99: Sequence 022: Star Whale

Deep within the Underground Mo City, at the central array eye.

Thunder Emperor Mo Yuan sat cross-legged, the hum of the magic bottle in his arms had become low and resonant, like a nascent world breathing steadily.

The mysteries of the divine country evolving the sun, moon, and stars, and the changing flow of time within the bottle, swirled in his cold Sea of Consciousness like the most tempting forbidden fruit.

However, to transform the potential of this divine country into true power, a... vessel was needed, a mount capable of bearing the divine country's power and traversing the boundless starry sky!

His consciousness once again sank into the magic bottle.

In the divine country's sky, a dark golden sun disk and a silver moon hung opposite each other, tiny stars flickered, and the flow of time was stably fixed at an astonishing 1:30 ratio, filled with immense starry power and Chaos Heavenly Dao energy.

But this power was dispersed and primal, needing guidance, needing condensation.

"The divine country's starry sky... needs a Dominator..."

"Feeds on stars... makes the Void Realm its ocean..."

"Carries a giant city... patrols the Star Sea..."

"The Sequence... shall thus... be born!"

The cold will of creation, like a divine oracle, echoed between the heavens and earth of the divine country.

He selected his target—at the edge of the divine country, a newborn nebula vortex formed from relatively stable starry power and Chaos Qi.

This vortex slowly rotated, containing immense spatial power and untamed stellar energy within.

"Condense the star core... shape its bones..."

The Thunder Emperor's will drove the magic bottle's Origin, and the divine country's power was forcibly gathered, like an invisible giant hand fiercely squeezing that nebula vortex!

Amidst a hum, at the core of the vortex, an extremely condensed star core, emitting brilliant starlight, was forcibly shaped!

"Absorb the Void Realm... transform its blood..."

A slit in the bottle's mouth opened, actively drawing the sparse but ubiquitous Void Realm energy from the outside Void Realm and injecting it into the star core!

The Void Realm power and starry power began to Fusion, transforming into a translucent, star-shimmering Void Realm star marrow, flowing like blood!

"Bestow spirit... the Starry Sky's Divine Thought..."

Mo Yuan separated an extremely tiny fragment of his own Divine Thought, containing an endless yearning for the starry sky and a desire for conquest, mixed with the magic bottle's Chaos will, and fiercely struck it into the star core!

"Nourish its form... with the divine country!"

Massive amounts of divine country energy—essence of the sun and moon, starry power, Chaos Qi—surged madly into the nascent structure like a breached flood!

Rumble—!!!

The divine country's starry sky trembled!

The nebula vortex suddenly collapsed inward, radiating ten thousand rays of light!

A massive outline struggled to condense and form within the brilliant light!

It was a... whale!

Yet it was by no means any whale from the oceans of the world!

Its entire body presented a translucent, deep, ethereal blue, as if carved from the solidified starry sky itself!

Beneath its skin, countless tiny star-like light points slowly flowed and flickered like Bloodline.

Its body was unimaginably vast; merely in its initial formation, its length already exceeded the limits of the current space within the magic bottle, as if it could burst through this nascent divine country at any moment!

Its head was rounded and massive, without eyes, only a smooth, crystal-like forehead that reflected the entire starry sky of the divine country!

A giant mouth slightly parted, revealing not a throat inside, but a slowly rotating, light-devouring miniature star vortex!

Its back was not fins, but mountain-like ridges, massive crown-fins formed from natural star-gold, with extremely sharp edges that gleamed with a cold light as if capable of cutting space!

Most peculiar was its tail, immensely broad; each slight sway caused ripples in the surrounding space, as if it were not swimming in the material world, but in the gaps of space!

[Sequence 022: Starry Sky Whale]! Born in the divine country's starry sky!

The aura it emitted was ethereal, vast, and ancient, yet also carried an extreme greed for stellar energy and absolute obedience to Mo Yuan's Divine Thought.

Its energy level had astonishingly reached the terrifying Early Stage Nascent Soul!

And it was not a combat-type Nascent Soul, but a rarer... Void Realm giant beast type!

The first thing it did after its birth was instinctively open its massive mouth, its forehead crystal lit up, and the miniature star vortex generated a terrifying suction, swallowing several tiny stars and scattered nebula energy from the edge of the divine country into its belly, emitting a satisfied, low hum like the flowing of a galaxy.

Devouring stars to grow! This was its instinct!

Mo Yuan looked at this behemoth slowly swimming in the divine country's starry sky, and the cold light in his eyes shone brightly.

The vessel... was complete!

Next step... was to make this Dynasty, buried deep underground... ascend to the heavens!

"Target... Underground Mo City..."

"Separate... the base..."

"Graft... the Starry Sky's Spine!"

Upon the command, the entire Underground Mo City instantly sprang into action!

The remaining Ironclad Earthworms frantically drilled, cutting at the lowest part of Mo City where it connected to the earth veins!

Thunder Wood Demon vines contracted, strengthening Mo City's overall structure!

Vajra Battalion warriors, under the command of the Engineer Sequence (transformed from some Pseudo-Immortals with relevant knowledge), embedded the last remaining energy cores into the preset nodes!

A massive tremor came from deep underground!

The entire Qingyang region seemed to experience a powerful earthquake!

Under the terrified gaze of countless survivors, the ground in the center of the Qingyang City ruins... suddenly bulged! Then... it split open!

A colossal city base, immense and covered in metal and rock armor, its surface covered with thunder marks and magic runes, dragging countless broken roots and rock layers beneath it, emerged like a sleeping beast awakening, slowly but irresistibly... detaching from the earth!

At the same time, the magic bottle's mouth shone brightly!

The Starry Sky Whale's massive, translucent, ethereal blue body slowly "swam" out of the bottle's mouth!

As it appeared, it caused spatial fluctuations in the surrounding heaven and earth, yet its massive body was strangely not entirely present in the real dimension, but rather half-hidden, half-visible, like a starry sky painting covering the firmament!

"Combine!"

The Starry Sky Whale let out a long, ancient, ethereal cry and slowly descended, gently... aligning its immensely broad back, covered with star-gold crown-fins, with the bottom of the rising Underground Mo City!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!

The instant the city base touched the Starry Sky Whale's back, countless energy chains, formed from Heavenly Dao Golden Marks and lightning runes, automatically generated, tightly coiling, fixing, and fusing the two!

Mo City's structure was permeated by the Starry Sky Whale's Void Realm power, beginning to undergo subtle changes, becoming lighter and better adapted to the Void Realm environment.

And the Starry Sky Whale, through this connection, began to draw power from Mo City's energy core to replenish itself.

Carrying the city into the sky!

"Ascend," the Thunder Emperor's cold command was like the final instruction.

The Starry Sky Whale's massive tail gently swayed!

Hum—!!!

An invisible, immense Void Realm power rippled out!

The entire Mo City suddenly shook, then completely broke free from the earth's last restraints, and began... to slowly rise!

Boulders rolled, dust billowed!

A massive shadow was cast upon the ruins below and the kneeling masses!

This city, this capital of the Sequence Dynasty, buried deep underground, having undergone destruction and rebirth, was now carried by a starry sky giant beast, leaving the mortal realm, continuously climbing towards the boundless sky!

Above the city walls, runes lit up in sequence, transforming into shields adapted to the Void Realm environment.

Thunder Wood Demon vines extended, like living antennas and sensors.

The light of the World-Cleansing Lotus adjusted, becoming a guiding beacon.

The strong wind whistled in their ears, and clouds swept past beneath their feet.

The earth grew farther and farther in their sight, gradually revealing its broken outline.

The vast starry sky above became clearer and clearer, emitting a cold yet alluring light.

[Floating Fortress]! At this moment... descended upon the world!

Mo Yuan stood at the highest point of the city, hands behind his back, looking down at the increasingly small mountains and rivers below, and then up at the stars that seemed within reach.

Behind him was the majestic steel city, the roaring lightning runes, the loyal Sequence Legion.

Beneath his feet was the star-devouring giant beast, the gateway to the divine country.

Before him was the endless Star Sea, the unknown journey.

The Thunder Emperor's gaze pierced through the clouds, through the Void Realm, finally landing in a distant direction—that was Yue Kingdom, that was the Seven Mysteries Sect, that was... the direction where Han Li was.

He knew that this scene would surely not escape that person's perception.

Deep within the clouds, a green figure stood with hands behind his back, gazing at the rising, unnatural Floating Giant City, and the starry sky giant beast beneath it, emitting Nascent Soul fluctuations.

Han Li's gaze remained calm, still as an ancient well, only in the depths of his eyes did an extremely subtle, imperceptible ripple flash.

He gently shook his head, as if sighing, or perhaps a certain degree of... approval?

"This child has come into his own..."

The faint words dissipated into the clear breeze amidst the clouds.

And the Floating Ink City had already Broken through the sea of clouds, basking in the brilliant sunlight, the giant whale swayed its tail, adjusted its direction, carrying the hopes and ambitions of the entire Dynasty, and began its... long voyage into the depths of the Star Sea!