Chapter 543: Spatial Shuttle
White Hair Trench.
Ocean Mother Nest.
Inside the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
The fishman youngster scrutinized the state within his body.
Silver-hued battle qi gathered and fermented within him.
Equally silver level magic power coalesced within his personal magic pool.
Having activated his Bloodcore, he now existed in a hybrid form blending the Surging Wave and Ghostface Fish bloodlines. Within his pool, pale blue water magic coexisted with light gray undead energy.
The two forces shared the same reservoir, their boundaries not entirely distinct. At the dividing line, they intertwined and clashed, generating minor conflicts and internal friction.
Typically, dual-element magic pools underwent specialized modifications to their personal magic pools.
At minimum, distinct magic power elements were segregated into separate compartments.
Methods for constructing such compartments were archived within formal magician organizations. War Merchant's database naturally contains these techniques as well.
However, modifying one's personal magic pool demands extensive practice time and carries significant risks during the process.
With time so tight, the fishman youngster could only let his personal magic pools corrode and cancel each other out.
Fortunately, this internal friction remained mild.
Because all this magic power had been transformed through his personal meditation, bearing his deep, personal imprint.
Without this personal mark, direct contact between water magic power and undead magic power would cause severe magic conflict. In extreme cases, it could even cause an explosion!
Battle qi accumulated within every inch of his flesh and blood, while magic power was stored within his personal magic pool.
As for Charming Blue divine power, it was primarily concentrated within the youngster's soul.
Under the influence of the Bloodcore, the fishman youngster's soul had fully taken on the form of a fishman, matching his outward appearance. Enveloped by Charming Blue divine power, his soul received potent nourishment and transformation.
A small portion of the divine power also permeated the fishman youngster's flesh and blood. It manifested within his personal magic pool as well.
The fishman youngster observed: this divine power, intimately intertwined with his battle qi and magic power, was not static.
It would transform into his battle qi or magic power.
At times, it would devour his magic power or battle qi, adding a tiny bit to itself.
Divine power was an extremely high-grade form of energy.
It achieved perfect coexistence with battle qi and magic power. Even the closest contact posed no issue.
Divine power could effortlessly devour and transform the youngster's personal battle qi and magic power.
There was no internal friction whatsoever between them.
At least, the fishman youngster felt none.
He was about to perform the fourth blasphemous ritual when, upon reaching the hatch, his body lost control and he nearly collapsed to the deck.
Cang Xu immediately rushed over to support his commander.
The old magician used his spirit power to examine him and deduced the cause.
The fishman youngster, enlightened, examined himself before slowly opening his eyes to look at Cang Xu. “You're probably right.”
“These recent blasphemous prayers have elevated my magician level and caused my clergyman cultivation to surge to silver level.”
“Such a drastic increase requires both my body and soul time to adapt.”
"My earlier paralysis was a spontaneous protective mechanism, a coordinated effort between my body and soul."
At this point, the fishman youngster sighed. “Therefore, for the foreseeable future, I cannot pursue further advancement in my life level.”
Transcendent cultivation had always been a gradual process.
For the bodies and souls of transcendent beings must slowly acclimate to transcendent energy, allowing themselves to undergo subtle yet profound transformation.
Even the sacred sons and sacred daughters, who appeared to have low cultivation levels in ordinary times, could see their transcendent levels skyrocket instantly when infused with divine power during critical moments. Essentially, as vessels for the gods, they had undergone specific selection and cultivation. Their bodies and souls were already prepared, lacking only sufficient energy to nourish them.
The fishman youngster pondered, “It seems I must revise my blasphemous prayer. Seeking more spell experience would be more appropriate.”
Cang Xu shook his head slowly. “Lord Commander, you cannot do that.”
“Memory is a crucial element in shaping the soul.”
“Thus, when a person dies, though the body perishes, the soul retains its memories, remembering who it is.”
“It is precisely these memories that anchor the soul to its selfhood, preserving its wisdom.”
"But once driven by instinct to devour foreign spirits, absorbing vast fragments of others' memories, it leads to cognitive confusion and distortion. When quantitative change triggers qualitative transformation, the soul utterly loses its selfhood, degenerating into a beast-like existence."
“My Lord, the magic experience you gained from the blasphemous ritual is a special kind of memory, isn't it?”
Cang Xu's words made perfect sense.
The fishman youngster slowly nodded in agreement.
He looked up and sighed deeply. “So, my current situation is like overeating all at once. I'm so full that I need time to digest it.”
“Is there any other special method that could help speed up this digestion?”
“I recall War Merchant's database containing magic formations that accelerate the flow of time.”
Cang Xu once again dismissed the fishman youngster's idea.
“Even if a magic formation could accelerate the target's perception of time, it fundamentally relies on magic power to achieve that effect.”
“Any supernatural force still acts upon your body and soul, Commander.”
"And right now, your body and soul are being rapidly reshaped by silver level divine and magic power. Adding other magic training would be superfluous, it might even backfire."
“In this situation, we can look at the dragons as reference.”
“True dragons undergo a long period of growth. During this period, they often fall into deep, prolonged slumber."
"For instance, fire dragons seek out volcanic craters to hide and hibernate. Black dragons frequently conceal themselves in the deepest recesses of the underworld."
“In their slumber, they absorb external fire or dark elements, allowing the elemental forces to gradually reshape them.”
“If methods like time acceleration existed, the dragons would undoubtedly employ them extensively.”
"Yet, for millennia, the dragons have scarcely ever used such techniques. Before reaching adulthood, they simply sleep, refusing to use external forces to accelerate their growth."
The dragons' actions thus demonstrated that no truly effective method had ever existed in the world.
Even if one did, its conditions for use would be extremely stringent.
Otherwise, such methods would have long since become widespread across the world.
The fishman youngster sighed again: “Therefore, bloodline is the greatest foundation for transcendents.”
“In such cases, the superior the bloodline, the greater the capacity for assimilation.”
Cang Xu flattered: “My Lord, your words contain profound insight!”
With this delay, the time had nearly come.
Off the Deep Sea Monster Fish, over half the Charming Blue believers had already been snapped.
Cang Xu didn't even have time for prayer.
In the remaining moments, he could only hastily cast a divine spell on the Charming Blue believers captured aboard the ship.
Naturally, Cang Xu would also tamper with their memories.
By blurring the lines between truth and falsehood, blending reality with illusion, Cang Xu was confident he could deceive Zhou Zhang, Jian Gui, and the others.
Soon, Cang Xu completed all this. Before departing, he looked at the fishman youngster: “Commander, I intend to take the statue of the Charming Blue Goddess with me.”
The fishman youngster paused, then nodded: “Okay.”
The statue stored devotion and served as the deity's surveillance device. Leaving it aboard the Deep Sea Monster Fish posed incalculable risks.
“Take it away. This statue will significantly influence Zhou Zhang and the others to your advantage.”
Though Cang Xu hadn't prayed this time, his bloodline concentration had risen, further refining his potential.
Combined with this divine statue, it would surely make Zhou Zhang and the others take notice once more.
As for Xiao Wang Zi, his treatment mirrored that of Ku Feng and Qing Xin, imprisoned within the longhorn cage, convinced he was already dead.
Igloo City.
The Li Jian Clan gifted Zi Di and her group the largest storefront on the city's most bustling street.
Zi Di established operations here, deploying reliable agents as tentacles to control the market in Igloo City.
A group of magicians stood quietly before the shopfront, awaiting Zi Di and her companions to finish their tasks.
Uniformed and led by five silver level magicians, the fifty-strong contingent bore the insignia of the Spatial Shuttle Squad.
This was the Li Jian Clan's magician squadron, possessing strategic-class capabilities.
They possessed the technique for collective spellcasting, wielding spatial magic to create a spatial shuttle capable of transporting both people and goods.
Because the spatial shuttle could traverse space, its movement resembled a teleportation effect.
However, the distance was limited.
The specific distance is directly proportional to the magicians' magic power reserves.
The higher the energy level required to transport passengers or cargo in the spatial shuttle, the greater the magic power expenditure for the magicians, ultimately resulting in a shorter travel distance.
However, when combined with a projection formation, the situation changed entirely.
Unlike conventional teleportation formations, projection formations were unidirectional magic formations that could supply immense energy to the spatial shuttle.
With these energy sources, the spatial shuttle's range skyrocketed by hundreds or even thousands of times!
This enabled the spatial shuttle to teleport directly from one city to another.
In times of war, mastering this long-range deployment capability could shift the tide of battle. For instance, executing decapitation tactics becomes remarkably convenient.
Undoubtedly, the Spatial Shuttle Squadron is the Li Jian Clan's trump card, and equally so for the Ice Sculpture Kingdom!
Zi Di and Zong Ge's visit yielded the best possible outcome.
The Li Jian Clan spared no expense in deploying their trump card to facilitate Zi Di, Zong Ge, and others' swift movement throughout the kingdom.
Of course, this also leveraged the Li Jian Clan's influence and standing.
Merely possessing long-distance teleportation capabilities wouldn't grant unrestricted use within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. The Li Jian Clan itself was a privileged entity, a member of the ruling class, and thus could utilize it normally.
Naturally, when reaching strongholds controlled by other factions, they would notify those factions in advance.
“Let's go. Our next stop is Ice Prison City.” Zi Di was about to depart.
“Please wait. There's a confidential letter for you.” Just as they were leaving, a representative from the Li Jian Clan arrived, presenting a sealed letter.