Deep Sea Spiral, Thunder God's Cage

"What did you just say you were?"

The Eternal Tower, Hidden Domain, is the heart of Land of Shelter. Very few in Yilan-Tai'er know its secrets, and now, the God of the Star Palace has appeared before Tuosidiwa.

"A Netherworld creature," Bennu's voice held a hint of arrogance and interest. "What are you doing?"

The high priest looked at the dogs following behind the other person. "... Patriarch Angxisi."

This is a top-secret location of the Land of Shelter. The fact that the God of the Star Palace was able to find and even enter this place is probably inseparable from the presence of Angxisi before us.

The priest glanced at the deity before him, then said in a cold tone, "It is High Priest Angxisi, traitor! You have broken your oath; immediately apologize to the great gods!"

Tuosidiwa put his hands behind his back. "You should know, he is not our god."

"Blasphemy!" the true traitor roared. "Our merciful and great God has shown us, the rebellious descendants, compassion and leniency, giving us the opportunity to repent and atone. Now, the great God has even descended before you, yet you show no gratitude, and even secretly plot rebellion..."

Bennu, who had been observing the strange, shimmering field, turned his gaze to Tuosidiwa: "Lower realm creature, kneel down, pledge your allegiance to me, beg for forgiveness, and I will spare your life if you obey my command."

Tuosidiwa's expression shifted slightly.

He said calmly, "Evil gods of the Star Palace, I've heard that you regard Mortal World as ants and weeds. Why do you want my loyalty and submission? My people are ignorant and foolish, regarding you as gods and allowing you to do as you please. Surely you don't need me, your king, to govern them... Do I have any special value to you?"

The God of the Star Palace, who has long resided in the heavens, considers himself a god and has had no rivals for a long time. To them, the Mortal World is nothing more than a breeding ground to be destroyed at will. This kind of race has existed for thousands of years and has long forgotten what "scheming and intrigue" is. Now, when he heard Tuosidiwa ask him directly, he did not hide anything.

"You are the king of Yilan-Tai'er, and I need you to do something for me."

He had only two responses to the inquiries of these "ants": either crush the ignorant fools who dared to question the gods, or mercifully inform them of his orders.

The ants before us deserve the latter's treatment, after all, this matter is more important.

"We knew perfectly well that Yilan-Tai'er built this anthill. The reason we didn't destroy you is out of mercy. We not only know that your ancestors built this place, but we also know what they left behind—not just those laughable weapons, but something more important..."

He glanced at the pattern formed by the luminous particles; it was Mirror of the Deep Sea telescope that deflected seawater to form a lens, a marvel of engineering by Yilan-Tai'er.

"... They left you with powerful tools for a comeback. The Deep Sea Giant Drill that can mine seabed minerals— the Sea Abyss Breakthrough, and the Magnetofluid Core restrains the swirling and oscillating of massive amounts of seawater and continuously generates endless elemental energy— the Thunder God's Cage. Are those the two names?"

Bennu said proudly, "Be proud of your ancestors, Netherworld races. It was these two Mortal World wonders, representing your transgressions, that brought about your extermination from the Star Palace. Although your race was wiped out, the Star Palace remembered these two remarkable creations. Yilan-Tai'er can be proud of this, and I have come for them."

Tuosidiwa's heart sank.

He certainly knew of these two secret, sealed-away wonders of the Mortal World.

The deep sea is rich in minerals, even more so than the land. Back then, the Yilan-Tai'er gathered the strength of the entire clan and invested all the cutting-edge technologies they had ever used to complete the design of the deep-sea spiral drill.

The reason this project is so great is that the design process created a standardized construction template, which can be easily replicated as long as there are enough materials and time. The most direct purpose of building it is to mine the deep sea and obtain enough materials to build the next auger.

The Magnetofluid Core — Thunder God's Cage —is a similar case.

The latter can provide a near-infinite amount of elemental energy, and its most direct use is in smelting the massive amounts of minerals mined by submarine augers.

With the two working together, a vast amount of materials and resources can be produced continuously. This cycle continues, resulting in an increasing number of spiral drills and Magnetofluid Core. As a result, Yilan-Tai'er gains almost unlimited energy and materials, and the scale of its Civilization will expand to an unprecedented level. It will not only be able to conquer the entire world, but also set its sights on the distant stars to accomplish even greater things.

However, all ambitions and aspirations, along with countless destructive stars falling from the sky, were reduced to ashes and vanished completely under the wrath of the Star Palace.

The Star Palace's military strikes are swift and precise, making time the most precious luxury.

Although he completed this unparalleled engineering marvel, Yilan-Tai'er did not have time to start this ever-growing and relentlessly powerful industrial engine. With endless regret and sighs, he hid the few remaining great wonders and all the knowledge in Land of Shelter, hoping that one day his descendants would see the light of day again and use these legacies to quickly rebuild the great Civilization and resume the unfinished work.

Therefore, these most precious legacies are also sealed away with the utmost care, and will never be activated unless the seal is broken, lest the folly and shortsightedness of future generations destroy this most precious hope.

But now, even if the seal is broken, the foolishness and shortsightedness of future generations have already brought about disastrous consequences.

The evil god of the Star Palace came for this reason.

Tuosidiwa's eyes were gloomy.

Although he had previously decided to submit to the Star Palace, his loyalty did not include this most precious ancestral legacy. The High Priest had already decided that even in the worst-case scenario, this precious legacy could still be left to Aifu. After the storm had passed, the Oathbreakers would take over this sacred legacy and rebuild their homeland.

"Make your decision, Netherworld Seed. I have mercifully granted you the most precious patience."

Bennu said calmly, "Star Palace Keeper of the Covenant, even knowing that you've been up to something in the Shelter, we've still allowed your pitiful race to continue until now. Now, I can also make a new agreement with you, submit to me, and obey your commands, and I will allow your pitiful race to continue."

He was absolutely right. To the so-called deity residing high in the Star Palace, his current attitude was already more than magnanimous and patient, because the other party's role was very important, even somewhat indispensable.

Tuosidiwa's eyes gleamed. "What do you want me to do? Dedicate the legacy of our ancestors to you?"

Bennu laughed. The words were so ridiculous; the ants of the lower realm were always so pathetic. He didn't even feel offended; instead, he found it amusing.

"I'll just take that as a joke to please me. Lower realm creatures, your so-called achievements and wonders may seem magnificent and grand to you, but in the eyes of the Star Palace, they are insignificant. The Star Palace doesn't care about those things; otherwise, we could have gotten them when we wiped you out."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"It's simple," Bennu said in a deep voice. "Activate the auger and continue drilling downwards into the Shelter. Activate the Magnetofluid Core and continuously inject the generated elemental energy along the direction the auger is drilling. That's what I want you to do—and only you, the king of Yilan-Tai'er, can do it."

Tuosidiwa hesitated for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed. "Why did you do this?"

"That's not something you need to know," the God of the Star Palace said calmly. "After this matter is completed, I will allow you to lead your people to live in the Mortal World. When the Star Palace unleashes its lightning punishment, I will spare your lives. This is a promise from the gods."

The high priest hesitated for a moment, then said, "This..."

Bennu was getting impatient. "What are you still hesitating about? The auger and the Magnetofluid Core injecting energy into the seabed fissure won't cause a global disaster, at most it will cause a regional catastrophe. You just need to stay away from here—lower species, I've already considered this for you, what are you waiting for?"

Angxisi then said, "What mercy and glory this is, High Priest! Do not mislead yourself. The gods have been merciful enough. Do not mistake divine mercy for indulgence."

He had already sensed something was amiss. The gods were actually making demands of Tuosidiwa, and if the other party agreed, then this guy would most likely still be the high priest. So Angxisi changed his previous aggressive tone and even felt a little regretful. He kept praying in his heart that Tuosidiwa would refuse the gods' demands.

"I know you're reluctant to give up these engineering wonders, but don't forget, if you kill them all, these wonders will be meaningless, no matter how magnificent they are. You should choose to abandon them; at least your people can continue."

Bennu grew increasingly impatient; how could he, a dignified god, have to painstakingly persuade this ant?

If the rebels in the Mortal World hadn't been so wicked, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to set up this situation. First of all, those engineering wonders of Yilan-Tai'er must be destroyed; they certainly can't fall into the hands of powerful enemies in the Mortal World. Rather than destroying them by force, it's better to let them dig open a crevice in the seabed, inject violent elemental energy, cause the sea shelf to tremble, and unleash a huge tsunami. That way, they can at least make the most of their resources.

Although he knew nothing about the powerful enemies in the Mortal World, the fact that Lahma died here and that terrifying spear of light rose from this sea area indicated that the enemy's lair was probably nearby. Even if a massive tsunami couldn't wipe them out, it could at least severely damage them as a response to that spear of light.

The memory of the terrifying moment when the pillar of light pierced through the Star Palace and shattered two star rings filled Bennu with lingering fear and then with intense resentment. The Star Palace had been wiped out for countless epochs, and had never suffered such a loss.

Their base was almost destroyed.

The thought of this caused his last bit of patience to completely run out.

"Immediately."

Bennu issued an ultimatum. "Do as I say, activate the auger and the Magnetofluid Core, and inject energy into the seabed fissure. Otherwise, I will kill you immediately, order all Yilan-Tai'er to commit suicide, and destroy this Shelter, erasing all traces of Yilan-Tai'er."

Upon hearing this, Angxisi bowed and said, "God, kill him, and your lowly servant can become the new king. I can carry out your will in his place."

Bennu glanced at him. "Are you absolutely certain? If you can't kill him and ruin my plans, I'll make sure you die a gruesome death."

Under this stern gaze, Angxisi shrank back.

The God of the Star Palace turned back to the High Priest: "You heard me, don't force me to take risks."

Tuosidiwa was silent for a moment, then finally said softly, "Okay."

"Stop trying anything funny." Bennu raised his right hand, the flames flickering brightly. "Get to work."

The high priest bowed his head obediently. "Yes."

Several stone pillars materialized out of thin air, rising from the ground and trapping Tuosidiwa within them. He did not resist. Bennu smiled with satisfaction, "Activate them immediately. Do nothing unnecessary, or I will kill you instantly. The survival of your race depends on your actions now."

Tuosidiwa raised his hands and whispered, "I am the king of Yilan-Tai'er, the ancient kings. I receive the sacred legacy from your hands to commemorate our former glory."

The entire Land of Shelter began to tremble slightly.

Around the deep-sea ruins, tiny yet violent waves surged.

The terrifying water pressure at a depth of two thousand meters, once it found a gap, poured seawater in continuously. The powerful pressure propelled it to extreme speed. The continuous flow of seawater poured into the long-sealed restraint device. Those powerful jets eventually converged at one point, surging over the huge turbine at an ever-increasing speed. The ancient device was revitalized, the vortex force grew stronger, the storm accumulated, and the elemental force began to surge violently.

However, the massive Levitation Stone -oriented medium continuous device was immediately activated. The powerful repulsive force propelled the seawater to change direction, and the massive amount of seawater that surged in collapsed and vibrated. The powerful vortex was constrained into a constantly vibrating sphere. The fine Radiant Crystal filaments continuously injected into the seawater accumulated and released energy under the impact and repulsion of the seawater, which had exceeded 100,000 cubic meters in volume. Brilliant electric light rose from the center of the tidal sphere, a sign of the activation of elemental energy. As the turbine rotated, powerful energy began to be delivered!

This is the Magnetofluid Core — Thunder God's Cage.

A mundane nation has bound one of the most fundamental forces in the world.

The immense energy illuminated the entire Land of Shelter along the Radiant Crystal Circuit, and the powerful energy activated the long-sealed wonders of the mortal Mortal World. The massive spiral drill bit began to preheat, and the drill body, forged by the super-hardened Primal Gel material, slowly rotated. After countless years of silence, the deep sea once again resounded with the roar of the drill bit breaking through!

A lost Civilization awakens from its slumber.

Bennu's smile widened.

"Very good. Obedience means survival, disobedience means death."

He instructed, "Now, channel all your energy into me; I've been watching you closely."

As Tuosidiwa's will extended, the surging energy generated by the Magnetofluid Core began to flow along the drill bit. "As you command, I obey you."

The will of the God of the Star Palace constantly enveloped Tuosidiwa and monitored the situation throughout the entire Land of Shelter. If the other party made any unnecessary moves, he would immediately raise his hand and kill this audacious madman.

The other party's compliance pleased him.

"Very good, very good..."

He was about to offer a word of praise when suddenly, a muffled explosion shook the earth.

Bennu's expression hardened. "What's going on?"

The four stone pillars exerted a powerful pressure, causing Tuosidiwa to catch his breath.

He cried out in a panic, "I don't know!"

The God of the Star Palace frowned, sensing the changes. There were no unusual phenomena; if there were any, it was that the energy of the Magnetofluid Core was continuously dissipating outwards, which was his command.

He relaxed a little, and the pressure on Tuosidiwa lessened considerably; the high priest breathed heavily.

We'll wait here.

Bennu coldly replied, "Until the auger has dug to a sufficient depth, I will fulfill my promise—as a preliminary agreement, your people will no longer need to fight in the Mortal World. You can lead them to the Mortal World via another sea route far from here, and live there. I will forgive you."

Tuosidiwa bowed, but before he could speak, the ground shook violently once more.

Even the floating lights in the Hidden Domain shone and flew away, causing the entire Land of Shelter to shake violently.

The high priest explained, "It should be the sound of an underwater auger, I..."

"--wrong!"

Bennu suddenly shouted, "The energy of the Magnetofluid Core is impacting the entire Shelter! What do you think you're doing?!"

Tuosidiwa asked blankly, "What? I clearly..."

"Lie!"

The God of the Star Palace clenched his right hand, and the High Priest let out a scream as his body was crushed by an invisible force. Bennu's voice was chilling. "You lower beings, ignorant of the power and glory of the gods! These towering Rushing Stone Sacred Pillar are my domain. Rising into the sky, reviving holy authority, my will can be projected onto the domain of each pillar, extending and growing—this is divine grace. Everything around the pillars is under my control. I have descended hundreds of sacred pillars upon the Land of Shelter. You think you can deceive me? How pathetic and ignorant!"

Tuosidiwa cried out sternly, "Ancient kings, protect me!"

Suddenly, brilliant points of light coalesced and enveloped the High Priest's body, isolating him from the God of the Star Palace. But this was only temporary. The Rushing Stone Sacred Pillar projected Bennu's killing intent, the Heron Wings blazed with light, and merciless Flame burned in from all directions. "Lower Species, why?"

Tuosidiwa attempted to channel the surging energy of the Magnetofluid Core to this protective hub for his own use, but failed. To ensure absolute safety, the designers of the Land of Shelter had implemented too many security measures, which, while guaranteeing the basic continuation of the race, had now become the biggest obstacle.

He mobilized his power to block the Star Palace's fury, and the image he could never forget flashed through his mind.

"I am the king of Yilan-Tai'er," he replied. "Even if all my people kneel before the enemy, I will not surrender."

"This is your choice?" Bennu said bitterly, then sneered, "Use the Magnetofluid Core to impact the Shelter, causing an overload explosion, to perish together with me? A naive plan. You know nothing of my power."

"Let me tell you, your foolish plan will not succeed, because I will make you die a horrible death. This explosion will not harm me in the slightest; it will only level the entire Shelter. All your people, the heritage, honor, spirit, legacy, and hope of your race, including the underwater auger and the Magnetofluid Core, will be completely destroyed in this foolish explosion. If this is Yilan-Tai'er's last act of defiance, then I can only say that you, king, are truly laughable, pathetic, and foolish... Die!"

A terrifying force pressed down, and even the core defense mechanism could not withstand the wrath of the God of the Star Palace. Perhaps in the next moment, he would be torn to pieces.

Tuosidiwa smiled. "No, you're wrong. This is the central hub of the Shelter. My ancestors set up many mechanisms to ensure its absolute safety. It won't be destroyed in an explosion, and none of us will be harmed because the Shelter Core will detect the threat before the Magnetofluid Core detonates the Shelter and destroys everything, and then activate the emergency evacuation plan."

"The entire Hidden Domain will be brought to the surface of the sea by the emergency evacuation mechanism."

Bennu was first surprised, then puzzled.

"You detonated the Magnetofluid Core, willing to turn everything for your race, including its future hopes, to ashes, just to send me to the Mortal World?" He instinctively felt a sense of unease. "What do you intend to do?"

Tuosidiwa didn't answer, but instead laughed.

He countered, "Every time the Star Palace destroys an era, it unleashes endless natural disasters, erasing all traces of the Mortal World. Your own weapons are capable of destroying Mortal World Civilization, so why rely on the legacy of Yilan-Tai'er? What has happened in the Mortal World? What are you so afraid of? What makes the great Star Palace so wary?"

Bennu's expression turned cold. "Shut up!"

Tuosidiwa's smile grew even brighter. He desperately resisted the opponent's frenzied attacks. Perhaps he would die at any moment, but he wanted to live as long as possible, preferably until the mechanism was activated and the central core rushed straight to the Mortal World. He wanted to see the fate of the God of the Star Palace under the clear blue sky.

The entire plan was indeed solely aimed at forcibly sending Bennu to the Mortal World.

Because the Fire Thief was there.