Activate the gate

When the first Essence Devouring Jellyfish tentacle slapped against the shield, a blue-violet luminescence instantly lit up, and the halo on the defensive shield fluctuated violently.

The cultivators inside the deep sea spiritual energy warship turned a few shades paler—they could feel their spiritual energy being slowly absorbed by the tentacles.

"Origin Energy Cannon charging!" White Night's Law Spiritual Lake rapidly circulated, and the origin golden core released a pale golden energy, injecting it into the cannon barrel at the bow of the ship. "Aim for the densest area of the jellyfish swarm!"

"Charging complete! Fire!"

A pale three-colored energy beam shot towards the jellyfish swarm like a sharp sword. Wherever the beam passed, the transparent bodies of the Essence Devouring Jellyfish turned into dust.

A huge void exploded in the dark green seawater, but it was quickly filled by the surrounding jellyfish—these jellyfish seemed endless, rushing towards the spiritual energy warship one after another.

"This won't do!" The Mechanical Emperor looked at the rapidly decreasing energy readings. "The defensive shield's energy can only last for three hours at most!"

White Night's gaze swept across the sea chart, then suddenly pointed to a location marked "Vortex Zone": "The currents there are chaotic, so the jellyfish swarm should have difficulty gathering. We can break through there!"

"But there are spatial turbulences in the Vortex Zone; the warship might be torn apart!" The navigator's voice carried hesitation.

"Trust the origin energy!" White Night's voice was decisive. The origin golden core vibrated violently in his Dantian, and the pale three-colored energy spread along the warship's conduction system, resonating with the spiritual energy thrusters. "Mechanical team, inject origin energy into the thrusters. We will use the power of the vortex to rush through!"

"Understood!" The Mechanical Emperor no longer hesitated and pressed the energy conversion button.

The spiritual energy thrusters at the stern of the deep sea spiritual energy warship erupted with dazzling light. The pale three-colored energy streams, like two rocket exhaust flames, propelled the deep sea spiritual energy warship rapidly towards the Vortex Zone.

The moment the warship plunged into the Vortex Zone, the entire world seemed to be twisted into a pretzel.

The dark green seawater stood upright like walls, slamming against the defensive shield with tearing force, emitting deafening roars.

The crew members in the bridge were thrown around by the violent turbulence, the data stream on the monitoring screens became completely chaotic, and the red alarm lights flickered wildly like desperate heartbeats.

"The spatial turbulence is tearing the defensive shield!" The Mechanical Race engineer's roar was drowned out by the metallic grinding noise. "The energy conduit on the port side is broken!"

White Night's figure flickered within the bridge. Origin energy surged from his fingertips, transforming into pale golden tape, forcibly mending the broken conduit. His gaze pierced through the porthole, seeing transparent folds in the space at the center of the vortex. Energy similar to that of the boundary gate flowed within these folds—this proved that the Star Lord's records were correct; the Vortex Zone indeed had some connection to the boundary gate.

"Everyone grab onto something fixed!" White Night's voice carried spiritual energy pressure, forcefully overriding the warship's roar. "We are about to pass through the center of the turbulence!"

The Wind Howling Silver Wolf crouched beside the energy core, its wolf body erupting with a silver halo. It injected its own origin spiritual energy into the warship's defense system. The halos torn by the spatial turbulence healed at a visible speed, and silver wolf patterns appeared on the surface of the pale three-colored protective shield, forming a tougher "Wolf-shaped Defense Array."

"Now!" When the warship was swept to its highest point by the vortex, White Night ordered again, "Origin Energy Cannon, aim for the densest area of spatial folds!"

This time, he did not condense the energy into a beam but allowed the pale three-colored energy to spin at high speed within the cannon barrel, forming a miniature Balance Array vortex. The moment the vortex collided with the spatial folds, a miraculous scene occurred—

The tearing force of the turbulence and the fusion force of the origin energy canceled each other out. The spatial folds opened like drawn curtains, revealing a gap just wide enough for the warship to pass through. The spiritual energy warship shot through the gap like an arrow released from a bow. The surrounding seawater and turbulence instantly vanished, replaced by a calm, deep blue body of water.

The bridge was silent, then erupted in cheers of relief. The monitoring screens showed that the number of surrounding Essence Devouring Jellyfish had plummeted to single digits, and the intensity of the spatial turbulence had decreased by ninety percent. Clearly, the natural barrier of the Vortex Zone had successfully blocked most of the threats.

"We... we succeeded!" The navigator looked at their position on the sea chart, his voice trembling with excitement. "At this speed, we'll reach the boundary gate marker in another half-day!"

White Night sighed in relief, fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Forcibly mending the energy conduit had consumed nearly thirty percent of his origin golden core's energy, and he now needed time to recover. Liu Ruyan handed him an Origin Pill: "Take it quickly. The journey ahead will likely not be easy."

The pill melted upon entry, and a warm energy flow surged down his throat into his Dantian. The origin golden core's light once again became full. White Night looked out the porthole. In the deep blue seawater, faintly glowing corals and swimming fish could be seen. These creatures all carried faint origin energy fluctuations, clearly having been influenced by the boundary gate for a long time and adapted to this energy environment.

"These marine creatures..." The Mechanical Emperor brought up the scan data. "Their gene sequences contain fragments of Multiverse laws, as if... as if they've been modified by the boundary gate's energy!"

This discovery invigorated everyone. Genetic changes in organisms require a long time, indicating that the boundary gate had existed in the Endless Sea for far longer than imagined, possibly even before the Immortal Law Alliance.

Half a day later, the deep sea spiritual energy warship arrived at the boundary gate location marked on the sea chart. But the sight before them caused everyone's spirits to sink—

There was no magnificent boundary gate structure at the bottom of the sea, only scattered ruins. Countless huge black stone pillars were obliquely embedded in the sea sand, their surfaces carved with vortex runes similar to the Balance Array, but already blurred by seawater erosion. In the center of the ruins, a spatial rift with a diameter of a hundred meters was slowly closing. The energy flowing within the rift was of the same origin as the light emitted by the Star Lord's crystal, yet it was as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.

"The boundary gate... is destroyed." Liu Ruyan's voice carried disappointment as she caressed a rune on a stone pillar. "It looks like it was forcibly destroyed. Perhaps the Immortal Law Alliance deliberately blew up the boundary gate to prevent the primal essence black qi from spreading."

White Night's origin golden core suddenly throbbed violently. He could feel something buried deep within the ruins, emitting a strong attraction. He signaled the Mechanical Race to activate the "Deep Scan Instrument," and the screen quickly displayed astonishing results—

Fifty meters below the ruins, there was a huge metal structure. At the core of the structure was a basketball-sized purple crystal. The energy intensity contained within the crystal far exceeded that of the Balance Array; it was the boundary gate's energy core!

"The boundary gate's core is still there!" Hope flashed in White Night's eyes. "Only the outer structure was destroyed. As long as we can activate the core, we can rebuild the boundary gate!"

Just then, the calm seawater suddenly surged violently. A colossal creature, far larger than an ordinary Essence Devouring Jellyfish, rose from the seabed. Its bell had a diameter of a hundred meters, and the tentacles hanging from its edges resembled black giant pythons. Each tentacle was entwined with blue-violet lightning; it was the legendary Jellyfish King!

In the center of the Jellyfish King was embedded a murky black crystal. The energy flowing within the crystal was of the same origin as the primal essence black qi, yet it carried the pressure of a Golden Core Stage cultivator. It clearly regarded the spiritual energy warship as an intruder, and countless tentacles, carrying space-tearing power, lashed out towards the warship.

"Full power to the defensive shield!" White Night's voice rang out again. This time, there was no fear in his tone, only unprecedented resolve. "Origin Energy Cannon, charge to maximum, target the black crystal in the center of the Jellyfish King!"

The pale three-colored protective shield of the deep sea spiritual energy warship rapidly expanded, colliding with the Jellyfish King's tentacles. This time, the defensive shield did not fluctuate violently; instead, it absorbed the blue-violet lightning from the tentacles like a sponge, converting it into nourishment for the origin energy—after the baptism of the Vortex Zone, the origin energy's resistance to Essence Devouring characteristics had risen another level.

"Now!" When all of the Jellyfish King's tentacles were fully extended, revealing the central black crystal, White Night gave the attack command.

The pale three-colored energy beam, like a pillar of light connecting heaven and earth, accurately struck the black crystal. A crack appeared in the crystal under the impact of the beam, and murky energy gushed out along the crack. The Jellyfish King let out a silent roar, and its giant bell began to contract violently.

"It's absorbing the surrounding primal essence black qi!" The Mechanical Emperor's voice was anxious. The screen showed that the black energy in the surrounding sea area was converging towards the Jellyfish King at an alarming speed. "If this continues, it will become even stronger!"

White Night's gaze fell on the stone pillars of the ruins, and he suddenly had an idea: "Fellow Daoist Liu, lead the cultivator team to activate the runes on the stone pillars with spiritual energy! Those runes are the boundary gate's energy guiding array. If we can activate them, we can cut off the Jellyfish King's energy source!"

"Understood!" Liu Ruyan immediately led fifty cultivators out of the warship. They stepped on water bridges condensed from origin energy, shuttling between the swaying tentacles, injecting spiritual energy into each stone pillar.

Green spiritual energy flowed along the runes, and the dormant guiding array slowly awakened. The vortex runes on the black stone pillars lit up, forming a huge energy ring that isolated the Jellyfish King from the surrounding sea area. The flow of primal essence black qi was completely blocked, and the light from the black crystal in the center of the Jellyfish King instantly dimmed.

"Now!" White Night seized the opportunity, injecting all the energy from his origin golden core into the Origin Energy Cannon. "Ultimate Strike!"

The pale three-colored beam erupted again. This time, the green energy from the stone pillar guiding array was incorporated into the beam, forming a dual-colored light pillar. The light pillar pierced through the Jellyfish King's bell, completely shattering the black crystal.

"Oww—!" The Jellyfish King let out a mournful shriek, its massive body convulsing in the seawater, finally transforming into countless transparent fragments that merged into the deep blue seawater. The pure energy contained within these fragments was absorbed by the guiding array of the Boundary Gate Ruins, becoming nourishment for activating the core.

When the last fragment dissipated, the spatial rift at the bottom of the sea stopped closing, and the energy flowing within the rift became stable. The metal structure beneath the ruins began to vibrate, and the black stone pillars slowly straightened, reconnecting to form the framework of the boundary gate under the energy ring.

"We succeeded..." Liu Ruyan looked at the scene before her, too excited to speak. The cultivators slumped beside the stone pillars, soaked in seawater, yet unable to hide the smiles on their faces.

White Night walked to the edge of the rift, feeling the energy flowing within it. This energy was older and purer than the origin energy of the Balance Array, and it was precisely the "metabolic channel" he was looking for — the boundary gate not only connected to the outer realm civilization where the Star Lord resided, but also served as an "energy waste bin" capable of accommodating the primal essence black qi.

"Mechanical Race, prepare the energy pipelines!" White Night's voice echoed throughout the warship. "We need to connect the Balance Array to the boundary gate core to establish a permanent origin energy metabolic system!"

The engineers of the Mechanical Race immediately sprang into action, extending the energy pipelines from the spiritual energy warship down to the ruins, connecting them to the purple crystals within the metal structure. The moment the pipelines connected, the origin energy of the Balance Array flowed into the boundary gate core, the purple crystals erupted with dazzling light, and the spatial rift completely stabilized, forming a stable passage to an unknown domain.

[Successfully activated boundary gate core, established origin energy metabolic system, Balance Array entropy increase problem resolved]

[Unlocked "Dual Realm Energy Cycle": Origin energy can discharge metabolic waste through the boundary gate, achieving permanent stable operation]

[White Night's origin golden core absorbed boundary gate energy, evolving into a "boundary gate Golden Core," gaining the ability "boundary gate Shuttle" (can freely travel between the known universe and the unknown domain connected by the boundary gate)]

Standing before the reactivated boundary gate, White Night was filled with emotion. From his initial rise to prominence in the Qingling Secret Realm, to the difficult operation of the Balance Array, and then to the life-and-death struggles in the Endless Sea, the path of integration for the Dual Realm Civilization had been fraught with thorns, yet it had yielded unprecedented results.

Wind Howling Silver Wolf walked to his side, its wolf eyes reflecting the scene on the other side of the boundary gate passage — a brilliant nebula, within which floated countless warships similar to those of the Mechanical Race starships, clearly belonging to the outer realm civilization where the Star Lord resided.

"We did it," White Night said softly, his tone filled with relief and anticipation.

Liu Ruyan and the Mechanical Emperor walked up behind him, and the three exchanged a smile.

They knew that the activation of the boundary gate was not the end, but a new beginning.

The encounter between the Dual Realm Civilization and the outer realm civilization, the fusion of origin energy with a broader universe, would soon write an even grander chapter.

The searchlights of the deep sea spiritual energy warship illuminated the Boundary Gate Ruins on the seabed, and the pale three-colored origin energy flowed between the stone pillars and pipelines, like a bond connecting the past and the future.

White Night's immortal path legend, in the deep blue of the Endless Sea, in the light of the boundary gate, was embarking on a new exploration towards a more distant universe.

On the seventh day after the boundary gate's activation, the crew members of the deep sea spiritual energy warship completed the final debugging of the metabolic system.

Thirty energy pipelines, like silver giant dragons, firmly connected the Balance Array to the boundary gate core. The pale three-colored origin energy circulated within the pipelines, and each cycle discharged the black sediments through the boundary gate into the unknown domain, keeping the entire system perfectly clean.

"According to monitoring data, the metabolic efficiency has reached 120% of the expected value," the Mechanical Emperor reported to White Night. On the holographic screen, the curve representing the black sediments showed a cliff-like drop. "The stability of the boundary gate passage also exceeded expectations; it can even allow small starships to pass through."

White Night nodded, his gaze fixed on the nebula at the other end of the boundary gate passage: "We need to send people to explore that outer realm civilization and find out if they possess more knowledge about origin energy."

"I'll go!" A young Mechanical Race engineer volunteered. He was the spiritual energy warship's navigator, proficient in spatial coordinate calculations. "My 'Pathfinder' small ship has been modified with origin energy and can safely navigate unknown domains."

Liu Ruyan also recommended a disciple from Luoxia Peak: "Junior Sister Yun Xi is skilled at drawing star maps, and her spiritual power has reached the late Foundation Establishment Stage, allowing her to withstand the pressure of spatial traversal."

White Night looked at the two eager young people, recalling his own appearance when he first arrived in the Xuantian Immortal Domain, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes: "Very good. Remember, we are going with the purpose of peace and exchange, not conquest. If you encounter danger, return immediately; do not take risks."

The Pathfinder small ship slowly entered the boundary gate passage, becoming a speck of light against the backdrop of the nebula. Everyone on the deep sea spiritual energy warship watched them disappear into the unknown domain through remote monitoring, their hearts filled with anticipation and apprehension.

During the days of waiting, White Night was not idle.

He discovered that the runes on the stone pillars of the Boundary Gate Ruins could not only guide energy but also record information — these runes were like storage media, containing the final images from before the Immortal Law Alliance destroyed the boundary gate.

With Liu Ruyan's help, he activated the rune's recording function using origin energy.

Countless light and shadows intertwined above the ruins, forming a blurry image:

Members of the Immortal Law Alliance were busy in front of the boundary gate, while the Star Lord and Immortal Venerable stood beside the core, conversing with solemn expressions.

The Star Lord held an object similar to the black crystal of the Jellyfish King, while the Immortal Venerable was drawing a diagram of the Balance Array.

Suddenly, the image shook violently, and countless black figures surged out of the boundary gate, engaging in battle with the Alliance members. To protect the Immortal Venerable, the Star Lord threw the black object into the boundary gate, then detonated the outer structure of the boundary gate... "Those black figures... are outer realm creatures contaminated by primal essence black qi!" The Mechanical Emperor's voice was filled with shock. "The Immortal Law Alliance destroyed the boundary gate not to prevent the spread of black qi, but to stop these creatures from invading!"

This discovery sent shivers down everyone's spines. If the black creatures from the image once again poured through the boundary gate, the current strength of the Xuantian Immortal Domain and the Multiverse would likely be unable to resist them.

"We must strengthen the boundary gate's defenses!" White-Bearded Elder, upon receiving the news via a communication talisman, immediately made arrangements. "The Law Enforcement Hall will dispatch Golden Core Stage elders to guard the Endless Sea, and all sects in the Xuantian Immortal Domain will also mobilize disciples to form the 'boundary gate Guard'!"

The Mechanical Race also proposed a technical solution: "We can deploy 'energy landmines' around the boundary gate. These landmines are driven by origin energy and only react to creatures imbued with primal essence black qi, causing no harm to ordinary life forms."

White Night, however, had deeper concerns: "The Pathfinder... will they encounter those black creatures?"

His concerns soon became reality. Three days later, remote monitoring suddenly cut out, and the Pathfinder's signal completely vanished. The energy fluctuations in the boundary gate passage also became chaotic, and black shadows could vaguely be seen flashing against the backdrop of the nebula.

"This is bad!" White Night's heart sank. "They've encountered danger!"

"Full thrust! We're going in to support them!" The Mechanical Emperor immediately started the spiritual energy warship's engines, and the pale three-colored thruster light pierced through the seawater. "Even if it's a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, we cannot abandon our own people!"

The moment the deep sea spiritual energy warship burst into the boundary gate passage, everyone felt an intense sense of crisis.

The space within the passage was no longer stable, and countless black tentacles stretched out from the cracks in the nebula. These tentacles were similar to those of the Soul Devouring Jellyfish, but possessed a stronger devouring capability, rapidly dimming even the origin energy shield.

"They're Essence Devouring Creatures!" Liu Ruyan recognized the black figures from the image. "They're still here, just as we thought!"

White Night's boundary gate Golden Core spun rapidly, releasing a pale three-colored energy stream, carving a path in front of the spiritual energy warship: "Target the last known coordinates of the Pathfinder! Speed up!"

The spiritual energy warship traversed the vortex of the nebula, constantly being struck by Essence Devouring Creatures, producing dull thuds against the shield.

On the monitoring screen, the number of black creatures grew, their forms varied: some resembled jellyfish, others octopuses, and still others twisted vines, but all shared a common trait — they contained dense primal essence black qi.

"Found them!" the navigator suddenly shouted. The screen displayed the Pathfinder's distress signal. "They're trapped behind an asteroid, surrounded by hundreds of Essence Devouring Creatures!"

The deep sea spiritual energy warship rushed to the vicinity of the asteroid at full speed, continuously firing origin energy cannons, blasting a gap in the attacking Essence Devouring Creatures.

The Pathfinder seized the opportunity to break out of the encirclement and rendezvous with the spiritual energy warship.

"Quick! Close the boundary gate!" Junior Sister Yun Xi rushed into the spiritual energy warship, her face streaked with tears. "Those creatures... those creatures can evolve by devouring energy! Our Pathfinder's energy is almost sucked dry!"

The navigator added: "Their hive is at the center of the nebula, where there's a huge black planet from which all Essence Devouring Creatures are born!"

White Night looked at the swarming Essence Devouring Creatures, then at the ominous black planet at the center of the nebula, and made a difficult decision: "Mechanical Race, prepare to destroy the boundary gate passage! We cannot let them enter the Xuantian Immortal Domain!"

"But... the Pathfinder hasn't..." Someone tried to object.

"We have already rescued Yun Xi and the navigator; the Pathfinder can be abandoned." White Night's voice was firm and unyielding. "Where there's life, there's hope. As long as we are here, we will one day be able to completely resolve these Essence Devouring Creatures!"

The Mechanical Emperor, with a heavy heart, pressed the detonation button. The energy landmines placed in the Boundary Gate Ruins simultaneously exploded, and the pale three-colored energy flow collided with the black Essence Devouring Creatures, forming a massive energy wall.

The deep sea spiritual energy warship, dragging the Pathfinder's wreckage, rushed out of the boundary gate passage before the energy wall closed, returning to the safe zone of the Endless Sea.

The boundary gate passage completely closed behind them. In the deep blue seawater, only the re-silenced ruins and swaying energy pipelines remained.

Everyone on the deep sea spiritual energy warship looked at the disappearing nebula image on the screen, their hearts filled with complex emotions — relief at surviving a disaster, and regret at not being able to fully explore.

"Will we... open the boundary gate again?" Liu Ruyan asked softly.

White Night gazed at the closed spatial rift, a flicker of determination in his eyes: "Yes. But not now."

He knew that the current Dual Realm Civilization did not yet possess enough strength to contend with the threat of the Essence Devouring Creatures...