Upon exiting the Star Palace, Lu Yang once again encountered the Star Lord, Fu Chen. The moment Fu Chen saw him, he hurried over, a fawning smile plastered on his face.
"My Lord, please, this way."
"Your request has been granted by Exalted One Hao Yuan. I will take you to the mother star now. Our most cutting-edge artifact and formation research facilities are located there."
"Thank you for the trouble," Lu Yang nodded slightly.
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."
Fu Chen hurriedly waved his hands, looking somewhat overwhelmed by the favor. After all, in his eyes, this Unorthodox "Lord" was clearly on the same level as the Exalted Ones.
Being treated so politely was a massive dose of face for him.
Thinking of this, Fu Chen became even more attentive. He didn't feel stifled at all; after all, as Star Lords, they were essentially servants anyway. They were long used to it.
The only reason they had acted so arrogantly earlier was because they thought Lu Yang was just an Unorthodox native they could freely bully, so they threw their weight around a bit. If it had been a "Lord" from the Immortal Nexus who showed up, let alone putting on airs, they wouldn't have even dared to squeak.
The mother star Fu Chen mentioned was located directly beneath the palace where the stone statues resided.
With the mother star at its center, the four great constellations of the East, South, West, and North, along with the twenty-eight star charts, unfurled to jointly construct this super world realm as vast as a universe.
Fu Chen led Lu Yang into a steel construct suspended in the void. Its exterior resembled a space station, surrounded by a ring of radiant light.
"This is the Radiant Nebula Belt."
Fu Chen explained, "In the void region centered around the mother star, we've deployed roughly 1.29 billion similar artifact-formation constructs to form it."
"With the barrier of the Radiamt Nebula Belt, void traversal is completely prohibited for anyone below the stature of a Star Lord. Any void traversal at the Star Lord level will be immediately detected. At the same time, these constructs monitor the mother star day and night without rest, contributing massively to its 100% safety index."
Having said that, Fu Chen formed a hand seal.
Soon, the ring of light surrounding the steel construct began to expand. One side faced the two of them, while the other side aimed toward the mother star.
A spatial gate was thus established.
On one side of the ring of light stood Lu Yang, amidst the void and the sea of stars. On the other side was a highly developed, near-futuristic city, with countless skyscrapers towering into the sky.
Quite flashy.
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow. Although the spatial gate looked incredibly high-end set against the backdrop of the sea of stars, it was essentially just an ordinary teleportation formation.
"Traveling to the mother star via the Stargate is the safest method."
"After all, in the void region between the Radiant Nebula Belt and the mother star, we've buried a massive number of counter-attack artifact-formations, turning it into a forbidden zone for life."
"If one doesn't use the Stargate and tries to force their way to the mother star, they must cross this void region. The result is inevitably plunging into an ocean of counter-attack formations. According to the assessments of the Grandmasters on the mother star, even an early-stage Golden Core Perfected Lord from the Immortal Nexus would likely be blasted into ash."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Fu Chen's words immediately piqued Lu Yang's interest. Divine light bloomed in his eyes as he subconsciously observed the area, quickly arriving at his own conclusion.
He's not lying!
At the very least, if Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde fell into this void region, he might actually be beaten to death by the endless barrage of artifact-formations.
But that's the limit.
Let alone the mid-stage of Golden Core, any slightly stronger early-stage Golden Core cultivator who has refined a True Treasure or two could at least escape.
At this thought, Lu Yang's brow gradually furrowed. It was undeniable that the Star Palace's artifact-formation technology was highly advanced, but currently, it seemed capped at the early stage of Core Formation. They couldn't even handle a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator from the Immortal Nexus. This made him doubt the true value of the Star Palace's technology.
These Star Lords are one thing.
But what about those stone statues in the palace? They are also practitioners of the Spiritual Power Dao, Ancient Method Perfected Lords. Are they really on the same level as these Star Lords?
If that were true...
Then Lu Yang would have to re-evaluate the combat power of Spiritual Power Dao Perfected Lords. After all, if they weren't strong enough, the Star Palace might not have the capability to back him up.
Stepping through the Stargate.
Soon, Lu Yang arrived in a city on the mother star. What met his eyes was a mountain-like expanse of steel architecture, heavily stylized with an industrial aesthetic.
Massive, symmetrical, interwoven with grays and blacks.
The moment he stepped out of the Stargate, a large group of Star Palace cultivators, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward. They bowed solemnly to Lu Yang and said:
"Greetings to the two Fellow Daoists."
Hearing this, Lu Yang immediately raised an eyebrow.
Seeing his reaction, Fu Chen quickly sent a telepathic transmission. "Apologies, My Lord. This is the custom among the artifact-formation masters of the mother star. They believe the Great Dao has no hierarchy of age or entry, so all cultivators are 'Fellow Daoists'."
"For the sake of developing artifact-formations, the Exalted Ones indulge them. Please don't be angry with them, My Lord. Ultimately, they are just a bunch of servants. Give them a little illusion of freedom, and they'll wag their tails on their own. Over in the Immortal Nexus, they wouldn't even be considered human..."
Lu Yang's expression turned peculiar.
In all fairness, he really wasn't bothered by a bunch of Qi Refining cultivators daring to call him "Fellow Daoist." He was simply curious and surprised.
I see.
The Star Palace... looks like a cosmic civilization that ascended through technology, but at its core, it's still the same old system I'm familiar with, just wearing a prettier skin.
Through his conversation with Fu Chen, Lu Yang quickly grasped the general structure of the Star Palace's mother star—or rather, the Myriad Land World Realm and its various stars under the Star Palace's rule.
According to Fu Chen's description, the cities on the stars were generally divided into "Residential Zones" and "Research Zones." The daily life of mortals in the Residential Zones consisted of working in the major sweatshops throughout the city, producing various artifact-formation modules twenty-four hours a day, without rest, until they died.
The "Research Zones" were somewhat more lenient.
First, only cultivators could enter the "Research Zone." Then, they were directly assigned projects based on their innate comprehension and attainment in artifact-formations.
Every cultivator had a project quota. Only by fulfilling the quota could they receive cultivation rewards. Exceptional researchers could even earn the opportunity to attempt Foundation Establishment.
In other words, for Star Palace cultivators originating as researchers, the higher their cultivation, the higher their attainment in artifact-formations.
And as everyone knew, eighty percent of a Star Palace cultivator's combat power relied on artifact-formations.
Therefore, the several Artifact-Formation Grandmasters in the mother star's "Research Zone" were, without exception, all Star Lords. They were also the strongest fighters among the Star Palace's Star Lords.
"Fellow Daoist, please, this way."
Just then, one of the researchers in charge of reception spoke in a low voice, "The Mentor is very interested in the Dharma Body you displayed and wishes to speak with you face-to-face."
"The Mentor is a Star Lord Researcher on the mother star," Fu Chen chimed in at the right moment. "She governs the Vermilion Bird Constellation, the supreme star chart of our Star Palace, and is the most authoritative researcher among the Star Lords."
"Crucially, she is exceptional at teaching disciples."
"The title 'Mentor' stems from this fact. Roughly sixty percent of the researchers in the entire mother star's Research Zone are her students."
"If you wish to learn about the Dao of Artifact-Formations, My Lord, conversing with her is undoubtedly the most suitable choice."
"...I understand," Lu Yang nodded slightly. "Then lead the way."
…0
"Absorbed a fragment of the Dharma Body Dao?"
On the mother star, at the core of a certain steel construct, a tall, elegant silhouette wearing a white lab coat was scrutinizing a report in her hand, her delicate eyebrows furrowed.
"Impossible. He's lying."
"According to the models I've built, the severing of the Dharma Body Dao was extremely clean. It's absolutely impossible for any fragments to have been left scattered outside. That much is beyond doubt."
On the glowing screen beside her, Exalted One Hao Yuan's divine sense fluctuated slightly.
"That is exactly why we need you to verify it."
"If he truly is lying to us... then how did he manage to cultivate such a powerful Dharma Body? We need you to uncover the underlying cause."
"I understand."
The tall, elegant silhouette smiled confidently. "Leave it to me. I guarantee I'll figure it out. Honestly, handing this person over to me was a very wise decision."
"Naturally."
Exalted One Hao Yuan nodded. "After all, you are the eldest disciple of that Myriad Treasures Peak Master from the Primordial Saint Sect... We certainly wouldn't question your capabilities."