In the distant sky, the colossal temple, spanning a million kilometers, was now mirrored by countless replicas. These replicas opened, revealing numerous ejection ports. This structure was, in fact, a spaceship. To the astonishment of Ma Deju and others, the temple's speed abruptly increased. How could they possibly have three days to evacuate? By visual estimation, they would be within the enemy's ten-thousand-kilometer range in mere minutes.
"My god, it's a spaceship! I hope it doesn't have any other means of attack!" Ma Deju exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Get lost, you jinx!" Zhao Lei retorted, scolding him. Just as Ma Deju spoke, a massive, purple-glowing cannon barrel extended from the spire atop the temple, pointing directly at them.
"Activate shields, quickly… divert maximum power to shield energy supply!" Gao Kai shouted into his communicator as everyone else stood frozen.
"Reporting, sir, we've detected the enemy's attack intensity, we… we…" a female voice crackled from the communicator.
"We what, speak up!" Gao Kai almost blurted out.
"Our protective shields are at full capacity, but they probably won't hold! The energy supply can only last for another two minutes!" the female voice in the communicator conveyed with despair.
Upon hearing the assessment from the communicator, everyone fell silent. They knew it was over.
"The energy is still building up. Initiate an emergency evacuation alert immediately. Run as far as you can!" Gao Kai composed himself and issued the order. Knowing the urgency, there were no further questions. In the next second, they heard the emergency evacuation alert, its tone entirely different from before, accompanied by the urgent calls of the female voice from the communicator broadcasting the evacuation.
Gao Kai turned back, his gaze sweeping over the grim faces of the assembled group. "What are you waiting for? Get moving!"
Seeing Gao Kai's urging, the others didn't hesitate. They knew that while their mechas could be destroyed, their lives were irreplaceable. They had only one life; death meant the end. As long as they survived, they could rebuild and contact Blue Star to have more mechas delivered. Even the impetuous Ma Deju, without a word, simply stamped his foot and turned to leave. The others followed suit.
Only Zhao Lei and Jing Kaiyu remained.
"Why aren't you two leaving? This is not the time! Prioritize the bigger picture, scram!" Gao Kai frowned, adopting a dismissive demeanor and scolding them.
"Brother Kai, you're not planning to use that move, are you?"
"Yeah, can you handle it yourself?" Zhao Lei and Jing Kaiyu smiled at him. Hearing their words, Gao Kai's serious expression gradually softened.
"Is my acting that bad?" he chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"It's not that your acting is bad, it's just that we know you too well!" Jing Kaiyu shrugged.
"Exactly. You know, Brother Tian left you that gem, saying it could be used to call for help from the Netherworld in times of need. We've fiddled with it for ages, and Lin Ran said it probably couldn't be activated due to insufficient energy. Even if we pooled everyone's energy, we couldn't open it. Now, with this immense energy source before us, coupled with Lin Ran's energy conversion array, you're bound to take a gamble in this critical moment!" Zhao Lei said, pouting, revealing Gao Kai's intentions.
Jing Kaiyu added after Zhao Lei finished, "You know that the more people who preside over the energy conversion array, the greater the converted energy. Yet you're telling us to leave, intending to preserve our fighting strength. If you fail, it won't be a complete annihilation. Enough talk, it seems they're about to unleash their attack!"
Gao Kai looked at these two old brothers, knowing that no amount of persuasion would make them leave. He nodded. "Let's begin!" With that, he transformed into a streak of light. Zhao Lei and Jing Kaiyu did the same. Three streaks of light streaked across, appearing in a dark underground expanse. The area was as large as a football field, with an intricate array etched onto the ground. In the center of the array lay a small, dark green pebble – the Netherworld Jade that Chu Tian had brought back from the Netherworld.
Without any further words, Gao Kai and the other two positioned themselves in three separate directions. The array had nine concentric circles around its perimeter, meaning it could accommodate nine individuals to operate it. While it could be activated by one person, more people meant a stronger array. This was the energy conversion array created by Lin Ran, now amplified infinitely. Gao Kai intended to use the massive energy from the external attack to convert and channel it into the dark jade. He was uncertain about the ultimate effect, and how to request aid from the Netherworld remained a mystery. However, trusting Chu Tian, he chose a daring path.
The three exchanged a glance across the distance and nodded. Their bodies began to radiate light. As they continuously infused their spiritual energy into the array, the faintly visible formations on the ground suddenly illuminated, with multicolored light shooting towards the sky.
At that very moment, a beam of light thousands of meters wide erupted from the top of the temple. Inside the fortress, evacuation was still underway. The mechas in standby mode were unable to do anything. But how could such an evacuation be accomplished in a mere five minutes? The incoming attack beam was incredibly fast. It collided with the fortress's rising protective shield almost instantaneously.
*Vrrrum…!* The protective shield shuddered violently. Alarms blared within the control room. Many people had not yet evacuated. Among them was the woman who had spoken to Gao Kai earlier. They were all mecha pilots. Even if they died, they could return to their bodies on Blue Star. However, they were assigned to logistical work because their combat strength was not high. Therefore, after everyone participated in the initial battles, and as combat strength became differentiated, the players who had originally been life players in the Heavenly Dao World were assigned to logistical duties.
The woman was currently operating a control panel, while those behind her were continuously inputting data. "Concentrate the defense! Don't spread it out!"
"Captain, even with concentrated defense, according to the energy consumption rate, we can only hold out for another thirty seconds at most!"
"Just do as you're told! Every extra second buys the brothers more time to escape. We don't fear… as long as we have resources, we can be reborn. But the beings from the Demon Realm, the Monster Realm, and even the Elven tribes only have one life!"
The protective shield facing the beam was being melted. The ten seconds she had estimated were nearly up. Thus, she decided to abandon the defense of the entire fortress and concentrate the energy onto the ten-thousand-meter diameter section.
*Vrrrum…!* Following their操作, the defenses in other areas were deactivated, forming a disc directly in the path of the light beam.
*Boom!* The light beam paused abruptly. However, the protective shield continued to melt. As they had said, they only had thirty seconds. This was all they could do. As the thirty-second countdown ended, the protective shield was reduced to a thin film. The woman slowly closed her eyes. The next moment, they would face a terrifying death. Although they had experienced death countless times in the Heavenly Dao World and had developed strong mental fortitude, knowing they could be revived and return to their bodies on Blue Star, they were not as afraid.
The next instant, the light beam broke through the defenses and struck the planetary fortress. Instantly, half of the planet, which constituted the fortress, was obliterated. A massive shockwave reduced everything to rubble. However, at this very moment, a multicolored beam of light shot towards the sky. Although not as massive as the beam from the temple, it was like a hand, instantly grasping the incoming attack and creating a protective area. This was the energy conversion array activated by Gao Kai and the other two.
At this point, blood was trickling from the noses and mouths of the three. In that instant, the immense attack from the temple, upon contact with the conversion array, caused violent vibrations that severely injured all three.
"Damn it, it's this strong! Brother Kai, we underestimated this attack!" Zhao Lei gritted his teeth and exclaimed. Gao Kai's heart sank to his stomach. He had indeed underestimated the sheer power of this attack. Had he been alone, he would have been dead by now. Even with the conversion shield held up by Zhao Lei and Jing Kaiyu, it was less than a meter above their heads and was still slowly descending. This meant that the rate at which they absorbed and converted energy was not proportional to the rate at which it was outputted. At this pace, the energy they absorbed and converted would absolutely not be enough to activate the dark jade. Ultimately, the three were doomed.
"Let's go all out!" Jing Kaiyu shouted, his body erupting with golden light. "I'll go first! We'll be brothers again in the next life!" These were Jing Kaiyu's last words. Then, his entire body ignited in golden flames.
"Old Six!" Gao Kai and Zhao Lei cried out in shock. Jing Kaiyu was self-immolating, intending to win them a sliver of hope, but for himself… there might be no afterlife. If this state persisted, it was his body burning now, and eventually… his soul would too. However, his suicidal act did have an effect, albeit not a significant one. Burning his body only increased his strength tenfold. Although the conversion array's radiance intensified, the beam suspended above them continued its slow descent.
"Damn it, Brother Kai, what are you waiting for? You coward, I'm going first. Little Six, wait for me!" With a roar, Zhao Lei's aura surged, and he too transformed into a figure of flame.
Gao Kai stared, then let out a scoff. "You brat, who are you insulting? You call me old man, and I'll beat you on the road to the Yellow Springs!" *Vrrrum…!* Gao Kai also began to burn himself. Finally, the conversion array managed to hold the beam steady. At this moment, the dark jade, continuously infused with energy, began to emit a faint glow. The glow was extremely peculiar, as if it could absorb all light.
…
Netherworld.
The dim sky trembled incessantly. Within the Ghost Gate Pass, on the high platform, five individuals gazed upwards.
"Finally, there's some movement!" Chu Xinghe exclaimed, looking up.
"Waaah, we get to see Daddy!" Three small children suddenly ran up. The moment they arrived, they rushed towards three women standing in front. "Mommy, Mommy, are you keeping us confined because you're secretly going to see Daddy?" the three children chirped in their baby voices. They were all daughters, with lively features, appearing to be only two or three years old. However, children of two or three years old were not as sturdy as they were. Despite their childish voices, their speech was clear.
The three women were Luo Yiyi, Zhang Chengcheng, and Chen Yuer. Seeing the three little ones rush towards them, Luo Yiyi looked exasperated. She said to Zhang Chengcheng and Chen Yuer, "I told you! We can't keep them confined!" The other two women also wore expressions of helplessness.
"Chu Tian is fighting over there. If this inter-realm channel is opened, he must be encountering difficulties. Bringing the children with us would only be a burden!" Chen Yuer remarked. Zhang Chengcheng, however, rolled her eyes. "Who's a burden remains to be seen! Can our daughters be compared to ordinary children?"
The moment she finished speaking, before Chen Yuer could reply, the sky suddenly shook. A tiny, sesame-seed-sized hole instantly enlarged, revealing a bright light from the other side.
"Wow, I'm going to find Daddy!" *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…!* Three small figures shot towards the sky. Luo Yiyi and the other two reached out to grab them but missed.
"You little brats!" Zhang Chengcheng flew into a rage. Without regard for anyone else, she transformed into a streak of light and chased after them. Luo Yiyi and Chen Yuer's faces also changed. They followed Zhang Chengcheng, rushing towards the opened hole.
Chu Xinghe, standing behind them, moved to follow but was stopped by a woman in black armor, who was Chu Tian's mother. "Wife, why are you holding me back? If our daughters-in-law and grandchildren are in danger, how can I face Chu Tian!" Chu Xinghe asked, baffled, as she held him.
"With your meager cultivation, what good would you be? Just stay put… depart with the black-armored soldiers. I'll go first!" Chu Tian's mother glared at him. Under his bewildered gaze, she transformed into a black streak of light and vanished.
A moment later, Chu Xinghe stroked his stubbled chin. "Why do I feel like I'm relying on my wife for sustenance? Heh heh… but this feeling isn't bad!" He muttered to himself and chuckled. Then, he cast his gaze down from the high platform. The Ghost Gate Pass was immeasurably vast. Below, countless black-armored soldiers stood motionless, as if awaiting orders.
Seeing this, Chu Xinghe's face broke into a proud smile. "Minions, are you ready?" *Boom…!* With a deafening roar, they all stamped their right feet in unison.
"Hahaha, charge with me! Let's slaughter them without leaving a single survivor!" He declared, slowly floating upwards. A muffled roar came from below. All the black-armored soldiers rose into the air simultaneously. The dense formation looked like an army on the move, arranged in formation as if preparing for a relocation.
"Kill!" Chu Xinghe, from goodness knows where, drew a saber and pointed it towards the sky, then leisurely flew towards the hole. The black-armored soldiers followed behind him. Seeing this, Chu Xinghe's heart swelled with excitement. What man could resist the feeling of an army of thousands following his command?
…
Void God Realm. The fortress that once covered half a planet had now turned to ashes, leaving only a plain. A pillar of light continued to erupt here. In the central area, Gao Kai, Zhao Lei, and Jing Kaiyu were now reduced to mere skeletal frames. The life force within them began to fade, but it also intensified. Their entire bones turned red and began to peel. In the center of them was a dark, swirling vortex – the teleportation channel to the Netherworld.
As the three maintained the channel, they realized that the dark jade was the medium that activated the connection between the Netherworld and the Void God Realm. Their mission was now complete. However, at this stage, they could no longer stop the burning of their life force. But with support from the Netherworld, they believed future battles would be much easier. They hoped Xiao Tian would return soon.