CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 447: BLOOM

Everything finally came to light.

In the space filled with splendid crystal colors, Yu Sheng let out a gentle sigh.

He noticed that the crystal-like "curtains" around him had dimmed significantly compared to before, and an unsettling "noise" was faintly ringing in the surroundings.

Yun Qingzi, however, seemed unconcerned with these changes, still standing there with a slight smile, appearing remarkably relaxed — it was the relief of finally shedding a burden of a thousand years, and apart from that burden, everything in the world seemed meaningless to him; thus, every moment now, every breath, was just a pleasure to him.

Yu Sheng then asked the final question regarding the other’s plan: "What if it fails?"

Yun Qingzi remained silent for a moment.

"You’re leading the Inference Star Body to the Taixu Spirit Hub, trying to use this planet’s ’anomaly’ to kill it, but have you considered that the Dark Angel’s vitality is extremely strong — it might not die immediately; this process could even last for years or more, so..."

Yun Qingzi gently nodded: "Many people will die."

Yu Sheng: "..."

"I have said before, this method is quite reckless, inherently prone to failure, but at the time, I had no other path to take. In comparison, this was at least the only viable route — and no matter what, as long as the Inference Star Body takes root at the Taixu Spirit Hub, it would have no chance to leave here, and the energy required for re-ascension is staggering. It cannot receive any supply on this planet, so as long as the Taixu Spirit Hub can endure a while, the world can be permanently rid of a catastrophe. As for the cost..."

Yun Qingzi paused as he spoke, suddenly chuckling self-deprecatingly.

"Over the years, I have integrated with the Inference Star Body; many things were not by choice, but just by the result, I am already a villain with nothing but heinous deeds. Anyway, after the ’Star Fall’ my name will be forever reviled, a few lives lost to calamity are no worse."

Seeing the old man’s reaction, Yu Sheng was somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood, then shook his head with a complex emotion he couldn’t quite describe: "In any case, you took one of my lives too."

Yun Qingzi’s expression stiffened for a moment, and with a complex look, he cupped his hand toward Yu Sheng: "Honestly speaking, at the time you truly frightened me, my friend. Besides, I indeed owe you..."

"Whether you owe me or not, let’s not dwell on it," Yu Sheng interrupted with a wave of his hand. "After all, you were merged with the Inference Star Body at the time, most of your thoughts were influenced by the ’Dark Angel,’ the specific responsibility can’t be clearly sorted out — plus, my life isn’t worth much anyway."

Yun Qingzi listened to Yu Sheng’s words in a daze, his face changing several times, all kinds of reflection and confusion ultimately merging into a sigh of relief.

His figure flickered a few times among the crystal curtains, dimming alongside the surrounding environment.

"There really are too many things in this world that remain incomprehensible, the pursuit of the Dao is endless, what a pity..." the old man sighed as he spoke, but then smiled and shook his head, "Well, at least now I don’t need to make that risky move — my friend, the disaster of the Inference Star Body is settled at your hands."

Yu Sheng adopted a serious expression: "Your condition..."

"What condition could I possibly have," Yun Qingzi still smiled, "This time the Inference Star Body is truly ’dead’ — I’ve long since become part of this drifting solitary seed, naturally I’ll accompany it now. In fact, this moment should have come when leaving Shuji, it was just that I thought to..."

He slowly stopped, turned around, looking through the haze of the curtain at the vast outer space, and beyond the layered defenses, the distant and radiant Taixu Spirit Hub.

"...thought to come back for a look."

The old man’s figure further dimmed, then began to flicker slightly like a signal gone bad.

Only at this moment did Yu Sheng suddenly realize — it wasn’t actually a complete "figure."

Before Yu Sheng stood Yun Qingzi, who was actually just a dramatic illusion created by the numerous crystal "curtains" around him at various angles and refracted together — Yun Qingzi, transmitted all the way from Shuji to this place, could no longer even maintain a complete Spiritual Body.

Yu Sheng reached out his hand, but before he could speak, Yun Qingzi, back to him, had already taken a step toward that vast space.

After one step, the old man’s figure disappeared into the rippling crystal curtain.

The next second, the entire space began to quake violently, and the crystalline curtains filling the view plunged into chaotic flickering, then all the flickering lights swiftly collapsed. Yu Sheng felt himself suddenly "pushed" out by an irresistible force, and as his view rapidly stripped away from this strange space, he felt as if he had traversed a chaotic rift of light and shadow —

That homeworld shimmering with crystal brilliance under the sunlight, basking in the sun, with its crystalline vines and leaves as magnificent as mountain ranges, that lush garden, the noisy little creatures, those interesting happenings, thoughts, recognition, observation, discovery, those creations, those stars falling from the sky, that seed, that darkness...

The last memories of the Inference Star Body swept through the light and shadow rift like frothing bubbles, and in the blink of an eye turned into countless faded fragments at the end of time, Yu Sheng fell from the rift into reality, opening his eyes in the dimness.

The wreckage of the fortress torpedo was wedged between cold crystal branches, with weak flames flickering within the torn hull, winding crystalline substances twisted and entangled, among the crystalline tendrils, the stars were cold, the deep space ultimately dark.

Yu Sheng lowered his head, seeing his body bruised and battered, pierced by a sharp crystal branch, his blood soaking into the crystal branch, then diffusing in space, turning into fine ice crystals floating around him.

The gray-black crystal tendrils were silently disintegrating in the vacuum, there was no sound in space, but Yu Sheng seemed to hear the sound of this seed tearing bit by bit.

He slowly closed his eyes in the darkness, listening to the faint tearing sound, listening to the broken and weak noise emanating from the core of the Inference Star Body, perceiving yet another passage of life, and the sensation of blood gradually cooling.

After an unknown amount of time, he gently sighed in his heart.

The next second, his body spontaneously turned into ashes, countless swirling ashes floated towards the depths of the Inference Star Body’s wreckage under the guidance of consciousness, and then seeped into those gray-black crystals.

In the vastness of space, a faint light flickered.

At the Taixu Spirit Hub defense node, an alarm suddenly sounded on the large Immortal Boat "Taia," a cultivator responsible for monitoring the movements of the "Dark Angel" loudly warned, "Report — the interior of the ’Inference Star Body’ is heating up! There are signs of activation!"

Alarms blared from all directions, everyone instantly tensed their nerves, cultivators hurriedly assumed their combat positions, yet True Man Yuanling standing in front of the Star Disc Platform merely raised his head in silence, quietly watching that shadow in space.

Under his gaze, a piece of pure white light suddenly blossomed from the gray-black crystalline "vine."

Then in an instant, those illusions-like whites suddenly expanded—magnificent crystal giant vines frenziedly grew from the seed, a structure larger than a mountain spread wantonly in space, within a few breaths, it transformed into a cluster of resplendent crystal as splendid as a new star, and then within a few more breaths, countless crystalline leaves and enormous flowers that could be described as "majestic" bloomed atop that crystal cluster!

More magnificent than mountains, more vast than oceans, the crystalline flowers bloomed wantonly in the cold darkness of space, the resplendent sunlight of a distant homeland splashed across that sea of pure white and radiant flowers and leaves, as if igniting a blazing flame in space, the glistening brilliance reflected by the crystal cluster even illuminated part of the night on the Taixu Spirit Hub, causing pure white radiance to flow across the line of dawn and dusk—

Then within a few breaths again, that sea of crystalline flowers resembling a new star abruptly lost all luster, shattering silently in space like a pricked soap bubble.

The crystal cluster turned into countless fragments of various sizes, the fragments then instantly transformed into illusions-like microdust devoid of weight and substance, fine crystalline debris evaporated in the sunlight in an instant, everything so fast it was like a dream unrecorded in the morning.

Several Immortal Boats initiated turrets in response to the emergency, several blazing light orbs streaked through the darkness, only managing to pass through the scattered light dust, and before the weapon systems of other Immortal Boats could react, the "new star" that burst brilliantly and then instantly wilted had already vanished from the orbit of the Taixu Spirit Hub.

Even the core’s gray-black "Ascension Body" wreckage was completely reduced to ashes in this intense explosion.

The cultivators on the Immortal Boat stared in astonishment at the scene in space, they looked at each other in confusion, then began discussing the current situation in low, tense voices, someone hurried to the Star Disc Platform on the "Taia" to ask the Sect Leader and Vice-Sect Leader how to proceed, another cultivator stepped up to report, stating that they had entirely lost the ability to track the Inference Star Body’s signal—even the gravitational response inherent to a material entity had disappeared.

True Man Yuanling and Master Yuan Hao seemed deaf to the surrounding sounds, they simply waved to reassure the anxious sect disciples, then their gazes simultaneously fell on the nearby Spirit Rhinoceros Platform.

Above the Spirit Rhinoceros Platform hovered an illusion projection of the triangular emblem of the "Otherworld Inn," the communication channel was silent.

After an unknown period, just as Xuan Che’s expression began showing a hint of unease, the triangular emblem suddenly trembled, followed by Yu Sheng’s calm voice coming through the communication channel—

"Angel Fall."

After a brief silence and delay, cheers erupted!

Even True Man Yuanling, who had been stern-faced, suddenly relaxed his expression, in the disciples’ cheers around him, he let out a long breath, then raised his head, looking beyond the misty shield.

The homeworld safely hung high.

"Announce to all regions, Angel Fall!"