Great Harvest

Under the vast sky, a colossal sphere of light hung suspended in the distant heavens, illuminating the entire World within a World. “Booming and rumbling,” a waterfall over a hundred meters high crashed down into the deep pool below. The pool water still emanated waves of cold air, but suddenly, five figures burst out of the water, landing on the bank. Under the shining light, their alloy combat suits reflected a cold gleam. These five were precisely Luo Feng, Hong, Lei Shen, Tienan River, and Aogu. “Finally, a great harvest,” Lei Shen exclaimed with a sigh. “These past few days were driving me crazy with impatience.” “The Cosmic Crystals scattered throughout this World within a World are disorganized and without any pattern! Sometimes we find several Cosmic Crystal caches consecutively, and other times we can go for a long period without finding any. This is quite normal.” Luo Feng’s gaze swept across their surroundings; the nearby mountains and forests were silent, devoid of other creatures. “Third Brother, how many Cosmic Crystals have we collected in total?” Hong asked. “In three days, we’ve accumulated 31,000 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals,” Luo Feng said with a smile. This was an exciting number. Since entering the World within a World, their group had been conducting a thorough search of its surrounding areas. However, this World within a World was simply too vast, nearly a million kilometers in both length and width. To truly sweep through such an immense world entirely would require traversing it tens of thousands of times! No! Even traversing it tens of thousands of times would only allow them to explore the surface of the entire ‘World within a World’ to a depth of 20 kilometers. The underground depth of this World within a World exceeded 20 kilometers. Just sweeping through the surface 20 kilometers alone would take thousands of years! Precisely because it was so vast, searching truly relied on luck! During the first 10 hours of the first day, their group consecutively found six Cosmic Crystal locations, totaling 15,000 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals. However, by noon on the second day, after nearly 20 hours, they had only found one location, yielding merely 300 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals. Their luck had only improved from noon on the second day until now. They had consecutively found five locations, especially the one just discovered in the deep pool, which alone contained 6,000 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals. In total, over three days, they had accumulated 31,000 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals. “31,000 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals is equivalent to 31 million Universe Coins, worth nearly 100 billion Ganwu Coins. My teacher’s initial inheritance to me was only 10 billion Ganwu Coins! Unearthing new worlds truly is profitable…” Luo Feng’s heart swelled with joy. His team had left Earth and ventured into the vast cosmos. On their very first Cosmic Apprentice Mercenary assessment, they had stumbled upon such a ‘great fortune’. “Luo Feng, logically, powerful Universe-level experts should have entered the World within a World by now to drive us away,” Hong said, frowning. “How come there’s still no news?” “It is quite strange.” Luo Feng also shook his head slightly. “Although the Thunder World is vast, flying from its edge to the Wind Thunder Canyon, a Universe-level expert, unafraid of fierce beasts, would only need a day. Yet, three days have passed… and we haven’t found a single Universe-level expert in the World within a World, let alone Domain Lords or Sector Lords.” “Why think so much? Since they haven’t come in, let’s continue digging for Cosmic Crystals. Miss this opportunity, and you won’t find another!” Lei Shen urged. “Haha, you have a point.” Hong was also filled with anticipation. In the cosmos. Even planets could be bought and sold, and ‘Muya Jing’ used to feed Moyun Teng could also be traded extensively. In short, with enough wealth, one could even purchase Universe-level expert servants! As the trio from Earth venturing into the cosmos—Hong, Lei Shen, and Luo Feng—they naturally had to frantically excavate Cosmic Crystals. With sufficient wealth, Earth would be able to develop better in the future with their help. They were the pioneers of Earth’s humanity! “Let’s go!” Luo Feng’s eyes gleamed, filled with eagerness. “Haha, let’s go!” Lei Shen and Hong echoed, equally enthusiastic. The five-person squad transformed into five streaks of light, and guided by their detection equipment, continued their ‘search’ and ‘excavation’ process within the World within a World. *** Canglan Star. At the entrance to the Thunder World on Canglan Star, within the historic villa garden, a bald, burly man stood with his eyes closed, resembling a mountain. The flame-like mark on his brow, however, exuded a heart-trembling aura, compelling involuntary submission. Gazing at that flame mark was like an ant beholding a towering mountain. As he stood there, the surrounding space subtly vibrated, and occasional wisps of flame erupted around his body. Standing before him was the silver-haired, short-haired woman, ‘Qiniya’. As for the other Domain Lords and Universe-level experts, they were all outside the villa garden; only Anmengzi and Qiniya were within the garden. “Anmengzi, why haven’t you gone in?” A majestic voice resonated through the garden. A burly man, clad in deep blue combat armor and wearing a helmet, even more imposing than Anmengzi, suddenly appeared like a deity. He strode through the void, each step causing the surrounding heaven and earth to tremble. When he took a step into the garden, the entire garden vanished, replaced by a vast and expansive land, with a towering mountain standing nearby. In a mere moment, he changed heaven and earth, controlling a piece of the world. “Who are you? Was it you who stopped Anmengzi?” The burly man looked at the silver-haired woman, his eyes suddenly blazing with brilliance, illuminating the entire world like the Sun. “Qiniya! Special Envoy ‘Qiniya’ of the Universe Mercenary Alliance, Ganwu Branch.” The silver-haired woman looked at him. “You must be Sector Lord ‘Basiha’ from ‘Heilong Mountain,’ one of the sacred lands of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, correct?” “Special Envoy?” The burly man looked at the silver-haired woman before him, a hint of doubt in his eyes, then turned to Anmengzi. A voice directly sounded in Anmengzi’s mind: “Anmengzi, who is she? She seems to have quite a background, to be able to call out my name directly. What exactly is her identity?” “I don’t know,” Anmengzi replied indifferently. “If you don’t know, then why would you stop just because a Domain Lord blocked your path?” Basiha frowned slightly. “I don’t know who she is, but I know there’s an Undying behind her!” Anmengzi stated. “Undying?” Monstrous waves surged in Basiha’s heart, yet outwardly, he remained as calm as a rock. Basiha’s gaze then swept over the woman named Qiniya before him. His World Power subtly flowed around the silver-haired girl, and he indeed faintly sensed a heart-trembling fluctuation. “Lord Basiha.” The silver-haired woman’s eyes were very calm. “This Thunder World is designated as an ‘Assessment World’ by my Universe Mercenary Alliance. Unless the Alliance revokes its ‘Assessment World’ status, it remains an assessment world. Only Star-level adventurers participating in the apprentice mercenary assessment can enter; no one else is permitted.” “Unauthorized entry constitutes a violation of Alliance regulations!” The silver-haired woman looked at Basiha. Basiha immediately felt a headache coming on. To think, Basiha, with his esteemed status, held a very high position in ‘Heilong Mountain,’ one of the two sacred lands of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Even the Emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire had to show him respect… but at this moment, facing this silver-haired girl, he was at a loss. Kill the girl? He could easily crush her with a flick of his hand! But… Firstly, this silver-haired woman had a significant background. Secondly, she had made it very clear: ‘Unauthorized entry is a violation of Alliance regulations.’ Who would dare to act recklessly? Offending the Universe Mercenary Alliance was truly asking for death. In truth, regulations were regulations, but if those in charge below turned a blind eye, things would usually pass. Who would needlessly overreact and offend a group of powerful experts? However, this silver-haired woman clearly had a significant background and was utterly unafraid of offending them! “Anmengzi, where did she come from?” Basiha frowned slightly, annoyance rising in his heart. “I don’t know,” Anmengzi communicated with a low mental whisper. One day later. The third Sector Lord arrived. A man of demonic handsomeness, clad in deep red combat attire and a black cape, appeared as if teleporting. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and he was suddenly in the villa garden. This exceedingly handsome and eerie man had a lightning mark on his brow, and even when his eyes were closed, lightning flickered within them. “Qiniya, what are you doing here?” The handsome, eerie man stood in the garden, frowning as he looked at Qiniya. “Three Axe Mountain, Jiang Tianchen!” Anmengzi and Basiha, these two great Sector Lords, were both startled. In terms of strength, Anmengzi was much stronger than Basiha. However… compared to Jiang Tianchen, he fell significantly short. Jiang Tianchen was absolutely one of the top five super-experts in the entire Black Dragon Mountain Starfield! Jiang Tianchen was a representative super-expert of Three Axe Mountain, and he held an important position in the Virtual Universe Company’s Martial Department, ‘Heilong Mountain Branch’. “I am here on behalf of my teacher, inspecting this Black Dragon Mountain Starfield. I coincidentally discovered this matter, so of course, I must intervene!” Qiniya looked at Jiang Tianchen. “I am currently acting on behalf of my teacher, and naturally, I forbid anything that violates Alliance regulations from happening.” The handsome and eerie Jiang Tianchen frowned, and crackle! crackle! crackle! Lightning flickered around him. “This is truly absurd.” Jiang Tianchen was somewhat annoyed. “Absurd, you say!” Qiniya retorted angrily, “Jiang Tianchen, these are regulations set by my Universe Mercenary Alliance, and it’s not your place to interfere! I might not be able to stop you, but I will record everything that happens here and report it to my teacher. Anyone who dares to openly violate Alliance regulations will be reported to the Alliance, struck down by the enforcement team, their souls shattered and reduced to nothingness. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Jiang Tianchen’s eyes narrowed. Anmengzi and Basiha both felt a hint of admiration for this girl. A significant background? Yet she dared to openly confront Jiang Tianchen; she truly had courage. “By doing this, you’ve provoked powerful figures from all factions in the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield,” Jiang Tianchen said, frowning at Qiniya. “Don’t try to scare me with that! Anyone who dares to enter, I will certainly report to the Alliance according to regulations,” Qiniya said coldly. Jiang Tianchen shook his head: “Your strength is far from your teacher’s, but your temper is quite similar.” “Anmengzi, Basiha, I will arrange a meeting for the four organizations and two sacred lands of our Black Dragon Mountain Starfield to discuss this World within a World matter.” Jiang Tianchen looked at Anmengzi and Basiha. Anmengzi and Basiha both nodded. “Jiang Tianchen, what, are you preparing to gather forces to pressure me?” Qiniya’s aura intensified. She was annoyed. She was no ordinary person; she was truly prepared to stand her ground! “You’ve brought out the Alliance regulations, who would dare to contend with you?” Jiang Tianchen glanced at her. “Don’t worry, I will act according to Alliance regulations and absolutely will not send any Universe-level experts, Domain Lords, or Sector Lords inside.” At the same time, he split a wisp of his consciousness to enter the Virtual Universe Network. Maintaining consciousness in reality while splitting a wisp of it to enter the Virtual Universe was effortless for a Sector Lord.