During the battle on Planet Amber, Lu Yin and the others had successfully rescued the survivors from Astral-3, and this incident had caused a great loss of face for Flying Horse Manor.
Madam Hong personally commanded all of the surrounding regions to be sealed off, especially the path leading towards Chaos Flowzone, all to prevent these bandits from successfully escaping.
However, she would never have imagined that Lu Yin would actually lead Hai Qiqi deeper into the Starfall Sea.
Hong Ying had been severely injured during the battle, so she was currently recuperating.
After treating her injuries, she had wanted to search for the group that had rescued those Astral-3 survivors and scrub away the humiliation that she had suffered. However, Madam Hong had ordered her to instead head to the Starfall Sea’s Grayweed Continent and help the Tong family defeat the remaining Fifth Mainland cultivators there.
Hong Ying could only obey her master, leaving her with no opportunity to seek revenge.
Atop the seaweed that grew at the entrance to the Starfall Sea, all of the miners remained within the spacecraft and did not move about. They waited until the vessels’ hulls were successfully coated and then headed into the Starfall Sea.
This was Lu Yin’s second time coming here, and he had never dreamed that he would use such methods to return. He was entering in a similar fashion, but under a vastly different context.
The first time, their group had been chased here by Feng Mo, and they had been forced to participate in the contest to become the Sea King’s son-in-law after fleeing to the Starfall Sea. This time, the two were sneaking in to evade the Sixth Mainland’s pursuit under the guise of captive miners.
Could this very place be targeting Lu Yin? After all, each time he came here was under the pursuit of someone else.
Hai Qiqi was not too far away from Lu Yin. She wanted to go out and reminisce but was unable to do so.
At this time, a shrill alarm blared throughout the spacecraft, and the majority of miners were left petrified, as they did not know what was happening.
Lu Yin, however, did know; the sea’s scouring current had arrived.
Sure enough, it did not take long for the spacecraft to start swaying, and all of the miners found something to hold on to. For most of them, this was their first time experiencing the Starfall Sea’s current, and they were filled with fear at this unknown situation.
A short time later, the current abated, and the spacecraft returned to normal once again.
There were a few planets within the Starfall Sea, and just like the spacecraft’s hulls, they were isolated from the water. However, whenever a current appeared, a powerhouse with a power level of more than 300,000 would have to take action to help the planet withstand the pressure.
Presently, after the Progenitors’ battle had caused the Innerverse’s cosmic environment to change, everyone was forced to suppress their power level to below 200,000. Thus, Lu Yin was wondering how the planets were currently withstanding the currents. Or, was it possible that they had all been destroyed?
Hai Qiqi had also thought of this detail, and her face paled.
She had grown up in the Starfall Sea, and she had even frequented some of the planets. In her heart, everything here was her home.
“Don’t think too much. The Sea King’s Dome holds a special status in the Starfall Sea, and nothing should have happened to it,” Lu Yin comforted her as he walked over.
Hai Qiqi nodded, though she was still waiting nervously.
The Sixth Mainland did not forbid the miners from speaking to each other, as they simply did not care. In their eyes, these miners were not criminals, but rather just inferior people. They hoped to seduce the Fifth Mainland cultivators into betraying the Fifth Mainland and surrendering, but at the same time, the Sixth Mainland looked down upon those who did so. Hence, they avoided contact with the miners whenever they could, which gave Lu Yin and the rest space to talk.
He had already questioned quite a few of the miners, as he wanted to find out where they would be stationed within Starfall Sea. However, the miners did not know either.
Lu Yin had also tried to inquire about the situation of the Innerverse’s various other regions, but he had learned nothing good. At the very least, in these people’s eyes, the entire universe was already under the Sixth Mainland cultivators’ control even though they did not know the details of the Sixth Mainland.
The Hall of Honor and the great powers of the Innerverse had not made any announcements about the Sixth Mainland either, only mentioning invaders. Those like Alfonso who knew about the Sixth Mainland had discovered the information on their own.
Although they did not understand the Sixth Mainland, the Innerverse cultivators knew that these invaders were a completely different breed of cultivators. In the eyes of the Fifth Mainland cultivators, once these invaders used their imprints, it was as if they had become a different species. It was similar to how the Innerverse cultivators were basically natives to the Sixth Mainland cultivators’ eyes.
Most of the miners had come from the areas around the Starfall Sea. The universe was too vast, and although the area surrounding the Starfall Sea did not seem like a large area, hundreds of millions of cultivators had been captured in that region. These cultivators had then been sent to mine for the Sixth Mainland while also being forced to hand over their battle techniques and arts.
When Lu Yin snuck it, the miners had been handing over their battle techniques, and it had to be said that the pair’s luck was good. Otherwise, Hai Qiqi’s status as a woman might not have passed through the inspection.
After some basic interaction, Lu Yin did not make any further inquiries, as he did not want to rouse the Sixth Mainland cultivators’ attention. Besides, the miners did not have much information to share with Lu Yin. This group of people were like salted fish; even if Lu Yin hijacked the spacecraft, these people would not help him, and they would be nothing more than mere bystanders.
Without their gadgets to tell the time, Lu Yin did not know exactly how much time had passed. However, after around ten days, the spacecraft shuddered and finally came to a stop. They were then chased out of the spacecraft, as they had arrived at their destination.
Hai Qiqi’s face went pale.
Lu Yin felt that something was strange. “What’s the matter?”
Hai Qiqi softly answered, “This is the location of the Sea King’s Dome.”
Lu Yin was astonished. “Are you certain?”
Hai Qiqi’s eyes danced about, and she looked terrified. The two of them continued following the group of miners as they disembarked from the ship.
Once Lu Yin got off, a familiar scene entered his eyes, and Lu Yin was surprised. They were indeed at the Sea King’s Dome.
He was rather familiar with this place. He could still recall the unforgettable awe that he had felt back when he had first laid eyes on the Sea King’s Dome. The conical mountain, the soft sunlight that illuminated the mountain, the impressive waterfalls cascading down, and the greenery that decorated the mountainsides were just as he remembered.
In particular, Lu Yin remembered the space behind the tall mountain that had rippled and given off a drumbeat that caused the void to shudder. He had even thought that he had been facing a divine mountain and been filled with awe.
However, what he recalled the most vividly was the rune lines that he had seen from the Sea King’s Dome, as they had hurt his eyes to the extent where he did not even dare to look.
However, at this time, the Sea King’s Dome that entered his eyes had changed completely. The mountain had been split into two sections, and the once impressive waterfalls no longer flowed. The sunlight was gone. The entire region around the Sea King’s Dome had grown dim, and it was no longer awe-inspiring; rather, it looked more like a part of the underworld. Flames rose high into the air in all directions, and it was impossible to know what was burning. The green plants that had once dotted the mountainsides had all wilted away, and the buildings, the shopping areas, and auction houses had all disappeared as well.
It was an utterly bleak landscape.
When she saw it, Hai Qiqi shuddered. Her eyes went red, and it looked like her body was about to collapse.
Lu Yin hurriedly grabbed her hand. “Your father is fine. Don’t you want to find him?”
Hai Qiqi suddenly returned to her senses, and she hung her head so that others could not see the tears in her eyes.
This was the first time she had left her home, and it had ended up lasting for a period of four years. During these four years, she had searched for a way to return home every day, and nobody could understand her struggles. Now, she had finally returned home, but this was what she was greeted by. This was the first time she had ever received a blow of this scale.
Fortunately, Lu Yin had reminded her of her father. Otherwise, the Sixth Mainland cultivators definitely would have noticed something.
Lu Yin’s eyes filled with star energy, and he looked at the Sea King’s Dome curiously.
This time, the Sea King’s Dome did not radiate the magnificent rune lines that had stung his eyes before. Instead, there were only the rune lines of some Sixth Mainland cultivators and the miners. One person even approached the current peak power level of 200,000, and that person was either a peak Hunter, or an Enlighter who was suppressing their power level.
“Does the Sea King’s Dome have any ore to mine?” Lu Yin led Hai Qiqi and walked with the human traffic as they softly spoke to each other.
Hai Qiqi’s body trembled, and she responded in a grievous tone. “Sea King’s Shard. It’s a very rare mineral that Father discovered. Its characteristic is being very solid, and although it cannot be combined with other minerals, it can be used to manufacture weapons and armor that have a very high defensive capability. Many of our Sea King’s Dome’s experts use weapons that are made from Sea King’s Shard, and it can reportedly withstand attacks with power levels of up to 500,000.”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up, as this was good stuff. Coincidentally, it was also the kind of material that he was lacking. Sea King’s Shard, huh? It was no wonder why the Sixth Mainland needed these miners to gather it for them.
As for it not being able to fuse with other minerals, Lu Yin did not care about that bit. The way he manufactured weapons and armor never required him to know how such things were done. All he had to do was get a rough outline of what he wanted and then leave everything to his die’s three pips: Enhance.
“Can ordinary miners extract this Sea King’s Shard?” Lu Yin asked curiously.
Hai Qiqi looked up at the tall mountain. “Sea King’s Shard is hidden within ordinary stone, and it is not an entirely separate substance. A layer of stone has to first be peeled away, which is something that even ordinary cultivators can do.”
Lu Yin nodded and looked up at the tall mountain. It seemed that this Sea King’s Shard was only found within the tall mountain.
The Sea King’s Dome had been thoroughly destroyed, and there was not a single part that resembled its previous majesty. In the distance, another giant statue had been erected, though this one was not of Madam Hong, but rather that of an old man. If Lu Yin guessed correctly, then this elder should be the Tong family’s Elder, who was a Cosmic Imprinter.
The Starfall Sea was completely under the Tong family’s control.
Not long after, Lu Yin and the others moved towards the tall mountain.
Hai Qiqi was suddenly stunned, and fresh tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, as she could not control her emotions at all.
Lu Yin hurriedly pulled her into his embrace before looking in the direction she had been staring. Then, his expression changed drastically.
In the distance, there were quite a few corpses hanging beside the sea, and there were so many that the number of corpses was uncountable. Some of the corpses had already dried to the point of beyond recognition, and when Lu Yin glanced over them, he did not recognize any of them. However, one of them felt rather familiar. He fell deep into thought before remembering. Back when he had left the Sea King’s Dome with Hai Qiqi, an old man had appeared, and he had said that he appreciated Lu Yin and that he hoped their future would go against the current.
“Qiqi, who was that elder?” Lu Yin could not help but ask.
Hai Qiqi lowered her head as her face flushed red. She did not bother answering Lu Yin and merely walked forward in a numb fashion.
Lu Yin sighed, but he did not speak any further.
Soon, the group of miners arrived at the mountain. Nobody watched over them, and they were allowed to mine however they wished. However, they were required to mine a certain amount before they would obtain their freedom. Supposedly, every six months, a spacecraft would stop by to take away those cultivators who had won their freedom.
Hai Qiqi said nothing, and she apathetically began to mine the stones and break them open as she looked for Sea King’s Shard.
Lu Yin stood guard next to her as he mined, just in case she lost control of her emotions.
Lu Yin picked up a piece of dark-green Sea King’s Shard and held it in his hand, but it was only a thumb-sized piece. In this area, a piece of Sea King’s Shard of this size was already considered exceptional, and Lu Yin had only spent a full day to dig up such a piece.
He exerted some force to pinch the material, but he could not leave any sort of mark on it. Lu Yin understood his own strength quite well, and if he had been squeezing an ordinary Hunter instead of this Sea King’s Shard, the Hunter would have been pinched to death. On the other hand, this Sea King’s Shard showed no reaction whatsoever.
Even though this material could not be combined with other materials, it was no different from the other materials that he had given Ban Jiu, as they all required extremely high temperatures to forge.
Hai Qiqi did not speak, and she only continued to apathetically mine the rocks. She had already found three pieces of Sea King’s Shard.
Lu Yin had also found four.
The miners were required to turn in 1,000 pieces in order to earn their freedom. Given the average rate of finding one piece a day, it would take the average person about three years to accomplish this, which was not very long for the captive cultivators.
The mountain was massive, and even if Sea King’s Shard was a scarce ore, if the entire mountain was mined out, then the amount of Sea King’s Shard would form a small heaping hill. That much material would be enough to manufacture quite a number of weapons and armor, which would be enough to equip an entire army and make it practically invincible.
Lu Yin’s eyes were fervent, as he did not know if the Sea King’s Dome had ever equipped an entire team with items made from Sea King’s Shard.
