Chapter 609: Main Text 609. Please Don't Joke (1)

Book 609. Please Stop Joking (1)

"Could there actually be a level-thirteen martial arts expert on the spaceship?"

Zi Yanxin felt a mixture of shock and pleasant surprise.

Wu Tian and Pablo, both level-thirteen themselves, also appeared somewhat surprised.

Everyone waited for Hai Jidao to confirm.

Yet Hai Jidao gave a slight nod, only to shake his head gently immediately after.

"They are indeed on the spaceship,"

Hai Jidao said flatly, "but they are not level-thirteen."

Not level-thirteen.

A collective sharp intake of breath echoed.

Many faces froze, and Zi Yanxin's expression grew even more ecstatic, her voice trembling slightly.

"Could it be... a level-fourteen grand figure?!"

Not level-thirteen, yet capable of resolving the current crisis facing the Star Spirit Flower—

only a level-fourteen powerhouse could possibly achieve that!

This would also explain why Wu Tian and Pablo, two level-thirteen masters, had failed to detect this person's presence.

Only a level-fourteen entity could hide from the mental scans of level-thirteen experts.

The revelation from Hai Jidao and Onon Turing instantly injected a surge of hope into everyone in the combat readiness hall.

Who could have imagined that a level-fourteen starry sky colossus of the martial path was hidden aboard the Star Spirit Flower!

That was an existence they would normally have almost zero chance of ever encountering.

In an instant, the spirits of everyone present soared.

Even Wu Tian and Pablo showed an unusual gleam in their eyes, looks of anticipation surfacing on their faces.

Yet, entirely contrary to everyone's expectations.

Hai Jidao's next words struck them all dumbfounded.

"Not level-fourteen,"

Hai Jidao shook his head and explained, "Merely level-twelve, but..."

He paused for a moment, then added solemnly, emphasizing every single word, "Their strength is immense.

Exceedingly immense."

A thunderous roar erupted.

Having advanced to level-thirteen, the aberrant clone encountered no further rivals upon this continent that resembled a scarlet carpet, charging forward relentlessly like a juggernaut.

It rampaged and tore through everything in its path.

Wherever it went, eight colossal tentacles and countless smaller tendrils unscrupulously seized the wandering

level-twelve and level-eleven alien beasts, tossing them into its maw to be chewed, swallowed, and digested in massive gulps.

Lu Sheng occupied the very center of the giant black clam; legless, he seemed perpetually enthroned upon this bizarre,

sinister black seat that nevertheless possessed a certain deformed aesthetic beauty.

He watched as one powerful alien beast after another was snatched by his tentacles and continuously hurled into the meat-grinder-like

maw beneath him.

Within his form, the count of aberrant immortal cells, which had already reached one hundred million, began to multiply rapidly once more.

"This method of cultivation is truly too rapid..."

Lu Sheng could not help but marvel in contemplation.

The advancement of alien beasts in the darkside universe possessed almost no threshold; as long as energy was abundant, they could grow stronger at a blistering pace.

The current power of the aberrant clone was like a rolling snowball, growing larger and faster with every rotation.

Lu Sheng even wondered.

If this trend continued, whether this seed he had once sown so casually might one day grow into a towering tree capable of

shielding his original body from the wind and rain.

Becoming his deepest hidden and greatest trump card.

Just as these thoughts crossed his mind.

Suddenly, Lu Sheng's expression shifted slightly.

He sensed that something seemed to have occurred on the side of his original body.

The consciousness remaining within his original form was calling for his return.

"Have we arrived?"

Lu Sheng blinked.

He did not dwell on it; since the aberrant clone had successfully advanced, there was little point in him staying here, so he would simply let it continue

to act upon its base instincts.

He then withdrew his soul consciousness, and his mental power logged out of the remote connection.

With a sharp flash.

His consciousness crossed countless light-years in an instant, and Lu Sheng awakened once more within his original body.

"The human body of my own kind is still the most comfortable..."

Lu Sheng stood up from the ground, lightly twisting his neck and limbs; the long-absent familiarity brought peace to his mind.

Only then did he begin to examine the situation here.

The optical computer in the room displayed a visitation request from Onon Turing.

Onon Turing would come looking for him at regular intervals, but those were mostly routine visits; receiving no response, he would realize

that Lu Sheng was in secluded cultivation and would tactfully depart.

To persistently and continuously seek him out like this was a first.

After a brief thought, Lu Sheng operated the optical computer to open the chamber door.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Lu Sheng."

Onon Turing's figure appeared within Lu Sheng's field of vision, his very first words being an apology.

Yet in the next second, his expression turned intensely grave, and he spoke in a low voice, "The Star Spirit Flower is in trouble."

Lu Sheng's expression shifted as his mental power surged outward instantly.

The entire scene outside the Star Spirit Flower spaceship immediately unfolded before his eyes.

Lu Sheng's countenance changed slightly, and he stood up, asking Onon Turing, "What happened?"

"It is exactly as you suspect."

Onon Turing swiftly laid out the sequence of events from beginning to end.

Lu Sheng listened in silence, pausing for a moment before he spoke: "So, the idea now is for me to cooperate and assist the Starspirit Flower in breaking through the star pirates' blockade?"

"Yes."

Onon Turing nodded, watching the shift in his expression as he added with utmost caution: "Lord Hai Jidao said this is also for our own sake.

If we leave things be and lose the immortal-class Starspirit Flower as our transport, our estimated time of arrival at the Hunting Bow will be pushed back significantly.

Furthermore...

If we help the Starspirit Flower escape this predicament, we stand to receive a handsome reward from both the Starspirit Flower family and the Hunting Bow faction."

"Enough, I understand."

Lu Sheng waved a hand to cut Onon Turing short, speaking flatly: "Lead the way."

Onon Turing let out a breath of relief, nodding as he replied: "Very well."

Lu Sheng did not particularly mind intervening.

He cared nothing for rewards or the like.

However, the prospect of a delayed arrival was something he took very seriously indeed.

Besides.

Five thirteenth-stage combatants...

"Cooped up in that room cultivating for so long, my bones have almost grown rusty.

It is about time to stretch my legs a little,"

Lu Sheng mused silently to himself.

"Twelfth-stage?"

The joy and excitement on Zi Yanxin's face froze entirely.

The occupants of the combat readiness hall also fell one by one into a state of bewilderment.

...Begging for flowers...

Then, their expressions gradually turned peculiar.

Had Hai Jidao not been a formidable thirteenth-stage martial artist, someone below would likely have sneered and voiced a blunt rebuttal by now.

Even so, a voice rose in skepticism.

"Are you joking? Twelfth-stage?!"

"No matter how strong a twelfth-stage is, how strong can they possibly be?"

The blue-haired girl, Zoe, muttered in dissatisfaction, "How can this be considered any kind of solution?"

"Zoe!"

Pablo barked in a cold tone, but Zoe pouted and countered: "Father, I am not wrong."

Indeed, Zoe herself was a top-tier genius of the twelfth stage, understanding the absolute limits of twelfth-stage combat power more deeply than anyone.

She also understood the chasm between the twelfth and thirteenth stages better than anyone else.

Perhaps there truly existed geniuses in the starry vastness who could ignore such a gap.

But.

There were a total of five thirteenth-stage enemies outside.

The Starspirit Flower's side still could not alter the ultimate outcome of the battle.

Zi Yanxin's countenance also grew rather unsightly.

That sensation of seeing hope only for it to be instantly dashed gave her an illusion of being toyed with.

Were the speaker anyone other than Hai Jidao, Zi Yanxin would likely have had them dragged out with an ashen face by now.

Even with things as they were, Zi Yanxin could not help but speak up: "Lord Hai Jidao, please stop jesting."

"I am not jesting."

Hai Jidao replied impassively, offering no further explanation.

Beside him, Wu Tian seemed to twitch the corner of his mouth, remaining silent but shooting Zi Yanxin a meaningful look.

Zi Yanxin grit her teeth, shook her head, and stepped forward as the two began to converse in hushed tones.

The occupants of the combat readiness hall shook off their previous joy completely, their countenances returning to a state of tension and urgency.

Some spoke in rapid whispers, while others pulled out communicators to send message after message.

The father-daughter pair, Pablo and Zoe, were also communicating via mental power, one looking solemn while the other frowned from time to time.

Within the vast combat readiness hall, everyone was making preparations for their own survival.

In fact, when Onon Turing arrived with Lu Sheng in tow.

Many merely spared them a single glance before quickly turning away to resume their own affairs.

A sliver of hope had still lingered deep within Zi Yanxin's heart.

The moment Lu Sheng's figure appeared, that final shred of hope shattered completely.

A profound look of disappointment manifested upon her face without the slightest disguise.

She turned her face away, refusing to grant him another glance.

The blue-haired girl, Zoe, stared at Lu Sheng for a short while, curling her lip as she muttered softly: "And here I thought it would be some grand figure."

Pablo glared at her, prompting her to finally retract her gaze.

Lu Sheng took in every single reaction of the crowd within the combat readiness hall, yet his face remained devoid of any expression.

Hai Jidao stepped forward to meet him, saying: "You have arrived."

Lu Sheng gave a slight nod without speaking, merely raising his eyes to gaze at the exterior views of the spaceship projected across the four walls of the hall.

He, Hai Jidao, and Onon Turing became an isolated little faction once more at this moment.

No one paid them any mind.

Likewise, they paid no heed to others.