Chapter 673: Defense Line on the Moon

The presence of Transfer Talismans was suddenly very strong. Back in outer space, there had been no sensation at all.

Wang Ping instinctively looked up, away from the sun’s glare. In the space where darkness and light intertwined, within the Inspiration Realm teeming with countless entangled Spiritual Creatures, a transfer channel was visible. It seemed embedded in space itself, flickering in and out of existence as it stretched into the endless depths of the cosmos.

At set intervals, a Transfer Talisman lay hidden among the countless particles of the dark void, reinforcing the seemingly tenuous channel and making it stable.

“That’s the transfer channel we use for transporting supplies. Rumor has it this channel was established with the assistance of Huishan True Monarch and later perfected by Elder Zhongde. Over fifteen hundred years ago, Elder Yuxiao used this channel to build a supply transit station on the planetoid Pingtu.”

Pang Xu, noticing Wang Ping’s gaze, followed it and quickly explained, “Over six hundred years ago, Xiao Shan Lord spent more than fifty years maintaining this channel. It’s still in fairly good condition. However, a little over thirty years ago, a section of the channel near the planetoid Pingtu was damaged when the traitor Wei Kong passed through during his rebellion. The Alliance has already dispatched two Fellow Daoists from the Taiyan Sect to repair it.”

Wang Ping listened intently.

After Pang Xu finished, Buqiong added, “This channel doesn’t just transport supplies to the front lines; it can also transport combat personnel. It’s a vital piece of our defense against threats from beyond the domain. Otherwise, we’d have to rely on Flying Boats. Currently, our best Flying Boat is the Vajra Temple’s ‘Skysplitter,’ and even at full speed, it would take at least three years to travel from here to the front line.”

“Three years? What’s its speed?”

Wang Ping asked instinctively.

Buqiong thought for a moment. “Roughly a hundred times my own top speed. It’s a Magical Artifact refined by the monks of the Vajra Temple from a special metal created by condensing a Gold Spirit. I’ve heard a Fourth Realm, Gold-attribute True Spirit is sealed within the Flying Boat. During flight, it can leverage the Gold Spirit’s properties to travel through space.”

Ao Hong chuckled. “I’ve heard of it but never seen it. I always figured those old monks were just bragging. To think it’s actually real. Still, if it takes three years even at that speed, then this region of space must be massive!”

Hearing Buqiong, Wang Ping extrapolated from his own top speed and guessed that the Vajra Temple’s ‘Skysplitter’ could likely reach the speed of light. Flying for three years at such a velocity meant this region of space had a diameter of at least six light-years by a conservative estimate—six times larger than the solar system from his past life.

In other words, if Wang Ping were to fly to the front line under his own power, it would take him at least several hundred years!

“How big is this region of space?”

Yu Lian asked curiously.

Wang Ping thought for a moment before saying, “It would take me around three hundred years to fly from here to the front line!”

“…”

A rare look of shock crossed Yu Lian’s face. She probably couldn’t even imagine such a vast distance.

Pang Xu smiled. “We should be grateful this region of space is so vast. Otherwise, the Zhongzhou Continent would have been overwhelmed long ago. The blockade at the front isn’t airtight against the beings from beyond the domain. The true barrier is the sheer expanse of space itself. It’s what buys us enough time to confront our enemies.”

“He’s not wrong!”

Buqiong nodded in agreement, then invited Wang Ping and Ao Hong to pass through the Ecological Zone’s Barrier Formation and enter the town.

As they entered the town, the immense external gravity vanished in an instant. The particulate matter in the air was no different from that in Zhongzhou, meaning even ordinary people could live here.

The town was quiet, with no shops or restaurants. Everything ran on a system of rations. The population included not only interned Star Gods but also many Qi Cultivators. They were all criminals wanted by the Daoist Palace—a mix of the Demon Race and humans, numbering around a thousand. Their sole purpose here was to serve as manual labor.

The town was split into two districts. The east was where the laborers lived, while the west was a zone for Cultivators to meditate and practice their Qi Cultivation. The two districts were divided by a main street. At the far end of this street, near the edge of the rear Ecological Zone, stood a three-story building.

Most of the Qi Cultivators in the eastern district were firing clay bricks to repair the damaged monitoring tower to the north. A smaller number were maintaining the town’s Arrays.

“Three days ago, some beings from beyond the domain wandered this way. The northern monitoring tower was destroyed in the ensuing fight,” Pang Xu explained. “I’ve already written the report and was just about to send it back to the Zhongzhou Continent.”

Just as he finished speaking, a cheer erupted from the West City District.

Yu Lian, perched on Wang Ping’s shoulder, instinctively pressed her body against his cheek. Already on high alert, both Wang Ping and Ao Hong subconsciously scanned the area with their Primordial Spirits.

Buqiong smiled. “When the men here get bored, they’ll raise some feisty hounds for dogfighting. We also have dedicated Go clubs and poetry societies. From the sound of that cheer, it must be a dogfight!”

Just as Buqiong said, in the center of the western district lay a small plaza with a fighting pit at its heart. Two blood-soaked hounds were tearing into each other, drawing excited shouts from the nearby Cultivators.

“There’s too little entertainment out here. True Monarch Yuan Wu gave special approval for this particular activity.”

Pang Xu added in a whisper. This was outer space, after all; the cost of transporting a single hound was dozens of times greater than the price of the animal itself.

Ao Hong looked at Pang Xu and smiled. “No need to explain. I think it’s a fine thing. At least it gives them an outlet for their darker impulses. Besides, I enjoy this sort of thing myself. The Southeast Sea Region has many large fighting pits. Everyone from common street vendors to high-ranking nobles goes to watch.”

By now, they had reached the center of town, where they had already been noticed. Unlike the Cultivators back in Zhongzhou, who would have been terrified, the people here reacted differently. Most of the Qi Cultivators in the eastern district wore numb expressions, while those in the western district sized them up openly. If Wang Ping or Ao Hong met their gaze, they would offer a humble, clasped-fist salute, showing no fear.

Before they knew it, the group had arrived at the center of town. Buqiong said, “According to inspection protocol, we should first visit the Daoist Palace garrison to review the station logs. Then, we need to inspect the Luring Array, communications relay, monitoring towers, and other structures for regular maintenance. Finally, we must check every member’s memories and soul for any signs of contamination.”

Wang Ping gave a noncommittal nod. Ao Hong, however, seemed more interested in the town’s Gathering Spirit Arrays, which purified the Spiritual Qi contaminated by the Spiritual Creatures of outer space and funneled it into the Ecological Zone.

“This way, please!”

Arriving before the three-story building at the end of the street, Pang Xu, their guide, hurried ahead to the main entrance and gestured respectfully for Wang Ping and Ao Hong to enter.

Wang Ping was about to step through the doorway when he abruptly stopped and looked up at the plaque above the entrance.

The plaque bore three large words: Daoist Scripture Hall!

“I told you to replace this the last time I was here. All this time has passed, and you still haven’t done it!”

Buqiong interjected.

Wang Ping didn’t think anything of it. He just smiled, unconcerned, and followed Ao Hong, who was also chuckling, into the main hall.

The main hall was vast and windowless, its walls forged from hard metal. This was the core nexus connecting all of the town’s Arrays, and a large Spirit Gathering Array was situated in the center.

It was an ordinary Spirit Gathering Array; Wang Ping understood its workings with a single sweep of his Primordial Spirit. What surprised him was that the purification array within it had been set up by the True Yang Sect. Its purification principle was simple: directly incinerate the contaminated Spiritual Qi with a primitive, brute-force burning.

That explained why the place was so incredibly hot.