Switch Mode

NTM Chapter 114

Clear

Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea

 

As the first invader fled the sea, many more soon broke through the water. When Meng Muyu and the others finally got a clear look at the invaders, their expressions froze, revealing a complex and indescribable sense of discomfort. The invaders’ body shapes and appearances were indistinguishable from humans, with no obvious racial characteristics. In this era, only humans themselves and the Phantom race, which can exist in a spiritual form, could achieve such an appearance. The Zerg race, beast race, and spirit race, even if they evolved into human forms, would retain some racial features, such as beast ears, the leaf pattern on Liang Ye’s forehead, or the antennae of Lie Yang.

According to the current understanding of the cosmic era, the closer a race evolves to a human appearance, the more complete and powerful its evolution. However, these invaders, whose evolution seemed even more advanced than that of the beast race, zerg race, and spirit race, appeared strangely unsettling. It wasn’t that their facial features were different from those of humans, but rather, they gave off a subtle sense of disharmony. Yet upon closer inspection, aside from being mostly unattractive, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what made them so unsettling.

“Why are they so ugly?” Lie Yang hesitantly spoke, struggling to find the right word to describe the invaders’ appearance. They looked so close to humans, yet at the same time, they seemed completely out of place. How could such a contradiction exist? Weren’t these invaders supposed to possess mental strength nearly on par with the world’s consciousness? How could they have evolved into such hideous forms?

The invaders had escaped the sea but couldn’t escape the deep blue ocean. The creatures of the land and sky, who had been waiting for this moment, pounced on them. The battle and resistance continued as bright red blood spread through the ocean, only to quickly vanish, unable to quench the fury of the ocean’s creatures. The planet was disintegrating, the world collapsing. This once-flourishing world should have bloomed under the gentle and inclusive world consciousness, even stunning the universe in this cosmic era. Yet, it withered quietly during its growth. If it hadn’t been for a stroke of fortune that brought a glimmer of life, today would have been the day of mutual destruction.

The defense and counterattack had long been prepared. The invaders, however, were already a weary force. The outcome of the battle was already decided. Yet, even though they were without hope, the invaders showed no sign of giving up. Even if death was but a second away, they refused to give up their struggle before it came. Their intense and desperate will to survive almost pierced the heavens. In their final moments before death, hoarse cries filled with a desperate desire to live echoed in everyone’s ears.

“Help… help me… save us… help… us… help…” The intermittent, piercing sounds were identical to the cries for help recorded in the holographic images. These sounds didn’t seem to be made by a normal person using their throat but rather like someone desperately tearing at their throat, screaming with all their might. The people who heard it felt extremely uncomfortable, almost instinctively frowning.

Although the most beneficial approach now would be to rescue the invaders and leave some alive, neither the natural conditions nor the creatures of the world would allow it. The rapidly expanding black hole was devouring everything. Once it drew near, there would be no chance for any aircraft to take off again. The creatures of this world still had a slim chance of survival, able to transfer along with the world consciousness to that perfect time-space. But once caught by the black hole, there would be no escape. Moreover, judging by the relentless state of the world’s creatures, any attempt to rescue the invaders would undoubtedly provoke an attack from them.

The invaders’ defeat was already sealed, and Leng Bei’s fusion with the world consciousness was nearing completion. On the emerald green grass, a purple radiance slowly merged into the grass tips, eventually becoming part of the blades themselves. The grass, now adorned with a luxurious purple sheen, was surrounded by a purple aura, with purple light gathering along the leaf veins and edges. The grass rose slowly from the sea, beneath it lay the sinking and disappearing seabed continent, and the blue seawater was being sucked into the bottomless black hole. Above was the sky, cracking and on the verge of collapsing. In between was a world filled with battle intent and madness.

The fusion of emerald green and purple light emerged like a lotus rising from the water, with the green forming the leaves and the purple as the flower. Vibrant and full of life, it blossomed brilliantly. At the moment the last invader perished, the light, centered on the green grass, rapidly expanded across the entire world, enveloping it in a radiant purple glow. Eventually, all the light converged on one point—where Shu Xun’s previous teleportation breach had been, the same coordinates where Shu Xun had returned to the deep blue sea. Under the dazzling green and purple light, the breach that Meng Muyu had once repaired shattered once again. The void fractured, and time and space fell into disarray.

At the same time, the sky, which had been barely holding on, finally shattered with a piercing crack of thunder. Under the immense gravitational pull, the sky collapsed and fell. The sudden change in pressure from the collapsing sky caused the sea to erupt in massive waves, throwing the world into turmoil and making it teeter on the brink of destruction.

The spacecraft, which had been prepared for this moment, immediately shot through the gaps in the atmospheric mass, skimming past the black lightning and escaping the deep blue sea.

As Di Lan Shu and the others’ spacecraft broke through the atmosphere of the deep blue sea, all the players in the game heard a notification from the game system in their minds: “Game over. The large-scale, one-time, reality-like survival game ‘Deep Blue Sea’ is about to shut down. Initiating forced logout. Please prepare to log out. Logout countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” At the end of the countdown, all the players were transported back to their gaming nutrient pods.

However, Shu Xun and his group, who were aboard the spacecraft, received a different notification. “Game cleared. You can now initiate the logout function. Please choose whether to log out of the game.” This special notification was, of course, a privilege granted by the capricious Xingyou family to their clan leader. Due to the extremely high difficulty level of this “Deep Blue Sea” game, players had to participate using their real bodies. Therefore, even after leaving the range of the game system, they wouldn’t be forced to log out.

Thanks to this privilege from the Xingyou family, Shu Xun and the others were fortunate enough to witness the collapse of an entire world with their own eyes. At the moment the sky fell, the continent formed by the Houtu tribe crumbled. One by one, the giants, as strong as steel, stretched their bodies and stood proudly, bearing the creatures of the continent on their backs. Wrapped in the world’s consciousness, they disappeared into the rift in time and space. The three-leafed green grass hovered above the Xuanchou city, and both the grass and the city disappeared. Next was the Spirit Tides tribe, the Seven-Colored Nest, the evolved creatures, and even every blade of grass and tree on the continent—all vanished one by one. Every living being in the world, whether evolved or not, ultimately disappeared. Leng Bei was the last to remain, the emerald green grass surrounded by purple light hovering beside the fractured void, watching as the world collapsed bit by bit. Finally, the grass also leaped into the rift in time and space and disappeared. The rift in time and space that Leng Bei had torn open, without the continuous support of spiritual power, soon vanished as well, leaving nothing behind.

Where the deep blue sea once was, the water had already formed a whirlpool, rushing into the black hole. The continent had long since been reduced to almost nothing. This magnificent planet, made of liquid water, crumbled, with the heavens falling and the earth collapsing, disappearing into the vast expanse of the galaxy.

The spacecraft stopped in the Shui Lan Starfield. This starfield, surrounded by blue nebulae, remained as silent and serene as ever as if nothing had happened. Yet, one brilliant pearl had quietly vanished, leaving behind only an endless black hole that deterred anyone from approaching. That miraculous planet, that wondrous and beautiful world, now seemed like a dream—one that was unforgettable but irrevocably lost.

The deep blue sea had disappeared completely. It was only after a long while that the spacecraft restarted and set off in their respective directions. Inside the spacecraft, everyone stood in silence, still deeply shaken, unable to extricate themselves from the profound impact of what they had witnessed. They were not only awestruck by the successful transfer of the deep blue sea but also by the fact that they had personally witnessed a miracle among countless other miracles.

“Do you think Ling Yang and the others made it? They’ll live well, won’t they?” Lie Yang gazed out at the endless starry sky. With the spacecraft traveling at superluminal speed, the former location of the deep blue sea was already far behind them. Lie Yang seemed to finally snap out of his daze, once again asking Shu Xun for reassurance.

Shu Xun nodded affirmatively. “They will. That world is more suited for them. Remember how quickly Ling Yang mastered using the fishing rod? The creatures of the deep blue sea are blessed with innate talent and advantages. That perfect time-space will undoubtedly bring them unimaginable benefits, and with such a gentle world consciousness, they will certainly continue to create miracles!”

When Shu Xun realized that Ling Yang and Qing Cao were able to quickly grasp the cultivation techniques and even use spiritual tools, he understood that the perfect time-space was probably not meant for him, but for the deep blue sea. It was just like the micro city he had seen in that time-space—a manifestation of the deep blue sea creatures’ subconscious desire for a perfect world, filled with endless natural treasures, abundant and rich spiritual energy, no invaders, and life thriving in every direction, like a newly born world.

Shu Xun was so confident that the creatures of the deep blue sea would thrive not only because of the abundant resources in that perfect time-space but also because of the various traces he had left in that world. Combined with the cultivation techniques he had previously taught Ling Yang and Leng Bei, the path of cultivation was inevitable. Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the world consciousness, whether it separated from Leng Bei or continued to merge with him, had a high probability of evolving into the Heavenly Dao of that time space. With the Heavenly Dao’s favor, there was no reason they wouldn’t create miracles.

Perhaps that time-space still held many mysteries, but the creatures of the deep blue sea would not shrink back in fear. They were bound to grow to an astonishing level and open up a brand-new world.

“If you’re still worried, you could continue to investigate the invaders. The more you learn about them, the more you’ll understand that perfect time-space, and you’ll be able to indirectly assess Ling Yang and the others’ situation,” Shu Xun said, patting Meng Muyu on the shoulder. His smile remained warm, and his deep black eyes seemed to see through all your thoughts.

Meng Muyu, who had been frowning, suddenly felt enlightened and nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Rather than making useless guesses, it’s better to keep taking action. And I remember that the three-leafed grass took your beard with it, right? That beard should bring them many surprises.”

Shu Xun instinctively raised his hand to tug at his hair, but quickly realized what he was doing and lowered it with a helpless sigh. “Yes, the Luck Guide will take them to places I’ve been before, where they’ll find the things I’ve left behind. With the guidance of the world consciousness, their growth won’t be any less than mine.”

As they conversed, the spacecraft left the Shui Lan Starfield, heading toward the distant stars.

In the vastness of the starry river, the universe is boundless. Life disappears, and life is born. Our eyes may not be able to see that far, but miracles are happening every moment.

 

Author’s Note:

Alright, the Deep Blue Sea arc is finished! Next, we’ll have a few chapters of daily life, and then move on to the next and final instance~~ Oh, regarding the Perfect Time-Space, there will be some further explanations and deductions, so don’t worry if you don’t fully understand it yet. As for the extras for Deep Blue Sea, Old Xuan is considering them. If inspiration strikes, I’ll write them~~ Mwah~~ Off to catch some lightning now~~ Hugging Lightning Mama, it’s tough being pregnant~

Volume Four: Twilight Galaxy


Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ads Blocker Image Powered by Code Help Pro

Ads Blocker Detected!!!

We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. Please support us by disabling these ads blocker.

Powered By
Best Wordpress Adblock Detecting Plugin | CHP Adblock

Options

not work with dark mode
Reset