Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest-Chapter 1198: Star Sea (Three)

Hyperspace Star Sea Network, one of the empire’s most advanced black technologies.

This virtual network, connected through the Stargate Hub, links sixty-five star clusters and trillions of citizens under the empire’s rule, covering a range of tens of thousands of light years. It allows people separated by vast distances to communicate seamlessly.

The Star Sea Network is undoubtedly one of the foundational pillars of the Holy Light Empire’s rule. Without this unimaginably powerful network, the empire would have long since fallen apart.

What boggles the mind is that two people separated by ten thousand light years can use the Star Sea Network for video and voice communication, with a delay of no more than one microsecond!

Wang Chen simply cannot imagine how such technology was conceived.

Every citizen of the empire, regardless of age, can purchase and use devices to access the Star Sea. The most advanced models can even be implanted directly into the human brain, enabling seamless and unrestricted network connectivity.

Naturally, such powerful access instruments are exorbitantly priced. The original owner of his body couldn’t afford one, and Wang Chen is currently using the standard model distributed by his academy.

For the vast majority of people in the empire, the Star Sea Network is like a second world—an essential means to gain knowledge, experience, and entertainment. It’s an indispensable existence.

It can even be used to make money.

The original owner once worked as a sparring partner and game runner on the Star Sea Network. However, this method of earning money was so overly saturated with participants that the competition became unbearably intense. He gave it up shortly after starting.

Yet, on most evenings, the original owner still spent time learning and training in the Star Sea Network.

He had no capital to rely on; the only thing he could depend on was himself!

Pity he fell prey to deceit.

At the very moment Wang Chen connected to the Star Sea Network, every hair on his body stood on end. A strong sense of danger surged inside him, as if death were about to descend in the next instant.

At the critical moment, Wang Chen did not panic. His mind became unbelievably focused.

His powerful Divine Soul allowed him to detect a strange fluctuation emanating from the Virtual Access Instrument, silently scanning his brain.

Wang Chen had no understanding of the origin of this fluctuation, but there was no doubt that it was the source of danger.

But there was no relevant information regarding this in Lu Yuan’s memories.

Was it coincidence or accident?

Just as Wang Chen was about to remove the Virtual Access Instrument, an ancient Taoist Monument suddenly emerged in his Sea of Consciousness, illuminating his Divine Soul with radiant light.

The strange fluctuation immediately dissipated.

Wang Chen paused in astonishment.

The sense of danger had vanished, making him feel as if the momentary terror had been nothing more than a hallucination.

However, the Ancient Taoist Stele manifesting in his Sea of Consciousness was undeniably real. Clearly, it had entered this world alongside his Divine Soul and provided protection during the most critical moment.

Wang Chen let out a long sigh of relief.

Although countless questions still lingered in his mind, one thing was certain—he had successfully survived the first major instance of suspicion following his arrival.

Wang Chen now speculated that the strange fluctuation from the Virtual Access Instrument wasn’t specifically targeting him but was actually a defensive mechanism built into the Star Sea Network—akin to a firewall, designed to thwart external intrusions and viral threats.

Could Wang Chen, with his soul consciousness transferred to this world, be regarded by the Star Sea Network as an intruder?

Or a virus?

If Wang Chen’s speculation was correct, then former descendants from the Haotian Realm who ventured here likely fell victim to the same situation.

They lacked the shield and protection of an Ancient Taoist Monument!

These High-Rank Practitioners, ignorant of the technological world, and inhabiting bodies unaware of the hidden danger, would instinctively use the access instrument based on the original owner’s habits to log into the Star Sea Network, only to be flagged as viruses or intruders by the scanning mechanism.

Which invited fatal consequences.

The most terrifying part was that perishing in the Starry Seas Realm would lead to the destruction of their original body in the Haotian Realm.

Unless they had a Life-Substitute Puppet to take their place!

This sudden crisis also gave Wang Chen a direct understanding of the Starry Seas Realm’s dangers.

He silently disconnected from the Star Sea Network.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Chen attempted to leave the Starry Seas Realm entirely and return to the Haotian Realm.

If successful, the knowledge and information he had already acquired would be sufficient to report back to Du Jiuniang.

Wang Chen failed.

The rules of this realm were extraordinarily powerful and tightly woven. His soul consciousness could not penetrate the immensely thick world barrier to accurately locate the Haotian Realm, ruling out any immediate chance of return.

The attempt made Wang Chen realize that he would need to grow significantly stronger within the Starry Seas Realm—to the point of touching upon this world’s true essence—before he could even consider returning.

He would have to proceed slowly, step by step!

This result was entirely unexpected for Wang Chen. He had initially thought he could complete Du Jiuniang’s task within one or two years. Now it seemed it would take far, far longer.

Wang Chen’s resilience had been honed to an extraordinary degree. Despite things not going his way, he didn’t succumb to frustration or melancholy. Instead, his resolve for long-term exploration only grew firmer.

Venturing alone into this entirely new world was—in Wang Chen’s eyes—an invaluable opportunity for growth!

In fact, almost every Power Man in the Cultivation World had endured trials across multiple, even dozens of worlds, continually amassing strength and experience before finally reaching the summit.

Once he made up his mind, Wang Chen cast aside any hesitation and reconnected to the Star Sea Network.

The strange fluctuation from the Virtual Access Instrument reappeared.

Interestingly, it no longer carried any sense of danger for Wang Chen, and the Ancient Taoist Monument in his Sea of Consciousness had grown dormant.

In the next moment, a myriad of glittering stars materialized before Wang Chen’s eyes.

He knew that each star represented a virtual space encompassing socializing, gaming, learning, entertainment, competition, and more. People could find all manner of ways to pass the time within these spaces.

And they were extraordinarily diverse.

Wang Chen even observed dark holes lurking behind certain bright stars.

Those were entrances to the dark web!

The dark web represented the Star Sea Network’s underworld—a source of illicit and thrilling data streams. Entering and becoming addicted to these realms could lead an ordinary person to lose their consciousness forever.

Where there is light, there is darkness. Ever since the inception of the Star Sea Network, the dark web has been an enduring presence.

It has never been eradicated.

Wang Chen turned his gaze away from these unfathomable black holes and focused on the star closest to him.

As soon as he completed the lock-on, his consciousness immediately entered this star.

His surroundings unfolded into an expansive vista; infinite light filled his vision, then dissipated to reveal the scene before him.

Wang Chen realized he was seated among the audience in a massive Martial Arts Hall. On the central stage, two War Professionals were locked in a life-and-death battle, while the surrounding spectators roared and cheered with fervor.

The atmosphere on site was electric, almost explosive!

Starry Seas Arena.

A name instantly surfaced in Wang Chen’s mind.

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