PtM 18 - Chapter 31: Inside the Realm Ship

2/2 this week!

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A suffocating feeling assaulted Cha Ming the moment he crossed the spatial node and entered the Starry Road’s compressed dimension. What had once been a wondrous rainbow-colored road lay in pieces strewn about the void. Mixed in among them were wooden splinters from the broken hull of the massive ship that blocked the entrance to what was left of the path to the Inky Sea Sect.

Spatial winds swept through cracks in the void, completely bypassing the Starry Road’s protective membrane. These winds were among the most lethal Cha Ming had ever seen and made the area unsuitable for anyone below the middle of the fusion realm to enter.

Even Silver Fish and Serrendil found themselves suppressed by the ambient primal chaos energies. As for Cha Ming, he was like a fish in the water thanks to his Primal Chaos True Body.

“There’s no movement on the bridge,” Cha Ming said. “No signs of life, no will, and no law projection.”

“I don’t sense any demonic energy either,” said Silver Fish. He picked one up one of the wooden shards and fiddled with it before throwing it to the side.

“These aren’t wood,” said Serrendil as she inspected another piece. “Or rather, they’re not wood-element materials. These are clearly planks cut down from ancient trees, but they’re made of metal. Saint-grade metal, at that.”

Cha Ming also picked up a piece wood and observed it with the help of his crystal-jade eyes. “I’ll keep these for now. We’ll distribute them after everything is said and done.”

He was about to store them in his inner world when a presence from within the Clear Sky World rejected the fragments.

You idiot! roared Luther. Do you have a death wish or something?

Do you have a problem with me salvaging materials? asked Cha Ming.

I do when they’re completely drenched in a foreign will, said Luther. Humans, I tell you. They never think ahead.

“It seems the situation is more dire than we thought,” said Cha Ming to his companions. “We almost fell into the enemy’s trap.”

“Is it these fragments?” asked the Clockwork Ancestor. She touched one of them, then pulled back her claw immediately. “Will contamination? What an insidious opponent.”

“That begs the question,” said Silverish. “If these fragments are a trap, what about this giant ship?”

“There’s no way onto the Starry Road save through that ship,” said Serrendil. “I’ll leave it up to you on whether or not to proceed.”

The ship was several thousand kilometers long and several hundred kilometers wide. Its metal-aligned hull had been torn open on one side, and a piece of that wood was peeled back to form a makeshift bridge connecting it to the Dragon Metal Realm.

Cha Ming’s mood sank when he spotted cuts and scratches on the surface of that wooden bridge. Those are saint materials. How heavy and how powerful must one be to unintentionally leave such marks on so strong a material?

“I recommend against neutering this vessel,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “And if you must go, you would do well to exercise caution.”

Cha Ming looked to Silver Fish. The man’s expression was grim, but he firmed his resolve. “You should both return to the Dragon Vein Kingdom,” he said. “It’s my master who’s in danger, so I can’t ask you to risk yourselves to save him.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Cha Ming. “Elder Ling taught me talisman arts and has done a great deal for me over the years.”

“I’m not familiar with the West Sea Guardian, as I only spoke with him briefly, but I’ll do whatever I can to repay the favor I owe the both of you,” said Serrendil.

“Then let’s do it,” said Silver Fish. He pulled out his demon weapon and summoned his demon armor before flying toward the entrance. Serrendil did the same, and Cha Ming also summoned his regalia, keeping the Clear Sky Brush in one hand and a fistful of Clockwork Talismans the other.

“It’s quiet,” said Silver Fish as they crossed the threshold. “I don’t hear any clicking or digging.”

“There’s not a sound in this place,” said Serrendil. “It’s like the ship is holding its breath.”

“That might just be more accurate than you think,” said Cha Ming.

No sooner had he spoken than a soft sigh ran through the ship. The gash and the peeled wood pulled itself back into place, and the ship’s frame began to heal over as though it had never been damaged in the first place.

“So it was a trap,” said Silver Fish. “Wonderful.”

“Serrendil, how’s your control over metal?” asked Cha Ming.

“Unaffected,” said Serrendil. “My powers are anchored to the Dragon Metal Realm. It’s a higher order realm than this ship’s inner world, so it’s unable to suppress my powers.”

“I’m also fine,” said Silver Fish. “This world is natural weak to my affinities.”

“So it’s not all bad news,” said Cha Ming.

“Wait. I’m hearing something,” said Serrendil. At first, it was a soft buzzing, but soon, the sound was as loud as crashing waves. “Look up!”

“Look down. Look everywhere!” said Silver Fish. “We’re surrounded.”

Cha Ming paled as the walls, the ceiling, and the floor in the room they’d entered began to move. Every inch of metal began to squirm as millions of drones began to move in unison.

“Let’s go!” said Cha Ming. He painted a sea of Heartforge Spirit Flames to melt an entire cubic kilometer of drones. Serrendil followed up with a blast of sound, and Silver Fish with a river of ink paintings. Together, they were able to create an opening in the swarm.

They knew from experience that these creatures could regenerate. Moreover, it was impossible to store these materials, as this would risk contaminating their essence. As such, they were forced to fly toward the only exit at the back of the large entrance chamber.

Tens of thousands of drones moved to intercept them, but they bounced off Silver Fish’s and Serrendil’s demon armor and Cha Ming’s Divine Shell. Upon discovering that these swarm tactics were ineffective, the entire group self-detonated. A series of rapid explosions filled the air, distorting the natural laws of the realm ship and causing them significant damage.

“These stupid things don’t stop coming,” said Silver Fish, smashing apart a thousand drones with a single smack of his anchor hammer.

“Does the controller of this place think they can do us in with numbers?” said Serrendil.

“We’ll run out of energy if we try to compete against a high-level demiplane,” said Cha Ming. He flashed forward and smashed apart a hundred thousand drones with a single swing of the Sky-Propping Pillar.

“I’m afraid it’s actually worse than that,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “This isn’t a demiplane, but a traveling predator-plane. A damaged one.”

“What does that even mean?” Cha Ming asked.

“It means that this world’s laws and will are complete,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “And given the level of laws I sense, our enemy is the equivalent of a second-level saint, but with an entire world to support it.”

“Talking isn’t going to solve anything,” said Silver Fish, smashing apart a soldier that had mixed itself into the drone army. “This thing’s smart, and it’s started sending more soldiers. And it’s converting the fragments of whatever we break into a new army. It won’t be long before that’s all we’re facing.”

“I have an idea,” said Cha Ming. “Cover me.” Millions of golden threads appeared in his line of sight as he activated Star-Jade Entanglement. It was too many to count with his current cultivation realm.

But I don’t need to count them, he thought. All I need is to use them to create an outline. His eyes bled Clearmist tears as he pushed the divine ability to its limits.

“The exit is that way!” he said, pointing toward an empty wall.

“I’ll take you there,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. Her will projection grew by two orders of magnitude. They hopped on her back and watched in awe as she flashed past thousands of soldier mites and cut through the exit like a hot knife through butter.

“Defend me!” the Clockwork Ancestor exclaimed.

Cha Ming flashed over to her side and used the Sky-Propping Pillar to bash a slayer mite that had suddenly popped out of the writhing mass of drones and soldiers.

“There’s more!” said Serrendil, drawing her blades.

“A lot more,” said Silver Fish. “There’s got to be three dozen of them, and each one is as dangerous as a grand queen!”

“All we need to do is break through a few more walls,” Cha Ming said. He threw out fifty Clockwork Talismans without hesitation, paralyzing dozens of slayers.

“Hang on!” said the Clockwork Ancestor.

They crashed through two more walls and found themselves in a massive room. A complete Starry Road could be seen through a tear on the side of the ship.

Unfortunately, that view was quickly shrinking as the ship expended energy and metals to close the gap. It even locked out gold mites that were too slow to board the ship.

“Careful!” Cha Ming shouted. He raised the Sky-Propping Pillar to block a group of slayers that had caught up to them. He wasn’t able to block the last three, who proceeded to crack his regalia with gleaming dragon-metal talons.

The exchange pulled Cha Ming off the Clockwork Ancestor’s back and away from his companions. But he was helpless to do otherwise, as many of the abilities he normally relied on were useless. Whether it was clones or Glass Flame Imitations, none of them could fool the perfectly coordinated slayers.

Claw Rune Prison was equally useless against the slayers due to reasons of elemental disadvantage. As for Star-Jade Entanglement, it was drowned out by countless strings of karma that led back to the will of the realm ship, his true opponent.

“I’m going to pull everyone in,” Cha Ming announced. “Don’t resist!”

He sent out the Clear Sky Brush and used it to paint an opening into the Clear Sky World. The Clockwork Ancestor dove into it, but not before a slayer knocked Silver Fish off his back and pulled him down into a quivering pool of metal.

Cha Ming dove in after Silver Fish and caught his friend just before he fell prey to an array of golden spears. He pulled him into the Clear Sky World, then kept the Clear Sky Brush at the ready as he traveled deep into the heart of the realm.

Countless eggs lined honeycomb walls irrigated by a sludge of tiny golden, bronze, and silver pellets. The three dozen slayers floated within that writhing mass, watching but taking no action. Cha Ming was unable to think of anything to do to change the situation, so he decided to wait and see what came next.

He fell for nearly an hour before the mass of molten metal spat him out into a massive cavern. Silver Fish, Serrendil, and the Clockwork Ancestor stepped out of the Clear Sky World, weapons drawn and ready for anything.

To their surprise, it was not a swarm that awaited them, but an army of a hundred slayers.

“I do not like our odds in this current situation,” said the Clockwork Ancestor.

“Say something useful or say nothing at all,” said Silver Fish.

At the center of the cavern, and completely surrounded by slayers, was a gigantic mass of writhing metal. It didn’t have the empty feeling of drones or soldiers or slayers and was filled to the brim with a malevolent will many times stronger than even the grand queens.

“This must be the supreme queen we guessed would exist,” said Serrendil. “This mountain is where they took all the dragon metals they plundered. My guess is that it was attempting to use these materials to spur its evolution.”

The realm buzzed as the creature at its center focused on them. It moved as a single entity, including the slayers and their dragon metal talons. “Screeeeeee!” A dizzying wave of sonic energy suddenly blasted their group. Serrendil’s demon armor shattered, and Silver Fish’s armor cracked. The Clockwork Ancestor teetered on the brink of destruction.

The slayers attacked, piercing Cha Ming multiple times with their blades and nearly decapitating Silver Fish. They seemed wary of Serrendil, however, as she recovered quickest out of them and blasted her opponents back with a sonic attack of her own.

Fifteen slayers fell in less than a second, including five slayers that had been about to finish off Silver Fish. As for the rest, they found their movements significantly slowed as the metal plates on their bodies fused together.

“Snap out of it, both of you!” yelled Serrendil. Her voice brought harmony to his muddled mind just in time for him to dodge three talons headed straight for his head.

“You hid your strength,” Cha Ming said.

“I figured that since they can communicate with each other, they’d also be able to send information back to their main controller,” said Serrendil, hacking into another two slayers with her gold-and-black blades.

Three pairs of wings emerged from Cha Ming’s back as he activated Triune Soul Burn to the maximum. He then took out one of his hidden cards, a small hatchet-sized axe with a wooden handle and a silver-blue blade.

Four slayers shattered into pieces as he cut through their talents and severed their armor. This time, they did not recover, as the axe blade was an immortal weapon and extinguished what little will controlled them.

Next, Cha Ming summoned Ninesky from the Clear Sky World. “Defend Silver Fish until he recovers,” he instructed.

“Aye-aye, captain!” Ninesky said with a quick salute. She painted a five-element barrier using Descent of the Five Sovereigns as a base.

As for Cha Ming, he drew upon Bloodstorm Manifestation and blitzed across the cavern. With an axe in hand, he painted a massacre.

Roughly a third of the slayers fell before the supreme queen changed its tactics. Two pustules appeared on her mountainous body, which Cha Ming immediately identified as the two grand queens that had escaped the Dragon Metal Realm.

They pulsed with a strange rhythm, and almost instantly, the army of independent slayers transformed. They began adopting battle formations to defend against Cha Ming’s attacks, greatly reducing their losses while the supreme queen scrambled to recycle their broken parts.

“We’re going to run out of energy before they do,” Cha Ming said to Serrendil. “If you have anything else, take it out.”

“It won’t be easy for me to recover if I do this, Clear Sky!” Serrendil shouted.

“Just do it already,” said Silver Fish, joining the battle. “Show us a dragon’s dance.”

Serrendil’s blades suddenly picked up speed, and her body blurred as her speed increased severalfold. Every cut from her blades began humming with a peculiar frequency that enabled them to cut through armor and blades as though they were paper.

She shot across the room and felled three slayers, then appeared a short distance away and did it again. Her movements were fluid and artistic and gave off an imposing aura. Serrendil danced, and the queens couldn’t keep up with her footwork.

“I realize you’re both awestruck by the sight of it, but this dragon dance won’t last long,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Executing such a technique requires one to burn up a lot of high-level dragon metals. She has about a minute left before it starts eating away at the foundation of the Dragon Metal Realm.”

“Don’t worry,” said Cha Ming. “It won’t be long before she gives us an opening.”

“I can disrupt her defenses for a very short time,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Prepare yourselves.”

Cha Ming put away the immortal axe and took out the Sky-Propping Pillar. Though it was not an immortal weapon, it was only while using the Clear Sky Brush that Cha Ming could bring out his full strength.

“Give me ten seconds,” Silver Fish said. He summoned a tide of ink and began painting a school of silver-black fish. These fish were carnivorous and immediately began to devour each other to create increasingly bigger fish.

“It’s been a long time since any of my descendants performed such a beautiful dance,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Alas, her cultivation is lacking. This is how a dragon dance should be performed.”

The Clockwork Ancestor’s body suddenly solidified. It expanded until it was three kilometers long, then began shimmering. The shimmering was the result of every gear-like scale in her body vibrating in such a way that the outer world couldn’t help but hum along with her.

The Clockwork Ancestor slipped through the cavern like it was a ballroom. The slayers were her cooperative dance partners, and they willingly opened up a hole in the supreme queen’s defenses before falling to pieces.

“Pick me up when I fall,” said Silver Fish.

“No problem,” Cha Ming. “Just do your thing, and leave the rest to me.”

Silver Fish’s demon armor and weapon began to melt and fused with the last of the silver-black fish he’d painted. He then bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence at the creature. “Go!” he yelled at the fish, then proceeded to lose consciousness.

The air rippled around the fish like inky water as it tore through the fabric of the realm ship. Nothing could stop it as it advanced on the ship’s core, where the supreme queen and the two grand queens awaited.

“Screee!” The supreme queen sent out another sonic attack, but it bounced off the fish’s armor-like scales. Thousands of golden harpoons appeared from the mountain of writing metal and pierced its body. But it did not stop. It did not slow.

It was only when the fish reached the mountain of metal that Cha Ming saw through Silver Fish’s technique. The fish suddenly sucked in the golden spears, then proceeded to send them straight back at the supreme queen and her two helpers.

Metal shrapnel shot out from the mountain, disrupting local laws enough for Cha Ming to take a Clear Rune Step and appear directly above the damaged supreme queen.

A projection of three demiplanes and three moons appeared above Cha Ming as he raised the Sky-Propping Pillar above his head. The cracked bronze pillar became incomparably heavy as he smashed it down onto the ugly creature.

A world-on-world collision ensued. The mountain shattered, and the remaining slayers and the two grand queens exploded. A small inner core appeared at the center of the mountain. This was the true core of the ship.

“Again!” Cha Ming shouted. He executed Heaven Breaker once more. This time, the core cracked, releasing golden Dao origin fragments infused with malevolent will.

Cha Ming put away the Sky-Propping Pillar as a wave of weakness overcame him. It now had five cracks on its surface, which meant that his two most powerful tools could no longer be used.

He pulled out the immortal axe and began hacking at the core. The cracks on it expanded until the core, sensing a threat to its existence, erupted with a third sonic attack. It was significantly more powerful than last time, forcing Cha Ming to bring out his fifth divine ability, Inkwell War Plate, to barely defend.

Cha Ming inspected his condition. Most of his Clearmist reserves were gone, and his regalia was cracked. The Clockwork Ancestor appeared beside him bearing an unconscious Serrendil. “She’s done. Take her out of here.”

Cha Ming threw Serrendil into the Clear Sky World. “We didn’t cause enough damage. Got any good ideas?”

“I could try pitting my will against hers, but… oh dear.”

“What?” Cha Ming said.

“That,” said the Clockwork Ancestor, pointing to a black vein pattern on his chest.

“You got hit by it as well,” said Cha Ming. “But when did it get us?”

Luther hopped out of the Clear Sky World. “It’s the Dao origin fragments, Master. She’s using them as a bridge into our bodies and our inner worlds.”

“Just as planned?” said Cha Ming.

“Just as planned,” said Luther. “I figured the dragon metals in your inner world were something she couldn’t resist.”

“Do it,” Cha Ming commanded.

“Acknowledged,” said Luther. Tendrils of bloodstorm energy shot out and manipulated the wills of his three demiplanes. They began to hack away at the supreme queen’s will, invading his inner world while Cha Ming used Star-Jade Entanglement to deduce his opponent’s Dao origin framework.

Unfortunately, a second-level saint’s will was too much for Luther to handle. He almost instantly fell on his back foot and was forced to sacrifice and continuously retreat to survive.

Cha Ming’s inner world began to change allegiance. Tens of thousands of mortal planes became the property of the supreme queen, and soon, his demiplanes would experience the same fate.

It’s over, said the Clockwork Ancestor. We lost.

Her corruption was even more advanced than Cha Ming’s. If not for her experience from the immortal dimension, she’d long have succumbed to the supreme queen’s more potent and abundant will.

It’s not over yet, Cha Ming said. We’ve still got a tiny chance. He explained his plan to the Clockwork Ancestor, who immediately fell silent. Meanwhile, Cha Ming lost over half his inner world to the creeping contamination. A different set of laws began asserting themselves and countering his own Clearmist laws.

“We can’t hold on much longer, Master,” said Luther. “Now’s the best time to act.”

Cha Ming sighed. “I don’t like to gamble, but there’s no other choice if we’re going to survive.”

“Sometimes, gambling’s all you can do,” said Luther. “Are you ready?”

“Let’s do it,” Cha Ming said. His body suddenly transformed into a tiny gray needle. Luther, Coral, and Disaster poured into that needle, greatly increasing its lethality.

Here goes nothing. Cha Ming shot out toward the location he’d deduced thanks to the scattered Dao origin fragments. They pierced through a membrane and appeared inside an unfamiliar world.

Tiny insects worked inside a pristine workshop, assembling drones and soldiers before sending them out through slits in space. Another batch of drones and soldiers returned moments after they left the floor. Each one was bearing a large chunk of dragon metals and other spatial debris.

These insects were not like normal drones and soldiers. They were direct will projections belonging to the supreme queen. The supreme queen was not like the grand queen she controlled and manufactured, focusing most of her attention on manufacturing and construction.

“Have you found your will fragments yet?” Cha Ming asked Luther.

“Give me a moment,” said Luther. Three seconds later, the world lit up with tiny specks of Luther’s will, which the queens had been painstakingly collecting since their entry into the realm ship.

“Undying,” said Cha Ming. “Deathless. Unforgotten.” Three elite painted armies poured out from his inner world. “Destroy this place. We’re going to tear down this world faster than the queen can tear ours down.”

The three armies spread out like locusts and began breaking down factory walls and destroying the builder insects. They charged out of the workshop and onto a planet that worker drones had been building for untold centuries.

“Star Void Cauldron. Heartforge Spirit Flames.” A shimmering cauldron appeared around the planet and ravaged its surface with heart flames. “Star Void Refinement!” He clenched his fist, and the Star Void Cauldron forged a connection with the void. Primal chaos energies poured into his Heartforge Spirit Flames and reinforced them.

The planet began to break apart as he eroded the will on its surface and worked his way in. He then took its lifeless fragments and added them to the core of his inner world, which was damaged but still resisting the supreme queen’s corruption.

“It’s working!” said Luther. “Just as planned. “Wait, watch out!”

Cha Ming realized his mistake too late. What he’d thought were dead pieces of prime materials actually contained trace amounts of the supreme queen’s will. She used them to finally break into the central area of Cha Ming’s inner world. Bit by bit, he began to lose control over his own Clearmist laws.

“Damn it!” Cha Ming cursed. He summoned his immortal axe and cut a valley into the queen’s inner world. Huge pieces fell off the planet and were immediately refined by the Heartforge Spirit Flames and Star Void Cauldron.

“It seems those who live by the sword, die by the sword,” Cha Ming muttered. After devouring countless demiplane fragments, his inner world was now on the receiving end. “Any bright ideas, Ninesky?”

“Nope,” said the sprite. “I think we’re done for.”

“Thank you for caring,” said Cha Ming. “Just so you know, it won’t be long before I start detonating demiplanes.”

“That sounds awesome!” said Ninesky. “Please don’t die. I’ll get bored without you.”

Cha Ming racked his mind for ideas. Serrendil and Silver Fish were exhausted and could no longer contribute. Huxian must have sensed his distress, because a stream of space-aligned energy was pouring into his energy pool. But it was too little, too late. It wouldn’t be long now before Cha Ming ceased being himself.

It appears that we have reached a crossroad, came the voice of the Clockwork Ancestor. I was hoping to stick around for a little longer, little friend. Good luck.

Clockwork Ancestor! Cha Ming shouted. Don’t give up!

This is not true death, said the Clockwork Ancestor. It is but a strand of will that I might as well put to good use. Just promise me one thing: stop Melody. My sister was a kind soul, and she would never stand for what her soul fragment is doing.

A blinding wave of golden energy suddenly tore into the golden world. A projection of the Clockwork Ancestor shot into it and dove into the supreme queen’s core.

There wasn’t a big explosion. The Clockwork Ancestor did have a real body, and her illusory body vanished the moment it hit the planetary core, causing its color to dim and the many drones on its surface to lose their coordination.

“Luther! Let’s go!” Cha Ming shouted.

“Already on it,” said Luther. The three moons in his inner world flashed with a familiar three-colored light. Then, to Cha Ming’s surprise, three additional balls of light shot out from the three moons. He immediately realized what they were.

“You hid away the wills of my three demiplanes?” Cha Ming exclaimed.

“It was a risky maneuver,” said Luther. “We almost lost this fight because of my gambit.”

“All is forgiven if we make it out in one piece,” said Cha Ming.

The three wills dove back into their corrupted demiplanes and devoured the stunned and feeble will belonging to the supreme queen. They instantly regained what they had lost plus a little bit more, then began to chase the supreme queen out of the many mortal worlds.

As for Cha Ming, he dove into the center of the golden world where its Dao origins were kept. Three Dao projections bore down on the core and began dismantling its fragments. He managed to plunder a third of the fragments away before the supreme queen woke from its stupor. The supreme queen then spoke for the first time since they’d met.

“You wretch!” With her words came images and emotions, and memories of a lost home, hope, and then betrayal. Thousands of thoughts were transmitted in an instant.

The broken ship was one of thousands that used to roam the immortal realms like a swarm of locusts. It was only because of inter-hive politics that it was sent to the front lines and fell from grace. Thousands of years had passed since it started its life as an interplanar scavenger, and now, when it was about to succeed in its goal of ascending to the immortal dimension, it had fallen prey to Cha Ming’s scheming.

“You think I’ll show you pity after learning these facts?” Cha Ming asked. He increased the rotation of the Star Void Cauldron, and large pieces began peeling off from the metal-based world. “If you’re going to live a dog-eat-dog life, you need to be prepared to face a similar end.”

Luther was good at what he did and had already forced the queen’s corruption out of Cha Ming’s inner world. Now he was personally scrubbing pieces of metal clean as Cha Ming tore them off the supreme queen’s planet and sent them into his own inner world.

Another burst of sound hit him. It contained anger, indignation, and unfulfilled wishes. It wanted to return to the void and reclaim its place in the swarm. But most importantly, it wanted to live.

“Submit,” Cha Ming said to the Planar Will. “That’s my bottom line. Submit, and you may form a demiplane in my inner world.”

More images flashed. Refusal. Hatred. But as the queen’s world grew smaller, the images became more frantic. Finally, the supreme queen capitulated.

“Actions speak louder than words, supreme queen.”

The supreme queen had no choice but to grab on to Cha Ming’s life-saving rope. She gave up resisting and began aiding Cha Ming in dismantling her own planet.

Half-formed Dao origin characters shot into Cha Ming’s body under the direction of the grand queen, saving him a great deal of time and effort.

Cha Ming’s Divine Shell took on a golden-black hue as a small core took shape at the center of his inner world. Around it grew a mass of metal and metal-aligned demiplane fragments.

Many of these fragments were dragon metals and would be very useful to Serrendil and her people. But Cha Ming felt that he would need a great deal of strength in a very short amount of time, so he said nothing as drones poured into his inner world and assembled a new planet around the growing Dao origin core, layer by layer.

“You’ll need to fuse this with the planar core,” Cha Ming said to the queen.

She took the clear orb he handed to her and did so without any hesitation. The orb was none other than his fourth rune, Assembled Parts, which would form the basis of his fourth canvas.

It wasn’t long before the law reached a critical point and retreated into the demiplane’s core. Cha Ming felt a restraint shatter in his inner world, and a sudden expansion in power. The fourth canvas joined the other three, adding properties of dismantling and assembly to Bound Energy, Shattered Form, and Modular Life.

His Crumbling Canvas saw an explosive increase in strength. Taking apart the supreme queen’s planet became incomparably easy. He simply had to wait as it took itself apart and reassembled in his inner world.

The process by which the demiplane came together was naturally managed by the supreme queen. She was very experienced in matters of world-building and took to the task with great gusto.

The demiplane had originally started off as a spherical object, but now, a framework appeared atop it. Thousands of golden arches emerged from the mass of writhing metal, which broke apart and reassembled itself so quickly that it appeared to be made of molten metal.

“Its taste isn’t bad,” said Ninesky, appearing on Cha Ming’s shoulder. She was wearing an eyepatch, and somehow, one of her legs had transformed into a wooden peg leg. “Pirate theme?”

“Pirates, bugs, and metal,” Cha Ming said. “I’m really not sure what the genre would be if one were to make a book about it.”

The other three demiplanes in his inner world were also undergoing dramatic changes. As though taking a cue from their newest neighbor, the swallowed-up demiplane materials Cha Ming had stockpiled began changing their shapes. The Flamewing Demiplane assumed the likeness of a phoenix, while the Claw Vice Demiplane assumed the shape of a giant crab. As for the Jade Memory Demiplane, an array of crystalline petals grew around its core to form an imitation of its original likeness.

The newest addition took the shape of a large golden ship formed entirely of tiny metal creatures. The original drones were gone and had been replaced by small dust-like replicants that could be assembled in any shape.

Cha Ming looked at the ship with a thoughtful expression. What did one name a demiplane like this? Did the original predatory plane even have a name? He conveyed these thoughts to the demiplane’s will and was unsurprised to discover that it had never had a name. At most, it had been assigned a number.

“I’m going to call this plane the Ship Mite Demiplane,” Cha Ming decided. He summoned a crystalline sphere and tossed it onto the ship. It melted into its hull and began to assemble tens of thousands of mortal worlds into a formation around it.

Seeing that everything was going as planned, Cha Ming summoned Serrendil and Silver Fish.

“What’s going on?” Serrendil asked. “Did you escape? Are we safe?” She looked around. “Where has the Ancestor gone?”

Cha Ming sighed. “She’s gone, Serrendil. Our situation wasn’t so good, so she burnt herself up to save us.”

Serrendil’s fists tightened. “She can’t have gone. She had big goals. She wanted to help me bring my people to prosperity…”

“I’m sorry,” Cha Ming said. “She was an admirable figure. I deeply regret her loss. Unfortunately, we’re short on time, and we need to make the best of our situation. For example, the Dragon Metal Realm. No one’s contesting it any longer. Complete your fusion and gain strength. You’ll need it to create a better future for your people.”

Serrendil was a practical demon, so she choked back her tears and got to work.