Azure Star was an azure planet similar to Blue Star from his previous life.
Its atmospheric composition and tectonic movements were highly similar to Blue Star's, though parameters such as its diameter differed somewhat.
Azure Star's diameter was roughly a hundred thousand kilometers, ten times that of Blue Star, while its volume was more than a thousand times greater!
This also resulted in unimaginably vast landmass. The territory controlled by Human Civilization amounted to merely a tenth or two of the whole.
More territory belonged to the Wilderness Zone. Some regions had harsh climates and unbearable environments unsuitable for human survival, yet they nurtured countless ferocious beasts.
The Astral Realm, meanwhile, was an independent space.
It lay in the crevice between the real and illusory dimensions where Azure Star existed. After passing through layer upon layer of spatial rifts, it had accidentally merged with Azure Star's space.
This was the so-called "Astral Realm Invasion Incident"!
Every Minor Astral Realm possessed its own independent space and world laws, and its size rivaled Azure Star's.
The power of space was truly wondrous.
As the saying went, Mount Sumeru could contain a mustard seed, and a mustard seed could conceal Mount Sumeru.
Though the actual space within a Minor Astral Realm was incomparably vast, comparable to the entirety of Azure Star—
Its vessel on Azure Star could be infinitely small. It might be a valley, a massive boulder, or even a grain of dust...
One flower, one world; one tree, one bodhi.
Lin Yuan suddenly thought of that aphorism.
Wasn't it the perfect portrayal of the Minor Astral Realm's peculiar spatial form?
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
Streams of light streaked across the sky at incredible speed, swift as meteors, leaving behind gorgeous seven-colored trails of flame.
Looking closely, they were not meteors at all, but tiny human figures.
They were Lin Yuan, the Goddess Luo Squad, and the rest of their party of eight!
At that moment, they stood atop all manner of splendid personal flying vehicles. Their speed had soared to six hundred kilometers per hour as they raced toward the distance.
"This feeling..."
Standing on a black skateboard-shaped flying vehicle, Lin Yuan sped freely through the cloudless sky. The oncoming gale was piercingly fierce, yet it could not blow away the excitement and joy in his heart.
Azure Star's high-tech flying vehicles truly had something to them. Traveling this way gave him a bit of the feeling of Sword Flight from legends.
"The entrance to Minor Astral Realm No. 216 is roughly twelve thousand li west of Azure River Satellite City..."
At that moment, a girl's gentle voice sounded by his ear—it was Gu Yiyi speaking to him through the Stellar Communicator's external call system.
After all, they were flying through the high skies at six hundred kilometers per hour. Even when close together, sound transmission was severely restricted, so they had to communicate through calls.
"Twelve thousand li?"
Lin Yuan did a quick calculation.
Their average speed was six hundred kilometers per hour. In other words, if they traveled nonstop without eating or drinking...
It would take around ten hours to reach the Minor Astral Realm.
Ten hours was considered very fast. Minor Astral Realm No. 216 was relatively close to Azure River Satellite City; many other Minor Astral Realms were much farther away and required far more time to reach.
Fortunately, every one of them was a genuine Starry-Sky Warrior with exceptional physical qualities. Ten hours of high-speed flight was easy enough for them to handle.
Lin Yuan raised his eyes and saw that the other members of the Goddess Luo Squad all carried themselves with elegant poise and calm expressions.
They had clearly long grown accustomed to such long-distance travel.
Their personal flying vehicles were also distinctive. Rather than traditional black skateboard models like Lin Yuan's, theirs came in a dazzling variety of colors and forms.
One was a dreamy pink magic wand that left behind a beautiful orange trail of flame as it flew...
Another was shaped like a fantastical purple carpet, upon which a voluptuous mature beauty sat cross-legged in ease, as though she were heading out for a stroll...
There was even a girl standing atop an ice-blue lotus, her robes fluttering as she resembled a fairy descending from the heavens...
Good grief, you girls had really turned flying vehicles into works of art.
The corner of Lin Yuan's mouth twitched.
If he was not mistaken, these all seemed to be special-type flying vehicles, each costing no less than fifty Contribution Points...
Women's money really was easy to make. The same flying vehicle, the same speed—just changing the exterior to make it look a little more dreamy could multiply the price severalfold, even dozens of times over!
So looks really came first, huh?
As Lin Yuan complained inwardly, he lowered his head and glanced at the traditional black skateboard-shaped flying vehicle he had casually bought.
He had thought it novel and cool at the time, but now, the more he looked at it, the more displeasing it seemed...
"I've fallen!"
Lin Yuan hurriedly shook his head, clearing away the faint and improper urge to compare himself with others that had surfaced in his mind.
"The Great Dao comes first, the Great Dao comes first..."
"How could I spend precious Contribution Points on indulgence?"
"I nearly disturbed my Dao heart..."
After giving himself a thorough mental washing, Lin Yuan did not dare look any longer and simply buried his head in the journey.
Finally, as the sky gradually darkened—
After crossing ten thousand li of territory, they finally saw an incomparably grand and magnificent black fortress slowly emerge at the end of the distant horizon.
"Starry-Sky Fortress..."
"We're here."
The boundless wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see. A Starry-Sky Fortress, towering like a mountain range, rose from the earth before everyone's eyes.
The fortress's main body had been cast from dark black Starfall Gold. Its walls were dozens of zhang thick, their surfaces dotted with starlight and covered in countless circulating silver-blue Star Pattern formations.
Three layers of ring-shaped defensive barriers encircled the exterior, covered in sentry posts, flying vehicle docking platforms, and warrior guard stations. Countless energy turrets of all sizes were arranged in staggered rows, brazenly exposing their lethal edge to every enemy.
Heavy!
Solemnly murderous!
Majestic!
Shocking!
This was an utterly terrifying weapon born for war. It had once slaughtered countless Star Beasts and was the pinnacle creation of Human Civilization.
"This is the Starry-Sky Fortress."
Captain Gu looked at the spectacular giant structure before her, and even her voice could not help carrying a trace of reverence.
"Every Minor Astral Realm breeds innumerable Star Beasts, and the spatial passages leading to Azure Star suffer Star Beast assaults all year round."
"In the early years, no one knew how many Star Beasts tore through space from within and descended upon the Azure Earth, bringing endless pain and suffering."
"Later, Human Civilization rose and grew strong once more, constructing Starry-Sky Fortresses to suppress the entrances to each Minor Astral Realm."
"It was from that time onward that the scales of victory gradually shifted toward Human Civilization."
"The arrogant Star Beasts could no longer descend upon Azure Star's soil..."
"The Starry-Sky Fortress is the first line of defense between Human Civilization and the Stellar Behemoths, as well as the most important barrier."
Listening to Captain Gu's slow introduction, Lin Yuan felt as though he could see the countless brutal battles of blood and fire from bygone years through this heavy fortress.
That was the road Human Civilization had traveled to reach this day.
"Pay tribute to it."
After a long silence, he spoke, his tone earnest and solemn.
"Pay tribute to it."
Captain Gu smiled, nodded, and repeated the words.
Then she led them speeding forward, heading straight for the Starry-Sky Fortress's docking platform.
"Minor Astral Realm No. 216 lies within this Starry-Sky Fortress."
"Your path of training will begin here..."
Before you continue