Chapter 75: Chapter Seventy‑Seven: The Horn of Counterattack

"Third member?"

Luofeng was somewhat surprised, not expecting that two people had already joined this plan before him.

Could it be……

"It's Leishen and Hong." Ayun answered before Luofeng could think of a name.

Luofeng: …… So they're the two chairmen? That makes sense.

Ayun led Luofeng to the backyard, where the lawn slowly opened, revealing a downward staircase.

The secret door left no trace; Luofeng only felt his eyes light up, while Babata was secretly startled, having Luofeng use his mental power to scan the code.

After scanning, however, he found no precision equipment around the land—just ordinary soil.

Babata had seen such means before; it seems more than one person in the World Tree has mastered this.

Luofeng followed Ayun down the stairs and into the high-speed elevator shaft; the elevator plunged quickly but not far before entering an underground base.

In the base, huge machines operated one after another; crisscrossing cranes extended cables and mechanical arms from the walls, while caterpillar transport vehicles like small tanks shuttled back and forth, carrying one precision part after another—the base was repairing two spacecraft.

And at the center of the two ships, a black disc-shaped spacecraft appeared to have finished repairs, displaying its original grandeur intact.

"I didn't expect you to actually be prepared."

Babata originally thought the other side was just relying on dragging Luofeng into a white-wolf bluff, but he didn't expect this so-called 'Explorer Plan' to have some substance.

Although the machinery and intelligence levels were still low, they had already exceeded Babata's original expectations.

While expressing his astonishment, he also explained to Luofeng:

"The Black Dragon Mountain—X81 model spaceship is a commemorative model of Black Dragon Mountain; not only is its performance a specially upgraded version of the same model, but its price is higher than that of the ordinary fleet flagship of Black Dragon Mountain, affordable only to Cosmic Level powerhouses or those with strong backgrounds, and even then they might not be willing to buy it."

"This is indeed a luxurious spaceship."

Luofeng naturally knew this spaceship, for in the illusion realm he and Babata had found it in the No. 12 Relic and used its laser weapon to deal a heavy blow to the Devouring Beast.

I didn't expect such a spaceship to actually exist in reality.

Luofeng then asked jokingly:

"Babata, you didn't say your master destroyed an interstellar fleet with a single move back then; could this ship have been left over from that time?"

"Well, that's possible, but although this ship is valuable, compared to the fortune your master left you, it's merely a drop in the bucket."

Since Babata had never been to the No. 12 Relic, he naturally couldn't determine the ship's origin; Luofeng merely sighed in his heart and asked again:

"Speaking of which, wouldn't flying a luxurious spaceship in the Universe make it easier to be robbed?"

"Fool, the Universe we're in isn't a battlefield; although Earth's surroundings are isolated by the owner's past methods, our location is clearly human territory."

"Space pirates are just soft‑target bullies; the more prestigious your ship, the less others dare provoke you—just like bandits on Earth, ordinary thugs wouldn't dare rob official convoys."

"The more expensive the ship you fly, the greater your background, and even the space pirates know better."

"Moreover, if this ship were preserved intact, it might be equipped with laser weapons capable of instantly killing a Star‑Level being, and its own defenses would match its price—ordinary space pirates wouldn't dare provoke it."

The two chatted, and Ayun naturally couldn't overhear, continuing to recite the script to Luofeng.

"As a reward for passing the assessment and joining the Explorer Plan, you may choose one of the three ships; after the plan opens, you will have the right to use it—of course, once you enter the Universe, the ship will effectively be yours."

"However, since you're the last to join, the other two ships have already been assigned to Hong and Leishen."

"Huh?" Luofeng, doubtful, glanced at the other two ships, obviously more damaged and still under repair, and asked Babata in his mind:

"Could these two ships have even greater origins?"

"Of course not; the left one is called udr-47. Although it also costs Cosmic Level, it's a civilian‑grade version, with cost and performance one tier lower, yet it's truly the king of cost‑performance."

"The right one, however, has some pedigree: the Nuolan k19, which is of the same class as the Black Dragon Mountain—X81 spaceship, but not a special model; its only distinction is that production ceased long ago, making it an older type, and judging by the degree of damage, if fully restored it would be roughly worth the same as the Black Dragon Mountain—x81."

"What surprised me instead is your Earth's craftsmanship—you can gather so much similar metal from scrap to repair these two ships; this imitation technology is far more impressive than I imagined, and if studied well, you might even make a fortune by repairing ships."

Having said that, Babata turned the topic back to the Black Dragon Mountain spaceship.

"As for why this thing is being given to you, the issue likely lies with this ship that looks quite complete."

Luofeng's memories from the illusion realm began to surface, and he turned his head toward the smiling East Lord.

"Well, don't look at me; illusion arts originate from life but transcend it."

Having said that, he spread his hands.

"Our Earth's technology is only at this level; cracking this ship's intelligent system is indeed troublesome."

"Of course, we have also found a solution: just short‑circuit it. We've simply been reluctant to do so, but now that you are the Number Three Executor, the decision passes to you—after all, you possess a higher‑grade intelligent lifeform in your hand, and you don't care about this auxiliary high‑grade intelligence."

Luofeng nodded, still uneasy, and told himself: In the illusion world there is no World Tree, and this world's Black Dragon Mountain spaceship is not in the so‑called No. 12 Relic.

As for the Devouring Beast, it should merely be a fictional construct to test oneself.

"So when does the Explorer Plan start?" Luofeng asked again.

"There's still a long way to go, after all, repairing these two ships is no easy task."

At this point Babata instantly thought: "As long as they provide the materials, I can finish it in three years."

Babata said that building a cosmic spaceship himself would take only three to five years, while repairing two ships also takes three years, showing the difficulty is indeed considerable.

I just don't know whether bringing Babata over to work is also part of East Lord's plan.

"Besides that, there are still many matters to settle on Earth; with a secure rear base, you can feel more at ease in the Universe—after all, once you leave, you never know when you'll be able to return."

Having said that, Ayun looked toward Luofeng again.

What surprised Babata was that this time Luofeng was not as resolute as when he first arrived.

At this moment Babata realized that the other side's goal was to keep Luofeng's heart forever on Earth.

Although he felt unhappy, Babata truly could find no reason to refute.

"Don't worry; time in the Universe passes quickly—several years are but a blink—and the preparations we need to make aren't something that can be finished in a day or two."

"In the remaining time you still have plenty to decide; even if you choose to withdraw, it's no problem."

If when he first arrived Luofeng was dazed by a sense of mission and destiny, now his sense of mission remains but is mixed with many, many wavering emotions.

"Luofeng!" Babata urged anxiously.

Luofeng gave only a smile of remembrance, looked at Dongjun, and replied, "Indeed."

At this moment Luofeng realized that the time of the Swallowing Beast was not only a test, but also a confirmation of what Yaojiu had said and the reason the Explorers' Plan existed.

If I survived the illusion, I would also choose to continue seeking the path to grow stronger in the starry sky……

Such matters always need someone to do them.

Besides, Babata promised us a gift; she should be able to come pick it up in a few days.

————

The Salted Fish Emperor, whose original form was a blue whale, was named Gaieka by the legendary Venerable Lord.

After parting ways with the Phoenix in the Deep Sea Abyss, only a small portion of the aquatic clan followed the Phoenix's steps and left.

And among the remaining aquatic clan, under the support of the Crazy Shark Emperor who led the aquatic clan after being saved by the Salted Fish, the Salted Fish formally became the sole leader of the aquatic clan.

And the legend of the Monster King, the Venerable Lord, also circulated among the aquatic clan.

The legendary Monster King, for the sake of the Monster Clan, opposed the so-called 'existence of Heaven,' and it is precisely because of his existence that the monsters have retained a sliver of life, which is the 'New World' spoken of by the Phoenix.

However, once one enters the 'New World' and accepts this vitality, it also means accepting the fact that Heaven exchanges the Monster King's life; losing the Monster Clan's support, the Monster King also loses his last sliver of vitality.

However, such rumors not only failed to lead the aquatic clan to leave following the path left by the Phoenix, but instead bred a great number of fervent fans of the Salted Fish and the 'Monster King,' beginning to gather and distribute among the aquatic clans of the sea, awaiting only a command from the Water Emperor Gaie to launch the next war.

While the aquatic clan was actively preparing for war, in the Pacific Ocean, at a sea area hundreds of nautical miles outside the Hawaiian Islands.

In this seabed region, an elliptical black egg about twelve meters in diameter had remained there for over a year, its surface covered in mud and weeds, making it quite inconspicuous.

Many monsters in the surrounding sea area had discovered this mysterious egg over a year ago, but the aquatic clan had been at war with humans throughout the past year.

Although the fate of the front line is not a matter of life, in the rear, devouring the eggs of other aquatic clans is a grave sin that will be despised and attacked by all aquatic clans.

Naturally, this rule also comes from the period when Mending Heaven was in power.

When the rule was first established, low-level monsters, though low in intelligence, were obedient due to bloodline suppression, but many monsters at birth could rely only on instinct, so different monster eggs could not be centrally managed.

Many monsters died on the front lines, leaving numerous monster eggs unattended on the seabed, but as the rule gradually took hold, the vast majority of sea beasts no longer had the habit of eating beast eggs.

Especially after the deeds of the Salted Fish and the Monster King spread, they would rather expend greater effort to hunt other aquatic clans than eat the eggs at hand, and this too became an unspoken rule observed by the aquatic clan.

And this black egg left here trembled slightly, drawing the attention of one or two passing sea beasts.

The rule forbids eating eggs, but does not forbid eating the young; the law of survival in the monster world forever follows the most basic law of the jungle.

However, disappointing the sea beasts, the egg trembled once and then fell silent; after a few glances, the sea beasts left.

If one happened to encounter it along the way, that would be good luck; but if one waited nearby, they would be despised by the beasts.

After the sea beasts had left, the egg again trembled in place, but this time it was not the egg itself trembling; rather, the ground beneath the egg slowly shifted, and the egg slowly sank with the water flow.

After the egg gradually disappeared, the crack in the ground slowly closed, leaving only some broken weeds.

Each to their own.

While the aquatic clan was actively preparing for war, humanity was not idle either.

Egypt in Africa, thanks to the help of the World Tree, had stabilized its situation; after the war ended, it was the first to complete the transfer of authority, formally joining the World Tree's sphere of influence and beginning to accept its reforms.

This greatly displeased India in Asia.....

The various nations integrated by the World Tree still need a long period of integration and adjustment, and the populace under the reforms have begun to distinguish the current state of the world.

People call the world depicted by the World Tree, which no longer distinguishes borders or ethnic groups and shares a common faith, the 'New Era'; standing before the door of the New Era, only the last two thresholds remain.

One is the long-troubled United States and Europe.

The other is the monsters that have receded but still threaten humanity's safety.

Next, the World Tree also announced a major piece of news: the World Tree's strongest, Gan, alone entered the deep sea, successively slaying six Beast Emperors, and finally, in a battle with a certain Monster King among the monsters, perished together.

This news explained why the war had abruptly ended half a year earlier, ignited people's indignant feelings, and also indicated that the monsters are now at their weakest.

Although humanity had lost much in the past year's war, in order to welcome the arrival of the New World, while mourning Gan's passing, humanity decided to deliver the monsters a final blow.

The latest step in opening the New World is to let all the peoples of the New World strive together and push open the gate of the New Era together.

And the horn of this war was sounded by humanity.