Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
“But in both my inherited memories and the remnants of the Spirit Tides’s traces, I haven’t found any information about this race. Presumably, the Earth tribe is the same. For such a powerful race, aside from those in these crystal coffins, where did the others go? If they are truly so powerful, how could they allow this world to become the way it is now?” Ling Yang raised his tail behind him, looking at the countless crystal coffins with a puzzled expression.
Shu Xun’s voice was slightly deep, carrying a hint of sigh. “The most significant possibility is that they have probably been exterminated, just like that blank wall suddenly suffered a calamity and was cut off. Because of their strength, the first to sense the invaders should be the Feathered Wing race, and also, due to their strength, the first to be attacked must have been the Feathered Wing race. Looking at the patterns painted on the wall, it’s not hard to see that the Feathered Wings revered protection. If there was any strength left, they would surely have struggled fiercely. Now, looking at the world, it can only be concluded that the Feathered Wing race, the Spirit Tides, and the Earth, step by step, moved towards extinction. Moreover, the demise of the Feathered Wing race likely coincided with the world being flooded with seawater and the beginning of changes in atmospheric oxygen concentration. The invaders’ steps were gradual, and the beginning of the end was not during the flooding of seawater but when the Feathered Wings died in the sky, and the oxygen concentration went out of control.”
Silence spread, and after a while, Ling Yang spoke again. “Are the invaders really that powerful?”
“An existence capable of consecutively destroying worlds, how could it be weak? Even now, we haven’t captured any exact clues about the invaders,” Meng Muyu frowned slightly, feeling that the situation was far more serious than imagined. If Shu Xun’s speculation was correct, this mysterious Feathered Wing race was the strongest in this world, and such a powerful race was suddenly wiped out, and even the details were not depicted. “It’s somewhat inexplicable. If even the Feathered Wings in the sky were extinguished in an instant, then the Spirit Tides and the Earth should have long been extinct. So, who sent the distress signal received by the Blue Book Fleet?”
Everyone turned their gaze to Ling Yang, who had a U-shaped bend in his tail. Ling Yang returned a puzzled look. “What distress signal?”
The group fell silent, followed by a sudden and chilling sensation. If the distress signal was not emitted by the creatures of this world, then was it Blue Book who threw the holographic image recorder into the universe? If someone else did it, what was their purpose? At this moment, everyone felt an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
The livestream room was also filled with silence, and after a long time, it gradually returned to liveliness.
“I have a dreadful conjecture: the invaders were not satisfied with annihilating all three major races on this planet, so they threw out the holographic image recorder as bait to continue their hunt!”
“I don’t think so. Don’t forget what Meng Muyu said earlier. The holographic image recorder is attached with an extremely intense despair emotion. Such a strong emotion is definitely not artificially created, and the invaders cannot possibly possess such intense despair emotions.”
“Shu Xun’s speculation feels flawed. If the Feathered Wings were exterminated in a very short time, then the time for Spirit Tides and Earth to be wiped out would only be faster. Ling Yang’s existence is illogical, and according to Ling Yang’s account, Spirit Tides and Earth survived for a considerable amount of time. They even collaborated to investigate the reasons for the continent being submerged. Until today, the continent has not been completely submerged, indicating that the speed of submersion was not fast, and the two major races should have survived for a long time.”
“The logic above is correct, but I believe more in the reasoning ability of Shu Xun. Just because Shu Xun didn’t say it doesn’t mean he didn’t realize it.”
“Agreed. Having been proven wrong multiple times, I also trust Shu Xun’s logical thinking. I believe Shu Xun can connect these seemingly contradictory and chaotic clues, then once again amaze everyone, leading everyone to successfully clear the level.”
Due to the newly discovered clues, the livestream room had already plunged into a heated discussion. “The Deep Blue Sea” seemed to have finally unveiled a corner of that mysterious veil.
In this sacred place of slumber, there were no other clues. Shu Xun and the others quietly exited this solemn and massive building. The heavy wooden door closed once again, leaving no gaps, perfectly preserving the room’s radiance.
Exiting the bright hall, everyone suddenly plunged into darkness. The three-leaf green grass that scattered in the city was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it floated around the boundary of the city, illuminating the surroundings. Looking into the distance, one could even see waterfalls pouring down from the heavens, falling to the ground, and then entering the channels around the city, guided into the distant darkness, its destination unknown.
“If the Feathered Wings are already extinct, then what are these three-leaf green grass? It was previously speculated to be a symbiotic spiritual entity, but spiritual entities cannot continue to exist after the death of their host. So, are these self-aware three-leaf green grass an independent race? A race newly born in this overloaded evolutionary environment?” Meng Muyu followed alongside the others, walking towards the area where the green light congregated the most outside the city.
Shu Xun looked at the distant hopeful green light and remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Perhaps the three-leaf green grass is the last bit of mercy and protection this world has for the Feathered Wings. We’ll know once we go take a look.”
Seeing Shu Xun’s expression, Meng Muyu’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Do you have a guess?”
Shu Xun nodded naturally. “It’s just a kind of intuition. Let’s talk about it when we get there.”
Upon hearing Shu Xun’s words, Meng Muyu didn’t continue to ask. The group moved through this quaint natural city illuminated by the glow of glass lamps. Along the way, they carefully observed possible clues in the surroundings. They even checked a few houses facing the street. Pushing open the doors, they were surprised to find that while the surface of the city was covered with plants, the interiors of the rooms were still tidy and pristine, with not a speck of dust in sight. It seemed as if someone cleaned them daily, leaving everyone shocked and suspicious.
Through the furnishings in the houses, it could be deduced that this was a world not focused on technological development but rather on the application of the world’s intrinsic power. They pursued their own enhancement rather than relying on tools. Such natural planets were relatively rare in the current cosmic era, and once discovered, strict restrictions were imposed to avoid disrupting the natural development of the planet.
In addition, the group also found a small amount of writing. This script was not a universal cosmic language but was surprisingly common with the language of the Spirit Tides tribe. After Ling Yang’s translation, the group finally learned the name of this mysterious race: Xuanqiu.
Xuanqiu, a unique and highly evolved race with the ability to bestow blessings, a race naturally capable of traversing the world. Due to the high evolution of their mental powers, the Xuanqiu could communicate directly through mental power, so writing was not commonly used in their daily lives. Consequently, the group couldn’t find more clues and had no way of knowing whether the Xuanqiu race had truly become extinct as Shu Xun speculated.
Shu Xun blinked in confusion. Xuanqiu? Spirit Tides? Suddenly, it felt somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had heard it. Shu Xun strained his brain, realizing that he didn’t remember it himself, which meant it must have been heard very casually. Seeing Ye Qian showing no reaction, it wasn’t something he heard after the crossing, but rather from his father and mother. However, the more specific information eluded Shu Xun’s speculation, and he couldn’t recall anything. In the end, he shook his head, temporarily putting everything out of his mind.
Ling Yang sat on Meng Muyu’s shoulder, gazing at the houses along the street. “The city is intact, just like the Spirit Tides ruins, showing no traces of war, perfectly preserved. So, what do the invaders want? Simply for slaughter? But when mental power evolves to a certain extent, even the most murderous races will overcome their nature for bloodshed. Resources? Yet, not a single brick or tile in the city has been destroyed. I truly can’t fathom it. What about you all?”
Ling Yang had never seen a broader universe. His world had always been limited to “The Deep Blue Sea.” However, he understood that invasion must be driven by some purpose, yet he couldn’t discern the invaders’ motives. This was also the puzzle that perplexed Shu Xun and the others. While “Winter’s End” could perhaps be explained by the presence of Blue Amber Crystals, what about “Deep Blue Sea”? Was there some peculiar energy at play? The tears of the Spirit Tides tribe illuminated the entire world – if so, it had already succeeded, so why not take it away? Did this, to some extent, indicate that the invaders’ objective wasn’t resources?
The group didn’t arrive at a satisfying answer, and thus, they couldn’t respond to Ling Yang’s question. While discussing and advancing, not long after, they finally reached the edge of the city. The faintly golden-wrapped green lights scattered and dispersed about tens of meters outside the city, rising and falling playfully, akin to fireflies on a summer night, bringing a sense of joy with every glimpse.
However, the faint joy of everyone vanished in an instant as they beheld the wilderness outside the city. The smiles froze on their faces, unable to smooth out in time. Their eyes were instantly filled with astonishment and awe. Beyond the city’s outskirts, the wilderness stretched endlessly, with a curtain of water hanging high and majestic, cascading down. Behind the water curtain wasn’t a solid landmass but rather a broader expanse of darkness. The land here seemed divided into two layers, and the circular night sky overhead corresponded only to the peacefully slumbering city. Beyond the circular area, there was still vast space, allowing the deluge of rainwater to avoid submerging the city.
At this moment, the three-leaf green grass was just outside the water curtain, dancing in the vast wilderness beyond the city. The ethereal green light shone through the water curtain, appearing somewhat elusive, yet enough for everyone to see the surroundings clearly.
Outside the city, lush greenery covered the land, and three-leaf green grass extended up to ankle height, scattered all over the mountains and plains. Corpses lay everywhere, not lying on the ground, but mostly in a seated posture. They had two large white wings unfolded behind them, partially concealing the bodies, as if cradling and guarding them under their wings. The corpses’ heads hung slightly low, showing no signs of decay. They looked as if they were taking a rest as if a gentle call could wake them up.
The three-leaf green grass floated beside the bodies, meticulously combing the feathers on their wings with their grass leaves. Shu Xun even spotted the petite three-leaf green grass by the side of a corpse that resembled a young boy, using its grass leaves to carefully groom the corpse’s hair until it was smooth and knot-free. Only then did the three-leaf green grass shift its focus, diligently wiping the light dust on the corpse’s cheek that was barely visible.
Astonishment lingered in everyone’s hearts as they stood still, silently observing everything before them. Suddenly, they recalled the immaculate houses free of dust they had seen earlier, the three-leaf green grass joyfully scattering across the city after landing, and the initial encounter when the three-leaf green grass had playfully patted Shu Xun’s forehead, as well as the affectionate touch the three-leaf green grass had bestowed upon its leaves after Shu Xun brushed past them.
