The calamity of the Shattered Sea has a long history, its roots tracing back tens of thousands of years or even earlier. The common explanation is that the disaster was caused by a war of indescribable magnitude, yet these are merely rumors, lacking any concrete evidence or origin.
At least, they found no substantial information in the records of their Hidden Kill Pavilion stronghold.
Perhaps, this secret is known only to the Four Overlords... the Three Overlords. Or perhaps, the information held by the Three Overlords is not much more than that of the super-powers?
Fang You mused, addressing the main interface before him, "Little Huan, what do you think?"
The mascot character within the main interface tilted her head, and a cartoon speech bubble shaped like a question mark appeared above her forehead.
Clearly, filtering and processing information was within her capabilities, but making decisions was a challenge for her.
She was, after all, only a year and a half old since her birth.
However, even though he asked, Fang You already had the answer in his heart.
"Since the Four Overlords have issued invitations to various factions for a recruitment drive, then naturally... we must go!"
The Four Overlords possessed many secrets, and naturally, they would only share them with the factions participating in this operation.
Regarding the disaster and the lingering influence of the unspeakable evil gods, Mentor Fang was very keen to explore. He never forgot that their true enemies were the evil god factions, and a sword still hung over their heads.
Of course, if the evil god factions were to know that he considered them his enemies, they would only find him arrogant.
How could ants shake a pillar?
Yet, this was a disaster! A disaster that descended from time to time! Fang You felt that they should not treat it as a part of reality just because it had always existed, nor should they give up pursuing the faint possibility because of their own insignificance.
This was idealism.
To be realistic, Blue Star still faced the threat of the Blood Moon Faction. While it was true that the current encroachment of the strange realm upon Blue Star had been maintained in a delicate stalemate, and Blue Star had ascended, its world barrier was as solid as gold.
However, what Blue Star had faced before was merely several mythological figures of the Blood Moon Empire, just... a negligible corner of the Blood Moon Faction.
As time passed, if the encroachment on Blue Star remained unchanged, they might attract more attention from the Blood Moon Faction.
Time was still not abundant.
All he could do at present was to continuously reinforce Blue Star's barrier, and at the same time, make arrangements everywhere, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows.
"Now, there is an opportunity to understand high-level power. It cannot be missed. As for the candidates, naturally it would be..."
...
"Another large-scale mission? Just in time, my power system has taken shape, and it's time to display my true defensive stance."
Not to mention, the rewards for such an important mission were generous and very tempting.
His wallet could finally start to fill up.
With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Xing, a certain individual, felt quite buoyant. He extended a finger towards the tip of the cigarette, about to ignite a flame with a fire spell to light it, when he was met with a dry cough from someone beside him and an unfriendly glance.
— Do not smoke in front of minors.
And there was a minor present, the little brat Yiluo Xi.
"Tsk~!"
Xing Jinglei extinguished the flame and continued to hold the cigarette in his mouth.
For this mission, he would have two teammates, Yiluo Xi being one of them. Although he was a brat, Xing Jinglei had to admit that Yiluo Xi's bombardment-style combat system was quite formidable.
He, Yiluo Xi, and Qian Qiu, each being a tank, mage, and assassin respectively, could unleash an effect far exceeding "3" when cooperating.
Only Xidina was dejected again.
Again?
The tuft of hair on her head drooped miserably. She understood that the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce only had these three mythological figures on the surface, but she also really wanted to go out and slay evil!
"You will also go to the Shattered Sea and investigate on your own, but you must not be reckless."
"Really?"
"Really."
Her eyes sparkled with renewed spirit, and the strand of golden hair that had drooped also perked up again.
This girl was truly that simple.
Eating, cultivating, fighting, especially fighting against the evil god factions, she could unleash 200% of her combat will.
This arrangement was also because Fang You felt he had slightly wronged her—he had promised Xidina many times before, but ultimately had no opportunity to let this girl play. Her eagerness had always turned into a drooping head.
But not only that, Fang You had other ideas he wanted to try, attempts that were not suitable for exposure to many factions. He planned to first get information from the Three Overlords for free, and then arrange for Xidina to explore based on this intelligence. She might not discover anything, but at least it wouldn't be a loss.
"Yiluo Xi's offense is fierce, but his weakness of being fragile is obvious; Xing Jinglei's defense and survival capabilities are unparalleled, but his shortcomings are also obvious. Once he is controlled by powerful sustained control skills, he is helpless; Qian Qiu is also a fragile character, and only excels at single targets..."
"Xidina is different. Her physique is much stronger than Xing Jinglei's, and her speed, strength, defense, and self-healing are balanced and powerful. She also possesses AoE skills for group combat. She has no weaknesses and is more than a cut above Yiluo Xi and the other two. She is fully capable of going solo."
Of course, he had to watch, or have Little Huan watch her at all times, otherwise, it would be difficult for Mentor Fang to rest assured about this scatterbrained girl.
As for the defense of the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce, he planned to arrange for An Jianyou to take over.
Sister An's combat system was too obvious, but even without summoning evil entities, she was a bona fide mythological-level combatant. She mastered over a dozen main skills such as Guardian Field, Invisible Hand, and Repelling Fire Ring, all at a high level. Even if An Jianyou's combat intuition was not great, relying solely on pure dimensionality and skill bursts, she could surpass many newly ascended mythological figures.
At this moment,
Reconstruction efforts were underway across various parts of the Shattered Sea. Many survivors shed tears of relief, but few knew that various major and super-powers were preparing for a major operation that would affect the future of the Shattered Sea.
The team from the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce also began their preparations and set off immediately.
Xing Jinglei and the other two were not very reliable beyond their martial prowess, so Fang You assigned them over a dozen support personnel, such as Bai Yansi.
Bai Yansi was also a workhorse. She initially worked with Yiluo Xi to establish the Witch Sisters' Association. After the affairs on Blue Star were concluded, she was sent to the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce to oversee various matters in the grand marketplace. She was not the highest-ranking person in the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce, but she was the one with the largest daily workload.
It was a case of the capable being given more work.
Before the advent of the new era, Bai Yansi was a high-achieving student with a dual doctorate degree, and she was also powerful. Furthermore, she was one of the few people who could change Yiluo Xi's mind and persuade him.
For this exploration team, there was no one more suitable than her!
Fang You meticulously selected candidates one by one. He knew very little about the "Disaster Elimination Operation," so he could only choose some "researchers," "knowledgeable talents," "exploration talents," and "archaeological talents" based on the limited information he had.
However, it was still difficult to choose. Metaphysical studies had only just begun on Blue Star, and the first stage of compulsory education was far from complete. The only individuals who could truly be considered expert-level masters were Wang Chui, Yin Ling, and Liu Shang.
But these three were too important; without any one of them, a department would come to a halt. Unlike Yiluo Xi and the others, who were mere decorations on weekdays, Wang Chui and the like were constantly contributing.
There were indeed talented individuals in metaphysical studies, but their strength was not sufficient.
After much deliberation, Fang You remained unsatisfied.
"There's still a shortage of talent, excellent talent in various fields of metaphysical studies!"
"However, this trip, our Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce will likely just be going through the motions. The main focus will be on observing how other factions act, learning more."
The personnel for this trip would travel through the Starfire Oasis passage to Oasis No. 3 in the Shattered Sea, which would save over half a month of travel time and be safer.
After all, the disaster had just subsided, and there might still be some residual effects in the inter-dimensional zone. This was also one of the reasons Fang You wanted to investigate and understand.
With the arrangements made, Fang You's gaze returned to the line indicating his Destiny Points balance in the upper right corner of the panel.
"4.04 million!"
It had to be said that the catastrophe spree of the past six months had brought considerable benefits to his organization. Otherwise, he might still be living a life of scarce Destiny Points—after all, there were too many places requiring Destiny Points now, and the income from Blue Star was gradually declining.
"It's unlikely there will be any large-scale profits for a long time to come. But such a large sum of Destiny Points is meaningless if left idle. Only by drawing them into actual treasures can their value be truly realized."
Let's draw!
The Destiny Points spent would accompany him in a more valuable form.
Considering setting aside a million Destiny Points, Fang You bathed, changed, and burned incense, and began "serious card drawing"! He did not draw quickly, diligently watching dozens of draw CGs without skipping, observing treasures wrapped in grade-level splendor one by one slowly revealing their original forms on the panel.
Blue, purple, gold, red.
He drew slowly, with a mind as calm as a lake. Whether it was a draw from a non-European player who only got one gold item in ten draws, or an Emperor-level draw where a bright red light bloomed before him, his serene state of mind would not be significantly rippled.
Calm.jpg.
When he drew the third crimson treasure, Fang You felt it was enough and stopped.
Looking at the remaining Destiny Points balance, there were over 1.6 million left, and he nodded with satisfaction.
"Today's card drawing was not bad."
Over two million for three reds, and at the beginning, he had also attempted two targeted single draws, but unfortunately, he had not managed to draw even a single Destiny Apostle.
He felt a slight regret, but it was only slight regret.
He had some speculation about the contract of a Destiny Apostle. With the prerequisite of having a legendary talent, it was likely that various conditions had to be met to be "chosen by destiny," which was extremely demanding.
Since it was not in his destiny, Fang You did not force it.
"Legendary grade gold items are still mostly cultivation cards, materials, and divine crystals. Source Water, Mystic Realm Stones, and Pure Divine Radiance are secondary, followed by Legendary Cursed Artifacts and other items and treasures. Legendary Cursed Artifacts seem to be getting harder to draw?"
Mentor Fang also had some troubles.
His organization now had more than ten mythological figures breaking through, but they still didn't have a Legendary Cursed Artifact for everyone, which was quite lacking. His earning speed couldn't keep up with everyone's improvement speed. Next time, he would try a targeted single draw for Cursed Artifacts.
He pondered, then looked at the three most precious crimson-grade treasures.
One was familiar, and two were unfamiliar.
World Stone! Purification Cube! Dimensional Palace!
The effect of the World Stone was self-evident; all who had used it said it was great. Fang You immediately integrated it into Blue Star and felt the subtle changes occurring deep within Blue Star, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
The barrier had been strengthened; Blue Star's size would gradually expand; precious resources would be born on Blue Star; the probability of new infants on Blue Star having high-talent individuals would increase; World Power would greatly increase;...
One day, could Blue Star be transformed into a pure land beyond the world?
He did not know, but the increase in World Power alone would greatly boost his cultivation speed. Currently, there was not enough firewood to go around, and he could not afford to have every mythological figure cultivate with divine crystals daily. What everyone could enjoy was the second-tier cultivation benefit—cultivation enhanced by World Power.
With the current scale of World Power on Blue Star, it could support the cultivation of over ten to twenty mythological figures without any loss.
As for the remaining two crimson treasures... Fang You pondered, his gaze falling on the treasure descriptions.
"Purification Cube"
"Grade: Red"
"Category: Mystic Treasure"
"Effect: Can purify and eradicate all non-living contamination."
Then, nothing more.
This treasure was similar to the "Infinite Box," as it was a small cube, except this cube was pure white. He injected pure energy and discovered that this cube could be large or small. When used, it could be cast over the target item. It was not difficult to use, but what was its purpose?
Fang You fell into thought.
"If it could purify contamination within living beings, this treasure would be incredibly powerful, but it can only purify non-living things...?"
It was still very potent. Any item once contaminated would be rendered almost useless, but such items were not many.
The only things he could think of were the divine essence dropped by divine avatars and world-destroying evil entities, which contained a large amount of contamination.
"Oh, and there are also cursed objects and cursed artifacts. Perhaps using the Purification Cube could directly create perfect cursed artifacts? That would be quite good."
"However, most of those created would be ordinary or epic cursed artifacts, and they wouldn't affect the high-level. It always feels like a crimson treasure shouldn't only have this much value."
It seemed far inferior to Ildora's Tree of Life.
Of course, Fang You was more inclined to believe that he had not yet figured out the true usage of this treasure.
He then looked at the third treasure. At first glance, it was only palm-sized, but it was an intricately carved palace, with countless fine patterns visible to the naked eye.
"Dimensional Palace (Red)"
"Category: Mystic Treasure"
"Ability One: Dimensional Travel"
"Description: The Dimensional Palace is a mystic treasure inherently possessing the 'power of traversal,' capable of crossing great domains, passing through spatial封禁, and traversing world barriers."
"Ability Two: Size Transformation"
"Description: The Dimensional Palace can change its size from as small as a mosquito to as large as a mountain, and it weighs more than mountains and seas. Simultaneously, the Dimensional Palace possesses a vast internal space that can accommodate living beings, and its size changes will not affect the internal space."
"Ability Three: Rock-Solid Defense"
"Description: The Dimensional Palace possesses extremely strong defensive capabilities."
——
"Note 1: To fully utilize the abilities of the Dimensional Palace, it requires manipulation by a high-level existence, or it can be substituted with divine crystal energy."
"Note 2: The Dimensional Palace was forged by the hidden existence @￥#%& with divine-demonic mystic treasures, and later lost in spatial turbulence, now reappearing."
This mystic treasure was already ownerless. As Fang You injected his life energy and extended his divine sense, he quickly understood the usage of the Dimensional Palace.
In the training ground, he tossed the treasure in his hand upwards. In an instant, the Dimensional Palace grew rapidly with the wind. When the palace landed, it was already as large as a three-story villa.
While still in his hand, the palace model was exquisite. Only when it returned to its normal size did he discover that the palace pillars had mottled marks, and the entire treasure appeared weathered by the years.
"It seems... it can self-repair by consuming rare materials?"
The palace possessed spirituality, and vaguely transmitted a sense of craving to him. Thus, Fang You poured a pile of materials from his Heaven's Net Hand onto the steps in front of the palace.
Unexpectedly, this palace was quite picky, only 'swallowing' epic-grade materials and not even looking at anything below epic. It also seemed unsatisfied.
It was a big eater.
Fang You then stopped pouring treasures for the palace. After all, the damage was not significant, and it could still be used. Why ask for more?
He spent two days and two nights testing the abilities of the Dimensional Palace and concluded that it was indeed a mystic treasure that excelled in defense and tactical retreat.
Mentor Fang was very satisfied. Who didn't like a treasure that could perform long-range rescues and escapes? Paired with Little Huan's spatial traversal ability, it was perfect.
...
...
While Fang You was studying the new treasures, he also cultivated and handled organizational affairs.
Time flowed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Reconstruction efforts were still in full swing in oases across the region, but in the Shattered Sea, perceptive lone strong individuals could discover...
"A large flying ship of the Brilliant Moon grade! Isn't that the imperial flying ship of the Ancient Moon Dynasty? It's actually set sail!"
"Rumor has it that the mysterious Third Island Master of the Seven Stars Alliance has emerged from the Astrology Tower."
"Latest news: the Third, Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth Legions of the Crimson Lotus Empire have all been mobilized. Is a world war about to break out?"
"Don't worry, don't worry. We haven't heard any alarms in Star Luo Bay, which means nothing major is happening for us."
Lone strong individuals could only speculate based on limited information, but major factions had already turned their gaze towards a small island located in the eastern part of the Shattered Sea.
An unnamed island, this was the designated meeting place for the Four Overlord factions.
*Swish—*
Gray waves surged, but they could not reach the lush green land of the island. On this oasis, a beacon emitted a brilliant light, which even the dense gray fog outside the oasis could not completely obscure.
Streams of light came from the end of the sky, piercing through the gray fog, and landing on this desolate oasis.
Warships broke through the waves and hovered above the oasis, from which emerged figures of elites.
Star tracks were drawn, and in an instant, an enigmatic formation diagram was sketched. From the radiance of the formation diagram, figures emerged one by one.
In the distant sea,
Yiluo Xi impatiently stood on tiptoe and gazed afar. Fang You gazed through Yiluo Xi's vision.
He saw the vague outline of the oasis visible in the gray fog.
"Destination reached."
—
ps: The updates this month have been a bit slow, but I still shamelessly ask for monthly votes at the beginning of the month~