The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

A broken humanoid object appeared in space? Was it just a coincidence that there was a meteorite with a special shape?

Zhao Qing's heart moved slightly, he put down the sticky Tai Sui glue block, and immediately sent a new message: "Are there more details? You can try to observe with a telescope and take some photos... follow the steps in the operating manual."

"Let me take a look...First use the finder scope to find the target, then switch to the main mirror...through manual fine-tuning, make it gradually appear in the center of the field of view..." In the left arm cabin, Concubine Zhao Xiang took out the instruction manual of the survey telescope from a cabinet and quickly began to operate it.

After all, she had experience in trying out various talismans, so she got the hang of it quite quickly. While injecting her true energy into a series of array runes, she adjusted the knobs and levers, causing the black ice mirror tube that protruded from her palm to slowly turn and point to the direction of the strange object she had discovered earlier.

Unlike ordinary telescopes, the two sets of sky survey optical telescopes that Zhao Qing made by hand are composed of six lenses each, with different functions. Some are responsible for collecting more light, and some are responsible for correcting the chromatic aberration and aberration of light to ensure a clear and accurate image in the end.

Therefore, in an almost purely manual situation, only a master-level figure with a keen sense of perception and the ability to use his spiritual power to simultaneously control a large number of gyroscopes, reaction wheels, and spectroscopic arrays can complete calibration and focusing in a short period of time and successfully track and lock onto distant target objects.

Seeing that the huge human figure occupying most of the field of vision in the mirror became clearer and clearer as she operated, as if it was right in front of her, Zhao Xiangfei was quite satisfied. She then adjusted the aperture and filter several times to reduce the interference of starlight and highlight the other person's detailed features.

The incomplete humanoid object was about ten feet long, with a layer of dark blue light surrounding it, flowing slowly like a substance. The surface of its "body" was bumpy, as if it had experienced countless brutal battles. Some places even had signs of melted metal and then solidified.

The limbs were partially incomplete, with the right arm broken at the elbow, the fracture was jagged, as if it had been torn apart by some huge force; only a small half of the left leg was left, but strangely, there were no debris floating around, as if the missing parts had disappeared in another space.

The head is relatively complete, and the outline of the facial features can be vaguely seen, but the lines are rough and mysterious. The position of the eyes is empty and deep, as if leading to an abyss of endless darkness. It is daunting to look at it, and if you stare at it for too long, it seems that your soul will be devoured by it.

On the surface of the humanoid object, there are some complex and ancient patterns engraved, emitting a faint golden light, which is intertwined with the surrounding dark blue light, forming a mysterious and strange visual effect, as if forming some kind of special formation.

Occasionally, a wisp of star energy would be drawn over, circling around the lines for a moment before dissipating.

"What the hell is this?"

Concubine Zhao frowned and thought secretly in her heart. She adjusted the knob and found that the magnification had reached the limit. At the current distance, the highest resolution was only decimeter level. So she pressed the fast button of the camera next to her and started continuous shooting.

As the sound of shutter clicks continued, high-definition images were recorded and projected onto radiation-proof film specially designed for space environments. They were then automatically sent to a darkroom for development, scanned by phototubes, converted into electrical signals, and transmitted back to the ground via radio.

This series of space camera equipment is full of the style of early space exploration in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of it was made by Zhao Qing himself, and some of it was imported from the dragon world on the other side. After all, no matter how advanced the photography technology is, once it has become digital, it cannot match the current level of talismans and is useless.

In fact, in addition to the low-resolution images that are slowly analyzed and transmitted by camera tubes, those seemingly old-fashioned film reels are the main way to store information. After the shooting is completed and accumulated to a certain level, they are loaded into the return capsule and sent to the ground to obtain more accurate intelligence.

After filming for a while, Zhao Xiangfei was worried about wasting this newfangled thing, so she left the left arm cabin and gave her place to someone else. She connected the Lingxi Jade Talisman in the core cabin and asked, "I have filmed that strange humanoid object. Can you receive the image?"

On the top floor of the Neighbor Star Building, in the temporarily renovated control center, Zhao Qing was staring at the blurry images on the crystal screen. These were transmitted back in real time by the camera tube. The resolution and clarity were quite impressive, but he could only make out a rough outline:
"Yes, but it's not very clear. The specific details can only be seen after the film is sent back to the ground." She paused, then continued, "If you have time, continue to monitor the object to see if there are any changes. At the same time, pay attention to the surrounding environment to see if there are any other abnormal phenomena."

"In my opinion, this thing looks like some kind of giant human creation that has been abandoned or damaged. Perhaps it is the remains of a war artifact from the You Dynasty era that somehow drifted into the starry sky... A cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Tian is fully capable of blasting something weighing millions of pounds into low-Earth orbit."

"This may not be intentional." Zhao Qing analyzed and added: "For example, if two strong men in the eighth realm fight each other, a sword move that lifts up will cause a huge storm, which may sweep many objects within a few miles into the sky, and the weapons and magic tools that are hit head-on will naturally fly higher."

"If the angle is right, the object does not tumble or roll around, and it has enough initial velocity, and its quality is excellent, and it has not burned up in the atmosphere, then it can become a satellite that continuously orbits this world, or wander in the starry sky."

"Could it be the legendary Yuanfu Golden Man?" Concubine Zhao Xiang asked, "But according to historical records, the Yuanfu Golden Man should be only three to five meters tall. Our dynasty's 'Flying Goddess' Talisman is actually somewhat imitating them, but the technology is not good enough, so it is not as refined or powerful as before."

"Speaking of the giant golden man, the Lonely Mountain Sword Sect, which is close to the You Dynasty, is the mysterious and powerful ancient practice place located in the Changling area of ​​​​the Qin Territory today. It seems to have a Disha Sword Formation that requires twelve golden men to set up, and the size of the golden men is even larger..."

"We are all Jin people, so will we learn from and inherit from each other?"

Zhen Lingzi, who had just come out of the left arm cabin after taking a few glances, interrupted and said, "Since there are not enough clues in the existing books to identify that thing, why not try to get closer to it for a field survey? Maybe we can find some valuable relics, or even a complete magic circle or rune inheritance."

"That's easy to say, but how can you get close? Do you think we are walking on land?" Concubine Zhao rolled her eyes at him and said, "My 'flying sky' was thrown up by the starlight chains. It has no power of its own. It is like a small wooden basin drifting in the waves of a river."

"If you use your energy to propel yourself, as long as there is a slight deviation in the direction of the force, you will likely lose control of your posture and start to roll at high speed, turning non-stop like a waterwheel, and seriously deviate from the original track... These are all must-read items in the manual!"

"It would be better to activate 'Heaven's Punishment' and fire a few rays of the Sun's True Fire to test the opponent's defense ability from a distance and see if this golden man still retains some power." She turned around and opened a dark cabin, unlocked the wind binding array, and controlled the unfolding posture of the ten Sun Energy Rune slices:
"Come to think of it, didn't you come here to comprehend the star energy and the Starfire Sword Scripture? Why are you so interested in this ancient relic? Do you have relevant records on hand?"

"It's not a record, just some rumors."

Zhen Lingzi admitted: "As far as I know, about a hundred years ago, a strange object called the 'Heavenly Fate Scroll' fell in the desert of Mobei. It fell from the sky with a meteor and revealed ancient cultivation scriptures, thus becoming one of the most important origins of the current Mobei Esoteric Sect's cultivation methods." "This so-called 'Heavenly Fate Scroll' is obviously not the common situation where practitioners comprehend the vitality of the stars from the remains of meteorites. Instead, it has real and recognizable ancient characters. This kind of text does not even require others to decipher it, and can directly allow those who understand it with their heart to sense its meaning."

"Perhaps some practitioners who are superstitious about gods and Buddhas firmly believe that this thing is a decree from heaven, but in my opinion, it is undoubtedly a heritage treasure specially left behind by an extremely powerful practitioner in ancient times. It was specially sent into the depths of the starry sky, waiting to fall down one day and be obtained by a destined person."

At this point, his eyes sparkled with excitement: "If this incomplete golden man is also a similar existence, then the secrets and value contained in it will be far beyond our imagination. Perhaps it also carries some kind of ancient heritage, or even the secret method of cultivation from the You Dynasty or even earlier!"

"How can we miss such an opportunity? And how can we recklessly launch an attack and damage the priceless treasures that may be contained within it?"

"You do have some truth in what you said." Hearing this, Concubine Zhao nodded slightly, with a hint of intention in her eyes: "Although Qi Tian of the Eighth Realm is strong, the gap is not that big for people like us who are at the peak of the Seventh Realm. It's just a broken magic weapon left by the other party and no one is controlling it. It shouldn't be too dangerous."

"However, whether we can successfully approach and complete the exploration depends mainly on the operating status of the 'Sky Punishment' in the starry sky... At the same time, we must also prevent energy from affecting the 'Sky' cabin. The dangers that the Jin people may hide may not be a big problem for us, but it is hard to say for this space vehicle."

Hearing these conversations, Zhao Qing at the ground control center was also thoughtful. The local civilization's creations floating in space were not only the remnants of battles and wars, but also had many other possibilities, which came from the occasional thoughts of some high-level practitioners, just like letting people fly into the sky.

In normal modern space history, the gold-plated records carried by Voyager 1 and 2, on which are recorded a large number of sounds and images that express various cultures and life on Earth, are equivalent to self-introductions and greetings to aliens. There are also many humans who are willing to scatter their ashes into space.

There is no doubt that flying to the boundless starry sky is the dream and fantasy of many people. When one reaches the level of the eighth realm of enlightenment, mundane affairs are unlikely to attract the attention of such practitioners. They tend to be more arbitrary and let their personal preferences guide their behavior.

In addition to pursuing higher realms and immortality, people will also focus more on exploring the unknown and ascending to the sky, trying to "travel with the immortals and embrace the bright moon forever."

In fact, even if one has not reached the Eight Realms, one can use special means to send some cultivation classics, personal autobiography, sect history, similar to the "drifting bottle" of travelers, to the starry sky, or try to be buried in the starry sky, and turn into dust floating in the universe after death;

"Holding the comet as a flag and raising the handle of the Big Dipper as a banner." If you think about it carefully, what a romantic thing it is.
If there are indeed many practitioners who think this way, then there must be many lost starry bottles in the low-Earth orbit or even farther away. Perhaps not all of them are as large as the incomplete golden man, but they are also valuable.

Zhao Qing couldn't help but feel a little emotional. She looked up at the blurry image on the screen. The humanoid object seemed to be telling some ancient and mysterious story. Its empty pupils became deeper and deeper, as if there were thousands of words hidden in the traces of time.

Perhaps, it really carries the dreams and pursuits of a certain practitioner, and his unfulfilled wishes during his lifetime, spanning thousands of years of time and space, just waiting for the arrival of a destined person.

"Well, you can try to get closer to it."

Zhao Qing finally made a decision: "I have calculated the orbital parameters of the golden man and completed the coordinate positioning. Now I will activate the first pivot of the C-1st phase to the Wuwang position, open the working fluid valve connecting the left and right foot compartments, and adjust the 'Heavenly Punishment' according to the angle I gave..."

Zhao Xiangfei and the others followed his instructions and manipulated the ten thin sheets of the sun talisman to turn them towards the golden man, and fine-tuned the focal length and vital energy absorption frequency for generating the sun's true fire.

When the tangled strands of golden flames collided with the sprayed liquid hydrogen mist particles, the latter immediately heated up and expanded, and under the guidance of the wind-binding magic array, they were ejected at high speed in a plasma state, generating a reverse thrust, allowing the entire "Flying" goddess statue to gradually approach the target.

The effect of this engine is roughly similar to that of a nuclear thermal rocket engine, with very good thrust and specific impulse. Unfortunately, due to insufficient heat dissipation, the rune circuit has a certain risk of meltdown, and still needs to be improved. It can only operate at low power or intermittently.

It took a long time before a very narrow rendezvous and docking window appeared. The opportunity was fleeting and could not be missed.

Under Zhao Qing's precise guidance, the "Flying" goddess statue kept changing its track and slowly approached the incomplete golden human-shaped object. Finally, after a long wait and repeated adjustments, the distance between the two was close enough that the patterns on its surface could be clearly seen.

In the starry sky, a red-gold glow belt stretches for thousands of miles and slowly dissipates, like the outstretched tail feathers of a phoenix. It is the trace left by the sun's true fire burning and ionizing hydrogen along the way.

"Five hundred feet... four hundred feet away from the target..." Zhao Qing's steady and calm voice came from the jade talisman. Every jump of the numbers touched everyone's heartstrings: "Shut down the 'Heavenly Punishment' engine to prevent the flowing solar energy from affecting the rune circuit of the golden man."

"Three hundred feet... two hundred feet... prepare to make fine adjustments, activate the hook claw launch system, calibrate it to the golden man's waist and abdomen, keep the divine consciousness attached, strengthen perception, and predict the angle deviation... one hundred and fifty feet... one hundred feet... the hook claw will launch!"

Following Zhao Qing's instructions, two hooks made of special soft steel and equipped with powerful magnetic devices at the tips suddenly shot out from both sides of the waist of the "Flying" goddess. They drew two streaks of light in the air and accurately buckled onto the waist and abdomen of the golden human-shaped object.

"The hook has been fixed, and the cable has been hardened..." Concubine Zhao carefully manipulated the formation hub, using Tianzhong Zhenyuan to refine the soft rope into a straight connecting rod to maintain a safe distance of 100 feet. Then she replied: "What should we do next? Should we go over and check it out directly?"

"In the past, there was a broken stele in Changling left by a practitioner of the Gushan Sword Sect. Wang Jingmeng comprehended the Gushan Great Compassion Sword from it, but the broken stele destroyed itself. Now only the rubbings are left..." She thought for a moment and added:

"Observing this golden statue closely, I can be sure that some of the subtle details of the rune lines on it are almost identical to the lines in the rubbings of the broken stele on Gushan Mountain. They should be unique characters with the same origin. There must be a deep connection between the two."

...(End of chapter)