Chapter 189: Chapter 141: Heavy Skies (Extra for book friend 171021102948988)
Li Shiming felt somewhat awkward; he realized that Junior Master Zhuge had misunderstood. He was not there to ask about Formation problems.
However, upon further thought, the Thirty-Three Heavens did have some connection to Formations.
“Junior Master, in the explanation of the Tiangang Beidou Formation, I came across a description of the Thirty-Three Heavens. I want to know more about the Thirty-Three Heavens,” Li Shiming asked.
“The Thirty-Three Heavens? Why do you ask about that?” Junior Master Zhuge was slightly taken aback, then after a moment he said, “The Thirty-Three Heavens are located three thousand zhang above the heavens. Normal Flying Boats can’t approach that height. There exists a fierce wind capable of annihilating all life, capable of extinguishing souls.”
“So, no cultivator can go up there?” Li Shiming still didn’t understand and asked.
“Of course, there are cultivators who can ascend. Golden Core cultivators can reach the first few layers of the Thirty-Three Heavens; how many specifically depends on the individual strength of the Golden Core Cultivator.
It is said that powerful beings, with each strike, can cause destruction of the heavens and the earth. To engage freely in battle without causing too much destruction to the land, such powerful beings choose to enter the Thirty-Three Heavens for battle.
The fierce wind of the Thirty-Three Heavens can dissipate overflowing Spiritual Power. It is precisely because of the Thirty-Three Heavens that the land is protected from complete devastation!” Junior Master Zhuge explained this and spread his hands to indicate that was all.
Li Shiming still had many doubts in his heart, but Junior Master Zhuge did not wish to discuss further, and he had no choice but to let it go.
“The Thirty-Three Heavens are still too distant for you. You need only consider these matters after reaching the Golden Core stage!” Junior Master Zhuge cautioned, worrying that he might focus too much on this aspect, not forgetting to advise him at the end.
Upon returning to Eagle Beak Island from the sect, Li Shiming started preparing for the experiment.
Yin Shilan sent a message saying she wouldn’t be able to contact him for a few days, which suited his own preparations.
Several days later, Li Shiming boarded the Jade Flying Boat and flew towards the sky.
As a Flying Artifact, he had never considered the altitude of the Jade Flying Boat before.
When the Jade Flying Boat reached an altitude of three thousand meters, it could not ascend further. According to Li Shiming’s inspection, this was the height limit set during the construction of the boat.
At an altitude of three thousand meters, he unfolded his wings, the Soul Device Black Sparrow Wing. Its flying speed and comfort were not as good as the Jade Flying Boat, but flying was under his control and not affected by other factors.
At three thousand meters, the temperature was near zero degrees, which had no effect whatsoever on Li Shiming’s constitution.
He propelled the Black Sparrow Wing upwards while releasing his Spiritual Thought, constantly vigilant of the conditions above.
Although theoretically the Thirty-Three Heavens were at three thousand zhang, who could vouch for its accuracy since distance measurement in this world was not so precise.
Three thousand zhang converted to meters was about ten thousand meters. As he ascended, the air thinned making it progressively harder for the Black Sparrow Wing to fly.
In his hand, Li Shiming held a simple barometer that could measure his current altitude.
When he reached nine thousand meters, he did not ascend any further.
His senses warned him of danger ahead, and the barometer also showed that measurements in this world were not too standard.
Trusting his judgment, he used the Black Sparrow Wing to hover in mid-air.
He released a balloon, crafted from spider silk, filled with hydrogen, and dangling a sealed basket from below.
The basket was divided into two compartments, one containing the earlier acquired Golden Winged Beetle, a spiritual insect, which was ideal for testing the effects of the Thirty-Three Heavens on Spiritual Objects.
The second compartment housed a small mouse, to test the effects of the Thirty-Three Heavens on ordinary creatures.
Both the small mouse and the Golden Winged Beetle had an oxygen supply sufficient for one hour.
The choice of the Golden Winged Beetle was because he could not find a smaller spirit beast, so he had to use a spiritual insect instead.
The basket also contained a locator and a reasonably complex control system, controlled by an inbuilt chip program.
Once the balloon reached a certain altitude, the chip would automatically deflate the balloon, causing it to descend so that Li Shiming could retrieve it.
He let the balloon fly, carrying the basket upwards.
He patiently waited. At this altitude, no cultivators would approach, nor was there any cultivator to disturb his experiment.
Moreover, he had chosen a location far from the sect’s Nine Peaks, in a rather desolate area.
“It’s back!” Li Shiming’s device received a signal, and he swiftly followed it.
The balloon was about a kilometer from where he had released it, fortunately still within the signal’s range, or else he would have lost the balloon.
While the balloon was still slowly descending in the air, his Spiritual Thought already scanned the interior of the basket.
The small mouse was intact but had lost its life. There was still some oxygen left, so it hadn’t died from lack of oxygen.
The Golden Winged Beetle was in worse condition.
Its body looked as if it had been sliced by a sharp knife, with cuts almost completely severing the body, only sticky tissues holding it together.
When Li Shiming applied a slight force with his Spiritual Thought, the Golden Winged Beetle’s body turned into countless pieces.
This made him take a sharp intake of breath. The skies of this world were indeed different from those of his previous life.
He also felt a bit of trepidation. If he had designed his grand plan according to the skies of his previous life, perhaps it would have been a suicide mission.