Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 354 There is a sky outside the sky
Huangfu Yi opened his eyes and found himself still hanging, but not in the demoness's stone chamber. The jade walls and white walls had instantly turned into steel alloys, and the chamber was ten feet square, like an airtight iron box. The dim, cold light inside resembled a green will-o'-the-wisp, as dim as candlelight. What was binding him was no longer silk ribbons or fairy silk, but rather a bunch of metal tentacles, some with long iron pincers, others with steel needles, like the strings that pulled a puppet, deeply embedded in his spinal cord and bones, firmly binding him and continuously injecting some kind of liquid into his body.

It is a wreck repair pod.

What is a wreck repair pod?
For a moment, Huangfuyi's consciousness was in chaos. His mind was filled with flashes of light and shadow, like a revolving lantern. It was as if a cold wind was howling in his ears, and countless demons and ghosts were whispering and howling in his mind. In an instant, countless words, images, memories, and common sense rose from the depths of his mind, as if he had been given a divine infusion, and another person's soul had been injected into him. For a moment, he could not tell whether he had just been dreaming or was dreaming now.

"Heh heh, another newcomer has arrived."

Hearing voices suddenly, Huangfu Yi looked up and saw that the white wall where the catfish had been was now open from both sides like an iron gate. A figure fully armored, wearing a round helmet, with his face obscured by a mirror-like reflective glass, making it impossible to discern his features, and carrying a steel rod, entered the iron chamber to repair the treasure. He pointed at Huangfu Yi with the steel rod in one hand and gestured in the air with the other.

As a result, the steel clamps, iron arms, and metal pipes binding Huangfu Yi's body fell off and were released, allowing him to be lowered to the ground from mid-air.

"Thank you so much, senior, for saving me..."

Huangfu Yi knelt on one knee, subconsciously thanking them while looking at his body in confusion.

It was indeed his own body; his well-honed muscles were still there, yet something seemed slightly different. He could no longer feel the surging true qi in his dantian and lungs. The qi points that had been sealed off by the demoness's fingers were now filled with round holes. These holes were inlaid with some strange material that was neither jade nor iron. The ropes and cables from earlier were inserted into these round holes.

The War Skeleton neural interface... So what exactly is a War Skeleton?
"Hey kid, still confused? Don't get me wrong, it wasn't me who saved you."

Look at your body, then look around you. If you still don't understand, this place is no longer the realm of Tai Chi.

"No... Tai Chi Realm..."

Huangfu Yi stared blankly at the bizarre machines around him, trying to stretch his limbs, but he was still somewhat weak. Just as he was about to stand up, mechanical tentacles suddenly extended from the surrounding area, inserting pieces of steel armor, like building blocks, into the holes in his acupoints. In the blink of an eye, he was assembled into an armored monster exactly like the predecessor before him. The stinging pain, like needles and knives being inserted into his body, and the electric shocks piercing his entire body with each piece of armor inserted served as a constant reminder to the young man.

Wake up, this isn't a dream.

"Hmm, you're pretty calm, not too bad. Some people come in all loud and hysterical, I usually just shoot those idiots dead."

Seeing that Huangfu Yi was neither crying nor making a fuss, the alloy monster nodded in satisfaction.

Huangfu Yi could tell that the other party seemed to have no ill intentions, or at least, no interest in his primordial yang, so he clasped his hands and asked,

"I am Bai Yi, but I do not know where this place is. Please teach me, senior."

The man slung the iron bar he was holding over his shoulder.
"Hehe, you're quite polite, not bad, not bad. It's okay to be a newbie, as long as you're humble, obedient and follow instructions."

But I must ask you first, young man, have you ever paid homage to the Three Venerables? Which side are you aligned with? What are your abilities? Do you even know about the Thirty-Three Heavens beyond the heavens?

Huangfu Yi hesitated for a moment. After all, the three major sects of the Taiji Realm were vying for supremacy and mutually condemned each other as demonic, their hatred running deep. A wrong answer could mean certain death. However, as a mere body cultivator, he was already a fish on a chopping board wherever he went, and now he was completely powerless. Since he was powerless to struggle, he simply told the truth.

"This young man is a border guard from Lingwu Town, and he practices his family's Gangquan (罡拳, a type of martial art). He can draw a sixteen-strength bow, and as for the Thirty-Three Heavens beyond..."

Could it be that you're referring to something like a divine relic, a blessed land, or a secret realm of spiritual communication?

The man nodded.
"That's a fairly accurate understanding, but this world is much larger than any blessed land or grotto-heaven. In short, it's somewhere outside the Thirty-Three Heavens."

As for us cultivators of the Taiji Realm, we were all captured by powerful beings from the Outer Heavens using the Soul Transfer Technique and thrown into local puppets, where we were refined into things like Yellow Turban Warriors or Blood Demon Puppets.

"Well, in your celestial palace's parlance, it's roughly similar to the ritual of spirit writing, summoning deities to possess you, guiding star officials down to the mortal realm, and having spirit officials and heavenly kings protect you. Of course, this time you're the deity."

"The method of summoning spirits... then these are... living people?"

Huangfu Yi had naturally heard of the Immortal Palace's Divine Immortal Path, which possessed the Divine Strike Technique. This technique allowed one to summon the Star Spirit Official to possess one's body, not only gaining the assistance of the Heavenly Official and greatly increasing one's power, but also being protected by the divine spirit to resist the evil attacks of the Demonic Sect's Primordial Spirit Magic.

At this moment, he realized that this was probably not the Tai Chi World anymore, but he couldn't help but look down at his own body.

By this time, the surrounding mechanical tentacles had completed their assembly, perfectly fitting and covering his entire body to form a seamless alloy armor. He was momentarily stunned by this unprecedented level of craftsmanship. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder, had he truly possessed someone else's body? The tactile sensations, size, and dimensions of this body were clearly identical to his original one. How was this possible…?

"None of that matters. Just remember that they spent a lot of time and effort on this, and they didn't invite you over for drinks and a chat."

The man pointed to the outside of the metal box.
"This outer heaven is also in the midst of chaos and bloodshed. Those extraterrestrial demons are fighting so fiercely that the sky darkens and countless people die. They've long been bloodthirsty. Now that they've invited us, these divine soldiers, down here, they're naturally here to fight."

Huangfu Yi was taken aback.
"Defend the Super Pidgin?"

Then the iron tentacles extended and placed a helmet exactly like the one on Huangfuyi's head.

"Not bad, not bad. It seems you're gradually remembering the mission given to you by the Celestial Supreme."

The man raised his hand and pointed in the air. A red light flashed before Huangfu Yi's eyes, and like a magical illusion, a huge, honeycomb-like steel city appeared.

"This super pidgin is a city of extraterrestrial demons, which is currently being invaded by hostile demons. There's not much to say. We just need to fight and kill those extraterrestrial demons. Anyway, even if you die in this world, your soul will just return to the Taiji World, like a fleeting dream, a business with no cost."

Of course, if you can avoid dying, then do so. If you die, you'll probably never be able to come back again. But as long as you can fight on and survive, you can be invited back indefinitely. Each time you descend, your primordial spirit's power will be greatly enhanced, like cultivating in a dream or experiencing a secret realm. It's an excellent opportunity for immortal cultivation, a rare chance indeed.

"Such vast and wondrous powers exist; the world is truly awe-inspiring..."

Huangfu Yi was shocked once again.

"Alright, alright, stop making a fuss. Just kill all those monsters marked in blue on the screen and repel their invasion, and we'll win."

The man tossed one of the steel bars or iron rods to Huangfu Yi.
"This thing is the weapon of the Heavenly Demons of this realm. It works like a crossbow; you can kill the enemy simply by aiming and firing."

Huangfu Yi looked at the steel bar, and a flash of red light appeared before his eyes.

Meteor-7, plasma pulse burst precision calibration rifle, multi-stage coil tungsten alloy projectile rapid-fire railgun, helium-3 charged plasma pulse acceleration cannon, hafnium-178 non-nuclear decay gamma-ray projectile, human-machine collaborative ballistic calibration biosensor...

What is this thing?
"This is the safety, this is the trigger, this is the magazine. Use tungsten projectiles to clear out the grunts, switch to plasma mode to accelerate the penetration of those with electromagnetic shields, and use gamma ray rounds to deal with the heavily armored Colossi. But be careful, each person only gets five gamma ray rounds, and you'll have to buy more when you run out."

It looks like a celestial palace...

The man casually pointed out its usage, and seeing Huangfu Yi momentarily lost in thought, he suddenly let out a strange, lewd laugh.
"This thing is incredibly powerful. If you were to raise your hand and give me a shot, I could take you down in an instant. Don't you want to try?" Huangfu Yi shook his head.
"Senior, there's no need to test me. I have no grudge against you, so why should I attack you?"

"Hehe, just teasing you. This weapon has a spirit and cannot fire at friendly forces marked in red."

"A weapon, or a weapon spirit?"

Huangfu Yi was greatly surprised. This steel bar actually had a spirit?! Unbelievable! This is too advanced! A sense of curiosity arose within him, and he whispered to the steel bar in his hand,
"Senior Spirit of the Artifact? Would you please come out and meet me?"

The man curled his lip.
"You really are from the Celestial Palace, you're such a dullard... Alright, this thing will talk to you when it wants to, don't be scared, just follow me!"

"Well, may I ask how to address you, senior?"

"Stop calling me 'senior,' in wartime, call me Sergeant Major!"

"Yes, Sergeant Major."

Huangfu Yi, after all, was a descendant of a military family and was used to obeying the orders of his superiors. The familiar military order made him feel at ease for a moment. He followed the man out of the iron box and stepped into the battlefield.

Yes, a battlefield.

Explosions, flames, roars—a wasteland ravaged by war, a battlefield both magnificent and terrifying.

Looking up, a sea of ​​burning stars stretched overhead, the dome a tapestry of red and purple, firelight and mushroom clouds mingling, like the gods of the universe unleashing their fury upon each other. Multicolored lights crisscrossed the sky, exploding violently—white, purple, red, blue—as if someone in the heavens were constantly switching lights.

Each flash of divine light was like a thunderbolt, followed by deafening roars that echoed from afar, tearing at the heart and soul. Sharp shrieks, explosions, and booms filled the air, like thunderous war drums weaving together a death knell, pounding against the boy's chest.

"Follow me! Remember to activate the anti-radiation mode!"

When I turned my head, the sergeant major, clad in iron armor, had already leaped three zhang high and darted away like a flea.

Huangfu Yi turned his head and looked around, only to find himself standing in a deep pit, clearly created by the square, iron-box-like war wreck repair pod behind him.

But how high did it fall from to create such a deep crater...?

"Activate... anti-radiation mode."

Huangfu Yi dared not linger. He tried to imitate the sergeant's posture and leaped with all his might. Although he was not yet skilled, the armor seemed to have a spirit accompanying it. It was as light as a feather and could even assist in exerting force. With a little effort, it carried Huangfu Yi out of the pit and brought the entire battlefield into his view.

Huangfu Yi could see a steel jungle-like city built on the riverbank, burning fiercely and shrouded in thick smoke. In the atmosphere filled with smoke and dust, where visibility was almost impossible, floated countless eerie lights, like swarms of fireflies or ghostly lanterns in a graveyard.

In the nearby canal, the reflections of the exploding lights were mirrored, the shimmering water like blood, flashing with the colors of death. Every now and then, smoke and dust swept in like a sandstorm, the rising heat mixed with glittering metal fragments, which were torn to shreds by the shockwaves like pieces of paper flying everywhere, violently scattering for miles, like stars falling to earth, emitting the acrid smell of gunpowder.

The chaotic battlefield was filled with flames, metal, and smoke. Every now and then, enormous steel birds would shriek as they swept low overhead, their tails spewing blue-white flames like meteors piercing the night. They tumbled and circled, and every now and then one of these birds would skim low over the canal, spewing out a ball of scorching light from its belly. In the blink of an eye, the ball of light would fall into the jungle of steel and concrete, exploding into a blinding orange-red fireball upon impact, melting the distant, towering crystal towers into molten iron and reducing them to dust.

Then a deafening roar erupted, the sky collapsed and the earth crumbled, sand and stones cracked, and a giant mushroom cloud rose slowly from the horizon, the scarlet cloud churning, and arcs of electricity roared and danced wildly in the cloud like thunder dragons.

Immediately, the glittering swarm of bees was startled from the steel hive, spreading out like a locust swarm, buzzing and shaking the sky. These steel creations were smaller than birds, flashing with cold red and blue light, and shooting out dark blue beams from their tails. Wherever the beams touched, whether it was an alloy wall or a floating platform, they instantly vaporized or broke.

Huangfu Yi saw the swarm of alloy bees chasing the giant steel bird. Beams of light rained down, the giant bird emitted sparks, and it crashed into the canal at an angle, creating a hundred-meter-high water column. Its debris, like hailstones, slammed into the riverbank, making a piercing impact sound.

And such scenes were playing out every moment, across the entire river and land. The explosions in the sky were like an apocalyptic feast, magnificent yet deadly. White light, purple flames, and red clouds intertwined, each flash stinging his eyes and pressing down on his chest.

Mushroom clouds bloomed one after another, like poisonous mushrooms bursting forth, their flames staining the horizon red. One cloud, particularly enormous, burst open not far from Huangfu Yi, its edges churning with electromagnetic storms, seemingly swallowing the entire sky. The shockwave swept in, causing the bases of the surrounding tombstone-like giant towers to tremble. Dust roared in, instantly blotting out the sun and nearly blowing the boy into the deep pit.

"What are you standing there for! Open fire!"

The sergeant's voice came from beside him, but in the pitch-black sandstorm smoke, Huangfuyi could only barely see faint flashes of light like thunder and lightning.

So he looked in the direction of the lightning and saw only a sea of ​​machinery, a slaughterhouse of steel.

In the concrete streets and steel jungles, every honeycomb-like building is filled with steel monsters engaged in bloody battles and roaring madly.

Eight-legged, spider-like demons, large and small, rumbled across the ruins, while others scrambled over towering structures. Colossal beasts resembling dragon turtles roared amidst the horde, their rotating turrets spewing scorching energy waves that exploded into a distant plasma fireball. The shockwaves overturned floating road signs, and crystalline fragments rained down like a storm of knives.

The four-legged iron beasts and vicious hounds formed a pack, moving swiftly with flashing blue eyes and arcs of lightning shooting from their claws. They ran as fast as the wind, easily slicing through alloy decks. As one iron wolf leaped onto the collapsing building, a flash of light appeared on its claw, and half of the wall collapsed and crumbled, sending dust surging in like a tsunami, once again obscuring the helmet display.

Amidst this endless tide of machinery, there were also many iron-armored divine soldiers identical to Huangfu Yi and the sergeant. These humanoid soldiers, clad in combat armor, darted through the ruins, their armor shimmering with iridescent light. The iron bar divine weapons they wielded emitted pulses of energy, and the purple flames of light arrows shot from their staffs blasted the iron spiders, giant turtles, and wolf packs into dust.

Suddenly, a white light streaked across the sky, and a giant crystal pillar fell from the heavens, like a spear hurled by a god, whistling past Huangfu Yi's head and crashing into the steel jungle behind him.

Immediately following was a deafening roar, the earth shook violently, and an unprecedented mushroom cloud shot into the sky, the purplish-red cloud engulfing the horizon. An electromagnetic storm swept through the entire city, and the nearby tombstone-like high-rise building was completely paralyzed, breaking and collapsing under the sweeping shockwave, crashing straight towards Huangfu Yi!

"Ping!"

The boy, nearly buried under the rubble after being kicked away by the sergeant in a flash, struggled to his feet. Through his blurred vision, he could only see flames flowing between heaven and earth, the glazed tower collapsing with a deafening roar, and countless scattered crystal fragments crashing into the river, sending sprays skyward. Steel behemoths and alloy swarms rained down from the sky in their battle, their debris falling like a black blizzard. The explosions continued unabated, the mushroom cloud like a demon's crown, a grand salute to the end of the world.

The firelight reflected on the dusty mirror and into the boy's eyes, magnificent yet terrifying, like an everlasting scroll of apocalypse.

"This, this is the Outer Heavens..."

The sergeant grabbed him and pulled him up, then raised his hand and fired wildly, unleashing a barrage of lightning.

"Rookie! If you don't keep up, I'll shoot you dead and send you back to Tai Chi!"

Huangfu Yi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, stopped trembling, grabbed his gun, got up, followed the sergeant's steps, and rushed into the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)