Heaven, Earth, Me

"We are entering the outer influence sphere of the planet." 

Alaia's voice rang through the ship. Tatyana commanded. "Information about the world's properties before entering the world's influence."

Alaia answered right away. "The world is mostly spherical. It has a fast axial spinning with a five percent tilt relative to the sun. The size is small, with just over four thousand kilometers in radius. The average surface temperature of the planet has reached 400, while the above cloud temperature is about 600."

Kali asked. "What are those temperatures measured in?"

Alaia explained. "We are using the scale where 0 degrees is when water changes from ice to water, and 100 is its boiling point."

Kali nodded. "I see. So you are using Celsius?"

Alaia smiled and confirmed it. "Yes, Madam."

Tatyana hummed. "So, we have a thick layer of clouds that has somewhat reduced the ridiculous temperature, but even then, the strong volcanic activity due to the proximity to the sun has made the surface temperature a literal oven."

"Correct!"

"Approaching… Entering World's area of influence in 10… 9… 8…"

The warship approached, and soon, they reached the outer area of influence of the world. 

When they crossed it, they felt a pulse of energy surrounding them. This came as a surprise to Tatyana and Valeria as only worlds with an active Heaven would give this sensation. Tatyana frowned. "It seems I was wrong." 

Tatyana and Verdantia got alert, and the Death Empress shouted with a regal aura. "Activate all defensive formations! Go to your defensive positions and be ready for combat!"

"Yes, Lady Death Empress!"

Yasenia looked around attentively and asked. "What's wrong? Why the hurry?"

Tatyana explained swiftly while walking toward the warship's primary formation. "We've entered a world with a Heaven of an unknown level. If we are too far ahead cultivation-limit-wise, we will be attacked by them. If we are not, the residents of this world might be stronger than us. Either situation warrants our defensive formations to be activated."

Yasenia noticed and remembered. "Understood." 

The warship stayed in the outer layer of the world's influence, and after seeing that there was no retaliation or signs of aggression from the world's Heaven, Tatyana commanded. "Go ahead. Keep the stealth formation active." 

The warship approached the thick layer of clouds and quickly dove through them, going through them and revealing the hellish landscape below them. 

It was literally a world of fire. The land was filled with rivers of pure boiling magma, while the only wind currents in the nearby area were powerful fire storms and fire tornados. 

Kali muttered. "Incredible. There is life in this world? I can't believe it."

Tatyana laughed. "Life is extremely adaptable. I've even met creatures that live in the void. The Void, meaning the interdimensional space where nothing exists. If there are beings that can adapt to live there, there is no place between heaven and earth where life can't thrive." 

Yasenia had a pensive face when she asked. "What about a star? Are there creatures living on or inside stars?"

Tatyana shrugged. "Probably somewhere there are? I am not sure, though." 

While they discussed, Soluna looked around with an interested face as if she were discovering new information each moment. Yasenia felt Soluna's intrigue and looked over, also noticing that Valeria was looking at Soluna with a gentle smile. 

After a few moments, Valeria asked her. "What do you feel, little one?"

Soluna's spiritual sense expanded outward, and the World opened in her eyes. "I feel very pure energy… creating forms, creating life…... this world's life... spirits? Yes. Magma, Fire, Light, and Sun spirits inhabit this world!"

Valeria's eyes shone with gladness, and she extended her hand, gently caressing her head. "Great job, Soluna. You really are an extraordinary spirit, aren't you? "

Soluna laughed happily and ran toward Yasenia with an eager expression. The dragoness chuckled and opened her arms, welcoming the excited spirit. "Valeria praised me!"

"I heard. You did great, Soluna." 

Soluna giggled and rubbed her face against the dragoness's softness. Tatyana and Kali raised their eyebrows, but both of them said nothing. 

Valeria looked at them and said. "As Soluna said, this world hasn't developed fleshy life. There is spirit life. Well, if there was fleshy life at any point, it has been so long that not a single trace of aura remains in the atmosphere."

Kali rubbed her chin. "How often do solar systems have more than one world with a Heaven?" 

Tatyana shook her head. "Not often. On average, each solar system has 0.1 worlds with a Heaven." 

Kali questioned, surprised. "Really? Only one world in every ten solar systems has a Heaven?"

Tatyana nodded. "That's on average. Oh, and remember that worlds can have life without a Heaven. The rate is actually higher for worlds without a Heaven than those with them… Well, it was in the past. I don't know how it is nowadays."

Yasenia understood. "Are cultivators going to those Worlds and acting like overlords by abusing the mortals there?"

Tatyana nodded. "It is a taboo. It's a taboo that's even looked at badly by the Heavens themselves. Those who mess with mortal worlds on purpose accumulate A LOT of bad karma. I mean, what can you gain from a world that doesn't even have energy crystals like Parus or Purple Crystals? Their materials are soft and weak, their people can't cultivate, and their world produces so little energy that cultivating the first realm would take a hundred years." 

Tatyana sighed. "A cultivator messing with mortal worlds is just pure evil. Nothing more, nothing less." 

Kali raised her eyebrow. "Oho, if even you call it evil, it must be considered REALLY evil." 

Tatyana smiled. "Any senior with more than two neurons in their brain understands that messing with mortals is something that cultivators should not do." 

Yasenia rubbed her chin. "Is visiting them frowned upon?"

Tatyana shook her head. "It isn't as long as you don't mess with the natural order there. Visiting it and traveling around and interacting is okay."

Yasenia smiled. "We should go to one with the children. A world with literally zero threat! That's nice~." 

Tatyana grinned. "Oho~, don't underestimate mortals. I've seen technologies that can rival Unification Realm strength and even Dantian Spiritualization Strength." 

The dragoness asked, baffled. "How?"

Tatyana laughed. "Well, they have their ways." 

Kali asked. "What about transcendence?" 

Tatyana hummed. "I would say that finding a mortal civilization with that kind of strength will be harder than finding a second world that practices Body Cultivation… Oh? I can feel the spirits approaching. Alaia?" 

Alaia spoke. "There is a group that's traveling around seventy kilometers from where we are. They aren't moving towards us." 

Valeria agreed. "These spirits seem a bit primitive. They probably haven't developed enough intelligence to be considered sapient. Can I guide your maids, Little Yasenia?"

Yasenia had no reason to say no, so she readily agreed. "Go ahead. Listen to senior Valeria as if they were my words!"

"Understood, Young Miss!"

Valeria's voice spread through the ship with a heavy and authoritarian tone. "Activate the world compass and go northeast."

Her tone left zero room to refute or doubt, allowing everyone to move like a well-oiled machine. 

When the warship started moving, Valeria didn't speak until they saw a pair of very tall volcanos in the distance. "Go through those mountains, and when you arrive above the center area, dive straight down into the lava lake."

While the maids didn't understand, they didn't hesitate and moved the warship according to Valeria's orders.

After reaching atop the middle of the two lava-spewing mountains, Alaia and the rest turned the warship with zero hesitation and dove straight down. 

Kali grabbed onto Yasenia as they approached the lava lake. When they were close, Valeria looked toward the approaching lava with serene eyes and ordered. "Accelerate. [Nature Queen's Protection]."

The warship accelerated with a large boom while a green aura enveloped them. Then, they smashed against the lava lake.

BOOM!

Lava flew upward as they dove through the viscous liquid. The surroundings were red as the magma pressed against the protective barrier. 

Alaia spoke. "The bottom of the lake is approaching."

Valeria commanded. "Don't stop." 

They followed her orders, and the descent didn't last long. After a few seconds, they reached the bottom of the lake. Yet, unlike the solid rocky lakebed they expected to hit, their ship continued down and exited the lava lake. 

Valeria ordered, her voice carrying a compelling aura. "Stop."

The maids stopped the warship and looked around. Everyone's eyes opened wide as an unrealistic world welcomed them.

Yasenia asked, stunned. "A subterranean world?" 

Tatyana raised her eyebrow and looked at Valeria. "How did you know?"

Valeria smiled. "I analyzed the world's crust with a life energy pulse. I detected a few creatures far below the surface. I guessed there must be something below, so I asked to move in a random direction while analyzing. When I found an entrance, I guided us through it."

Tatyana laughed. "Impressive." 

Kali looked upward and asked, baffled. "Why is that magma lake not flowing downwards? It's weight alone should've made it flow down, no?" 

Tatyana pondered, and Valeria spoke. "I think there are some strange Heavenly Laws that rule this place. Have you ever seen floating islands? This is something similar." 

Tatyana sighed and nodded. "Sadly, I must agree. There is no logical explanation other than that."

Yasenia laughed. "Why 'Sadly'?"

Tatyana blinked. "Well, things with no explanation are more dangerous than things with one. Who knows if that thing will suddenly flow down at the speed of light and crush us, killing us on the spot?" 

Yasenia's smile disappeared, and she ordered. "Move us out of the way to a safer spot."

The maids laughed. "Yes, Young Miss."

Tatyana smirked and looked around. "So… Do we have anything interesting around here? Any trace of Ayanduin?"

Doriel spoke. "Young Miss, Lady Tatyana, Madam Kali, Lady Valeria, look at this."

The women approached and examined the energy signals that Doriel was observing. The second they realized what it was, they were all excited. Yasenia grinned. "Natural Treasures… And there isn't just one!"

Valeria smirked. "We might've hit the jackpot. This place is a breeding ground for Natural Treasures. I guess the proximity to the Sun, the spiritual life, and the decently powerful Heaven is enough of a combination to create Yang attributed Natural Treasures." 

Kali muttered. "Right. Since spirits don't consume Natural Treasures and instead just use them as a source of energy for themselves, the Natural Treasures have accumulated over the years. No life could've ever made it here because Distancia is the only world we know of with cultivators that are close to being strong enough to… Wow. Perhaps the rest of the worlds are similarly full of treasures!"

Yasenia pointed forward and smirked. "Let's plunder these worlds! Then, we'll plunder Ayanduin!"

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