Chapter 821 The Broodmother’s Deadline
“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Kael asked.
“Never. Even in the Ascendant Realm, such a phenomenon would be exceedingly rare,” Aethera answered honestly.
“Then I’ll take a closer look.”
Kael crossed the distance in several flashes and landed on the tiny planet.
The instant his feet touched the surface, a crushing weight bore down on him. It was as though an ordinary man had been forced to carry nearly a thousand pounds on his shoulders. The tremendous pressure almost flattened Kael against the ground.
With a roar, he immediately activated Stage Twenty of the Fiendgod Transformation.
The transformation reinforced his body, allowing him to remain standing—barely.
How can something so small possess this much mass?
Kael drew a deep breath and summoned Astral Mountain.
The instant the mountain artifact appeared, the orbits of the planets circling the tiny world descended into chaos.
“Astral Mountain now possesses even greater mass than this planet,” Aethera explained. “Its appearance disrupted the existing gravitational balance.”
“I know.”
Kael pointed at Astral Mountain.
The artifact expanded rapidly, growing larger and larger until it stood several hundred yards tall.
Kael then activated his Spatial Spirit Root and retreated several thousand miles.
Astral Mountain continued to expand until it stretched millions of yards across. Its surface split apart, revealing a colossal maw that swallowed the high-mass planet whole.
A deep hum reverberated through space.
Astral Mountain closed around the tiny planet, completely sealing it within.
Kael activated the Eternal Flame inside the mountain and began refining the planet.
Its mass was simply too great. Kael could not shrink Astral Mountain enough to carry it away, leaving him with no choice but to remain there and wait.
Meanwhile, the surrounding planets had lost the gravitational force that once kept their orbits in balance. Their trajectories gradually shifted, sending them drifting toward one another.
They were about to collide.
Kael focused his attention on the wandering planets.
A head as vast as a planet rose into space as his Grand Celestial Manifestation emerged. The enormous figure reached toward the orbiting worlds and physically guided them back onto stable trajectories, preventing them from crashing into one another.
Otherwise, the shock waves from the collisions might have spread far enough to reach Skyfire Planet, nearly a light-year away.
More than a year passed before Kael extended his hand.
The enormous Astral Mountain rapidly contracted until it was no larger than his fist, then settled into his palm.
“It has only refined a third of the planet, but at least I can shrink it now.”
Astral Mountain had turned completely black. A terrifying gravitational force radiated from it, drawing vast clouds of cosmic dust toward the artifact from every direction.
Its gravitational influence now extended more than a hundred million miles.
“Astral Mountain’s mass is already comparable to that of a black hole,” Aethera said. “Why not use it as a vessel and see whether it can carry you out of the Blood Jade Galaxy?”
“Leave the Blood Jade Galaxy?”
The idea immediately captured Kael’s interest.
He had already solved the energy shortage that plagued Galactic Realm cultivators. As for the petrification that afflicted those in the Eternal Realm, it would not begin affecting him for another ten thousand years.
If he could also overcome the threat posed by the galaxy’s black holes, he would truly have nothing left to fear.
“Are you certain this won’t cause some kind of catastrophe?” Kael asked, holding Astral Mountain in one hand.
“It may cause a few disasters, but why should that concern you? As long as you can escape the Blood Jade Galaxy, you’ll have a chance to advance to the Real Deity Realm. Only after reaching that realm will you be qualified to establish contact with the true Ascendant Realm.”
The urgency in Aethera’s voice was impossible to miss.
She desperately wanted to return to the Ascendant Realm.
“I can agree to that, but not yet. Astral Mountain still hasn’t finished devouring the planet. Once it has completely refined it, I’ll test whether I can ride the mountain out of the Blood Jade Galaxy.
“For now, I’m going home.”
The thought of his wives, children, and the rest of his family waiting for him filled Kael with warmth.
Skyfire Planet was no longer far away.
He entered the Machine Race vessel and continued through space.
As he traveled, Kael noticed something strange. The surrounding stars and planets appeared to be moving faster than before—perhaps ten to twenty percent faster.
The Astral Compass suddenly lit up.
Kael immediately sent a stream of Origin Power into it.
“Kael. I never imagined this would be how we first spoke.”
A rich, resonant voice came through the Astral Compass.
Kael’s face revealed nothing.
“You must be the famous Broodmother.”
“Correct. You are quite perceptive. With a prodigy like you among them, it is no wonder humanity has risen so quickly.
“Kael, allow me to pose a hypothetical question. If I ordered every insect in the Blood Jade Galaxy to begin infesting humans, how long do you think your race would survive before being driven to extinction?”
The Broodmother did not bother with pleasantries.
Kael’s composure faltered.
No one knew how many of her insects had infiltrated the Blood Jade Galaxy. If all of them attacked humanity at once, the grim truth was that the human race would not survive even a year.
“You didn’t contact me merely to make threats. Tell me what you truly want,” Kael replied, his voice cold.
“I enjoy speaking with direct people. I want your Immortal Spirit Liquid—all of it. Once I possess such a substance from the Ascendant Realm, I will no longer need to devour every living creature in this galaxy to advance to the Real Deity Realm.”
The Broodmother spoke of consuming the entire galaxy as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Give me some time. Once I’ve finished dealing with my current affairs, I’ll visit the Insect homeworld and meet you. Would that be acceptable?”
“It would. I have no wish to rush a Grand Alchemist such as yourself. However, you must give me a precise deadline.”
“How about ten thousand years?”
Kael intended to delay her for as long as possible. In the meantime, he could determine whether Astral Mountain’s immense mass could carry the entire human race out of the Blood Jade Galaxy.
“Impossible. I will give you no more than one hundred years. Within that time, you must come to the Insect homeworld and begin refining a continuous supply of Immortal Spirit Liquid for me.”
Kael laughed without humor.
“Once you have enough, won’t your countless spawn also need Immortal Spirit Liquid to reach the Real Deity Realm? Wouldn’t that make me your permanent slave?”
“You misunderstand. I am the Insect Race. Everything else is expendable. Once I leave the Blood Jade Galaxy, I can breed them again in vast numbers. In less than a thousand years, every insect sacrificed here can be replaced.”
The Broodmother’s voice remained rich and pleasant, yet utterly devoid of emotion.
“Fine. One hundred years.”
Kael severed the connection.
He had no idea how the Broodmother had contacted him across such an enormous distance. As the ruler of the Insect Race, she clearly possessed methods beyond his understanding.
Seven days later, Skyfire Planet appeared in the distance.
Kael left the vessel and descended into the Human Oasis, landing with a thunderous impact.
A second stellar teleportation array was under construction within the oasis. Cultivators from the myriad races had been reduced to beasts of burden, transporting an endless stream of materials toward its center.
“Kael? You’re back?”
A figure wreathed in spiritual light flew toward him from the distance.
It was Amir Huang.
“Amir, it’s been many years.” Kael smiled. “Has anything serious happened to humanity on Skyfire Planet while I was away?”