Segala sesuatu telah tertata dengan rapi dan terencana matang sejak awal, hingga membuat Zeniths dan para pemukamu galaksi Utmost Purity merasa terkejut. Istana Bintang Incandescent telah mengambil inisiatif untuk mengundang tamu dari beberapa galaksi sekutu yang jauh lebih rendah, dan sekarang terjadi pengalirannya yang indah—cahayaTransit Binten yang menakjubkan mengalir ke sana.
Masing-masing dari mereka mengusung sosok sosok terkenal—murid, teman, dan lain-lainnya, berkisar dari Pendamping Dao hingga ksatria penjaga. Undangan dari Istana Bintang Incandescent yang dibayar penuh, termasuk jaminan keamanan dan remunerasi setelah tiba, terlalu menggiurkan untuk ditolak.
"Katakan lagi apa?!" Bertanya Zenith Fusion dengan ekspresi yang kacau. "Sudah?!" Ia melanjutkan, sepertinya benar-benar terguncang.
Orang tua yang menjadi sasianya adalah seorang wanita tua mengenakan gaun delima yang ditaburi burung ceruka emas melintasi cabang-cabang rumit, ada yang seolah-olah akan terbang, ada yang sedang meronda diri sendiri, atau cham... cham... meliputi langit. Ia tampak cukup mengerikan—matanya cukup dalam, kulitnya kendur melekat kencang, tegap, berdiri tegak rapi. Dari dirinya memancar aura Seorang Sage sejati, dan tak bisa dipungkiri ia tidak di bawah tingkatan keenam, menandakan kekuatannya yang luar biasa.
Jika ditempatkan dihadapan Sages dari Galaksi Resolute Dusk, yang sepuluh Sages-nya tidak pernah melebihi tingkatan ketiga, seseorang bisa mudah menyimpulkan bahwa fondasinya fenomenal dan menciptakan tingkat kesetiaaan instan, pantas untuk menjadi bawahan Seorang Saint Alkimia Surgawi, sebuah Zenith sejati dari Alkimia Dao tingkat galaksi.
Namanya adalah Sage Ibu-Burung, dan ia bukan sekadar seorang kultivator biasa—fluktuasinya menunjukkan tanda-tanda Kekuatan Spiritual yang luar biasa. Ia adalah seorang Spiritualis! Meskipun matanya cukup dalam, persepsinya terkenal di kalangan elit galaksi.
"Ia adalah... Ibu-Burung," ucapnya dengan suara serak yang penuh nada hormat dan jauh.
"..." Zenith Fusion terteghankan. Awalnya, rencananya hanyalah untuk mengundang para alkemis terkenal, bakat menjanjikan, dan kultivator terkenal dengan kemampuan pertarangan mencengangkan, di dalam Galaksi Utmost Purity untuk menjadi saksi, tapi tiba-tiba Istana Bintang Incandescent mengundang enam galaksi untuk suatu acara?
Hm?
"Acara apa?" Rubuhkanlah ia, lalu bertanya sambil menggerogoti jengkalnya.
Sage Ibu-Burung menjawab tanpa ragu, seolah sudah mengantisipasi pertanyaan ini karena kepengalaman, "Menurut Wakil Penguasa Istana, ini adalah perayaan berkenaan dengan World-Saint Neo-Dawn mengenai persatuan, kemakmuran, dan budaya. Mereka diminta untuk membawa juru masak terbaik dan berbagai aspek budaya galaksi mereka untuk memperluas pengalaman para istri dan calon istrinya.
"Namun, setelah penyelidikan, tampaknya mereka tidak menyadari bahwa subjek utama acara ialah World-Saint Neo-Dawn, dan mereka terlalu percaya bahwa mereka dipanggil oleh pengamal terbaru dari Istana Bintang Incandescent untuk mengumbarkan sebuah proposisi baru mengenai Jembatan Binten."
Mata Zenith Fusion bersinar dengan cahaya pemahaman yang hidup dan penuh pemikiran berputar. "Tidak menyadari? Proposisi baru? Bolehkah... ini justru disk yang digunakan oleh World-Saint Neo-Dawn? Oh! Apakah kami tidak diundang?"
"Mengenai undangan kami untuk acara ini, kami memang diundang beberapa minggu yang lalu, namun karena tujuan perayaan, aku bermaksud untuk menunggu hingga setelah kekacauan dengan Daoist Su Yi dan World-Saint Neo-Dawn, karena ketegangan sudah mencapai puncak. Namun, tempat kami sudah dicadokan sebelumnya," pun Sage Ibu-Burung dengan ringkas.
"Baiklah. Baiklah. Minggu? Berarti masalah Su Yi belum terjadi. Sebelum permainan Mistis?" Secara insting, ia menolak sifat kebetulan semua ini, seolah membenarkan bahwa ini sekadar kebetulan yang membuat semua ini selaras. Setelah semua, bukanlah merekalah yang dengan licik mengarahkan Wei Wuyin ke dalam Alchemic Clash yang mustahil dimenangkan, memperpanjang pertarungannya yang diinginkan ke rute yang lebih menjanjikan untuk memaksimalkan keuntungan?
"Galaksi-galaksi mana yang hadir?" Zenith Fusion ingin tahu. Kluster galaksi memiliki tiga puluh tiga galaksi aktif, terdiri dari dua puluh lima galaksi kecil, enam galaksi besar, dan dua galaksi terlarang.
Dua galaksi terlarang adalah Galaksi Onestar dan Galaksi Fallenheart, yang pertama adalah kampung halaman Wei Wuyin!
Enam galaksi besar adalah Galaksi Prosperous Ruin, Galaksi Treasured Vale, Galaksi Utmost Purity, dan Galaksi Thriving Prohibition; keempatnya merupakan bagian dari klaster tetangga, dan dua terakhir terletak di pinggir klaster, diberi nama Galaksi-X dan Galaksi Brightburn Sunlight.
Dua puluh lima galaksi kecil tersebar di seluruh klaster. Galaksi seperti Sky Heart, White Abyssal, dan baru-barunya diganti namanya Galaksi Resolute Dusk, semuanya merupakan galaksi kecil yang tidak dapat diserap karena sifat khusus mereka—seperti larangan di langit atau penjaga aneh, atau keanehomian seperti White Abyss.
Setiap galaksi kecil yang aktif adalah istimewa, tidak dapat diserap bersama ribuan galaksi lainnya ke dalam Zona Galaksi galaksi besar. Untuk galaksi terlarang, Wei Wuyin spekulasi mereka adalah domain dari eksistensi dahulu yang berani melebihi Mistis Dao dalam kultivasinya, akhirnya gagal. Asal-usul True Ether Jiao, yang juga disebut oleh penduduk Domain Onestar sebagai Jiaolong—dikisahkan sebagai tubuh raksasa dari Binten Solar Bertaraf Absolut yang diculik oleh Penguasa Ascended setelah gagal mengasending.
Sage Ibu-Burung mengelus tengah pugi lalu menerdaftar: "Galaksi Api Sekara, Galaksi True Rembrandt, Galaksi Gelombang Air, Galaksi Cebisan Gelap, dan terakhir, Galaksi Pedang Terkubur." Setelah selesai menerdaftar, untuk sejenak ekspresi 'seperti yang kuharapkan' muncul di wajah Zenith Fusion, kemudian diganti dengan tampilan yang bingung.
"Galaksi Pedang Terkubur?" Setiap galaksi kecil memang istimewa, dibuktikan dengan kemampuannya untuk menolak integrasi, baik karena kondisi yang tidak nyaman—seperti larangan Surgawi Langit pada Galaksi Sky Heart yang sangat menyusahkan para kultivator yang memiliki Spirit of Cultivation. Namun, Galaksi Pedang Terkubur sangat aneh—budaya sosialnya yang menonjol anti-asing sulit dihubungi.
Untuk mengatakannya dengan jujur, ini berada pada tingkat xenofobia galaksik, dan hanya pendatang yang telah memahami Niat Pedang yang diperbolehkan memasuki, dan meskipun demikian, mereka akan disekat dalam kultivasi dan kebebasan selama tinggal. Selain itu, ia memiliki Divine Guardian yang setara dengan Pelindung Duat dari Galaksi Resolute Dusk—Horus. Guardian Divine ini, namun, adalah seorang iblis yang lahir dari tubuh Pedang Mistis-Surgawi bertaraf.
Ia lahir dengan kekuatan antara Tahap Jiwa Sejati dan ahli Alam Jiwa Resonant, kemudian menjadi Eksistensi Maha di kematangannya, namun karena karakteristik khususnya—terutama sifat pasifnya seperti Horus—Galaksi Pedang Terkubun tetap menjadi galaksi kecil. Tiga Raja Pedang dari Galaksi Pedang Terkubun terkenal meskipun sifat tertutupnya, semuanya adalah True Sage. Dikenal sebagai Raja Pedang Bumi, Raja Pedang Langit, dan Raja Pedang Void. Zenith Fusion pernah berurusan dengan Raja Pedang Bumi, kebanyakan untuk menyewa untuk mengambil materi di ambang Void-Blank Space untuk alkimia.
Ia hanya bisa berharap Raja Pedang Langit tidak hadir. Gadis yang berbahaya itu.
Dengan mengendurkan bibir wajahnya yang berkerut, ia bisa mendendangkan ketidakpuasan dan kekhawatirannya, seorang kultivator berkuda yang muncul di pikirkannya. 'Akibatnya dari Su Yi?'. Ia berpikir sesaat, namun enggan meyakinkan diri bahwa itu benar. Undangan dikirim sebelum kekacauan semua, namun selalu ada kemungkinan.
Seolah membaca pikirannya, ia menerima pesan dari Zenith lain:
"Kami mungkin bisa menemukan Daoist Su...".
Mata Zenith Fusion bersinar dengan cahaya wahana kebenaran yang luar biasa. Meskipun menemukan wilayah terlarang di mana Su Yi pergi melalui kekalahan Wei Wuyin lebih disukai, pertarungan ini sudah melampaui pentingnya Su Yi, hanya menjadi sesuatu yang tak terlalu penting bagi Zeniths. Tak satu pun punya dendam pada Su Yi yang tidak bisa diselesaikan dengan alkimia dan pertukaran sumber daya atau perjanjian.
Untung di atas segalanya, setelah semua.
Mereka lebih khawatir mendapatkan rahasia kultivasi reinisiasi miliknya daripada mematikannya begitu saja. Jelas dari apa yang baru-baru ini mereka kehilangan, yang membuat mereka kehilangan sejumlah besar kekayaan dalam permainan Mistis terbaru, kekalahannya sudah cukup untuk menunjukkan bahwa Zeniths relatif tidak peduli dengan hal-hal lain yang tidak berkaitan dengan Alkimia Dao atau kompetisi atau kepentingan pribadi, tidak dikenal melempar tangan pada tanda-tanda kehilangan pertama.
Untuk mereka, mereka adalah kekayaan incarnate. Apa yang hilang bisa dengan mudah pulih dengan waktu, jadi mengapa mengumbar deklarasi perang seperti yang dilakukan Sages atau Supreme Existence atas harta karun yang hilang atau lode batu esensi?
"Hai, ini seharusya cukup menarik," mengelus jengkalnya, senyum tertawa penuh semangat muncul di bibir Zenith Fusion.
1837
Chapter 1830: Final Act (4)
Everything had been solidly established, meticulously planned from the outset, much to the immediate surprise of the Zeniths and denizens of the Utmost Purity Galaxy; the Incandescent Star Palace had taken the initiative to invite guests from several galaxies of lesser standard, generating an incoming gorgeous array of mesmerizing stellar transit lights.
They each carried prominent figures, their disciples, companions, and more, ranging from Dao Companions to guardian knights. The invitation of the Incandescent Star Palace, fully paid for, including the guarantees of safety and remuneration upon arrival, was far too tantalizing to reject.
"You say what now?!" Zenith Fusion questioned with a baffled expression. "Already?!" He followed with, seemingly shaken to their core.
The target of his questioning was an elderly woman in a pomegranate dress embroidered with golden larks perched across intricate branches, some seemingly on the verge of taking flight, others cleaning themselves, or chirping to the heavens. She looked rather eerie, her eyes hollowed out, her skin was abnormally taut, and she stood ramrod straight with flawless posture. She emanated an aura of a True Sage, and by no means was she beneath the sixth-tier, indicating her outstanding strength.
If placed before the Sages of the Resolute Dusk Galaxy, whose ten Sages had never exceeded the third-tier, one could easily determine that her foundation was phenomenal and establishing an instant degree of superiority, worthy of being a subordinate of a Heavenly Saint Alchemist, a true Zenith of a galactic-level Alchemic Dao.
She was Sage Motherlark, and she was not an ordinary cultivator—her fluctuations showed signs of remarkable Spiritual Strength. She was a Spiritualist! Despite her hollowed pair of eyes, her perception was renowned across the galaxy's upper echelon.
She spoke in a raspy voice laced with a monotone tone of respectfulness and far distance: "The Incandescent Star Palace has invited the six lesser galaxies, our direct neighbors, for an event they're hosting. After learning about our conflict with the foreigner, intrigued, their Vice-Palace Master—Zhou Yiyin has inquired about granting spectator rights."
"..." Zenith Fusion was stunned by the suddenness. Originally, they intended to invite prestigious alchemists, promising talents, and prominent cultivators with exceptional reputations alongside startling combat abilities, within the Utmost Purity Galaxy to serve as witnesses, yet coincidentally, the Incandescent Star Palace had invited six galaxies for an event?
Hm?
"What event?" He rubbed his chin contemplatively as he asked.
Sage Motherlark answered without missing a beat, seemingly anticipating the question due to experience, "According to the Vice-Palace Master, it's a celebration in honor of World-Saint Neo-Dawn in regards to union, prosperity, and cultures. They've been invited to bring along their finest chefs and various aspects of their galactic culture to expand the horizons of his wives and wives-to-be.
"However, upon investigation, they seemed to have been unaware that the main subject of the event was World-Saint Neo-Dawn, and they were under the impression that they were called upon by the Incandescent Star Palace's Palace Lord's most recent disciple alongside whispering of an unveiling of a new proposition regarding the Star Bridges."
Zenith Fusion's eyes shone with a lively light, and all sorts of thoughts flitted across his gaze. "Unaware? New proposition? Could it be that disc that World-Saint Neo-Dawn was using? Oh! Were we not invited?"
"Regarding our invitation to this event, we were indeed invited roughly several weeks ago, but due to its objective of celebration, I had intended to wait until after the fiasco with Daoist Su Yi and World-Saint Neo-Dawn, since tensions were at an all-time high. But our spots were reserved beforehand." Sage Motherlark informed concisely.
"I see. I see. Weeks? That means that Su Yi's matter hadn't occurred yet. Before the game of Mystics?" Instinctually, he dismissed the coincidental nature of it all, seemingly accepting that it was pure chance that allowed these events to miraculously align. After all, was it not they who slyly directed Wei Wuyin to unwillingly participate in an unwinnable Alchemic Clash, extending his desired battle for a better promising route to maximize their gains?
"Which six galaxies are attending?" Zenith Fusion was curious about this matter. The galactic cluster had thirty-three active galaxies, which consisted of twenty-five lesser galaxies, six greater galaxies, and two restricted galaxies.
The two restricted galaxies were the Onestar Galaxy and the Fallenheart Galaxy, the former of which was the homeland of Wei Wuyin!
The six greater galaxies were the Prosperous Ruin Galaxy, Treasured Vale Galaxy, Utmost Purity Galaxy, and Thriving Prohibition Galaxy; all four were part of a quad-cluster of neighboring galaxies, with the final two situated at the edges of the cluster, and they were named Galaxy-X and Brightburn Sunlight Galaxy.
The twenty-five lesser galaxies were numerous, scattered across the cluster. Galaxies such as the Sky Heart Galaxy, White Abyssal Galaxy, and the newly renamed Resolute Dusk Galaxy were all lesser galaxies denoted as such due to their special circumstances that prevented galactic assimilation, either due to a restrictive prohibition, a forbidding guardian, or strange oddities like the White Abyss.
Every active lesser galaxy was special in a way, unable to be assimilated as the thousands upon thousands of other galaxies had been into Galactic Zones of the greater galaxies. As for the restricted galaxies, Wei Wuyin had speculated they were territorial domains of former existences that dared to attempt to exceed the Mystic Dao in their cultivation, failing in the end. The origin of the True Ether Jiao, otherwise referred to by the denizens of the Onestar Domain as the Jiaolong, which was rumored to be the gargantuan body of the Absolute-sized Solar Star seized by the Ascended Sovereigns after failing its ascension.
Sage Motherlark cleared her throat as she listed off, "The Scarlet Firestorm Galaxy, True Rembrandt Galaxy, Subaqueous Wave Galaxy, Tenebrous Horizon Galaxy, and lastly, the Buried Sword Galaxy." When she finished listing them off, for a brief moment, the expression of 'as I expected' flashed across Zenith Fusion's face before giving way to a bewildered glint in his eyes.
"The Buried Sword Galaxy?" Each lesser galaxy was miraculously special, evidenced by their ability to forgo integration, either due to inhospitable conditions, such as the Sky Heart Galaxy's Prohibition of Heaven's Resonance, which severely affected Spirit of Cultivation-possessing cultivators negatively. However, the Buried Sword Galaxy was exceedingly strange in its reclusive, anti-social societal dynamic regarding foreign galaxies and its interactions with them.
To put it bluntly, it was excessively xenophobic on a galactic scale, and only outsiders who had grasped Sword Intent had permission to enter, and even then, they were suppressed in cultivation and freedom during their stay. Additionally, it had a Divine Guardian on the same level as the Protector of the Duat from the Resolute Dusk Galaxy—Horus. This Divine Guardian, however, was a demon, born from the body of a Mystic-Heaven graded Sword.
It was born with the strength between the True Soul Phase and a Resonant Soul Realm expert, and later became an official Supreme Existence in its maturity, yet due to its particular characteristics, mostly its passive nature like Horus, the Buried Sword Galaxy remained a lesser galaxy. Zenith Fusion did not expect the Buried Sword Galaxy to be invited, let alone accept an invitation from the Incandescent Star Palace.
The Three Sword Sovereigns of the Buried Sword Galaxy were renowned despite their closed-off nature, all of whom were True Sages. They were known as the Earthbound Sword Sovereign, the Skyward Sword Sovereign, and the Voidborn Sword Sovereign. Zenith Fusion had some dealings with the Earthbound Sword Sovereign, mostly hiring to retrieve materials in the dangers of the Void-Blank Space for alchemy.
He could only hope the Skyward Sword Sovereign wasn't attending. That troublesome little wench.
With a wrinkly pucker of his lips, Zenith Fusion could only stifle his rising dissatisfaction and unease. A particular sword-wielding cultivator flashed across his thoughts. 'Could this be because of Su Yi?' He thought about this for a while but felt disinclined to believe it to be true. The invitations were sent before all the chaos, but there was always a possibility.
As if reading his mind, he received a message from another Zenith:
"We may be able to find Daoist Su…"
Zenith Fusion's eyes glowed with an extraordinary right gleam of Realization. While finding the forbidden region that Su Yi went to via Wei Wuyin's loss was preferred, this clash has long since transcended Su Yi's importance, becoming a little more than an afterthought to the Zeniths. None of them had any grudges against Su Yi that couldn't be buried with alchemy and exchange of resources or deals.
Profit above all, after all.
They were more concerned with obtaining his secrets of cultivation reinitiation than killing him outright. It was clear from their recent financial disaster which made them lose a significant amount of wealth in the recent game of Mystics and the subsequent fallout was sufficient to display that the Zeniths were relatively indifferent to other matters not involving the Alchemic Dao or competition or self-interest, not known for throwing hands at the first signs of a lost.
To them, they were wealth personified. What they lost could easily be regained with time, so why issue war declarations like some Sages or Supreme Existences would over a lost treasure or an essence stone lode?
"Well, this should be quite interesting," caressing his chin, Zenith Fusion's lips formed an excited smile.
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!