139: Chapter 139 Deeper Exploration, Void Rift

Inside the main hall of the Investigation Department in Black Stone City, Song Xinghe was gazing at the star map.

On the star map, newly appeared fissure markers were densely packed.

Every single fissure represented a potential threat.

Ling Shuang walked into the main hall with a solemn expression.

"Xinghe, news has come from the Ancestor that we need to expand the scope of our investigation."

Song Xinghe nodded, pointing to the blank areas on the star map.

"We have never ventured deep into these areas, so there might be hidden dangers."

Zhou Zhiting also arrived, her battle blood spear still carrying the dust of the borders.

"I will lead the Realm Guardian Army to accompany you in case of any contingencies."

Song Xinghe waved his hand. "The Investigation Department will go first, and the Realm Guardian Army will stand by."

"If we encounter danger, it won't be too late to ask for reinforcement."

Ling Shuang agreed. "Investigation is our primary goal, and we must not rashly engage in battle."

Song Xinghe immediately mustered the elites of the Investigation Department, totaling one hundred people.

Everyone was equipped with the most advanced investigation Magical Artifacts and communication talismans.

The star skiff was also ready, being the fastest model.

Before departure, a communication talisman from Bai Yunzhou arrived.

"Be sure to be careful. The Ash-Eater Clan is bizarre, and you must not let your guard down."

Song Xinghe solemnly acknowledged and led the team to board the star skiff.

The star skiff set sail, speeding toward the eastern Star Sea.

The first stop was the blank area on the star map.

No investigation team had ever ventured deep into that place, and it was filled with the unknown.

The star skiff sailed for three days, and the surrounding stardust became increasingly sparse.

They gradually entered the true depths of the Star Sea, which was a patch of utter silence.

Song Xinghe stood in front of the porthole, carefully observing his surroundings.

Suddenly, the investigation Magical Artifact emitted a faint alarm sound.

"There are abnormal energy fluctuations ahead!"

The Disciple hurriedly reported, pointing to the light spots on the Magical Artifact.

Song Xinghe ordered a deceleration and cautiously approached.

The star skiff moved forward slowly, and the energy fluctuations grew stronger and stronger.

A distorted Star Domain appeared ahead.

The stardust formed a bizarre vortex, slowly rotating.

At the center of the vortex, a black fissure was faintly visible.

Song Xinghe's heart sank; it was another fissure.

He had the star skiff stop at a safe distance and dispatched an investigation flying boat.

The flying boat carried three Disciples to approach the vortex for investigation.

A moment later, the flying boat transmitted back images.

At the center of the vortex was a massive spatial fissure.

The fissure was a full thousand zhang long, larger than any discovered previously.

At the edge of the fissure, countless strands of grey mist overflowed.

Within the mist, black shadows flashed faintly.

Song Xinghe's expression changed. It was the Ash-Eater Clan.

He immediately ordered them to record the location and characteristics of the fissure.

At the same time, he sent a communication talisman to Black Stone City to report the discovery.

Ling Shuang replied, "Continue the investigation and look for more fissures."

"If there is danger, retreat immediately and do not get bogged down in a protracted battle."

Song Xinghe accepted the order and led the star skiff to continue deeper.

Over the next few days, new fissures were discovered one after another.

Some were only a few zhang long, while others were hundreds of zhang long.

Every single fissure showed signs of Ash-Eater Clan activities.

Song Xinghe recorded them one by one and drew a detailed star map.

On this day, the investigation Magical Artifact suddenly trembled violently.

The alarm sound was sharp and piercing, unprecedented.

"Commander, there is a massive energy source ahead!"

Song Xinghe looked out of the porthole, his pupils abruptly shrinking.

A thousand zhang ahead, a ten-thousand-zhang fissure spanned across the Star Sea.

At the edge of the fissure, space was constantly collapsing and reorganizing.

Grey mist poured out like a waterfall.

Within the mist, countless Ash-Eater Clan monsters surged.

In the center of the fissure, a colossal figure loomed faintly.

That figure was a thousand zhang tall, and the grey mist around its body was thick.

A pair of crimson giant eyes were staring straight at the direction of the star skiff.

The hair on Song Xinghe's whole body stood on end; that was the Grey Devourer Sovereign.

He immediately ordered, "Retreat! Full speed retreat!"

The star skiff turned its direction and fled at full speed.

But those crimson giant eyes seemed to have locked onto the star skiff.

A streak of grey light shot out from the fissure.

It chased straight after the star skiff with extreme speed.

"Activate the protective shield! Accelerate with all your might!"

Song Xinghe roared, personally operating the star skiff.

Just as the protective shield was activated, the grey light struck the star skiff.

The star skiff trembled violently, and the protective shield shattered instantly.

Several Disciples were blasted flying, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

Song Xinghe gritted his teeth, burning his Spiritual Qi and injecting it into the star skiff.

The speed of the star skiff soared, barely managing to widen the distance.

The grey light chased for hundreds of miles before finally exhausting its strength and dissipating.

The star skiff narrowly escaped, but it was severely damaged.

Song Xinghe tallied the casualties: three seriously injured, and more than a dozen lightly injured.

He breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, there were no fatalities.

He hurriedly treated the wounded and repaired the star skiff.

At the same time, he sent a communication talisman to Black Stone City to report the movements of the Grey Devourer Sovereign.

Ling Shuang received the communication, her expression solemn.

"The fissure where the Grey Devourer Sovereign resides is the core source."

"We need to inform the Ancestor as soon as possible to formulate a countermeasure."

She immediately sent a communication talisman to Bai Yunzhou to report the latest discovery.

Bai Yunzhou was guarding in front of the giant fissure Seal.

Upon receiving the communication, his heart sank.

As expected, that ten-thousand-zhang giant fissure was the nest of the Grey Devourer Sovereign.

He replied to Ling Shuang, "Have Xinghe mark the location and strictly avoid getting close."

"Once I stabilize the Seal, I will go personally to investigate."

Ling Shuang passed the order to Song Xinghe.

Song Xinghe led the team to continue their investigation, but bypassed that core fissure.

They discovered more fissures in the surrounding areas.

Big and small, totaling thirty-seven places.

These fissures were distributed radially, centered around the core fissure.

Song Xinghe suddenly came to a realization. "This is a spiderweb-style layout."

"The core fissure is the spider, and these small fissures are the meshes of the web."

"Through these fissures, the Ash-Eater Clan infiltrates all regions of the Star Sea."

Upon hearing this, the Disciples all drew in cold breaths.

This meant that the invasion of the Ash-Eater Clan had been premeditated long ago.

Who knew how long these fissures had existed.

They had only discovered them recently.

Song Xinghe immediately ordered them to record every single fissure in detail.

Location, size, mist concentration, monster count.

All information was registered one by one.

Upon returning to Black Stone City, a detailed intelligence map would be made.

The investigation lasted for a full month.

The footprints of the investigation team spread across the entire eastern Star Sea.

A total of fifty-three fissures were discovered, among which three were giant fissures.

Song Xinghe looked at the record book with a solemn expression.

With so many fissures, if they all went out of control simultaneously.

The Star Sea Alliance would face a catastrophic disaster.

He immediately led the team on the return journey; he had to report as soon as possible.

During the voyage of the star skiff, they encountered an Ash-Eater Clan patrol team once again.

Dozens of monsters swarmed out from a small fissure.

They sensed the aura of living beings on the star skiff.

They crazily lunged forward, wanting to devour them.

Song Xinghe ordered them to meet the enemy, and the Disciples of the Investigation Department all moved out.

Sword Qi crisscrossed, slaying more than a dozen monsters.

The remaining monsters retreated back into the fissure, not daring to come out again.

Song Xinghe did not pursue them; instead, he set up a simple sealing array.

Temporarily sealing this small fissure to prevent more monsters from gushing out.

After returning to Black Stone City, they would dispatch the Sealing Department to come and reinforce it.

The star skiff continued its return journey, safe all the way.

Ten days later, the outline of Black Stone City appeared in their field of vision.

Ling Shuang and Zhou Zhiting were already waiting at the Star Port.

Song Xinghe led the team off the skiff, their faces fatigued yet unable to conceal their solemnity.

"Alliance Master, the situation is even worse than expected."

He handed over the record book and reported the investigation results in detail.

Ling Shuang flipped through the record book, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

Fifty-three fissures, three of which were giant ones.

The Grey Devourer Sovereign sat guarding the core, eyeing them covetously.

Zhou Zhiting tightened her grip on her battle blood spear. "We need to take the initiative and strike."

"First Seal the small fissures, then trap the large fissures."

"Finally, concentrate our strength to deal with the Grey Devourer Sovereign."

Ling Shuang nodded. "This plan is feasible, but it requires overall coordination."

"The forces of various domains are scattered, and they need to be uniformly dispatched."

Song Xinghe added, "We also need the Ancestor to hold down the core."

"Only the Ancestor's Power of Chaos can restrain the Grey Devourer Sovereign."

Ling Shuang immediately sent a communication talisman to Bai Yunzhou to report the investigation results.

Bai Yunzhou was in front of the giant fissure Seal, falling into contemplation after receiving the communication.

Fifty-three fissures—if they were to reinforce the Seals one by one.

The manpower and resources required would be an astronomical figure.

Strong as the Alliance was, it was still difficult to cover every single aspect.

They had to find a more efficient countermeasure.

He replied to Ling Shuang, "Hold an Alliance Assembly to pool everyone's wisdom."

"At the same time, send people to ancient ruins to look for a method of restraint."

Ling Shuang accepted the order and immediately summoned the representatives of various domains.

The Alliance Assembly was urgently convened with a solemn atmosphere.

Song Xinghe displayed the investigation results, shocking the representatives of various domains.

Fifty-three fissures covered the entire eastern region of the Star Sea.

Among them, several fissures were already close to the core area of the Alliance.

If not handled properly, the consequences would be unimaginable.

A young representative stood up to speak.

"I propose abandoning some of the remote fissures."

"Concentrate our strength to guard the core area."

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately sparked controversy.

Another representative retorted, "Remote small domains are also members of the Alliance."

"How can we easily abandon them and let them be devoured?"

The two sides argued endlessly, making it difficult to reach a consensus.

Ling Shuang raised her hand to signal for quiet.

"The Ancestor has ordered us to pool our wisdom and find the optimal solution."

"We must guard the core while also taking care of the remote regions."

Zhou Zhiting stood up and proposed a compromise plan.

"The remote fissures should focus on sealing, with a small force stationed there."

"The core fissures should be defended with heavy troops, ready for a decisive battle at any time."

"Various domains should form reserve teams to provide support at any time."

Everyone agreed one after another that this plan was feasible.

Ling Shuang immediately issued an order to deploy according to this plan.

The representatives of various domains accepted the orders and returned to urgently mobilize troops.

Inside Black Stone City, the atmosphere of war preparation grew increasingly thick.

The Artifact Hall worked day and night to forge Guardian Spirit Treasures.

The Pill Hall stepped up the refinement of Medicinal Pills and stockpiled supplies.

The Realm Guardian Army was fully mobilized, ready to set out on an expedition at any time.

The Investigation Department continued its deep investigation to expand the scope.

Song Xinghe personally led a team to head in other directions of the Star Sea.

They must thoroughly investigate all fissures without leaving any blind spots.

Meanwhile, Bai Yunzhou, in front of the giant fissure Seal.

Was also contemplating countermeasures.

The Ash-Eater Clan took the Law of Devouring as its Foundation.

Although the Power of Chaos was strong, it was not specifically tailored for restraint.

They needed to find a power that could completely restrain the Law of Devouring.

He recalled the records in the "Ancient Guardian Records".

"The Law of Devouring feeds on vitality."

"As long as vitality is endless, the devouring will never cease."

"Only the 'Law of Creation' can restrain devouring."

The Law of Creation was the opposite of the Law of Devouring.

Taking the creation of vitality as its Foundation, it was endlessly vibrant.

If one could master the Law of Creation, they would be able to restrain the Ash-Eater Clan.

But the Law of Creation had been lost for a long time and could nowhere be found.

Bai Yunzhou pondered for a moment and thought of a possibility.

"The Life Forbidden Zone, the legend of the Tree of Eternity."

Legend had it that the Tree of Eternity contained the Law of Creation.

If he could find the Tree of Eternity, perhaps he could comprehend the Power of Creation.

He immediately sent a communication talisman to Ling Shuang to inform her of this idea.

Ling Shuang replied, "Ancestor, the Eternal Forbidden Zone is extremely perilous."

"If you venture there rashly, there might be mishaps."

But Bai Yunzhou said, "Desperate times call for desperate measures; I have no other choice."

"You coordinate the overall situation, and I will lead the elites to go."

Ling Shuang knew she could not dissuade him, so she had no choice but to agree.

She immediately dispatched elites to accompany the Ancestor to the Eternal Forbidden Zone.

Zhou Zhiting volunteered to accompany them for protection.

Song Xinghe also wanted to accompany them, but was kept behind by Ling Shuang.

"The Investigation Department still needs you to hold down the fort; you cannot leave your post."

Song Xinghe had no choice but to give up and assigned the most elite investigation Disciples to the Ancestor.

Three days later, Bai Yunzhou led the team and set off.

Totaling one hundred people, all of whom were top experts of the Alliance.

The star skiff sped toward the Eternal Forbidden Zone in the western Star Sea.

At the same time, the Investigation Department transmitted back new intelligence.

In the northern Star Sea, more than thirty new fissures were discovered.

In the southern Star Sea, more than twenty were discovered.

The infiltration of the Ash-Eater Clan spanned the entire Star Sea.

Ling Shuang looked at the intelligence, her expression growing increasingly solemn.

The layout of the Grey Devourer Sovereign far exceeded imagination.

These fissures were like countless tentacles.

Stretching toward the core of the Star Sea from all directions.

Once they erupted simultaneously, the Alliance would be unable to attend to both ends at once.

She immediately issued an order to comprehensively deploy according to the established plan.

The Realm Guardian Armies of various domains were urgently mobilized, rushing to their respective defense zones.

The Disciples of the Sealing Department carried a large number of realm core crystals to reinforce the fissure Seals.

The Law Enforcement Hall stood in strict readiness to handle emergencies at any time.

Above the Star Sea, an unprecedented war preparation fully unfolded.

Although the common people were nervous, they were not panicked.

They had confidence in the Alliance and confidence in the Ancestor.

Believing that no matter what kind of crisis they encountered.

The Alliance would be able to protect the Star Sea and protect them.

Bai Yunzhou's star skiff was still on the way to the Eternal Forbidden Zone.

He gazed at the Star Sea outside the porthole, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

The threat of the Ash-Eater Clan was even greater than that of the Void Sovereign.

Although the Void Sovereign was strong, it had already been sealed.

The Grey Devourer Sovereign, however, was currently breaking out of its Seal.

This battle concerned the survival of the Star Sea.

Victory meant eternal peace for the Star Sea.

Defeat meant eternal damnation.

He had to find the Law of Creation.

He had to master the power to restrain devouring.

This was his responsibility, and it was also his mission.

As a Guardian, how could he fear hardships and obstacles?

He only wished for the living beings of the Star Sea to enjoy eternal peace.

The star skiff sped through the Star Sea, heading toward the unknown forbidden zone.

Ahead lay the extremely perilous Eternal Forbidden Zone.

Behind lay the Star Sea Alliance, which was preparing for war.

Bai Yunzhou closed his eyes and silently adjusted his breath.

He wanted to greet the upcoming challenges in his best state.

The star skiff drifted further and further away, disappearing into the depths of the Star Sea.