324 Testing The Punishment Stage
There was no other option. Once the 500 points were depleted, the progress would be completed, and this level would be concluded.
Wang Wen was not interested in proceeding to the punishment stage to test the effect of the Unity of Man and Nature combined with the oath.
However, his ability to use the Unity of Man and Nature had yet to recover.
He would be wasting that delicious world if he left so quickly.
It was preferable to keep moving in a light disc.
He could only hope that the other progress would be able to hold on and not die by accident.
Wang Wen hoped for the first time in his life that the progress would be tenacious enough.
It was the first time Mo Ran had seen a tower climber use a superpower to protect his progress.
For the first time in his life, the 500-point man realized that his opponent was more concerned with his life than his own.
Aside from the sounds of wind, rain, and thunder, the atmosphere was strangely awkward.
Over an hour had passed.
It was already dark, and it was difficult to tell the world apart.
The wind howled, and the air was thick with twisted dust.
They would not be able to tell up from down or left from right if the bubble did not stay in its original position.
A sharp alarm seemed to resound through the clouds on the distant horizon.
There was also a vast black shadow approaching in the pitch-black night sky.
Unfortunately, it disintegrated in the air before reaching halfway. From head to tail, it turned into powder and mixed with the rushing air, becoming dust.
No matter how advanced, human technology could not be separated from matter.
It was well known that one could never escape before forming matter out of thin air.
That was if the world provided everything.
Weapons, gear, and energy.
Finally, it was constructed from materials provided by the world.
Perhaps the world never considered reclaiming it.
But that did not mean the world could not be reclaimed.
At that very moment, the world reclaimed the material initially given to the locals due to the Unity of Man and Nature.
It was transformed into the purest power of heaven and earth for Wang Wen’s oath.
In other words, it was to provide the necessary energy to carry out the oath.
After a while…
At the end of his vision, there appeared to be an explosion of light.
Layers of densely packed light spots lit up within an unknown radius around Wang Wen.
There was even a pillar of light so thick that several people would need to wrap their arms around it and fall straight from above.
Meanwhile, Wang Wen’s oath was tearing the earth’s crust apart.
The entire light…
Whether it was a point or a pillar…
They were all absorbed into the energy.
Everyone was in harmony with each other, and they dedicated their lives to carrying out their vows.
Wang Wen was relieved that his ability to use the Unity of Man and Nature had returned to three.
He did not stop.
After only one more attempt, he was almost to the bottom layer of the 750th floor.
Even the earth’s crust was still intact.
It had a voracious appetite!
Given that, the more times a skill could be used, the better.
Wang Wen put roughly half of his energy into the Spirit Shield that formed the light egg.
He was hesitant to use the energy he had worked so hard to recover.
In any case, the number of times the skill could be used had already been recovered, so the life or death of the next progression had nothing to do with him.
He had just withdrawn his left hand.
The light egg of the Spirit Shield shattered.
Screams erupted once more from the ice cocoon.
Wang Wen decided it was too loud and led everyone away.
“Master, look at the sky,” Zhu Xingguo said abruptly.
When he heard that…
Wang Wen lifted his head and gazed at the sky.
There were huge tree branches, birds, white cloth, and other different patterns in the distant night sky, as well as the word surrender formed in various languages.
The next second…
The drone’s progress bar began to rise rapidly.
It had surpassed 100 percent in the blink of an eye.
It felt as if a defensive structure had collapsed. Those who could not handle it, like the 500-point man, died quickly.
Even though Wang Wen had already retracted his left hand, the drone’s legs remained clamped between Wang Wen’s legs.
[Level’s progress has reached 171%; the 600th floor is cleared.]
[Level is completed.]
[If you do not enter the next floor within five minutes, you will be teleported.]
He examined the portal that had appeared in front of him.
Wang Wen paused for a moment before moving.
The drone became terrified.
It continued to buzz.
[Level progress has been completed.]
[Please proceed to the next level in 4 minutes and 39 seconds. Otherwise, you will be teleported forcibly.]
Wang Wen descended and took control of another drone.
Then he kicked the noisier one out of the bubble, causing it to melt and repair itself constantly.
It could not provide much energy, but it had a lot of tricks up its sleeve.
The ice cocoon above them finally shattered a few minutes later.
Without even a scream, the 500-point man inside was crushed into powder.
Wang Wen and the others were eventually teleported away.
A white light flashed in front of his eyes.
When his vision cleared, all he could see was darkness.
The air in his lungs was quickly expelled.
His body lost a significant amount of heat.
In his mouth, his saliva was boiling, and the water in his skin and subcutaneous tissue was rapidly evaporating, causing swelling. His entire body was in a state of pain and numbness.
Cheng Qiaoyi, who had the weakest physique, went unconscious in less than three seconds.
Wang Wen popped his energy bubble open.
The energy evaporated at a rate of five to ten thousandths a second.
Finally, five of them made it.
In the bubble, the drone proudly stated mechanically, “If you do not advance to the next level within the time limit, you will be punished by being sent to the space survival checkpoint.”
Wang Wen activated the Unity of Man and Nature and vowed to finish the level in a single second.
The Oath Scepter trembled, but no further action was taken.
That meant that the energy generated by the Unity of Man and Nature in one second was insufficient to complete the oath simultaneously.
The oath was terminated because the scepter’s default energy was insufficient.
When the spiritual power and vitality were insufficient to fulfill the oath, the scepter would stop after draining the person, just as Wang Wen did before the Unity of Man and Nature.
The primary reason for breaking the oath was a lack of energy.
Wang Wen had no choice but to swear that he would teleport everyone to a habitable planet as soon as possible.
The scepter shook.
The bubble began to move.
It was as if he was constantly drawing on the Unity of Man and Nature’s supply to achieve the greatest possible distance teleportation.
That speed might appear slow in space.
However, based on the distance traveled, it was faster than light.
A particular star that could be seen a moment ago vanished in the next.
Nonetheless, even so…
There was still nothing but darkness ahead of him.
Wang Wen’s energy was limited to a few minutes.
Sensing no signs of safety in the remaining 20 percent, he said helplessly to everyone, “The test has failed. Come out. If I had known this would happen, I would have let you leave the tower earlier so that you would not have to suffer with me.”
“I have not used my special privilege for this week, Master. Would you like to deposit the little sun?” Zhu Xingguo asked.
“You have been waiting for me?” Wang Wen asked.
Zhu Xingguo nodded.
“We will see what happens next week,” Wang Wen said helplessly. “We will not be able to make it this week.”
He used the last of his energy to awaken Cheng Qiaoyi and tell her to leave the tower.
Everyone said their goodbyes.
Chen Hansheng had the quickest time.
He vanished with a whoosh.
Mo Ran and Zhu Xingguo were the next to go.
Wang Wen treated Cheng Qiaoyi after she awoke, but she did not have much energy left.
“Don’t worry, as long as we are all safe.” She reassured Wang Wen, her discomfort suppressed.
“I wanted to see if there were any hidden rewards,” Wang Wen said noncommittally. “But I overestimated myself and caused you to suffer. When we get out of the tower, I’ll help you recover. There’s not much time left, so you should get out of the tower first.”
He needed to keep the bubble intact, so he had to wait for the four of them to exit the tower before he could leave.
There was less than a minute of energy left.
Cheng Qiaoyi nodded obediently and said nothing else. Her body lit up with white light five seconds later, and she exited the tower.
Wang Wen exhaled a sigh of relief and drew the drone from the bubble’s confinement.
He was about to say tower, but…
In front of him, a flash of light appeared.
Then his feet came to a halt in the air and landed on solid ground.
Above his head was the blue sky and white clouds, surrounded by grass and rivers. There were trees nearby and mountains further away. A few soft white flowers bloomed quietly by the herbivores’ feet.
It was a serene setting.
He had landed on a habitable planet!