Xia Fei crossed two thresholds in seventy-two hours! This elated Radix, whose voice was clearly much more energetic after using the energy produced by Xia Fei’s promotions to strengthen himself.
Xia Fei did not say much. Peak Law Overlord meant that the next step was the Law Sage celestial threshold. For this step, if the foundation was not sturdy enough, Xia Fei would have to expend a great deal of energy trying to break through the Law Sage threshold. Thus, Xia Fei decided to clear his mind and solidify his gains first.
It was a long journey from the Law Realm to the Hidden Realm, and even when Little Goldie used the shortcuts in Dark Space, it would still take some time. Wind Raja and the others were still busy dismantling Pinnacle’s research station signal devices.
These signal emitters did not work in Dark Space, but once they returned to conventional space, they could immediately demonstrate their prowess.
Xia Fei had made up his mind to turn Pinnacle into his, so he needed to get rid of any possible dangers as soon as possible. This was the only way could he safely leave Pinnacle in the Hidden Realm.
Thirty-six hours later, Xia Fei finally finished solidifying his foundation. Exhaling, he opened his eyes and lit a cheap cigarette for himself.
While he had succeeded in using the energy within his brain region to get past two thresholds, the effort of this push had left him feeling rather tired.
“Radix, what’s your connection to the Ark?” Xia Fei asked as he puffed out a cloud of smoke.
Radix was stunned. “Why do you ask that?”
Xia Fei smiled. “Stop trying to hide it. When I absorbed the Ark fragment before, my seventh brain region ended up expanding to 101%, and this time, after absorbing the energy around you, my seventh brain region expanded to 102%!
“While it’s only a small 1%, it allowed me to break through the greatest restriction a sapient lifeform has to deal with! Not even an idiot will believe it if you say that you have no connection to the Ark.”
The openness of one’s brain region was a law. Besides Xia Fei, no one else had a brain region that exceeded 100% openness! It was clear that the Ark did not provide only energy to Xia Fei; it also allowed him to break one of the eternal laws of the universe!
Radix bitterly chuckled, and then he softly said, “Your judgment is truly very astonishing. Indeed, I am from the Ark.”
Stunned, Xia Fei hastily asked, “You’re from the Ark?!”
Coming from the Ark and understanding the Ark were two completely different concepts! Not even in his dreams would Xia Fei have envisioned that Radix was actually part of the Ark and he was even one of the lifeforms from it, too!
After a brief pause, Radix continued. “Long ago, I arrived here in this universe aboard the Ark. Later, the Ark exploded into countless pieces; I was just a microchip with a will of its own mixed in with the debris. I floated in the universe for many years, trying every method I could to build myself a new body, as I wandered alone.
“Afterward, I felt that living alone was very boring, so I built many robots and created the Mech Race. As I was the creator of it, they acknowledged me as king.”
Xia Fei was flabbergasted by Radix’s words. No wonder he had sensed such intense energy pulses upon entering the room. It was because Radix used to be one with the Ark!
“A microchip can fuse with a soul?! So you’re an intelligent lifeform in the past?” Xia Fei asked.
Radix shook his head. “No, I am an artificial soul used to control the Ark. Alas, the Ark ended up being destroyed on its first voyage.”
Xia Fei pursed his lips. He did not understand how a soul could be created, but Radix was quite unlucky, experiencing such disaster on his first voyage.
“Can you talk about the Ark and the Cosmic Gate?” Xia Fei asked.
Radix shook his head. “My memories are rather fragmented, and the only part I remember is that the Ark was going on its first mission after being created, and that I had been ordered to carry a passenger through the Cosmic Gate, but not long after we set off, we came under enemy attack. Those bizarre shadowy figures were impossible to throw off no matter how hard we tried.
“The Ark began to falter under the enemies’ vicious attacks, so the moment it passed through the Cosmic Gate, the Ark exploded. The Ark’s only passenger used his own body to seal the Cosmic Gate so that the enemy couldn’t pursue.”
Xia Fei asked in confusion, “Why were those enemies chasing you?”
Radix replied, “I’ve wondered about this for many years. I guess that they must have wanted something from the Ark. While the Ark really did have only one passenger, it was carrying many other items.”
“What about the passenger? Where did he come from? Did he die?” Xia Fei questioned.
Radix answered, “I’m not sure. I only recall a very blurry figure, someone very strong, with great cultivation! When he single-handedly sealed the Cosmic Gate, preventing the tens of thousands of enemy soldiers from coming through, he was unbelievably powerful!
“The Ark exploded violently after that! It was a tremendous explosion that lasted for three days and three nights! The Ark blew apart into countless pieces that scattered themselves across the universe, and I was also thrown very far. Fortunately, I was part of the Ark’s core control unit, which possessed a high level of protection, so I managed to survive.”
…
Xia Fei and Radix’s conversation went on for a very long time. Radix remembered many technology, but he had forgotten everything about what was beyond the Cosmic Gate. This left Xia Fei feeling rather frustrated. He had believed that he would finally be able to discover the secrets of the Cosmic Gate, but in the end, his efforts had been fruitless.
Nonetheless, Radix’s experiences had made Xia Fei understand one thing. There was life outside the Cosmic Gate—a very cruel and wicked life! The moment the Cosmic Gate was opened, they would become a nightmare for all sapient life!
After some thought, Xia Fei asked, “The legends say that the Ark brought life. Is this true?”
Radix replied, “This universe has always had life. The pulses produced by the Ark’s explosion simply made the sapient life here even stronger, granting them the seventh brain region.”
“The seventh brain region was opened because of the Ark’s explosion?!” Xia Fei muttered in shock.
Radix replied, “Correct. Only after the Ark’s explosion could there be a Law Realm, could sentient lifeforms emerge from their own planets and cause the entire universe to thrive. It’s not completely out of line to say that the Ark’s explosion brought life to the universe, for life in the universe before was very primitive and not as powerful as it is today.
“After the establishment of the Law Realm, the Cosmic Gate was opened once. Countless wicked lifeforms poured in and almost annihilated the Law Realm! But later, for some unknown reason, these intruders withdrew on their own accord, and the Law Realm got divided into two supreme races, which fought against each other.”
“You witnessed this all?” Xia Fei asked.
Radix replied, “No, I found out through inspecting Fig Corporation’s data files. I was still a piece of debris at that time, without my own body, floating in space back then.”
“Then what about the Dark lifeforms on the edge of the Law Realm?”
Radix explained, “Dark lifeforms also evolved because of the Ark explosion, but they didn’t open up a seventh brain region. Instead, they became strange and sinister, most likely a result of their evolution process.
“Although they don’t have seventh brain regions, those Dark lifeforms that live on the perimeter are born with innate judgment. As the Cosmic Gate has grown unstable lately, they’re starting to get antsy. From what I can tell, it seems that whenever the Dark lifeforms start moving, it’s an overture for a war between the two supreme races. The universe will soon enter another long period of war.”
…
The journey through Dark Space and to the Hidden Realm was peaceful and uneventful. The occasional wandering demon chrysalises would immediately turn tail upon seeing Little Goldie, so there were no obstacles or hindrances.
Besides having conversation with Radix, Xia Fei continued to cultivate. Xia Fei had already reached peak Law Overlord in the Law of Space, but he could not neglect the Law of Speed and the Law of Primal Chaos.
It was not that Xia Fei had intentionally neglected these two laws. Rather, cultivating the Law of Speed and Law of Primal Chaos were simply too difficult! They both required significant amounts of time.
As for the important task of maintaining Pinnacle’s research station, he left that to the three masters. Teddy and the others had never liked Pinnacle. After all, this was the station they had been imprisoned on for many years.
However, the times had changed. Pinnacle was now Xia Fei’s, and the three masters were now partial owners of Pinnacle. How could they not repair and maintain their own home?
Celestial Artificer Wind Raja was rather idle in all this. After all, he was a traditional artificer of the Law Realm, and he had no idea how to work with electronics and machinery. The most he could do was offer some help on the side.
Xia Fei soon received two pieces of bad news.
First, Radix was beginning to weaken again. Xia Fei still needed to keep advancing so that the energy produced by his advancement could sustain Radix’s recovery. Otherwise, this immortal soul, which had come to the universe on the Ark, would disappear! Xia Fei would never allow such a thing to pass. No one would want to see such a powerful ally disappear like that.
Secondly, Radix was now dependent on Xia Fei. He not only required the energy pulses from any advancement to survive, but could only use Xia Fei’s! This also meant that Radix must stay with Xia Fei for a very long period until he recovered, subsisting off the energy Xia Fei provided.
Xia Fei did not make any comments. From Phantom to Oro, Xia Fei had always been accompanied by strange beings, so Radix was nothing new.
However, Radix’s dependence on Xia Fei’s advancement still left him rather uneasy. In order to keep Radix alive, Xia Fei had to advance constantly and swiftly, like a rocket!
Advancing in the Laws of Space, Primal Chaos, and Speed did not come easy. It required rigorous training and a little luck.
Xia Fei noticed that Wind Raja did not have anything to do, so he decided to cultivate the Law of Artificiary with him. The grand ancestor of his clan, whom he had still not met, decided that Xia Fei should become a Protean Master, so he would have to cultivate the Laws of Artificiary and Energy eventually.
Wind Raja was quite surprised and happy that he could guide Xia Fei in cultivating the Law of Artificiary. He was happy because his temperament was a good fit for Xia Fei, and they got along well. Wind Raja was very content that he could pass on his skills to someone else, and he was even happier that it was to his savior.
He was surprised because Xia Fei had dabbled in a freakish number of fields! He was already an outstanding warrior, but he was also proficient in auxiliary fields like pharmacology, energy, and Artificiary! This was the legendary Protean Master, and he could learn anything he applied himself to! Only a little prompting was required!
A week flew by, and Xia Fei finally arrived at the Hidden Realm with Little Goldie and the four peak experts!
