Chapter 10: Adjacent to the Void

Yu Changsheng nodded heavily, eagerly wishing someone would come along and explain to him what on earth this Adjacent Void was, a topic that had been discussed throughout the entire night.

Lan Sheng walked over to the side of the long table and beckoned to Yu Changsheng, signaling him to come closer.

"Today is a major meeting in the Cloud Palace. We should already be deeply grateful that the Sovereign Ruler made an exception and allowed the two of us to observe. We mustn't waste everyone's time any further," Lan Sheng said with a smile as he looked at the approaching Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng and Lan Sheng each carried a chair to the corner of the grand hall.

"Brother Lan Sheng, please hurry and tell me the story of this Adjacent Void. My head was spinning listening to it all night. I only gathered that it's an extremely important strategic location, but I have no idea why it's so important. Hurry up and tell me, I'm about to burst from curiosity."

Lan Sheng smiled warmly and said, "Don't be impatient. This matter has to be told from the beginning."

"Back in the day, Sovereign Ruler Zhuohua and Fairy Lanling escaped the pursuit of the Dark-Fierce Clan aboard the Desolate Cauldron from the Xuanhuang Void. They searched with great difficulty until they found this place, settled down here, and created our current prosperous era. You should know about this, right?"

Yu Changsheng nodded and said, "Of course I know about that. Hurry up and tell me about the Adjacent Void."

Lan Sheng smiled and continued, "After concluding the Ancient War and creating the world and mankind, the Sovereign Ruler and the Fairy developed divergent visions for the future. The Sovereign Ruler firmly believed that although this void is vast, the Dark-Fierce Clan would eventually find this place, and we should immediately initiate a defense plan—the Veil Great Array that you've been hearing about frequently lately."

Upon hearing the mention of the Veil Great Array, Yu Changsheng's eyes instantly lit up. "Yes, yes, yes! I've heard about this countless times recently, but I just don't know what it actually is."

"I don't understand the Veil Great Array in great detail either, but I know that once it is activated, no matter how powerful the Dark-Fierce army might be, they will never be able to penetrate the outer barrier to invade our void and plunder our present."

Yu Changsheng exclaimed in admiration, "Such a powerful formation! The requirements to activate it must be extremely high."

Lan Sheng nodded approvingly and continued, "However, the Fairy disagreed with the Sovereign Ruler's plan. She believed that to revive the Xuanhuang Void, external expansion was essential. Her plan was to widely recruit talent, build a massive fleet to conquer the surrounding voids, extract their resources to strengthen themselves, and thus seek an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Dark-Fierce army, settling the fate of all in a single engagement."

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng raised his head to gaze at the night sky outside the window, picturing the endless void where thousands of fleets slaughtered each other in fierce combat. He could not help but sigh in wonder, "What a magnificent spectacle! Truly a magnificent spectacle!"

"Do you still want to listen or not?" Lan Sheng asked, pretending to be displeased.

"Listen! Listen! Listen!" Yu Changsheng snapped back to reality immediately and listened with rapt attention.

"Both of these strategies—whether activating the Veil Great Array or constructing a massive void fleet—require countless amounts of Golden Sun Essence and mineral resources. Although the Sovereign Ruler and the Fairy had divergent strategies, they were always in agreement on this point. Thus, the two of them began searching for methods to secure resource reserves."

"So they set their sights on the Adjacent Void?" Yu Changsheng asked tentatively.

"Not bad! You figured it out so quickly?" Lan Sheng praised. "Indeed, through the Xuanhuang Mirror's deductions regarding the neighboring voids, it was discovered that the Adjacent Void contains the most abundant reserves of black gold. Furthermore, the golden sun there was born not long ago and possesses astonishing reserves of essence."

"Twelve Guards of the Cloud Palace, hear my command! March upon the Adjacent Void and let the banners of the Cloud Palace fly there!" Yu Changsheng put one hand on his hip and waved the other forward, looking very much like a commanding general issuing grand directives.

"You usually seem quite steady; why are you acting like a child right now?" Lan Sheng said. "Is it really that simple? Although it is a very suitable place, the Sovereign Ruler discovered that another race already existed there, and many of their warriors had already achieved spiritual communion with heaven and earth, successfully surviving the heavenly tribulation."

"If another race already exists there, it cannot be destroyed! That is our ancestral precept!" Yu Changsheng said, his tone carrying a trace of regret.

Lan Sheng nodded and said, "Indeed, the ancestral precepts do state that lands harboring life must not be poisoned. But at that time, the Fairy was eager for victory, ignored the Sovereign Ruler's dissuasiveness, and privately led a contingent of Star Lords and Cloud Palace guards to the Adjacent Realm."

"How did the battle go? Did we win or lose?" Yu Changsheng asked anxiously.

"At first, the campaign went quite smoothly because it was a surprise attack, and the strength of the Cloud Palace army far surpassed that of the Adjacent Realm. But later, it was discovered that their army would retreat the moment they encountered the Cloud Palace forces, handing the cities over to us on a silver platter."

Yu Changsheng rejoiced, "Isn't that a good thing?"

Lan Sheng shook his head and said, "How could it be a good thing? When things are abnormal, demons are afoot! At the time, the Cloud Palace army also thought the enemy was vulnerable and let down their guard. But when midnight came, the Adjacent army counterattacked. Inside the city, sleeper agents first led the commoners to set fires everywhere, and then, while the Cloud Palace troops were running about in chaos, they quietly opened the city gates to let the Adjacent army flood in."

"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" Yu Changsheng cried out in alarm, drawing gazes from all around.

"That's right, the commanders inside the city said the exact same thing at the time. But the general trend was lost, and they had no choice but to hastily withdraw from the city. The enemy concentrated superior forces to divide, encircle, and destroy the scattered Cloud Palace troops piece by piece. The losses in this battle were disastrous, forcing us to shift to a strategy of primary defense."

With a loud thud, Yu Changsheng slammed his fist onto the table. "Regrettable! Hateful!"

"Upon learning of the defeat, the Sovereign Ruler had intentions of withdrawing the troops, but right at that critical juncture, Fairy Lanling, who was commanding the main army at the front lines, suddenly disappeared. Thousands of soldiers were left without a leader, on the verge of perishing in a foreign land."

Yu Changsheng's eyes widened like copper bells, and he asked in disbelief, "How is that possible? Where did the Fairy go at a time like this?"

Lan Sheng shook his head. "No one knows where she went, nor does anyone know why she left then. However, at that time, the Sovereign Ruler believed the Fairy had fallen into enemy hands and immediately ordered an all-out rescue of the Cloud Palace troops trapped in the Adjacent Realm, as well as a search and rescue mission for the Fairy. Back then, all the forces of the Cloud Palace, the allied armies of the Immortal Descendants Clan, and the armies of the Four Demonic Clans were mobilized, marching mightily toward the Adjacent Void."

"With such formidable might, they surely must have pacified the Adjacent Realm, seized the Adjacent Void, and destroyed its golden sun," Yu Changsheng said indignantly.

"It wasn't nearly that easy!" Lan Sheng said. "The fighting was extremely deadlocked at the time, and both sides paid a heavy price. Especially during the siege of the royal capital of the Adjacent Realm, the combat was exceptionally brutal. Seven out of ten casualties in the entire campaign died in that single battle."

"The achievement of a single general is built upon ten thousand withered bones!" Yu Changsheng sighed regretfully.

"Did they find the Fairy later?"

"No! Until the kingdom fell and the Sovereign Ruler led the various Star Lords to turn over every inch of soil in the royal city, no trace of Fairy Lanling was ever found. However, the war was over, the Adjacent Realm had surrendered, and the entire void had fallen into the hands of Xuanhuang, henceforth reduced to a vassal state."

"And then? You still haven't explained why we absolutely must go there this time," Yu Changsheng asked.

"Do you remember that the place is rich in black gold?" Lan Sheng asked.

Yu Changsheng nodded.

"This black gold is an essential material for crafting the key ritual implements of the Solar Eclipse Splendor Array. Ever since the conquest of the Adjacent Void, the constellations of the White Tiger Palace have been using the Solar Eclipse Splendor Array there to extract the essence of the adjacent golden sun, which is then sent back to the Lanling Void and replenished into the Lanling Golden Sun via the Cloud Heaven Stele, or forged into Solar Classic Jades for storage."

"What is the key ritual implement of the Solar Eclipse Splendor Array?" Yu Changsheng asked.

"It is a thin black gold sheet, as delicate as a cicada's wing, named Black Cloud Flying Snow. Originally, it is only the size of a palm. By using mental techniques and command formulas to expand it, it can blot out the sun and cover the sky, remaining unafraid of the intensely scorching golden sun. Once the golden sun is completely obscured, the array begins to extract the essence from within it."

"And this explosion of the Nine Heavens New Stars will generate countless amounts of golden sun essence, so a massive number of Black Cloud Flying Snow sheets will be needed to activate the Solar Eclipse Splendor Array, right?" Yu Changsheng asked.

"Precisely. At first, black gold ore was mined in the Adjacent Realm and shipped to the Lanling Void, but that was time-consuming, laborious, and extremely inefficient. Later, smelting workshops were established over there to transport refined black gold to the Lanling Void, but that wasn't efficient enough either. The Sovereign Ruler simply decided to set up the workshops for Black Cloud Flying Snow directly in the Adjacent Realm."

Yu Changsheng suddenly realized something and hurriedly asked, "The production of these Black Cloud Flying Snow sheets is a top-secret matter. How can security be guaranteed if they are manufactured over there?"

Lan Sheng gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Your brain really turns fast, kid; you immediately thought of the most crucial issue. Indeed, placing the workshops over there carries the risk of leaking secrets, but fortunately, the Sovereign Ruler is wise. On one hand, he arranged for the Star Lords of the Azure Dragon Palace to take turns stationed there year-round, overseeing state affairs while also ensuring the confidentiality of the Black Cloud Flying Snow workshops. On the other hand, the Flying Fish Division of the Vermilion Bird Palace has planted numerous covert operatives in the Adjacent Realm, so any slight disturbance is immediately reported to the Cloud Crest Heavenly Palace. Most importantly..."

Here, Lan Sheng deliberately paused to build suspense, driving the utterly engrossed Yu Changsheng half-mad with anticipation.

"What is most important? Brother Lan Sheng, hurry up and tell me!" Yu Changsheng tugged at Lan Sheng's sleeve, urging him.

Lan Sheng laughed heartily and continued, "Most importantly, after the Black Cloud Flying Snow sheets are crafted in the workshops and sent to the Cloud Crest Heavenly Palace, the Sovereign Ruler must personally use his mechanical arts to infuse a mysterious substance into those sheets. Only after undergoing this final procedure can the Black Cloud Flying Snow truly be utilized in the Solar Eclipse Splendor Array. Do you understand now?"

Yu Changsheng clapped his hands, suddenly sprang to his feet, and said, "So that means during this expedition to the Nine Heavens New Stars, there's no need for the Adjacent Void to ship the items over. We just need to store all the Black Cloud Flying Snow right there, and when the main army arrives, we can take the items directly with us. The Sovereign Ruler can complete the final enjoining step for all the ritual implements along the march! Brilliant! Simply brilliant!"