"Indeed, according to my conjecture, the Fish Horse Star Civilization knows that Li Shun and his group were cultivated by me. They believe that as the consciousness of the central black hole of the galaxy, I must have made some conscious arrangements for Li Shun. You probably already know that the Insect Emperor is a consciousness entity. They are trying to understand the secrets of the Insect Emperor and further understand the galactic black hole to increase the success rate of their plan."
"Is this why they feed humans to insects?"
"This is just my conjecture, and it's wishful thinking on their part. Even if they feed the insects more humans, it won't make any difference. But to ensure the plan's success, they'd do it even if it only increases the success rate by one in ten thousand. However, this shouldn't be their main objective."
"Do they have deeper reasons?"
"I'm not an expert; you'll have to investigate these things yourselves. Here, pour me another cup."
"Hey, you old black man, how can you be so greedy for the drinks of an ordinary creature? Li Zhixiong, go and get some of your treasured drinks for this lazy old geezer."
" Mr. Daozi, what exactly is this insect? And where is the Abyss?" Hu Yu asked.
"You've seen the Mechanical Civilization; they're from the Alpha Universe. There are many more universes in this world, but they exist in different dimensions and are rarely connected. Even the Snow Tribe's technology back then didn't have the ability to open a connection between universes. The arrival of the Mechanical Civilization can only be described as a coincidence. It was only by exhausting the energy of an entire universe when the Alpha Universe was destroyed that a passage was opened, allowing the Mechanical Civilization to come here. The Space Banishment you've used may very well send the exiled items into another universe."
"Old man, stop beating around the bush and get to the point: where is the Abyss? Here, the wine is here."
"Why don't you ask me how I know so much? This information is worth at least ten bottles of good wine. Let me tell you, youngsters, if it weren't for the black hole, I wouldn't have known that there were more dimensions. The Abyss is the starting point of all dimensions and the growth point of all universes. It is a higher-dimensional universe, with dimensions higher than any other universe."
" The Abyss is the name for this higher-dimensional universe. There, the Great Star Region Civilization are merely the starting point. Moreover, it's not just inhabited by civilized beings; there are also creatures like the Insect Race, and all sorts of other existences that you cannot imagine or understand. It's a wondrous universe where higher-dimensional and lower-dimensional beings coexist. Calling them 'beings' is no longer accurate; they exist beyond the scope of the biological realm."
"However, beings from that realm cannot easily come to our low-dimensional universe. The Insect Race, as a low-dimensional being in that high-dimensional universe, are merely at the bottom, targets for capture. However, they are extremely sensitive to space. I don't know the specific reason why they came here, unless I venture deep into the Abyss. Of course, that's impossible, and I don't have the ability to enter the Abyss. Perhaps in the future, when you have the strength, you can venture into that high-dimensional universe to find out."
Upon hearing about higher-dimensional universes, everyone's eyes lit up. What kind of existence was that? What were the civilizations like there? The Great Star Region Civilization were just at the bottom; how powerful must those advanced civilizations be? Hu Yu looked into the distance, his blood boiling. Once humanity was completely safe, he would definitely go to see the higher-dimensional universes if he had the chance.
"What I can tell you is that the Insect Emperor is not the highest-ranking being among the Insect Race. However, it is extremely difficult for higher-ranking beings to come here. Their own energy is terrifying, and they could cause the collapse of lower-dimensional spaces at any time, causing them to get lost in other dimensions. So, if nothing unexpected happens, as long as you eliminate the Insect Emperor, this insect plague will be completely over."
"Eliminate the Insect Emperor? The Fish Horse Star Civilization civilization is practically shoving its shit on Laozi neck now. Old man, the situation in the galaxy is so dire. Anyway, you'll be the first to die. I'll definitely die two seconds slower than you. If you don't come up with a solution, we're done with you. From now on, all this delicious food and wine will have nothing to do with you."
"You're hopeless! I've saved you countless times already, otherwise, would you still be able to act so arrogantly here? There's a strong possibility that the forces behind the Fish Horse Star Civilization are the Doomsday Civilization and the Knight Civilization. But don't worry, even those two scoundrels aren't fully developed anymore; their core has already been wiped out by me."
"If I had known it would turn out this way, you should have just wiped out the scientists and engineers of the Fish Horse Star Civilization back then."
"You know nothing! Every attack I make consumes the energy of the galactic Main Consciousness. Each evolution of the Insect Emperor is actually an attack on the Galactic Consciousness Main Consciousness, seizing its energy to strengthen its own Consciousness Field. In these tens of thousands of years of evolution, it has attacked the Galactic Consciousness many times. The most recent one may take thousands of years for the Galactic Consciousness to recover. Now the Galactic Consciousness is on the verge of collapse, and I have to protect it at all times. When the Insect Emperor evolves to a certain stage, it will swallow up the Galactic Consciousness in one fell swoop and become an extremely powerful being."
" Mr. Daozi, if the fortress reaches the Milky Way, how much time do we have left?" Hu Yu asked.
"I don't know. No one but themselves knows the progress of the Fish Horse Star Civilization's research. However, I speculate that since they moved the fortress to the Boötes, and given their research team's direct study of galactic black holes over the past few millennia, they are very likely at the final stage. The fortress's actions further confirm this. You must be prepared. When the fortress reaches the center of the galaxy, it will be the time when we all perish. Don't blame me for not warning you. I've lived long enough, but you are still young. You must work hard."
" Mr. Daozi, do you know what has been searching for me all this time?" Zu asked cautiously from the side. Last time he asked Daozi, the old man hadn't explained it very clearly. So much time had passed; perhaps Daozi had made a new discovery.
"I've investigated, but found nothing. This guy is cunning, but I understand his motives. Like the Fish Horse Star Civilization, he also covets the Galactic Consciousness. However, he doesn't have the Fish Horse Star Civilization's Super Fortress, nor is he as powerful as other Galactic Consciousness. He can't directly devour the Galactic Consciousness, so he found a springboard—you. You'd better not go out during this time, lest you become someone else's meal."
"Yes, Mr. Daozi, if I may ask, does the Galactic Consciousness still not trust me?"
" The Galactic Consciousness is now driven only by instinct. The mistake you made is too grave. However, after this matter is over, I will find a way to release you. In truth, the source of this grudge is not you, but the Galactic Consciousness. It recklessly deceived you, leading to the Snow Tribe's current state."