by <unknown>
"The Houyi Clan that was born in similar ways and equally good at making use of stars was their main target.
"At first, the Houyi Clan was absolutely no match for the Kuafu Clan. They suffered a losing streak because of the energy that the enemy collected from the ten suns. The whole civilization was almost obliterated.
"Everybody in the Houyi Clan said that the enemy was about to roast them with the ten suns.
"In the end, the Houyi Clan gathered all their elites and ambushed the stars with dozens of daring teams, finally detonating nine out of the ten stable stars under the Kuafu Clan's control.
"The nine stars had drastic changes and unleashed destructive flames and radiations, almost wiping out all the Kuafu's Spheres and the Kuafu Clan's fleets.
"The Kuafu Clan was covered in the infinite darkness. The fleets wailed at the dim, messy cosmos after the solar storms. They jumped from one Sector to another, but the tragedy was the same. Most fleets died of insufficient resources before they reached the last sun that was still steady and peaceful.
"The battle completely reversed the comparison of the Kuafu Clan and the Houyi Clan. Having achieved a strategic advantage, the Houyi Clan was determined to pursue further and shoot down the Kuafu Clan's last sun. Such an action would not bring them much good. After all, they were a species that depended on stars too. However, their strong hatred and their fear that the Kuafu Clan might rise again prompted them to obliterate the Kuafu Clan even though they would also suffer heavy losses in the process.
"At this moment, the Pangu Clan showed up.
"Or rather, the intense transformations of the nine suns made the Pangu Clan discover the Kuafu Clan and the Houyi Clan. They learned that the Pangu Clan was not the only intelligent carbon-based life in this vast universe.
"At that time, the Pangu Clan already boasted a civilization and war ability that was far beyond the Kuafu Clan and the Houyi Clan. However, they were still amazed at how the two carbon-based lives utilized stars—either in the peaceful way or in the violent way.
"The Pangu Clan realized that the carbon-based intelligent lives had been developed to such an appalling level that their war was very likely to destroy the whole universe or even jeopardize the civilizations that were not related to the war. The war among the carbon-based intelligent lives had to be stopped in order to maintain the peace of the universe. Therefore, the Pangu Clan intermediated in the war between the Kuafu Clan and the Houyi Clan, secretly supporting the Kuafu Clan and preventing the Houyi Clan from destroying the Kuafu Clan's last sun. Then, an agreement between the three parties was reached. That was perhaps the prototype of the Pangu civilizations' alliance later.
"I'm telling this not to waste your time but to let Marquess Liaohai know that the Houyi Clan mastered the ability to 'make the sun sneeze' a long time ago, and it almost resulted in the complete destruction of an interstellar civilization after it was devoted to a real battle!"
Chapter 2598: The Gold Crystal Pyramid! |
Attracted, Lei Chenghu finally took a long breath in relief and asked suspiciously, "Have you mastered the Houyi Clan's technology to 'activate the sun', Your Majesty?"
Wuying went on, "After the establishment of the Pangu civilizations' alliance, the Houyi Clan and the Kuafu Clan continued their studies on stars. Spending tens of thousands of years, they measured the parameters and qualities of countless stars in the three thousand Sectors. They also ran experiments and constructions on the stars that were at strategic locations. There were both the 'Kuafu spheres' in peaceful periods and 'star bombs' and 'stellar storm generators' that were designed for wars.
"When the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan ended on bad terms and started the primeval war, most of the Houyi Clan were on the Pangu Clan. When the Nuwa Clan was gradually winning the war, the Houyi Clan was insane enough to propose a series of technologies to boost the sun and die together with the enemy. They established a glorious 'solar defense line' with countless stars, trying to stop the march of the Nuwa Clan.
"Imagine it. On the routes of the Nuwa Clan's army when they were jumping forward, thousands of suns were infuriated at the same time. The infinite fire walls that they spurted out divided the whole universe into two halves, one dazzling and the other dark. What a magnificent and soul-stirring scene it must've been!
"The Empyreal Terminus Sector is at a special astrological location where thousands of wormholes intersect. Naturally, it was the main focus of the 'solar defense line'. The Houyi Clan set up a very powerful device to activate the sun on the main planet of the Empyreal Terminus Sector, or the capital as we know it. It was called 'Gold Crystal Pyramid'."
"Gold Crystal Pyramid?"
Lei Chenghu slightly frowned. "Since it is a 'pyramid', it should be a massive, eye-catching building. Why have I never heard that there's such a wonder in the capital?"
Wuying Qi smiled and said, "The Gold Crystal Pyramid is a piece of 'stellar magical equipment' that the Houyi Clan produced after tens of thousands of years of studies on the stars. They were established inside every stellar system that had a steady and powerful star. Most of the 'Gold Crystal Pyramids' have a square pedestal and a sharp tip. Such a structure could focus the energy as much as possible, shooting it at the star billions of kilometers away as a signal to activate the sun.
"However, while the Houyi Clan made full preparations during the primeval war, the situation on the battlefield was not worsened to the point that they needed to infuriate thousands of suns. Or rather, the Pangu Clan, the Nuwa Clan, the Houyi Clan, and the other carbon-based species were all drained up by the war. Even if thousands of suns were sacrificed, their fate of being destroyed couldn't have been changed.
"Therefore, the Houyi Clan only activated part of the 'Gold Crystal Pyramids'. The majority of them stood after the destruction of the primeval civilizations and returned to the universe of ignorance, including the one on the capital planet.
"In the hundreds of thousands of years to come, due to the tectonic changes, the Gold Crystal Pyramids on the surface of the planet dropped nonstop. By the time mankind rose, most of them had already collapsed deep into the planet, melted into rocks, or were completely broken. Naturally, they were never known."
Thinking for a moment, Lei Chenghu asked, "Since the Houyi Clan are already extinct, and most of the Gold Crystal Pyramids have been buried and ruined during the hundreds of thousands of years, how did Your Majesty learn the existence of the 'stellar magical equipment'?"
"I learned the relevant knowledge in the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum. To be more exact, it was an incomplete volume of the Book of Revelations, in which the mysteries about the utilization of stellar energy were recorded. Of course, there were also ways to activate the 'Gold Crystal Pyramids' to turn the sun into the most powerful weapon!"
Wuying Qi said, "Do you still recall the myth of the rise of mankind ten thousand years ago, where the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God, his strongest clone, fought so hard on the capital planet that the capital planet was almost blown into halves?
"In fact, the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God both commanded billions of soldiers from a thousand worlds. How could they have dueled with each other? No matter how strong they were in person, it could not decide the outcome of a cosmic war or the face of the universe!
"The truth was that the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God did run into each other below the capital planet with the elites of their own. However, it was not an idiotic 'duel', but a mutual search for the 'Gold Crystal Pyramid' that sank into the depths of the capital planet.
"During his rise, the Supreme Emperor got three volumes of the Book of Revelations in total. One of them recorded the ways to utilize and boost the energy of stars. The coordinates of some of the Gold Crystal Pyramids and the ways to control them seemed to have been marked too.
"The Blood God, as the Supreme Emperor's clone, shared part of his memories. Naturally, he also grasped the secrets of the 'Gold Crystal Pyramids'.
"Both the Suprem
e Emperor and the Blood God believed that the 'Gold Crystal Pyramid' deep inside the capital planet was the most important one on the 'solar defense line' that the Houyi Clan set up in the old days. Therefore, it must've boasted the best defense and maintenance facilities. Even if all the other Gold Crystal Pyramids had turned rusty, the one here must be intact.
"As long as they discovered the Gold Crystal Pyramid, they would be able to control the sun of the Empyreal Terminus Sector to some extent.
"At that time, the fleets loyal to the Supreme Emperor and the rebels loyal to the Blood God were all gathered in the Empyreal Terminus Sector for an ultimate war that would decide the future of mankind. The situation was almost exactly like it is today. Whoever raised a minor, controllable solar storm would likely be the final winner!
"Therefore, while thousands of starships were engaged in space, the two of them led elite teams to excavate the Gold Crystal Pyramid at great risks.
"It was a shame that the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God were the same person and thought the same. The elite teams of the two parties had an unexpected encounter below the ground. After a lose-lose battle, not only were the two teams wiped out, but their leaders were also heavily wounded. It also led to the great tectonic movements in the shell of the capital planet. Indescribable energy blew out of the core of the planet and almost kept the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God below the ground for good. That's why legends have it that the capital planet was almost blown apart by the two experts.
"When the two commanders escaped from the bottom of the planet in frustration, they both lost the abilities to command the battle or to excavate the Gold Crystal Pyramid again.
"The Gold Crystal Pyramid, the sun controller hidden deep inside the capital planet, was never discovered when the Star Ocean Imperium crashed.
"As for me… Marquis Liaohai, you must know that I spent hundreds of years in the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum. During the time, I accidentally got an incomplete volume of the Book of Revelations, on which the Supreme Emperor's regretful soul signature was lingering. In it, he specifically described the underground environment and the geological parameters he met during the exploration of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. He was very certain that his team and the Blood God's were in fact very close to the Gold Crystal Pyramid when the battle began. It was safe to say that either of them could've touched the key to controlling the sun if they had excavated for a few more days without interference. What a jest of fate to have arranged for them to encounter in such an environment.
"The rest is history. After I returned to the Imperium, I began to try to accumulate my strength and plan for the great cause to cleanse the corruption and renew the Imperium. At first, I was forced to take action under the identity of 'queen of the Imperium', and I was hamstrung in many aspects. Naturally, it was impossible for me to excavate in the depths of the capital planet on a large scale. However, since we occupied the whole capital planet, I was finally able to take my chances. Perhaps the Supreme Emperor was watching over us from places we cannot see because I did find the 'Gold Crystal Pyramid' successfully!"
Lei Chenghu still exclaimed although he had known the result. He said, "No wonder Li Yao told me that he saw Your Majesty's Imperial Guards digging an enormous hole mysteriously below the capital planet. So, that was the 'Gold Crystal Pyramid'."
"What?"
This time, Wuying Qi, who wouldn't have changed his expression even if a planet fell apart right before him, was shocked. His eyelids and lips quickly shivered as he blurted out, "That scoundrel knows that, too?"
Realizing his loss of calmness, Wuying Qi took a deep breath and resumed tranquility. He said casually, "Yes, that's exactly the Gold Crystal Pyramid. Now, Marquis Liaohai, you should know that I did not lie to you and have shared all the secrets with you, right? Hehe, Li Yao thought everybody else was as sordid as him. Did he really think he could sow discord between us in such a way? How ridiculous!"
While saying, Wuying Qi suddenly thought of something else. His face slightly changed again, and hints of anxiety beamed out of his eyes.
Lei Chenghu coughed somewhat in embarrassment and said, "I'm certainly grateful for Your Majesty's trust, and I cannot repay one billionth of Your Majesty's appreciation even with my life. However, this 'Gold Crystal Pyramid' was a piece of stellar magical equipment from hundreds of thousands of years ago, designed and developed by the Houyi Clan. It must be very different from what human beings are used to. Can it really unleash infinite power in your hands, Your Majesty?"
"The Gold Crystal Pyramid is more or less damaged after hundreds of thousands of years. The volume of the Book of Revelation to maneuver the Gold Crystal Pyramid is incomplete and obscure too. Even the Supreme Emperor failed to completely understand it in the old days. It is even less possible for me to grasp it in only several hundred years."
Wuying Qi smiled and said, "Thankfully, our enemy is not the tricky opponents like the Nuwa Clan or the Kuafu Clan, but only people who are as unused to radiation as us.
"As long as we can activate one tenth of the power of the 'Gold Crystal Pyramid', it will be enough to raise a solar storm that will affect the whole Empyreal Terminus Sector. All the starships in space will be blown apart. The enemy's Spiritual Nexus will suffer destructive interference, their magical equipment units completely paralyzed. Even the vitality field of most soldiers would be temporarily disrupted, giving the enemy a huge headache and depriving them of their combat ability!"
Chapter 2599: Your Majesty, You Must Be Wary of Li Yao! |
Deep in thought, Lei Chenghu asked, "Is it so powerful?"
"You can doubt anything, but you should never doubt the power of a star."
Wuying Qi said, "A star in the prime years can be compared to a gigantic living creature that has periodic activities like breath. In the Empyreal Terminus Sector, the cycle of every 'breath' of the sun is fourteen years. After every fourteen years, the sun will reach the most intense phase of stellar activities.
"During the phase, all kinds of radiations, magnetic fields, particles, and even the protons inside the sun that are involved in the spiritual energy will be spurted out at a high speed, sweeping across the whole system like countless burning tentacles.
"Even on the capital planet, the power of solar activities can still be felt. Volcano eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, spiritual energy disruption, and even the mental derangement of the Immortal Cultivators all have a lot to do with the solar activities.
"The universe is a giant magnetic field, and the human body is a small one. The training of the Immortal Cultivators is exactly to integrate the two magnetic fields into a new, powerful one.
"Just like pigeons that have to tell the direction by using the magnetically sensitive areas inside their heads, the Immortal Cultivators are unusually sensitive to all kinds of magnetic fields.
"When the solar activities are in the period of outbreaks, pigeons will be lost due to the disruption of the magnetic field. How could the Immortal Cultivators remain unaffected? Even the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage, the Divinity Transformation Stage, or even the Divinity Branching Stage are too insignificant when faced with the might of a star!
"That's still a pure natural environment without any human intervention under the protection of the atmosphere. Still, the consequences are severe enough.
"This year is exactly the period of solar outbreaks in the fourteen-year cycle in the Empyreal Terminus Sector. If we could add oil to the fire and make the solar activities on the sun more intense, it will definitely cause a destructive blow to the ace fleets of the four families!
"The supermassive magical equipment like starships are developing toward precision and automation today. The more precise, the more vulnerable. The more automatic, the more they will depend on the system. When particles penetrate through all the main warships in the ace fleets like meteor showers, paralyzing their mainframe crystal processors and power units and casting most of the crew members into a comatose state, those wars
hips as big as mountains, the greatest reliance for the four families to dominate the universe, will become iron coffins flowing along the current, completely at our mercy!"
Profound sparks glittered in Lei Chenghu's eyes as he said, "So to speak, the solar storm will kill all the soldiers in the four families' ace fleets?"
"How is it possible?"
Wuying Qi burst into laughter. "I understand what you are saying, Marquis Liaohai. You are highly reluctant to see a civil war in the Imperium. To be honest, I'm unwilling to see the bloodstained scene too. Both Marquis Liaohai and most of the soldiers under the four families' command are my subjects and the sabers which I count on to conquer the universe. Now, our great enemy, the Covenant Alliance, hasn't shown up yet. How could I break my sabers for no good reason?
"Rest assured. The effect of the solar storm will only be temporary. The starships and the soldiers will only be paralyzed for a few days, which should be enough for our army to capture all the soldiers in all the ace fleets. I believe that they will certainly realize their mistake and walk on the correct path to serve their country after they are escorted to the capital planet and educated by me and Marquis Liaohai. Is such a result acceptable for you, Marquis Liaohai?"
Lei Chenghu thought for a moment and asked again, "Shouldn't the solar storm be indiscriminate? If the enemy is fully paralyzed, wouldn't our army be in too much pain to move anymore too? How are we going to capture the enemy?"
"Please look at this map, Marquis Liaohai."
Wuying Qi made a gesture. The enormous star behind him immediately turned into a map of the universe with dense spots and rays. "According to my observation of the sun with the Gold Crystal Pyramid and the data left by the Houyi Clan, there will be a sunspot outbreak of a minor scale in this area of the sun a day later.
