Chapter 787: Higher-Dimensional Lifeform, Eternal Sapling (II)

At the Thirteenth Legion’s research base in the Sky Battlefield, Mech No.1 stood tall and silent. Its body was once again clad in sinister black-and-red armor, faintly radiating an overwhelming aura.

Every person and creature within several dozen kilometers felt an instinctive sense of dread and unease from the unseen energy’s pressure.

"The super energy within No.1 has dropped to 2,000%. Detected Major General Luo’s soul fluctuations. She is undergoing separation from No.1. Synchronization is stabilizing. Her soul form is materializing."

"Keep a very close eye on that data. Prepare the teleportation crystal to receive Major General Luo."

In the latest great battle on the Sky Battlefield, Mech No.1 had devoured the flesh, blood, and souls of over a million high-level lifeforms, including two demon kings, and undergone tremendous growth.

However, during the fight, Luo Fei had entered a berserk state. In the end, she had fully unleashed all of her armor restraints, and her Soul Synchronization rate hit 300%, triggering No.1’s ancient form.

In that state, No.1 gained enough power to go toe-to-toe with two beginning- to middle-stage great demon kings. However, when it entered its ancient form, her soul fully fused with it, becoming trapped within. Her spiritual will, however, retreated into the Guixu Realm[1] of the cultivation art—maintaining independence to avoid contamination.

Meanwhile, her body was exposed to energy exceeding 10,000% super energy levels. As a result, it transformed into a higher-dimensional form and vanished.

Thankfully, with the divine battle armor prepared by Luo Wuyue and the stabilizing energy of the Eternal Power Reactor, her physical form remained intact and avoided full assimilation.

Now, as the data values steadily declined, a translucent silhouette gradually appeared in No.1’s internal space—at first a glowing outline, slowly becoming solid.

After nearly an hour, Luo Fei’s figure fully reformed. Her eyes slowly opened.

"Detected Major General Luo’s presence."

"Activate teleportation crystal."

Hum!

The diamond-shaped crystal on No.1’s chest blazed with light, projecting a ten-meter-wide blue-white beam, from which a figure soared outward.

Watching the gleaming mech land, everyone felt a surge of excitement. Captain Zhang even smiled warmly. "Little Fei, welcome back."

"Thank you all for your hard work." Luo Fei’s voice was calm—so calm that it carried not a single hint of emotion, leaving everyone, including Captain Zhang, momentarily stunned.

The radiant divine battle armor gradually faded, revealing the young woman beneath in her silver pilot suit, and dissolved into energy that was absorbed into the spatial slot on her left wrist.

Her aura was now elusive. Her face was delicate, black hair cascading down her shoulders, and her eyes—once gentle—now held only indifference, like a deity overlooking all beings from on high.

At once, a solemn air fell over the group. It was clear Luo Fei’s spiritual state was far less stable than expected. Although she hadn’t been spiritually contaminated by No.1, her abnormal state likely stemmed from her cultivation method.

Captain Zhang’s expression turned grave. "Little Fei, something’s off with your mental state. I recommend a full diagnostic."

Luo Fei coolly replied, "Don’t worry. I’m fine. I just dove too deep into the Guixu Realm. My spiritual will hasn’t fully separated yet."

"But—" Captain Zhang began to speak again, but Luo Fei’s smart watch on her left wrist suddenly flickered, and a digital voice sounded.

"Incoming communication request from Heavenly King Gabriel. Connect?"

Heavenly King Gabriel.

Luo Fei paused for a second, then nodded. A moment later, Gabriel’s voice came through the device.

"Luo Fei, I just received word that you’ve successfully separated from No.1. How are you? Body and mind both stable?"

Luo Fei responded in an even tone, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I feel fine—no issues at the moment."

"Good to hear, and perfect timing. Head to Base City near Passage One, and bring No.1 with you."

Luo Fei hesitated. "Bring No.1... back to Base City?"

"Yes. The potential No.1 displayed in recent wars is far too great, and it’s drawn intense focus from the Purgatory Clan. It’s no longer safe to keep it on the front lines.

"The Federation is opening a new battlefield. There are more enemies there, stronger too—perfect for No.1’s growth."

Before long, a massive transport aircraft, stretching a kilometer long, roared into the sky from the rear of the Sky Battlefield, engines thundering as it flew toward Passage One's city.

Traveling at several times the speed of sound, the transport swiftly crossed twenty thousand kilometers and approached the logistics city near Passage One.

Inside the aircraft, Luo Fei and Gabriella, her usual bodyguard, looked out to see golden light flooding the land below. A colossal golden divine tree, over ten thousand meters tall and spanning dozens of kilometers, pierced the clouds.

The grand divine tree towered like a mountainous golden monument. From trunk to branches to leaves, every part shimmered as if forged from pure gold, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.

"What is that?" Gabriella was visibly stunned.

"That tree must be related to the new battlefield," Luo Fei said thoughtfully. Now that she was fully recovered, her gaze was once again clear and serene.

Soon after, the massive transport landed at the logistics city’s airport. An officer was waiting below when Luo Fei and Gabriella disembarked. "Major General Luo, the Third Councilor has sent me to escort you."

Luo Fei nodded. "Thank you."

While the two followed the officer and flew toward the outskirts, other staff carefully unloaded the laying Mech No.1 using mechanical aids.

Shortly after, Luo Fei and Gabriella arrived at the base of the ten-thousand-meter divine tree. Even from a distance, they could see over a hundred figures surrounding it, all bearing golden flame-like wings on their backs.

These alien beings were chanting incomprehensible sacrificial incantations, their auras a mix of the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Realm, with even a couple of mythical-level auras, all of them communing with forces unknown.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The colossal divine tree swayed, radiating powerful energy fluctuations. Ancient golden runes shimmered along its trunk, and its roots trembled beneath it.

Some of these roots, dozens or even hundreds of meters thick, rolled like giant serpents, delving deep into the earth. A few adorned with dragon scales even extended into the void and vanished from sight.

Nearby, hundreds of figures stood quietly, each exuding powerful yet obscure auras.

Among them were alien powerhouses with three pairs of golden wings, as well as human experts, such as the Primordial King, Heavenly King Zhenwu, and Heavenly King Xuanwu.

While watching the divine tree take root, they pointed toward a thousand unmanned mechs standing nearby, quietly discussing something in hushed voices.

As Luo Fei and Gabriella approached, they immediately spotted a familiar face on the edge of the crowd. A girl with her black hair tied in a high ponytail and four longswords strapped to her back smiled at them. "Luo Fei, Gabriella, you’re here."

"An Fuqing." Luo Fei was a little surprised, then smiled with admiration in her eyes. "That aura of yours—you’re about to break through to the middle stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm, aren’t you? As expected of someone like you"

An Fuqing’s body radiated intense sword will, sharp enough to give the illusion she could cleave the heavens and tear the world apart; unsurprising, given she had once suppressed Chen Chu for several months.

She smiled gently. "You’re not doing badly yourself. We’ve only been apart a few months, and you’ve already reached the late stage of the Eighth."

Watching the two girls trade compliments, Gabriella couldn’t help but mutter, "Speaking of which, I’ve always wanted to complain. Everyone from your Nantian School is a complete monster."

Back when they had first met on the Void Continent, An Fuqing had only been at the Sixth Heavenly Realm, one major realm lower than Gabriella.

Yet just a few months later, Gabriella had only recently broken through to the Eighth Realm, while An Fuqing was already at the Ninth.

Then there was Luo Fei. Right before the great battle at the Sky Battlefield, she had been at the peak of the Seventh Heavenly Realm. After exiting her dormant state within Mech No.1, she had already reached the late stage of the Eighth Realm.

Counting the 11-day War of Civilization, it had only been half a month. Half a month to break through an entire major realm? That was practically cheating.

Then again, Luo Fei was using a bio-mech with combat power rivaling a heavenly king to assist in cultivation... so it actually was cheating.

She didn’t even want to think about Chen Chu, the guy who reached king level in one year. That was why Gabriella couldn’t help complaining.

Isn't Nantian just too outrageous? In a single semester, it’s produced three monsters who can dominate an entire era. How are the rest of the geniuses supposed to live?

Just then, Luo Fei asked, "An Fuqing, what’s the deal with that golden tree and those aliens?"

The girl with longswords strapped to her back replied, "Those aliens are from the Heavenly Feathered Race. They hail from a powerful civilization currently at war with the Purgatory Clan.

"That tree is a sapling of the Eternal Divine Tree they brought with them. Rumor has it that it has the power to suppress and fortify entire worlds.

"Apparently, the Feathered Race’s situation is even more desperate than ours. They’re being besieged by three empires and are on the brink of collapse.

"After several days of negotiation, they’ve officially allied with us. As a result, the Primordial King and the others are preparing to send an elite expedition to support them.

"The team’s already been finalized: it’ll be led by Heavenly King Zhenwu, with Heavenly King Xuanwu, Heavenly King Jiuyou, and five king-level powerhouses under him.

"Xia Zuo, you and Mech No.1, Gabriella, me, and several hundred other advanced powerhouses are also included.

"The rest are elites from the West Meng Empire, bringing with them over 3 million unmanned mechs with ammunition and heavy firepower. From what I’ve heard, these mechs are experimental models. They’re inscribed with battle patterns inherited from the Tyrannosaur Race, and they can form legion-level amplification arrays.

"These battle patterns have passed initial tests, and the Federation has mobilized every weapons factory to retrofit and mass-produce them. Full readiness is expected within ten days."

As a Ninth Heavenly Realm powerhouse and one of the expedition’s selected members, An Fuqing had participated in the previous alliance summit and was well informed on classified details.

Especially the battle pattern inheritance Chen Chu had acquired from the Tyrannosaur Race—that alone had dramatically boosted the force’s strength.

With enhancements that could boost even mythical-level powerhouses with just ten thousand mechs, three million unmanned mechs meant three million soldiers—three full legions. Even heavenly-king-level powerhouses would feel the impact.

When the three legions were deployed, Jiuyou and Xuanwu—both late-stage heavenly kings—would become even more powerful.

Although this battle pattern inheritance was complete, its integration with technological civilization was still in its early stages; this expedition also served as a live field test.

Gabriella glanced around. "By the way, An Fuqing, has Chen Chu returned yet?"

An Fuqing shook her head softly. "Not yet, but I’ve asked Heavenly King Zhenwu. Chen Chu’s soul aura is stable—he’s safe."

Luo Fei thought for a moment and gently said, "Chen Chu should have already escaped those demon gods. He should be back soon."

Based on her understanding of Chen Chu, he wasn’t the kind to act without certainty. If he had dared to infiltrate the rear empire of the Purgatory Clan, he must’ve had something to rely on.

That said, when she had still been fused with Mech No.1 and heard that demon god’s claim about Chen Chu’s apparent death, her consciousness had nearly spiraled out of control.

Boom!

In the distance, the Eternal Divine Tree Sapling suddenly trembled, and the world’s space quivered faintly in response.

Bordea, the winged alien bearing three pairs of golden flame wings, smiled and looked at the Primordial King, who appeared aged yet firm. "Honorable Councilor, the sapling has fully taken root.

"As you requested, it now pierces both realms, and reinforces the spatial connection between your inner world and the mythical world.

"When the second wave of the vast world’s surge erupts, you’ll only need to sever the other passage links. Using this passage as a pivot, you can leverage the world’s structure and hold up the heavens. There’s a real chance you’ll succeed in pushing your original world outward."

"It will succeed." The Primordial King’s gaze was sharp and resolute. "Since the upheaval began, humanity has carved a bloody path forward. We’ve always believed that man can triumph over heaven. No enemy can crush us. Not even the boundless, cruel mythical world!"

Bordea’s eyes were filled with emotion. In those few simple words, he had felt an overwhelming force of will—unshakable, and filled with the indomitable spirit of a race that refused to break.

1. Guixu is a location in Chinese mythology where all water, including the Milky Way, flows into a bottomless void. ☜