Chapter 201 - 169: Collapse of the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace

Chapter 201: Chapter 169: Collapse of the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace

Zhuge Xuanji.

She was one of the main story characters in the game.

Similar to Linghu Yao.

She had a character development arc.

In the future, she was supposed to release Taiyi-Zero, become good friends with it, and lead the world’s development—a truly era-defining researcher.

But now, that was all over.

She only met Zhang Ji once, and now her main storyline was gone.

Although Zhang Ji felt it was a bit of a shame to lose such a talent, he didn’t dwell on it.

One Taiyi-Zero was worth ten Zhuge Xuanjis.

Besides, he’d also gotten his hands on the Dao Integration Jade Slip.

That was the real key item.

With the item secured, Zhang Ji returned to the Ascetic Order’s mission.

He moved with incredible speed, arriving near the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace.

Following the preconceived plan, he reached the location of a core Spiritual Qi conversion device.

A massive furnace burned and refined all substances containing Spiritual Qi, converting them into the purest Spiritual Qi, which was then transported to various parts of the Floating City through the pipes of the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations.

’All I have to do is destroy it, right!’

Zhang Ji pursed his lips.

When it came to construction, he was thoroughly average, but as for destruction... ’I think I have a bit of a talent for that.’

He raised a hand, and a blast of Primal Qi finger power shot out, striking directly at the furnace.

BOOM!

As the finger blast neared, layers of Spiritual Shields activated, and countless array patterns lit up, blocking the Primal Qi finger power.

’Didn’t they say the protection level was average? This is average?’

Zhang Ji’s expression changed slightly.

"After the thefts at Ten Thousand Birds Heaven and Lingcui Heaven, the Celestial Dao Alliance feared an incident and spent a fortune on emergency reinforcements for the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace. The Protective Arrays around each furnace have been upgraded to Tier Five..." Taiyi-Zero’s voice sounded beside Zhang Ji. "Let me handle it."

"Fine. It’ll save me some energy," Zhang Ji nodded.

He truly hadn’t expected that his little escapades would trigger such a massive butterfly effect.

"Take out the Array-Nullification Box," said Taiyi-Zero.

Zhang Ji took out the jade box he had gotten from Zhuge Xuanji and found the Array-Nullification Box inside.

It was a bronze box covered in dense Spirit Patterns, even showing a few specks of rust.

It looked completely unremarkable.

But this was a common aging technique used by Ancient Cultivators, meant to avoid attracting attention.

Taiyi-Zero’s true body, the "Celestial Calculation Compass," was inside it.

It had existed back when the predecessor of Celestial Secret City Technology was still the Celestial Secret Pavilion.

After the Celestial Secret Ancestor who created the Celestial Calculation Compass died, its Artifact Spirit began to ponder the meaning of its existence and even gave itself the name Taiyi-Zero.

In the process of exploring the meaning of its existence, Taiyi-Zero did many things that the personnel of the Celestial Secret Pavilion found unacceptable. It once modified the data of the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations without authorization, causing gravitational errors in the Thirteenth, Eighteenth, Eighth, and Seventh Heavens, leading to collisions and massive casualties.

And that wasn’t even the most outrageous thing it had ever done.

The Thirty-Third Heaven, [Taichu Heaven].

Located there was the Celestial Dao Alliance’s most powerful weapon, called the [Celestial Intent True Seal], a Myth-grade treasure left behind by an Ancient Cultivator.

It had nearly activated it.

If it had succeeded, long before the city could ever fall from the sky, the entire Floating City would have been flattened by the seal, and even the Celestial Essence Realm would have suffered widespread environmental and climatic effects.

Because of its overly mischievous "problem child" behavior, it was sealed inside the Array-Nullification Box, and they never dared to let it out to cause trouble again.

At this moment, the Array-Nullification Box was glowing, suspended in the void. The dense array patterns on its surface all lit up, and Zhang Ji could faintly hear the sound of mechanisms turning inside at an incredibly, absurdly fast speed.

Wisps of Spiritual Power escaped from the Array-Nullification Box and landed on the great array in front of Zhang Ji.

Immediately, the array patterns on the great array began to change rapidly, then suddenly dispersed completely.

The Array-Nullification Box fell back beside Zhang Ji, and Taiyi-Zero’s voice rang out, "Hit it!"

Taiyi-Zero actually sounded a little excited.

Its problem-child personality was on full display.

But Zhang Ji didn’t care. ’Anyway, this isn’t Origin Star. Let the destruction begin.’

Zhang Ji brought his hands together, gathering Primal Qi, and once again unleashed the Five Forms Union.

ROAR!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

A giant Divine Dragon flew from Zhang Ji’s palms. Primal Qi destroyed the special Spiritual Metal, shattered the furnace, interrupted the reaction within, and annihilated the reacting Spiritual Energy Reactor. Countless bursts of Spiritual Qi were detonated, but Zhang Ji had already flown from the area, heading for the next furnace.

Similar acts of destruction were happening all over.

Because the Protective Arrays had been reinforced, many Ascetic Order members were finding it difficult to cause damage, so Zhang Ji went to help them.

Mostly, he had Taiyi-Zero help by breaking the arrays.

Throughout Taiyin Heaven, Spiritual Qi was leaking out madly. An almost tangible Spiritual Qi enveloped Taiyin Heaven, giving it the feeling of a paradise on earth.

And outside this paradise was a mist of Blood-Evil Qi that shrouded everything in all directions.

The contrast was ironic.

A series of explosions erupted, and the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace was being destroyed more and more thoroughly.

Zhang Ji and the others had already received the message to prepare for retreat.

Streaks of escaping light returned toward the Tribulation Ship.

Many streaks of light never made it back, left behind here forever.

They too were the backbone of the Ascetic Order.

But they would not live to see the Floating City fall.

Zhang Ji and Yan Jiulin also returned to the Tribulation Ship.

Their battle records were both absurdly impressive.

Especially Zhang Ji; he had practically handled half of the demolition mission on his own.

Seeing the two return, Ling Xuzi no longer hesitated. With a raise of his hand, he threw the Living Stele directly at the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace.

The thing was a Demon Artifact. After this use, it would no longer pose a great threat, so there was no need to keep it.

The Living Stele had its own consciousness and also craved Spiritual Qi.

Sensing the massive amount of Spiritual Power in the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace, it frantically devoured its way closer.

Ling Xuzi formed a hand seal, activating a failsafe he had left on the Living Stele.

The endless Evil Qi, Divine Soul power, resentment, Spiritual Power... everything within it was detonated at this moment.

Amid the roaring blast, the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace also exploded.

The shockwave spread, pushing even the massive Tribulation Ship.

Ling Xuzi maneuvered the Tribulation Ship to retreat, to move away.

It penetrated the mist of Blood-Evil Qi, broke through the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations, and left Taiyin Heaven.

While passing through the Blood-Evil Qi, the Tribulation Ship was covered in corrosive marks, a clear testament to the threat of the Blood-Evil Qi.

Ling Xuzi drew his sword and tore a hole in the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations, allowing the Tribulation Ship to pass through.

Then he activated the Array of Shifting, preparing to make a jump.

Faintly, a few streaks of escaping light could be seen rushing over. ℴ

Ling Xuzi’s gaze lingered for a moment on a green streak of light, finally settling on the figure of his senior brother.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The over thirty-two-thousand-meter-tall Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace was collapsing, falling, accompanied by the traces of reactor explosions and the spreading Blood-Evil Qi.

There was no telling how many lives were lost in this attack.

But it was also a twisted cry, paid for with the lives of cultivators who had been oppressed for countless years.

Cause and effect converged here.

There was no good or evil, and certainly no right or wrong.

Only the suitable replacing the unsuitable.

It was just pressure building up until it burst with energy.

.....

.....

The attack on the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace was a major event.

Taiyin Heaven was no longer habitable, filled with Blood-Evil Qi that was even starting to affect the heavens above and below it.

The Spiritual Qi concentration in the Floating City reached its highest point in history.

However, this was a short-lived boom. Once the Spiritual Power from the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace dissipated, even the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations might become difficult to maintain, and the entire Floating City would fall under the influence of gravity.

The Celestial Dao Alliance hastily issued a statement describing the incident and blaming the Ascetic Order.

They also stated that they would immediately begin repair work on the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace and that it would not affect the normal lives of the Floating City’s cultivators.

Saying it wouldn’t have an effect was a lie. A project of this scale couldn’t be repaired in a short time, even if they went full-throttle.

They still had to clean up the Blood-Evil Qi in Taiyin Heaven.

The Living Stele had also exploded there.

Taiyin Heaven was now a total cesspool.

The level of contamination was off the charts, even worse than a nuclear leak.

This wasn’t something that could be cleaned up and contained by just sending in a few brave souls.

They also had to guard against the Ascetic Order’s next attack.

The Celestial Dao Alliance was in a tight spot now, as were the vested interest groups in the Floating City.

Many cultivators went to the Abyss of Eternity, hoping to investigate the Ascetic Order and find the Yuyi Grotto-Heaven.

But it was useless. They would never find it.

The Yuyi Grotto-Heaven constantly changed its location; no one but core internal members could ever get in.

Even if they did get in, with Yan Jiulin and Ling Xuzi presiding, a few ordinary Nascent Souls would just be coming to die.

Unless an army came, or the Four Elders of the Celestial Dao Alliance came personally, they had nothing to fear.

The Ascetic Order mourned the passing of their comrades, but they soon began to celebrate, having moved one step closer to their goal.

Zhang Ji didn’t celebrate much. He was inside the Hope, holding the Dao Integration Jade Slip, with the Array-Nullification Box beside him.

"I don’t get it."

Zhang Ji was puzzled by the thin jade slip in front of him.

When he scanned it with his Spirit Particles, all he could see was a jumbled mess of lines and Spirit Patterns recorded within it.

The lines and Spirit Patterns could be magnified, but a magnified line revealed more lines within, and a magnified Spirit Pattern revealed more Spirit Patterns. Even after dozens of magnifications, he could still see even finer Spirit Pattern structures inside.

With Zhang Ji’s current understanding of Spirit Patterns, it was difficult to make any sense of it.

"You won’t be able to figure it out." The Array-Nullification Box floated up beside Zhang Ji as Taiyi-Zero spoke. "It’s too complex. It’s a complete model. Under normal circumstances, people in Celestial Secret City only ever study small, isolated sections of it."

"Can you understand it?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Yes," said Taiyi-Zero. "But to construct and use this Spirit Skill model is impossible. The amount of Spiritual Power and energy required is too vast, too absurd. However, we could try to miniaturize it. That would save a lot of effort, but it won’t be easy. It requires massive calculations."

"If we succeed, could we create a miniature Celestial Essence Realm?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Something like that," Taiyi-Zero agreed. "But you shouldn’t have much need for it. Don’t you already have your own independent small world?"

"It’s too small," Zhang Ji said, shaking his head. "I want a bigger one."

"Although the operating mechanics of your world are incomplete, it lacks the potential for growth, and modifying it would be very difficult, it’s still easier than creating a new world from scratch," Taiyi-Zero advised. "It would be easier to use your current world as a foundation and build upon it. Starting over from the beginning would be too slow and too difficult."

"I suppose that’s the only way," Zhang Ji said with a nod.