Chapter 146: Earth Civilization in the Midst of Great Development (Part One)

"In other words, the current world has completely entered the era of scripted plots. The spiritual energy level has recovered, but the upper limit of the cultivation path has been restricted. Can a Tier 4 world consciousness really achieve this, or am I just too weak?"

After listening to Li Qingmeng's explanation, Sun Meng instructed her to contact Liang Zhongshu regarding the management of spies infiltrating the interior of the Liao Dynasty, while he himself entered a state of seclusion.

Previously, Lin Chong had had some contact with that starry-sky stele and had managed to perceive the stellar rhythm within it. He gained considerable insights, but looking at it now, everything still seemed shrouded in mist and confusion.

He felt as though the next step in cultivation methods was right before his eyes, yet he could never find the path forward. It was truly frustrating!

"Lord."

"Hmm? Oh, Yueying! What brings you here?" Sun Meng suddenly reacted and asked.

"By now, the spiritual veins of the entire Han Dynasty have been interconnected. I have guided three dragon veins to infuse into the Han dragon vein, and I also found a semi-finished Yellow Sky dragon vein and sacrificed it to the Han dragon vein. However, correspondingly, the grassland dragon veins have all converged into the dragon vein of the Northern Xiongnu remnants. Now, these two dragon veins are about to enter a great battle."

Yueying glanced at the Southern Celestial Immortal and the other two, who had now been reduced to the state of earth spirits. If not for their genuine willingness to sacrifice so much, things might not have progressed this quickly.

Sun Meng was surprised. "How long has it been? You guys move so fast! Does that mean once we defeat the Xiongnu and devour their dragon vein, the Han dragon vein will be able to evolve into a world dragon vein and manifest the civilization core? Are you confident?"

Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion had just ended and many later heroes were beginning to emerge, there was still a bloated fool currently occupying the position of General-in-Chief, constantly scheming to have his nephew ascend the throne so he could become a powerful minister akin to Huo Guang. If that kind of fellow were truly allowed to command the grand army, who knew what kind of mess it would turn into! By then, let alone elevating the world tier, it would be a blessing if the realm didn't fall back into spiritual energy dispersion once again!

"There is still a good chance of success. After all, those talented individuals mentioned by the lord have already begun to make their mark. Under the blessing of the dragon vein's fortune, the emperor's health has also improved. Facing the Xiongnu, he has widely appointed these talents and is training the army in preparation for war."

Sun Meng stroked his chin. "Is that so?" He thought of Liu Hong, whom he had met earlier. Both in terms of willpower and temperament, that man could well be considered an ambitious sovereign. If he truly intended to go all out, the Han Dynasty would not lose.

"So, Yueying, did you contact me just for this matter?" Sun Meng asked with some puzzlement. There was no need to make such a special trip just to report on mission progress!

"According to my calculations, after defeating the Xiongnu, the fortune of the Han dragon vein will drive the world tier to break through to Tier 3. At that time, it is very likely to exceed my control."

According to Sun Meng's previous plan, the plan was to elevate the Han world tier to the late Tier 2, half-step Tier 3 stage, and then rely on the primary world's suppression of tiers to sign a pact with the Han world, thereby subduing and annexing it.

With the techniques he had previously handed over to Yueying, combined with the methods of the Three Immortals of the Late Han, Yueying had secured control over seventy percent of the Han dragon vein. Therefore, as long as the world tier did not reach Tier 3, she could exert a significant influence on the Han dragon vein. But now, an unexpected variable had appeared. What should be done...

***

In the real world, within the solar system, on Saturn.

A group of people emerged from dozens of small spacecraft and launched an attack on the native organisms of Saturn.

Weapons formed by condensed inner vital energy wantonly reaped the lives of these endlessly rushing creatures, mowing them down like grass, leaving vast swaths dead in their wake.

The slain creatures transformed into pure energy, which was absorbed by special devices on the trailing spacecraft and converted into spirit stones.

Suddenly, the mists parted, and a colossal creature resembling a thousand-legged centipede appeared before everyone.

"A Tier 2 mid-stage Spirit Mist Beast, centipede form, detected! All squads prepare for a coordinated attack. Shipboard main cannons, begin charging!"

With the order given, everyone began to converge. A small military formation formed rapidly, and battle qi quickly condensed into the shape of a massive sword, slashing straight down at the giant centipede.

Although the giant centipede was enormous, its body was not as tough as one might imagine. In an instant, more than a dozen of its legs were sliced off, and a huge gash was torn across its abdomen. However, such an attack clearly had little effect on the giant centipede and did not impede its onslaught.

Its massive body slammed toward the military formation, but the battle qi shield of the formation shifted into a barrier that successfully blocked the blow.

On the spacecraft, the commander monitored the fluctuations in energy and recorded the situation using a spirit-brain, intending to use the data to improve the application of military formation battle qi in the future.

Currently, Earth's civilization as a whole continued to progress steadily. However, the upper echelons discovered that after reaching the early Tier 3 stage, the rate of advancement—whether in personal cultivation, military formations, arrays, or even materials—had slowed down drastically. They knew this was because Sun Meng's side had encountered a bottleneck in its rate of progress.

Yet, no one complained excessively; everyone understood that such a state of affairs was completely normal. Furthermore, this game was not just about Sun Meng securing a continuous stream of resources and opportunities for Earth; Earth also needed to assist Sun Meng. According to simulations run by Earth civilization's top experts led by Xu Xiao and Yi Gang, the upcoming civilization war they would face was likely a crucial opportunity.

Although judging by Sun Meng's recent performance, the mission worlds he inhabited still lacked any severe danger, current clues indicated that his advantage in personal martial prowess would not last much longer. Moreover, this was only the first mission world of the second phase; subsequent worlds would have even higher tiers and present far greater dangers!

It was very likely that a few worlds down the line, in whatever mission world Sun Meng entered next, his strength would be equivalent to his first time entering a world—relegated to the lower-middle tier of the world's power hierarchy. Under such circumstances, acquiring massive amounts of points and resources would be extremely difficult.

Under the influence of the system's laws, numerous resources needed by Earth's civilization had appeared within the solar system, but they had also spawned a multitude of native organisms. These creatures had not reached the level of civilization, and some lacked even basic intelligence. Therefore, even the Spirit Beast clan on Earth showed no mercy toward them.

***

Further back, the remaining small warships had completed their formation structure. This was a military weapon array composed of battle qi, which Earth's civilization was preparing to test.

"Energy circulation is stable, estimated scheme compatibility is ninety-nine percent. Energy gathering is commencing; forward squad, execute full defense to draw the Spirit Mist Beast's attention!"

The battle qi in the vanguard shifted once more, and atop the pure battle qi shields appeared doubly superimposed barriers and energy domes. They possessed not only defensive capabilities but also a shock-reflective effect.

Earth civilization had not yet fully understood the formation and growth process of the Spirit Mist Beasts. These creatures survived solely on Saturn and existed nowhere else. To eliminate them, their bodies had to be blasted to pieces; simply shattering parts of their bodies would not allow instruments to absorb the spiritual energy.

After another violent collision, the giant centipede seemed to intend to give up its continued assault on the human squad. At that moment, however, an energy blast struck the top of the giant centipede's head, followed closely by the battle qi strike from the human squad.

The two attacks hit the giant centipede's head simultaneously. The colossal creature struggled violently for a time, but ultimately failed to escape its fate of annihilation.

"Operation successful, detailed process backed up, begin recycling spiritual energy!" The commanding officer breathed a sigh of relief. Once this method was proven successful, research in this direction could proceed further.

According to previous deductions, the opponents they would face in the civilization war would not necessarily be cultivation civilizations like their own, so their warfare strategies had to be tailored accordingly. Based on information regarding other civilization types previously obtained by Sun Meng, they began developing space combat doctrines for the universe.

Once the direction was set, Earth's civilization quickly manufactured small space warships, but personal combat within the cosmos remained a primary focus of research. They had previously attempted to research powerful weapon strikes, but after two or three attempts, they discovered that cultivating personal combat prowess was far easier than constructing massive weaponry.

Back on Earth at this moment, the primary architectural environment had transformed into an ancient-style exterior, yet the interiors remained much like those of the preceding technological civilization.

Fierce beasts existed only within areas designated by civilization zoning, and the spirit beast clan lived in harmony with humans, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to a society freshly rebuilt from disaster.