Chapter 399: Stuff It In My Mouth
Using the demonic flesh and blood of tens of millions of Parademons as sacrificial offerings, and utilizing the bizarre magic of the Asura Demonic Path, a temporary Sacrificial Channel was opened.
Tang Song didn't choose the simpler Quantum Tunnel, using the path through the Quantum Realm, for a very simple reason: he disliked things he couldn't control.
The Quantum Realm was beyond his understanding. Even though he had some insight into the Innate Eight Trigrams, when he used the Art of Divination to divine the Quantum Realm, it was like looking at flowers through fog – blurry and completely unclear.
The reason he could detect that the anomaly in the Quantum Realm was related to the Main God was that when he was refining the Main God Barracks, he vaguely sensed something in the Quantum Realm remotely echoing the Main God Barracks.
Clearly, that thing and the Main God Barracks came from the same source and attracted each other.
From this, Tang Song inferred that the mysterious "Main God" must be severely injured. Even if he hadn't fallen into oblivion, he was at least severely wounded, as his limbs and parts were blown off, and he hadn't even retrieved his severed hands and feet.
With the Main God severely injured, that "Supreme God" must also be significantly hurt, which made Tang Song feel relieved.
After all, when he, Odin, and the Ancient One plotted against the Yahweh of this Universe, they hadn't expected another Supreme God to exist next door.
The Ancient One followed Eternity's footsteps to the Hall of Eternity to explore truth, Odin fell into eternal slumber, Ragnarök occurred, and among those who acted back then, only he remained. Not to mention, he had replaced God... Although theoretically, the Supreme God who had transcended the DC Universe and was wandering the Chaos Sea wouldn't bother with such trivial matters, there was no guarantee that one day he might remember. On a whim, he might decide to review his experiences in various Parallel Universes. If it really came to that, Tang Song couldn't gamble on whether that Supreme God would extend a finger from the Chaos Sea to crush him, the culprit, and seek revenge for his counterpart in this Universe.
As for whether his relationship with the new Supreme God could be of use, Boss Tang wasn't sure either. After all, he had only met the little girl named Eli once.
Getting back to the main topic, Tang Song couldn't calculate the reality of the Quantum Realm, so he didn't want to get involved in it. After all, if he encountered an accident in the Quantum Realm and got lost, even he wasn't 100% confident he could escape.
Take Dr. Hank Pym, for example. He studied the Quantum Realm his entire life and still couldn't rescue his wife who was trapped in the Quantum Realm.
The Avengers were fearless due to their ignorance. The more knowledge a person possesses, the more reverence they have for the unknown, and the more they feel their own insignificance.
In addition to cultivation these past few years, Tang Song also re-read university physics, specializing in quantum mechanics and physics. At the same time, he used his cash power to hire several leading experts in quantum mechanics as his Mentors. Of course, this naturally included Hank Pym, his own employee. After all, although Professor Pym had a peculiar personality, his research in the field of quantum mechanics was unparalleled.
Generally speaking, cultivators fear greed the most. They want to cultivate inner core, refine outer elixir, and aspire to become Sword Immortals soaring to the Great Luo Heaven. Upon seeing the marvels of talisman arts, they also want to draw talismans. If cultivation fails, life is but a hundred and twenty years. Not everyone has cultivation resources like Boss Tang. Those cultivators who bite off more than they can chew and are jacks of all trades but masters of none spend their lives busy, only to find their lifespan has reached its end. Those with higher cultivation base can undergo Liberation by Corpse and rebirth, while those whose cultivation is insufficient can only roll through the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Whether their next life is human, plants and trees, flowers, birds, or mosquitoes depends solely on personal luck.
However, Rogue Cultivators are different from those with sect inheritance. Orthodox Cultivators from major sects have their sects as backing, with magic tools and magic treasures bestowed by elders for protection, and sect inheritance for Dao Protecting Divine Abilities. Within their sects, there are Alchemists specifically for pill refining. They can focus on meditative cultivation according to the experiences of their predecessors without worries, becoming True Persons with the Dao or High Monks Residing in the World!
Rogue Cultivators are different. The scraps left over by the major sects are fought over by countless people. To obtain more cultivation resources, involution among Rogue Cultivators begins.
They have to put more effort into the path of slaughter, drawing talismans, Gu refining, corpse refining, poison arts... A person's energy is limited. Except for a few exceptionally gifted geniuses, who can multitask? It's not that the Yanfu Continent's history hasn't produced famous Great Experts from the Unorthodox Path, but they are as rare as meteors falling from the sky.
Even someone like Tang Song, who controlled the "knowledge" of the entire Jambudvīpa World, focused intently after determining his cultivation direction upon first arriving in the Marvel Universe.
His target has always been clear. Those Heshan Dao corpse refining, ghost refining, and Gu methods, besides providing protection, were all groundwork for cultivation.
His refinement of body-protecting armored corpses was not only for protection but, more importantly, for the Lunar Form Refining Array, setting up the Heavenly Corpse Roaring at the Moon Array Landscape, absorbing the essence of sun and moon to cultivate the Ghoul White Bone Banner, extracting blood marrow, refining blood pills to enhance physical cultivation... As for the technology side techniques like cloning and genetic modification, for him, they were merely techniques used for developing protective arts, not the Dao. It wasn't until his cultivation reached its current height that Tang Song no longer had to worry about the influence of lifespan, nor did he have to worry about other paths negatively affecting his cultivation. Only then did he infer other cases from one instance, absorbing the strengths of myriad schools to perfect himself, seeking to breakthrough to the Pure Yang True Immortal realm and catch a glimpse of immortality! The Spaceship mentioned by the Modified Human named Abad seemed to be some distance away from them. After crossing the Red Mountain Canyon and passing through a small desert, the group entered a rocky mountain area.
From the fossil-like withered trees nearby, it was evident that this mountain area was once a lush forest region. Soil erosion and river course changes had turned it into a desert.
"I am Groot!"
Groot saw the dried and cracked corpse-like withered trees and couldn't help but let out an angry roar. He lifted his foot and kicked a half-human-sized rock dozens of meters away, where it rolled into the desert and was swallowed by quicksand.
People near Groot looked at him, marveling at his great strength. However, regarding his roar, except for Rocket Raccoon, no one paid attention.
Firstly, they couldn't understand what he was saying. Secondly, on this Planet, such deserts were everywhere and not worth making a fuss about.
Like Diego, in his memory, when he opened his eyes, this Planet was already this ghostly appearance. He never wondered why he had webs between his fingers and toes, like an aquatic animal, yet lived in the desert.
The scorching environment also made everyone uninterested in anything other than water.
Although the Castle Spaceship suspended in the sky blocked most of the sunlight, the Yellow Sand Desert environment was still scorching hot. Even though the refugees wore sun-blocking cloaks and walked close to the shaded mountain wall, they were all dehydrated like dried fish.
In such circumstances, who had the energy to care about other matters?
"Alert!"
Suddenly, a sharp alarm sound rang out from the back of the team, and the refugee team instantly exploded into chaos.
Everyone scattered, looking for Bunkers. A gray-skinned alien, resembling a mouse/rat, flopped onto the ground in front of Tang Song and instantly disguised himself as a gray rock.
Some dug pits in the Sand, burying themselves and only leaving their withered-leaf-like respiratory organs exposed Outside.
Compared to those with a special technique, most people chose to quickly hide among the rocks when faced with sudden danger, using the cover of the rock piles to conceal themselves. Those who carried weapons immediately pulled out their gear, ready to counterattack at any moment.
Although their weapons were varied, including homemade gunpowder weapons, nail guns, crossbow bolts, old energy guns, and even a strong man of some unknown race who directly brought out a small mountain-splitting energy cannon.
It was clear that those who could survive in this desert were well-prepared for danger. Compared to these vigilant guys, Tang Song, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot, who remained standing still, suddenly seemed like dazed geese. Seeing these three "newbies," the gaze of some people holding weapons gradually turned dangerous, looking at the three like they were three fat lambs.
Someone's gaze lingered on the cube in Tang Song's hand, while others looked at the large energy modified gun on Rocket Raccoon's back.
Just as everyone's gaze became increasingly dangerous, Diego, who had issued the warning sound, ran from the back of the team. He held an old energy handgun in one hand, and the energy display gauge on the gun body only showed one-third full.
Rocket, who had considerable research on weapons, saw at a glance that each gun could fire at most ten more energy beams before its energy source would be exhausted.
Diego ran quickly through the Sand. When rocks blocked his path, he leaped over stones several times his height and quickly reached the middle of the team. His gaze swept over Tang Song and the other two with some surprise, then he passed them and ran directly towards the approaching Abad.
"What's going on?"
"A shuttle. Looks like just a scout. They must be refugees too. They crashed!"
"Who are they? Could you see clearly?"
"Looking at the markings on the shuttle, it's the Frog God Society! People from Ha Tai! That fat guy is ruthless. Should we avoid them? Or let them go first!?"
"No time! We have to race against the Predators. We need to escape this Planet before they react and lock it down. Otherwise, it'll be hard for us to get out!"
In the silence of the blowing Sand, Diego and Abad's conversation clearly reached the ears of the crowd. So, without Abad urging them, everyone quickened their pace. "You guys aren't from this Planet, are you!?"
After the group resumed their journey, Diego didn't return to the back of the team to urge or alert. Instead, he walked up to Tang Song and handed him a water skin.
On this Planet where Water Source had largely evaporated and underground rivers were severely contaminated, the price of a cup of clean water was imaginable. Only some medium to large Gathering Places had purifiers that could filter contaminated water.
These Gathering Places monopolized the Water Source near them and sold the filtered water at high prices, hoarding it. This was why the refugees, despite being terribly thirsty under the scorching sun, endured and didn't drink water easily.
Diego handed a water skin to Tang Song. The gesture of goodwill was self-evident. Of course, he also wanted to probe the background of Tang Song and the other two. After all, their behavior was clearly out of place compared to the people on this Planet! "Thank you for your kindness, but I don't need the water. I have some here!" Tang Song flipped his palm, and a green skin gourd appeared in his hand. He casually shook it, and the sound of rushing water immediately came from the gourd.
Diego's eyes widened sharply. As natives of this Planet, the Frogmen Race possessed excellent eyesight, especially in terms of long-distance vision and dynamic vision. Diego's eyesight could even clearly see the trajectory of gunpowder weapons leaving the barrel, yet he couldn't see where the water skin in front of him had been taken from.
Tang Song pulled the stopper from the gourd and took a gulp of the clear spring water.
What seemed like ordinary spring water was actually spiritual dew condensed from the spiritual energy of the Great Luo Heaven. This seemingly ordinary gourd was also a top-tier magic tool, with a Yin Yang Two Forms Array set up inside.
The spiritual dew was stored in two different Formation Spaces within the gourd. One was as hot as True Sun Fire, and the other was as cold as Ten Thousand Year Cold Ice. Stored within, the spiritual dew was one cold and one hot, one warm and one cool, offering a unique taste upon entry.
The icy spiritual dew spring water went down his throat. The cold qi that could instantly turn an Ordinary Person into an ice sculpture instantly invigorated Tang Song's spirit. His entire body's magic power circulated slightly, instantly transforming the spiritual dew water that entered his mouth into streams of spiritual energy to be devoured and digested.
"Gulp."
"Gulp."
"Gulp."
Tang Song ignored the sounds of swallowing saliva around him. He raised the gourd and said to the Little Frog in front of him, "Want a sip?"
Diego swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His skin could feel the coolness emanating from the mouth of the strange water skin. On such a hot day, drinking a mouthful of ice water would probably feel great.
Facing Tang Song's invitation, Diego restrained himself with great willpower. He gave an awkward smile, held up his water skin, and shook it like Tang Song did: "I have some too!" Saying this, he lifted the water bag made from a black-haired camel beast's stomach and took two gulps, which finally relieved the heat in his heart.
"The three of us are indeed not from your Planet. I heard that your Planet is rich in red crystal stone, so I came to try my luck, to see if I could purchase a batch and resell it for a profit!"
"You're crystal merchants?! Where's your Spaceship?" Diego's bulging eyes looked at Tang Song.
"It was destroyed by that Spaceship!" Tang Song looked up at the huge Castle Spaceship in the sky, first placing the blame on it, then shaking his head and sighing, "This time the loss is huge. Not only did I not get any red crystal stone, but my Spaceship was also blown up. And it doesn't look like this place of yours is rich in red crystal stone either. Did I come to the wrong place?"
Diego said with a bitter smile, "You came too late. The Red Crystal Stone Ore Vein on this Planet was mined out over two hundred years ago. Now this is just a barren, abandoned Planet!"
"Then it seems we weren't destined to get rich!" Tang Song's face was full of regret, looking very disappointed.
Beside him, Rocket also held a gourd, drinking water while not forgetting to water Groot. Of course, the gourd in Rocket's hand contained genuine mountain spring water.
Even so, the people around him saw his extravagance and their eyes turned red with envy, wishing they could take Groot's place.
How wasteful to water a tree! Come on, come on, just stuff it in my mouth.
Rocket paid no attention to them. Listening to Boss Tang's serious nonsense, he couldn't help but grin, trying hard to control his laughter.
(end of chapter)