“Brother Xun… what are those things?”
Xiao Chi’s fur bristled, his voice trembling as a suffocating sense of oppression radiated from the distant sky. “Are those warships?”
Brother Ox let out a sharp snort, his eyes narrowing with a hint of ferocity. “No… it’s not the energy of a teleportation array.”
It reminded him of when they had torn through their small domain into a new one—instantaneous transit without the need for a corresponding array at the destination. The concept alone upended his understanding of formations.
Sister Crane’s wide, curious eyes locked onto the massive objects in the distance. Their shimring silver exteriors and imposing size exuded an unyielding strength. The sheer scale of these constructs left her speechless.
Yet she wasn’t frightened. The enormous objects floating in the sky hadn’t noticed their presence, nor did they appear to pose a direct threat.
Chen Xun took a deep breath, his gaze locked on the abrupt arrival of the celestial behemoths. There had been no warning signs, nothing to prepare them for this unexpected event.
Boom!
A muffled roar echoed from the sky. The vast vessels trembled as spiritual energy and space around them compressed. In an instant, four of the colossal constructs vanished, scattering in four directions.
The group instinctively concealed their presence, with Sister Crane’s barrier enveloping them in a protective cocoon. Yet their eyes remained fixed on the single remaining leviathan hovering in the air.
“I can’t make out what it is, but it doesn’t look like a warship,” Chen Xun murmured, his sharp eyes narrowing. “To construct sothing like this… what kind of crafting master could create such a marvel? Let’s observe first and figure out its purpose.”
Brother Ox nodded solemnly, his gaze steady. “It doesn’t move like a ship. It’s like… space itself swallows it whole, skipping physical movent entirely.”
Chen Xun’s interest grew. “Its materials seem highly attuned to spatial energy. This isn’t just any artifact.”
“Everyone, steady yourselves,” he commanded. “Let’s see if any cultivators erge from it. We must tread carefully—our first impression of this great world shouldn’t be a misstep.”
Suddenly, Chen Xun’s composed deanor cracked. His hand, previously clasped behind his back, clenched involuntarily.
“What the…?”
“Moo?!”
Brother Ox’s eyes widened in disbelief as they watched the unbelievable scene unfolding.
Boom! Boom!
From the leviathan’s base, a massive silver ring of light appeared. Countless objects began cascading down in a torrent, kicking up clouds of dust and dirt as they struck the ground. The sheer volu was staggering, but it was clear—these were discarded items.
“They’re… throwing things away!” Xiao Chi exclaid, his voice rising in pitch.
“Brother Xun, it’s like how you used to toss orange peels off the edge of the table!”
Brother Ox’s eyes glimred with a sudden realization. The scene mirrored the days when they disposed of useless scraps from their smithy.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, a creeping dread settling in.
“Is this… the dumping ground of the great world?”
Chen Xun’s expression shifted between hues of green and red as his grip tightened on his “Introduction to the Great World” notebook. In the distance, the silver-skinned colossus, seamless in design, displayed no signs of wear. Yet, dozens of small apertures suddenly opened across its hull, releasing hundreds—no, thousands—of tiny figures.
So streaked through the air on beams of light, while others piloted gleaming treasures as they descended. Local cultivators.
Chen Xun’s eyes sparkled with renewed excitent. The gloomy realization that they might be in a “dump” was temporarily set aside. “Finally… people. Let’s see what they’re capable of.”
“Brother Xun, are they here to clean up the discarded items?” Xiao Chi asked, crouching nervously.
“Stay calm,” Chen Xun said. “We’ll watch for now. We don’t want to risk exposing ourselves before we understand their intentions.”
The leviathan continued its operation for two full days and nights, disgorging a seemingly endless stream of discarded materials. The group stood vigil the entire ti, carefully analyzing every detail.
As two suns rose on the horizon, the remaining four colossi reappeared. Their arrival carried waves of spatial and spiritual energy that rippled through the air. Together, the five vessels began retreating into a shrinking rift in the sky.
As the colossal structures vanished and the sky returned to its normal tranquility, Chen Xun stood.
“Let’s move,” he said.
“Moo.”
The group quickly set off, their figures blending seamlessly into the vast forest. For seven days, they traversed the expansive wilderness. Erging from the dense canopy, they found themselves in a picturesque valley. Towering mountains, rushing rivers, and endless greenery stretched as far as the eye could see.
At the foot of one of the mountains sat a man in a simple green robe. Thin and weathered, his face bore a calm, thoughtful expression as he ditated, stabilizing his cultivation.
This was Mo Fuyang, an unassuming Nascent Soul cultivator with a five-elent mixed spiritual root. Despite his seemingly average constitution, he represented the ordinary face of the Taiyi Great World.
He sighed lightly. Though five-elent spiritual roots were common, their power paled in comparison to purer or higher-tier roots. While exceptional five-elent cultivators could rival heavenly spiritual roots, Mo Fuyang’s impure variant left him struggling to rise above diocrity.
Even so, he bore no resentnt. “At least I’m alive. That’s more than most mortals get.”
A smile crept across his face as he murmured, “Ti to treasure hunt again. I wonder what kind of rare materials I’ll find this ti.”
His heart was light. Despite lacking talent for combat, Mo Fuyang had carved out a peaceful life as a treasure hunter, scouring discarded relics for valuable finds. In this vast and competitive world, he was content with his humble existence.
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