Chapter 623
News of the Sage's Tomb!
Jiang Shu and Zhan Feng resolved various tests.
Zhan Yun served as a shield in this confrontation.
Whenever her words carried a probing hook, like a venomous snake's tongue stealthily reaching towards the recent martial law imposed by the War Alliance, the fluctuations in the ancestral land, or even the earth-shattering energy eruption deep within the ancient path, her voice would ring out at just the right moment.
They might use the excuse of routine combat readiness checks within the Star Alliance to block the conversation, or cleverly use a casual greeting from an envoy from another faction to shift the topic and subtly steer the inquiry toward the other party's internal affairs.
Her answer was impeccable, like a military order that had been rehearsed a thousand times. She wore a polite smile, but her eyes were as clear and cold as an icy pool, showing no anger at being spied on, only a solid barrier that kept people at a distance.
The atmosphere slowly heated up amidst this false warmth and the clash of invisible blades, then settled as heavy as lead.
The star map on the dome of the main hall silently rotates, eternally overlooking the struggle of intelligent life below.
Finally, the platinum mechanical envoy, which had been silent all along, became the breakthrough point once again.
"Your views on the future are indeed thought-provoking."
Its gentle, jade-like voice rang out once again after Zhan Yun changed the subject, bringing the previous meaningless topic to a perfect end.
"A new era is coming, and cooperation may be the only way out."
Its scarlet electronic eyes scanned the crowd in the hall, finally settling on Jiang Shu and the other two at the head of the table.
"That is why, when the core of our nation’s mother body recently reviewed the deep scan data of the star field, it discovered an extremely special spatial coordinate with immeasurable value."
Its electronically synthesized sounds are deliberately slowed down, with each word accompanied by a precise pause.
"Through repeated deductions and calculations by the core, consuming 70,000 standard star elapsed hours of core computing power, and eliminating all other possible interference, it was finally determined that this coordinate is very likely to point to a saint's tomb that has been silent for a long epoch!"
hum!
An invisible mental storm instantly swept through the entire hall.
Whether it was the ancient giant spirit envoy sitting upright, the celestial crystal general like a crystal sculpture, the nomadic leader enveloped in spatial ripples, or even the seven-colored beetle-man guards who had previously exuded a chilling aura and appeared lifeless, they were all remarkable figures.
All the presence of beings suddenly froze, and then an uncontrollable surge of greed erupted!
"The Tomb of a Saint?!"
The ancient giant spirit envoy was struck as if by lightning. His huge, bronze bell-shaped eyes suddenly opened wide, almost bursting open. His thick fingers unconsciously crushed a piece of star crystal on the armrest, and his voice trembled.
The light flowing within the Heavenly Crystal God's crystalline body suddenly became disordered for a moment, exploding into a subtle yet violent energy turbulence.
The Insect King's personal guard's cold compound eyes began to spin rapidly, and the rustling sound from its mouthparts suddenly became piercing, as if it were a release of emotions that were both extremely thirsty and forcibly suppressed.
Even the spatial ripples around the Starry Night Nomad distorted violently, revealing the immense turmoil within its master's heart.
The Sage's Tomb is a forbidden treasure that is billions of times more precious than any innate spiritual treasure, divine weapon, or star mineral deposit!
Legend has it that only the most powerful saints who perished at the turning point of the Star Sea Era, or in the final cataclysm that could overturn the rules of the universe, could have their Dao bodies, origins, and even the remaining traces of Dao and shattered inner universes form a special tomb that exists between existence and nothingness amidst the collision of endless star debris and chaotic Dao laws.
Such places contain the essence of a cosmic era; even the smallest remnant, no bigger than a fingernail, may contain fragments of the laws that lead to the ultimate truth.
This is a treasure that would make anyone, even those in the Holy Realm, drool!
The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy or unsteady breathing of the envoys from various factions and the silent roar of the emotion called greed gathering.
The mechanical messenger was very satisfied with the effect, and its scarlet electronic eye gleamed slightly.
"This coordinate is located in the chaotic zone at the edge of the rules of this universe and the tides of the chaotic star sea. The coordinate itself is extremely unstable, full of spacetime rifts and law turbulence. Only those with unique spatial expertise or who possess spatial treasures can accurately anchor and safely enter it."
"According to preliminary deductions of the parent core, its internal structure is far more complex than that of known star regions. Preliminary detections indicate that there may be more than one core remnant site, the scale of which is unimaginable."
Its smooth head turned to Jiang Shu and Zhan Feng, and it continued,
"The War Alliance is renowned throughout the world and possesses profound resources. Our nation's matrix has deduced that to safely develop this tomb, we need to gather at least three top-tier Venerable-level warriors with unparalleled strength and forcibly open a channel to enter after three hundred star cycles of relatively calm rule tides."
"And there must be a person with pure spatial laws in charge to stabilize the passage."
Furthermore, to prevent the internal chaotic laws from erupting and unforeseen dangers, top-tier support individuals proficient in various primal defensive and restorative powers are needed, consuming massive amounts of resources, necessitating unprecedented strategic reserves in advance.
It paused, then continued with boundless fervor on its face: "Based on the principle of sharing resources across the starry sea and working together, the Mother has decided to no longer keep secrets and is willing to share these coordinates with His Majesty the Insect Emperor and the War Alliance, to jointly develop this supreme treasure that is crucial to the entire progress of cosmic civilization!"
As it spoke, it raised its platinum arm, and an extremely complex, dark blue miniature star map composed of countless three-dimensional spatial runes and dynamic star coordinates floated above its palm. At its core, a deep purple light point, as dark as a black hole, slowly pulsated, emitting a magnificent afterimage of Daoist charm that was both awe-inspiring and incredibly desirable.
The projection lasted only a moment, less than the time it takes to breathe, before being taken away by the mechanical messenger.
But the lingering glow of that purple light burned like a brand in the minds of all who witnessed it.
The air in the hall suddenly froze. The extinguished purple light in the mechanical envoy's palm burned a greedy mark onto everyone's retinas. The deathly silence lasted only a moment before being broken by heavy breathing and suppressed energy hissing.
"It truly exudes the aura of a saint's tomb!"
The envoy from the Ancient Giant Spirit Clan was the first to spring up from his stone seat, his heavy bronze body causing the Star Stone Chair to vibrate loudly.
His bulging muscles bulged, each one taut in a fighting stance, his enormous, bell-like eyes fixed on the mechanical messenger's retracted arm, as if trying to pierce through the platinum armor and pry out the illusory coordinate mark.
"Heavy metal, are you sure this isn't a phantom projection of your mother core?"
"Can your mechanical race bear the consequences of deceiving us?"
His voice boomed like thunder, echoing between the bronze pillars and causing the starlight to tremble.
The giant hands clenched so tightly that they cracked, and sparks flew from the knuckles.
The legacy of the sages is an unparalleled treasure for the Giant Spirit Clan, who have reached the pinnacle of the Way of Power.
The mechanical envoy smoothly turned its platinum head, its scarlet electronic eyes meeting the giant spirit's envoy's eyes, which burned with desire and doubt. Its gentle electronic voice remained steady.
"The coordinate fluctuation map has been shared with everyone present."
"The core of the mother system ensures its authenticity through its original logical chain."
"To question is to desecrate the supreme computing power of the Machine God Kingdom."
These mechanical beings are devoid of emotion, yet their precise language itself is a form of arrogant response.
"Giggle..."
A piercing friction sound suddenly rang out as the seven-colored carapace guards under the Insect King's throne violently opened and closed their mouthparts, which were covered with hard carapaces, producing a teeth-grinding noise.
Its compound eyes, like the most precise microscope array, instantly scanned the expressions of all the powerful figures present, finally locking onto the mechanical envoy.
"shared?"
"What beautiful words!"
"Just like the last time the Dark Nebula mineral vein exploration was shared, the Machine Race used 51% of their so-called 'precise energy consumption data' to exchange for 70% of our race's priceless Void Crystal Essence!" "As a result, the 'precise' route we obtained bypassed 90% of the rich mineral deposits!"
"This time, you cold, hard lumps of iron are trying to use this beautiful framework of fair distribution to steal the real essence from the saint's tomb?"
Its voice was hoarse and distorted, each syllable conveying a sharp resentment of being fooled.
The seven-colored, hard carapace trembled slightly, and the dangerous luster flowing across the chitinous surface suddenly intensified. A strong, cold, and bloody shockwave was directed unabashedly at the mechanical messenger.
"How do you plan to allocate the funds this time?"
"Or do you think you can just hide in the back and use your brains to get the lion's share?"
Its sharp, bony forelimbs struck the ground, and a thin crack silently spread outwards, containing immense power.
The mechanical envoy's scarlet electronic eyes narrowed slightly, and its sophisticated optical array flashed rapidly, seemingly analyzing the blatant accusation and threat.
It did not get angry; instead, it responded in a more rational way.
"Information, computing power, initial investment, construction of stable channels, risk avoidance models... these are also decisive contributions."
The platinum arm gracefully rose and lightly touched the void.
A three-dimensional geometric projection composed of countless flowing lines of light unfolded in front of it in an instant, like a precisely operating model of the universe.
"Based on the core calculations of the parent system, the optimal allocation scheme is as follows."
"The leading party, namely my Mechanical God Kingdom, provides coordinate source data, constructs a 99.74% space safety route model, and maintains the core channel stable field generator, accounting for 48% of the overall expected revenue."
The data stream pulsed coldly, while the mechanical messenger's voice continued to ring out.
“The supporting party provides a solid anchor point for the rules, clears obstacles with manpower, bears the specific execution risks, and distributes the benefits according to the contribution after comprehensive evaluation.”
"This plan best aligns with the principle of maximizing overall benefits."
On the model, the golden light representing the share of the mechanical race occupies a prominent area, while other colored lights divide the remaining cake, which is rigorous and rigid.
The light in the Zerg's compound eyes fluctuated violently; the projected "fairness" seemed to it like a cruel irony.
"Ah!"
A thunderous roar exploded out, carrying a bloody, menacing aura that seemed to rip the dome off.
Zhan Feng suddenly stood up, the movement aggravating the tender new flesh at the severed arm, causing a slight stinging pain, but igniting his anger even more.
The newly acquired Star Artifact, the Day-Day Giant Axe, hummed loudly, and the blood dragon totem wrapped around its blade suddenly lit up. An aura of a primordial beast spread out, and the heavy pressure of the entire hall seemed to be activated by this wild rage, pressing down hard on the projected model of the mechanical envoy.
"Dangdang!"
The massive bronze stone table trembled violently. Zhan Feng's only remaining right arm slammed onto the table, his newly formed muscles bulging and bulging, as if a blood dragon was roaring and flowing beneath his skin.
"According to your logic, if the disciples of my War Alliance are only responsible for leading the charge and clearing out the fodder, even if they shed their last drop of blood in the Sage's Tomb, they'll probably only be fit to lick a mouthful of dregs in the end!"
"You think our War Alliance would do this kind of work?"
His eyes were fixed on the mechanical messenger, whose giant axe, which was leaning against his shoulder, moved automatically without wind. Dark red light wrapped around the axe blade as if it were alive, and a deep roar could be faintly heard.
The temperature inside the hall rose sharply.
The giant spirit envoy leaned forward slightly, silently acknowledging the anger.
The grinding sound of the Zerg guards' mouthparts briefly ceased, and a hint of pleasure flashed in their cold compound eyes.
The spatial ripples around the leader of the Starry Sky Nomads subtly became a bit sharper.
The sound of the wind was like a blunt instrument striking a cold anvil.
"That's a very high-sounding statement!"
"In the end, isn't it you machine race who decides the route and direction?!"
"We shed blood and sweat, and all the benefits go to you? What kind of rule is this in the world?"
"If you want to do it this way, our alliance will take people to dig up a few saint tombs right now, sell the coordinates to your mechanical race, and split the profits 30/70 according to your calculations!"
"You three, us seven, are you in or not?!"
Zhan Feng is a qualified leader.
The cultivators who can become disciples of the War Alliance are all the most outstanding geniuses of the human race. As the young leader of the War Alliance, Zhan Feng would never exchange their flesh and blood for benefits.
The platinum armor remained as smooth as a mirror, but the subtle gears inside the mechanical envoy's head began to whirr more rapidly.
The crimson electronic eye scanned the raging battle winds, especially the star weapon battle axe that exuded a strong aura of danger. The core processor instantly calculated tens of thousands of countermeasures and potential conflict models.
The gentle voice still carried the coldness of logic.
"It is understandable that Lord Zhanfeng is agitated."
"But chaotic and barbaric fighting will only disrupt the fragile balance of laws within the Saint's Tomb, and may even trigger a chain reaction of collapse."
"Everything will be for naught. Ensuring the success of the operation is the prerequisite for any benefit."
"The overall planning of the core is the only feasible optimal solution."
It seemed completely unconcerned about the threat of the war winds.
"Optimal solution?"
"So you're saying that the dictatorship of the Machine Race is the optimal solution?"
A calm voice broke in, not loud, but instantly drew everyone's attention.
Jiang Shu slowly raised his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
His right hand, clad in a tattered glove, rhythmically tapped its knuckles against the cold armrest.
Each tap produced no sound, but a subtle ripple, barely perceptible to the naked eye yet clearly perceptible to the powerful figures present, rippled around the point where the fingertips landed.
Like a pebble thrown into a still lake, the ripples of the laws of space spread silently.
"Since the contributions are difficult to precisely allocate and the agreements are fraught with suspicion, why not simplify the development of this saint's tomb?" (End of Chapter)