473: Star Mummy

In the deepest shadows of the Chaos Sea, in an absolute darkness where even starlight could not reach, several blurry figures floated between shattered Void Realm rifts.

They were enveloped in twisted Chaos mist, their forms barely discernible, with only occasional flashes of crimson eyes revealing the terrifying nature of these beings.

"Trash!"

A voice, hoarse like metal scraping, suddenly rang out, causing the surrounding spatial fragments to fall like rustling leaves.

"Two Dao Ancestor-level Star Devouring Species couldn't even take down a Human Race fleet!"

Another figure, shrouded in a bloody mist, let out a chilling laugh: "I told you long ago these beasts aren't reliable. Zhan Tian Dao Ancestor is one thing, but who is this Xu Qing who suddenly appeared? How could he so easily suppress a first-step Dao Ancestor?"

As he spoke, this figure gestured in the Void Realm, and a battle scene was projected, showing Xu Qing effortlessly exiling a Dao Ancestor-level Star Devouring Species.

"Half-Ancestor realm..." A figure shrouded in eerie blue flames let out a hoarse whisper, the flames flickering intensely, indicating his inner turmoil. "A mere Half-Ancestor can suppress a Dao Ancestor-level being with a flick of his hand!"

"Crack!" Another figure, entangled in star chains, crushed a Void Realm crystal in his hand. "This is no longer just fighting above one's level; this is a complete and utter suppression of the Great Dao!"

The figure shrouded in bloody mist, his eyes seemingly containing countless collapsing worlds, said: "This child must not be allowed to live! If he steps into the Dao Ancestor realm..."

The words were left unfinished, but everyone understood their meaning. A being who could easily suppress a Dao Ancestor while in the Half-Ancestor realm, once truly promoted to a Dao Ancestor, would undoubtedly be an absolute powerhouse among Dao Ancestors. At that time, under the protection of the Human Race, he would likely become a major hidden danger to them!

"He must be eliminated before he grows!" The eerie blue flames surged violently. "But we must not act directly, otherwise those old monsters in the Human Race Holy Temple will be difficult to deal with!"

A hint of dread flashed in the eyes of the several hazy figures.

"Tianyang Pass." The figure on the blood-colored lotus platform suddenly spoke, his voice like the clang of metal. "In one year, the Tianyang aliens will launch their largest attack in a hundred cycles."

The star-chained figure immediately understood: "A clever scheme! If this Prodigy 'unfortunately' perishes on the Tianyang Pass battlefield..."

"Even if the Holy Temple is enraged, they can only seek revenge from the Tianyang aliens," the eerie blue flames added chillingly. "What does it have to do with us?"

Several figures simultaneously let out low laughs, their laughter containing a spine-chilling malice.

The figure shrouded in bloody mist spoke: "I will arrange for 'Blood Corrosion' to make a trip to the Tianyang aliens and deliver a 'great gift' to this Prodigy at the critical moment."

"Not enough." The star-chained figure shook his head. "This child can easily exile a Dao Ancestor; ordinary methods simply..."

"Then use this." A dark Jade Slip suddenly flew out from the eerie blue flames. The Jade Slip was engraved with a ferocious character 'Slaying'. "The 'Dao Burying Nail' used to ambush Wu Tian back then, there's only one left."

Several auras simultaneously froze.

"Are you mad?" The blood-colored lotus platform figure lost his composure for the first time. "If the Human Race Holy Temple investigates..."

"They won't find out." The eerie blue flames sneered. "Once this nail enters the body, it will lie dormant for a hundred days, then suddenly erupt after a hundred days. At that time, who can prove that we were the ones who acted at Tianyang Pass?"

After a moment of silence, the several figures simultaneously nodded.

With a series of spine-chilling whispers, the figures gradually dissipated.

And at the location where they had floated, the space twisted and struggled like a living thing, finally bursting into countless specks of light with a "bang."

All traces vanished.

The waves of the Chaos Sea seemed to have temporarily calmed after that battle.

The fleet traveled between star wrecks and shattered continents, encountering no further large-scale attacks.

Occasionally, a few reckless Chaos Vicious Beasts approached, but before they could cause trouble, they were casually slain by the Holy Temple Cultivators patrolling the outer perimeter of the fleet.

Zhan Tian Dao Ancestor stood within the flagship's Nine-Layered Palace, his Gilded Halberd(gilt-gold tang) leaning against his shoulder, frowning as he gazed at the calm sea: "It's too quiet..."

It was indeed unusually quiet.

Normally, after losing two Dao Ancestor-level Star Devouring Species, the enemy should have retaliated frantically. Yet now, even the most common Chaos storms had become sparse, as if the entire sea region had been deliberately smoothed by some force.

Deep within the ship's cabin, Xu Qing's seclusion chamber was surrounded by peculiar spatial ripples.

Unless Xu Qing willed it, even ordinary Dao Ancestors would be unable to disturb him.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged, with thousands of Dao Seeds, each shimmering with a different light, suspended before him.

Some were Chaos-colored, with myriad Laws seemingly born and dying within them; some were silvery-white like the moon, emitting spatial fluctuations; some were verdant, brimming with Life energy... He chose to go into seclusion partly because he didn't want to deal with other ancient clans and great sects of the Human Race. It was better to leave such external negotiations to Xu Song.

In recent days, Xu Song had skillfully navigated between various forces, allowing the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild to establish collaborations with many ancient clans and great sects.

As he pondered, the space suddenly rippled.

Xu Qing looked up and saw a golden light land in his seclusion chamber. He raised his hand and summoned it, and the golden light appeared in his hand, transforming into Zhan Tian Dao Ancestor's phantom.

"Kid, come out and drink!" The phantom sat casually opposite him. "This old man dug out the 'Nine Tribulation Lightning Pulp' buried in the Dao Realm for a million years. If you don't come out soon..."

Before he could finish, Xu Qing had already appeared in the Nine-Layered Palace.

Zhan Tian Dao Ancestor laughed heartily. An invisible force enveloped the two of them, and he broke the Seal of a wine jar.

Immediately, nine phantom Lightning Dragons soared into the sky, weaving into a dazzling lightning net above the Chaos Sea.

"Good wine." Xu Qing took the wine jar and sniffed it lightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "To use Chaos Lightning Tribulation as an ingredient?"

"You recognize it!" Zhan Tian Dao Ancestor stroked his beard proudly. "To collect this Lightning Tribulation liquid back then, this old man searched painstakingly for hundreds of thousands of years..."

In the star-wreck-filled Chaos Sea, the fleet's spiritual light streaked like a meteor.

The laughter of Zhan Tian Dao Ancestor and Xu Qing, drinking together, echoed on the deck. The aroma of the Nine Tribulation Lightning Pulp even dispelled the surrounding Chaos mist.

And a million miles behind the fleet, on an inconspicuous shattered continent.

"Crack... crack..."

Several mummified corpses, clad in tattered armor, suddenly trembled.

Beneath their shriveled eyelids, eerie greenish-yellow light glowed. These remains, which should have perished in the ancient war, were now slowly rising in twisted postures.

From the chest cavity of the leading mummified corpse, a hoarse whisper suddenly emanated: "Such a young aura, yet able to suppress a first-step Dao Ancestor!"

His voice seemed to come from another world, with a metallic tremor.

His withered finger plunged into his hollow chest, retrieving a pulsating blood-colored crystal from between his ribs. Inside the crystal, the scene of Xu Qing suppressing the Star Devouring Species was vaguely visible, constantly replaying.

"Eternal Human Race... when did such an anomaly appear?"

Another mummified corpse suddenly spoke, its voice, however, was a completely different, soft female voice: "Master was right, the Eternal Human Race gathers the essence of heaven and earth and is a variable of the Eternal Ruins."

Their eerie green eyes pierced through the Chaos mist, locking onto the departing fleet.

The most bizarre thing was that when they moved, the surrounding space produced no ripples whatsoever—as if these beings themselves were a part of the Chaos Sea.