Chapter 988: Luo Fei’s Breakthrough, Eternal Exile

"Half a planet’s worth of nuclear power, huh?" Chen Chu narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the thick cables extending hundreds of kilometers, vanishing into the night’s horizon.

Luo Fei’s breakthrough differed significantly from when he had ascended to the king level. According to Luo Wuming’s research and the projections from the orbital computational system, the moment she achieved fusion and breakthrough, the previously incomplete heart inside Mech No.1 would be activated. At the intersection of heaven and earth that accompanied the mythic realm, it would finally be completed.

At that point, the spiritual shockwaves No.1 could generate would amplify tens or even hundreds of times. The imprint of power left behind by the ancient creature would also grow far greater. If Luo Fei failed to endure it, she would be assimilated instantly, and the ancient creature would awaken.

The use of nuclear energy served as a countermeasure, leveraging material energy from Blue Planet and its universe to offset the super energy within No.1. Through their years of combined research into the transcendent and technology, Luo Wuming and others had already discovered the fundamental differences between the Blue Planet and the mythical world, stemming from the foundational principles of the universe.

In the Blue Planet’s universe, energy from nuclear fusion came from structural transformations of atoms and similar mechanisms, releasing devastating force in the billions. However, the mythical world didn’t contain the concept of nuclear fusion at all. Many foundational elements differed as well.

As a result, nuclear and hydrogen bombs had to be modified with crystal energy, simulating corresponding substances to envelop deuterium and tritium, in order to trigger fission with even greater destructive force.

"I’ll go take a look." After greeting the mythical king guarding the surface, Chen Chu arrived at the massive silver gate of the underground facility. The gate, several dozen meters tall, began to glow faintly.

[Spiritual fluctuation verified. Pupil lightwave scan complete. Identity confirmed. Access level matched. Welcome, Lord Divine Might.] With a cold electronic voice, the ten-meter-thick, five-tiered gate slowly slid open.

After Chen Chu stepped into the elevator leading deep underground, the gate closed behind him layer by layer with a solid mechanical

click

.

[Underground elevator preparing for launch. A brief period of weightlessness will occur. Please do not be alarmed.]

Whoosh!

The elevator suddenly plunged downward at almost two thousand meters per second. Even with the gravitational field stabilizing the cabin, the weightlessness remained intense.

Of course, such weightlessness only affected ordinary cultivators. With Chen Chu’s current power, he could teleport almost anywhere on the planet with just a thought, twisting space itself. However, some locations still had restrictions.

The underground base where Luo Fei was currently located was shielded by a powerful magnetic spatial constraint. Even Chen Chu couldn’t teleport directly inside, unless he forcibly tore through the spatial magnetic field.

After falling for over thirty kilometers and breaching the crust, the elevator gradually slowed down.

Hiss!

The moment the doors opened, a wave of searing heat surged inward. The shockwave instantly vaporized the moisture in the elevator and distorted the view.

Endless molten lava spread before Chen Chu’s eyes. Along the shore, researchers moved busily around thick cables and pipelines.

"Chen—Lord Divine Might." At the command station, Luo Wuming, clad in a heat-resistant suit, stared at Chen Chu in surprise. He had instinctively wanted to greet him casually, but changed to the formal address mid-sentence.

"Uncle Luo, don’t mind me. Just proceed with the original plan." Chen Chu gave a slight nod to Luo Wuming and looked ahead. At the heart of the blazing lava, a stream of eerie blue liquid flowed. A chill emanated from it, freezing everything in its path.

Luo Wuming felt a surge of emotion at Chen Chu’s arrival. With him standing by, even if something went wrong with Luo Fei’s breakthrough, he had the strength to suppress it by force. He picked up a communicator and said in a deep voice, "Run another full verification on all current data."

"Report: Nuclear power has fully charged and is ready for integration."

"Report: Biological activity within No.1 has gone completely dormant. Subconscious instincts have entered a deep lockdown."

"Report..."

As one system after another reached optimal status, Luo Wuming’s expression grew increasingly serious. He stared at the massive mech submerged in the blue fluid. He slowly exhaled, then his eyes sharpened. "Begin. Open all nuclear power gates. Flood No.1 with full capacity."

"Isolation valve No.1 successfully opened."

"Isolation valve No.2 decoupling in progress..."

Hum!

As the massive circular capacitor switches opened one by one, nuclear electrical energy began to surge and channel through the system. The black cables, each over ten meters thick, began to tremble violently.

More than ninety large-scale semi-nuclear fusion power stations, with over eight hundred reactors, unleashed electrical energy every second at an unimaginable rate. The power poured into No.1’s body, causing lightning several meters thick to crackle across its surface. The massive body shuddered uncontrollably. At the same time, due to the energy being diverted, much of the western hemisphere suddenly went dark and fell into a blackout.

While this seemingly endless stream of nuclear energy continued to counteract the super energy within, deep inside No.1, a young woman clad in semi-transparent platinum and golden divine battle armor slowly opened her eyes.

"Is it time to break through?" Murmuring softly, Luo Fei, who had long since reached the peak of the Ninth Heavenly Realm and was only one step away from ascension, no longer suppressed her realm.

In an instant, a powerful force erupted from within her. It was similar to a law, yet not quite the same. A massive aura soared straight into the sky.

Boom!

The sea of fire, spanning hundreds of kilometers in diameter, erupted violently. Jets of lava shot into the air, crashing against the cave ceiling ten thousand meters above. The entire world seemed to tremble. Endless molten lava surged toward the ceiling, forming a dark-red vortex of flame that resembled the end of days.

"It’s begun."

"She’s finally going to fuse with No.1?"

Underground, amid the tremors, every researcher stared nervously at the data before them, eyes filled with anticipation and excitement. This was the moment they had worked toward for so many years.

Amid the blazing vision of a firestorm boiling sky and sea, a colossal mech phantom emerged, its head against the sky and its feet planted on the earth. Its appearance resembled No.1, but unlike the original, this mech was white with golden edges, ornate in design. It looked less like a machine and more like a valkyrie clad in divine armor.

Atop the phantom’s head, a black-and-red halo composed of nine concentric rings slowly rotated, as if connected to a terrifying world. It radiated sacred majesty, yet carried a hint of dread.

Roar!

As Luo Fei’s breakthrough energy aligned with the world and condensed her own law, a dreadful roar echoed from a distant time and space.

Boom!

In that instant, space and time shook, and the void twisted. A horrifying force tore through the barrier between the mythic world and the universe of the Blue Planet, attempting to forcibly descend. That power crossed through ancient time, arriving from a distant past. Within the void, it formed a vast, indistinct shadow.

The moment that phantom from the past began to descend, No.1, previously silent, suddenly raised its head. A blue-white light blazed in its eyes, and it let out a deafening roar. Its body erupted with energy fluctuations on par with a heavenly king. In that moment, the super energy overwhelmed the nuclear energy that had been counterbalancing it.

Although the electrical energy released every second by over eight hundred reactors was tremendous, it still couldn’t suppress a force equivalent to that of a heavenly-king-level being.

Just as No.1 was about to rebel and rip away the massive cables connected to its back, a command echoed from deep within its soul, one that compelled it to surrender. It froze mid-motion.

Meanwhile, in front of the colossal phantom attempting to descend across worlds, a projection of an azure world slowly unfolded. It was a realm of nothingness, yet it radiated a vast, supreme aura.

As he watched that azure world emerge from nothingness, Chen Chu pondered, "That Primordial Azure Sky... Is that the realm Luo Fei reflects in her heart?"

With his level of insight, Chen Chu instantly realized that this azure world wasn’t a mere manifestation caused by her breakthrough. It was a projected fragment of a true, special world. The moment that colossal phantom appeared from the distant past, it was instantly drawn into the azure world and vanished.

Without that shadow to resonate with, No.1's inner resistance weakened. Under Luo Fei’s will, the erupting energy within it gradually calmed. Freed from interference, the towering mech phantom grew clearer and clearer as it absorbed the endless heat of the lava.

At the same time, lava lakes across a radius of several hundred kilometers began to visibly solidify along their edges as the searing energy was devoured and cooled.

At this rate, Luo Fei was expected to complete her breakthrough within an hour, becoming the second among the younger generation to ascend to the king level. Compared to the catastrophic commotion that accompanied Chen Chu’s own rise, her breakthrough seemed rather ordinary.

Luo Wuming’s expression turned solemn. "Lord Divine Might, we are now entering the most critical phase. Little Fei has already merged with three fragments of the ancient soul, and chose to break through on the Blue Planet in order to absorb the planet’s native energy and condense a mythical true form that differs from the standard king's true form. This form will contain traces of energy from our universe. Once fused with No.1, it will weaken the ancient creature’s imprint inside.

“If the fusion proceeds successfully, Little Fei will effectively become No.1. Her next step will be to guide No.1 through further awakening, and absorb more traces of ancient biological power from the river of time. Those remnants are the essence of that ancient creature. The more of them No.1 absorbs, the more complete and powerful it becomes. Then we wait for the second mythical surge. The collision of two universes will tear apart our solar system. That moment will be when we must hold up the heavens."

This plan sounded complete. Every step was carefully laid out and seemingly within Luo Wuming and his team's control. However, all of them, including Chen Chu himself, knew this was merely a beautiful wish. After all, what they were attempting to outmaneuver was an ancient being that hadn’t yet truly fallen. That level of power, that essence of existence, was simply beyond their comprehension.

Understanding what he meant, Chen Chu slowly nodded. "Don’t worry, Uncle Luo. With me here, nothing will go wrong during Luo Fei’s breakthrough."

Being only half a step away from breaking through to the supreme level, he was confident that unless the ancient being’s true form descended in person, he would be able to suppress any anomaly that potentially occurred.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As the massive mech phantom behind No.1 grew increasingly clear, the entire lava lake almost completely cooled, transforming into black volcanic rock. It wasn’t just the surface; magma that had surged up through mantle rifts from thousands of kilometers underground had completely solidified. The mythical transformation aura on the valkyrie-like mech had become even more intense.

Boom!

The colossal mech phantom suddenly moved, unleashing shockwaves like mountains crashing and seas roaring as it surged toward the even larger black-and-red mech standing behind No.1.

Hum!

Luo Fei’s true mech form dispersed into countless white law markings, flowing into the mech vessel. At that moment, the massive mech’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Crack!

Its chest, arms, and legs split open, shattering the blue frost coating its surface to reveal a hollow interior, and rushed toward No.1. There were no accidents. The over-three-thousand-meter-tall black-and-red armor fit No.1 perfectly, as if it were a suit tailored just for it.

The instant when Luo Fei’s law-condensed true form fused with the vessel, her transformation reached completion. Both her life and soul began ascending toward mythical existence.

Boom!

Heaven and earth resonated. The invisible aura of transformation enveloped No.1, and suddenly, a thunder-like heartbeat exploded deep within its body. Until now, the incomplete heart that served as No.1’s biological core had always remained dormant. Now, however, as it began to beat, an aura swept out, so oppressive it made everyone’s heart tremble. An immense suction erupted, devouring all nearby energy.

The only energies present underground were the nuclear energy streaming from the cables connected to No.1’s back, and the mythical true form infused into its exoskeleton. All of it was being devoured. With over eight hundred reactors providing energy, and Luo Fei’s mythical true form being absorbed, the half-intact heart gradually began to glow.

That ancient aura grew stronger by the second. In the dark-golden light, countless fleshy tendrils began to sprout around the edge of the incomplete heart, radiating an even more powerful life force.

Roar!

No.1 threw its head back and let out a deafening howl. Its eyes blazed with blue-white light, and its body began to expand. In the blink of an eye, its size surged to over three thousand meters, and it continued growing, stretching the black-and-red armor that had once fit comfortably. The metal screeched and groaned, even warping under the pressure.

As the force of its muscle expansion crossed a critical threshold, the armor on both shoulders exploded outward, revealing dark-golden skin beneath. Next came its arms and thighs. The armor restraints peeled open one by one.

A horrifying crimson light surged around No.1, and its roar grew increasingly ferocious. Like a savage beast, it glared viciously at Luo Wuming and the others in the distance. The aura radiating from it triggered an instinctual terror among the researchers, making them feel as though they were facing a natural predator. Their legs gave out, and several collapsed to the ground.

However, when No.1’s gaze landed on Chen Chu, its eyes, filled with madness and bloodlust, paused. Chen Chu paid it no attention. Instead, he looked up toward the ceiling of the cave. There, as No.1 continued its resurgence, another colossal phantom twisted the void, descending across space and time from an unknown realm.

Luo Fei had entered a special state. In Chen Chu’s perception, she had already disappeared. Her consciousness had fused with No.1 in an unknown form, lost in chaos. She was no longer able to pull that massive phantom into the Primordial Azure Sky.

So this was the so-called accident. Chen Chu glanced behind him at the king-level mech that had appeared. If he hadn’t returned today, it would have been this king named Tariff who would have stepped forward to stop the ancient will trying to descend across realms.