Ancient and Modern, Fourth Through the Ages
Mech Number Five fought against the returning Transcendent Immortals back then, and according to its own account of its past, it was once able to hunt Innate God-Demon.
"What happened to you? Why did all five motherships fail?" Ming Lun asked.
"The mothership and a small number of robots were only damaged, but most of the original participants died. The survivors encountered a terrible problem: they are trapped in a vicious cycle that they still cannot break free from."
Mech Number Five spoke emotionlessly, in a very formulaic manner.
"How did those sages lose their lives, and what is this current vicious cycle?" Xian Yue asked urgently.
"Back then, I had forgotten everything about what we encountered, and I knew nothing because my consciousness was scattered. However, the mothership recorded some of the old events. Of course, the mothership only revived in the later stages of this Mythological Era, and it also helped me restore my mechanical life heart. As a result, I gradually regained some of my abilities. Not long ago, the mothership even gave me some information."
Mech Number Five whispered, its voice calm and devoid of emotion, but what it was about to say was of paramount importance, instantly making the atmosphere somewhat heavy.
It was very serious; its mechanical eyes flashed with light as it carefully scanned the room before continuing its story.
"Back then, our mothership received a special signal fluctuation, which seemed to be related to information about our home universe. It was intermittent in the void. We pursued it, and at the same time, Xuan also sent out a message to summon the other motherships to go together. In the end, the five motherships and the five adults gathered together and rushed to the destination, which was the moon outside the Old Earth."
There were indeed strange signals coming from there, and Xuan seemed to realize what it was at that moment. He was incredibly excited, almost to the point of euphoria, and rushed to land on the lunar surface first.
In fact, the other four motherships also rushed to start digging into the moon in search of the signal source.
However, in the end, something terrible happened: five motherships were damaged, and a large number of participants died tragically.
"What I'm saying is all from the records of the now-ruined mothership. Although I experienced it myself, I have no memory of it. In fact, the original me, the earlier Robot No. 5, should have died. I was just reshaped and given memories as the new No. 5."
The Mech Number Five interjected with this comment midway through made people feel that what happened back then was rather tragic, and that the past was dull and terrifying.
"Under the moon, there is a black box, only the size of an adult's fist, square and old. Yet, it made several adults tremble with excitement, and eventually they went mad, even a top-tier expert died on the spot..."
Then, the eyes of Mech Number Five projected a 3D image, which was the mothership's record, showing a wooden box that was completely black, with broken corners and obvious signs of age.
Engraved on it are some patterns, including gods, demons, and creatures, as well as super ships. Although the patterns are blurry, they vaguely convey the lingering charm of the Dao.
"The patterns resemble the style of our homeland, but they look quite ordinary. It's what caused the damage to five motherships and the madness and tragic deaths of many predecessors?" Xian Yue asked in surprise.
"Yes!" Mech Number Five nodded.
It reveals the scene behind it, somewhat blurry, but even more terrifying.
In the scene, before the tomb's cousin Xuan and several leaders went mad, they ordered several Innate God-Demon to open the wooden box. As a result, a light emanated from the box, and all the Supernatural Being who were ordered to approach were vaporized. Then the wooden box opened automatically.
In an instant, everyone was covered in blinding light. Then, a large number of nearby robots melted, and the Innate God-Demon died tragically and evaporated directly.
The highest-ranking participants were also transformed into light particles and died one after another, until only a small number remained, some of whom went insane, lost their memories, or suffered mental damage.
"The survivors are trapped in a vicious cycle, trying desperately to escape, but no matter what they do, they always end up back on the moon, as if going through a tedious cycle."
"Even after the mothership was dug out and barely started up, arriving at New Star, the surviving participants couldn't escape that vicious cycle. They were as if they were outside the normal world, which was even more terrifying than being trapped in the most chaotic Space-time Vortex for years, and they couldn't break free. Every once in a while, they would start all over again, beginning from the moon outside the Old Earth, repeating every little detail from the beginning. Each time, the Qidian was that moon, and the ending point was the mothership now, cycling every few years."
This vicious cycle is extremely terrifying, and there's no way to escape it. Even if you leave the moon and travel to the edge of space, you will eventually end up between the moon and the mothership, only with more path options in future cycles.
Even the survivors, those who haven't gone mad, are starting to suffer mental breakdowns; they simply can't bear this torment.
"I am not trapped in the cycle. It should be that the original me died, so I got rid of it. But Lord Xuan could not have committed suicide. He went mad and became numb, but the will to live in his heart was still undying, so he was always in the cycle."
Ming Lun Xian Yue felt a chill run down their spines, goosebumps rising on their skin. Just thinking about this kind of life was terrifying.
"Is it still ongoing?"
"After the depletion of Super Material, the vicious cycle seems to have faded. Since the last cycle began, those participants have not yet appeared," Mech Number Five informed us.
"Is that box still on the moon, outside of the Old Earth?" Ming Lun asked.
"No, the moon's Qidian is always just a blinding flash of light. The box disappeared after that flash," Mech Number Five informed us.
"Over the years, has anyone else entered that vicious cycle?" asked Xian Yue, with her long silver hair.
Mech Number Five, "Some people have tried to get through, but ultimately they can't get through the vicious cycle. In fact, more than 90% of people can't even find the vicious cycle and the people inside that seem to be in a cycle of reincarnation."
He then added, "The tomb seems to have appeared once, but he... was injured and retreated."
This news horrified Ming Lun Xian Yue. How could they possibly get close? They were too busy trying to avoid them; the title of the number one expert among the Fallen One was no joke.
Now, the brother and sister don't want to approach the five damaged motherships here anymore. What a joke! Xuan and Mu, one of them has gone mad and is in the cycle of reincarnation, while the other tried to rescue them but was injured and escaped. Both of them are powerful individuals whose spiritual power has reached its limit, so the brother and sister don't dare to reach out recklessly.
Although they all have their own secrets and strong beliefs, they have now taken the initiative to ask for help, not wanting to fall into the trap of the five motherships.
"Father..." The two immediately contacted the mothership in deep space to report the situation to their father.
The brother and sister had the Mech Number Five display the data again, projecting terrifying scenes from the past: a black box, blinding light, vaporized Innate God-Demon, experiencers turned into light particles, and endless loops of terrifying scenes...
On the screen, the dignified middle-aged man in deep space suddenly changed his expression, staring at the worn box, his eyes widening instantly.
"That's it!" He recognized it at a glance and knew what it was.
"Father, have you seen it?" Ming Lun asked quickly.
Yan Dao's expression was more solemn than ever before. He said, "This is the forbidden item I've been looking for, one of the strongest ancient artifacts. Not only in our homeland, but even before the Supernatural Center shifted to our universe, it left an epic chapter in the magnificent historical center world, ranking even higher than the Primordial Mothership!"
"More powerful than the Primordial Mothership in the Sea of Origin? It is..." Ming Lun, with his short silver hair, narrowed his eyes.
The Xian Yue, with its waist-length silver hair, had a solemn expression on its face, its innocent and radiant expression gone, and its eyes were deep and unfathomable, with a divine light shining in their depths.
"The Primordial Mothership originated from the 'Sea of Origin' and disappeared for a long time before reappearing in modern times. It ranks seventh in the entire extraordinary history and is one of the most powerful prohibited items."
The middle-aged man, Yan Dao, directly named the strange object inside the black wooden box, saying, "It is 'Ancient and Modern,' ranked fourth. No matter how the Supernatural World shifts, its position has never been shaken. It has truly withstood the test of time."
He warned the two not to contact each other, but only to gather information, because according to the current situation, "Gu Jin" seems to be changing, and its ranking may rise, making it more uncontrollable than before.
He solemnly explained that the "Ancient and Modern" artifact is indeed somewhat illegal and prohibited. No matter which world it is taken to, it can adapt and exert unparalleled power!
Yan Dao told them that if they could find the past and present and bring it back to their homeland, they might be able to change the course of the war and reshape the overall situation.
Therefore, finding it became their top priority, and everything else could be put aside.
"How do we collect it? What does the ancient and modern world inside the box look like?" Xian Yue asked.
"No one knows what it looks like. Only its past owners have seen it, but never spoken of it. It is extremely dangerous and needs to be sealed in a box. Otherwise, the supernatural ripples that overflow can have unpredictable effects on those around it. If you find any trace of it, tell me immediately. It is extremely dangerous to you now. Of course, the environment is different now. Lacking Super Material, it will become weaker than before during this period. This is the best time to collect it!"
"A dragon, its size is truly enormous!" Zhao Qinghan exclaimed.
Now, they are on a planet inhabited by dragons. The degenerated dragons, though still powerful, are far less formidable than they once were.
Now, their divinity has been greatly diminished, and the strongest among them is only at the second stage of the transcendent realm. In a few more years, they will only have physical strength left, and their magic will be completely extinguished.
"Unfortunately, it seems that the Heavenly Dragon cannot be found in the mortal world; it disappeared completely when the Great Barrier was extinguished," Wang Xuan lamented.
But Zhao Qinghan was very satisfied. She and Wang Xuan stood on the head of the dragon, flying over high mountains and vast plains, passing through the magnificent Azure Sea, and overlooking the various landscapes of this mythical planet.
The Mechanical Xiao sits on the dragon's back, preparing dinner. Although it complains, it is always very diligent and is a little helper in life with superb skills.
Besides searching for the trail of the Fallen Dreadful Spirits, they also exchanged and collected a lot of Supernatural Materials on this trip to bring back to the laboratory, which also made up for the missing honeymoon trip.
"Wang Xuan, Qing Han, where did you go? There are ancient spaceships around New Star." Zhong Qing contacted them to report the situation.
Not long after, on the Old Earth, Chen Yongjie also told Wang Xuan that there were Outworld Visitor whose spaceships were old and of an ancient style.
After traveling for three months, Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan embarked on their journey home, first visiting New Star and then returning to their Old Earth.
More than a year passed quickly. During this time, Wang Xuan made some new friends, such as the siblings Ming Lun Xian Yue, and gradually became familiar with them. The siblings told him that their home was in the Land of Technological Life, and that their ancestors came from another universe.
They then frankly revealed that some of their ancestors were still alive and had escaped from the chaotic time and space.
"Our homeland seems to be facing its greatest crisis, with an insurmountable enemy emerging as the Supernatural Center World shifts."
As they got to know each other better, Ming Lun Xian Yue became more direct, and the information they shared was very sensitive.
"Perhaps one day, a large number of experiencers—excuse me, I'm sorry to offend you—will appear. There will likely be a large number of refugees. When that day comes, it will be extremely dangerous. We will be wiped out, and it may also pose a huge risk to the people of this universe."
"What kind of opponent did you encounter?" Wang Xuan asked, wanting to understand the situation in the Supernatural Great Universe.
"We don't know either. We've been gone for too long. Neither our parents nor our ancestors have said anything in detail. We only know that we had a premonition a long time ago."
Xian Yue said that they and the people of this universe are natural allies, after all, they are all human.
During an afternoon tea, Ming Lun revealed a secret to Wang Xuan: there was a serious problem on the moon, possibly involving "Ancient and Modern," one of the most powerful artifacts in the history of the extraordinary.
"Ancient and modern times?" Wang Xuan asked in surprise. He had been to the moon and excavated with the Mechanical Xiao, but had not found anything unusual.
"That's the most powerful contraband. If we can find it, it might reshape the course of our universe and change the course of the war." Ming Lun said this and acted accordingly, frequently searching for it and spending most of his time on the moon.
Finally, the brother and sister offered to give up their most powerful spaceship in exchange for Wang Xuan's help in the search, as this involved the extraordinary.
For the sake of the Mechanical Xiao, to allow it to merge with the giant ship, Wang Xuan happily agreed and set off with the Imperial Dao Spear.
"The lingering aura... feels somewhat familiar." Deep beneath the moon's surface, the Imperial Dao Spear awakened, emitting extraordinary fluctuations. It turned out that it had actually crossed paths with that wooden box in history!