Chapter 455 - 439: Discovery of an Ancient Star Grotto
An old man sat on a lone boat.
His eyes were tightly closed and deeply sunken, his wrinkles like ravines on a mountain ridge. His hair and eyebrows were completely white.
An Imperial Decree surfaced in his mind.
The old man smiled with disdain.
"Heh heh heh."
"I’ve spent a thousand years sailing, step by step, into the depths of the star-caves. And now a single, vague Imperial Decree is supposed to summon me back? Besides, even if I wanted to return, it would still take another thousand years. By then, the matter will have likely sorted itself out."
"Little Ron."
"This time, not even your [Destiny] can control me."
The old man’s eyes remained tightly shut. The boat beneath him was already incredibly fast, but with the old man’s power amplifying it, its speed within the Forbidden Air Domain was comparable to a bolt of light. It was so fast that even Shi Ming’s *Da Yun* could only manage less than a third of its velocity.
Clearly, this was another Nirvana-rank powerhouse.
The lifespan of a Nirvana-rank powerhouse was of unknown length.
They almost always appeared in the form of an adult in their prime. If one displayed an elderly form, it was either an illusory facade or a sign that they had truly reached their twilight years.
...
...
...
Jump after jump, Shi Ming delved deeper into the Cave of the Stars.
Through this grueling process, his Physical Strength and Endurance surprisingly increased, with Physical Strength going up by over 40 points and Endurance by over 50.
It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was a welcome bonus.
Over three days, Shi Ming had made more than a hundred jumps, bringing him close to the depths of the Cave of the Stars. This latest jump finally lasted longer than six seconds. The moment he burst out of the Dark Cosmos, both his Spiritual Power and his eyes detected a strange celestial body, thirty meters in diameter, about a kilometer ahead.
A star-cave!
It looked like a solidified nebula, its interior filled with a viscous, semi-fluid gas.
’Hah...’
’I’ve been rushing this whole time, so I haven’t really explored the periphery. But since I’ve stumbled upon this one, it must be fate. First, I’ll gather some intelligence on this star-cave.’
’Once I’ve recovered to peak condition, I’ll head inside to investigate.’
’Eye of Destiny, retrieve information!’
[BEEP. BEEP.]
[...]
[Star-Cave - Colorless Realm]
[One of the 10,024 star-caves created during the Third Era in the Cave of the Stars. It is a comparatively ancient star-cave.]
[It connects to the 300,000-square-kilometer Seven-Colored Continent, which is devoid of any light.]
[Special Creature: Rainbow Centaur. The strongest among them is at the initial Nirvana rank, but they act purely on instinct, as this continent lacks the necessary conditions for intelligence to emerge. They are violent in nature, possess a single horn, are blind, and cannot perceive light. They survive on this lightless continent by relying on their Spiritual Power and instincts.]
[The Rainbow Centaurs are extremely hostile toward foreign life-forms.]
[Danger Level: One Star]
[...]
’An ancient star-cave from the Third Era?’
The Cave of the Stars, like the universe, is constantly evolving.
Almost every year, new star-caves are born.
Since this peculiar Star Domain was first observed by intelligent life, its history has been divided into five eras. The first is called the [Primordial Era], a classification that includes all preceding, uncharted epochs, about which nothing can be verified. The second is called the [Derivation Era]. During this time, the intelligent species of the cosmos became aware of this Star Domain’s unique properties, but because of the "Forbidden Air" effect, they struggled to make any headway and could not delve deep.
The third era was called the [Starfire Era].
Advances in civilization led to the creation of starships, allowing sentient beings to enter this Star Domain. It was then they truly perceived the miraculous nature of the star-caves.
At the beginning of the Fourth Era, the Star Domain containing the Cave of the Stars underwent an expansion, its diameter growing from 2,500 light-years to 3,000 light-years. This became known as the [Silver Era].
The fifth era is called the [Golden Era].
In the early Golden Era, the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country occupied this region. They established Treasure Star, began to systematically organize and plan the Cave of the Stars, and vigorously developed the outer star-caves. After unearthing three supreme treasures from the depths, the star-caves became renowned throughout the known universe.
All of this history is clearly recorded in the Time Corridor on Treasure Star. Most of the star-caves that have been developed so far are products of the Fourth and Fifth Eras. In comparison, this one from the Third Era was indeed ancient.
’Hopefully, there’s something good inside.’
Shi Ming mulled over the information as he observed the peculiar celestial body. It had a diameter of only thirty meters, yet it connected to a continent of 300,000 square kilometers.
A danger level of one star.
’That’s nothing to worry about.’
He set the *Da Yun* to stealth mode and left it in a safe region of the Star Domain, guarded by Ah Jian and Three-Eyes. Then, riding his craft, Sunpiercer, he approached the viscous, gaseous core of the star-cave.
It looked like a sliced-open century egg.
Aside from a three-to-four-meter area at the very center that was a viscous gas, the rest of the star-cave was solid. A creature with a large body, unable to easily alter its size, would be unable to enter. If it tried to force its way in, it would damage the star-cave’s exterior, destroying the passage and forfeiting any chance of exploration.
Shi Ming extended his right arm,
reaching into the viscous gas.
It felt warm against the cold of space, like dipping his hand into semi-liquid cotton candy.
With a flicker in his eyes, he transformed his Spiritual Power into a borer to scout the path ahead. His body followed suit. He felt a viscous substance enveloping him as he slowly descended into the adjoining lightless space.
Eternal darkness.
WHOOSH.
Like a feather, Shi Ming gently touched down, still riding Sunpiercer.
He could now fly without Sunpiercer, but the craft’s many systems were still crucial. As a King-level Wandering Ship, its speed and King-level characteristics allowed him to flexibly handle special situations.
The instant he landed,
he spread out his Spiritual Power,
simultaneously checking if he could use Spatial Power.
’Strange...’
’The spacetime of this continent contains no Dark Cosmos or any deeper cosmic layers. Spatial Power can’t be used here either.’
’This means I can’t jump through the Dark Cosmos, even if I’m willing to pay the price.’
’Of course, the *Da Yun* didn’t enter with me.’
’And there’s no need for Dark Cosmos jumps on a 300,000-square-kilometer continent anyway.’
He stood on the soil of this continent.
The soil was a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors, similar to the Danxia landforms of Earth’s Land Era, but far more vibrant. Within the range of Shi Ming’s perception, several creatures resembling centaurs galloped across the vast landscape. They were blind and unable to perceive light, yet they ran with heads held high, powerful and proud, as if they were the masters of this world.
These few were all at the Holy Hall rank.
’I should scan the continent with my Spiritual Power first.’
’And see what kind of treasures it might be hiding.’
Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power swept out subtly, spreading like a carpet at incredible speed across the not-so-large continent.
’1,009 Rainbow Centaurs. 812 females, 197 males.’
’I haven’t found any treasure, though...’
Shi Ming thought for a moment, then his Spiritual Power became a burrowing worm and quickly invaded the Brain Domain of the nearest male centaur.
The male centaur was in the middle of brazenly assaulting a beautiful, strong female on the sand, fully enjoying the pleasures of equine life. Caught completely off guard, its mind was invaded and then ensnared by the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary, turning it into one of Shi Ming’s "aspects."
Shi Ming took control of the centaur’s body.
Then, as the female centaur watched in confusion, he had the body flick its tail and gallop away.