Chapter Thirteen: The Class-1 Floating Continent Origin-Core Fusion Entity (Please Keep Reading)

Although there were quite a few first-tier Whitewing Clan members, Song Chi hesitated only briefly. In the next moment, the Sky Vault, enveloped in a layer of shadowy black energy shield, suddenly burst out from the debris belt, charging straight toward a large fragment in the hollow area ahead.

With its engine overloaded, the Sky Vault raced at near light speed, almost instantly reaching the central region above the large fragment.

The reason Song Chi chose this landing point was that nearly twenty first-tier Whitewing Clan members were tacitly surrounding this area of the fragment. It was unnecessary to think further—whatever high-tier resource or rare cosmic artifact might be here was most likely distributed around this spot.

Ignoring the Whitewing Clan members who were still stunned and slow to react, Song Chi rapidly scanned the flight pod’s projection screen, while his ears awaited prompts from the intelligent system of the Furious Tiger mining vehicle trailing behind.

“Warning: intense radiation source detected. Radiation level: strong first-tier. Estimated probabilities as follows:
- Third-tier or higher life nucleus (32%)
- Residual nuclear fusion core of a cosmic civilization (48%)
- Level-1 floating continent origin core initial fusion body (95%)”

Glancing quickly past the first two results—since anything below 50% probability is generally unreliable—his eyes fixed on the third item. Song Chi suddenly breathed out in surprise, his heart soaring with joy.

He had never imagined that the entity derived from this large fragment below would be this.

The Level-1 Floating Continent Origin Core Initial Fusion Body, also known as the original form of the Level-1 Floating Continent Origin Core, is the earliest state of a floating continent’s origin core. It is the source from which floating continent origins continuously emerge. Every upgraded cosmic floating continent inevitably contains such a core.

In other words, if neither he nor the group of Whitewing Clan members who happened upon the anomaly had intervened, this origin core would have eventually fully evolved. Over time, this large fragment beneath would have fused with surrounding fragments, ultimately becoming a fully formed cosmic floating continent after a millennium.

But clearly, such an opportunity was no longer available. Even the lowest-grade Level-1 origin core holds an unimaginable allure for most cosmic species.

Not only can it promote the evolutionary advancement of specific lifeforms, but it also belongs to the category of mid-to-high grade cosmic rarities—a perfect material for manufacturing high-tier energy cores.

For mechanical civilizations scattered across the cosmos, this item could fetch astronomical prices, as it could allow an ordinary mechanical being to leap several tiers in strength, providing an almost inexhaustible energy supply.

Of course, this particular origin core beneath was merely the lowest tier Level-1, enough to elevate a mechanical lifeform only to the third tier. Still, for Song Chi, an emerging captain barely awakened and lingering at zero-tier, its value was beyond imagination.

Because he understood the value of this origin core beneath so well, Song Chi’s mind was consumed by a single thought.

“A rare event like this, since it’s happened, I have to give it my all.”

From the Sky Vault’s sudden appearance to Song Chi piecing together all the information seemed to have taken some time, but in reality it was less than ten seconds. Meanwhile, hundreds of Whitewing Clan members below had begun to react, raising their weapons and hurling volleys at the Sky Vault with full force.

Those who had been slaughtering each other moments ago now unified their front, aligning their spears outward toward this unknown flying vessel.

Song Chi’s reflexes were just as swift. Manipulating the control joystick, he deftly dodged most of the incoming projectiles with two precise maneuvers. The Sky Vault then veered sideways and shot straight toward a fissure more than ten meters wide in the large fragment below, vanishing from the Whitewing Clan’s sight.

Inside the crevice, the Sky Vault descended rapidly. By observing the surroundings, Song Chi deduced that the fissure was relatively new—likely formed by the recent violent energy eruption.

The sudden burst of energy likely originated from the Level-1 Floating Continent Origin Core fusion body still evolving deep within the large fragment.

As this origin core had yet to fully form, its internal energy remained unstable, making occasional energy eruptions quite normal.

The hum of the Sky Vault’s shadow energy shield rippled continuously as the pursuing Whitewing Clan members attacked.

No matter how skilled Song Chi was, in such a narrow space, the Sky Vault’s agility could not match the winged Whitewing Clan individuals.

918/990
850/990
766/990
…

The shield’s value dropped visibly fast. Song Chi’s composure faltered, his heartbeat accelerating.

Minutes later, Song Chi spotted good news: as the Sky Vault descended, the number of pursuing Whitewing Clan members noticeably dwindled, until only eighteen first-tier warriors remained.

But he quickly understood the reason—despite no attacks from behind, the shield value continued to decline steadily. Only belatedly did Song Chi realize what was happening.

Clearly, the closer they approached the origin core fusion body at the fissure’s bottom, the stronger the external energy pressure became. His lack of sensation was thanks solely to the shielding of the shadow energy shield.

499/990

With the shield value now under 500 points, Song Chi gritted his teeth and forcefully pressed down the joystick. The Sky Vault suddenly accelerated, streaking downward even faster than before.

He knew he had to reach the origin core fusion body below as quickly as possible. Otherwise, even if he located it later, time would not be sufficient to retrieve it.

Without the first-tier shadow energy shield’s protection, facing energy surges approaching second-tier strength with his current level 4 guidance technique would be nothing short of suicidal.

“I must capture the floating continent origin core into the Sky Vault before the shadow energy shield components overload…”

With this single thought consuming him, Song Chi abandoned all other concerns. Collisions with the fissure walls or sporadic attacks from the remaining Whitewing Clan members no longer factored into his calculations.

Consequently, the Sky Vault’s descent speed nearly doubled again, and correspondingly, the shadow energy shield’s depletion rate accelerated.

Seconds later, under Song Chi’s anxious gaze, the Level-1 Floating Continent Origin Core fusion body finally appeared at the edge of the Sky Vault’s vision.

Instinctively, he pushed the throttle forward once more. From an outside view, the Sky Vault transformed into a streak of light, flashing past and arriving beside the origin core fusion body in an instant.