High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 449: Chapter 287: Lain Star

This colossal wave was a cosmic tsunami, composed of pure energy, shattered space-time fragments, and chaotic torrents of turbulent Laws.

It surged and crashed in every direction, instantly engulfing the vast regions on either side of the giant’s recent path.

And Li Wen, a mere ”grain of sand” who had just managed to steady himself, was now directly in the path of this devastating wave.

’Dammit!!’

A massive alarm bell blared in Li Wen’s mind!

He didn’t even have time to react before the space-time tsunami, triggered by the giant’s passage, arrived with a destructive aura capable of crushing stars!

BOOM—!!!

The tiny silhouette of light was instantly and utterly swallowed by the boundless, chaotic turbulence of space-time!

The light of the Time Stone flickered wildly, on the verge of shattering.

Torn by this terrifying force, the light of Li Wen’s Primordial Spirit fluctuated violently, flickering in and out of existence as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

He desperately mustered all his strength, but he was no more than a fallen leaf in a raging storm.

Engulfed by the terrifying wave, he was swept helplessly away, drifting into the unknown depths of space-time, far from his original course...

An unknown amount of time passed before the force of the world-destroying tide finally began to subside.

Li Wen was finally able to gather his strength again, struggling to stabilize his silhouette of light amidst the still-raging currents.

However, when he hastily unfurled his Star Map to get his bearings, his heart sank.

Off course! Drastically off course!

Originally, with the help of the Time Stone, he only needed to navigate this river for about a month (in Material Cosmos time) to reach the vicinity of Planet Lain.

But now, the feedback from the Star Map showed that the tidal wave from that unexpected disaster had washed him far away from the main route.

Based on his current position and the flow rate of the River of Time, he would need to spend at least another year of Material Cosmos time to correct his course and reach his destination.

”Sigh...” A silent sigh, filled with helplessness and a wry smile, echoed through the river where only the roar of space-time could be heard.

Li Wen wasn’t particularly concerned about the lost time.

The cosmos was vast, and a year was but the blink of an eye on the path of cultivation.

What truly made his heart tighten was the Time Stone in his hand, which had grown somewhat dimmer.

He could clearly feel that the Time Stone’s internal energy had been drastically depleted while resisting the impact of that terrifying wave.

The originally planned one-month journey would have consumed perhaps only a few percent of its energy.

But now, staying in the River of Time for nearly an extra year... the consumption would likely reach a staggering majority of its power.

This wondrous stone, which allowed him to break the light-speed barrier and undertake ultra-long-distance interstellar voyages, would likely be completely depleted before he could use it for his next long journey.

’Fine. What’s done is done. The only way is forward.’ Li Wen gathered his thoughts, his eyes rekindling with determination.

He adjusted his direction, using the power of his Primordial Spirit as a sail and the Time Stone as an anchor.

Once more, he began his long and arduous trek through the vast, perilous River of Time.

There is no day or night in the River of Time, only the eternal flow of space-time turbulence.

Li Wen was like the loneliest of travelers, navigating with difficulty through the bizarre and ever-changing ”waters.”

He remained constantly vigilant for potential space-time vortexes and traps made of Laws.

As well as for the silhouettes of unknown life forms of various shapes, which also navigated the river and occasionally sped past him.

He constantly corrected his course, resisting the omnipresent tearing forces.

At the same time, in this extreme environment, he silently tempered his Primordial Spirit and deepened his comprehension of the Space-Time Law.

「A year passed in silence.」

「March 24, 248, Galactic Calendar.」

A jolt went through Li Wen’s mind.

The coordinates on the Star Map in his sea of consciousness resonated strongly with a specific space-time node in the River of Time.

’I’m here!’

He focused his will, communicating with the Time Stone in his hand, which had grown quite dim and shrunk by nearly a third.

’Stop!’

BUZZ!

The light of the Time Stone instantly retracted.

The protective shield enveloping Li Wen, which had been warding off the space-time turbulence, abruptly vanished.

The moment the shield disappeared, an immense and irresistible repulsive force pressed in from all sides.

POP—!

The silhouette of light was instantly squeezed out of the River of Time.

The scene before his eyes switched in an instant.

The cold, silent, star-dusted void of the cosmos enveloped him once more.

The exhaustion from his long journey and a slight dizziness from leaving the River of Time washed over him simultaneously.

Li Wen quickly steadied himself, his gaze as sharp as lightning as he scanned the space ahead.

A planet so enormous it was breathtaking hung silently in the depths of the Star Sea, occupying more than half of his field of vision.

Planet Lain!

The core and symbol of the Lain Empire, its volume was hundreds of times greater than that of the Blue Star.

The planet’s surface was not a simple blue or green but presented a magnificent and spectacular sight.

A colossal energy shield, like a translucent, giant bubble shimmering with seven-colored light, gently enveloped the entire planet.

On the shield’s surface, countless arcane runes flickered and flowed like living things.

They emitted powerful and stable energy fluctuations, warding off cosmic rays and potential external threats.

Through the shield, one could see that the planet’s surface had not been completely terraformed.

There were vast continents covered in strange purple vegetation, and immense oceans of various colors, like liquid gemstones, each as large as a small planet.

There were also countless city clusters, forged as if from metal, on a scale that defied imagination.

These cities twinkled with billions of lights, with spires piercing the clouds, aerial traffic networks spanning continents, and massive ecological domes between the urban centers.

They formed an epic panorama, a perfect fusion of futuristic technology and Extraordinary power.

But the most shocking sight was in the planet’s outer space.

An interstellar port, as vast as a mobile continent, floated in orbit. Its structure was as complex as a beehive, with countless aircraft of various shapes buzzing in and out like busy worker bees.

There were streamlined silver shuttles, massive freighters as sturdy as fortresses, and warships bristling with turrets, exuding a grim aura.

There were even strange vessels that resembled living creatures, covered in carapaces and spewing biological energy.

Within Li Wen’s line of sight, not far from him in the void, space rippled like water, and a massive spatial rift silently opened.

A magnificent Starship, entirely dark gold, over dozens of kilometers long, and shaped like a divine bird with unfurled wings, slowly sailed out of the rift.

A faint halo of energy flowed across its hull, glittering brilliantly under the starlight.

It adjusted its course, its tail ejecting an ethereal blue flame that warped space itself.

It headed toward the atmosphere of the magnificent planet below, its target one of the massive interstellar ports.

This was merely the tip of the iceberg of Planet Lain’s daily operations.

Here, the light of civilization was dazzling, and the vastness and prosperity of the cosmos were overwhelming.

After many twists and turns, Li Wen had finally arrived at the first stop on his cosmic journey—Planet Lain.

He withdrew his gaze from the planet’s complex defensive lines.

The True Essence and Primordial Spirit power within Li Wen circulated as he accelerated toward the star that seemed to have existed since antiquity—Planet Lain.

The closer he got, the more he could feel the immense and profound presence of the Lain Empire’s core planet.

The entire planet was not isolated in space; its outer orbital regions were constructed with a heart-stopping, three-dimensional defense line.

Giant energy matrix nodes, visible to the naked eye, were embedded in the void like stars.

They were interconnected, forming the vast shield that covered the planet.

Arcane runes flowed across its surface, emitting a power so oppressive that even a Saint Realm expert would feel suppressed.

Beyond the shield, countless Starships of various shapes and sizes patrolled, their cold metal hulls reflecting a frosty glint under the starlight.

The weapon platforms mounted on some of these Starships were of a precision Li Wen had never seen on the Blue Star or even in the Demon Realm, filled with the deterrent power of unknown high technology.

The entirety of Planet Lain was like a slumbering beast of the starry sky, its fangs and scales fully displayed to the outside world. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Under such formidable defenses, Planet Lain had only six fixed interstellar entry points open to the public.

Located at the planet’s six cardinal directions: front, back, left, right, top, and bottom.

There was no other way to enter the planet.

Li Wen adjusted his course and slowly approached the nearest entrance, located roughly above the planet’s equator.

Soon, he landed on a massive, silver-gray platform floating in space at the entrance.

The platform was as vast as a small continent.

All sorts of spaceships and Starships were docked on the platform, forming a miniature spaceport.

Some ships had sleek lines, like works of art; others were massive and menacing, bristling with cannons, exuding power.

Still others had peculiar designs, bearing the distinct marks of different civilizations.

They rested silently in their berths like dormant steel behemoths.

Li Wen’s gaze swept over these vessels.

A thought stirred in his mind, and he recalled Ancestral Master Chang Jia’s explanation of the Time Stone.

Indeed, a spaceship or Starship equipped with a Time Stone could theoretically traverse the River of Time.

But the energy consumption was enough to deter the vast majority of factions and individuals.

The energy a single person needed to travel was already substantial.

To carry a massive spaceship and all the mass within it through such a jump, the energy consumption would skyrocket exponentially, making it an extreme luxury.

Therefore, unless it was for an extremely important strategic relocation or for the super-rich, few would be so extravagant.

However, the advantage of a spaceship lay in its ability to traverse the void for extended periods.

Depending on the ship’s class and engine performance,

its speed in the void could range from one to hundreds or even thousands of times the speed of light.

Legends even spoke of speeds tens of thousands of times the speed of light, far exceeding the conventional flight speed of an individual Cultivator.

For transporting goods and personnel within a star system, and for Cultivators who had not comprehended the Time Law and could not afford the cost of a Time Stone, spaceships were undoubtedly the most economical and practical choice.

At that moment, Li Wen saw the hatches of many docked ships open, with various humanoid species filing out.

The scene before him was like a living tapestry of cosmic races.