Chapter 423: Celebration
Translator: AnubisTL
Purgatory Sulfur Plane, Incense Divine Path Central Control Room.
As the final crystal panel, inlaid with precise runes, was slotted into the main control formation’s groove, Jieming carefully completed the calibration of the last energy circuit.
He took two steps back and initiated the comprehensive diagnostic program.
Hum…
The entire Central Control Room lit up with a soft, milky-white glow. Countless fine energy patterns on the walls, floor, and ceiling began to flow as if they had come alive.
Dozens of light screens suspended in mid-air ignited simultaneously, their surfaces rapidly refreshing with massive streams of data—Faith Power collection efficiency, spiritual energy conversion rate, energy network node stability, the real-time status of the Black Giant Tribe…
Three minutes later, all the light screens turned a pleasing green. A soft, synthesized voice announced: “Incense Power collection network module ‘Thought Resonance Array’ installation complete. All system self-tests passed. Estimated operating efficiency increase: 37.2%.”
Jieming let out a long sigh of relief and rubbed his aching brow.
This final phase of the installation had been far more complex than he had anticipated.
He had originally planned to complete it within six months, but it had dragged on for nearly two years.
The primary delay was due to the time spent resolving compatibility issues between the “Thought Resonance” and “Faith Purification” subsystems.
Still, they had managed to finish just in time.
The rush to complete the installation was because the Black Giant Tribe’s decennial “Molten Fire Celebration” was only two days away.
As a special elemental lifeform created by Jieming himself and refined through multiple iterations, the Black Giant’s physiology was fundamentally different from that of ordinary biological beings.
They required neither food nor sleep, possessed an extremely low metabolic rate, and enjoyed immense longevity. Even the most common Black Giant could live for several millennia, provided they did not fall in battle or suffer energy depletion.
For those who had evolved to the fourth or fifth tier by devouring others, their lifespans were measured in tens of thousands of years.
Such an immense life cycle meant their perception of “time” was vastly different from that of short-lived races. To them, a celebration held once every ten years was already considered a relatively “frequent” gathering.
As for the even grander “Centennial Grand Sacrifice” and the yet-to-be-held “Millennial Grand Ceremony,” those were milestone events etched into the collective memory of their entire civilization.
“Sovereign.” A voice, low and rumbling like thunder from the earth’s core, echoed outside the control room.
Jieming turned his head toward the doorway.
Standing there was a head with only one eye visible—it was Magmus, a sixth-tier Black Giant and one of the two remaining commanders of the Black Giant Legion, named by Jieming.
Unlike the Black Giant Priests, who had undergone special mutations to become slender figures focused on research and spellcasting, Magmus had followed the most traditional “Elemental Colossus” evolutionary path.
After advancing to the sixth tier, his already massive form, which exceeded fifty meters, grew even larger, now standing nearly a hundred meters tall in his normal state.
His entire body was covered in a layer of flowing liquid black metal, which gleamed with the luster of cooling lava under the lights of the control room.
His enormous hand, when spread open, could cover nearly half the room. Along the edges of the signature vertical fissure on his chest, one could faintly see an obsidian structure burning like a furnace within.
He was one of only two survivors from the original five Black Giant elites Jieming had cultivated, having endured countless planar wars.
His pure strength, unyielding will, and absolute loyalty to Jieming—a combat instinct forged in battle—made him the undisputed symbol of the Black Giant Legion’s military might.
“How are the preparations for the celebration?” Jieming walked to the console and brought up the real-time surveillance feeds of the celebration grounds across the plane.
Magmus bowed his massive head respectfully—a gesture that nearly caused him to bump into the laboratory. “The framework is 87% complete. The ‘Eternal Crucible,’ the main ritual site, has been lit, and its energy supply is stable. Commander Rockhammer has already departed for the Eastern Gathering District to assemble our kin. We expect over 98% of the entire clan to arrive at the main venue before the celebration begins.”
On the screen, the main venue, located on the Central Plains of the plane, was under frantic construction.
Tens of thousands of Black Giants were busy at work. They tore molten rock from the earth with their bare hands, shaping it in mid-air into grand arches, platforms, and statues. They channeled pure streams of energy from elemental pools, weaving them into protective and enhancement formations that covered the entire venue. At the core, a team of specialized priests maintained a massive energy vortex over five hundred meters in diameter—the “Eternal Crucible,” the focal point where the clan’s will and energy would converge during the celebration.
“Very good.” Jieming nodded in satisfaction. “And the exact start time?”
“Standard Plane Time, noon in two days. When the twin suns reach their zenith, the Crucible Resonance Ritual will officially begin.” A rare hint of anticipation flickered in Magmus’s voice.
Even for the long-lived Black Giants, the decennial clan-wide celebration was an unmissable and momentous occasion.
“I understand. Go on, ensure everything proceeds smoothly.”
“As you command, Sovereign.” Magmus bowed again, his massive frame turning with surprising agility as he departed, careful not to disturb any equipment outside the control room.
Jieming watched him leave, his gaze returning to the surveillance screens.
Two days later, at noon.
In the sky above the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, two dark-red “suns” of unequal size slowly ascended to the zenith.
Their scorching rays fell upon the Central Plains, illuminating the newly completed celebration grounds in a brilliant glow.
Over three billion Black Giants had gathered here.
The number was staggering, yet as they formed neat phalanxes across the vast Obsidian Plains, they appeared perfectly ordered.
From high above, the black ocean of giants was dotted with countless lava-carved sculptures, rune-etched energy towers, and slowly swirling energy vortices.
At the center of the grounds, the five-hundred-meter-diameter “Eternal Crucible” burned at its peak, sending a pillar of golden-red energy soaring into the sky to meet the twin suns at the zenith.
There were no long speeches, no complex procedures.
The moment the light of the twin suns aligned perfectly with the Crucible’s pillar of light…
“ROAR!!!”
Three billion Black Giants roared to the heavens in unison!
It was no mere sound, but the spiritual resonance, energy vibration, and torrent of will from three billion elemental lives!
The very earth of the plains trembled. The air was instantly heated to a temperature that could melt steel, only to be rapidly cooled by the Black Giants’ innate “Heat Absorption” talent.
Visible ripples of energy radiated from each Black Giant, intertwining, colliding, and fusing above the fairground before ultimately surging into the Eternal Crucible at its center.
The Crucible’s pillar of light erupted again, its color shifting from golden-red to a pure, brilliant gold, resembling a bridge of light connecting heaven and earth.
The celebration had officially reached its climax.
(End of the Chapter)