Chapter 1565: Taixia
The journey from the Sinkhole to the Chaos Heavens was long. Although the Celestial Silkworm's blood was potent, even it was bound to deplete with the prolonged use of energy. Yi Yun had already been traveling for three years in the void, and his condition had gotten much worse.
As for the Nine Transformations Celestial Silkworm itself, without being supplemented with Yuan Qi or natural treasures, it had fallen back asleep after spitting out the blob of blood essence.
Yi Yun could sense that the Nine Transformations Celestial Silkworm's vitality was gradually weakening. It worried him greatly. He would inquire Bai Yueyin about the distance left to the Chaos Heavens periodically, but she was unable to confirm their location exactly.
Too much time had passed. The universe was in constant flux and the changes billions of years brought about already made it quite an impressive feat that Bai Yueyin was able to get the general direction.
"Yi Yun, there's an energy fluctuation right in front!" Bai Yueyin said suddenly.
In order to save Yuan Qi, Yi Yun had delegated probing their surroundings to Bai Yueyin. Yi Yun was focused on just going forward and if he encountered danger, he would resist it with his body.
Yi Yun's heart sank. Was danger rearing its head again? His current situation did not allow for anymore misadventures.
"Oh? That looks like a… mining spirit cruiser. The words written are Taixia Ancient Mining! The words are written in human language. They are likely from a human faction."
In the Chaos Heavens, there were a myriad of races. Humans were just one of the many races. The language they used was naturally different from the Sinkhole's.
A mining spirit cruiser?
Yi Yun was taken aback. He never expected to encounter a spirit cruiser. For more than twenty years, he had been floating adrift in the void all alone. He saw no end to it, and he was on his last legs. Finally, he saw traces of life.
"Yi Yun, what do you plan on doing? We should be on a shipping line that border the Celestials' world and the Chaos Heavens. If not, we would not have encountered a spirit cruiser."
Yi Yun hesitated for a moment. In his present situation, he had little combat strength. It was not a wise decision to come into contact with strangers. However, if he were to avoid them, flying into the Chaos Heavens would be extremely dangerous in his current situation. Most importantly, Yi Yun could sense that the Nine Transformations Celestial Silkworm's vitality was weakening and even if he could persist on, the Nine Transformations Celestial Silkworm was likely unable to.
"They are miners. Could they be mining Chaos Crystals?"
"Probably. Spirit cruisers that can travel across the multiverse's void should be powered by Chaos Crystals. Every trip such a cruiser takes expends a great deal of wealth. If they are mining, the only thing that would ensure they gain back their capital are Chaos Crystals.
Chaos Crystals…
Yi Yun was yearning for Chaos Crystals. How nice it would be if some of the ship's Chaos Crystals were given to him…
"They are sending people over." Bai Yueyin warned Yi Yun. Yi Yun did not conceal his presence, so it was only a matter of time before he was discovered.
A white-haired middle-aged man and a green-robed elder flew across space toward Yi Yun.
These two of them had cultivation levels of Royal Sealed Divine Lords. Their Yuan Qi was unfathomable, especially the green-robed elder. His eyes were a ghostly green as though he could see through the souls of people.
"Who are you!?" the white-haired middle-aged man asked. Yi Yun had already learned a few of the languages spoken in the Chaos Heavens from Bai Yueyin on his journey. He naturally understood them.
"I was traveling to the Chaos Heavens with companions but our spirit cruiser was attacked on the way. My companions are either dead or lost. I was lucky to escape alive and has been adrift all this while."
Yi Yun had already thought of an excuse. The ship lines from the Celestials' universe to the Chaos Heavens had spirit cruisers plowing through them frequently. It was not a surprise that one would be attacked.
If he had said that he had come from the Sinkhole, it would have been too astonishing.
"You encountered space pirates?" the green-robed elder asked leisurely. When he spoke, Yi Yun felt that his eyes were like bottomless vortices which seemed to suck him right in.
He felt a jolt and knew that the elder did not believe him. He was using his psyche powers to probe his thoughts.
If Yi Yun was at his full strength, Yi Yun could have easily employed means to fool the green-robed elder's probes. But as he was now, he no longer had that strength.
And at that moment, Yi Yun suddenly felt a pure and cold energy, like the melted waters of an ice mountain, penetrate his soul sea. With this power protecting him, his soul sea turned clear. Regardless of the green-robed elder's psyche probes, he failed to notice anything.
"Thanks…" said Yi Yun via a voice transmission.
He knew that Bai Yueyin had just helped him. Although Bai Yueyin's body had been destroyed, her psyche strength was still at the Godly Monarch level. It was not difficult for her to fool the green-robed elder.
After a fruitless probe, the green-robed elder nodded at the white-haired middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man looked deeply into Yi Yun's eyes and said, "You have little Yuan Qi left in you, and you are probably on your last legs. You can count yourself lucky that you met me. My Taixia Ancient Mining does not harm the innocent, but we do not perform charity for free. I can bring you onboard, but I can't save you at no cost. I require you to sign a contract to work a century for the Taixia Ancient Mining."
A century?
Yi Yun felt depressed hearing that. He had come to the Chaos Heavens for cultivation. He did not have much time. If he sillily entered a faction that did mining and became a miner, how was he to cultivate? He was still in a hurry to return to the Sinkhole.
"Oh? You aren't willing?" Upon noticing Yi Yun's expression, the white-haired middle-aged man frowned. "My Taixia Ancient Mining is quite reputable. Many people wish to enter it, but I'm not willing to accept them. On account of your talent, I'm accepting you on the spot. I'm giving you a great opportunity. If you render meritorious services, you could win status and riches in just a hundred years. I never expected you to be so daft."
The middle-aged man grunted coldly after finishing his piece. He did not believe that Yi Yun was from an illustrious background. If he truly was so important, he would definitely have a mighty figure escorting him on his trip to the Chaos Heavens. The spirit cruiser he took would have been a top-grade treasure. How would space pirates have been able to destroy the ship and kill off his companions? Therefore, he guessed that Yi Yun came from a small sect and had come to the Chaos Heavens for experiential training to seek out opportunities.
However, the Chaos Heavens was extremely cruel. A junior without any background would soon be exploited.
"Alright then." Yi Yun thought about it and agreed for the time being.
Yi Yun was indeed desperately in need to hitch a ride. And most importantly, he needed Chaos Crystals. Therefore, he agreed for the time being. As for the contractual length, be it a century or a millennium, he needed to first regain his strength. Once he regained his peak strength, he could get the other party to change the contract.
"Sign it. I'll make it clear that as you work for our Taixia Ancient Mining, you will encounter all sorts of life-threatening dangers!"
The middle-aged man tapped in the void as a contract appeared in front of Yi Yun.
Yi Yun scanned it and after seeing that there were no problems, he signed it.
As for danger, he had expected it. Mining Chaos Crystals in the multiverse's void was a risky endeavor to begin with. However, the Chaos Heavens was a world more cruel than the Sinkhole. There were too many dangers, not just limited to mining.