The Divine Martial Stars

The other team members all looked at Song Changlin. They had to admit that seemed to be the last hope for them to return to Earth.

Moreover, it seemed that there were some conditions and opportunities for it to be realized.

Over the past 30 years, their bodies had been occupied by others, and they had also been forced to slave for the members of Soul Sect to study all kinds of techniques that combined witchcraft and technology. Although their research was quite difficult, they did have achieved a lot and blazed an eccentric path in the field of science and technology.

For example, they had created mechanical men called the God of War.

Of course, they had developed all sorts of other novel technology.

In particular, the spaceship "Vanguard" was loaded with the most advanced technological instruments Earth could have 30 years ago. Most of them were used for military science and technology. If those technologies were successfully hatched on today's Earth, it would still be enough to shock many people.

And now, on that planet rich in mineral resources, those technologies had been fully hatched and utilized and branched into a variety of new techniques. From a certain point of view, their development far exceeded the extent the scientists on Earth expected them to be back then.

Now that the members of the science team had regained control of their bodies and they did not age, they still had time to search for the space-time crack that might exist.

Anyway, as long as they had a purpose, it would be enough to hold up their enthusiasm for life.

Hence, Andrew, Su Cuo, and Song Changlin quickly engaged themselves in all kinds of research and calculations.

Li Mu, on the other hand, stayed in the base, checking around the place with curiosity and trying to gain more information.

In addition to that main base, the Black-robed Organization had some other branch bases on the Divine Land. One day before that day, Li Mu already ordered the four Knife Hut servants to go to the other branch bases and take over them.

In the main base, there were still more than 500 people. Among them, more than 200 were guards, while the rest were all "science researchers" fostered by the Soul Sect.

There were both men and women among the "science researchers". They had been kidnapped there when they were very young and trained with the technology on Earth. Now, they had all mastered high-tech knowledge but knew little about martial arts. They even had no idea what the world outside the base was like. Those people could completely act as the assistants of the 21 team members.

After Li Mu's takeover, all the projects of doing transformation experiments on living people were temporarily suspended.

The Soul Sect had captured martial arts experts of varying strength from all over the land, especially those with strong physical bodies, and converted them into mechanical men, the God of War series, which turned out to be a huge success.

The disciples who had followed Li Bai to that planet, except for Yu Hualong and Jiang Qingluan, had also been converted into mechanical men— they had been sold out by Jiang Qingluan, the "Earth traitor", and become raw materials for the experiment.

After some inquiries, Li Mu learned that among the dozens of mechanical men he had captured in the Tomb of the God of Sin, three of them were the Yu Hualong's senior fellow apprentices.

Li Mu handed those mechanical men to Su Cuo and the others and asked them to try to repair them and awaken their original consciousness, for the mechanical men of the "God of War" series were actually still living men, only that their memories were eliminated, and their consciousness and some nerve reactions were altered. So, there was hope that they could be restored to their original state.

A professional's job should be left to the professional.

As for whether Su Cuo, Song Changlin, and the others could find the so-called "space-time crack", Li Mu did not get his hope up.

In his opinion, Song Changlin's theory might be correct but also might be wrong. But even if he was right, the theory required a lot of time and energy to verify. Many years might have passed before the space-time crack was found. Li Mu did not have the time to wait that long.

So far, Li Mu still stuck to his original plan— to find the Path and then go in the opposite direction to get back.

And the clue to find the Path lay in Jiang Qingluan, that Lord Qu.

He and Yu Hualong were the ones who came to that world through the Path. The latter was in the form of a soul that was not very stable, whereas, Jiang Qingluan should have a complete memory of how he got to that world. That was also one of the reasons why Li Mu had not killed the "Earth traitor" over the past few years.

Li Mu rearranged the defensive tactical deployments in that base before opening up a small Transmitting Array that led to Taibai City and returning to the Knife Hut with Jiang Qingluan.

In the main base.

"You shouldn't have revealed so much to Li Mu," Su Cuo stared at Song Changlin and said abruptly, "especially the theory that the space-time crack might be in constant existence. Haven't we agreed to keep it secret no matter what happens?"

Song Changlin was a typical northwest Chinese. He had a burly body and a square face. When he smiled, people could easily associate him with the words "honest" and "good-natured". At Su Cuo's accuse, the science major born in the 80s asked in surprise, "Su, what do you mean by that? Do you not trust Mu? He has saved all of us!"

Su Cuo, however, was a typical beauty living in the south of the Yangtze River. She had jade-like skin and a good figure, about five feet tall… Yet, there was less tenderness of the southern women in her eyes but a more heroic spirit, and her temperament was rather cold and stony.

Looking at the straight-forward Song Changlin, Su Cuo explained rationally, "I'm also grateful that Mu has saved us. But this involves the safety of the entire Earth. We have to be careful. When we came to this world, we saw too many strange things. If Mu is not really from Earth and everything that happened recently is a trap of the Soul Sect. Then, once we find the space-time crack, we'll expose the position of Earth and bring the terrible disaster there. In that case, we will become sinners to the entire Earth."

"But there is nothing wrong with what Mu has told us." Song Changlin said, pushing his glasses up.

"The tactics of those Martial Arts experts in this world are extremely horrible. They can possess our bodies. Who knows if they can also snatch our memories? If Li Mu has robbed someone's memory, then…" Su Cuo spoke with deep concern.

"That… can't be, can it?" Song Changlin said, "Mu doesn't look like the demon who would possess other people's bodies… Su, are you overreacting?"

Su Cuo countered, "We have to be careful. Changlin, everything in this world is just like what's in the myths and novels. Cultivators can fly across the sky like Superman, completely breaking the laws of physics on Earth. For science and technology on Earth, it is a devastating overthrow. We haven't been home for 30 years, so we don't know what it is like on Earth today. However, even if science and technology developed continuously, I'm afraid that it will still be difficult to resist the top martial arts experts on this planet. If we are careless, there could be a catastrophe."

"That's true." Song Changlin agreed.

When they first arrived on that planet and saw those supermen-like cultivators, they were all flabbergasted.

Su Cuo continued, "The Soul Sect wants to use technology to go to Earth. You and I, as well as Andrew, know clearly what they are up to. Who knows if there will be a second Soul Sect..? We'd better be cautious. I'll talk to Andrew and the others about this matter. As for the research of the space-time crack, we must be careful to keep it a secret. We can't let Li Mu know before we make sure that he is reliable."

At last, Su Cuo said firmly, "If I can't guarantee the safety of Earth and our motherland, I'd rather be banished to the vast universe for the rest of my life. We just can't go back with the risk of opening the door to dangerous enemies."

Song Changlin opened his mouth to speak but eventually shut his mouth.

Between the two Chinese members of the science team, Su Cuo's rank was higher.

It was said that this beauty in the team used to be a very eye-catching genius. She had enough aptitude to join the army. But later, because of some setbacks in her love life, she resolutely applied to join the imperial examination team.

Song Changlin knew that as a former soldier, Su Cuo looked at things more rationally and more comprehensively than him, a pure science geek.

Despite that, deep down, Song Changlin still did not believe that Li Mu was a bad guy.

However, to Su Cuo and Song Changlin's utter amazement, before they had time to calculate and search for the so-called space-time crack through various scientific theories and methods, Li Mu already discovered one.

···

···

10 days later.

"It turns out that the Path is actually a space-time crack."

After finishing interrogating Jiang Qingluan, Li Mu flew to the near orbit of that planet.

He opened the Broadsword Intent Zone at the highest point in the sky. He was very close to breaking away from the atmosphere of that planet. From that point of view, he opened his Third Eye and scanned the void several kilometers ahead of him. There he saw a wrinkle that was about a few hundred meters long, like the ripples on the surface of the water, which was faintly discernible.

That Space Wrinkle was hidden in the dark void. It was very mysterious, and sometimes it disappeared from view, as though being covered by the secret power of the Great Way. Even if a superb master passed by it, he would be unlikely to notice it if he did not look carefully.

If it were not for Li Mu's achievement in the Xiantian Skill that had enhanced the power of the Third Eye, and the general location he learned from Jiang Qingluan and Yu Hualong, perhaps he would not have discovered that abnormality in space even if he took dozens of times longer to search for it.

To his surprise, the Path looked very similar to the constant space-time crack Song Changlin had described.

"Jiang Qingluan has mentioned that the Path is a one-way route because it leads to the solar system, also the Star Graveyard that scares the wits out of the cultivators. It's a dangerous place in the Ziwei Star Zone. At that time, the owner of the white beast teeth tried to head for Earth along this Path, but he failed. Nevertheless, how could I have a peaceful mind if I didn't give it a try?"

Li Mu slowly approached the Space Wrinkle.

Like tentacles, his spiritual force went deep into that space-time crack for observation.

Moments later.

Li Mu drove a flying broadsword straight into the Space Wrinkle.

In an instant, the flying broadsword went out of control and melted into the Space Wrinkle like a drop of water falling into the sea. Moreover, the spiritual force attached to it was cut off, so that Li Mu could not sense its existence anymore.

He tried several times in a row, and the results were always the same.

"Is it because in the wrinkle the broadsword has crossed millions of miles in an instant that I lost control over it? Or, is it because there is the Principle of Great Ways in the space-time crack to cut off all the ties?"

Li Mu continued to get closer. He took out a long spear, and inserted half of it into the space-time crack, and then pulled it out.

The spear remained intact.

After that, he tried again with his finger.

A familiar feeling stole over him.

It was the feeling of weightlessness he felt when the old faker transmitted him from Earth through the tactical deployment.

And when he withdrew his finger, it was uninjured as well.

But, of course, that did not mean that there was no danger.

During the whole month after that, Li Mu had been observing and experimenting near the space-time crack.

A month later.

"I figure I may have found a way to go back."

A smile finally spread across Li Mu's face.

Earth was just close at hand.

However, he was not in a hurry to go into space-time crack. Instead, he returned to the planet below.

Because he had to do some arrangements before leaving.