326: Chapter 326 Doomsday

Han Yurou sat on the sofa holding Qin Yue, who was gnawing on a plush toy in her arms with great relish.

She looked down at her daughter, her voice very soft: "Two hundred years... what is that enough for us to do?"

Qin Lin thought for a moment: "Enough for the children to grow up, enough for us to upgrade the The Ark to Lv10, and enough for us to find the next world."

"What about the people of this world?"

Han Yurou's voice carried a weight it never had before.

Qin Lin didn't answer because he didn't know the answer.

The System had yet to give a clear answer as to whether there was intelligent life in this galaxy.

Preliminary scans only found simple plant and animal communities; no cities, no buildings, no traces of civilization.

But that didn't mean there was no civilization.

Perhaps the civilization of this world was destroyed long ago, perhaps they were hiding somewhere the System couldn't scan, or perhaps they had already left.

Su Yuran held Qin An and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Regardless of whether there are people in this world, we must be prepared. Two hundred years sounds like a long time, but for Cultivators, it's just an instant."

She was right. Qin Lin pulled up the data on the dimensional rift again.

The rift was at the core of the galaxy and was slowly expanding.

Based on the current rate of expansion, it would reach the planet they were on in about a hundred and fifty years.

The The Ark's protective shield could resist Dimensional Erosion, but it couldn't be kept on indefinitely; the energy consumption was too high.

The The Ark had to leave before the rift expanded to this planet.

Time wasn't exactly tight, but it wasn't infinite either.

Qin Lin made a decision: "Continue collecting Spirit Core energy while preparing a new route."

No one objected.

On the evening of the second day, Qin Lin was planning the route on the Bridge when Han Qing walked in.

Her pregnancy was very obvious now; as she walked, she supported her waist with one hand and held a cup of tea in the other.

"Aunt Qing, why did you come up? Didn't I tell you to get more rest?"

"I've been sitting all day and lying down all day. If I don't move, I'll start growing mushrooms."

Han Qing placed the teacup on the console, sat in the chair next to Qin Lin, and looked at the star chart on the holographic screen.

"Have you found a new route?"

Qin Lin shook his head: "Not yet. No other habitable planets have been found. The closest is twelve light-years away, but no Spiritual Qi has been detected in that galaxy."

"Then we'll have to fly for a long time."

"Yeah. But if we can't find a planet with Spiritual Qi, the The Ark's energy reserves will be consumed very quickly. The foundation of survival in our world is Spiritual Qi; without it, the cultivation-related items in the System Store will be restricted."

Han Qing was silent for a while before asking, "That rift... is there really no way to stop it?"

Qin Lin pulled up all the data regarding the dimensional rift, reading it from beginning to end and back again.

He found no information on 'how to close the rift'.

The System only provided analysis results, not solutions.

Perhaps the rift was a natural phenomenon that couldn't be interfered with, or perhaps some higher power was manipulating it from behind, beyond the The Ark's capabilities.

"System, is it possible that the dimensional rift is man-made?"

[Unable to determine. Current data is insufficient to judge the cause of the rift. However, abnormal energy traces have been detected around the rift, suspected to be external intervention.]

Qin Lin's hand paused.

Suspected external intervention—the rift wasn't formed naturally; it was opened by someone.

Han Qing looked at him: "You mean someone intentionally opened this rift to let this world's Spiritual Qi be eroded by the dimension?"

Qin Lin nodded: "Perhaps to destroy this world, or perhaps for something else. But regardless of why, this is a warning for us—this world is not safe."

"This is also a kind of apocalypse, isn't it? We really are surviving the apocalypse; even in a cultivation world, we still have to survive."

"Tell me about it."

The The Ark's collection progress was mostly complete; the Spirit Core energy reserves were enough for the The Ark to use for a long time.

Qin Lin traced a new route on the star chart, heading toward that galaxy which lacked Spiritual Qi but might have terrestrial planets.

Since this world was being eroded by the dimension, the The Ark had to leave before the erosion arrived. The collection plan was adjusted from 'as much as possible' to 'just enough.'

He clicked the confirmation button for 'Terminate Collection Early' on the console. The The Ark jolted slightly; the energy beams that reached deep underground into the planetary core began to retract, narrowing until they vanished completely.

[Spirit Core collection terminated. Current energy reserves: Max storage for Lv9 The Ark; remaining Spirit Core energy: approximately 70%.]

Enough.

The The Ark's cargo hold was full, the energy reserves were full, there were plenty of blessing points left, and the woman in Room No. 15 was still asleep.

Qin Lin stood in the center of the Bridge, surrounded by the spherical holographic screen.

He set the start and end points of the new route on the star chart; light extended from the start to the end, cutting through a vast expanse of unknown darkness.

Footsteps came from the corridor behind him, followed by voices, laughter, and the babbling of an infant.

The children were playing in the living room, and the women were packing their bags.

The The Ark was about to leave this planet. Although they had lived here for less than a month, everyone had grown fond of this valley.

Han Yurou picked up a bag of purple stones from the grass, calling them 'souvenirs.'

Li Ying stood by the Pill Furnace for a while, putting a few failed weapon refinements into a storage chest.

Xu Xue had painted many pictures: the starry sky over the valley, the flowers in the valley.

Qin Lin hung one of them on the wall of the Bridge. It depicted the The Ark parked in the valley under a purple sky, its silver-white hull set against distant mountains and nearby flowers.

The day the The Ark took off, the weather was beautiful. A purple sun hung in the sky, its light passing through the atmosphere and dyeing the entire valley a pale purple.

The children leaned against the windows looking at the scenery. Qin An pointed outside, shouting 'Ah, ah!' Su Yuran looked where he was pointing and said, 'Yes, mountains.'

Qin An was satisfied and moved on to point at the next thing. The The Ark passed through the atmosphere and entered space.

The view outside changed from purple to black, and from black to a colorful starry sky.

The The Ark flew steadily toward the galaxy that lacked Spiritual Qi but might contain terrestrial planets.

The voyage was expected to take a very long time, but Qin Lin was in no hurry. The The Ark had sufficient supplies, the eternally blooming Peach Blossom Spring, and the women and children waiting for him at home.

The The Ark sailed through deep space for several days. There was no Spiritual Qi ahead on the new route, but Qin Lin decided to raise everyone's cultivation levels first before looking for the next world with Spiritual Qi.

Having combat power is always better than having none.

The Transformation Room had hardly stopped over the past few days.

Batch after batch of people walked in, stood on the platform, were submerged in golden light, woke up, and walked out.

Qin Lin's own transformation was scheduled for the last batch.