ce said, "Correct.
"Sometimes, when the actual situation of an Occult Orb or the purpose of a mission dictates, Occult Orbs Fellowship will invite non-member Cultivators to the world fragment.
"That's because the natural laws of the Occult Orbs can be really weird. In some Occult Orbs, all the magical equipment will lose functionality because of the barriers on them.
"In such cases, we'll invite strong body practitioners to explore them bare-handed.
"In some other Occult Orbs, it requires music to crack the barriers enclosing them. This will be the time when culture-type Cultivators get useful.
"However, such non-member Cultivators are only allowed to enter certain kinds of Occult Orbs. For the sake of their own safety, we do not recommend them to explore more Occult Orbs.
