Chapter 224: Abyssal Platelets

Even when a mountain looked close, a horse could run itself to death trying to reach it. Similarly, the oasis looked close, but in reality, it was still far away. The spacecraft had to sail through the Abyss for more than half a day before it finally neared the oasis.

The oasis covered an area roughly equivalent to seven or eight football fields. It was incredibly beautiful, exuding a sense of peaceful tranquility when viewed from afar. The gently swaying grass, the crystal-blue lake at its center, and the lone tree standing at the water's edge all gave people a lazy, drowsy feeling, making them want to lie down and fall asleep.

As the spacecraft approached the oasis, Yu Xian, Little Nora, and Little Huang Quan stood up and gazed at it, wishing they could throw themselves into it immediately.

Little Nora opened his mouth wide and let out a huge yawn before muttering to himself, "I really want to sleep."

Little Huang Quan's eyes were already heavy with sleep. She clenched her fists as though she would fall asleep at any moment. "Mom... Big Bro... I'm so sleepy..."

Yu Xian had comparatively stronger mental strength. Although he too felt drowsy, his earlier alertness allowed him to say, with some trouble, "Xiao Du... get away from... the oasis. Hurry... go!"

The sleepiness had come far too suddenly. It had silently invaded their bodies without the slightest warning, and by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.

Fortunately, the spacecraft's artificial intelligence was a "dumb AI." As soon as Xiao Du received Yu Xian's command, it steered the spacecraft away from the oasis. The moment the spacecraft changed course, however, the previously peaceful and tranquil oasis sprouted a human face. The razor-sharp blades of grass rapidly lengthened, stretching outward like seaweed and trying to seize the fleeing spacecraft.

Inside the spacecraft, Yu Xian, Little Nora, and Little Huang Quan had already collapsed onto the floor, fast asleep. Xiao Du continuously accelerated the spacecraft while manipulating the spatial thrusters on both sides, weaving left and right to evade the attacking grass. Only after traveling tens of thousands of kilometers did the spacecraft finally escape the grass's pursuit.

Xiao Du adjusted the spacecraft's course, circled the region occupied by the oasis, and continued toward Crescent Bay.

Yu Xian had a good night's sleep and drifted into a dream. In the dream, he happily ran across a grassland, but the surrounding blades of grass suddenly surged upward, their razor-sharp tips piercing deep into him. At that moment, he wasn't the vampire; these tiny blades of grass were. They drained him dry, after which the grassland split open into a gaping maw, swallowing his withered corpse whole in a single gulp.

Yu Xian's eyes snapped open, and he abruptly sat up from the floor. "No!"

The first thing he saw was Little Huang Quan asleep with her head resting against the side of a chair. Then he spotted Little Nora wedged between a chair and the table, head on the floor and butt sticking up in the air. Only then did Yu Xian gradually come back to his senses.

He rubbed his face. Was that a prophetic dream or an after-the-fact dream?

Once he came back to his senses, he hurriedly looked toward Eternal Purity, who was sitting not far away.

Eternal Purity already knew what he wanted to ask. "Those are Abyssal Platelets. After mutating, they fuse with certain plants. Any living creature that enters them will be completely devoured"

Yu Xian picked up Little Huang Quan and placed her on a chair, then did the same with Little Nora. Only then did he sit down and let out a long breath.

Yu Xian wondered to himself. "Platelets? Could the Abyss really be a living creature?"

He did not ask Eternal Purity, because he had already asked similar questions before. Eternal Purity had merely smiled without saying anything, clearly having no intention of answering him.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Auntie, are there many of these Abyssal Platelets?"

"A lot. And they move randomly throughout the Abyss, so even with an artificial intelligence assisting with navigation, it's still best to have someone keeping watch in the cockpit."

Yu Xian compared this with the memories of Feilichi and the others. Unfortunately, nothing in them indicated anything about Abyssal Platelets. However, when they had learned how to pilot a spacecraft, they were told to have at least one pilot on watch in the cockpit at all times. The dangers of the Abyss seemed as though they did not exist when one had yet to encounter them, but once someone did, they were often fatal.

This time, Yu Xian was genuinely shaken. Fortunately, the spacecraft had an artificial intelligence, and it had faithfully carried out his command. Otherwise, he, Little Nora, and Little Huang Quan would have been done for.

He became fully alert and carefully observed their surroundings through the screens. The spacecraft's barrier could not block every attack with absolute certainty. When they got too close to an Abyssal Platelet, its power could seep into the spacecraft. He was responsible for the lives of Little Nora and Little Huang Quan, so he could not afford to be careless again. Fortunately, the rest of the journey passed without any real danger despite a few scares.

When the spacecraft detected the first spatially stable region, Yu Xian also discovered the wreckage of a spacecraft drifting not far from it, with several corpses floating among the debris. Under the Abyss's influence, these corpses had already begun to mutate.

Some had heads covered in densely packed eyes. Others had swollen abdomens bulging with countless blood vessels. There was even a female corpse whose entire body had become covered in thick black hair, and those black hairs were writhing on their own.

Fortunately, the spacecraft was far enough away from the corpses, so they did not latch onto it. Even so, this made Yu Xian realize that the dangers within the Abyss did not come from the Abyss itself alone. The spacecraft traveling through it could be just as dangerous.

The wreckage was clearly the work of another spacecraft. From the traces left behind, it was even possible to determine that the attacking spacecraft possessed extremely powerful firepower.

When Yu Xian looked at the gruesome state of the dead displayed on the spacecraft's screen, a bold idea popped into his mind. I can put off reforging the Dragon Shield for now. Maybe I should try building a Star Divine Artifact spacecraft!

Although the materials needed to create a Star Divine Artifact were extremely difficult to gather and he had only obtained Dragonblood Iron and the dragon scales of an Ancient Cosmic Dragon until now, the Abyss was endlessly vast. He refused to believe he could not eventually gather enough materials to forge a spacecraft into a Star Divine Artifact.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to ask Eternal Purity. "Auntie, has anyone ever tried turning a Star Divine Artifact into a spacecraft or warship?"

Eternal Purity smiled. "Of course. You're not the first person to have that idea. However, very few have succeeded, because the larger a Star Divine Artifact is, the more materials it requires, and it also needs to absorb an equivalent amount of mental energy. Do you think your mental energy is sufficient to forge an enormous spacecraft?"

Yu Xian instantly deflated. "Definitely not."

Eternal Purity smiled. "And a Star Divine Artifact can only store 100 units of energy. That means if a Star Divine Artifact is too large, there will inevitably be many areas where the energy is insufficient or spread too thin, which makes them easy targets for enemy attacks."

Yu Xian snapped back to his senses. "What about a Void Divine Artifact?"

Beyond Star Divine Artifacts were the even more powerful Void Divine Artifacts. A Void Divine Artifact could store 10,000 points of energy, which should be enough to support a massive spacecraft.

Eternal Purity chuckled. "That's still far too distant for you."

Yu Xian immediately felt embarrassed. His Power was only a little over 100, and even with Little Nora and Little Huang Quan working together with him, he could only raise it to a little over 200. Void rank was far beyond his reach.

However, after witnessing the many dangers of the Abyss, he was now more motivated than ever to grow stronger. Once they reached Crescent Bay, he would forge his first Star Divine Artifact.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Yu Xian found himself looking forward to the upcoming trip to Crescent Bay more and more.