Chapter 281: Chapter 167: Floating Land Rules and Source Exclusion_2

“`

Although I have witnessed once the descent of a Fifth Rank Mythical Mecha Projection, a projection is, after all, just a projection, and it can’t compare to the clarity and shock of witnessing a Fourth Rank Zhulu Warship transform into a Fourth Rank Mythical Mech firsthand.

“So it’s the flagship ‘Supreme Profound Spirit Calming Ship’ of Elder Xuanfeng from the First Direct Lineage; it makes sense. I’ve heard that Elder Xuanfeng has a Top Rank Orange Supreme Profound Sword in his hands, wholly suitable for ripping through the Floating Land Shield…”

Grandfather’s murmuring voice came from the group chat of the communication projection, and several key points echoed in Song Chi’s mind as he listened to these words.

“First Direct Lineage ancestor Song Xuanfeng, Supreme Profound Spirit Calming Ship, Supreme Profound Sword…”

While pondering, the Mythical Mecha Giant in front had already begun its next move. It was seen that an orange glow grew intense in its hands, and soon a white sword nearly two thousand kilometers in length manifested out of thin air.

The Mech Giant’s arm was raised high, and so was the white sword, bearing an indescribable mysterious power flowing on its blade, adding an ominous aura to the white sword.

Inside Cang Qiong, Song Chi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the mysterious power threading through the white sword.

Other First and Second Rank Torch Ship Captains might not recognize what this mysterious power specifically was, but he felt quite familiar with it, as this power gave him a sensation very similar to those of the Power of Laws he encountered within the Ruins Market Secret Realm, and it seemed to be the Power of Laws controlled by Elder Song Xuanfeng.

Before he could think any further, a piercing howling sound was already coming from ahead.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The Mech Giant’s enormous arm pressed down mightily, brandishing the long sword across the starry sky towards the grid-like Floating Land Shield below, creating long dark fissures in its wake–a result of the space tearing apart, unable to sustain the dreadful might.

Boom!

The long sword, wrapped in terrifying might, struck the Floating Land Shield, and unimaginable waves of energy swept out in all directions.

Seeing this scene, Song Chi’s expression changed in the main control room of Cang Qiong, and he instinctively wanted to maneuver the Cang Qiong to dodge. This was a legitimate Fourth Rank energy shockwave, and if caught up close, the consequences would be difficult to predict.

However, his worries were somewhat superfluous. Before the energy shockwave completely dissipated, a second Zhulu Warship to the side emitted an invisible aura from its hull that nullified the entire shockwave.

Crack, crack, crack!

After this interlude, when the view returned to the Floating Land Shield, Song Chi’s pupils constricted.

The strike from the Mech Giant, which the Supreme Profound Spirit Calming Ship had become, had actually caused a terrifying crack of over a kilometer in length to appear in the shield of the Spirit Soul Floating Land below.

Clearly, even the Floating Land Shield, based on the entirety of the Floating Land, struggled under the attack of a Fourth Rank Unit, after all, this Spirit Soul Floating Land was only a Third Rank Starry Sea Floating Land.

Yet, the end was not in sight. The nearly two-thousand-kilometer long white sword suddenly trembled, and the threads of mysterious power began to converge rapidly towards its tip.

As time passed, the sword tip, enhanced by this mysterious power, seemed to undergo a qualitative change.

Crack!

The Floating Land Shield, which had only shown cracks, suddenly shattered, eventually forming a gaping hole hundreds of meters wide.

This anomaly seemed to trigger the Floating Land Shield’s self-repair function or defensive instinct, as a massive amount of Origin Laws began to converge rapidly, and under the influence of these laws, the newly formed opening in the shield started closing at a visibly fast rate.

Seeing this, the movements of the Mech Giant, which the Supreme Profound Spirit Calming Ship had become, were also quick. A pair of Mech Giant arms extended rapidly, supporting both sides of the opening with a reverse grip, forcefully preventing the repair of the breach.

Simultaneously, an aged voice of reprimand reached the ears of Song Chi and others–it came from the other Zhulu Warship.

“If not now, when?”

After this reprimand, Song Chi and the other hundred Torch Warships reacted, starting their engines and heading towards the breach in the Floating Land Shield below.

At the same time, several Torch Warships prepared to leave inside the Floating Land Shield also steered towards the outside world at the first opportunity.

…

Below, in a primeval forest on the eastern side of the Spirit Soul Floating Land, several creatures with two heads, wings on their backs, and bodies over a kilometer long took flight with the beating of their wings.

“`

These creatures had the heads of lions, the bodies of goats, and the tails of serpents, a veritable mishmash of forms.

Though their appearances were bizarre, the energy fluctuations that emanated from their bodies were extremely terrifying. All of them were Third Rank creatures and they were also infused with the special boost of the Origin Core rules, making them far more formidable than ordinary Third Rank Peak lifeforms.

Roar!

As they flew rapidly towards the depths of The Vault of Heaven, and neared the Floating Land Shield, these creatures opened their mouths wide. Spheres of fire, each a hundred meters across, were spat out and hurled towards Song Chi and the other Torch Warships trying to enter the Floating Land Shield.

“Hmph!”

Before the Song family members could react, a cold snort came from beyond the gap in the sky.

After that, the three main cannons located at the bow of the second Zhulu Warship burst forth, three beams shot through the gap with precision, shattering all the incoming fireballs.

After obliterating the fireballs, the might of the three beams did not dissipate; they continued downwards towards several of the Third Rank creatures.

Roar, roar, roar!

With several miserable howls, the injured Third Rank creatures no longer lingered and fell rapidly downwards, no longer concerning themselves with Song Chi and the other Torch Warships.

Inside the Cang Qiong, witnessing this scene, Song Chi’s eyes moved, and a trace of doubt formed in his heart.

One should know that although the creatures from before were not weak, each of them with the combat power of Third Rank Peak, beyond the gap in the sky were two Fourth Rank Clan Elders of the Song family. How could these creatures dare to provoke them?

Moreover, those three beams, not to mention the two from the main cannons, the fact that the attack from the Super Main Cannon wasn’t able to kill a Third Rank Peak creature, only severely injuring it, puzzled him.

The difference between Third Rank and Fourth Rank is fundamental, not to mention a Fourth Rank Unit like the Torch Warship that was known for its formidable firepower.

“Is the Floating Land rule enhancement really that terrifying?”

As a Torch Ship Captain educated by the orthodox Torch Human Civilization, Song Chi was quite familiar with the various aspects of a Starry Sea Floating Land.

Apart from the Floating Land Shield, a Starry Sea Floating Land also had the ability to bestow rule enhancements. As long as one is acknowledged by the core of the Floating Land, then that lifeform would receive a boost from the Floating Land rules, gaining an additional combat advantage when fighting within the Floating Land.

For example, on the Dragon Spine Continent, backed by the core of the Dragon Spine Floating Land–the Dragon Spine Sacred Mountain–the ancestors of the Dinghai Song family possess the ability to fight above their ranks.

However, that’s based on the Dragon Spine Continent being a Fifth Rank lifeform-based Floating Land. Additionally, there isn’t an insurmountable gap between Fifth Rank and Sixth Rank life entities, with both belonging to the category of Intermediate Civilization combat units.

Yet, the current Soul Spirit Floating Land in front of them is only Third Rank. Strictly speaking, it falls within the category of a Low Level Civilization, so its rule enhancement allowing Third Rank creatures to contend against Fourth Rank Warships of the Torch Civilization seems somewhat abnormal.

At this moment, Song Mingsong’s voice once again came through the projection group chat. He seemed to have guessed the doubts in the minds of Song Chi and the others.

“Don’t be surprised. According to the local network briefings from our family’s Third Rank members, this Soul Spirit Floating Land is currently at the threshold between Third Rank and Fourth Rank, having acquired some of the Features of a Fourth Rank Floating Land, which is why its rule enhancement has such a terrifying effect,” he said.

Hearing this, Song Chi’s eyes revealed sudden realization.

If that’s the case, then everything made sense, and it also explained why the two Clan Elders of the First Direct Lineage outside the Sky Floating Land Shield didn’t personally enter it.

With some features of a Fourth Rank Floating Land, this means that it wasn’t that they didn’t want to enter, but rather, they couldn’t.

The features of a Fourth Rank Floating Land could cause strong resistance and suppression from the Origin Core against their Fourth Rank Units, greatly affecting their strength, and it wasn’t impossible for their power to be directly suppressed to the Third Rank Level.

Thus, entering rashly could pose a risk of perishing.

At the same time, Song Chi immediately understood the mission of his clan members entering this Floating Land.

If nothing unexpected happens, it would be to kill as many lifeforms on this Soul Spirit Floating Land as possible, especially the high-ranking ones.

These indigenous lifeforms, as the chief spirits of the Floating Land and carrying a portion of the Floating Land’s core rules from birth, would cause the essential rules of the Soul Spirit Floating Land to weaken significantly if they died in large numbers.

In doing so, it would also indirectly weaken the rejection and suppressive force of the Floating Land’s core itself, giving the two Fourth Rank Clan Elders of the First Direct Lineage a chance to descend properly.