I looked at the giant floating metal orbs in the distance. Their surface was reflective, which made looking at them a blinding experience. I had to squint to view the floating spheres in the distance, just casually drifting along. I heard movement behind me and saw Yang Heng slowly waking up. I had left the door open between the cockpit and the cabin. “Good morning senior,” I said politely. He shook himself and then came to the cockpit looking out in the distance. “We should leave,” he replied. “May I ask why?” It took a while to get here, over seventy days. “The Shielding Spheres are an enemy of the Heavenly Alliance.” “Aren’t all other super organizations enemies?” I asked. “Yes. But we have come into conflict in my life time. They will not trade anything useful,” he said. “What are they” I asked. “Massive bio-organic constructs. Each of those giant reflective spheres are their bodies.” “It is clearly repelling things from coming towards it. While gravity and other such physical concepts are not as strict, they still hold some value. It is too unnatural and the presence of energy is also suspicious.” “I haven’t seen any structures, while going around it.” “Not on the surface, but they could have hidden things. Look there,” Yang Heng pointed out a spot and I stared closely. “That rock formation is too orderly compared to its surroundings. An access point to whatever is hiding down there. I could do with stretching my legs.” “Set us down and explore?” I asked. “If there was a threat, I would have sensed something. Most likely it is a trash heap from some leftover civilization. Most likely everything is dead inside, but if not, well it is good experience.” “What if they have a lot of technology?” I asked. “While no rule is absolute, they aren’t hailing, and did they answer any of your hails?” Yang Heng asked me. I shook my head. I had already tried that. “Then that shows they are even more backwards than even the Ek.” “Alright, I will follow your lead,” I replied since Yang Heng was the superior fighter. “The main concern is any automatons that these beings might have left behind. But such things are easily countered. I have more than enough saved up energy to handle any threat,” he replied. I set the hover craft down where he directed me to. I then put on a mask and suit. Yang Heng didn’t put on anything. We then left the hover craft togeather. He told me not to worry about it as he easily located a cave entrance and then a large metal door. “There is nothing I can detect near us that is a threat.” “Wouldn’t it be smart for some powerful faction to use a place as a trap?” I asked. “If they were powerful enough to hide from my senses, they wouldn’t bother with such a thing. The risk is too high that some powerful person wandering about like myself will come across whatever is here and take a look. Also, this is basic steel, utter trash.” He thrust out his hands and easily created a hole through the massive metal door. He stepped through and I followed after him. Flicking his hand, a glowing orb appeared and began to hover over his head. While we could both see in the dark thanks to our cultivation, it wasn’t easy, at least for me. The light would help quite a bit. Yang Heng ripped open several more doors as we advanced deep into whatever structure was down here. “No corpses, no atmosphere either. Just a straight tunnel.” “This entire place is dead. Give me a moment.” Yang Heng held up a hand and I felt a large pulse of energy. “The tunnel goes for some ways and then there is a very deep underground base. Once the energy source is removed, that is keeping this chunk of rock stable, it will all collapse.” “So, nothing valuable,” I replied. “Only the energy source. I am going to move us,” Yang Heng said and moved behind me. He then put a hand on my shoulder. “Breathe out.” I did as he told me and then everything moved around us. I felt sick as we came to a stop. “That was horrible,” I replied. “A high level movement technique. One Step Across The Heavens. The sickness you feel isn’t from the technique, but the new spatial conditions in the area. Come, we aren’t that far from the energy source.” I followed Yang Heng through triangle shaped corridors. “How is there gravity?” I asked. “That is my doing. I am enforcing the spatial rules I prefer onto the environment around me. A useful technique for going anywhere in any condition.” That really was useful. There were markings on the walls I couldn’t read. “Anyone ever try to get information about these civilizations?” I ask. “There is no point. They come, they go, they matter not. Only if you are at the level of a super-organization is it worth remembering your name and deeds. Anything below that is just a waste of time and thought,” Yang Heng answered. It just seemed weird not to care about history. But I suppose when your history is forever, you learn to not care about the things that don’t matter to you. He easily burst through a metal door. A hologram appeared of a tentacle like creature. “Quish ha, pa-“ Yang Heng swiped his hand through the air and whatever was projecting the hologram burned out instantly. He didn’t even care about these beings’ last message for whomever found their tomb. After a couple more doorways, we entered a massive space that was so big, it was hard to see the other side. There was a massive cylindrical complex at the center of the space. I could see various openings in the rock all around the edge of the area we just entered. There was a dampness to the air. “This was probably all underwater at one time,” I said. “Liquids don’t do well in the Mechanical Layer. Not in a space this large. But there is an atmosphere,” he replied as I followed him. “Weird physics things happen, for why the atmosphere doesn’t drain out?” I asked. “Yes. That massive structure is an overly complicated energy compressor. The idea is to use some energy to draw in more energy.” “So, a way to a lower layer?” I asked. “That entire facility draws less than one thousandth of the energy you are currently drawing right now. Its just been sitting for ages, slowly building up an accumulation of energy. Eventually it would either shut down and this place would break apart, or keep building up over time and this place would suffer a massive failure. That’s also when all the nearby bottom feeding factions would descend on this place to try and scoop the energy here.” “Its too small,” I replied. “Exactly. If reaching the Firmament was that easy everyone would do so.” “Can’t we copy the design, and build multiple of these structures?” I asked. “And that is how you get a visitor coming up from the Firmament when the local energy is going down and they detect something . And if you spread them out, well you will be vulnerable. And if you are strong enough to defend a large swath of territory in the Mechanical Layer, you have the strength to carve out a chunk of territory in the Firmament,” he replied. “So you would go to the Firmament, but keep outposts up here to keep an eye on things, to make sure no other super organization moved into the area,” I replied. “Exactly. If you want energy, the Mechanical Layer is just too poor. And if you depend on technology, then you won’t care about energy. But no one only cares about technology who exists on this layer. That might be one of the few absolutes. I have yet to see or hear of any faction that discards energy to focus solely on technological development. If one has, they were most likely wiped out pretty quickly.” “The amount of energy is quite large from what I can sense. What are you going to do with it?” I asked. “I am going to make it into a crystal and give it to you. I can tell you are surprised, but if there is any hope of you advancing, then you need energy to nourish your body. For someone like me, it is nothing but a credit lying on the ground. Normally not worth my time picking up.” “Thank you, senior,” I quickly said. I was surprised that Yang Heng was being so generous. “A cultivator who has made it as far as you is a treasure. While you might not agree with the Heavenly Alliance, you will return to the Forever City one day. Once you have become an immortal, explored, and have lost interest in most other things. Then the Forever City will become that much stronger. Even if you don’t return and want to chart your own path, you are a cultivator that has stepped on the chosen path all on your own. That is incredibly rare. To learn of a fifth person who has gone as far as you is important to the Heavenly Alliance.” “That seems weird if I am already on a path they know,” I replied. “While the path might be the same, your method of getting as far as you have is what is valuable. While you have explained your cultivation choices, my seniors would like to take a look at you. Each time someone has walked down the path the Heavenly Alliance has created and not part of the Heavenly Alliance has added to our understanding of cultivation to refine our insights. Knowledge like that is what is valued at the higher levels,” he explained. “Which is why you haven’t killed me,” I answered and he chuckled. “You are hopelessly naïve, but you have a strong will. No one has dared ask me questions in a long time. And while I could chart my own course, as long as I am not stuck on a garbage barge, then I don’t mind. This could be considered a vacation from my duties,” Yang Heng replied. “I am afraid to ask, but how high up are you in the Heavenly Alliance?” I asked. I realized I was dealing with a big shot. I had thought I was dealing with some minor officer. But Yang Heng was higher up than I had first thought. I had no idea about the structure of the Heavenly Alliance, but he wasn’t at the bottom, that much was clear. “High enough. No need to say such things where they might be overheard. While talent in Divination is rare, it is never wise to take chances. This should be close enough.” He brought up both of his hands and held them out. I felt the energy inside the large cylinder building in front of us shake. The entire ball of rock was shaking. Dust and debris was falling from the ceiling. “Compress.” Yang Heng didn’t speak as he unleashed a burst of energy. The building in front of us began folding in on itself. The shaking got worse. Soon there was a ball of metal floating between the top and bottom of the broken cylinder building. Yang Heng gestured towards himself with one hand. A dark brown crystal ripped free from the large ball of metal, which Yang Heng stopped Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today! “Here, that should help,” he handed me the crystal. There was a lot of energy in that crystal. “What about their technology?” I asked. Yang Heng shook his head. “Trash and garbage. Any technology advanced enough to be useful, tends to be too dangerous to safely use. Brace yourself, I will return us to the hover craft,” he said before moving quickly behind me. Everything spun and my stomach heaved as we arrived back next to the hover craft in a blur. We entered the hover craft and I removed my gear before setting off once again. The hover craft shuddered a bit after a minute, and I turned it around to look back. The massive planet was ripping itself apart. Yang Heng looked over my shoulder. “That massive planet breaking apart?” I asked as it compressed in certain spots and exploded in others. It was less breaking, and more violently tearing.