Shattered Star Realm, Mystery of Debris

Traversing the Void Realm, this time the goal was clear, yet it remained full of unknowns.

Nightmare used the rule fragment to guide their direction, while his Annihilation Domain protected them, carrying Su Wanqing as they sped through the chaotic turbulence of the Law. The rift region that had buried the ancient Star Spirit Race city gradually faded behind them, but an invisible sense of urgency followed them like a shadow. The annihilation of the Dark Devourer hunting squad was like throwing a stone into a calm—albeit chaotically calm—lake; the ripples would eventually spread, attracting even more terrifying entities.

They had to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

Based on the incomplete star chart and rift data obtained from the Star-Track Secret Hall, Nightmare locked onto a secondary rift in the northeast marked as 'relatively stable.' So-called relative stability was only in comparison to the surrounding major rifts, which were ever-changing and devoured everything.

Time passed, and the rule fragment sent back feedback. The energy turbulence in the Void Realm ahead gradually weakened, replaced by a strange, subtle sound like billions of pieces of glass shattering.

"We're almost there," Nightmare said, reminding her, his speed slowing slightly.

Su Wanqing focused her gaze, and in the distant darkness ahead, she could vaguely see a boundless "ocean" composed of countless star fragments, massive rocks, and frozen ice chunks. These fragments varied in size—some as small as dust, others as large as mountain ranges—maintaining a subtle balance between each other, slowly spiraling and flowing to form a vast and dead Star-Fragment Belt.

At the edge of the Star-Fragment Belt, a long, narrow, constantly twisting and changing space rift, emitting a faint silver light, hung in the Void Realm like a scar. That was their target—the secondary rift leading into the interior of the Star-Fragment Belt.

"rule fragment, scan the rift's stability and the environment on the other side," Nightmare ordered.

[Scanning... Target rift structure is in dynamic equilibrium, energy fluctuation Rank: low-to-medium. Internal spatial pressure is stable, no high-threat energy reactions detected. Environment on the other side confirmed: outer region of the Star-Fragment Belt, presence of weak Spiritual Qi and various metal and mineral reactions. Risk assessment: relatively low.]

"Let's go."

Confirming the risk was controllable, Nightmare did not hesitate. The rule fragment reinforced their protective shield, and the Power of Annihilation extended slightly, like the most precise carving knife, gently touching a specific frequency point on the silver light rift.

Hum!

The rift rippled like a disturbed water surface, and its stability seemed to improve for a moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Nightmare took Su Wanqing and turned into a streak of light, diving straight into the rift.

After a brief sensation of weightlessness and spatial distortion, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

They were now inside the Star-Fragment Belt.

Up close, the Star-Fragment Belt appeared even more spectacular and desolate. Huge, angular rocks and metal blocks slid silently past them. Some fragments still bore the remnants of ancient structures or massive engines, telling the story that they were not naturally formed. In the distance, there were even broken, mountain-like ship skeletons quietly floating in the darkness, like the graves of giant beasts.

The Spiritual Qi here was indeed thin, yet exceptionally pure, carrying a cold, metallic texture. A timeless, unchanging silence permeated the Void Realm.

"This place... seems like a giant graveyard," Su Wanqing said softly, shocked by the scene before her. Her Nine Aperture Exquisite Body seemed to be suppressed here, yet she felt a faint resonance with those pure metallic energies.

Nightmare fully expanded the rule fragment, like an invisible spider web, rapidly covering an area of tens of thousands of miles, carefully sensing this Star-Fragment Belt.

[Environmental scan complete: The Star-Fragment Belt's composition is complex, containing various unknown alloys, crystalline minerals, and energy residues. Multiple remnants of artificial creations detected; their technological level and style are vastly different from the Star Spirit Race, judged to be a mixture of relics from multiple civilizations.]

[Energy scan: Multiple weak energy sources detected, with varying properties; some are residual Formations, some are inert energy mineral veins, and some are of unknown origin.]

[Life scan: No macroscopic life form reactions detected. Trace amounts of microorganisms and energy-based plankton detected.]

The preliminary scan results indicated that there were no significant, immediate dangers here. But Nightmare did not let his guard down. In the perception of the rule fragment, this seemingly dead Star-Fragment Belt always gave him a faint sense of incongruity, as if something was hidden beneath the calm exterior.

He used the rule fragment to lock onto the nearest area with more concentrated energy reactions—it was a metal wreck as huge as an asteroid, entirely dark gold in color. Its surface was covered in regular geometric patterns, seemingly once part of some massive creation.

"Let's go take a look."

The two figures moved and arrived on top of the dark golden wreckage. The landing spot felt hard, and the metal surface was ice-cold, showing no trace of much rust even after countless years.

Nightmare used the rule fragment to scan the wreckage in depth, attempting to analyze its material and structure. Suddenly, the rule fragment vibrated slightly. In an extremely hidden interlayer inside the wreckage, it captured a trace of an extremely faint, yet exceptionally tenacious energy shield reaction! What the shield was protecting appeared to be a shuttle-shaped, sealed container about the height of a person!

The energy properties of this shield... were different from any civilization system he knew, carrying a sense of absolute "isolation" and "sealing."

"There is something inside," Nightmare's gaze sharpened. In this Star-Fragment Belt where relics of various civilizations mixed, what could be inside a container protected with such care?

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and the rule fragment guided the Power of Annihilation, turning it into the finest probe to attempt to contact the shield. However, the shield was extremely special. When the Power of Annihilation touched it, it was as if it slid over the smoothest mirror, bounced off by a strange "absolute reflection" property, unable to penetrate even a fraction!

Even the analysis of the rule fragment was obstructed, unable to probe the specific situation inside the shield.

"What a strange shield," Nightmare was surprised. The technological level or Law application of this shield was clearly extremely high.

Just as he was about to increase the output of the rule fragment to forcibly analyze or crack the shield—

Hum!

An invisible, intangible, yet bone-chillingly cold scanning wave, like liquid mercury pouring over the ground, silently swept across the entire Star-Fragment Belt, and also swept over the location of Nightmare and Su Wanqing!

This fluctuation was not Divine Sense, nor was it energy detection; it was more like... an absolute scan based on some underlying physical Law!

The rule fragment instantly warned Nightmare! Su Wanqing also inexplicably felt a palpitation!

The scanning wave came fast and went fast, as if it were just a routine matter.

But Nightmare's rule fragment clearly captured that after the scanning wave passed, deep in the Star-Fragment Belt, some huge, previously silent shadow seemed to... extremely slightly... move?

A vast, indescribable will, mixed with ancient, cold, and absolute order, like a sleeping giant beast, slowly awakened a wisp in the deepest part of the Star-Fragment Belt.

The crisis assessment index sent by the rule fragment began to climb quietly.

Nightmare slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through countless floating star fragments, looking toward that deepest darkness.

It seemed that this Star-Fragment Maze was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface. That strictly protected container, as well as the strange scanning wave and the awakened will just now, all seemed to point to some... secret hidden here.

And they, these two uninvited guests, had likely already triggered some... mechanism.