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Chapter 379: Battle Banquet
🕑 Added 2024-02-20 17:36:01 +0000 UTCI forgot to add this at an earlier chapter: Brock can participate in the expedition not because he's stronger than most six-fruits, but because he is very talented, therefore he was offered a spot. This is common practice in such expeditions.
Many thanks to the commenter who pointed this out, and enjoy!
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As soon as Jack flew out of the starship, a familiar blue screen unfurled in his vision.
You have returned to the New World. Welcome!
“Uh… Thanks?”
“Who you talking to?” Brock asked.
“The System. It seems we…re-entered.”
That last word was spoken apprehensively. Jack was a fugitive. As far as he was concerned, being outside System space acted to his safety. Since he still hadn’t found a way to deactivate or isolate the mini System core inside him—or even clearly discovered it—who knew what capabilities System space offered to his enemies.
“It’s fine,” Shi Mo reassured him, floating beside them. “The Elders wouldn’t bring us somewhere too dangerous. There shouldn’t be a fall-out. Besides, the Church has all sorts of ways to escape the System’s surveillance even inside System space.”
“Yeah,” Jack replied with a sigh. “You’re right. I just have bad memories.”
“Don’t worry. Our Elders are as high-value targets as can be. If they dare enter System space, so do we.”
Jack nodded. The Heaven Egg galaxy had long ago been integrated to System space, save for some remote corners. This place was one such corner, but given the hidden realm’s significance, it wasn’t weird for the Hand of God to expend some resources and expand System space to here.
Being in System space was a refreshing, almost nostalgic feeling. Jack had access to the System scanning again. The first thing he did was look at Brock.
Brorilla, Level 263 (King)
A gorilla variant from planet Green. Brorillas usually live with Gymonkeys and train them in the ways of working out. It is due to the Brorillas’ unmatched pecks that Gymonkeys use poop to fight—they consider themselves too weak for anything else.
Brorillas are usually calm, measured animals. However, if anyone harms their little cousins or invades their territory, they go bananas.
This particular brorilla is a variant that visually resembles a gymonkey. Through cultivation, it has achieved a degree of power at the C-Grade, far surpassing the par for its species. Extermination is advised.
Extermination is advised… Jack thought, his eyes shimmering with wrath. I didn’t miss you, System.
He also inspected other people he was curious about. Min Ling was really a human, as was Shi Mo, while the second ranked Salazar was indeed a space monster.
Space Monster, Level 399
Experts speculate that, when large quantities of the Dao are left undisturbed for a long time, they can spontaneously coalesce into a Space Monster. While this is a very rare occasion, the vastness of the void lends itself to the phenomenon. Space is filled with such monsters, especially outside System space.
However, due to the phenomenon’s relative rarity and the requirement of a long-time undisturbed Dao, it has never been observed in controlled environments. The exact procedure of a Space Monster’s birth has never been documented in the Immortal Archives.
Space Monsters are mostly mindless existences that seek only to feed on sources of the Dao, like natural treasures or cultivators. They grow larger and more intelligent in proportion to their strength. This specimen has developed to a very high level and attained complete sapience. Extermination is advised.
How cute the System was. To anything that wasn’t a System cultivator, it advised instant extermination.
As for the Elders… Jack failed to scan them. It was like the System didn’t register their presence.
These all happened very quickly. The Church group was still flying towards the Hand of God group, Elder Heavenstar holding a chair in the lead. Jack was tense; not only were these two opposing organizations, so anything could happen, but it was also his first time coming in contact with the high-level figures of the Hand of God. All previous interactions in the Milky Way galaxy were with people who didn’t even qualify to be outer disciples.
The Hand’s line-up was similar to the Church’s. Thirty C-Grades and twelve B-Grades, accompanied by two A-Grade Elders. Their composition was even richer in humans than the Church’s, while their two Elders were a blue-haired man and a silver-haired, silver-eyed woman who radiated extreme holiness.
Back in the Milky Way, Jack had been chased by a B-Grade member of the Hand of God; a woman called Eva Solvig who cultivated Purity. Despite that chase lasting many months, the two had never met—but, if they had, Jack would have noticed a striking resemblance to this silver-haired Elder before him. Were they related?
Whether by coincidence or not, that B-Grade was also in the crowd, her eyes glued to Jack. He, of course, did not recognize her.
“Blue hair weird,” said Brock, squinting at the other Elder.
“That’s Elder Ocean,” Shi Mo said from the side. “It is said that every hair on his head contains an entire ocean!”
Jack took a better look. Indeed, that man’s hair seemed weird. It was made up of thick hairs which moved by themselves, as if every hair possessed its own consciousness. Since they were much thicker than normal, his head couldn’t possess more than a hundred hairs, but to say that each of them contained an ocean sounded exaggerated. That was fifteen times the entire water volume of Earth.
Well, approximately.
At that moment, Jack’s stare was interrupted by Elder Ocean glancing in his direction. Jack felt like he was stranded deep inside the ocean, surrounded by endless water all around and gasping for breath.
The illusion disappeared in the next moment, but Jack was left sweating.
“Ocean! Purity!” Elder Heavenstar exclaimed, laughing. “I didn’t expect the two of you to come. It’s been a while!”
“The water whispered your arrival. How could I not accompany you?” Elder Ocean replied in an oddly normal voice. The two Hand of God Elders flew ahead, engaging the Church Elders in small talk that demonstrated peaceful intentions. Or, rather, it was better to say that Heavenstar and Ocean had small talk—Boatman and Purity simply stood there, their titanic auras anchored in the void.
“Don’t be swayed by appearances,” Shi Mo whispered, leaning closer to Jack. “Boatman and Purity are the real powerhouses here. They just don’t like talking.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely!”
Jack looked up at the Elders, reevaluating his preconceptions. It was his first time in the cultivation world that he saw the stronger party leaning back and letting others take the spotlight.
Of course, thinking of Heavenstar and Ocean as weak was a trap. Each of them could annihilate Jack with a thought.
“Your disciples are looking fine,” Heavenstar said, passing his glance over the Hand of God expedition.
“They’re adequate.” Ocean shrugged. “I’ve heard your Church has a few good seedlings this time. I’m looking forward to their performance.”
“Please. They couldn’t hold a candle to yours.”
As the Elders chatted merrily, the two expeditions were weighing each other. They didn’t need to present fake peacefulness; since they would clash soon, they were free to stare all they wanted. Sparks flew between the two groups. Many people found an opponent of similar strength and stared them down.
Jack and Brock stood out with their low cultivation, but nobody on the opposing team took them seriously. Talented but low-level cultivators like them were usually brought along to gain experience—they wouldn’t actually participate in the battles inside the hidden realm.
Shi Mo leaned closer to Jack and Brock, introducing the important characters of the other side.
“That’s Envoy Uruselam,” he said, motioning at a calm, smiling man. His robes and hair were white, though he did not seem old, and he exuded a presence of immovable serenity. He did not at all resemble a warrior. Moreover, his white brows were so long that they fell to the sides of his chin, and his ears were so wide that they could probably be used to swim.
“And that is Arkenstal,” Shi Mo said, pointing at another man. He wore dark, wide robes that fluttered in the void, but his eyes belied a terrifying presence. Thanks to his insights, Jack could feel that spacetime was warped around that man, soft and ready to be molded by his will.
The stare-off continued for some time. Nobody seemed hasty to break the silence.
“Why they look but no attack?” Brock asked, annoyed that nobody was staring at him. “They are cowards, or we are too pretty.”
His voice was just enough to reach the Church cultivators, making some smile wryly.
Finally, Elder Ocean said, “How about you join us in the banquet? The food is beginning to grow cold.”
“Naturally!” Heavenstar replied. “How could we miss such an opportunity? Dying on an empty stomach wouldn’t be fun at all. Everyone”—he turned to his expedition—“make yourself comfortable. Spacewind, make sure our tables are rich and full.”
“Yes, Elder,” Spacewind replied. The many Envoys reached inside their space rings and pulled out tables and chairs, setting them up across from the already existing furniture of the Hand of God. Spacewind quickly retrieved all sorts of food and drinks and set them on the table, whereupon the Church expedition members took their seat. Jack and Brock did so as well, positioned between Shi Mo and a seven-fruit cultivator Jack didn’t know too well. Baron Longform was seated far away.
Jack had no idea what was going on. He expected to dive into the hidden realm. Wasn’t this too peaceful?
The two groups had connected their tables, forming a large pi shape. Eighty-four people sat there, with two large starships and the hidden realm as their background. The two different organizations were clearly separated, their members not mingling; the tables of one were stitched with a green-shaded black hole, while the other’s with the Hand of God insignia—a palm with an open eye in the middle.
At the back of the pi was the Elders’ table, large and filled with snacks. They were the only ones whose table was not connected to the rest.
Of course, all these tables weren’t set on solid ground. They floated freely through the void, only held in place by the participants’ supernatural powers.
As for the food and drinks, those were all extraordinary. Not much could survive the void of space, but this was taking it a step further. The two factions were competing over which could offer the most luxurious, most extravagant snacks, and each faction insisted on the other tasting their offerings.
Jack hadn’t tasted anything yet, but the Hand of God was clearly winning on that front. Just sensing the auras of the different dishes was proof enough.
“What exactly is going on?” he asked Shi Mo. “Why are we celebrating now?”
“It’s a custom,” the old swordsman replied. “Every time there is a joint expedition anywhere, the two factions hold a banquet beforehand. It symbolizes their willingness to cooperate and not just exterminate each other inside.”
“But I thought we were going to exterminate each other inside.”
“Not necessarily. Hidden realms are full of resources, treasures with greater value than anything you’ve seen before. Compared to them, Dao stones are nothing but currency—the real treasures would never be so widely distributed. Hidden realms are the only opportunity for people like us to get those things, but…it’s not that easy. Opportunities come with danger. Once inside, the two expedition teams will work together to explore and secure as many benefits as possible. After that, if the harvest is something small, we can divide it. Only when the benefits are too large will blood be spilled.”
“I see…” Jack replied, deep in thought.
Shi Mo leaned back. “Of course, that mostly refers to the B-Grades. We will just split up and explore the periphery of the mystic realm. If two people happen to meet out there and one of them dies…who would ever know? Killing others to steal their belongings is a very common practice. Keep an eye out.”
Jack couldn’t help but grin. Finally, this was something he was used to. “Have you been to a hidden realm before, Shi Mo?”
“I have, once. It was three thousand years ago…but it was not pleasant. My best friend died inside.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine. Us cultivators should be used to death. It was a long time ago, anyway.”
Jack nodded. Before he could reply, a Hand of God six-fruit cultivator stood up and flew towards the open side of the pi formed by the banquet tables. It was the place where everyone could see him, including the Elders.
“Everyone,” he said, “my name is Evrart Jin, and I would like to demonstrate my Dao to your entertainment.”
“Haha!” A six-fruit man from the Church side flew out to meet him, laughing uproariously. “What a great idea! However, demonstrating by yourself would be too lonely. How about I, Kinfer Ain, accompany you?”
“Please, be my guest.”
The two men flew one mile deeper into space. Of course, everyone present was a master, and their perception could easily capture everything at that distance. As soon as the two people made some distance between them, Jack felt excitement rise all around him as people turned to watch the show.
“What’s going on now?” he asked.
Shi Mo had a wide grin on his face. “You’re going to love this. In banquets like this, it’s customary for the weaker cultivators to spar against each other, demonstrating their power and earning fame for their faction.”
“Really? We just go at it?”
“Mhm. It goes from the weakest to the strongest. First come the six-fruits, then the seven-fruits, then the eight-fruits. The nine-fruit and B-Grade cultivators will not fight in this case. They are the main force of each exhibition—nobody wants to demonstrate their hidden cards to the enemy.”
Jack’s eyes shone. “Can I participate as well?”
“Hah! It’s not whether you can or not; with your strength, you absolutely have to participate. You are a great opportunity for the Church to display its superiority—though you shouldn’t expose your full strength. In fact, if you don’t step up, I suspect that the Elders will be quite unhappy!”
Jack laughed. “Then, don’t mind if I do!”
Comments
Buck
This should be interesting!
Knight Rhoden
I suspect the Hand of God's team is about to have their faces slapped by the absurd existence that is Jack Rust.
