Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 305 Primal and Violent Energy!

“He’s weakened, but not completely defeated,” Shadow explained. “This attack can only temporarily weaken him, giving us a chance to escape. Once we enter hyperspace, we’ll be safe for now.”

Rowan stared at the struggling Astor on the monitor, thinking of the innocent lives on Brant's planet: "The inhabitants of that planet... what will become of them?"

Shadow's expression turned grave: "The energy storm released by Aster has likely destroyed most of the planet's surface. However, based on past records, such energy storms usually only affect the surface and near-Earth space; creatures deep underground may still have a chance to survive. The Federation should send rescue teams to save as many survivors as possible."

As the warp system reached its critical point, the entire warship was enveloped in a peculiar energy field. From the outside, the warship's outline became blurred, as if it were being gradually swallowed up by distorted space.

Astor let out a final, furious roar: "You cannot escape! I will find you! The core belongs to me!"

However, it was too late. The warship had already entered warp mode and disappeared from ordinary space, leaving only a rapidly dissipating energy trail.

When visibility improved, Rowan found that the warship had entered an unfamiliar starry sky. There were no familiar constellations or nebulae, only endless darkness dotted with sparse starlight.

"Are we safe?" Thor asked uncertainly, still clenching his fists, ready to deal with any possible threat.

Ying let out a long sigh of relief, finally relaxing her tense body: "We're safe for now. This is a star region not marked on the official star map, located on the edge of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire and the Interstellar Federation's sphere of influence. Few ships pass through here, and Aster shouldn't be able to find us anytime soon."

Hong walked to the porthole and gazed at the unfamiliar starry sky outside: "So what should we do next? We can't just hide here forever."

The shadow moved toward the core, having returned from its orbit to its original container. It looked dimmer than before, seemingly having consumed a considerable amount of energy.

“I need to contact the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's intelligence bureau to report on this mission,” Shadow said, “especially Aster's betrayal and the discovery of the Celestial Star King's core. But establishing secure quantum communication at this location will take time.”

"How long exactly will it take?" Rowan asked.

Ying calculated, "Considering our current location and communication conditions, it will take about three days to establish a sufficiently secure encrypted channel. Until then, we'd better keep a low profile and avoid attracting unnecessary attention."

Thor stretched his stiff shoulders. "So we'll just wait in this star system for three days? This warship is very advanced, but space is limited; staying here for three days will probably be quite boring."

Shadow shook his head: "It won't just be a matter of waiting. This warship is equipped with a full-featured detection system, allowing us to conduct preliminary exploration of the surrounding star system. Although this star field is unmarked, it may conceal valuable resources or phenomena."

The proposal immediately piqued the interest of the three. As challengers to the virtual universe company, exploring the unknown had always been their passion.

“Let’s begin the exploration,” Rowan suggested. “We’re just killing time anyway.”

Ying nodded and activated the warship's deep space exploration system. A holographic projector unfolded in the center of the bridge, displaying a map of galaxies within a radius of tens of light-years.

"Preliminary scans indicate that there are seven star systems in this region," Ying explained the data. "Three of these systems appear to have Earth-like planets, which may be capable of supporting life."

Thor examined the hologram closely, then suddenly pointed to a star system in the lower right corner: "Wait, what's that? That planet looks strange."

The image was magnified. It was a medium-sized star system with a yellow dwarf star and eight planets. Thor was referring to the fourth planet, which had an odd bluish-purple hue and its surface was wreathed in countless lightning-like energy pulsations.

“Interesting,” Shadow said, pulling up detailed data about the planet. “The scan shows that the planet’s atmosphere contains a large number of charged particles, generating persistent electromagnetic storms. The entire planet’s surface is almost permanently covered by thunderstorms.”

Thor's eyes lit up instantly: "A permanent thunderstorm? This is practically a training ground tailor-made for me!"

Luo Wen and Hong exchanged a smile, both knowing that Thor had been searching for a suitable environment to cultivate his lightning energy. While the Virtual Universe Company's challenges provided various training scenarios, natural phenomena in the real world often contained more fundamental energy laws.

Ying continued analyzing the data: "The planet's atmosphere is breathable, its gravity is about 1.2 times that of Earth, and its surface temperature is moderate. Although the electromagnetic storms are intense, our protective equipment should allow for a safe landing and exploration."

“Then what are we waiting for?” Thor said eagerly. “We can go take a look! Three days is just enough time to explore this planet.”

Ying considered for a moment: "Theoretically, it's feasible. However, we need to be aware that an electromagnetic storm of that intensity could interfere with communications and some equipment. We need to be fully prepared."

Luo Wen looked at Hong: "What do you think?"

Hong smiled slightly: "I agree with exploring. Now that we've arrived in this unknown star field, it would be a shame not to take a good look at the surrounding scenery. Besides, Thor really needs this kind of environment to improve his abilities."

Now that the decision had been made, the four immediately began preparations. Ying retrieved four sets of advanced protective suits from the warship's equipment bay. These suits were not only capable of withstanding extreme environments, but also had built-in independent energy shields and life support systems.

“Put these on,” Shadow said, distributing the protective suits to the three. “They can withstand most forms of energy shocks, including lightning. However, just to be safe, we should still avoid the areas with the strongest thunderstorms.”

Thor took the protective suit, but hesitated. "However, if I want to absorb that lightning energy for cultivation, wearing this completely isolated suit might hinder my perception and absorption of the energy."

Ying pondered for a moment: "You're right. However, it's too dangerous to expose ourselves to an energy storm of that intensity without careful consideration. Perhaps we can find a compromise."

He returned to the equipment bay and, after a moment, retrieved a set of unusual equipment: "This is an energy conductor, which can be installed on the protective suit. It can selectively absorb external energy and then conduct it into the user's body in a controlled manner. This way, you can safely absorb external lightning energy without being directly exposed to danger." Thor took the conductor, examined it carefully, and nodded in satisfaction: "This looks good. Thank you, Shadow."

During the preparations, Rowan noticed that Shadow seemed to pay special attention to the core of the Heavenly Star King. He frequently checked the core's condition to ensure it was safely stored in a specially made container.

"How's the situation at the core?" Rowan walked up to Ying and asked in a low voice.

Shadow sighed softly, "It consumed a great deal of energy to fight Aster. Although the core itself was not damaged, it will take some time to recover to a fully active state."

"Will it still talk to me?" Rowan asked hesitantly. He hadn't heard the core's voice since that battle, which left him with a strange sense of loss.

Ying glanced at Luo Wen, a hint of curiosity in her eyes: "You can really hear its voice? That's an extremely rare ability. Usually, only those with a special connection to the Heavenly Star King, or those with exceptionally special talents, can do this."

Rowan shook his head: "I don't know why it chose to communicate with me. But from the first time I approached that stone box, I could vaguely hear its call."

Ying seemed thoughtful: "Perhaps the Heavenly Star King saw some potential in you. Ancient legends mention that King-level immortals possess 'the eye of the heart,' able to see potential and destiny that ordinary people cannot perceive."

"Do you know anything about the Heavenly Star King?" Rowan asked curiously.

Shadow nodded: "As an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, I've had access to some secret files about ancient immortal powerhouses. The Celestial Star King was a legendary figure from tens of thousands of years ago, renowned for his mastery of telepathy and the laws of the stars. He's said to be one of the very few powerful beings capable of communicating across galaxies at the level of consciousness."

"Then why did he die? I always thought that King-level Immortals were practically immortal," Rowan asked.

Shadow's gaze deepened: "Even the most powerful beings have their limits. It is said that the Celestial Star King perished in a war against a higher-level civilization. His physical body was destroyed, only his core was preserved by his loyal followers, and later, somehow, it fell into the hands of Aster."

The conversation was interrupted by the warship's AI voice: "Attention, approaching the target planet's orbit, please prepare for landing."

The four returned to the bridge and observed the approaching target planet through the main screen. As the distance decreased, the planet's surface became clearer. It was indeed a world covered by permanent thunderstorms, with countless blue-white lightning bolts flashing throughout the atmosphere, forming a spectacular network of electric light.

“Absolutely spectacular,” Thor exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’ve never seen such a dense display of lightning. Even in the training scenarios of the virtual universe, there haven’t been thunderstorms of this scale.”

Hong is analyzing detailed data about the planet: "The planet's atmosphere is mainly composed of nitrogen and oxygen, in a similar ratio to Earth, but with a higher concentration of inert gases. The surface gravity is 1.2G, and the day-night cycle is approximately 28 hours. Most interestingly, about 75% of the planet's surface is covered by oceans, while the remaining land is mainly concentrated in the northern hemisphere."

"Are there any signs of life?" Rowan asked.

Hong tapped the display screen: "Organic molecular scans show that there are numerous simple life forms on the planet, mainly microorganisms and some primitive aquatic organisms. There also appears to be plant life on land, but no higher animals have been detected."

Ying began formulating a landing plan: "Considering the intensity of the thunderstorms, we should choose a relatively calm area to land. Scans show a high-altitude region in the Northern Hemisphere where thunderstorm activity is relatively weak. That could serve as our base camp."

Thor asked eagerly, "How far is it from the strongest thunderstorm zone?"

The shadow pulled up a map: "The strongest thunderstorm area is located in the center of the Southern Hemisphere's oceans. The lightning intensity there is at least ten times that of a normal thunderstorm, making it extremely dangerous even with protective gear. However, there are some moderate-intensity thunderstorm areas near the plateau, enough for your initial training."

Preparations were quickly completed. After the warship entered planetary orbit, the four boarded a small landing craft. Shadow ensured that the core of the Celestial King was securely locked in the warship's safe compartment, protected by multiple layers of security.

“It’s safer to leave the core here for now,” Shadow explained. “We don’t know what unknown factors might exist on the planet’s surface, so it’s best not to take any risks. Also, I’ve set up an automatic defense system; the warship will immediately warn us if any ships approach.”

The four of them flew towards the planet's surface in a lander. As they passed through the upper atmosphere, Rowan could clearly see the flickering currents around them. Even through the lander's protective layer, he could feel the primal and violent energy.

Thor was completely absorbed in excitement, his eyes fixed on the lightning outside the window, his body trembling slightly, as if resonating with that energy. As a cultivator specializing in lightning energy, the planet's allure to him was self-evident.

As the altitude decreased, the details of the planet's surface became increasingly clear. The highlands of the Northern Hemisphere were indeed as the scan showed, relatively calm, with lightning still occurring, but less frequently and intensely than in other areas. The highlands were covered with a peculiar blue-green vegetation, which, from the air, resembled a undulating ocean.

"What kind of plant is that?" Rowan asked curiously.

Hong examined the data: "Preliminary analysis indicates that it's a special type of plant adapted to high-voltage environments. Their structure contains a large amount of conductive material, enabling them to safely conduct lightning energy. Interestingly, they appear to obtain energy by absorbing lightning energy rather than through photosynthesis."

The landing craft landed smoothly on a relatively flat area of ​​the plateau. The four people put on their protective suits, with Thor also equipped with an energy guide. The moment the hatch opened, a surge of air filled with ionized particles rushed in. Even through the protective suit's filtration system, Rowan could smell a peculiar metallic odor and the scent of ozone.

They stepped onto the surface of this lightning-infused planet. The soil beneath their feet was a dark blue color, hard yet resilient, and walking on it gave them a peculiar feeling, as if each step caused tiny electric currents to flow through them.

The surrounding plants were even more peculiar. Upon closer inspection, those blue-green plants resembled some kind of creature somewhere between a fern and a cactus, their surfaces covered with countless tiny, metallic-looking hairs, which occasionally emitted tiny sparks of electricity from their tips.

“It’s amazing,” Hong bent down and carefully scanned a plant with his portable analyzer. “These plants have evolved a mechanism that perfectly adapts to high-voltage environments. They are actually ‘eating’ lightning, converting electrical energy into chemical energy and storing it in special cells.”

(End of this chapter)