Chapter 164 161: Aurora

Just as Luo Kai was immersed in this deeply pleasant state of mind, the sky suddenly burst into a kaleidoscope of colors. Ribbons of light flickered and flowed. His skin began to tingle and itch unbearably as a powerful Energy seeped into his body. The sensation was identical to what he had experienced near the Cyan Dragon Skull. Under this Energy, his deepest cellular tissues grew tougher and more vibrant.

But the radiant energy from the Cyan Dragon Skull had only covered a radius of a hundred meters at most, whereas this powerful Energy completely enveloped the entire world.

He heard the calls of seabirds as great flocks of them spiraled and danced in the sky. In the sea, countless fish leaped to the surface, and even shrimp and crabs scrambled out from their holes. The plants along the coast swayed without any wind. All of creation seemed to be bathing in this Energy.

A thought struck Luo Kai. 'These colorful bands of light in the sky must be an aurora. But I'm in a subtropical region. How can there be an aurora here?'

Even scientists in his previous life hadn't fully understood how auroras were formed. The prevailing theory was that they resulted from the collision and friction between the cosmic energy of particles and Earth's magnetic field at the poles. Normally, only high-energy particles from the sun would collide with Earth, and since the planet's magnetic field lines were concentrated at the poles, auroras would only appear there. Yet now, one had appeared in the Central Region. Without a doubt, an immense cosmic energy was sweeping past the planet.

He quickly relaxed his cellular tissues, extended his Spirit, and gathered the surrounding radiant energy, absorbing it into his body. Unfortunately, this cosmic energy was incredibly brief, lasting less than a minute. It was gone in a flash. As the colorful aurora in the sky gradually faded, everything returned to normal. The birds began to return to their nests, the fish dove back into the sea, and the plants stopped swaying.

Luo Kai retracted his consciousness with some regret. 'This cosmic energy must be a type of Light Energy,' he mused, 'what you could also call radiant energy.'

Most radiant energy was violent—an excess would damage one's deepest cells. This cosmic energy, however, was extremely gentle. It could increase cellular activity and even alter the structure of matter. Luo Kai could already feel the water molecules in the sea becoming denser. Even the Severing Blade in his hand felt more compact, its volume shrinking ever so slightly, and it hummed with an excited energy, its Spirituality more pronounced than before.

In the countless eons since life first appeared on Earth, there had been several great explosions of new species. Humanity never knew the cause, but now it seemed highly likely they were triggered by occasional bursts of high-intensity cosmic radiation. The planet was like a sponge, absorbing vast amounts of this radiation and converting it into various forms of energy, which it then slowly released over the following ages. This was what led to species explosions that could last for tens of thousands, or even millions, of years.

He glanced at the surrounding corpses. He had finished off Gao Zan, the Commander of the Dragon Shark Pirates, with a single slash. The Water Shield formed from the Essence of Water around him had offered no real Defense. With Gao Zan's death, those specks of Essence of Water had also vanished between Heaven and Earth.

An Elemental Master's Essence of Water is deeply nourished by their own consciousness, so an outsider cannot interfere with or absorb it.

The only one on the ground still breathing was Gao Fei. The man's internal organs had been shattered by the Water Thunder. Even if Luo Kai didn't finish him off, he wouldn't last much longer.

As if in a final surge of life before death, Gao Fei regained consciousness. He looked around dazedly at the corpses, and then he saw Luo Kai. His eyes first filled with terror, but then he relaxed and gave a bitter laugh. "I knew I'd run into you if I set foot on land. I just didn't think it would be so soon."

Luo Kai replied expressionlessly, "Be an ordinary person in your next life."

Gao Fei shouted hysterically, "Bullshit! If you're going to live, you live to be better than everyone else! I've had my fun in this life! I have no regrets, even in death!"

"You know damn well whether you have regrets or not," Luo Kai replied coolly, then turned and walked away.

Gao Fei stared at Luo Kai's back, a stream of curses pouring from his mouth until he coughed up another mouthful of blood. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and a moment later, he breathed his last.

Luo Kai stood on a hill, looking toward the ruins of the Small Fishing Village in the distance. The Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold had once brazenly slaughtered the fishermen here in order to smuggle grain to the pirates. Now, the culprits themselves had all died in this very place. 'Could it be,' he wondered, 'that Cause and Effect truly exists?'

On the way back, he noticed that the surrounding wild grass had grown a little taller. It wasn't just the grass; the fruit trees in the orchard were also denser. Though the burst of cosmic energy had been brief, both plants and animals had received immense benefits.

The Zilan by his door had grown another inch. Sensing Luo Kai's arrival, it waved its branches, sending him joyful frequencies.

...

「The Observatory of the Astronomical Observatory, Dongyuan Upper Country.」

Several lavishly dressed old men watched the fading aurora with expressions of regret. One of them, an old man with a long white beard, said worriedly, "While cosmic energy certainly brings great benefits to life, for humanity, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages."

"Indeed," another agreed. "The energy released by that aurora was immense. The speed of evolution will accelerate again. I expect many more Fierce Beasts will be born."

Another old man with a long face sighed. "Alas, this has been a year of crises. The north was struck by extreme cold, while the Southern Region experienced inexplicably high temperatures. If this continues, I fear the Fierce Beasts will stir once more."

"Master Yun, do you think this could be the work of Extraterrestrial Creatures? I heard an Evil Qi resonator appeared in the southern Xingma Kingdom. A Body Master from the Body Technique Association went to capture this person and was attacked by Extraterrestrial Creatures, ultimately perishing in the attempt."

The white-bearded old man, Master Yun, shook his head. "I don't know. I have just returned from a tour of the various nations. While there are constant minor disasters everywhere, there have been no major ones. There are currently no signs that Extraterrestrial Creatures are causing this trouble, nor does it seem to be the work of humans or Fierce Beasts. I have already invited the director of the Elemental Master Association to Shangjing for a discussion. If these climate anomalies persist, our only recourse will be to ask the Great Elemental Masters to intervene."

...

The effects of last night's aurora were far greater than Luo Kai had anticipated. When he woke up, he discovered the surrounding sandy, rocky ground was a swath of lush green. The soil here was extremely saline and had been left untended for years; it should have been impossible for anything to grow, yet now, plant life was flourishing.

A faint sense of unease settled over him. 'In my previous life, an increase in the Life Force of plants and animals would have been a good thing, but not now. Plants are one thing; they don't threaten human safety. But animals are another matter, especially with Fierce Beasts in the world. Last night's powerful Energy clearly boosted cellular activity significantly. That means life is now more resilient, and the chance of it evolving in response to external changes is much higher.'

After grabbing a bite to eat, he went to the orchard. As expected, all the fruit trees had grown much larger. Strangely, however, most of the still-unripe fruit had fallen to the ground. Throughout the entire orchard, only a few apples remained on the branches, and all of them were perfectly ripe.

He found it strange. 'All life exists to survive and reproduce, but these plants seem to have abandoned reproduction to focus on survival—or rather, to focus on the potential for evolution. After being baptized by last night's cosmic energy, they all have a chance to evolve.'

'Is this a good thing or a bad thing?'

Luo Kai couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore. He casually plucked a bright red apple from a branch. It was incredibly sweet and crisp. In his two lifetimes, he had never eaten an apple so delicious!