Chapter Seven: Takeoff

"Brother Tang, this should be enough, right?" Duan Yu said to Tang Yi after placing a large block of omni-stone into the spaceship’s energy storage bay.

"Almost," Tang Yi replied. "According to my calculations, this omni-energy is sufficient for us to break through this cage."

"However, I am still a bit worried about our food supply," Duan Yu said.

"There is no need to worry about that. As long as we are inside this spaceship, we don't have to fear the depletion of immortal energy. Besides, over this past year, the many robots I’ve invented have been continuously helping us cultivate food. By now, not to mention ten thousand immortals, even one hundred thousand would have more than enough." After saying this, Tang Yi walked toward the spaceship's control room.

Inside the control room, Celestial Master Tianji sat in the pilot's seat, gazing at the large screen in front of him. It displayed a massive super-planet surrounded by ten brightly shining stars. This image was transmitted back by some of the reconnaissance satellites Tang Yi had launched.

"Celestial Master Tianji, how is it? This spaceship isn't bad, is it?" Tang Yi asked.

"Not bad at all, Fellow Immortal Tang. I never imagined you would have such capability, being able to create such miraculous things even in this Immortal Cage. If we return to the Immortal Realm this time, I will certainly reward you," Tianji said solemnly.

"Master, you are too polite. We are all fellow travelers in misfortune; we should support each other. Now, we should go and awaken the others," Tang Yi said.

"Agreed, let us go now," Tianji said, taking the lead as they walked out.

Tang Yi and his four companions arrived at the Stone Forest. Looking around, the area was densely packed with people either lying or sitting on stones of various sizes. Celestial Master Tianji extended his right hand and tapped the nearest person who was in deep meditation. That person slowly began to wake.

Seeing Tianji, the person nodded. Because they had just recovered, they needed to regulate their breathing and were not yet fit to speak. However, they were surprised by Tianji's presence, realizing that for him to come in person, there must be a matter of great importance.

Tang Yi tried to imitate Tianji’s technique, tapping a person lying on a stone. "Hey, why is there no reaction? Let me try again. And again. And again." Tang Yi kept tapping. "Fine, I give up. You guys do it." Tang Yi eventually had to concede.

"You can't be blamed for that. Given your current cultivation level, the intensity of the immortal energy you emit simply isn't enough to trigger a response from these people," Xuzhu said as he awakened another person.

After about ten minutes of regulating their breath, those who had been awakened began to help awaken the others. Soon, everyone was roused.

For a time, those who knew each other exchanged greetings. Once the pleasantries were over, everyone turned to Celestial Master Tianji. Tianji nodded at the crowd and said, "I will keep you in suspense for a moment; for now, everyone just needs to follow me." He then led the way.

The massive crowd arrived where the spaceship was located. Because the ship was parked inside a ring of omni-stones, from the outside, one could only see the stone walls.

When the group stepped through the stone gate, they immediately felt invigorated. Seeing the enormous spaceship before them, they were all stunned. Such a thing had never appeared in the Immortal Realm. Generally, no one would be bored enough to build such a massive vessel, as immortals of a certain level possessed immense divine powers and had no need for such constructs.

"Everyone, you see this giant spaceship before you. This vessel will help us leave this Immortal Cage. Let me introduce its builder, Fellow Immortal Tang Yi. Fellow Immortal Tang came here two years ago, which means he built this ship in just two years. Perhaps you may still be skeptical, but I believe that once you enter and tour the ship, you will be as convinced as I am that we shall surely return to the Immortal Realm," Tianji told the crowd.

"Very well. However, Celestial Master Tianji, is there anything to replenish us? The journey here consumed too much of our immortal energy, and there is very little left in our bodies," someone called out.

"Haha," Tang Yi stepped forward and smiled. "Everyone, I, Tang Yi, have actually prepared a sumptuous feast for you all. Please, follow me."

Tang Yi led the crowd into the banquet hall inside the spaceship. The hall could accommodate 58,000 people at once, so with only 10,000 people entering, it felt quite spacious.

In the center was a large stage with a screen displaying the current state of the Immortal Cage star system. The crowd began to whisper among themselves upon seeing it.

"Please, take your seats!" Tang Yi said. Once everyone was seated, he nodded to Xiao Feng, who was standing to the side. Understanding, Xiao Feng pressed a switch on the wall control panel. Suddenly, a "clatter-clatter" sound erupted. Robots, each holding trays of delicacies and moving on four wheels, began to glide slowly toward every table.

"Giggle, these puppets are quite adorable," some of the female immortals laughed. The faces of the robots were modeled after the smiling face of Crayon Shin-chan.

However, once they smelled the aroma, everyone forgot about the robots, as they were all famished.

"If you need to rest, you can go to the bar counter and pick up a numbered card of your choice. The card will guide you to your room," Tang Yi said before taking his own seat.

...

Celestial Master Tianji picked up a card labeled "0000"—a small, palm-sized square with a pale silver luster and a sci-fi aesthetic. In the center was a small screen displaying a solid green dot and a light blue frame, indicating the location of his room.

As Tianji approached the door, the sensor recognized him in a fraction of a second and opened automatically. As he entered, a sweet female voice instantly rang out: "Respected Permanent VIP, welcome to the VIP room of the Immortal-class spaceship. I am the electronic butler for VIP room 0000. This is your first stay; please set your preferences so that I may better accommodate your daily habits."

"You... you can speak to me? Can you manifest yourself so I may see you?" Tianji was surprised to find he could not sense the speaker's location.

"Of course. Please choose an image to meet with," the female voice replied. Simultaneously, a set of images appeared before him—hundreds of faces of men, women, the old, and the young cycling through. "If you are not satisfied with the system's default images, you may select one to modify or replace."

Similar scenes were playing out in other rooms.

In room 0033, Duan Yu was gazing longingly at an image in the room, whispering, "Fairy Sister..."

Suddenly, the image flickered and changed into the likeness of Tang Yi, startling Duan Yu. "Tang Yi, what are you playing at? You could scare an immortal to death!" he shouted indignantly.

Tang Yi’s image appeared in every corner of the ship. "Apologies, everyone. The ship is about to take off. I am here to notify you. If you are interested in the scenery, you may view it through the screens in your rooms. As your captain, I wish you a pleasant journey. Now, spaceship—take off!" Tang Yi pressed the launch button.

The ship slowly rose into the air, simultaneously pulling the omni-stones that had served as the perimeter wall and attaching them to the underside of the vessel. As it passed over the Stone Forest, it hoisted the entire forest of stones into the air. With the ship carrying this massive load of omni-stones, it looked like a strange, flying umbrella.

And so, this strange umbrella began its long and arduous journey.