This was the second time Haoyun had witnessed Dream Jia's heroic demeanor after his battle with Elina on the Elf Planet. Watching Dream Jia's resolute gaze and feeling the dominating aura emanating from her, Haoyun couldn't help but once again be deeply captivated by the charm of this cold and beautiful woman.
"No, no! Please don't—! Please get up quickly! We can't afford such a grand gesture from you!" Captain Tie Zhu, who had recovered from his confusion, hurriedly approached and respectfully helped Dream Jia and Dao Lao up, expressing his speechlessness.
"Three honorable guests! Your willingness to risk your lives to come here is already of great significance to us Eternal Longing Star people! Your arrival proves that we Eternal Longing Star people have never been forgotten by the World of Spirits, which is enough to comfort us! No matter what, we Eternal Longing Star people are a race blessed by the gods. We will always remain loyal to the World of Spirits and never give up!" Captain Tie Zhu was very excited at this moment, to the point where he didn't know how to respond to the grand gesture from the two priests.
Taking a deep breath, Captain Tie Zhu refocused his attention on the burnt-out skeleton of the spacecraft at the entrance of the cave, expressing regret, "Unfortunately, we have a mission at hand and cannot immediately take the three honored guests back to the Muxing Body and inform Her Majesty the Queen of your arrival."
Then, with a wry smile and a sigh, Captain Tie Zhu continued, "And, that warship is the only tool we have to return to the Muxing System. Besides—"
"What other ways are there to return to the Muxing Body?" Dream Jia, noticing Captain Tie Zhu's hesitation, interjected.
"There are two other ways to return to the Muxing Body, but those two ways are even more difficult for us. Moreover, now, only our team has successfully landed on the Eternal Star Body. It may be tantamount to suicide for us seven to attempt the mission assigned to us by our superiors!" Captain Tie Zhu said with a tone that conveyed helplessness.
"Captain Tie Zhu, although other warriors have sacrificed, you have received us, haven't you? Since the Mastan people are remnants of the Molded Energy, they are naturally our enemies. So, even though our numbers are limited now, I believe that Captain Tie Zhu, with the help of the three of us, still has a chance of completing the mission!" Dao Lao stepped forward, patting Captain Tie Zhu's shoulder confidently. Captain Tie Zhu, bending slightly to allow the shorter priest to reach his shoulder, showed appreciation.
"Dao Lao is right! Besides, if all else fails, I can fly back to the Muxing Body to explain the situation and try to bring back some reinforcements," Dream Jia chimed in, waving her cloak, which immediately fluttered behind her without any wind.
"Your Excellency, please do not act rashly! Because, you must forcefully pass through the three layers of uncontrollable defensive arrays enveloping the Eternal Mu Twin Stars to enter the airspace of the Muxing Body. Believe me, even if you are a powerful priest, you cannot escape unscathed when facing the attacks launched by those arrays simultaneously. Although we were lucky enough to escape the attacks of those arrays this time, it was only because we happened to encounter arrays that hadn't launched their full-scale attacks yet. But we cannot assume that we will succeed every time we attempt to break through the uncontrollable arrays in the future!" Captain Tie Zhu immediately stopped Dream Jia's idea.
Dream Jia also understood that Captain Tie Zhu was somewhat correct. The reason they were able to land on the Eternal Star Body safely was all thanks to the three pieces of Earth Yin Spirit Realm Armor worn by the three of them. Therefore, seeing the system display indicating that the armor energy was about to run out, Dream Jia was also somewhat worried because she didn't know how long she could hold out under the attacks of the two layers of arrays just now without the assistance of the Earth Yin Spirit Realm Armor.
Thinking about this, feeling somewhat hesitant, but still unwilling to back down due to her inherent unwillingness to admit defeat, Dream Jia stubbornly asked, "Hmph! That sounds very mysterious! I still don't believe that those arrays above are so powerful?"
Dao Lao gestured for Dream Jia to stop being stubborn and pointed to the sky, asking curiously, "By the way, Tie Zhu, what are those meteorite arrays and crimson mist arrays in the sky? If our observation is correct, the meteorite array should belong to the World of Spirits, while the crimson mist array should be released by the Molded Energy, right? But why were we attacked by the meteorite array instead of the crimson mist array at the beginning? And, there are only two layers of arrays in total?"
Captain Tie Zhu pointed to the sky and replied, "The destruction rain covering the sky is the third layer of the array. In addition, the three distinguished guests observed correctly. The meteorite array originally belonged to the World of Spirits, while the crimson mist array belonged to the Molded Energy. But why weren't we attacked by the crimson mist array at the beginning? This is a very strange phenomenon. Because logically, those uncontrollable arrays would launch indiscriminate attacks on any target they perceive, regardless of affiliation."
"So, why did these three layers of arrays lose control? What caused this?" Haoyun asked.
"Sigh! Anyway, the rain of destruction won't stop anytime soon, so why don't I detail the situation of these three layers of arrays to the three distinguished guests?" Captain Tie Zhu sighed and replied. Upon hearing this, Haoyun and the others shrugged, indicating their willingness to listen and pass the time while waiting for the destruction rain to stop.
So, Captain Tie Zhu sat down against the crystal wall, observing the situation outside while explaining, "The Eternal Longing Star was originally a very vibrant planet, but because of its relatively remote location in the Heluo Galaxy, it was fortunate to be selected by the World of Spirits as one of the excellent bases for providing logistical support to the divine army in the divine war. As an important logistical base established by the World of Spirits in the lower realm, the Eternal Longing Star naturally receives special protection from the World of Spirits. Among these special protections, besides the specialized protection for the stationed troops, there are also layers of defensive arrays imposed by the World of Spirits."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Like the meteorite array in the sky?" Haoyun also pointed to the sky and asked.
"Yes. That layer of meteorite array is composed of various meteorite remnants and cosmic dust attracted by the Eternal Longing Star. It was originally a natural barrier outside the Eternal Longing Star. Later, strengthened and modified by the World of Spirits, that ring of celestial bodies became a defensive array capable of autonomously identifying enemies and launching attacks against them. It's commonly known as the meteorite array. Additionally, there's the Eternal Star Cluster surrounding the nearer geostationary orbit of the Eternal Longing Star. This star cluster was later transformed by the World of Spirits into the Everlasting Star Array, serving as the second line of defense for the Eternal Longing Star, playing a crucial protective role in the divine war," Captain Tie Zhu explained.
"Why did the meteorite array attack us then?" Dream Jia asked.
"Because of the Great Explosion. Both the meteorite array and the Everlasting Star Array were severely damaged in that explosion, causing us to lose complete control over them, leading to indiscriminate attacks on anyone who approached. Of course, although we lost control of these two defensive arrays, it was precisely because of them that the Eternal Longing Star accidentally survived that catastrophe and continued to survive in this world, which has become dark and chaotic," Captain Tie Zhu replied somewhat helplessly.
"So, what about the layer of poisonous mist in between?" Haoyun pointed to the sky again and asked.
"That poisonous mist is a witchcraft spell cast by the Mastanese with the assistance of Molded Energy. We call it the Crimson Mist Array," Captain Tie Zhu said, looking up at the rain of fire outside with a serious tone.
"But you said the Eternal Longing Star was heavily guarded by the World of Spirits. If so, how did the Mastanese manage to cast the Crimson Mist Array between the meteorite array and the Everlasting Star Array?" Haoyun asked puzzledly. Of course, Haoyun also vaguely sensed that this matter might be related to the Mastanese eventually occupying the Eternal Longing Star.
"Sigh! It was a terrible accident," Captain Tie Zhu replied, but it seemed he was very unwilling to recall those past events.
However, in order to better clarify things for Haoyun and the others, Captain Tie Zhu continued after adjusting his mindset, "You see, under the leadership of the Destroyer Nashet, the Mastanese left Gaia and officially began their aggression and extermination activities against various civilizations in the Heluo Galaxy. Our Eternal Longing Star happened to be the only tough nut encountered by the Mastanese in their invasion warfare after years of continuous evolution and enhancement of their strength.
"Later, in that divine war, the Mastanese undoubtedly joined forces with Molded Energy. Due to their own characteristics, they quickly became the main force of the Molded Energy Allied Forces on this battlefield. So, the World of Spirits decided to design a plan to destroy the Mastanese's core strength and weaken their power from the root. Therefore, under the clever design of the World of Spirits, we fully exploited the Mastanese's strong retaliatory psychology against us, as well as their strong desire to possess the Eternal Longing Star. We finally lured the Mastanese's core strength into the trap set by the World of Spirits and successfully isolated them from the external Mastanese army. As long as the trapped Mastanese core strength is destroyed by the meteorite array, we can greatly weaken the combat effectiveness of the Molded Energy Allied Forces in the Heluo Galaxy, and the situation will completely tilt in favor of the World of Spirits."
Captain Tie Zhu paused for a moment, then continued with great annoyance, "Of course, the cunning Mastanese are not fools. When they launched a massive attack on us, taking advantage of the loophole we deliberately exposed, they also brought with them a unique array, namely the Crimson Mist Array. They intended to use this array to immediately create a layer of crimson mist on the surface of the Eternal Longing Star, isolating it completely from the World of Spirits. But unexpectedly, the crimson mist prepared by the Mastanese became a key defensive item for them after falling into the trap.
"After falling into the trap set by us between the meteorite array and the Everlasting Star Array, the Mastanese immediately jointly launched the Crimson Mist Array while their connection with the external Molded Energy was not yet cut off. They continuously injected the power of Molded Energy into this array to ensure that the crimson mist could protect them and, using the extremely corrosive and burning power of the crimson mist, completely neutralize the two layers of arrays attacking them. Then, our operation to besiege the trapped Mastanese gradually evolved into a situation where both sides used their defensive arrays to fight against each other. As a result, while both sides continuously increased the strength of their respective arrays, an accident occurred."
"What accident?" Haoyun asked.
"Just when we were gradually gaining the upper hand in the battle of arrays, the explosion that swept across the entire Heluo Galaxy suddenly erupted. According to historical records, at that time, we, the people of the Eternal Longing Star, were assisting the divine army in killing Mastanese soldiers who had been driven down from the crimson mist. Somehow, the entire Eternal Longing Star began to tremble violently. Then, the deafening explosion sounded like the thunder before a storm, rolling through the defensive arrays in the sky and the clouds," Captain Tie Zhu recounted.
"Later, the explosion that seemed to shatter the sky suddenly stopped. Probably after another two seconds, a strong white light suddenly pierced through the sky and shot towards the ground of the Eternal Longing Star without any warning. Everyone had to close their eyes to avoid the glaring white light. It was at this moment that everyone, as if suddenly falling asleep, instantly lost all consciousness," Captain Tie Zhu said with lingering fear, and finally couldn't help but lick his lips, which had become dry due to nervousness.
Seeing this, Haoyun immediately took out a bottle of milk tea from his still-functional miniature void storage and threw it to Captain Tie Zhu, asking him to moisten his throat before continuing. Captain Tie Zhu, upon catching the exquisitely packaged bottle of milk tea, asked somewhat puzzledly, "What's this—?"
"This is called Fresh Peach Milk Tea, a good thing made from the divine peaches of the World of Spirits. After chatting for so long, I suppose everyone must be thirsty, right? Come, let's have some milk tea first, taste the flavor, and then we'll continue!" Haoyun introduced the milk tea while distributing a bottle to each person present, then sat down casually and started drinking on his own.