Ten thousand I am across the heavens

Dao Tian himself was naturally unaffected by these backdoors. His understanding of them wasn't meaningless; their greatest significance lay in the fact that, when necessary, he could feign being restricted by them, thus concealing his greatest secret. Before the warship departed, there was a final two weeks of rest. He reported his advancement to Level 3 Mechanic almost at the last minute. After successfully advancing to Level 3, his treatment was drastically different. He now had his own private cabin and laboratory on the ship, and access to a large number of sophisticated industrial equipment. These were the rights afforded to mechanics at this level.

A being of their caliber, leading a team of mechanics, is capable of providing logistical support for a war. They can temporarily modify weapons on the battlefield to suit the environment. If we were to draw a game analogy, a level 3 mechanic is like a special tech tree; without level 3 mechanics in the army, many buildings and unit types cannot be constructed. Conversely, having specific level 3 mechanics unlocks corresponding special units and buildings. Each level 3 mechanic has their own unique characteristics.

After Dao Tian completed his advancement, he also showcased his unique talent: humanoid robots, or rather, mechs. His expertise in mech creation was already known before he even reached the level 2 mechanic, so it wasn't unexpected.

His section of the warehouse also began producing special mechs, allowing the warship to unlock special unit types.

With the completion of the warship's final sea trials, it was finally launched and set sail towards the East China Sea, fully loaded with cargo. Upon departure, the ship carried a certain quantity of essential technological items, but even more importantly, it carried local specialty insects, unique extraordinary materials, precious minerals, and even some special agricultural products imbued with spiritual energy.

Because the ship's displacement is large enough, reaching the 5000 million ton level, even without considering the additional supplies that space devices can carry, the cargo this ship can transport is enormous.

The main purpose of this trade was to exchange large quantities of agricultural products, mineral resources, and rare, precious insects for a large amount of technological products. Although these city-states appeared to be highly technologically advanced, belonging to a cyberpunk era, compared to the East Sea where technological diffusion was more severe, this region was actually a remote and impoverished area with a lower level of technology. Traditional cultivators still held a dominant position here, and their acceptance of new things was far less than that of the East Sea. Therefore, they now primarily served as raw material producers and were responsible for foreign trade. As for the prosperity of these cyberpunk cities, they were far greater than many of the more technologically advanced city-states in the East Sea, and the reason was simple: their geographical location.

Almost every city-state is located in an area traversed by a super-powerful river, and these super-cores essentially traverse the five domain boundaries to reach the East Sea. Therefore, by analogy, these super-city-states are essentially equivalent to major coastal port cities on Earth. Monopolizing foreign import and export trade, and with inland resources passing through them, they naturally prosper. The exchange of goods between the two domains is already extremely difficult. Being situated in such a strategically important location, they naturally reap enormous profits from trade.

However, this enormous profit is only relative to sixth or even seventh-level immortals; it is clearly not enough to alarm higher-level powerhouses. Otherwise, these cities would find it difficult to survive on the border.

Dao Tian sat atop the highest point of his cabin, feeling the ground tremble beneath his feet. He turned to look out the window, from where he could see the shore receding into the distance, while the ship drifted downstream. It slowly made its way down this river, hundreds of miles wide. The scene truly evoked the feeling of the 800-mile-long Tongtian River from Journey to the West.

Even though their boat was 3km long and as massive as a floating island, it was still just a lone boat in the face of this enormous super river. As they traveled downstream, the terrain on both banks gradually became steeper and more rugged, with few human footprints.

These places appear even more desolate and remote than they did a few years ago, with large numbers of people unconsciously concentrating in the cities. Fewer and fewer people remain in the countryside and mountains, even in some isolated and impoverished areas. Periodically, people venture into the ravines to abduct people—human trafficking is perfectly normal in such a chaotic world. In fact, compared to true demonic practices, the human trafficking in these city-states is almost benevolent.

Dao Tian gazed at the mountains and forests on the shore and let out a long sigh of relief. After all this turmoil, he had finally embarked on his journey to the East Sea. He had almost forgotten that he was heading there to test the new teleportation system. His mission was indeed crucial. If successful, the Shanhe Republic could bypass the enemy's strongest border defenses and directly teleport its troops into the enemy's inland areas. With enough operatives operating behind enemy lines to establish teleportation channels, the army could flow in continuously. Once they established their base, it would be difficult for anyone in the Five Domains and Two Heavens to stop them.

Just as he was feeling sentimental, he suddenly felt a strange force within him being drawn to him, and for a moment he was a little out of control. When he looked up, he saw that countless black bats had flown out of the distant mountains and forests. They swarmed and blotted out the sky, casting large shadows on the ground, and were flying towards his direction, towards the warship that had left the port less than a day ago.

As the swarm of bats took flight, the water surface was covered with countless sailboats. These sailboats had sails specifically designed for maritime navigation, allowing them to move at considerable speeds across the vast river, easily keeping pace with their large ship.

On the other side of the shore, a large number of powerful individuals, some riding flying swords and others riding rare birds and beasts, emerged and flew towards the warship.

"Prepare for battle! All personnel, assemble immediately. Someone's trying to hijack our ship. This is quite a commotion."

Dao Tian quickly received a call from his colleagues, and all the warehouses sprang into action, with thousands of cannons on the ship spinning rapidly. The fire control system was automatically aiming and locking onto the incoming enemy.

However, observing through the binoculars, these attacking enemies were indeed not simple. Apart from those seemingly righteous beings riding flying swords or ferocious beasts, the rest were all using sophisticated technological equipment to varying degrees. The experts held by bat claws were each carrying sniper rifles comparable to turrets, aiming at the ship from a great distance.

Meanwhile, those sailing ships began probing attacks on the vessels using recoilless rifles and rockets.

However, not everyone uses these seemingly incongruous explosive weapons; true masters have the channels to obtain high-end versions. Among the crimson swarm of bats, a young man in a red robe wields a water-blue longsword. The blade ripples like water as he rides on bats, using them as his sword. He arrives atop the warship first. The flowing blade in his hand instantly transforms into liquid metal, then into a quantum state—more precisely, a Dao-mark state—spreading across hundreds of meters. It becomes a blue mist, and within a few breaths, incredibly complex and dense lines emerge from the mist, eventually forming a semi-transparent giant sword hundreds of meters long. The surface of this giant sword still ripples with water-blue waves, seemingly retaining the properties of liquid metal, capable of decomposing and transforming at any time into any type of attack.

"Good heavens, this guy actually got his hands on some high-grade stuff. The fact that this thing managed to stay outside the Southern Frontier shows that the Shanhe Republic's system isn't perfect; there are always some who can't see through things. But it's unlikely there weren't spies and traitors. This is military-grade stuff. I remember the sword with this batch number should be called Luoshui. If it were in the hands of someone who could unleash its full power, it would be more than capable of taking on a sixth-level immortal. However, although the Dao traces within this guy's body are somewhat organized, they still don't seem very systematic. He probably just cobbled together some techniques and practiced them haphazardly. He can barely control this sword, but he can only unleash less than ten percent of its power. Sigh, a hidden gem. If I had it, I could even hold my own against an immortal. It's a pity I can't carry it with me. The question of where it came from is hard to explain. If I really brought such a powerful weapon from the Shanhe Republic, I'd be surrounded and attacked the moment I pulled it out. Being arrested as a spy would be a real problem."

As Dao Tian was still sighing, he heard the captain's voice resound throughout the entire sky.

"Blood Sea Sword King, you're in a terrible mood. We have no grudges against each other, so there's no need to ruin our relationship on the water. I don't earn much money from this arduous business trip, and the goods I bring back all end up in the city-states. I still have to sell them to you at a low price first. If we fight to the death and end up unable to set sail, and no one gets their goods, what's the point? Why don't we sit down and talk things over? I can offer a toll on behalf of the entire ship, and we can discuss how to divide it among ourselves."

The captain clearly didn't want to fight. Although the ship's firepower was extremely fierce, and in a real battle, even all the men combined might not be a match for it, the ammunition, crew, and mechanics on board were all valuable resources. If any were lost, he would suffer a huge loss on this trip. After all, although he was the captain, it didn't mean the ship belonged to him. His profits were limited to a portion of the import and export trade, plus some personal cargo he brought with him. If it were a full-scale war, the ammunition fired in just one minute would be enough to make him regret it.

"Heh? There's no point in discussing tolls. Brothers, you can't come for nothing, and I won't ask for more than you need; just follow the rules. But there's someone I need to take away. A few days ago, someone murdered a disciple of my sect, ruining our sect's plans built up over several years. They stole the lifeblood of millions of people, and that person is currently on your ship. If you hand him over, everything will be fine. You city-state people have always relied on mechanics for your livelihood; even if you keep that person's lifeblood, you won't be able to use it. Give me that person, and we'll follow the rules. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."

The Blood Sea Sword King's intimidating presence is still considerable. The high-level weapon in his hand is a secret even within city-states; few possess it. While it has been preserved in its possession, the addition of this treasure makes his combat prowess absolutely not to be underestimated.

The captain hadn't expected his ship to cause such a mess. After a moment's thought, he broadcast again, "If it's just bloodlust, then returning it is fine. If you can find the person's location, mark it. If you can't sense it through the warship's shields, then I won't interfere. I can't just remove the shields and let you board and inspect the ship. In that case, we might as well have a proper fight."

Hearing the conversation in the sky, Dao Tian realized that this person was coming for him. He had almost forgotten that he still possessed a blood energy within him. This thing was truly useless to him. Sealing it inside his body took up space. If it weren't to legitimize the source of his strength, he wouldn't have kept this blood energy. He thought that once he entered the city-state's sphere of influence, the righteous and demonic paths wouldn't dare to pursue him, but the ship had barely left port when these people caught wind of it and arrived, and it seemed they had directly dragged out their leader.

He could clearly feel the power within him being affected, becoming restless. Although he could easily suppress it, there was no doubt that his opponent could easily pinpoint his location using this. He couldn't hide it anymore. Fortunately, he was now a Level 3 Mechanic. It wasn't that Level 3 Mechanics were particularly strong in direct combat, but rather that this level of skill was quite valuable within the city-state. Combined with the talent he had previously displayed, if he could demonstrate additional talent in direct combat, the value he could show would be enough for the captain to carefully consider.

So when the enemy began searching the entire ship, he flew out of his cabin on his own, releasing the power of his blood energy, which condensed into a blood-red cloak behind him.

“Captain, don’t let him search anymore. The person he’s looking for is me. It’s time to settle our old scores and put an end to this.” With that, drones flew out of the warehouse. Like armor combining, they extended and reassembled to form a powered exoskeleton. Numerous expansion slots were exposed, showcasing the exoskeleton’s unparalleled expansion potential.

[To be continued]

Please add this to your favorites and vote for it! (End of Chapter)