Chapter 1253
[Immortal Realm Chapter] Immortal Lord Xuheng, the Federation's Heavenly Eye
"Kongtong".
This term has been circulating in the Microcosm for a long time and is the most mysterious of the ethereal legends. Even Lin Shan had heard of it in his original lower realm. It is the Taoist temple of a certain great power in the immortal realm!
And here, there is a celestial sorrow unique to all the survivors:
Once the commander of the Immortal Expeditionary Force, the Immortal Lord Xuheng was a figure of great importance even in the Heavenly Court! He was ordered to lead his troops into battle, but was sabotaged by treacherous people in the rear, who blocked his retreat and left him isolated and helpless. When he was defeated in the Microcosm, in order to preserve the flame of the Immortal Path, he set up the Return to the Void Immortal Technique to annihilate the army of extraterrestrial demons. He himself was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. Thousands of soldiers fought desperately and sacrificed themselves. In the end, in the chaos of battle, they took turns escorting the Immortal Lord away.
Afterwards, the ancestors of the immortals, in order to prevent the extraterrestrial demons from finding Immortal Lord Xuheng, specially buried him in the Kongtong Realm, exiling him forever in the interlayer of cosmic space, so that even his own people did not know where he was.
As their ancestors passed away, generation after generation struggled to survive in the cracks. Finally, the only remaining true immortal, the Old Man of Dongting, after divining that a great change in the world was coming and an era of extinction was approaching, finally embarked on the journey to find the Kongtong Realm again!
This is the complete history of the past, hundreds of thousands of years ago. To people today, it can be seen as a mysterious book, shrouded in mist and fog.
The only one who knows the truth is the Old Man of Dongting.
Throughout his life, he devoted himself to secretly and painstakingly maintaining the facade of the Immortal Alliance, searching for a way to return to the Immortal Realm while protecting the remnants of the Immortal Path from extinction, serving as the last strategic deterrent for the faction.
Now that this guardian deity is gone, it will surely spread throughout the Microcosm in no time. At that time, the Immortal Alliance will be no longer a threat, and the encirclement and suppression by various worlds will surely follow one after another!
"Therefore, as Senior Dongting said, our only hope now is to find the Kongtong Realm and awaken the slumbering Immortal Lord Xuheng."
Ancestor Yanling's mouth was dry, and he was somewhat dazed for a moment.
The immortal has passed away; let us search for the immortal lord once more.
What if the Immortal Lord is also gone?
The Wisteria Queen sighed; she was practically the only living witness at the moment, and she shook her head clearly:
"It's difficult. Let's not even talk about how hard it is to find the Kongtong Realm. Even if we find it, what can we do? You don't know how serious the injuries were for Immortal Lord Xuheng back then. He dragged so many Star Refiners from the opposing camp into the water. When the Returning Void Immortal Technique was used, the universe collapsed. It hurt a thousand enemies but also hurt eight hundred of his own. If he hadn't been powerless to turn the tide, why would he have fallen into a deep sleep?"
How could countless celestial generals and soldiers bury it deep within their realm?
Upon hearing this, the Venerable Master Xuling and the Venerable Master Yuling asked for guidance.
"More than 100,000 years have passed, will the Immortal Lord have recovered?"
"Hard to say."
The Microcosm is the Dharma-ending Age. To recover from injuries, one needs spiritual veins and immortal veins for nourishment. However, Immortal Lord Xuheng is clearly different from ordinary cultivators and immortals. He is a high and mighty immortal lord!
Such powerful individuals may have already transcended the so-called energy limits, but those who do not become true immortals will never know how vast the gap is. After all, the Great Calamity of the Epoch was overturned from the perspective of energy, and many theoretical descriptions are so mysterious that even if you asked her to explain them, she would not be able to make sense of them.
There may be miracles in Kongtong Realm, or perhaps all that remains is a cold echo, like the devastating news of the passing of the Old Man of Dongting.
But without a doubt, this is their last hope!
"We must find it, at all costs."
Ancestor Yanling closed his eyes, his face resolute and unwavering.
"Our Immortal Remnant Alliance has been struggling on its death throes in the Microcosm for tens of thousands of years. It's time to truly go all in and bet everything on the Kongtong Realm. It's all or nothing. We'll eventually perish in a hundred years. Why not take this gamble?"
"Yes, we have no way out, do we?"
The Void Spirit Ancestor and the Spirit Control Ancestor exchanged a glance, their stances surprisingly aligned.
Faced with this crisis, they had no other choice!
The thought that even true immortals could perish fueled the monitor's treacherous heart. He never gave up on his mission to annihilate Immortal Lord Xuheng. He remained silent for tens of thousands of years, but when he finally made a move, it was earth-shattering. The fact that he was able to accurately destroy Old Man Dongting shows that he was also on the path of exploring the Kongtong Realm.
However, when they met on a narrow path, the old man of Dongting was outmaneuvered and was sniped from a distance by the opponent using the advantage of the local planet-destroying cannon in the faint universe. It is a regrettable and painful thought!
After all, he is the only true immortal in the world. If they were to fight face to face, the other party might not be able to do anything to an immortal!
It's too late to say anything now. The other side is still investigating the Kongtong Realm and may be getting close to the truth. The Yixian Alliance is only now starting all over again!
If we insist on stubbornly continuing the investigation along the direction of the old man from Dongting, we will most likely encounter him on the road, and then another bloody battle will be inevitable.
"What's there to be afraid of? The Monitors have wiped out the three great spiritual realms. We have nothing to lose, so what if we fight them?"
The three patriarchs had bloodshot eyes. As the saying goes, "If you put yourself in a desperate situation, you will survive." Even if it means fighting to the death, it will only be a final, poignant performance.
These words immediately resonated with most of the cultivators!
These people are all elite talents, geniuses among geniuses. They rose to prominence in the Dharma-ending Age from childhood to adulthood, experiencing countless hardships and suffering to reach this point. None of them dared to take risks or fight.
"Master, rest assured, leave this matter to me. We will disperse everyone to various parts of the Microcosm. Many hands make light work. We will thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of the Kongtong Realm and get to the bottom of this!"
Everyone readily agreed, rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
Some people also recalled some past events:
"Do you remember more than three thousand years ago, there was a news story that shocked the entire universe? It was said that a space telescope at a certain astronomical observatory in our country had discovered traces of the Kongtong Realm in a void interlayer. It was said to have caused a great stir, but then the reports suddenly stopped. Do you remember that?"
"I seem to remember seeing related records in the library of Yanling Realm, but now that the realm has been destroyed, most of the ancient books have disappeared, and there is no way to go back and look them up. I can only search for relevant information in various worlds."
"Next, we need to conceal ourselves again and travel to various countries around the world, trying every means to infiltrate and steal secrets, ideally getting close to and taking control of their observatories."
Nestled at the bottom of a deep mountain basin, a milky-white, spherical dome is covered with a dense array of antennas, and large satellite dishes sway back and forth, transmitting and receiving different spectral bands.
"Director Lin, welcome to the Federal Sky Eye. Please come this way."
Dr. Selena, dressed in a suit, led the way, showing Linshan around under the guise of an inspection, and explaining their achievements in recent years along the way.
This is the Federal Observatory, located deep in the mountains and forests of the Federal Republic of the Rhine!
Also known as the Federal Sky Eye!
It is responsible for observing the void of the universe and belongs to one of the most important agencies under the Federal Space Agency. It has the most advanced team of astronomers in the Steel Furnace World and even the faint universe.
The mathematical and astronomical calculations have reached an incredible level, and the various observation equipment inside is also top-notch in the universe!
Since receiving the news that a True Immortal had fallen and the Immortal Remnant Alliance had shifted its focus to searching for the Kongtong Realm, Lin Shan had paid close attention and specially traveled from the Federal Capital, Waghha.
Logically speaking, the observatory belongs to NASA and has no superior-subordinate relationship with him. They are completely unrelated, so his coming over is just asking for trouble.
But there was one thing that made the people at the observatory have to treat him, the 'Director of the Space Strategy Office,' with utmost respect!
"Ahem, Dr. Selena, you consume a huge amount of federal funds every year, but you don't provide commensurate value! I came here today to investigate how much the federal government will allocate to space exploration next year, and after listening to what you've said, it seems we need to reassess it."
Lin Shan raised his chin and glanced sideways, speaking with an air of authority.
That's right! He's the director of the Space Strategy Office, in charge of allocating resources for space exploration. Not to mention a mere observatory or research institute, even the annual budget of the Federal Space Agency has to go through his hands!
If you just say a few unfavorable things in the report and then find a pretext to drastically cut the budget, everyone at the observatory will be broke next year!
Studying the universe requires a series of scientific research projects, and updating and introducing various advanced equipment also requires financial support.
Where does the money come from?
That would inevitably involve government budget allocations, and the amount allocated would naturally depend on the opinion of the Space Strategy Office. Therefore, Lin Shan had just managed to grasp the Achilles' heel of the Space Agency and all its subordinate agencies!
The visit to the observatory, ostensibly for inspection, is actually related to the interests of everyone in the area.
Dr. Selena's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong. This new Director Lin seemed to have ill intentions. Could it be that her astronomy team's kickbacks had been exposed?
She couldn't help but overthink it. Every research team, more or less, would embezzle some of the research funds and project grants issued by the government. This was an unspoken rule in academia, something that everyone with eyes could see but didn't say a word about.
But the sudden visit of Director Lin made her genuinely suspect that the new official's eagerness to make a big splash was because she hadn't bribed him beforehand!
"Look at what you're saying! Our observatory's many researchers work diligently, day and night, contributing to the Federation's great space exploration cause. How can this budget be cut so easily? I think we shouldn't rush to submit the assessment report. Why don't you stay with us a few more days, and allow us to properly entertain you before drawing any conclusions?"
Lin Shan sat in front of the huge screen in the observation room, looking at the magnificent cosmic landscape. Seventy-one luminous worlds were interconnected, faintly forming a peculiar star ring with the steel furnace world. He picked up the water next to him and took a sip.
“Dr. Selena, as soon as the president took office, he vowed to cut the federal government budget and save money to revitalize the country’s manufacturing industry. As an official promoted by the president, I naturally have to follow his policies and conduct a detailed review of all unnecessary expenditures. I hope you can convince me in the next few days, otherwise don’t blame me for being ruthless in the evaluation report!”
Well, so this is what the President meant!
The practice of cutting costs and increasing revenue has even extended to the observatory; it's truly astounding how far they can go.
Selena knew the person in front of her was not someone to mess with and that she had to treat him like royalty. She intentionally or unintentionally pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, bit her alluring lips, and used her arms to push up her ample breasts, sending flirtatious glances at the young director of the Space Strategy Office.
Ok?
Lin Shan then noticed that while the female PhD student was in the restroom, she had unknowingly changed into black stockings, and the buttons on her white shirt under her suit jacket were undone, revealing a deep cleavage.
Something's not right with this PhD student!
No wonder she was able to climb to such a high position at such a young age; it seems she must have slept with quite a few politicians behind the scenes.
He somewhat regretted not bringing his Annihilation Avatar back with him.
Otherwise, with the ability to create clones, he could definitely develop his bedroom diplomacy and win over many federal elites, saving him a lot of trouble.
"Director, I'd like to have a private talk with you tonight, what do you think?"
"Ahem, Doctor, what kind of person do you take me for? I have absolutely no interest in beautiful women. You're using this to test your officers?"
Dr. Selena was taken aback. The old sly man had just revealed his suspenders, but before he could go any further, he was blocked. She could only ask again cautiously.
"So, do you accept political donations?"
"That's fine."
Lin Shan nodded in agreement. Who would turn down money?
After all, I've been terrified of being poor since I was a child, and recently I drove away the rich woman Genevieve, so I'm a bit short on cash and definitely need a new source of income.
Dr. Selena understood and immediately turned around to prepare.
There is no corruption problem in the federal government because bribing officials is legal, euphemistically called political donations. Even the president himself invests in stocks and cryptocurrencies, let alone his cronies.
The inspection lasted three days.
Lin Shan arrived with nothing but left with a full load!
"Dr. Selena, thank you for your patient reports to me these past few days. After learning about your progress in detail, I will draft a proposal to increase the budget for the Observatory Research Institute as soon as I return. I believe that the President and Congress will pass it soon!"
"Hehe, thank you very much, Director Lin~"
"Hey, it's alright, it's alright. If you make any major discoveries in the future, don't forget to report them to me promptly so I can help you secure more research funding!"
"Absolutely!"
The two chatted and laughed as they said goodbye. Only after Lin Shan had completely left did the beautiful PhD student finally let her smile fade.
He bit his upper lip tightly with his lower teeth, his face covered in frost.
"This new director of the Space Strategy Office is a complete bloodsucker. He actually wants to eat up 30% of our institute's funding. Doesn't he fear biting his tongue?"
Several supervisors walked over from behind and looked at the smoke and dust outside the valley.
"Doctor, he's the director of a space strategy office, and he's demanding that our observatory report research findings to him in real time. Is that correct?"
"Whether it's right or wrong, you don't want your research grant anymore?"
Dr. Selena crossed her arms, turned and walked toward the space observatory, casually mentioning something.
"Did he leave you a research project before he left, asking you to observe and map some coordinates, mobilize hundreds of space telescope arrays to cover it, and calculate some special object?"
"That's right, this is the project proposal. Would you like to take a look?"
Selena casually took the folder handed to her by her supervisor. The cover clearly displayed a string of large characters that instantly captivated her attention.
"Coordinate observation and calculation of the Kongtong Realm, a site of immortal civilization, and prediction of its possible future locations."
"Wasn't this project stopped three thousand years ago? Why restart it after such a long time?"
She suddenly realized something was amiss, and after careful consideration, she chose to remain silent.
"Do as he says!" (End of Chapter)