Chapter 153: Universe-Grade Magic Treasure

Little Gold leaned in close to Sangsang's ear and said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Sangsang, based on all the data projections and the information retrieved from the terminals of those individuals just now, the intruders have several distinct motives. Some want your World Tree branch; some want you to act as their guide; and others intend to wait until you have found it so they can simply pluck the fruit for themselves."

The Heavenly Emperor looked puzzled. "The first few make sense, but what is going on with that last one? Isn't Sangsang doing a good deed...?"

The bodyguards cast watchful glances left and right, scanning for any potential hidden dangers.

As Sangsang and the Heavenly Emperor turned their gaze toward Shanying, Muxu playfully twisted the flesh on Shanying's arm in a circle. "Stop speaking in riddles and leaving half your thoughts unspoken! It's an easy way to cause misunderstandings!"

Shanying offered a bitter smile. "This is no longer a secret. The Heavy Water World is the largest supplier of magical artifacts in the entire interstellar society. If the people of Heavy Water could live long lives and the elderly population decreased, the production of magical artifacts would naturally plummet. On top of that, there are simply too many martial powerhouses among us. If we enjoyed the same longevity as outsiders, the balance of this entire great star sector would be disrupted, and higher civilizations are unwilling to see such a scenario unfold."

The dilemma of Heavy Water's lifespan was not actually an unsolvable mystery; rather, those capable of solving it were unwilling to intervene. Otherwise, the massive accumulation of magical artifacts left behind by the elderly dying each year alone would be enough to summon a Universe-tier mighty figure stationed at the Divine Court headquarters to take charge. However, the major factions of higher civilizations were all interest groups, and they would never allow such a thing to happen.

Sangsang had the backing of the Temple, but she was simply too young and had not even condensed her primordial source. Even with the Laws of Time and Space and her reputation for creating miracles, the major factions harbored low expectations of her, which was why she had not encountered any obstruction until now. Even the high command of Heavy Water itself did not place high hopes on her; their support and cooperation were merely out of courtesy to the Temple, and especially to Bishop Anthony.

That was until the discovery of the ancient World Tree branch.

Although the ancient World Tree branch was currently just a claim from a single source and its authenticity remained unverified, if it proved to be true, this discovery could well become a crucial turning point for resolving the Heavy Water lifespan crisis.

After years of research, there were three conflicting theories regarding the laws restricting the lifespan of Heavy Water people: one related to alternate planes, one related to space-time, and the final one pointing to the World Will.

While the first two theories lacked full confirmation, each had some supporting evidence. Only the last point had yielded no connections to the World Will and no supporting evidence whatsoever, right up to the present day.

Only in ancient historical records was it noted that when the Heavy Water civilization was first enlightened and entered the embryonic stage of the interstellar era, although the average lifespan was only two hundred years, the maximum recorded age exceeded four hundred years. At that time, lifespan restrictions did not yet exist, and the records mentioned the appearance of Tree-folk and giant trees larger than galaxies. Based on these clues, experts and scholars speculated that the giant trees were World Trees, and that the World Will was very likely the will of the World Tree.

Unfortunately, the arrival of the Great Destruction era caused too much historical data to be lost. Following the Great Destruction, neither Tree-folk nor giant trees ever appeared again in history, and this conclusion was never accepted by the general public.

If the ancient World Tree branch was genuine, the third hypothesis would be proven true, making it only a matter of time before the main body of the World Tree was located using the branch as a beacon. Once the main body of the World Tree was found, there would invariably be a way to communicate with the World Will, thereby altering the laws of longevity and fundamentally resolving the Heavy Water lifespan dilemma.

For the people of Heavy Water, this was a tremendous piece of good news, but for the interest groups accustomed to carving up Heavy Water's wealth, it was far from welcome. The tall, thin elf from moments ago had actually come to deliver a veiled warning, informing them that certain factions were already making preparations to take action.

"The person who leaked the information is likely a traitor," Shanying said, his voice tinged with sorrow. There were simply too many people in Heavy Water; inevitably, some would be blinded by transient benefits or fall under the control of others.

The Heavenly Emperor's dark golden eyes froze into ice. "We do not fear fair competition; what we fear is someone striking from the shadows."

Although the Eye of Time and Space could glimpse the future, the Heavenly Emperor's store of space-time energy was ultimately limited and could not be kept active indefinitely, as strength had to be preserved to guard against unforeseen emergencies. Moreover, even if the Eye of Time and Space were kept running constantly, a surprise ambush could still succeed because while the laws of time and space were highly effective when applied to others, using them on the Heavenly Emperor and Sangsang themselves tended to yield blurred visions due to their deeply intertwined destinies.

Shanying fell silent for a long moment before producing a multicolored Rubik's cube and handing it to Sangsang. "This is a complete law artifact left behind by a late Universe-tier mighty figure, and the strongest defense prepared by the military for this expedition. Its control fluctuation is... Under normal circumstances, it is forbidden to use this except in matters of life and death, but I am handing it to you now. In the unlikely event that we become separated, it will guarantee your safety."

"Late Universe-tier?!"

Sangsang, the Heavenly Emperor, and Little Gold all gasped in shock, while Muxu's eyes flickered with intense emotion.

In higher civilizations, Universe-tier beings were absolute pinnacles of power. The micro-worlds derived and evolved from their stellar cores after death possessed extremely high energy concentrations, and given time, they would inevitably evolve into level-three or level-four civilizations. Yet now, a stellar core capable of evolving into a level-three civilization micro-world had been reduced to a small, exquisite magical artifact that could be held in the palm of one's hand.

Shanying nodded. "The military only has five artifacts of this intensity. I hope you will put it to good use."

Sangsang forced her gaze away from the six-colored Rubik's cube. "An item of such inestimable value—are you certain you have the authority to hand it over to me on your own accord?"

Shanying answered without hesitation. "I am. If this expedition goes smoothly and you truly resolve the Heavy Water lifespan dilemma, the entire Heavy Water civilization will be at your disposal, and you will naturally be qualified to possess it. If things do not go smoothly, given the discovery of the ancient World Tree branch, you are fully entitled to keep it as a token of gratitude and apology."

Little Gold's eyes flashed incessantly with gold and red light, and the Heavenly Emperor looked ready to snatch the six-colored cube away on Sangsang's behalf. Without any false modesty, Sangsang accepted the artifact, gently turning it in her palm to sense the aura radiating from it before suddenly looking up.

"Its aura shares the exact same origin as yours!"

"It is the primordial artifact left behind after my great-grandfather's death," Shanying said, turning his sorrow into joy. "Your Highness has such a remarkably keen perception of energy, which explains how you are able to notice subtle details that others miss."

Sangsang replied modestly, "I merely practice a wider and more miscellaneous array of laws."

Having spent less than a year in the Heavy Water World, she had already witnessed a considerable number of magical artifacts, including Universe-tier ones. When the elderly volunteers who came to the research institute to work as unpaid laborers passed away, their stellar cores did not evolve into micro-worlds; instead, they transformed into magical artifacts. With very few exceptions where beneficiaries were designated during their lifetimes, the majority of these artifacts were surrendered and donated to the state—a long-standing tradition of the Heavy Water civilization.

While magical artifacts and treasures might be considered exceptionally precious in the outside world, for the people of Heavy Water, their exceptionally high cultivation aptitudes and lifespans of under three hundred years meant they harvested vast quantities of magical artifacts every single year. Even a Universe-tier artifact was treated merely as a strategic resource used to attract external experts of all kinds or consumed as supplies on the frontline battlefield.

A Universe-tier mighty figure had already comprehended the Spatial Origin. Although the laws contained within the six-colored Rubik's cube belonged to the Heavy Water World, they would still offer considerable assistance to Sangsang.

Through superficial soul fluctuations, Sangsang established a preliminary bond of recognition with the six-colored Rubik's cube. Little Gold eagerly began collecting and analyzing the fluctuating energy signatures, while Sangsang played with the cube to familiarize herself with its functions.

The cube had six faces, with nine squares on each face. Each face represented a distinct origin, and every square corresponded to a law. With a total of fifty-four sub-squares, combined with the spatial origin that unified the entire cube, it encompassed seven origins and fifty-four laws.