288: Chapter 288 Vast Terror and the Myriad Treasures Starship

The ruins of the Zhenyuan Star Pass, reduced to billions of microscopic dust particles, drifted with the wind amidst the turbulent currents of the Chaos Star Sea. That starry fortress, which once suppressed an entire region and struck terror into the hearts of countless Lower Realm ascenders, had now completely become the dust of history.

Upon the ancient starry path, there was a deathly silence.

Zhou Wannian stood with his hands behind his back, his Green Robe fluttering slightly in the Void Realm that was devoid of any Impurities. His deep eyes gazed at the boundless sea of stars ahead, his expression as calm as water, as if having just casually erased a fortress and an Early Daluo Stage Dao Ancestor was merely brushing a speck of dust from his lapel.

A dazzling golden light shuttled back and forth through the ruins. The Gold-Devouring Immortal Golden Boy let out bursts of cheerful insect chirps, opening its bottomless little mouth to frantically swallow the wreckage of divine iron—which contained high-grade star Laws—into its belly like a whale inhaling water. The foundation Materials accumulated by the Zhenyuan Star Pass over untold eons now all became the meal for this dark-gold beetle.

After a full half-hour, Golden Boy finally let out a satisfied burp. On its originally indestructible dark-gold carapace, a layer of deep starry Formation patterns had appeared, faintly emitting an ancient, fierce aura capable of devouring Chaos. It turned into a streak of light, obediently flying back into the depths of Zhou Wannian's sleeve, falling into a deep state of slumber and digestion.

Zhou Wannian nodded slightly.

In a steady tone, Zhou Wannian whispered to himself, "Although the Materials in this star sea are crude, they make up for it in quantity. Once this little fellow wakes up, its Physical Body strength should be able to reach a new level."

He did not linger, taking unhurried steps as he continued forward along the ancient path paved with the remnants of stars.

The Space Law of Great Perfection flowed naturally beneath his feet. Every step he took seemed slow, but in reality, he crossed millions of miles of starry distance. This Divine Ability of shrinking the earth to an inch had long since become an instinct as natural as breathing.

At the same time, deep within the Chaos Star Sea, hundreds of millions of miles away from this location...

The main hall of the Vast Star Palace.

This was a supercontinent so massive it could rival a medium-sized Realm, suspended in the innermost core of the star sea. Above the continent, nine blazing suns emitting different Law lights shone upon each other, illuminating the entire Star Palace like an immortal divine kingdom. Countless heavily armored starry knights patrolled the outskirts of the continent, radiating a chilling pressure.

Within the Life Soul Pavilion in the deepest part of the Star Palace, tens of thousands of Life Soul Lamps burned year-round. These Soul lamps represented the core strength of the Vast Star Palace's expansion into the star sea.

The person responsible for guarding the Soul Pavilion today was a grey-robed Elder with an Early Daluo Stage cultivation. He sat cross-legged on a purple-gold prayer mat, eyes closed as he deduced the Laws of the Great Dao.

Suddenly, a tooth-aching sound of shattering rang out abruptly in the silent Soul Pavilion.

The grey-robed Elder snapped his eyes open, his gaze like materialized lightning as it instantly swept toward the direction of the sound.

In the next instant, an irrepressible look of terror and disbelief surfaced on his wrinkled old face.

On the twelve purple crystal divine platforms at the highest point of the Soul Pavilion, the Life Soul Lamp representing the commander of the Zhenyuan Star Pass, the Mad Axe Dao Ancestor, had actually exploded without any warning. Not only that, but below the Mad Axe Dao Ancestor's Soul lamp, the full hundred thousand Soul lamps representing the elite guards of the Zhenyuan Star Pass also simultaneously extinguished as if swept by a terrifying gale, their very lamp stands turning to powder.

The grey-robed Elder trembled violently, his legs going soft as he nearly fell from the prayer mat.

With a trembling voice, the grey-robed Elder roared, "Palace Master Mad Axe has fallen! The Zhenyuan Star Pass has been completely wiped out! Quickly strike the Vast General-Gathering Bell!"

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The dull bell toll, filled with endless killing intent, instantly echoed throughout the entire Vast Star Palace.

In just ten short breaths of time...

Inside the discussion hall at the center of the Star Palace, eleven towering figures radiating world-destroying pressure stepped out of the void simultaneously. They were the remaining eleven Palace Masters of the Vast Star Palace, each possessing the terrifying cultivation of the Late Daluo Stage.

And on the throne at the very top of the hall, crafted from the bones of an ancient starry behemoth, a misty current of Chaos slowly gathered, transforming into a majestic middle-aged man wearing a dark-gold starry robe.

This person was the supreme Dominator of the Vast Star Palace, the Vast Star Lord. His aura was as deep as a sea-abyss, having remarkably surpassed the Peak of the Daluo Realm to reach that supreme Realm above the legendary half-step Dao Ancestor.

The atmosphere in the hall was suppressed to the freezing point.

The Vast Star Lord's eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through the myriad worlds of the heavens, coldly swept over the eleven Palace Masters below.

The Vast Star Lord's voice was low yet contained an unquestionable authority as he spoke coldly, "Mad Axe is dead. The Zhenyuan Star Pass has been completely erased. Who can tell this seat exactly who has the audacity to so boldly provoke the bottom line of my Vast Star Palace on our territory?"

One of the Palace Masters below, wearing crimson battle armor, took a step forward and knelt on one knee.

The Crimson-Armored Palace Master reported with a heavy tone, "Reporting to the Star Lord. This subordinate has already utilized the Starry Retrospection Formation to investigate the remaining heavenly secrets before the destruction of the Zhenyuan Star Pass. The one who acted was an unfamiliar young man in a Green Robe. This person did not use any starry warships, crossing the ancient starry path with his Physical Body alone. He..."

At this point, the Crimson-Armored Palace Master swallowed hard, a flash of deep dread appearing in his eyes.

The Crimson-Armored Palace Master continued, "He merely pointed a finger in mid-air. The Zhenyuan Star Pass's Zhou Heaven Star-Remnant Execution Formation was then swallowed by a black hole that appeared out of thin air. Subsequently, the entire Star Pass and Palace Master Mad Axe were completely turned to fly ash in less than ten breaths by an incomprehensible Law of time acceleration and spatial disintegration. They had no power to fight back."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The eleven Late Daluo Stage Palace Masters all sucked in a breath of cold air simultaneously.

Erasing a Late Daluo Peak with one finger and swallowing a fortress's execution beam with one hand—such methods had completely exceeded their imagination. Even if the high-and-mighty Vast Star Lord were to act personally, he absolutely could not do it with such nonchalance.

The Vast Star Lord's face on the throne instantly turned incredibly gloomy. His hands, which had been gripping the armrests of the throne, actually loosened slightly unconsciously at this moment.

A trace of a shiver, hidden deep in his heart, quietly crawled onto the heart of this overlord of the star sea.

He knew better than anyone what it meant to Cultivate both Time and Space Laws to Great Perfection and be able to fuse them to perform such a dimension-striking Divine Ability. It meant the opponent had already jumped out of the Heavenly Dao's shackles of this star sea and become a Universe of their own.

Facing an invincible existence of this level, the foundation and numbers that the Vast Star Palace took pride in were nothing more than a ridiculous joke.

The Vast Star Lord took a deep breath, perfectly masking the dread in the depths of his eyes.

The Vast Star Lord issued his command in a chilling tone: "Pass down my decree. Close the ancient starry path where the Zhenyuan Star Pass was located. All patrol teams of the Star Palace out on missions are to retreat immediately. Without my command, no one is allowed to provoke that young man in the Green Robe. Should anyone violate this order, there will be no need for the opponent to act; I will personally extract their Divine Soul and banish them to the Nine Serenity Star Abyss."

The eleven Palace Masters below all felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this, but not one dared to speak up in protest. They all bowed in acceptance of the command.

The Vast Star Palace, this colossus that had acted tyrannically in the Chaos Star Sea for countless ages, chose an unprecedented retreat and withdrawal because of a flick of Zhou Wannian's finger.

And at this moment, Zhou Wannian, the creator of this storm, was still walking unhurriedly along the ancient starry path.

The Chaos Star Sea was vast and boundless, and time seemed to lose its scale here.

Zhou Wannian was in no hurry. As he walked, he inhaled the violent Chaos currents around him into his body, using the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art to transform them into the purest internal Universe Origin. His cultivation improved steadily without him even realizing it, and those one hundred and eight time dao patternss became increasingly dazzling.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a violent fluctuation of Space Law suddenly appeared in the star sea ahead.

Zhou Wannian raised his head slightly, his gaze piercing through layers of Chaos mist.

In the void hundreds of thousands of miles away from him, a luxurious starry giant boat, a hundred thousand feet long and made entirely of white jade and purple gold, was fleeing frantically through the star sea like a startled whale.

Countless complex defensive Formation patterns were inscribed on the hull of this giant boat, and brilliant spiritual light flickered on its massive sails. On both sides of the gunwale, the three words "Wanbao Pavilion" were written in ancient gold-leaf characters. Clearly, this was an ocean-going merchant ship belonging to some super-large merchant guild.

However, at this moment, this incredibly luxurious wanbao starship had fallen into an unprecedented desperate situation.

Behind and on both sides of the star boat, a seemingly endless tide of black insects was chasing closely like maggots on a bone. Each of those insects had the aura of the Early Taiyi Stage, and their appearance resembled starry bats magnified countless times, possessing sharp fangs and claws capable of tearing through space.

These were the notorious disaster creatures of the Chaos Star Sea, the Void Spirit-Devouring Bats. They roamed the star sea in swarms, specifically devouring passing starry warships and the immortal spiritual power of Cultivators.

Even more despair-inducing was that at the very front of this black insect tide, there was a Dark Gold Bat King as massive as a mountain. This bat king radiated the violent pressure of the Early Daluo Stage; every time it vibrated its twin wings, it would whip up a terrifying Spatial Storm in the void, heavily striking the wanbao starship's defensive light barrier.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening collision sounds echoed continuously in the star sea. The nine-colored defensive light barrier on the exterior of the wanbao starship, which was claimed to be able to withstand Daluo Stage attacks, was now covered in dense cracks, its light dimmed to the extreme as if it would completely shatter at any moment.

On the deck of the star boat, several thousand merchant guild guards in uniform were desperately pouring their immortal spiritual power into the Formation hubs with faces full of despair. But their efforts seemed like a drop in the bucket before the boundless insect tide and the violent bat king.

On the command platform at the very front of the deck stood a woman in a moon-white dress, her appearance peerlessly beautiful and possessing the temperament of someone long accustomed to a high position. She was the owner of this wanbao starship, the Young Pavilion Master of the Wanbao Pavilion, Su Qingyao.

Su Qingyao had a cultivation at the Peak of the Late Taiyi Stage, but at this moment, her face, which could topple cities and kingdoms, was filled with paleness and helplessness.

Su Qingyao bit her lip tightly, her voice carrying an irrepressible tremble.

Su Qingyao anxiously asked the guard commander beside her, "How much longer can the defensive Formation hold? Is there any response to the distress signals sent to the surrounding starry powers?"

That blood-covered guard commander with Early Daluo Stage cultivation gave a tragic smile and shook his head.

The guard commander replied in a raspy voice, "Young Pavilion Master. The Void Spirit-Devouring Bat tide comes with its own Law that blocks heavenly secrets; our distress signals cannot be sent out at all. The defensive Formation can hold for half a stick of incense at most. Once the Formation breaks, all of us will have our immortal spiritual power sucked dry by these beasts and be turned into mummified corpses. Young Pavilion Master, when the Formation breaks later, this subordinate will burn my Origin to tear open a path of survival for you. You must not look back and just keep fleeing."

Hearing this, a flash of determination and sorrow appeared in Su Qingyao's eyes. She knew that in this vast and heartless Chaos Star Sea, once the star boat was destroyed, it would be impossible for her to escape the pursuit of these disaster creatures based on her individual strength alone.

Despair, like icy seawater, completely submerged everyone on the star boat.

Just as the people on the wanbao starship were preparing to welcome the arrival of death...

A green figure unhurriedly walked into this chaotic starry battlefield.

Zhou Wannian stood with his hands behind his back, his pace steady. The path he walked happened to block the way between that Dark Gold Bat King at the Early Daluo Stage and the wanbao starship.

His ordinary Green Robe seemed so out of place in this battlefield filled with violent energy and bloody slaughter, yet it exuded an absolute tranquility that could not be ignored.

A flash of cruel tyranny flickered in the Dark Gold Bat King's crimson eyes. It didn't bother to investigate the cultivation level of this suddenly appearing youth in the Green Robe. In its simple intelligence, any creature blocking its path was merely food.

The bat king let out a piercing screech, abandoning its continued bombardment of the Star Boat's defensive Formation. It opened its bloody maw, wide enough to swallow stars, and with a stinking wind that carried the power to destroy all things, it bit down viciously toward Zhou Wannian.

On the wanbao starship, Su Qingyao and the guard commander were both stunned as they watched this sudden scene unfold.

They didn't understand where this youth, who seemed to have no cultivation fluctuations at all, had come from. In their eyes, he would be torn to shreds by the bat king in the next instant.

The guard commander couldn't help but shout a warning.

The guard commander cried out anxiously, "Fellow Daoist! Quick, get out of the way! That is a Void Bat King of the Daluo Realm; you cannot withstand it head-on!"

However...

Facing this terrifying devouring force that brought an endless stinking wind and was capable of instantly killing a Cultivator at the Peak of the Taiyi Realm...

Zhou Wannian didn't even lift his eyelids.

He stopped in his tracks, slightly raised his chin, and looked at the hideous bat king right in front of him. There was not a single ripple in his deep eyes.

Zhou Wannian spoke in a steady tone, carrying a hint of faint annoyance, as he said softly, "I just wanted to walk a stretch of road in peace. You flying insects are truly too noisy."

He did not summon any Magic Treasure.

He simply raised his right hand with extreme nonchalance, pressing his index and middle fingers together to form a sword finger, and made a plain, simple stroke toward the massive Dark Gold Bat King.

Great Five Elements Illusory World Art, Space Law Great Perfection.

Five Elements Disintegration.

There was no earth-shattering explosion of immortal spiritual power, nor was there any blinding light.

A transparent ripple of Law rippled out from Zhou Wannian's fingertip, instantly slicing into the Dark Gold Bat King's massive body.

That Void Bat King, which just a breath ago was radiating the violent pressure of the Early Daluo Stage and acting insufferably arrogant...

In the next breath, its body suddenly froze in mid-air.

Immediately after, starting from its indestructible skull, its body was sliced as if by ten thousand invisible blades at once, and then instantly crushed by a supreme power of disintegration.

There were no screams, no splattering blood.

In less than one ten-thousandth of an instant, this massive creature of astral calamity turned directly into a cloud of extremely fine gray powder, drifting through the cold starry sky.

An instant kill.

An instant kill that was clean and decisive to the extreme.

However, this was only the beginning.

After obliterating the bat king, the transparent ripple of Law continued unabated. Like an invisible scythe of death, it instantly swept through the boundless black tide of insects behind the bat king.

Time Law, Reverse Flow.

Space Law, Collapse.

In the eyes of those millions of Void Spirit-Devouring Bats, the starry sky around them suddenly contracted sharply inward, while the vitality within their bodies regressed at a frantic speed.

Puff, puff, puff.

Countless extremely faint muffled sounds blended together in the sea of stars.

That terrifying insect tide that had blotted out the sky and pushed the wanbao starship into a desperate situation turned into nothingness under Zhou Wannian's stroke, like snow meeting boiling water.

In just a short three breaths of time...

The entire starry battlefield was completely cleared.

Not a single Spirit-Devouring Bat survived, and even the slightest scent of blood was thoroughly erased by the power of the spatial collapse. The originally noisy and chaotic starry sky returned once more to that deathly silence and emptiness.

Only Zhou Wannian's green-robed figure remained standing quietly in place. He slowly lowered his right hand and placed both hands behind his back again, his expression composed, as if he had just casually swatted away a swarm of annoying mosquitoes.

On the wanbao starship...

Dead silence.

Absolute dead silence.

Su Qingyao, the guard commander, and the thousands of chamber of commerce guards were all frozen on the deck as if a binding spell had been cast upon them. Their breathing stopped, their eyes were wide, and their minds fell into a blank state, unable to think.

What had they just seen?

A youth in a Green Robe who seemed to have no immortal spiritual power fluctuations had merely made a casual stroke with two fingers.

A bat king of the Early Daluo Stage, along with millions of Spirit-Devouring Bats of the Taiyi Realm, had vanished into ash within three breaths.

Such methods, such absolute control over the Laws of Heaven and Earth, had completely overturned their understanding of the power system in the cultivation world. Even those legendary reclusive Dao Ancestor Peak experts could definitely not do this so nonchalantly, without a hint of effort.

A full half-measure of tea's time passed.

Only then did Su Qingyao suddenly shudder and wake up from the shock that had reached the depths of her Soul.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming shock in her heart, and straightened her somewhat disheveled dress. She knew that this seemingly ordinary youth before her was definitely a supreme expert who had hidden his cultivation and was wandering through the sea of stars.

If she could befriend this Senior, it would be an immeasurable and massive Opportunity for the Wanbao Pavilion.

Su Qingyao walked quickly to the edge of the deck and ordered her subordinates to remove the already tattered defensive light screen.

With a face full of utmost respect and awe, she performed the highest etiquette of a Junior meeting a Senior toward Zhou Wannian in the void below.

Su Qingyao's voice was clear, carrying an unhideable excitement and gratitude.

Su Qingyao said respectfully, "Junior Su Qingyao of the Wanbao Pavilion thanks Senior for your life-saving grace. If not for Senior's intervention, my wanbao starship would surely have been buried in the bellies of those insects today. If Senior does not mind, please board the boat for a chat, so that this Junior may fulfill the duties of a host and offer top-tier immortal tea as a token of my gratitude."

Zhou Wannian turned his head, his deep gaze falling upon the luxurious Star Boat and the respectful woman on the deck.

He had walked aimlessly in this sea of stars for a long time. Although he didn't feel tired, always facing these monotonous chaotic currents did indeed feel somewhat dull.

Hearing about top-tier immortal tea now, a hint of easygoing interest appeared in his calm eyes.

Zhou Wannian replied in a steady tone, "Very well. Having walked for so long, I am indeed a bit thirsty. Then I shall trouble you."

He did not decline, nor did he put on any high-and-mighty airs of a Senior.

He took a steady step forward, and with that single step, his figure vanished directly from where he stood.

In the next instant, his green-robed figure had silently landed on the broad white jade deck of the wanbao starship. There was no overflow of spatial fluctuations, as if he had been standing there all along.

The guard commander and the surrounding guards, seeing Zhou Wannian suddenly appear before them, all instinctively took a half-step back, not even daring to breathe loudly. They had witnessed with their own eyes this youth's terrifying method of obliterating millions of lives in an instant. That awe originating from their Souls made them simply not dare to look directly at Zhou Wannian's face.

Su Qingyao, however, suppressed the tension in her heart, a flawless, gentle smile blooming on her face as she personally stepped forward to lead the way for Zhou Wannian.

Su Qingyao said respectfully, "It is an honor for my wanbao starship to have Senior's presence. Senior, please follow me to the top-floor elegant chamber; there is 'Galaxy Enlightenment Tea' that this Junior has carefully stored there, which will surely satisfy Senior."

Zhou Wannian nodded slightly.

Zhou Wannian said with a plain expression, "Lead the way. Also, I have some things about this sea of stars that I would like to ask you about."

With his hands behind his back, he followed Su Qingyao with a composed demeanor toward the luxurious building on the top floor of the Star Boat.

Along the way, the chamber of commerce guards and maids respectfully retreated to both sides, bowing their heads deeply, as if welcoming a supreme monarch inspecting his territory.

The wanbao starship restarted, its massive sails swelling with the star-wind, turning into a streak of light that quickly left behind this starry battlefield that was once filled with danger.

Inside the elegant chamber on the top floor of the Star Boat...

The decor here was luxurious to the extreme. The floor was paved with warm jade capable of nourishing the Divine Soul, and the walls were inlaid with fist-sized starry night pearls that emitted a soft glow. A faint, elegant incense permeated the air, capable of instantly calming one's mind.

In the center of the chamber sat a tea table carved from a single piece of ten-thousand-year-old purple sandalwood.

Zhou Wannian sat down in the main seat without ceremony, his posture still just as relaxed. He leaned back against the soft back of the chair, looking at the star-sea scenery receding rapidly outside the window, as if he had returned to that Tingxue Small Abode in the True Immortal Realm.

Su Qingyao did not let any maid intervene; she personally rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of snowy-white, delicate wrist, as she elegantly boiled water and brewed tea for Zhou Wannian.

Before long, a cup of hot tea radiating a luster as brilliant as a galaxy and emitting a dense aura of the Great Dao was respectfully placed before Zhou Wannian.

Su Qingyao said softly, "Senior, please have some tea. This Galaxy Enlightenment Tea is picked from the Ancient Chaos Tree in the depths of the star-sea; only one tael is obtained every hundred years. I wonder if it suits Senior's taste."

Zhou Wannian picked up the teacup and took a light sip.

As the tea entered his throat, it turned into a stream of pure Law power that dispersed into his Qi Sea. Although it was but a drop in the ocean for his inner Universe, that unique star-sea charm was quite agreeable to him.

Zhou Wannian put down the teacup and commented in an easygoing tone, "The tea is not bad, quite interesting."

He looked up, his deep gaze falling on Su Qingyao sitting opposite him.

Zhou Wannian asked steadily, "Where is this ship of yours headed? In this Chaos Star Sea, besides that whatever Vast Star Palace, what other interesting places are there?"

Hearing this, Su Qingyao's heart stirred. She heard the complete lack of concern for the Vast Star Palace in Zhou Wannian's tone. In this sea of stars, those who dared to mention the Vast Star Palace in such a plain tone were absolutely few and far between.

She did not dare to hide anything and immediately straightened her posture, beginning to report in detail to this unfathomable Senior.

Su Qingyao replied respectfully, "Replying to Senior. Our Wanbao Pavilion's voyage this time is to the central trading hub of the Chaos Star Sea—the Myriad Worlds Heavenly City. That is a place where merchants from all the heavens and worlds and top-tier experts gather, and it is not under the jurisdiction of any single power. As for the power landscape in this star-sea..."

She paused for a moment to organize her thoughts.

Just as Su Qingyao was prepared to give a detailed account of the star-sea's landscape...

Zhou Wannian's brow twitched slightly, and a rare flash of surprise flickered in his deep eyes.

He felt the Wood Origin of his Great Five Elements Illusory World Art within his body suddenly produce an extremely faint yet crystal-clear throb. This throb did not come from an external attack, but was generated by the attraction of some homologous Law.

And at the edge of his Divine Sense perception, within the cargo hold at the very bottom of this wanbao starship, there was stored a mysterious object radiating an ancient Wood Origin aura.

Zhou Wannian interrupted Su Qingyao, his tone still steady.

Zhou Wannian said indifferently, "We can talk about the star-sea's landscape later. In the cargo hold at the bottom of your ship, there seems to be something very interesting. Take me to see it."