Chapter 588: Sensing
Translator: Yukidaruma Translations Editor: Yukidaruma Translations
Fang Xingjian sensed that the attracting forces coming from the surroundings were getting increasingly stronger. He also sensed the great explosions, seas of flames, and thunderbolts that continued to occur around them. Then he said, frowning, "It seems that as we continue deeper in, the explosions get increasingly stronger. Even the space has started to become distorted, and the temperature continues to increase. Moreover, it seems as if the space that we traveled for the past 100 kilometers has gone through fundamental changes to its temperature and pressure."
Both the Fourth Prince and Philip sensed the surroundings and agreed, "It really is the case."
As a Divine level expert, Philip sent his martial will sweeping out, and the area he could sense became wider. His countenance changed, and he said, "This space seems to continue to absorb physical particles down into the space below by disintegrating physical substances through the use of high temperatures and high levels of pressure. This feeling..."
"It's just like the sun." Fang Xingjian's brows twitched. "After disintegrating everything material, it'll then absorb them into the center and heat them up, burning them up as fuel? Moreover, it's directly burning them by causing the physical particles to explode, producing a powerful source of energy to sustain the operation of this space."
"It's just similar. Although those in the Divine level are powerful, they are not really gods," Philip said. "Although I don't know why the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor wants to create a space like this, it's impossible for him to create a real sun. Let's continue on. With our abilities, we should be able to resist the high temperatures and high levels of pressure."
...
The mysterious blue-haired young man also brought along the charming young lady and advanced forward.
The young man said, "The Hades Vault is the last work of the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor which he put his heart and soul into. From the outside to the inside, there are a total of nine layers, and only the most central space has formed a large piece of land under the extreme pressure. In each domain, both the temperature and pressure would be doubled or more."
"Nine layers of space, with land in the center?" The young lady asked, astonished. "It's modeled after our world and the Nine-Tiered Heavens?"
"That's right. As expected of the unparalleled expert who unified the world and led humanity up against the onslaught... His initial goal in creating this Hades Vault was not for it to be a treasure vault. Instead, it was because he wanted to create a small new world of his own and have the Nine-Tiered Heavens as well. He wanted a small world that would be constantly undergoing the world's metamorphosis.
"And with each deeper layer, the time would accelerate. At the final layer, if one were to stay in there for several years, only one day would have passed in the outside world.
"The Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor's ability to control time and space is really far too powerful.
"Had he really succeeded, he would have been able to produce an endless supply of experts through this world, allowing humanity to go up against each future onslaughts easily.
"And even if they failed, they would be able to retreat back into this small world and be unaffected by any dangers or threats."
After hearing the mysterious young man give an introduction of the situation inside the Hades Vault, of the ideas of creating a world and saving humanity... the young lady was completely taken aback. "It's really a big job. However, he still failed in the end, right? Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to seal up the Hades Vault and just treat it as a treasure vault."
"That's right," the blue-haired young man sighed and said, "Humans aren't almighty, and even the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor was unable to do everything. He created a small world that seemed to be able to operate and maintain itself for many years. It was a space that could stretch, where acceleration of time was possible. He created a world, but he was still unable to create a real Nine-Tiered Heavens. Therefore, it's impossible for one to advance to the Divine level in the Hades Vault. It's also impossible for one to continue to advance to level 31 and then all the way to level 39 through the nine layers of space here after attaining the Divine level.
"A Divine level expert will not be able to attain any progression here if they stay here. To a Divine level expert, this place is a graveyard..."
The young lady nodded and thought that if a Divine level expert were to be trapped here, unable to attain any progression in their cultivation despite the passing time and could only watch as their lifespan passed by at an accelerated rate... it would truly be a fate that was worse than death.
As the young man continued to advance deeper into the Hades Vault, he continued, "But the power the Hades Vault contains is still not to be underestimated. It continues to absorb the material things from beyond the heavens, bringing them down into this small world, and then disintegrating them into the most basic physical particles. It will absorb them into the center to be burned, unleashing the endless explosive powers of the physical particles in order to sustain the changes of space and time.
"The legacy the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor left behind is located in the most central location, and it is the Senluo Six Heavens Sword. This holds the endless wealth that the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor left behind to help humanity to go up against the onslaughts."
Having said this, the corners of the young man's lips curled up into a hint of a smile. "However, although that is the most dangerous place to others, it's the safest place for me.
"I've inherited the Waves legacy of the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor, so I can control a portion of the power of the Hades Vault, borrowing the almost endless energy that's located in the core of the vault. At the center of the vault, my abilities are comparable to that of a Divine level expert."
...
With the speed at which Fang Xingjian's group was moving at, the distance they covered after three whole hours would have allowed them to cross almost the entire world. However, other than the increasingly powerful pressure and high temperature, as well as endless burning and explosions, they did not encounter anything else.
Philip frowned. "Isn't the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor's control of space too powerful? Is a Divine level expert able to create such an immense space? Additionally, I sense that the flow of time seems to be a little strange?"
A level 29 Conferred Knight was already able to sense the flow of time and the changes to space. This was even more so for a Divine level expert.
The Fourth Prince nodded as well and looked at Fang Xingjian, asking, "Xingjian, what do you think?"
Fang Xingjian did not say a word. He merely performed the Mountainous Sea's Book of the Way and sensed his lifespan. His lifespan, which had initially been decreasing with every passing second, now only moved after ten entire seconds had passed.
'The time in here has been accelerated? And to think that even with such an acceleration, the reduction of my lifespan has not accelerated with it.' Fang Xingjian smiled coldly as he thought, 'It seems that I really must die three years later, without a single minute or second less.'
Hearing what the Fourth Prince said, Fang Xingjian replied nonchalantly, "Time has been accelerated. As we continue to get closer, the acceleration of time will probably get increasingly faster."
Hearing that, both Philip's and the Fourth Prince's frowns deepened. Philip asked, "Xingjian, you can sense these?" Philip tried his best to sense the surroundings and seemed to discover that there really were such signs. However, he still could not be too sure.
Changes to time were too hard to sense. It already took a great level of cultivation for one to be able to sense the flow of time, let alone being able to sense the acceleration of time or even being like the Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor and controlling time.
Fang Xingjian did not say anything but slowed down his speed. Hints of chaotic and indifferent auras flashed in his eyes, giving one an intense feeling of something that was not human. He then said slowly, "Let's walk slowly. I feel that this Mystic Abyss Heavenly Emperor's legacy isn't something that we can get our hands on so easily. Let's cultivate as we advance forward. We can make use of the time acceleration here to increase our cultivation. That way, we'll be in the best state to face on our opponents."
The Fourth Prince gave it some thought. Thinking of the consecutive judgements Fang Xingjian had made earlier, be it about how someone had been tailing them, that there was danger and they should leave, or even about the flow of time... Fang Xingjian always had been right. Therefore, the Fourth Prince decided to trust him once again, saying, "Alright, we'll listen to you."
In Fang Xingjian's eyes, waves of faint aura grew increasingly intense. He now looked like a god up in the heavens, controlling the ways of the heavens while looking down on the mortal world.
Concurrently, he thought to himself, 'I'll make good use of this time to condense my ether organs in this space with accelerated time and strive to attain the Divine level.' He also thought, 'If this Hades Vault can really keep on accelerating time while not affecting my lifespan, won't I be able to keep staying here and enjoy a longer lifespan?'
The three of them slowed down their rate of advancement and maintained their battle strength. Fang Xingjian even spent half of his attention on condensing ether organs.
Then as they went deeper into the vault, the temperature and pressure in the surroundings continued to increase incessantly. The entire space seemed to have become a huge furnace, and they continued to be scorched by the high temperature and high pressure. As such, they constantly used their powers to reinforce their physical bodies and increase the toughness of their bodies.
Both Fang Xingjian and the Fourth Prince could sense that their physical bodies seemed to have become sturdier and stronger due to being subjected to such tempering. It was like how when a piece of heavily tempered steel was hammered repeatedly, only the strongest essence would be left behind.
As they cultivated and progressed onward, two months passed by in the blink of an eye. Fang Xingjian's group experienced a total of nine qualitative changes to the temperatures and pressure level. There seemed to be no end to the space before them.
However, one day, Fang Xingjian's eyes suddenly shone with gleaming light, and a series of rumbling explosions rang out from his body. It sounded as if countless worlds were being destroyed and created.
Both the Fourth Prince and Philip looked at Fang Xingjian's body. "This is..."