340: Ten Minutes of Various People

A silent firework show was playing out across the sky of the Tianyuan Realm.

Those crisscrossing spirit net light filaments, like being cut one by one by an invisible hand, fell from the sky and dissipated. The originally oppressive pale blue spiritual light quickly dimmed, revealing the long-lost, clear starry sky. For most Cultivators, this was the first time in their lives seeing a night sky not distorted by the spirit net filter—the stars were actually so many and so bright.

But no one had the mind to admire the stars.

Because a more spectacular scene was playing out on the ground.

In the Qingyun Mountains, on the shores of the East Sea, in the West Barren Gobi, in the Southern Border Rainforest... countless silver-white pillars of light descended from the Void Realm. After the pillars hit the ground, they expanded into circular portals ten meters in diameter. Rippling light like water waves shimmered inside the gates, and one could vaguely see the scene on the other side: a vast silver hall, brightly lit, with people in uniform waving.

The broadcast of the "hope" was transmitted synchronously through the portal, using a simple and crude announcement personally recorded by Wen Youyi:

"This is the 'Spark' civilization ark 'hope'. Creation Heavenly Court's harvesting System has been destroyed. The triple shackles of the spirit net, Heart Demon, and Heavenly Mandate are about to completely disappear. We provide evacuation services to a new home in the stars. Portal opening time: ten minutes. It will not wait. Repeat, only ten minutes."

The announcement echoed over and over, like a giant stone smashed into a calm pond.

Qingyun Sect, Main Peak Square.

Sect Head Immortal Master Qingxu led a group of Elders, looking solemnly at the portal that suddenly appeared in the center of the square. They could feel the invisible shackles on their bodies indeed weakening—the cultivation Bottleneck that had been stagnant for many years loosened, the inexplicable anxiety and irritability in their hearts calmed down, and even the heavenly secrets became clear.

"Sect Head, this..." The Discipline Hall Elder's voice trembled, "The spirit net is really... gone?"

Immortal Master Qingxu did not answer. He closed his eyes to feel for a moment and sighed deeply: "Three thousand years of shackles, today someone actually managed to break them. Wen Youyi... that Outer Sect Disciple from back then, actually did it."

"Then what should we do?" an Elder asked urgently, "Is this portal real or fake? Could it be a trap?"

"Is it a trap? Does it matter?" Immortal Master Qingxu opened his eyes, a flash of determination in them, "If we stay, the Creation Heavenly Court will not let it go, and the Tianyuan Realm will surely face a purge. Instead of waiting for death, why not take a gamble—at least Wen Youyi walked out from here."

He turned to face the thousands of Disciples gathering, his voice spreading across the entire square:

"All Qingyun Sect Disciples hear my command! Those willing to leave, enter the portal immediately. Those unwilling to leave, the Sect will not keep you—disperse on your own, hide your identities, and take care of yourselves!"

Having said that, he was the first to walk toward the portal. Just before stepping into the halo, the old man who had governed the Qingyun Sect for hundreds of years looked back at his familiar Sect. A trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but it immediately turned into determination as he stepped in.

With the Sect Head leading, the Disciples immediately became restless. Most young Disciples excitedly rushed toward the portal—they had long been fed up with the exploitation of the spirit net and the infighting of the Sect. Some older, conservative Cultivators were hesitant, and some even turned away, deciding to find a place to hide.

In the crowd, a thin and small Outer Sect Disciple suddenly wailed: "Senior Brother Wen... Senior Brother Wen really came back to save us! Brothers of the Cooperative, we are saved!"

He was a member of the "Anti-Involution Cooperative" established by Wen Youyi back then. Over the years, he had secretly persisted in the philosophy left by Wen Youyi, struggling to survive in the cracks of the spirit net. At this moment, crying and laughing, he pulled a few equally excited companions and rushed into the portal.

Similar scenes were playing out everywhere in the Tianyuan Realm.

East Sea Loose Cultivator Alliance, a group of habitually free Loose Cultivators surrounded a portal, arguing until they were red in the face.

"Who knows what's behind the door? What if it's another trap?" a one-eyed old man leaning on a cane snorted coldly.

"Stay here and wait for death?" a young female Cultivator sneered, "The spirit net is gone, and the Creation Heavenly Court will surely send 'Scavengers' to purge us. I don't want to become a 'depletion figure' in their reports."

"I'm going!" a middle-aged Cultivator gritted his teeth, "My son was marked by the Heavenly Mandate System back then. I saw him being taken away by the 'Ascension Golden Light' with my own eyes, and he never came back. I want to go out, I want to become stronger, and one day I will charge into the Creation Heavenly Court to demand justice for my son!"

He was the first to step into the portal. One after another, more Loose Cultivators followed.

West Barren, a Mortal village.

The Mortals here didn't even know of the spirit net's existence; they just suddenly saw a glowing "immortal gate" appear at the village entrance, with a gentle voice coming from inside: "Everyone, those who want to leave this world, please enter. There is food, there is lodging, and there is no oppression."

The villagers looked at each other. A bold young boy suddenly broke free from his mother's hand and rushed toward the portal: "I want to go! I want to become an immortal!"

"Goudan! Come back!" The mother stamped her feet in anxiety, but seeing her son had already disappeared into the halo, she gritted her teeth and followed: "Wait for your mother!"

One family, two families, the whole village brought their families along, surging toward the portal like refugees. To them, this world was already difficult; if they changed places, how much worse could it be?

Southern Border, the outskirts of the Thousand Monster Valley.

Hundreds of Yao Race members had already gathered near the portal here, in various forms: some half-human half-snake, some with wings on their backs, and some in pure beast form. They stared warily at the portal, communicating in low growls.

"Can things made by the Human Race be trusted?" a black bear spirit said in a muffled voice.

"But the spirit net is indeed gone," a fox demon flicked her tail, "the demon power in my body is running much smoother, and those inexplicable 'Karmic Obstructions' from before have also subsided. This cannot be faked."

"The Great King is here!" a small demon shouted.

The Yao Race parted to make a way, and a burly tiger-headed man walked over—it was the current Demon King of the Thousand Monster Valley, Mountain Roar Lord. He looked at the portal, then up at the collapsing spirit net, and suddenly laughed loudly:

"Good! Well done, Wen Youyi! When he passed through the Southern Border back then, I thought this kid was too arrogant. I didn't expect him to actually pull it off!"

He turned and roared at the demons: "My boys! We of the Yao Race have been suppressed by the spirit net for thirty thousand years, and how many ancestors died with their demon power drained! Today the shackles are broken, but the Creation Heavenly Court will not let us go! Stay here and wait to be wiped out, or follow me to kill our way out and carve out a new world in the stars?"

"Kill our way out! Kill our way out!" the demons roared in unison.

Mountain Roar Lord waved his hand: "Then let's go! Not one left behind!"

A torrent of Yao Race surged toward the portal; the scene was quite spectacular.

Countdown: Seven minutes.

On the bridge of the "hope", Wen Youyi had returned and was staring at the numbers jumping on the main screen—it was the count of people entering the ark through the portals.

"Current number of entrants: 34,271... the number is still rapidly increasing." Wang Wu's voice came from the communication channel; he was responsible for receiving and settling the newcomers inside the ark. "The ecological dome area has been activated, and the first batch of Mortals is being assigned temporary housing. Cultivators are being guided to the 'Energy Adaptation Zone' to prevent their power from going out of control after suddenly gaining freedom."

Wen Youyi nodded and looked at another screen—it was the status of the other teams.

Senior Brother Zhang, Wang Wu, and Mu Wanqing had safely returned, and their shuttles were flying in from the direction of the Di Yuan Realm. In the communication screen, Wang Wu had a bandage on his arm, but his spirits were good: "Things are a mess over in the Di Yuan Realm. Demonic Path Cultivators are fighting tooth and nail for portal spots—but we took the opportunity to scoop up quite a few technical talents. A few old Devil Heads are very interested in the starship engines and said they want to study them."

Mu Wanqing added: "I also brought back a batch of 'Nether Grass' unique to the Di Yuan Realm, which has miraculous effects on healing Soul injuries. By the way, the wounded are all settled, and there's no life-threatening danger."

News also arrived from the third squad. The shuttle carrying Yun Zhi, Old K, and Xiao Li was crossing the atmosphere of the Xuanhuang Realm. Yun Zhi's voice sounded somewhat weary but carried a hint of a smile: 'The Yao Race of the Xuanhuang Realm are easier to communicate with than imagined. Mountain Roar Lord has agreed to a wholesale migration; they have over twelve thousand Yao, including many cubs and elderly. I've already had the ark prepare special ecological zones—the Yao Race has specific requirements for their living environment.'

Xiao Li chimed in eagerly: 'Captain! Me and Uncle K worked together to take down a lackey from the Creation Heavenly Court who wanted to destroy the portal! That guy could use a Clone, but I saw through to his true body at a glance...'

The red light of Old K's mechanical eye flickered: 'The kid is bragging. It was clearly me who used the jammer to lock onto his energy core. But it's true, there were a few tough customers on the Yao side who almost made us fail.'

Wen Youyi breathed a sigh of relief, but then his heart tightened again: 'What about the fourth squad? Is there any news from Luo Chen and Lia?'

A period of silence followed in the communication channel. A few seconds later, a weak but steady voice rang out:

'Fourth squad... mission complete. The Main Dispatch Station's... space anchoring System has been destroyed. For a short time... the Creation Heavenly Court will be unable to deploy large-scale forces.'

It was Luo Chen!

As the images were transmitted over, Wen Youyi's heart constricted. Luo Chen's shuttle was riddled with scars, its hull covered in energy burn marks. Luo Chen himself leaned against the pilot's seat, his face pale, with a wound on his left shoulder so deep the bone was visible. The wound was entwined with an eerie dark-gold energy—the lingering erosion of the Heavenly Dao Laws.

Lia was giving him emergency treatment, her eyes red, though she gritted her teeth and didn't cry: 'To destroy the core, Father took a direct hit from a Star Lord... Renault... to cover our escape, he initiated the self-destruct sequence...'

Luo Chen waved his hand: 'Don't speak of that... Wen Youyi, we should... be back in about three minutes. But monitoring shows that the Creation Heavenly Court has already... dispatched a vanguard pursuit force of about thirty "Heavenly Punishment-class" warships, estimated... to reach the orbit of the Tianyuan Realm in fifteen minutes.'

Countdown: Five minutes.

Wen Youyi clenched his fists. Fifteen minutes—they still had time to evacuate, but they had to speed up.

'All portals, increase energy output and expand the reception range!' he ordered. 'Notify those already inside the ark to help each other and speed up the settling process! We may have to close the portals earlier than planned!'

The orders were relayed. The portals everywhere flared with light, their diameters expanding from ten meters to twenty meters, instantly doubling the reception speed.

But problems followed as well.

At the Qingyun Sect portal, several Inner Sect Elders began arguing over who should go first.

'I am the Technique Transmission Elder; I should go first!'

'Bah! I have made the greatest contribution to the Sect; it should be me!'

'Everyone move aside! My father is the Grand Elder...'

'What's all the shouting for!' A booming voice exploded as Xiao Li, Zhao Iron Pillar's apprentice, appeared by the portal—his shuttle had just landed when he was dispatched to maintain order. The lad held up an energy jammer, and though his face still carried a hint of youthfulness, his gaze was sharp: 'One more shout and none of you are going! Line up in order! The elderly, weak, women, and children go first! If anyone has an objection, ask the thing in my hand if it agrees!'

Perhaps his achievements in the Xuanhuang Realm had spread, or perhaps the weapon in his hand was truly terrifying, for those Elders sullenly shut their mouths and lined up properly.

Similar situations occurred at other portals. Fortunately, the veteran members of "Spark" were experienced, and with the assistance of the newly joined Sky Patrol crew, order was quickly restored.

Countdown: Three minutes.

The number of people who had entered the ark broke eighty thousand.

Wen Youyi watched the screen as a continuous stream of people poured in, his emotions complex. Among them were familiar Sect mates, completely unknown Loose Cultivators and Mortals, and even the Yao Race. They came from different backgrounds and had different experiences, but now they had all made the same choice: to leave this world that had been enslaved for far too long and head into the starry sky to seek new possibilities.

'Captain, an abnormal energy fluctuation has appeared north of the Qingyun Mountains!' Aila suddenly reported. 'It's not the Creation Heavenly Court fleet... it's a... space rift? Someone is forcibly opening a cross-world channel!'

Wen Youyi pulled up the monitoring footage. Three hundred miles north of the Qingyun Sect, a pitch-black rift had torn open in the sky, emitting a heart-palpitating aura. Immediately after, three figures stumbled out of the rift—two men and one woman, all heavily injured, but radiating powerful energy fluctuations at least at the Soul Transformation Stage.

'That's...' Wen Youyi's pupils shrank. 'The Demonic Path giant of the Di Yuan Realm, "Blood Fiend Old Demon," the Yao Emperor of the Xuanhuang Realm, "Heaven Swallowing Ancestor," and... the long-missing Senior "Sword Maniac" of the Tianyuan Realm? How could they be together?'

In the image, the Sword Maniac looked up at the light of the portals in the sky, then down at a shattered jade talisman in his hand, and suddenly laughed heartily: 'Finally... we've waited... that old fellow Profound Mechanism Master didn't lie to us...'

He turned to the other two: 'Go! To the portal! That kid Wen Youyi really did it!'

The three turned into streaks of light and headed straight for the nearest portal.

Wen Youyi remembered. Yun Zhi had once mentioned that in the Early Stages of the Creation Heavenly Court's descent thirty thousand years ago, several top-tier experts had joined forces to resist, but ultimately failed and their whereabouts became unknown. It seemed they hadn't died but had been secretly accumulating strength, waiting for an opportunity. As part of the System, the Profound Mechanism Master might have contacted them in secret.

Countdown: One minute.

The number of people who had entered reached ninety-seven thousand.

Luo Chen's shuttle finally returned and docked with the hope. The medical team immediately carried the heavily injured Luo Chen away, and Mu Wanqing personally took over his treatment. Lia insisted on accompanying her father, but Wen Youyi forcibly ordered her to rest: 'If you want to help your father, first ensure you don't collapse yourself.'

Countdown: Thirty seconds.

All portals began to flash—a warning before they closed.

There were still many people desperately rushing toward the portals, crowding together.

'Make way! Let me in!'

'My child is still inside!'

'Hurry! The gate is closing!'

Wen Youyi gritted his teeth and said to Aila: 'Extend it for another ten seconds! Save as many as we can!'

'But the energy consumption will overload...'

'Execute the order!'

Ten seconds, then another ten seconds.

When the last figure—a young mother clutching an infant—stumbled into the portal, all portals closed simultaneously.

Final count: 100,831 people.

Including the original personnel on the hope, the total population reached about 100,900.

Inside the ark, it suddenly became crowded and noisy. But no one complained—everyone knew exactly what kind of fate they had just escaped.

Wen Youyi stood on the bridge, watching the receding Tianyuan Realm on the main screen. That pale blue planet was slowly shrinking, the residual light of the spirit net like dying embers, extinguishing bit by bit.

'Reporting, Captain,' Aila's voice rang out. 'The Creation Heavenly Court pursuit fleet has entered the orbit of the Tianyuan Realm and is scanning. But with the Main Dispatch Station destroyed, they cannot determine our destination for the time being.'

'Start the jump engine,' Wen Youyi said. 'Target: The habitable sanctuary marked by the Star People as No. 7—Planet "New Homeland".'

The engines of the hope let out a low roar, and the space around the hull began to warp.

In the final moment before entering the jump, Wen Youyi saw dozens of dark-gold points of light light up in the direction of the Tianyuan Realm—it was a main battery salvo from the Heavenly Punishment-class warships; the cleansing had begun.

But all of that no longer had anything to do with them.

'Goodbye, Ranch World.'

Wen Youyi said softly.

'May those who come after... find true freedom.'

The silver-white ark turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the depths of the starry sky.

And behind them, the world that had been enslaved for thirty thousand years finally welcomed a true night, devoid of the spirit net.

After the night, will there be a dawn?

No one knew.

But at least, a hundred thousand Sparks have already taken hope and sailed toward the sea of stars.

(End of Chapter)